There is an old Flip Wilson comedy bit about the pastor who noticed that the collection plate was rather low and proceeded to tell the congregation that in order to be a Church, a Church first needed to crawl. “Let it crawl, Rev! Let it crawl!” shouted the congregants. “And then,” the Reverend continued, “a Church needs to walk!” “Let it walk, Rev!” yelled the people in the pews. “Let it walk!!!” “And my brothers and sisters,” the minister said, his voice growing,” after this Church walks, it needs to run!!!” “Let it run, Rev! Let it run!” shouted the congregants, matching the … [Read more...] about Catholic Action – April 2020 Update
DECEMBER 8th Set as DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING FOR THE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE
Among the core experiences in the story of St. Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, was his capture and enslavement for six years as a youth. He writes in his Confessio, that he believed his enslavement was a just punishment for having abandoned God. However, we know now that God abandons no one. We human beings are the ones who instead abandon God and bring sin to this earth. The desolation and despair felt by the sixteen-year-old Patrick matches what far too many young people today experience in the most formative years of their lives. The scandals surrounding the sexual abuse of minors and … [Read more...] about DECEMBER 8th Set as DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING FOR THE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE
Statement from AOH Catholic Action Chair on the Forced Resignation of House Chaplain Fr. Patrick Conroy, S.J.
The tenth chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew underscores the cost and requirements of proclaiming Jesus’s message to the Church. “One’s enemies will be those of his own household,” is the stark reality Christ presents those of us who would preach that gospel message. Those passages have become prescient in light of the recent forced resignation of House Chaplain, Fr. Patrick Conroy, S.J., by House Speaker and self-proclaimed devout Catholic, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Only twice in its history has the House of Representatives employed Roman Catholics as chaplains, and Fr. Conroy is the first … [Read more...] about Statement from AOH Catholic Action Chair on the Forced Resignation of House Chaplain Fr. Patrick Conroy, S.J.
Nothing “Wonderful” About Catholic Bigotry
The Ancient Order of Hibernians was established in 1836 to protect and defend Our Holy Mother, the Roman Catholic Church, from the violence and bigotry of anti-Catholic nativist mobs. While violent physical attacks on our churches have become largely a thing of the past, bigotry and disdain for the Catholic Church has not vanished; it hides in the shadows where it nurses on the darkness until its next opportunity to spread the poison of prejudice. On Friday evening, October 21, President Trump through twitter promoted the work of Dr. Robert Jeffress, a megachurch pastor of First Baptist … [Read more...] about Nothing “Wonderful” About Catholic Bigotry