"Definitely over 200,000"

LifeSiteNews.com reports that the number of participants at last Thursday's March for Life, which the mainstream press claimed was mere "thousands" or "tens of thousands," actually reached into the hundreds of thousands, a range that jibes with my observations.

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Hundreds of thousands of pro-life demonstrators marched through the U.S. capital Thursday, protesting the deaths of almost 50 million unborn children by surgical abortion since the practice was legalized nationwide in 1973.

The March for Life, held on the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision that struck down state laws nationwide, attracted large groups from around the nation, including Catholic dioceses and parishes, organizations of priests and laity, and various pro-family and pro-life organizations. Well over half of the participants were under thirty years old, including a very high percentage of adolescents.

March for Life chief organizer Nellie Gray told LifeSiteNews the crowd definitely appeared larger than normal this year. She said there were "definitely over 200,000" participants and noted that one television station reported that there were 300,000 participants in the march. Gray also said the march normally takes about one and a half hours to pass one point, but this year it took over two and a half hours, indicating a large increase in numbers. ...

Faith and Baptism are indispensable

The Navarre Bible commentary for tomorrow's Gospel (Mark 16:15-18, the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle), provided free by the Daily Word Google group, includes a terrific catechesis on Baptism. It begins with a citation to one of my favorite catechisms, the Catechism of St. Pius X, which Pope Benedict has said "always retains its value." There has been a lot of sloppy thinking on the necessity of Baptism; this commentary is a good corrective. It also reminds parents -- and implicitly pastors -- that according to canon law they are "to see that their infants are baptized within the first few weeks" and "as soon as possible after birth." Enjoy!

16. This verse teaches that, as a consequence of the proclamation of the Good News, faith and Baptism are indispensable prerequisites for attaining salvation. Conversion to the faith of Jesus Christ should lead directly to Baptism, which confers on us "the first sanctifying grace, by which Original Sin is forgiven, and which also forgives any actual sins there may be; it remits all punishment due for sins; it impresses on the soul the mark of the Christian; it makes us children of God, members of the Church and heirs to Heaven, and enables us to receive the other Sacraments" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 553).

Baptism is absolutely necessary for salvation, as we can see from these words of the Lord. But physical impossibility for receiving the rite of Baptism can be replaced either by martyrdom (called, therefore, "baptism of blood") or by a perfect act of love of God and of contrition, together with an at least implicit desire to be baptized: this is called "baptism of desire" (cf. "ibid.", 567-568).

Regarding infant Baptism, St. Augustine taught that "the custom of our Mother the Church of infant Baptism is in no way to be rejected or considered unnecessary; on the contrary, it is to be believed on the ground that it is a tradition from the Apostles" ("De Gen., Ad Litt.", 10, 23, 39). The new "Code of Canon Law" also stresses the need to baptize infants: "Parents are obliged to see that their infants are baptized within the first few weeks. As soon as possible after the birth, indeed even before it, they are to approach the parish priest to ask for the Sacrament for their child, and to be themselves duly prepared for it" (Canon 867).

Another consequence of the proclamation of the Gospel, closely linked with the previous one, is that "the Church is necessary", as Vatican II declares: "Christ is the one mediator and way of salvation; He is present to us in His body which is the Church. He Himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism (cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:5), and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse to enter it, or to remain in it" ("Lumen Gentium", 14; cf. "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 4; "Ad Gentes", 1-3; "Dignitatis Humanae", 11).

Must not stop ...

As parishes and dioceses around the country gear up for this weekend's National Postcard Campaign to "Fight FOCA," Joan Sobala's sacramental minister decides this is a good time to pitch state subsidies for health insurance:

Dear Friends,

This past week we observed the tragic anniversary of Roe versus Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion throughout the United States. We all know of our Catholic Church’s efforts to protect the life of children in the womb. Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that our efforts to protect life must not stop once the child is born. Access to affordable health care is essential to safeguard human life. It is a basic human right. Yet nine million children in the United States do not have health insurance. In response to the situation of uninsured children and in light of Catholic Social Teaching, Bishop Clark has stated that he supports state and federal efforts to expand opportunities for coverage for the most vulnerable members of our communities. Sr. Joan and I invite you to join with us and Bishop Clark in requesting an expansion of the State Children’s Health Care Program ("SCHIP") by signing the Diocesan Public Policy Committee’s petition after Mass on February 7th and 8th.

Grace and peace,
Fr. Gary Tyman

Clenched teeth and sleeping giants

If you can keep your teeth from clenching too tightly through the first two-thirds of Peggy Noonan's latest column, you might smile by the time you reach the end of it:

...
As for Mr. Obama, some thoughts that start with a hunch. He has the kind of self-confidence that will serve him well or undo him. He has to be careful about what he wants, because he's going to get it, at least at the beginning. He claimed a lot of moderate territory in his Inaugural Address (deepen and expand our alliances, put aside debates on size of government and aim for government that is competent and constructive), but no one is certain, still, what governing philosophy guides him. He would be most unwise to rouse the sleeping giant that is American conservatism. One thing that would rouse it, and begin to bring its broken pieces back together, would be radical movement on abortion, such as pushing the so-called Freedom of Choice Act.

There was another great gathering in Washington this week, of those who themselves are not always invited or included, because of their unflinching views. The Right to Life march was marked, according to participants, by an air of peacefulness, and unusual sweetness. The attitude toward President Obama? They prayed for him. As great Americans, which is what they are, would.

Rapture

What are the odds that the gaggle of DOR malcontents quoted in this story for the Rochester Catholic Courier tuned in any of EWTN's coverage of the March for Life (much less broke out into "spontaneous applause")?

After Obama had taken the oath of office Roberts said, "Congratulations, Mr. President," triggering a round of spontaneous applause from the diocesan employees. They then watched with rapt attention as Obama delivered his first address as president. He acknowledged the many challenges currently facing America, but pledged to help the nation overcome those challenges.

"They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America -- they will be met. On this day we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord," Obama said.

Obama's message of hope reflected the way many Americans feel today, said Ruth Putnam Marchetti, justice-and-peace coordinator for Catholic Charities in Livingston, Wayne and the Finger Lakes counties.

"It just feels wonderful to be so inspired and hopeful right now," she said.

Mercy Sister Janet Korn said watching the speech solidified her belief that Obama will try to accomplish what he's promised. At the same time, he called on his fellow Americans to take some responsibility for the nation's well-being, noted Sister Korn, social-justice awareness coordinator for diocesan Catholic Charities.

"For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies," Obama said.

The nation's success depends upon its return to the values of honesty, hard work, courage, fair play, tolerance, curiosity, loyalty and patriotism, he added.

"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility, a recognition on the part of every American that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world," he said.

"I think he called us to a challenge ... to be all that we can be, to live faithfully and generously and honestly," Sister Korn said.

"The clear challenge to all of us is that it needs to be something we are all to do, not just our leaders. I was hoping for that, and I was really glad he said it," Putnam Marchetti remarked.

Meanwhile, on the day this story went to press, President Obama signed an executive order paving the way for U.S. taxpayer-funded abortion overseas.

The symbols in the work

The Catholic Telegraph reports that a new icon for one of my favorite saints, Boniface, was "written" by a local artist for a school. It's impressive that a Catholic school would both support sacred art and desire to expose its students to it. Not so long ago, a new depiction of a school patron would have come on a felt banner or been part of a wall mural.

CATHEDRAL DEANERY — As part of their year-long heritage celebration, St. Boniface School in Northside commissioned Cincinnati artist Julie Lonneman to create an image of their patron saint. The 16" x 20" acrylic painting depicts St. Boniface, dressed in medieval bishop’s robes, holding an open book and an oak branch.

St. Boniface was an English Benedictine monk who devoted his life to the conversion of the pagan tribes of Germany. His first missionary journey was undertaken in the year 719 at the request of Pope Gregory II. St. Boniface succeeded in reforming the whole German church before his martyrdom with 53 companions in 743.

Though little is known about St. Boniface’s physical appearance, artist Julie Lonneman sought to imbue the painting with a sense of his spirit. According to Lonneman, "I wanted to depict St. Boniface as warmly and appealingly as possible, since the painting is for a school. The symbols in the work signify various aspects of his story: the pallium he’s wearing represents his fidelity to the pope, the open book his mission of evangelization, and the oak branch his conversion of people from paganism to Christianity." ...

Learn more about St. Boniface here.

Brief note from the mall

By all accounts, there was a huge, much larger crowd at the March for Life this year -- in the neighborhood of several hundred thousand. Yet I did not see a single television camera* or reporter from the secular press. Cincinnati's McNicholas High School usually sends 10-12 students to the March; this year it was 52. Moeller also had a large contingent; among them, I spotted two brothers who serve as altar boys for St. Rose. I saw one boy in a St. X sweatshirt; it's possible there were others. The majority of marchers appear to be high school students, and I'd place the share of Catholics in excess of 80%. We saw scores of priests, including several very young-looking members of the FSSP. More later, with pictures.

* Washington's News 4 just aired a lengthy segment on the March with footage of a speech by Fr. Frank Pavone (along with an obligatory counterpoint from a NOW representative.)

And now photographs (click to enlarge) ...

Getting started (yours truly is on the far left, followed by my oldest son and my good friend Trey):



A view from the Mall -- there was an equal number behind us:



There were groups of high school students everywhere; this group had jugglers and acrobats:



Look at the size of the crowd behind us in this last one -- as far as the eye can see:

And the brave new world begins

There have been various times since 4 November 2008 when I have not recognized my country. This is one of them:

How to pray for the President

"Hey, Dad. We had an assembly at school today for the inauguration."

"How did it go?"

"Our principal asked us to pray for the defense of human life, from conception to natural death."

"That's a very good thing to pray for."

"We also prayed that President Obama would change his mind on abortion."

"That's a very good thing too."

"I really like our new principal."

"I do too."

Just so much fluff

In his weekly Q&A column on the liturgy, Father Edward McNamara fields a question concerning the perennial topic of applause at Mass. It seems that a young priest, bless him, scolded a congregation for applauding his homily. This congregation evidently is accustomed to showing their appreciation this way, and the young priest was a visiting celebrant. (A friend tells me that a parish here in Cincinnati -- sounds like Wood Leopard -- does this every week for the president of a local Jesuit institution.) Father McNamara wisely distinguishes spontaneous clapping from that which is encouraged or becomes commonplace. He also warns that applause might condition a priest to seek the approval of the congregation rather than preach what they need to hear -- a great point.

That said, the young priest was correct in stating that, in general, applause is to be discouraged during Mass.

It is not an absolute rule, however; the Pope's homilies usually conclude with applause and are even sometimes interrupted by enthusiastic ovations. In the ancient world, great sermons, such as those of a St. Augustine, were occasionally interspersed with appreciative accolades on the part of the people.

There are also some cultures where applause or hand-clapping is a spontaneous sign of respect and even veneration. For example, some African peoples even clap their hands during the consecration, because this was the traditional gesture observed when their kings were present and it seemed natural to carry it over to greet the presence of the King of kings.

Therefore, while respecting cultural differences and not excluding an occasional spontaneous applause for a particularly inspired and inspiring homily, I would agree that the practice should not be encouraged or regular in Western parish settings.

First of all, the Roman liturgical tradition is usually sober in its external manifestations. This holds true even in those Catholic cultures that are exuberant in the demonstrations of popular piety such as the processions of Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula and southern Italy where applause, cheers and the like are regular features.

After the homily, the liturgy recommends a moment of silence in order to reflect upon and assimilate the message. Applause easily breaks the concentration and makes it harder to gather one's thoughts and bring them to bear on the essential questions of living the Gospel.

When applause is neither common nor expected a priest can prepare the homily with greater freedom, both regarding the doctrine he wishes to transmit and the best means of delivery. In other words, although he should always strive to prepare an excellent homily from the rhetorical point of view, not having to worry about applause makes him less subject to the temptation of striving more to please than to instruct and exhort toward sanctity.

Not being expected to applaud also frees both priests and parishioners from the danger of making subtle and not-so-subtle comparisons among priests. Father X's homily received timed respect; Father Y got a standing ovation, while Father Z's preaching on Christian morals got the silent treatment. I am exaggerating, of course, but the point is that any element that might induce disharmony should be avoided.

The best reaction to a well-thought and delivered homily is a decision to move forward and grow as a Christian. If this is lacking, then all external applause is just so much fluff.

In his book "The Spirit of the Liturgy" the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote: "Whenever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment" (Page 198). ...

"The name of Jesus Christ was never mentioned once"

A report from Bishop Matthew Clark's interfaith prayer service last night for President-elect Obama at Rochester's Sacred Heart Cathedral:

On Monday night as promised I attended Bishop Matthew Clark’s Prayer service for President Elect Obama. I completely agree with the concept of praying for a President and all our leaders. We should pray that they respect life and keep us safe.

I was deeply disappointed in the event. It was held at Sacred Heart Cathedral, a Catholic Church and the home of Bishop Clark. It was called an ecumenical interfaith service. There was no professing of the Christian faith at all. During the event there was absolutely no reading of New Testament Scriptures by the Bishop. The name of Jesus Christ was never mentioned once. The phrase may Christ be with you was changed to “May truth and beauty be with you”. There was a program for the event, it had Barack Obama’s picture on it and again never mentions Christ in it. This was taken off of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester’s website:

The department of Evangelization and Catechesis is dedicated to the Church’s effort to make disciples and to help people believe that Jesus is the Son of God, so that believing, they might have life in his name, thus building up the body of Christ. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #4).

As billed it was an interfaith service. Other religious leaders were comfortable reading from holy books. An old Testament Bible reading from Deuteronomy was read by Rabbi Laurence A Kotok of Temple B’rith Kodesh, We thank him for that. Iman Muhammad Shafig of the Islamic Center of Rochester read from the Qur’an. There was even a Sanskrit chant. However Bishop Clark in his own church chose not to read from the Testament of Jesus Christ! There was never a mention of the sanctity of life, opposition to abortion, death penalty or war. We might as well have been at a Democratic caucus meeting in the War Memorial. Most disappointing was no mention of Thursdays pro life march in Washington D.C. where 100’s of clergies, including the Bishops from the Syracuse and Buffalo diocese will attend. There is an estimated crowd of 200,000 people. Bishop Clark will not attend, he has never attended in 20 years.

On Wednesday I will leave to go to Washington. I will come back with a report that includes pictures of the masses of people. Last year we easily had 200,000 people, the media barely covered it.

You can also read the Democrat & Chronicle's report, which includes this revealing nugget:

Although it was a diverse event, a singular message shone through: There are many paths to God, but perhaps what concerns God the most is that people choose one of the paths.

Change indeed

On the eve of the inauguration, Rochester blogger Lee Strong takes up the question, "Is Obama anti-Catholic?":

A few blogs and commentators have speculated whether Barack Obama might be anti-Catholic.

I'm not among them.

But I do believe orthodox Catholics make him nervous - and he is minimizing contact with them.

At the Denver convention, he broke with tradition and did not involve the local Catholic prelate - Archbishop Chaput - in any of the prayer activities. The same pattern is continuing with the Inauguration. Four Protestants - three liberals and a pop-evangelical - have been invited to offer prayers, but once again orthodox Catholics have been shunned.

Two major events - and nary a Catholic. That's unprecedented and a clear slight of the nation's largest denomination.

Change indeed.

Part of the reason may be his extreme views on abortion - views that are totally out of sync with Catholic teachings. And a number of Catholic prelates (such as Archbishop Chaput) have been increasingly vocal on the issue.

Obama likely does not want anyone to speak about life and rain on his pro-abortion parade.

He does not reject all Catholics. He associates with those who go against Church teachings - like V.P. Biden.

But Catholics who are true to their faith? Stay away.

Guess I won't be getting an invite to the White House any time soon.

Wednesday arrival

After my lunch with a good priest-friend this afternoon, I dropped by a local bookstore and picked up a guide that should prove useful later this week.

As the customer ahead of me laid down her copy of the latest issue of Mother Jones, the grinning cashier asked her if she'd be doing a lot of celebrating tomorrow. They then both engaged in brief, jubilant small talk about Tuesday's inauguration.

When my turn came the cashier was still beaming. I placed a copy of the Eyewitness "Top 10" Travel Guide for Washington, DC -- the best travel guides on the planet, in my humble opinion -- on the counter. She asked me excitedly when I'd be arriving.

"Wednesday," I said.

She looked at my with puzzlement and then recognition. "Oh," she grumbled, and then frowned.

"Have a nice day!"

Imagine the potential

From the good people at CatholicVote.com:



More on the video that has St. Blog's all abuzz:

CHICAGO, JAN. 19, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Every life has potential is the message of an ad to be aired repeatedly on Black Entertainment Television in Chicago during Tuesday's coverage of Barack Obama's presidential inauguration.

The 30-second spot, produced by CatholicVote.org, begins with ultrasound image of an unborn baby.

"This child's future is a broken home," the overlying text states, with music playing in the background. "He will be abandoned by his father. His single mother will struggle to raise him."

"Despite the hardships he will endure," the text continues, as the music gets louder and is mixed with sounds of a cheering crowd, "this child ... will become ... the first African American president."

Then showing a picture of Barack Obama, the text says: "Life: Imagine the potential."

The ad is the first in a series to be released this year as part of a new educational campaign, titled precisely "Life: Imagine the Potential."

Brian Burch, executive director of CatholicVote.org, commented on the ad in a press statement: "Our message is simple: Abortion is the enemy of hope. The purpose of our new ad is to spread a message of hope about the potential of every human life, including the life of President-elect Obama."

Cohabitation: the new "teachable moment"

The Catholic Courier of Rochester features an examination of the pastoral challenge of cohabitation, especially as it relates to couples contemplating marriage in the Church. Unfortunately, the proposed solutions seem destined to perpetuate the problem.

Gone are the days when it was considered positively scandalous for an unmarried woman and an unmarried man to be living together.

To be sure, a sizable segment of the population still considers this to be morally wrong, but such cohabitation doesn't carry quite the social stigma it did several decades ago. Living together is seen as the norm by many and, in fact, more than half of the couples who come to Father Robert Kennedy in the hopes of marrying at Blessed Sacrament Church in Rochester already are living together, the pastor said.

"There are couples that deliberately choose not to (live together before marriage), but I think in this day and age couples do have to deliberately choose not to live together," Father Kennedy observed.

No matter how socially acceptable cohabitation has become, the Catholic Church is still opposed to cohabitation of two unmarried people in a sexual relationship because the church never sanctions sexual activity outside of marriage, he said. Marriage is about the fruitful communion of two people in a committed relationship that is publicly sealed through the sacrament, and there is no place for sexual activity outside of a marital relationship, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

"Carnal union is morally legitimate only when a definitive community of life between a man and a woman has been established," according to No. 2391 of the catechism. "Human love does not tolerate 'trial marriages.' It demands a total and definitive gift of persons to one another."

Yet "trial marriage" is just what many people are seeking when they decide to move in together, said Father Kennedy, who believes this may stem in part from many young adults' childhood experiences with their parents' divorces.

"They are the children of the most divorced generation ever ... and they do not want to go through that themselves, so they want to make sure they are fully compatible with this person," he said.

This line of thinking is valuable in a way because it means these people aren't treating marriage as a disposable part of their lives; however, the relationship shared by two cohabitating sexual partners is not the same as a relationship shared by two spouses, he noted. Similarly, a marital relationship is not the same as a relationship of economic convenience, which is another reason engaged couples give for already living together.

Father Kennedy's sentiments echo those expressed in 1999 by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Marriage and Family. In a resource paper released that year, titled "Marriage Preparation and Cohabitating Couples: An Information Report on New Realities and Pastoral Practices," the bishops presented pastoral ministers with cohabitation statistics and information, and outlined several American dioceses' pastoral responses to cohabitation.

Statistics show that cohabitation does not prove a reliable training ground for marriage, since only 53 percent of cohabitation situations result in marriage, according to the document. Furthermore, the risk of divorce is 50 percent higher for those who live together before marriage than for their counterparts who don't, the document stated.

Cohabitation flies in the face of church teachings, but is not in itself a canonical impediment to marriage, according to the same document. However, pastoral ministers may decide that postponement of the wedding is in order if additional preparation time is needed to address issues raised by cohabitation.

Pastoral officials who agree to work with and marry cohabitating couples are not tacitly approving of cohabitation, but rather are helping the couple to "regularize" their situation by marrying, the bishops wrote. Father Kennedy agreed, noting the "teachable moments" such situations provide.

"I think it is a very important moment of evangelization for young adults," he said. "They probably ... have drifted away a little bit from what the church preaches, and this is an opportunity for us to welcome them, support them."

It also provides a good way for pastoral ministers to educate and engage them in discussions about faith, and for pastoral ministers and marriage-preparation ministers to listen carefully to the couples and judge their readiness for marriage, he said.

Father Kennedy often suggests that cohabitating couples either start to live separately until they're married or, if that's not possible, to abstain from sexual activity until after the wedding.

"I put it out there as a suggestion, but I don't require it. It's just to encourage in them a ... reflection about what they're doing so there continues to be a kind of vitality about their choice, (so they) really hunger for this choice again, and to be fresh and ready to take their vows on their wedding day," he said.

At least Father Kennedy is honest. That he doesn't require a minimal degree of chastity from the couples he marries is scandalous. Why not require the couple to make a pledge to live either apart or as "brother and sister" during their engagement? If the couple says no, doesn't that tell you something about their readiness? The pastor for a local evangelical community refuses to marry cohabiting couples and, if I recall correctly, insists on a six-month period of chastity before they can present themselves again. (Have I mentioned the place is bursting at the seams?) And let's suppose that cohabitation is not a canonical impediment to marriage. We're still faced with a bizarre situation in which someone in an objectively irregular state is receiving one sacrament but is likely ineligible to receive another. "I now pronounce you man and wife, but please refrain from receiving communion." Father Kennedy claims to be taking his cues from a statement issued by the bishops conference. Allow me to remind my readers what sort of doctrinal weight and authority such documents have. (Hint: it rhymes with hero.)

Many faces, one ideology

Today's "MLK moment" is sponsored by the folks at AmericanCatholic.org, where a thin veneer of Christianity covers a thick substructure of multiculturalism:

African-American Catholic spirituality is biblically rooted. It is Trinitarian (God-centered, Jesus-centered and Spirit-centered). It is socially responsible, mystical, joyful and creative. This spirituality is concretely manifested in Black Catholic efforts to combat the social sins of racism, sexism, classism and cultural imperialism.

As African and African-American Catholics join in communion with their Catholic brothers and sisters who are not Black—and their Black brothers and sisters who are not Catholic—we can enrich the Christian and religious world with our distinct gifts of spirituality. These have allowed us to embody the virtues of fortitude and perseverance in the midst of enormous and consistent systemic oppression, devaluation and marginalization in our Church and society.

Thank you, Mr. President

George Weigel measures the debt of gratitude Catholics owe President Bush. Said one Vatican official quoted in the article, “We know we’re never going to have another American administration as supportive of our core issues as the Bush administration has been.” On tomorrow's Son Rise Morning Show (at 7:37 am), Brian Patrick and I will discuss many of the pro-life measures introduced by President Bush that are threatened by the incoming Obama administration: limits on the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and overseas abortions, and pro-life conscience clauses for healthcare professionals. (Note: Obama doesn't need FOCA to overturn these measures; a non-legislative executive order is all that is required.) Meanwhile, in the pages of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, one of Joan Sobala's fellow Sisters of St. Joseph gets in a last dig: "Perhaps Americans were weary of leadership that addressed national and world problems in old and failed ways. Obama's approach promised closeness to people and their concerns, a more compassionate leadership, a new way of dealing with world neighbors that would heal existing divisions. How Americans would welcome being well-thought-of among nations!"