The Curt Jester

"unfortunate" disclosure

2009-11-06T22:56:13Z

A priest in the Diocese of Scranton has been removed as administrator of three Throop parishes after he inadvertently displayed four photos of what a diocese spokesman called "minimally attired adult males" before the 8 a.m. Mass at St. Bridget's Church on Oct. 25.

The Rev. Edward P. Lyman was using his personal computer to project an informational DVD about the diocesan Annual Appeal fundraiser when he accidentally showed the "inappropriate personal photographs" that were stored on his computer, according to a diocesan statement read at the Throop Masses on Sunday.

Diocese spokesman William Genello said the photos were not pornographic and did not display nudity or sexual activity. The photos were not of the Rev. Lyman, nor did he take the pictures, Mr. Genello said.

There were no pictures of minors and no evidence of illegal activity, he said.

Cardinal Justin Rigali, the interim leader of the diocese, has appointed the Rev. Jeffrey Walsh as the new administrator of St. Anthony, St. Bridget and St. John the Baptist parishes.

In a statement to the congregations on Sunday, the Rev. Walsh said his "abrupt" appointment was necessary because of the "unfortunate" disclosure of the photographs a week earlier.

"This event was greatly disturbing to those who were present at St. Bridget's," he said.[reference]

Well it least it wasn't something really evil like a Powerpoint presentation.

The Diocese put this notice on their site.

Reverend Edward P. Lyman, from Administrator, Saint Bridget, Saint Anthony and Saint John the Baptist Parishes, Throop, to Leave of Absence for reasons of health, effective October 30, 2009.

Reasons of health, yes that the ticket. A prevalent reason among bishops/priests after an "unfortunate" event. I guess it is harder for them to use the excuse that they are stepping down to "spend more time with their family" like politicians.

Fatherless

2009-11-06T21:33:23Z

Every once and a while I want to read a novel that is explicitly Catholic in it's telling and plot and that it is not subtle, but hit you over the head Catholicism. A novel that puts itself in the Culture of Death and tells of the story of Catholics dealing with it. The novel Fatherless is very much in this camp. Though unlike many Christian novels with a message it is quite well written with interesting characters that are far from being formed by a cookie cutter or just crafted tell the message.

The title of the book extends beyond the tragedy of fatherless families in our culture, but also workaholic absent fathers, priests as fathers, and to a certain extent the bishops who as a group failed to be fathers to their flock in the cultural aftermath of Vatican II. Though the novel is not a polemic, but addresses the situation as it is. It takes place somewhere in the first years of the papacy of John Paul II and mostly centers on a parish priest and some of the men and their families in this parish. The priest is well meaning, not quite a dissident, but someone willing to let pastoral concerns override the hard sayings. One of the men work at a high level in a pharmaceutical company that makes contraceptives. Another comes to work in an ad agency for a sort of HBO. The plot involves the struggle of these men an others in coming to grip with their jobs and the moral problems involved with them and the intersection of their family in materially supporting them.

What impressed me about this novel in that while there was a lot of excellent social commentary, it was not simply a homily disguised as a plot. It was also not a Catholic drama where everything works out at the end, but a plot that surprised me at times in where it took me. When theology is involved the theology was well done and pretty much nothing involved my theological spidey-sense as something not quite right. The only area that was iffy, actually had a note inserted in the book warning that the event that had just happened and the specific prayer was problematic. At over 500 some pages it is a fairly long novel, but it kept my attention throughout and I really liked the characters and was drawn into their lives.

So does that make his Salad Dressing at least a 3rd Class Relic?

2009-11-06T04:36:36Z

From a story a reader sent me.

Fr. Geoffrey Farrow, former pastor of the St. Paul Newman Center at California State University at Fresno, was removed as pastor in October 2008 for defying church teaching on homosexuality and for condemning Catholic support for Proposition 8, the California Catholic Daily reports.

Not the first time I have seen this typo and it probably won't be the last. Though you would think the Catholic News Agency would be a little more careful.

The actual story is rather odd about a suspended Catholic priest and homosexual activist who is going after the Knights of Columbus. Maybe he just doesn't think heterosexuals should be able to wear hats with feathers.

Two women involved in attack of 69 year old pro-lifer get deferred prosecution

2009-11-04T00:09:40Z

One of two women accused of scrapping with an anti-abortion protester in front of Flagstaff City Hall has decided to accept six months of unsupervised probation to make the charges go away.

Denise Redsteer, 48, accepted a "deferred prosecution" Friday in Flagstaff Municipal Court, said City Prosecutor Lisa Stankovich. Deferred prosecution does not admit guilt, and if Redsteer successfully completes the terms of her probation, the charges against her will be dismissed.

Stankovich said that Redsteer has also agreed to pay a $150 prosecution fee and not commit any criminal offenses during the probationary period.

Flagstaff attorney, Mik Jordhal, who is representing both women, is deferring comment on the matter until the resolution of the case of the second defendant, Laura Chapman, 48.

Her case is still pending in court, so Jordhal said any comment of his would be premature.

As for why the city prosecutor chose to offer deferred prosecution, Stankovich said she could not comment on specific cases.

She did say, though, in general, city prosecutors look at several factors when making a decision about a case. Among them are likelihood of proving a case, the victim's input, any criminal history a defendant may have and various references by people in the community.

The case began when the two women approached anti-abortion advocate Johnny Wallace, 69. Wallace had been standing in front of City Hall with a billboard sign espousing his views on abortion.

Witnesses told police that the two women approached Wallace and began to try to take and destroy the sign he was holding. Wallace had to physically restrain the women. Minor injuries were reported.

Police arrested and charged both women with misdemeanor counts of disturbing the peace and criminal damage.[reference]

And of course no article would be complete without a bit of relativism.

Wallace is himself no stranger to deferred prosecution. He and two other pro-life advocates illegally picketed in front of the home of a Planned Parenthood employee back in January 2008.

When pro-life protester James Pouillon was murdered the press alson concentrated on his being arrested previously for protesting - a case he fought and eventually won. I guess civil disobedience is not what is use to be in the civil rights fight.

Pro-life?

2009-11-03T22:28:26Z

Matthew at Creative Minority Report in response to an article where 92% of children with Down Syndrome are aborted titles his post "We are not a Pro-Life Nation."

Which is exactly right. Even many that label themselves pro-life are not fully so. I know I once described myself as pro-life while support abortion in the case of rape and incest. So I was semi-pro life with inconsistent caveats. Plus how many people declare themselves pro-life while seeing nothing wrong with IVF and the storage of human beings in a freezer? Or the pro-lifers who say life is a gift from God while actively frustrating that gift via contraception not to mention using contraceptives that have an abortafacient mechanism.

The new eugenics with the destruction of children with Down Syndrome is sad beyond belief. We condemn what lead up to Nazi ideology while accepting the idea of "life unworthy of life." While more and more people are coming to be opposed to abortion on some level we have a very long way to go before we could be called a pro-life nation.

RoboBishop - not as cool as it sounds

2009-11-03T22:16:24Z

American Papist reports that Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio who chaired the US Bishops committee which drafted the Catholic voting guide "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" recorded robocalls used to support a candidate with a pro-abortion and pro-homosexual marriage voting record.

In my opinion I don't thing a Bishop should be publicly supporting any political candidate even if was someone of St. Thomas More's stripe. Bishops should be speaking out against intrinsic evils involved in political debate, but to speak in support of individual candidates is a mistake - especially in this circumstance. Plus it looks like he did this in the past in support of pro-abortion Mike Bloomberg. The fact that he chaired the committee on the much criticized faithful citizenship is I guess not surprising.

Frightened

2009-11-03T12:24:47Z

Some have described the Bishops entry into the abortion debate as being "too little, too late." The recent insert by the USCCB on trying to stop abortion from derailing the health care bill was mandated for all parishes, but not used by many is the latest effort of the USCCB in this regards.

While it is true that for decades the bishops as a whole were silent or extremely ineffective in this debate we must remember it is never too late to do what is right. I certainly welcome the latest efforts even if I don't want any form of Federal government supported health care. Speaking out about the Federal abortion coverage is being effective which is why the Presidents Press Secretary (himself a Catholic) has taken swipes at the Bishops.

Now Murder Incorporated (a.k.a. Planned Parenthood) CEO's Cecile Richard is being "frightened" by the Bishop's actions. Yes, plunging forceps into children is not scary, speaking against it is.

Catholic Convert, Cancer Patient, Pens Little Guide for the Dying

2009-11-03T12:08:54Z

Dawn Eden reviews "A Little Guide for Your Last Days" by Jeff Hendrix, a book I also quite favorably reviewed before.

Goodbye Planned Parenthood, hello pro-life movement

2009-11-02T17:52:42Z

Planned Parenthood has been a part of Abby Johnson's life for the past eight years; that is until last month, when Abby resigned. Johnson said she realized she wanted to leave, after watching an ultrasound of an abortion procedure.

"I just thought I can't do this anymore, and it was just like a flash that hit me and I thought that's it," said Jonhson.

She handed in her resignation October 6. Johnson worked as the Bryan Planned Parenthood Director for two years.

According to Johnson, the non-profit was struggling under the weight of a tough economy, and changing it's business model from one that pushed prevention, to one that focused on abortion.

"It seemed like maybe that's not what a lot of people were believing any more because that's not where the money was. The money wasn't in family planning, the money wasn't in prevention, the money was in abortion and so I had a problem with that," said Johnson.

Johnson said she was told to bring in more women who wanted abortions, something the Episcopalian church goer recently became convicted about.

"I feel so pure in heart (since leaving). I don't have this guilt, I don't have this burden on me anymore that's how I know this conversion was a spiritual conversion."

Johnson now supports the Coalition For Life, the pro-life group with a building down the street from Planned Parenthood. Coalition volunteers can regularly be seen praying on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood. Johnson has been meeting with the coalition's executive director, Shawn Carney, and has prayed with volunteers outside Planned Parenthood.

On Friday both Johnson and the Coalition For Life were issued temporary restraining orders filed by Planned Parenthood.

Rochelle Tafolla, a Planned Parenthood spokesperson issued the following statement: "We regret being forced to turn to the courts to protect the safety and confidentiality of our clients and staff, however, in this instance it is absolutely necessary.[reference]

Te Deum! Another reason why NARAL has called the ultrasound the weapon. No surprise that Planned Parenthood is focusing on the most profitable side of the business - which is nothing true. Funny how Planned Parenthood counseling always leads to recommending their profit leader.

Bleeder

2009-11-01T16:15:35Z

What do you get when you combine a story about an alleged stigmatic priest, a town seeking healings from this priest, a skeptic who is not a cynic, and then the death of this priest on Good Friday? You get Bleeder: A Mystery a well crafted and engaging story.

I was pretty well hooked from the first pages on and the novel never disappointed. The story is written as a mystery as to whether the priest was murdered and the various motives of people none to happy to have him there in their midsts. It certainly kept me guessing. Plus the novel is more than a mystery novel in that it also uses mystery in the Catholic sense. There is a sense of the mystery of God throughout and the author does not try to dot every i when it comes to answering these mysteries, but gives them the proper place. The theology presented in this novel is pitch perfect, though is not a preach novel with hit you over the head Catholicism - but an excellent mystery novel with some theological elements. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: I received this novel from the author who is part of the Catholic Writers Guild.

Liturgical Bluegrass?

2009-10-29T22:32:00Z

"There was some Catholic toe tapping to the strains of banjo and fiddle" as the first bluegrass Mass was celebrated recently "exactly where it belonged: the 'birthplace of country music,' Bristol, Virginia," according to a story written by Jean Denton in The Catholic Virginian, newspaper of the Diocese of Richmond, Va.

We learn how Father Edward Richard, a bluegrass musician and a professor and vice rector of Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis, brought bluegrass musicians together at St. Anne's Catholic Church to help him lead worship through the music he composed for the "Saint Anne Rhythm and Roots Heritage Mass."

The Mass was the brainchild of St. Anne's pastor, Father Timothy Keeney. [reference]

Personally I am waiting for the Alternative Metal Mass. Well not really, but if I am going to have to suffer through a non-sacred music genre it might as well be one I like. Hey how about a Death Metal Mass with the patented Cookie Monster voice? Or is that Life after Death Metal. Of course people will just say it is a matter of subjective taste. So what sacred means something dedicated to God and set apart. We will use just any genre. After all the Mass is only the eternal presentation of Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary so we will use any soundtrack we like for this.

Try this experiment, watch the Passion of the Christ from the scourging on with Bluegrass music playing and see how that fits.

When part of the Pledge of Allegiance is an unallowed expresssion

2009-10-29T20:54:44Z

A former cashier for The Home Depot who has been wearing a "One nation under God" button on his work apron for more than a year has been fired, he says because of the religious reference. The company claims that expressing such personal beliefs is simply not allowed.

"I've worn it for well over a year and I support my country and God," Trevor Keezor said Tuesday. "I was just doing what I think every American should do, just love my country."

The American flag button Keezer wore in the Florida store since March 2008 says "One nation under God, indivisible." [Via Insight Scoop]

This is why I only go to Rome Depot.

I hate it when a plan comes together

2009-10-27T23:00:41Z

Staten Island, NY - Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, responded today to President Obama's statement to Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) that when he said in his September speech to Congress that "our plan" would not use federal dollars to fund abortion, he was not referring to any of the bills pending in Congress.

"Every time the President has spoken of not wanting to fund abortion in 'his' health care plan, no one has really known what measure he was talking about," said Fr. Pavone. "Now we know from his conversation with Congressman Stupak that the President's 'plan' has never seen the light of day. Or maybe, to paraphrase former President Bill Clinton, it depends on what the word 'plan' means." [reference]

Yes it is Obama's Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Headline News

2009-10-27T22:11:45Z

Here is a headline I never expected to see.

"Law & Order" Abortion Episode Outrages Pro-Abortion Groups

Especially since the "story ripped from the headlines" was the murder of George Tiller. Apparently this episode actually presented pro-life arguments and not the strawmen arguments usually presented.

Sister Death

2009-10-26T21:05:05Z

When I posted on Sr. Quinn acting as an abortion escort the other day some had commented concerning excommunication. Canonist Ed Peters goes over three Canons concerning this case and for a mandatory dismissal from religious state.

As Ed Peters and other have noted Sr. Quinn probably will not actually face any consequences. Her Prioress made excuses for her. Though maybe if there is enough of an outcry something could happen.