Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 7
4:00 – Adventures in Daily Prayer: Experiencing the Power of God's Love
For the past forty-five years, beloved author Bert Ghezzi has begun each day with prayer. At first he had to work at doing it consistently, but eventually he couldn't imagine starting his day without it. Through his discovery of the gift of daily prayer, he came to see God's connection with us as a bountiful and permanent act of love. In this delightful book Ghezzi shares his adventures in prayer, offering readers a winsome invitation to experience the promise and power of this faithful daily practice. For those who have struggled at cultivating a strong prayer life, he provides practical help for overcoming obstacles. He also covers how to pray, praying for and with others, and persevering in prayer. The book includes questions for further reflection and group discussion at the end of each chapter.
4:40 – Female Without Apology / Marriage Without Adjectives
Dr Jennifer Roback Morse will be speaking at a women’s conference in Kalamazoo, MI speaking about being female without apology and married without adjectives. She will discuss the essential public purpose of marriage and four key points same-sex marriage will undermine. She is here to offer a preview and encourage you to attend.
5:00 – Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
With today’s feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, we turn our attention to the Blessed Mother and the power of the rosary. Fr. Dwight Longenecker is here to help us discover the parallels between our lives and the Mysteries of the Rosary while experiencing the healing graces of Our Lady. Where our lives are characterized by trauma, stress, pain, or sadness, this ancient contemplative prayer can bring acceptance, understanding, and joy.
5:20 – Who Is Jesus Christ? Unlocking the Mystery in the Gospel of Matthew
Christ's contemporaries ascribed many names and titles to Him, as we see recorded in the New Testament. Each one tells us something different about who Jesus is. Eric Sammons joins us to frame a series of thoughtful reflections on the names of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew with references from the Church Fathers, saints, and Doctors of the Church. He translates the depth of the mystery of the Faith so we can discover new dimensions of the person of Christ and new ways to recognize and welcome Him into our lives.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Today on Kresta - October 6, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 6
4:00 – “Rust”
In “Rust,” Corbin Bernsen plays Jimmy Moore—a pastor who loses his faith in God only to find it again through his childhood friend, Travis, who is wrongly accused of setting a fire that claimed a beloved family. Moore refuses to accept that Travis is capable of such evil, and sets out to uncover the real story of that tragic, fatal blaze. Travis himself offers a pivotal piece of this moving puzzle: “God has his plan,” he tells his friend Jimmy. “You should know that better than anyone.” Moore’s faith in Travis kindles his own spiritual reawakening, and he blasts the “rust” from his heart and soul. “RUST” is an uplifting drama with important life themes about faith, family, loyalty, the past—and understanding the ties that bind a community together. Corbin Bernsen joins us.
4:20 – Times Square Bomber: The Enemy in Our Hands?
Winston Churchill once remarked, "A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not to kill him." Military historian and Franciscan University professor Robert C. Doyle recently wrote a book on prisoners of war entitled The Enemy in Our Hands. With the defiant screed of the Times Square bomber yesterday in NYC Federal Court and his statement that he still wants to kill as many Americans as possible, we look talk to Robert about Faisal Shahzad.
4:40 – Are You Smarter Than An Atheist?
Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new Pew Forum survey of religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions. But does that headline tell the whole story? We talk about the much-discussed Pew Forum study on world religions with Fr. Robert Barron.
5:00 – Direct to my Desk
4:00 – “Rust”
In “Rust,” Corbin Bernsen plays Jimmy Moore—a pastor who loses his faith in God only to find it again through his childhood friend, Travis, who is wrongly accused of setting a fire that claimed a beloved family. Moore refuses to accept that Travis is capable of such evil, and sets out to uncover the real story of that tragic, fatal blaze. Travis himself offers a pivotal piece of this moving puzzle: “God has his plan,” he tells his friend Jimmy. “You should know that better than anyone.” Moore’s faith in Travis kindles his own spiritual reawakening, and he blasts the “rust” from his heart and soul. “RUST” is an uplifting drama with important life themes about faith, family, loyalty, the past—and understanding the ties that bind a community together. Corbin Bernsen joins us.
4:20 – Times Square Bomber: The Enemy in Our Hands?
Winston Churchill once remarked, "A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not to kill him." Military historian and Franciscan University professor Robert C. Doyle recently wrote a book on prisoners of war entitled The Enemy in Our Hands. With the defiant screed of the Times Square bomber yesterday in NYC Federal Court and his statement that he still wants to kill as many Americans as possible, we look talk to Robert about Faisal Shahzad.
4:40 – Are You Smarter Than An Atheist?
Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new Pew Forum survey of religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions. But does that headline tell the whole story? We talk about the much-discussed Pew Forum study on world religions with Fr. Robert Barron.
5:00 – Direct to my Desk
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Pro-lifers decry University of Michigan's new embryonic stem cell line
After the University of Michigan announced the creation of a new embryonic stem cell line, pro-life critics decried the move as “dishonorable,” arguing that human lives were destroyed for “unproven research.”
On Oct. 3, the University of Michigan wrote in a press release that “after several attempts,” the school successfully created a new embryonic stem cell line known as UM4-6. The act was made possible by Michigan voters in November 2008 who approved a state amendment allowing scientists to use surplus embryos from fertility clinics. The university stated that work on UM4-6 began in May, was completed in late September and was conducted without federal funds.
“This historic achievement opens the door on a new era for U-M researchers, one that holds enormous promise for the treatment of many seriously debilitating and life-threatening diseases,” said University of Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman.
“This accomplishment will enable the University of Michigan to take its place among the world’s leaders in every aspect of stem cell research.”
In a statement on Oct. 4, however, Michigan Right to Life condemned the creation of the embryonic stem cell line, arguing that the university's press release states “several attempts” at success were made in the process, which means that “several human beings were killed in order to obtain this stem cell line.”
“Based on previous attempts to create embryonic stem cell lines by other institutions such as the University of Wisconsin and the Jones Institute,” read the pro-life group's statement, “researchers likely killed between 4-10 human embryos.”
Right to Life of Michigan president Barbara Listing added to the commentary, saying that while “we knew University of Michigan researchers were planning on killing human embryos for their cells, we are saddened to know that human beings were sacrificed without their consent for this unproven research.”
“It is wrong to kill some human beings in the vague hope of treating others,” she underscored.
Listing noted that there “are many life-affirming alternatives to embryonic stem cell research” and that “it is dishonorable that some researchers in Michigan feel they have to destroy human lives.”
“Embryos who do not have a voice are human enough for experimentation, but not human enough to be given a chance at life.”
Archbishop Vigneron Challenges World Stem Cell Experts, Defends Humanity of Embryonic Stem Cells, Decries Their Destruction
The following are remarks from Archbishop Vigneron, which first appeared as an opinion piece in The Detroit Free Press on Sunday, Oct. 3:
I started out as an embryo. So did you and everyone else who shares this planet with us. And there is great significance to this irrefutable fact beyond the shared experience. Time magazine’s October 4th’s cover story about the influence of life in the womb states the case: “We are the way we are because it’s in our genes: the DNA we inherited at conception.” Yes, upbringing and environment have a huge impact on our lives, but one
thing never changes until our last natural breath: our DNA. Each human embryo is unique — it does not have the same DNA of the mother or father. That cell not only becomes us, it is us.
This reality is critical context as the World Stem Cell Summit meets in Detroit in the first week of October. Progress in research on umbilical cord blood cells and adult stem cells is to be saluted and supported. Patients and advocates alike can look to the growing number of cures and treatments discovered through research that does not destroy the living human embryo. Conversely, experiments on human embryonic stem cells deserve our scrutiny and scorn. If not us, who will speak for our fellow citizens-to-be?
We are blessed to live in a country with some of the most extraordinary founding documents in history. If, indeed, we believe we were “created equal,” doesn’t that belief extend to the indefensible living embry in a petri dish? “Unalienable rights” means they can’t be taken away by the state. Doesn’t that apply to science as well? And what of “life” in “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”? First, it must begin.
Embryonic stem cell researchers will attest that it is imperative to preserve an embryo because is a living cell. It is after the living embryo is preserved with its human DNA signature that it is dissected, cloned, destroyed or discarded. True democracy is built on life, not death.
Ours is not the first country or culture to selectively pursue a moral calculus that justifies taking a life to enable scientific experiments. We know from sad experience that dangers follow when we put human hands on the switch of life and death. Embryos are the genesis of human life, and it is morally unacceptable to intentionally destroy them, even if the scientist is trying to cure a debilitating disease or parents are responding to a difficult challenge in their family life. The country we live in defends human rights at home and abroad. That defense must extend to the laboratory.
In Michigan’s Compiled Laws, the fetal protection act is precise on punishing individuals who harm or kill a fetus — or embryo!— during an intentional assault.
How can there be such a disconnect with what happens in an assault case and what occurs in a laboratory when a human life is destroyed? The person who harmed an embryo in an assault is charged with a felony. The person who destroys an embryo in a petri dish is held harmless and likely considered some sort of medical pioneer. Yet the results were the same: two fewer people in the world who had no power to stop what was happening to them and had no voice in their demise.
The question is called.
Vatican archbishop preaches to 6 Supreme Court justices, emphasizes natural law
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“Positive law rests on certain principles the knowledge of which constitutes nothing less than a participation in the divine law itself: the pursuit of the common good through respect for the natural law, the dignity of the human person, the inviolability of innocent life from conception to natural death, the sanctity of marriage, justice for the poor, protection of minors, and so on,” Archbishop DiNoia said, adding:
The legal profession is entrusted with the discernment and administration of justice and the rule of law according to an objective measure—in effect, according to principles—not of our own making. A consensus about these principles inspired the founders of modern democracies, and although it was profoundly influenced by Judaism, Islam, and Christianity (think of Averroes, Maimonides and Aquinas), this consensus was understood to transcend religious and cultural differences. Thus, it follows that the invocation of the Holy Spirit in the Red Mass is a prayer for light and guidance. Among the things for which we ardently pray is the wisdom to affirm and maintain those profound truths about human nature that are at the foundation of the common life we treasure in this great nation.
“Yet, as she invokes the guidance and consolation of the Holy Spirit today, the erosion of this conviction is a source of deep concern for the Church,” he continued. “The alternative view—until recently more or less successfully resisted by democratic societies like ours—is the idea that man can find happiness and freedom only apart from God. This exclusive humanism has been exposed as an anti-humanism of the most radical kind.”
“Man without God is not more free but surely in greater danger,” he added. “The tragic history of the last century—as John Paul II and Benedict XVI have unceasingly reminded us—demonstrates that the eclipse of God leads not to greater human liberation but to the most dire human peril. That innocent human life is now so broadly under threat has seemed to many of us one of the many signs of this growing peril.”
Outrageous Statement of the Day
It Doesn't Get Any Worse Than This. A British pundit explains that she would kill her own child if she thought they were suffering.
Today on Kresta - October 5, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 5
4:00 – Catholic “Art” Exhibit Sparks Outrage in Colorado
An exhibit at a Colorado art gallery is stirring up outrage because it depicts Jesus in a sexual act. The artists piece entitled "The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals," is a multipanel piece in which "cultural and religious icons are presented with humor and placed in contradictory, unexpected and sometimes controversial contexts," the artist's publisher said. Dozens of protesters led by the local Catholic Church gathered at the museum over the weekend to object to the display at the publically-funded gallery, including Loveland Councilman Daryle Klassen, who failed to get the issue on the council agenda but said he'll keep pressing to have what he has called "smut" and "pornography" taken down. He joins us to discuss this disgrace.
4:20 – SCOTUS Begins New Term With New Justice
The Supreme Court began its new term on Monday, setting the stage for potentially important decisions on everything from free speech to immigration. For the first time, the high court will have three women on the bench — justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and the newly confirmed Elena Kagan, who replaces the retired leader of the court's liberal bloc, John Paul Stevens. However Justice Kagan will be deciding about half as many cases as her colleagues, the result of her previous job as the government's chief lawyer before the high court. She is recusing herself of nearly half of the docket of cases because of her involvement at some level. We talk about all of this with Dean Eugene Milhizer of Ave Maria School of Law.
4:40 – Defiant Times Square bomber gets life in prison – Declares Islamic War on America has “just begun”
A Pakistani-American warned Americans "the war with the Muslims has just begun", as he was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison for a botched attempt to bomb New York's famed Times Square."The defeat of the US is imminent and will happen in the near future," Faisal Shahzad told the court shortly before his sentence was announced."Brace yourselves because the war with the Muslims has just begun," he said. Shahzad, a US citizen who lived in Connecticut and started what resembled an ordinary American family before embracing jihadist militancy, pleaded guilty in June to the May 1 bombing attempt. The 30-year-old obtained US citizenship in April 2009, but said on Tuesday it was only a ploy. We analyze with Guy Rodgers, terrorism analyst and Executive Director of Act! for America.
5:00 – Direct to my Desk
4:00 – Catholic “Art” Exhibit Sparks Outrage in Colorado
An exhibit at a Colorado art gallery is stirring up outrage because it depicts Jesus in a sexual act. The artists piece entitled "The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals," is a multipanel piece in which "cultural and religious icons are presented with humor and placed in contradictory, unexpected and sometimes controversial contexts," the artist's publisher said. Dozens of protesters led by the local Catholic Church gathered at the museum over the weekend to object to the display at the publically-funded gallery, including Loveland Councilman Daryle Klassen, who failed to get the issue on the council agenda but said he'll keep pressing to have what he has called "smut" and "pornography" taken down. He joins us to discuss this disgrace.
4:20 – SCOTUS Begins New Term With New Justice
The Supreme Court began its new term on Monday, setting the stage for potentially important decisions on everything from free speech to immigration. For the first time, the high court will have three women on the bench — justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and the newly confirmed Elena Kagan, who replaces the retired leader of the court's liberal bloc, John Paul Stevens. However Justice Kagan will be deciding about half as many cases as her colleagues, the result of her previous job as the government's chief lawyer before the high court. She is recusing herself of nearly half of the docket of cases because of her involvement at some level. We talk about all of this with Dean Eugene Milhizer of Ave Maria School of Law.
4:40 – Defiant Times Square bomber gets life in prison – Declares Islamic War on America has “just begun”
A Pakistani-American warned Americans "the war with the Muslims has just begun", as he was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison for a botched attempt to bomb New York's famed Times Square."The defeat of the US is imminent and will happen in the near future," Faisal Shahzad told the court shortly before his sentence was announced."Brace yourselves because the war with the Muslims has just begun," he said. Shahzad, a US citizen who lived in Connecticut and started what resembled an ordinary American family before embracing jihadist militancy, pleaded guilty in June to the May 1 bombing attempt. The 30-year-old obtained US citizenship in April 2009, but said on Tuesday it was only a ploy. We analyze with Guy Rodgers, terrorism analyst and Executive Director of Act! for America.
5:00 – Direct to my Desk
Monday, October 4, 2010
Today on Kresta - October 4, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 4
4:00 – An Interview With St. Francis of Assissi
Lonardo DeFilipis is a Producer, Actor, and Founder of St. Luke Productions, but today he is St. Francis of Assissi. He joins us – in character – as possibly, the most beloved saint in the history of Christendom. Al asks St. Francis about his vocation, his spirituality, his struggles, his brothers, his relationship with the animals, his visits to Rome, his call to rebuild the Church and much much more.
4:40 – Saint Francis and the Sultan
In September, 1219, as the armies of the Fifth Crusade besieged the Egyptian city of Damietta, Francis of Assisi went to Egypt to preach to Sultan al-Malik al-Kâmil. Franciscan Fr. Conrad Harkins O.F.M. is here to tell the story of the historic meeting between St. Francis and the Sultan of Egypt, showing that St. Francis' goal was the conversion of the Muslims, and not simply "dialoguing" as an end in itself.
5:00 – Replay 4:00 Hour
4:00 – An Interview With St. Francis of Assissi
Lonardo DeFilipis is a Producer, Actor, and Founder of St. Luke Productions, but today he is St. Francis of Assissi. He joins us – in character – as possibly, the most beloved saint in the history of Christendom. Al asks St. Francis about his vocation, his spirituality, his struggles, his brothers, his relationship with the animals, his visits to Rome, his call to rebuild the Church and much much more.
4:40 – Saint Francis and the Sultan
In September, 1219, as the armies of the Fifth Crusade besieged the Egyptian city of Damietta, Francis of Assisi went to Egypt to preach to Sultan al-Malik al-Kâmil. Franciscan Fr. Conrad Harkins O.F.M. is here to tell the story of the historic meeting between St. Francis and the Sultan of Egypt, showing that St. Francis' goal was the conversion of the Muslims, and not simply "dialoguing" as an end in itself.
5:00 – Replay 4:00 Hour
Friday, October 1, 2010
Protection of life requires 'love without measure,' Portland archbishop teaches
Announcing this year's initiative to protect life in his archdiocese, which will begin October 3 on Respect Life Sunday, Portland Archbishop John Vlazny penned an empathetic plea to all citizens of Oregon. His column in last Tuesday's Catholic Sentinel urged the faithful to consider the dignity and value of all human life, making a “love without measure” their motivation for choosing rightly even in the most difficult dilemmas.
“Sometimes the challenges can be formidable when our sisters and brothers are confronted with life issues,” he acknowledged, describing a number of situations in which individuals must make choices of a life-or-death nature.
“It’s very tempting for a college girl to seek an abortion,” he offered as an example, “when she barely knows the father and he offers to help pay for the abortion but in no way cares to be involved with raising a child.”
Likewise, “busy families with an aging grandparent who slips into a 'persistent vegetative state,'” may be “encouraged, even by physicians, to withdraw the food and water that keep him alive.”
The archbishop described a situation perhaps even more painful, involving a similar choice. “A young couple … suddenly finds they are pregnant again and this time with a little girl. But a second trimester ultrasound reveals that the girl has a genetic abnormality that won’t let her live beyond her first or second birthday.”
“There are no easy answers, but there are indeed some good answers that we know are right,” Archbishop Vlazny wrote. “Undoubtedly,” he continued, “sacrifices are going to be required in each instance. But we know that every human being, at every stage and condition is loved by God.”
He went on to describe how individuals facing those tremendous difficulties made the right choices: “A child was born and adopted. An elderly man died of natural causes and the devotion of the family inspired many. The short life of the little girl strengthened family life and helped parents to be truly thankful for the gifts and graces God had given them.”
“How we deal with these situations reflects the depth of our own humanity,” the archbishop pointed out. He explained that the U.S. bishops' Respect Life Program, conducted every October through Respect Life Sunday, “proclaims a consistent ethic of life, one which embraces a number of life issues” and stresses that “every human life is sacred.”
Highlighting examples of this ethical imperative in action, Archbishop Vlazny pointed to the growing pro-life movement among youth. “Once young people are aware of the gravity of abortion,” he observed, “they are eager to join the campaign to build a 'culture of life.'” He also praised the work of Martha and Mary Ministries, a group of nurses, clergy, doctors and others who help and comfort the terminally ill in Oregon.
“This month,” he proposed, “we Catholic people recommit ourselves in the protection of all human life, from conception to natural death.” He especially urged Catholics in Oregon and across the nation to “pray (the) rosary every day, within the family if possible, for the cause of life.”
“After all,” he concluded, recalling the theme of this year's national Respect Life Program, “The measure of love is to love without measure.”
Conservative song costs coach his job
A Tennessee middle school football coach is looking to the future after his termination for alleged political incorrectness.
Twenty-six-year-old Bryan Glover is a Christian who co-wrote a song called "When You're Holding a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail," which takes a dig at the current administration and what he believes to be the wrong moves for the U.S. He sent a link to his song to everyone in his personal e-mail inbox, which included parents from Grassland Middle School, where he coached football.
"An hour-and-a-half after sending out the e-mail, I got the phone call from the head coach saying that he had had complaints from parents; he was told to fire me," the former coach accounts.
He notes that he was surprised by the allegations against him.
"When the coach first called me, he said his phone was blown up with parents saying that I was being politically incorrect -- quote, unquote -- if you will, and that some of them were even reading into racial overtones in the song," Glover explains.
But he points out that the lyrics make no direct or indirect reference to race.
A number of supportive parents met with the principal and asked for reinstatement, but the school district is remaining firm. The Williamson County superintendent refuses to say why the coach was fired, but he speculates that it could be an issue of how he obtained the parents' e-mail addresses -- even though the e-mail was sent from his personal account.
Meanwhile, Glover says he has read the Constitution and believes he is standing on firm ground because of the provision for free speech.
A video of an interview he did on FOX NEWS is below.
Twenty-six-year-old Bryan Glover is a Christian who co-wrote a song called "When You're Holding a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail," which takes a dig at the current administration and what he believes to be the wrong moves for the U.S. He sent a link to his song to everyone in his personal e-mail inbox, which included parents from Grassland Middle School, where he coached football.
"An hour-and-a-half after sending out the e-mail, I got the phone call from the head coach saying that he had had complaints from parents; he was told to fire me," the former coach accounts.
He notes that he was surprised by the allegations against him.
"When the coach first called me, he said his phone was blown up with parents saying that I was being politically incorrect -- quote, unquote -- if you will, and that some of them were even reading into racial overtones in the song," Glover explains.
But he points out that the lyrics make no direct or indirect reference to race.
A number of supportive parents met with the principal and asked for reinstatement, but the school district is remaining firm. The Williamson County superintendent refuses to say why the coach was fired, but he speculates that it could be an issue of how he obtained the parents' e-mail addresses -- even though the e-mail was sent from his personal account.
Meanwhile, Glover says he has read the Constitution and believes he is standing on firm ground because of the provision for free speech.
A video of an interview he did on FOX NEWS is below.
US priest chosen as superior general of international Oblates order
A 58-year old Buffalo, New York native will soon be in charge of the 4,000 brothers of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Accepting the responsibility with "fear and trembling" but aware of brotherly support and God's assistance, the superior general-elect donned the cross of the congregation's founding saint to carry on the missionary service that began nearly 200 years ago.
On the twenty-first day of a month-long general chapter in Rome, Fr. Louis Lougen, OMI, was chosen in the first round of voting by the majority of the other 88 brothers present to lead the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He will step into the position from his role as provincial superior of the religious congregation's U.S. province.
Founded in 1816 by St. Eugene de Mazenod to re-evangelize the villages of France's Provence region, the Oblates soon branched out to other nations throughout the world. Today, they are actively present in 66 countries.
Asked by the current superior general, Fr. Wilhelm Steckling, if he was ready to lead the 4,000-member congregation, Fr. Lougen answered in the affirmative, saying, "Yes, I am ready, with fear and trembling and the support of my brothers and the help of God.”
Fr. Lougen has a wealth of experience in leadership. After making his perpetual vows in 1976, the Buffalo-native was ordained to the priesthood three years later. He worked extensively as a parish priest, formator and novice master in the Oblates' Sao Paolo Province in Brazil, also serving on the provincial council for nine of the 17 years he spent there.
Returning to Buffalo in 1996, he was appointed as the assistant director of the pre-novitiate program and pastor of Holy Angels Parish. In 2002, he was made novice master at the congregation's Godfrey, Illinois location and, in 2005, he became the U.S. provincial. As provincial superior, he put emphasis on encouraging his brothers to foster new Oblate vocations.
Speaking to Vatican Radio about the current pastoral challenges of the Oblates, he pointed to four in particular. He aims to address the mission of relaunching dialogue, especially that with other religions, in the midst of a violent and secularized world; promoting "communion" in society; forming young adults for "what is really important" and forming Oblates to leadership in service of others.
Following his election last week, he made his Profession of Faith and received the Oblate cross of St. Eugene de Mazenod from Fr. Steckling, thus beginning the transition into the position which he will take on fully at his installation sometime in the next three months. Fr. Lougen is the 12th successor of the congregation's founding saint and succeeds Fr. Steckling, who has served in the position for the last 12 years.
Nobody happy after ruling over disputed holy site in India
Muslims and Hindus have been ordered by the Indian Supreme Court to share a disputed holy site which has caused riots throughout the country and the deaths of more than 3,000 people.
Priest questions President Obama about jobs at Iowa appearance; bishop present
The president arrived at the home of Jeff and Sandy Hatfield Clubb and their two children in the tree-lined Beaverdale neighborhood about 10 a.m. and stayed for more than an hour. He spoke to a group of about 80 people, mostly friends of the Clubbs who sat in lawn chairs provided by neighbors.
Obama's visit was part of a swing through four states.
The couple described themselves as a typical American family. Jeff, who had been a firefighter, is a social studies teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Des Moines. Sandy is the athletic director of Drake University. Their two children attend Holy Trinity School.
Continuing the Holy Trinity theme, its pastor, Father Michael Amadeo, was the last of five people to ask a question during the forum.
The priest shared a story about a Holy Trinity family in which the 55-year-old father lost his manufacturing job more than a year ago. He asked what Obama's economic policies could do to help people like his parishioner in the next year.
Obama said many manufacturing jobs will not return because factories are more efficient and require fewer workers, and some jobs are moving overseas where wages are cheaper. His advice is for the unemployed to keep up their skills so they'll be ready when the economy becomes strong again. He singled out clean energy as a promising business for the future.
Regarding war, the president said he was focusing on "nation-building here" rather than overseas. He reminded the crowd that he was opposed to war in Iraq from the start and said while there is a plan for decreasing troop levels in Afghanistan, that country faces challenges because of its 70 percent illiteracy rate and no tradition of a strong central government.
On taxes, Obama touted tax cuts on income of less than $250,000 a year, a position opposed by another questioner in the audience who owns a small business.
The president was referring to extending tax cuts just for those who earn less than $250,000. Tax cuts for all income levels were passed in 2001 and 2003 during the Bush administration. The cuts are scheduled to expire Dec. 31 unless Congress takes action.
Democrats want to keep cuts in place for those who earn less than $250,000 a year and let those expire people who earn more; Republicans want to extend the cuts across the board.
Marti Anderson, who manages the crime victim assistance program for the Iowa Attorney General's office, asked Obama how the increasing poverty rate could be lowered.
Figures released by the Census Bureau Sept. 16 showed that more Americans than ever were living in poverty in 2009; the figure rose to 43.6 million, or 14.3 percent of the population.
Obama said the long-term fix for poverty is to grow the economy and improve the education system.
After the gathering, Anderson said the president seemed to be down to earth but admitted she was nervous while talking with him.
"I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I'm talking with the president of the United States,'" she told The Catholic Mirror, newspaper of the Des Moines Diocese.
The Des Moines Register reported that Bishop Richard Pates was among the 80 guests
Today on Kresta - October 1, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 1
4:00 – Jury Acquits the Four Christian Evangelists Arrested For Proselytizing at the Dearborn Arab Festival
Last Friday a jury of six Dearborn, Michigan residents returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty of breach of the peace charges against four Christians for proselytizing to Muslim youths during the Arab International Festival on June 18, 2010. The Thomas More Law Center represented the evangelists. The jury returned its verdict after just an hour and half of deliberations. Nageen Mayel was found guilty of failing to obey a police officer—a charge unrelated to the actual incident, which will most likely be reversed on appeal. Even after the acquittals, Dearborn’s mayor, Jack O’Reilly, continued his ongoing and unprecedented personal attacks on the Christian evangelists, accusing them of being anti–Muslim bigots. Thomas More Attorney Rob Muise is here to discuss the case.
4:20 – Restoring Sanctuary
T. Pitt Green is the pseudonym of a clergy sex abuse survivor who currently lives in the Diocese of Arlington, VA and works with the Diocese’s Victim Assistance Program. Sexual abuse by clergy is not to be taken lightly and the scars linger long after; but in this instance, this survivor shows her journey to peace as a continuing member of the Church. She has written Restoring Sanctuary and is here to discuss her faith – in the face of the greatest of betrayals.
5:00 - Direct to My Desk
4:00 – Jury Acquits the Four Christian Evangelists Arrested For Proselytizing at the Dearborn Arab Festival
Last Friday a jury of six Dearborn, Michigan residents returned a unanimous verdict of not guilty of breach of the peace charges against four Christians for proselytizing to Muslim youths during the Arab International Festival on June 18, 2010. The Thomas More Law Center represented the evangelists. The jury returned its verdict after just an hour and half of deliberations. Nageen Mayel was found guilty of failing to obey a police officer—a charge unrelated to the actual incident, which will most likely be reversed on appeal. Even after the acquittals, Dearborn’s mayor, Jack O’Reilly, continued his ongoing and unprecedented personal attacks on the Christian evangelists, accusing them of being anti–Muslim bigots. Thomas More Attorney Rob Muise is here to discuss the case.
4:20 – Restoring Sanctuary
T. Pitt Green is the pseudonym of a clergy sex abuse survivor who currently lives in the Diocese of Arlington, VA and works with the Diocese’s Victim Assistance Program. Sexual abuse by clergy is not to be taken lightly and the scars linger long after; but in this instance, this survivor shows her journey to peace as a continuing member of the Church. She has written Restoring Sanctuary and is here to discuss her faith – in the face of the greatest of betrayals.
5:00 - Direct to My Desk
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