From the Michigan Catholic
September 8, 2011
By Robert Delaney
DETROIT — From a modest start in 1996, Ave Maria Radio has grown into the largest producer of Catholic radio programming in the United States.
As it celebrates its 15th anniversary, the Ann Arbor Township-based organization’s programs can not only be heard on the two radio stations it operates — WDEO (990 AM) Ypsilanti and WMAX (1440 AM) Saginaw – but nearly 160 other stations across the country carry at least some its shows.
With all of that, plus also EWTN Global Catholic Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, Ave Maria Radio personalities such as Al Kresta, Teresa Tomeo and Dr. Ray Guarendi now have national, even international, recognition among listeners to Catholic radio.
Guiding that growth almost since the beginning has been Kresta, who besides being host of the popular “Kresta in the Afternoon” program (weekdays, 4-6 p.m.) is the organization’s president and CEO.
“It’s amazing,” Kresta says of Ave Maria Radio’s growth over the past decade-and-a-half. “When we started, there were only two or three other Catholic radio stations in the country.”
Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan founded Ave Maria Radio in 1996, when he bought a low-power radio station at 1290 on the AM dial. When Kresta joined the organization in January 1997, he quickly realized the station would have to have a better and more powerful signal if it was to have much impact, and engineered the acquisition of the former WCM Radio, an evangelical Protestant station broadcasting on 990 AM.
Kresta already had a solid decade of talk radio experience behind him, mostly on WMUZ-FM in Detroit, where he started doing his program as a Protestant pastor, and kept it up after returning to the Catholic Church in 1992.
But when Monaghan decided to put all his resources behind the development of Ave Maria University, he gave Kresta two years to build up sufficient financial support from listeners and corporate donors to make it self-sustaining, after which he would no longer subsidize it.
Kresta describes the question of whether listeners would come through with enough donations as “a real cliffhanger.”
“In the fall of 2002, we went to the listeners, and they responded beautifully,” he says.
And then, the following year, Kresta was stricken with necrotizing fasciitis, better known as “flesh-eating bacteria,” which caused him to lose his left leg.
With him out of the picture for a while, the organization had a weak pledge drive that again put its future in doubt, but Kresta was able to return and subsequent pledge drives have been successful.
Kresta sees Ave Maria Radio as part of the New Evangelization called for by Pope John Paul II – the reawakening and deepening of the faith of people already at least nominally Catholic.
Counting all the radio outlets that carry Ave Maria Radio programming, he says a conservative estimate is that about 800,000 people a week listen to at least some of the shows. And since Ave Maria Radio doesn’t charge other stations that carry its shows, Kresta says, “The whole Catholic radio world is being blessed by southeast Michigan listeners who donate.”
In addition, an average of 1,500 people download recordings of the show from http://www.avemariaradio.net/,each day
Monday, September 12, 2011
Broadcaster talks about his Catholic conversion
From the MI Observer and Eccentric
Al Kresta, president and CEO of Ave Maria Radio, will kick off St. Michael the Archangel Parish's third annual series, “Why Be Catholic?” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, in the St. Michael School cafeteria, 11441 Hubbard, just south of Plymouth, between Farmington Road and Merriman, Livonia.
Kresta will tell the story of his journey from Catholicism to Evangelical pastor well-known in the Detroit area for his top-rated WMUZ Christian broadcast, “Talk From the Heart,” back to Catholicism. The questions he was forced to wrestle with as a pastor led him to return to the Catholic faith in a profoundly personal conversion that he has chronicled in his anthology, Surprised by Truth.
In 1997, Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan recruited him to launch the media apostolate, Ave Maria Communications, and the rest is history. Kresta and his radio broadcast “Kresta in the Afternoon,” produced by Ave Maria and syndicated by EWTN, is heard daily on more than 160 radio stations around the US, Sirius Satellite, and numerous Web streams.
There is no charge or reservations required for Kresta's talk. All are welcome, regardless of religious affiliation. For more information, call the parish office at (734) 261-1455, Ext. 200, or see the parish website at http://www.livoniastmichael.org./
Al Kresta, president and CEO of Ave Maria Radio, will kick off St. Michael the Archangel Parish's third annual series, “Why Be Catholic?” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, in the St. Michael School cafeteria, 11441 Hubbard, just south of Plymouth, between Farmington Road and Merriman, Livonia.
Kresta will tell the story of his journey from Catholicism to Evangelical pastor well-known in the Detroit area for his top-rated WMUZ Christian broadcast, “Talk From the Heart,” back to Catholicism. The questions he was forced to wrestle with as a pastor led him to return to the Catholic faith in a profoundly personal conversion that he has chronicled in his anthology, Surprised by Truth.
In 1997, Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan recruited him to launch the media apostolate, Ave Maria Communications, and the rest is history. Kresta and his radio broadcast “Kresta in the Afternoon,” produced by Ave Maria and syndicated by EWTN, is heard daily on more than 160 radio stations around the US, Sirius Satellite, and numerous Web streams.
There is no charge or reservations required for Kresta's talk. All are welcome, regardless of religious affiliation. For more information, call the parish office at (734) 261-1455, Ext. 200, or see the parish website at http://www.livoniastmichael.org./
Friday, September 9, 2011
Today on Kresta - September 9, 2011
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Sept. 9
KRESTA SPECIAL PRESENTATION
As we commemorate the 10th anniversary this weekend of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, “Kresta in the Afternoon” has a special presentation today and Monday. We go back and look at the events, analysis, thoughts and predictions in the aftermath of 9/11. Questions about the nature of Islam, declaring war on a non-nation state, the future of American exceptionalism, protection of the homeland, anger and forgiveness, and much more. Today’s guests include Scott Hahn, Mrs. Anwar Sadat, Geoffrey Wawro, and Jimmy Akin. It’s our presentation of “The Clash of Civilizations: Interviews from the days following Sept. 11, 2001.”
KRESTA SPECIAL PRESENTATION
As we commemorate the 10th anniversary this weekend of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, “Kresta in the Afternoon” has a special presentation today and Monday. We go back and look at the events, analysis, thoughts and predictions in the aftermath of 9/11. Questions about the nature of Islam, declaring war on a non-nation state, the future of American exceptionalism, protection of the homeland, anger and forgiveness, and much more. Today’s guests include Scott Hahn, Mrs. Anwar Sadat, Geoffrey Wawro, and Jimmy Akin. It’s our presentation of “The Clash of Civilizations: Interviews from the days following Sept. 11, 2001.”
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Today on Kresta - September 8, 2011
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Sept. 8
4:00 – What Conservative Women Know -- and Men Can't Say
What if everything you've been told about women in America is wrong? What if what your college professors taught you - along with television, movies, books, magazine articles, and even news reports - have all been lies or distortions? Since the 1960s, American feminists have set themselves up as the arbiters of all things female. Their policies have dominated the social and political landscape. The "spin sisters" in the media (aptly named by Myrna Blyth in her book of the same name) and their cohorts in academia are committed feminists. Consequently, everything Americans know -- or think they know -- about marriage, kids, sex, education, politics, gender roles, and work/family balance, has been filtered through a left-wing lens. But what if conservative women are in the best position to empower American women? Suzanne Venker is here to discuss it.
5:00 – The Blessed Virgin Mary 360°
Today is the feast of the Birth of Mary, one the few birthdays we celebrate as a feast day. The traditional date of the feast, September 8, falls exactly nine months after the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The Feast was celebrated at least by the sixth century, when St. Romanos the Melodist, an Eastern Christian who composed many of the hymns used in the Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies, composed a hymn for the feast. The feast spread to Rome in the seventh century, but it was a couple more centuries before it was celebrated throughout the West. The source for the story of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Protoevangelium of James, an apocryphal gospel written about A.D. 150. From it, we learn the names of Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna, as well as the tradition that the couple was childless until an angel appeared to Anna and told her that she would conceive. Apologist Steve Ray is here to take us deeper into this feast day.
4:00 – What Conservative Women Know -- and Men Can't Say
What if everything you've been told about women in America is wrong? What if what your college professors taught you - along with television, movies, books, magazine articles, and even news reports - have all been lies or distortions? Since the 1960s, American feminists have set themselves up as the arbiters of all things female. Their policies have dominated the social and political landscape. The "spin sisters" in the media (aptly named by Myrna Blyth in her book of the same name) and their cohorts in academia are committed feminists. Consequently, everything Americans know -- or think they know -- about marriage, kids, sex, education, politics, gender roles, and work/family balance, has been filtered through a left-wing lens. But what if conservative women are in the best position to empower American women? Suzanne Venker is here to discuss it.
5:00 – The Blessed Virgin Mary 360°
Today is the feast of the Birth of Mary, one the few birthdays we celebrate as a feast day. The traditional date of the feast, September 8, falls exactly nine months after the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The Feast was celebrated at least by the sixth century, when St. Romanos the Melodist, an Eastern Christian who composed many of the hymns used in the Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies, composed a hymn for the feast. The feast spread to Rome in the seventh century, but it was a couple more centuries before it was celebrated throughout the West. The source for the story of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Protoevangelium of James, an apocryphal gospel written about A.D. 150. From it, we learn the names of Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna, as well as the tradition that the couple was childless until an angel appeared to Anna and told her that she would conceive. Apologist Steve Ray is here to take us deeper into this feast day.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Race, Segregation, and Heaven
(WNS)--The new movie, “The Help,” based on Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling book by the same name, continues to lead ticket sales at the box office. Both dramatize the extent and tragedy of segregation and discrimination in the South during the early 1960s. Racism affected almost every area of Southern (and many areas of Northern) society before the changes brought by the Civil Rights movement and acts later in the decade. Several poignant scenes in the movie depict a campaign to prevent black domestic servants from using the toilets in white homes in which they worked.
As demeaning and tragic as such treatment was, it pales when compared to the dehumanization slavery entailed. Not satisfied with dominating blacks on earth, whites even depicted a heaven where blacks had second-class status. Masters and white ministers typically assigned blacks a subordinate place in heaven and warned them that their earthly obedience and work ethic would play a significant role in where they spent eternity. They either stated or implied that blacks would be inferior to whites in the afterlife because the concept of racial equality contradicted their contention that God sanctioned slavery. Instead, Southern whites usually portrayed a segregated heaven where blacks continued to serve whites. Sermons sometimes described blacks’ role in heaven as “working in God’s kitchen.” One white minister told slaves that heaven had a wall with holes in it that would separate them from their masters but permit blacks to see whites as they walked by.
By contrast, many blacks looked forward to heavenly bliss and compensation and divine retribution for their suffering. Convinced that this racist portrait of heaven could not be reconciled with a loving and just God who valued all human beings equally, they recast heaven and hell in light of their own experiences, values, and traditions as an exploited people. Their narratives, tales, songs, sermons, and prayers demonstrate that slaves rejected their masters’ conception of heaven where discrimination and subordination persisted and of a hell where disobedient, lazy slaves suffered for eternity.
Many slaves viewed heaven in the words of historian David Roediger as “the very negation of slavery.” Rather than offering compensatory hope, many Negro spirituals that celebrated the glories of heaven also either openly or subtly condemned the maltreatment of blacks on earth. Slave songs about “Going over Jordan” and “Canaan’s Happy Shore” often had a dual reference point: attaining freedom on earth and getting to heaven.
In many ways, slaves’ conception of heaven was the opposite of their everyday life, stressing the absence of earthly ordeals, suffering, and toil. In the next world “Dere’s no sun to burn you ... no hard trials ... no whips a-crackin’ ... no stormy weather... [and] no evil-doers.” In heaven, the oppressed would “lay down dat heavy load.” Slaves looked forward to living in “bright mansions above,” feasting with Jesus at His welcome table, singing and shouting, and never being forced to leave. And there would be no sadness, sorrow, parting, or quarreling. In heaven it would always be Sunday, the one day of the week that most slaves did not have to work and could visit with each other and hold their own worship services.
In the heaven slaves imagined, they would also experience the dignity and worth denied to them on earth. Admission to heaven would validate their humanity. Although masters and many other whites defined them as uncivilized brutes or mere commodities, in God’s eyes they were valuable, precious human beings for whom His Son died.
God’s justice was prominent in slaves’ portrait of heaven. Unfairness and discrimination prevailed in this world, but justice would triumph in the afterlife. Many black sermons and songs celebrated God’s eternal order of justice and love. Spirituals affirmed blacks’ belief that God’s righteousness would reign in heaven, which was a place of spiritual equality. One slave scoffed at the assumption of many whites that “when dey go to Heaven de colored folks would be dar to wait on ‘em.” A just God would not allow that.
Far from being a form of escape that led them to accept their plight passively, blacks’ hope in heaven motivated many of them to live courageously on earth. It helped inspire Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey, and Nat Turner to instigate slave insurrections and Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman to escape to the North, denounce slavery, and work with the Underground Railroad. Their vision of heaven emboldened many others to rebel, run away, or challenge injustice.
Throughout history people’s conceptions of heaven have reflected their earthly circumstances and needs. While racial injustice still persists in American society, such blatantly discriminatory (and unbiblical) portraits of heaven thankfully have been largely rejected.
Dr. Gary Scott Smith chairs the history department at Grove City College. His most recent book is “Heaven in the American Imagination” (Oxford University Press, 2011).
Today on Kresta - September 7, 2011
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Sept. 7
4:00 – The Parable of Ground Zero
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Fr. James Martin was working at his desk at America magazine in midtown Manhattan. Around 9 a.m., his mother called from Philadelphia to say that she had heard about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. He thought it was odd that she would call; she knew that his office was uptown, not downtown. A few minutes later, he decided to turn on the television set. It was only then that he saw the unfolding tragedy. Fr. Martin is here to tell the rest of the story.
4:20 – September 11 and Hollywood: How Movies Can Help Make Our Past Real—Or Unreal
“It was just like a movie.” A cliché, yes, but as is often the case, that phrase became a cliché for a reason. The frequency with which those words were repeated in the weeks and months after September 11, 2001 was a striking testament to the role movies have come to play in how we process and interpret reality. A century ago, one might have heard remarks like “It was like a novel” or “It was like a play.” Imaginative scenarios have always been important to our efforts to understand and deal with the world we live in—particularly when reality outstrips our experiences. Film critic Steven Greydanus is here to discuss Hollywood and Sept. 11.
4:40 - World Youth Day 2011 – A Recap
After World Youth Day 2011 was in the history books, the Holy Father reflected on it as a “stupendous manifestation of faith” and a special occasion for young Catholics “to reflect, dialogue, exchange positive experiences and, especially, to pray together, and to renew their commitment to living their lives rooted in Christ, the faithful friend.” Former ABC Correspondent Peggy Stanton was there and joins us to recap the event and give us her impressions.
5:00 – Y Disciple: Evangelizing Teens
How to evangelize teens. It’s an issue the Church has been facing for many years, especially after a generation of poor catechesis of teens’ parents. A new program of the Augustine Institute called Y Disciple aims to form youth ministers and adults who can effectively “disciple” teens. Jim Beckman is here to look at what it means to evangelize teens and how it is best accomplish the task.
5:40 – Ten Years Since 9/11: Righteous Anger and Ultimate Forgiveness
The tenth anniversary of September 11th, 2001 falls on a Sunday and, providentially, the readings proposed for the Catholic liturgy that day have to do with forgiveness. This interesting confluence provides the occasion for reflecting on this complex and oft-misunderstood spiritual act. Were we and are we legitimately angry about September 11th? Absolutely. This is why the Bible coherently speaks of God's anger. But in contradistinction to legitimate anger, there is what the Catholic tradition calls the "deadly sin" of anger. We explore anger and forgiveness with Fr. Robert Barron.
4:00 – The Parable of Ground Zero
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Fr. James Martin was working at his desk at America magazine in midtown Manhattan. Around 9 a.m., his mother called from Philadelphia to say that she had heard about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. He thought it was odd that she would call; she knew that his office was uptown, not downtown. A few minutes later, he decided to turn on the television set. It was only then that he saw the unfolding tragedy. Fr. Martin is here to tell the rest of the story.
4:20 – September 11 and Hollywood: How Movies Can Help Make Our Past Real—Or Unreal
“It was just like a movie.” A cliché, yes, but as is often the case, that phrase became a cliché for a reason. The frequency with which those words were repeated in the weeks and months after September 11, 2001 was a striking testament to the role movies have come to play in how we process and interpret reality. A century ago, one might have heard remarks like “It was like a novel” or “It was like a play.” Imaginative scenarios have always been important to our efforts to understand and deal with the world we live in—particularly when reality outstrips our experiences. Film critic Steven Greydanus is here to discuss Hollywood and Sept. 11.
4:40 - World Youth Day 2011 – A Recap
After World Youth Day 2011 was in the history books, the Holy Father reflected on it as a “stupendous manifestation of faith” and a special occasion for young Catholics “to reflect, dialogue, exchange positive experiences and, especially, to pray together, and to renew their commitment to living their lives rooted in Christ, the faithful friend.” Former ABC Correspondent Peggy Stanton was there and joins us to recap the event and give us her impressions.
5:00 – Y Disciple: Evangelizing Teens
How to evangelize teens. It’s an issue the Church has been facing for many years, especially after a generation of poor catechesis of teens’ parents. A new program of the Augustine Institute called Y Disciple aims to form youth ministers and adults who can effectively “disciple” teens. Jim Beckman is here to look at what it means to evangelize teens and how it is best accomplish the task.
5:40 – Ten Years Since 9/11: Righteous Anger and Ultimate Forgiveness
The tenth anniversary of September 11th, 2001 falls on a Sunday and, providentially, the readings proposed for the Catholic liturgy that day have to do with forgiveness. This interesting confluence provides the occasion for reflecting on this complex and oft-misunderstood spiritual act. Were we and are we legitimately angry about September 11th? Absolutely. This is why the Bible coherently speaks of God's anger. But in contradistinction to legitimate anger, there is what the Catholic tradition calls the "deadly sin" of anger. We explore anger and forgiveness with Fr. Robert Barron.
Obama administration cracks down on abortion protesters
From Timothy Carney at the Washington Examiner:
In 1994, abortion-lobby champion Ted Kennedy passed the Free Access to Clinics Act (FACE), which imposes stricter limitations on peaceful protests of abortion clinics than any other peaceful protest.
This law, which strikes me as pretty darn unconstitutional, has never really been enforced. Tom McClusky at the Family Research Council says the decision to not enforce it was a "gentleman's agreement": "The story I normally got from Justice Department, Hill and real world lawyers on both sides of the aisle was that everyone understood the law was unconstitutional...."
But now, NPR reports, Obama is deciding to crack down on those protesting, conducting sidewalk counseling, or even praying for the mothers and their babies.
Here's NPR's report on one of the Obama Administration's targets:
A few blocks from the White House, outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Washington, D.C., Dick Retta has reported for duty in a blue windbreaker, khaki pants belted high and brown shoes with thick soles. He's carrying rosary beads and a packet of brochures filled with information about the dangers of abortion."Please don't let them take your child's life. You don't have to. We can and will help you. Don't let them take your child's life. Let us help you," Retta says to a woman entering the clinic.That front door shuts in his face. But Retta says he's not deterred by that, or by a civil lawsuit the Justice Department filed against him in July. Authorities claim Retta violated the FACE Act by blocking a patient early this year — following her for 35 feet and standing in front of the door.Retta disputes the allegations."We don't block women from coming in. That's not our policy," he says. "I teach it. I teach what I'm doing ... and I say one thing: Never block the women from going in. Never."Retta, who has seven children and 11 grandkids, says he is moved by his Catholic faith to do what he calls sidewalk counseling. Retta says he has gotten pushed around outside the clinic, too. He says he was standing by the gate and a woman sprayed him with pepper spray in July, putting him "out of commission" for a while.
None of this is surprising.
This President, as a State Senator, voted against a bill requiring doctors to care for babies born after failed abortions (and then misled the media on the matter). As a candidate, he promised his first act would be signing the sweeping "Freedom of Choice Act," which would wipe out nearly all limitations on abortion and abortion subsidies. And then during the budget debates we saw him draw nearly his only line in the sand over Planned Parenthood subsidies.
It's abortion absolutism. Everything else -- free assembly, free speech, conscience protection, and his party's other interests -- they all take a back seat to protecting abortion.
Rick Perry moves ahead of Mitt Romney in race for GOP nomination in new poll
Washington Post:
Aided by strong tea party support, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has surged in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, pushing former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney into second place and significantly diminishing the once-rising star of Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Perry, who announced his candidacy three weeks ago, is now perceived by Republicans as the best candidate to beat President Obama, a distinction that Romney previously held.
The findings come on the eve of the first presidential debate for the Texas governor and just ahead of Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress on Thursday, which will feature proposals to create jobs and stimulate economic growth. The Republican candidates will debate on Wednesday night at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, one of several debates over the next few weeks that could reshape the race.
Perry is enough of an untested national campaigner — and debater — that it may take weeks to determine his staying power as a candidate. But the new poll findings foreshadow a potentially fierce competition between the two top Republicans, a contest likely to highlight ideological and demographic divisions within the party.
Among all Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, Perry has edged ahead with 27 percent of the vote, followed by Romney with 22 percent, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin at 14 percent, Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) with 8 percent and Bachmann at 6 percent.
Perry’s emergence has cut sharply into Bachmann’s support, putting her candidacy at risk. Her number of backers has been sliced in half, and she now scores significantly worse among those who backed her heading into last month’s big win at the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa.
Bachmann was the top vote-getter among “strong” tea party supporters in mid-July, but she has slipped to fourth place among these Republicans in the new poll. Among “very conservative” Republicans overall, her support has nearly evaporated, plunging from 21 percent to 1 percent. She has held up among GOP-leaning independents, but among rank-and-file Republicans, she has slid from 13 to 3 percent.
Palin — fresh off a widely publicized weekend speech in Iowa, followed by a trip to New Hampshire — remains a wild card. She has said that she will decide by the end of the month whether she will run.
Were Palin to stay on the sidelines, the GOP race would stay essentially the same. Perry would hold a small lead over Romney, Paul would be a distant third, and the rest would follow.
Should the race winnow to Perry vs. Romney, the contest would squarely pit the GOP’s tea party and establishment wings against each other, with tea party Republicans coming off big wins in 2010.
The survey asked Republicans to assess the candidates across a series of attributes. Palin and Perry top the list of who “best understands the problems of people like you,” with Romney not far behind. Perry leads on who is “closest to you on the issues,” followed by Romney and then Palin. Perry and Romney essentially tie on who best reflects “the core values” of the party, with Palin and Bachmann a notch below.
Joplin bishop sees grace at work in school's tornado recoverty
Students of St. Mary's School in Joplin, Missouri are back in session, despite the loss of their school and parish in a tornado last May. Their local bishop says he sees God bringing good out of suffering.
“There is still much to be done, still great suffering and uncertainty in the lives of many citizens,” Bishop James V. Johnston of Springfield-Cape Girardeau wrote in a recent column for the diocese's weekly publication The Mirror. “Yet, there are also many signs of God’s grace at work, pointing to a future full of hope.”
St. Mary's lost three weeks of its 2011-2012 school year, as the Joplin Catholic Schools system worked to turn a former warehouse into a makeshift school building for 210 students. The three weeks were nothing compared to the loss of their building, leveled except for a single large cross that survived the storm.
Annette Taylor, a teacher at St. Mary's for nearly two decades, once told a young student she thought the cross could survive just such an onslaught.
“He said, 'Mrs. Taylor, do you think if there was a tornado this cross would still stand?' And I looked at him and said, 'if there was a tornado I'm sure it would stand; it's a strong cross,'” she told the local ABC affiliate KSPR.
Some elements of the new school were salvaged from the old building, including a statue of the Virgin Mary and some decorations found in a closet. But most of the converted warehouse's new furnishings have come from generous donors across the country.
Bishop Johnston gave thanks for the local and national responses to Joplin's losses in his diocesan newspaper column.
“It is inspiring and gratifying to witness such a generous and unselfish reaction and outpouring to this tragedy,” the Missouri bishop reflected, noting that people outside his state had come to Joplin's aid.
“I am especially grateful for each of them,” he wrote, “and for the generous support from our Catholic brothers and sisters in the state of Missouri.” He said the local community's “heartfelt responses” included financial donations, volunteer time, technical expertise, “and most importantly, prayers.”
For now, it is unclear whether or not that support will go toward rebuilding St. Mary's. The improvised facility has no gym, lunchroom, or library, and its future is unclear.
The school is also missing one girl who would have been in kindergarten this year. Harli Howard died in the tornado along with her father and baby brother, when all three were trapped inside a Home Depot during the storm.
The three family members were among more than 150 people who died from the tornado, which swept through 14 miles in the town of 50,000.
In his message to the community, Bishop Johnston stressed that “months and years” of recovery lay ahead, during which “we must continue to serve our friends in need with the heart of Jesus, facing the mystery of suffering with both faith and hope.”
India’s bishops brief Pope on persecution of Christians
CNA:
.- The bishops of India briefed Pope Benedict XVI Sept. 2 on the level of anti-Christian persecution in their country.
“These have been a cause of worry and the Holy Father specifically asked also if there is violence,” said Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai in a Sept. 2 Vatican Radio interview.
Cardinal Gracias is in Rome as the Indian bishops conclude their 2011 “ad limina” visit to the Vatican in order to update the Pope on the health of the Church in India.
Today’s meeting involved the bishops from Karnataka in south-west India telling Pope Benedict about the continuing threat posed in their region by Hindu fundamentalists. Only last week, extremists attacked a church and threatened its pastor.
Cardinal Gracias said such fundamentalists want to create “animosity towards Christians and the Gospel” by making it appear as if “the whole of India is in danger because of the activities of the Christians and the missionaries.” But the cardinal dismissed that assertion as “not true at all.”
“The Gospel is a message of love and peace and joy and human growth which does not threaten anybody,” said Cardinal Gracias. The response to this message however has been mixed.
“It’s not all over India, it is only in certain pockets, but really, I would not be honest if I did not say that there is violence in parts of the country even today. But it is certainly much, much better than before.”
The Bishops Conference of India is the fourth largest in the world and so their ad limina visit has to be staggered over four sessions.
“It’s not all over India, it is only in certain pockets, but really, I would not be honest if I did not say that there is violence in parts of the country even today. But it is certainly much, much better than before.”
The Bishops Conference of India is the fourth largest in the world and so their ad limina visit has to be staggered over four sessions.
“It was a very good meeting with the Pope. We spoke about the situation in India, the challenges we have, the good news we have and also about the hopes we have for the future,” said Cardinal Gracias, who is also president of the Bishops Conference of India.
“The Holy Father was very interested in knowing about the situation of how Indian Christians are treated, our efforts for inter-religious dialogue and also about how we go about our pastoral work.”
Although India is the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.18 billion people, only about two percent are Catholic. The Church, however, does play a significant role in providing health care, education and welfare services across the country.
Many Indian bishops hope this year’s ad limina will pave the way for Pope Benedict to visit their country. An invitation to the Pope was personally issued during a previous ad limina session in May. If the visit does happen, it will be the fourth by a Pope to India following trips by Pope Paul VI in 1964 and Pope John Paul II in 1986 and 1999.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Today on Kresta - September 6, 2011
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Sept. 5
4:00 – Attitudes Towards the War on Terror and the War in Afghanistan: A Ten-Year Review
American efforts to build a new intelligence and national security framework to combat terrorism after the September 11 terrorist attacks have been filled with controversy. For the past ten years, pollsters have tracked the opinions of Americans as they have wrestled with the difficult questions associated with the post-9/11 world. They have probed opinions on preemptive warfare, profiling, torture, assassination, domestic surveillance, and, of course, the war itself. We have reviewed more than a thousand of these questions for a new AEI Public Opinion Study. The author of that study, Karlyn Bowman shares our insights about the evolution of Americans’ opinions on the war and the way it has been conducted.
4:20 – After America: Get Ready for Armageddon
In his giant New York Times bestseller, America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It, Mark Steyn predicted collapse for the rest of the Western World. Now, he adds, America has caught up with Europe on the great rush to self-destruction. It’s not just our looming financial collapse; it’s not just a culture that seems on a fast track to perdition, full of hapless, indulgent, childish people who think government has the answer for every problem; it’s not just America’s potential eclipse as a world power because of the drunken sailor policymaking in Washington—no, it’s all this and more that spells one word for America: Armageddon. He makes his case.
5:00 - Direct to My Desk – Jesus: Lord Over All, Including Politics
4:00 – Attitudes Towards the War on Terror and the War in Afghanistan: A Ten-Year Review
American efforts to build a new intelligence and national security framework to combat terrorism after the September 11 terrorist attacks have been filled with controversy. For the past ten years, pollsters have tracked the opinions of Americans as they have wrestled with the difficult questions associated with the post-9/11 world. They have probed opinions on preemptive warfare, profiling, torture, assassination, domestic surveillance, and, of course, the war itself. We have reviewed more than a thousand of these questions for a new AEI Public Opinion Study. The author of that study, Karlyn Bowman shares our insights about the evolution of Americans’ opinions on the war and the way it has been conducted.
4:20 – After America: Get Ready for Armageddon
In his giant New York Times bestseller, America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It, Mark Steyn predicted collapse for the rest of the Western World. Now, he adds, America has caught up with Europe on the great rush to self-destruction. It’s not just our looming financial collapse; it’s not just a culture that seems on a fast track to perdition, full of hapless, indulgent, childish people who think government has the answer for every problem; it’s not just America’s potential eclipse as a world power because of the drunken sailor policymaking in Washington—no, it’s all this and more that spells one word for America: Armageddon. He makes his case.
5:00 - Direct to My Desk – Jesus: Lord Over All, Including Politics
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Today on Kresta - September 1, 2011
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Sept. 1
4:00 – Inside the White House on 9/11
This past weekend the National Geographic Channel aired George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview, a world premiere documentary that revealed exclusive, first-person insight into the former president's experience following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In the most in-depth on-camera interview he has ever given on the subject, President Bush recalled what he was thinking and feeling and what drove the real-time, life-or-death decisions he faced in the first minutes, hours and days after the most lethal terrorist attacks ever on U.S. soil. We go over clips of the documentary with Matt Smith who served in the Bush White House and received the President’s Distinguished Service Award for actions on September 11th.
4:40 – Labor in the 21st Century
In earlier days Labor Day was celebrated as a tribute to laborers, the way we still pay homage to our troops and soldiers on Memorial Day. Economist David Peterson argues that in the 50's and 60's America was very pro-business and wealth oriented - as we are today. However, in mid century, our country benefited from the remaining Judeo-Christian tradition which emphasizes social justice. Unlike in present times, this tradition still acted as a strong counter weight to self-centered individualism and naked avarice. David joins us to look as “Labor in the 21st century” and why our attitudes are now so radically different.
5:00 - The Flipside of Feminism: What Conservative Women Know -- and Men Can't Say
What if everything you've been told about women in America is wrong? What if what your college professors taught you - along with television, movies, books, magazine articles, and even news reports - have all been lies or distortions? Since the 1960s, American feminists have set themselves up as the arbiters of all things female. Their policies have dominated the social and political landscape. The "spin sisters" in the media (aptly named by Myrna Blyth in her book of the same name) and their cohorts in academia are committed feminists. Consequently, everything Americans know -- or think they know -- about marriage, kids, sex, education, politics, gender roles, and work/family balance, has been filtered through a left-wing lens. But what if conservative women are in the best position to empower American women? Suzanne Venker is here to discuss it.
4:00 – Inside the White House on 9/11
This past weekend the National Geographic Channel aired George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview, a world premiere documentary that revealed exclusive, first-person insight into the former president's experience following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In the most in-depth on-camera interview he has ever given on the subject, President Bush recalled what he was thinking and feeling and what drove the real-time, life-or-death decisions he faced in the first minutes, hours and days after the most lethal terrorist attacks ever on U.S. soil. We go over clips of the documentary with Matt Smith who served in the Bush White House and received the President’s Distinguished Service Award for actions on September 11th.
4:40 – Labor in the 21st Century
In earlier days Labor Day was celebrated as a tribute to laborers, the way we still pay homage to our troops and soldiers on Memorial Day. Economist David Peterson argues that in the 50's and 60's America was very pro-business and wealth oriented - as we are today. However, in mid century, our country benefited from the remaining Judeo-Christian tradition which emphasizes social justice. Unlike in present times, this tradition still acted as a strong counter weight to self-centered individualism and naked avarice. David joins us to look as “Labor in the 21st century” and why our attitudes are now so radically different.
5:00 - The Flipside of Feminism: What Conservative Women Know -- and Men Can't Say
What if everything you've been told about women in America is wrong? What if what your college professors taught you - along with television, movies, books, magazine articles, and even news reports - have all been lies or distortions? Since the 1960s, American feminists have set themselves up as the arbiters of all things female. Their policies have dominated the social and political landscape. The "spin sisters" in the media (aptly named by Myrna Blyth in her book of the same name) and their cohorts in academia are committed feminists. Consequently, everything Americans know -- or think they know -- about marriage, kids, sex, education, politics, gender roles, and work/family balance, has been filtered through a left-wing lens. But what if conservative women are in the best position to empower American women? Suzanne Venker is here to discuss it.
Breaking News
BREAKING NEWS:
President Obama has just confirmed that the DC earthquake occurred on a rare and obscure fault-line, apparently known as "Bush's Fault".
The President also announced that the Secret Service and Conresswoman Maxine Waters leader of the Congressional Black Caucus will continue an investigation of the quake's suspicious ties to the Tea Party Movement.
Glen Beck however claims to have proven that all the movement in the ground was caused by the founding fathers rolling over in their graves.
President Obama has just confirmed that the DC earthquake occurred on a rare and obscure fault-line, apparently known as "Bush's Fault".
The President also announced that the Secret Service and Conresswoman Maxine Waters leader of the Congressional Black Caucus will continue an investigation of the quake's suspicious ties to the Tea Party Movement.
Glen Beck however claims to have proven that all the movement in the ground was caused by the founding fathers rolling over in their graves.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Today on Kresta - August 31, 2011
4:00 - 6:00 - Direct to My Desk
Today you have two hours to set the agenda! Raise the points, ask the questions, and discuss the topics that matter most to you. As always, we have some topics prepared, one of which is the Republican primary. We want to know what you think of the current crop of candidates. Who do you think best adheres to the 5 non-negotiables? Who do you think will best represent Catholic Social Teaching? This and a lot more conversation today on "Kresta in the Afternoon."
Today you have two hours to set the agenda! Raise the points, ask the questions, and discuss the topics that matter most to you. As always, we have some topics prepared, one of which is the Republican primary. We want to know what you think of the current crop of candidates. Who do you think best adheres to the 5 non-negotiables? Who do you think will best represent Catholic Social Teaching? This and a lot more conversation today on "Kresta in the Afternoon."
Voucher movement gains traction as new school year kicks off
As U.S. Catholic schools gear up for a new academic year, some have seen a spike in enrollment due to more states offering school voucher programs.
“The school choice movement has picked up during this last year and it's gained a lot of momentum,” Sr. Dale McDonald, director of Public Policy and Educational Research at the National Catholic Educational Association, told EWTN News in an Aug. 30 interview.
As of August 2011, 18 states as well as the District of Columbia have enacted policies that support school vouchers.
“School choice should be promoted because parents are the primary educators of their children and should have the right to choose the best school,” Sr. Dale stressed.
Although some parents have the means to send their children to their preferred school, “others are denied that choice because of their economic situation,” she pointed out.
“We've always felt that parents of low and modest income should have the kind of choices that parents of higher income have for their children.”
Sr. Dale's remarks come just months after Speaker of the House John Boehner (R–Ohio) showed his support for Catholic education and school choice.
During the week of the State of the Union Address on Jan. 26, he announced the introduction of a bill that restored funding for school vouchers in Washington, D.C.
Although the D.C. program first received authorization in 2004 – and enabled 1,700 children to attend private schools – President Obama defunded the program in 2009.
Speaker Boehner's efforts, which included meeting personally with several Catholic education officials, were seen “not only a symbolic commitment to choice but something that was very much in demand by the parents here in D.C.,” Sr. Dale recalled.
She noted that the D.C. program set an example which other states are beginning to follow.
In April, the Indiana Legislature provided vouchers that allow low-and middle-income families to use public funds to help pay private school tuition.
The Indiana program, which is only the second statewide program in country, has enabled 240 religious schools, mostly Catholic, to enroll students with vouchers.
“The Indiana voucher program is a big one this year,” Sr. Dale said. “It's a victory that we're happy to promote.”
A victory, however, that may be short lived.
Opponents of the program recently filed a lawsuit claiming it violates the Indiana constitution's required separation of church and state, given that most of the non-public schools so far approved for the voucher program have religious affiliations.
Other states have encountered similar obstacles.
In Colorado, Denver judge Michael Martinez ordered the state’s Douglas County to immediately stop its scholarship program on Aug. 12. Judge Martinez similarly ruled that the initiative violates provisions in the state's constitution.
“I think it's a weak argument,” Sr. Dale said in response to the claim that vouchers threaten to blur the line between church and state.
“If the scholarship is given to the parents and the parents make the choice about where to go to school, then the government hasn't made the choice – it's provided parents with a check to make the choice.”
Sr. Dale likened vouchers to Medicare or other government assistance.
“When you're given a Medicare check or a Social Security check, you can spend it however you want it,” she said. “If I take my Social Security check and decide to give it all to the Church, nobody questions it – this is the same thing.”
“This is giving parents the money to make the choice,” she underscored. “Not all of these vouchers are used for religious schools. Some are independent or private schools.”
Sr. Dale said that an improved understanding of how vouchers actually work will eventually show individuals that “constitutionally, school choice can be supported.”
Read more: http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/US.php?id=3887#ixzz1WcFgRx7O
My generation did not evangelise enough, says Pope
(Catholic Herald) Cradle Catholics have not done enough to show people that God exists and can bring true fulfilment to everyone, Pope Benedict XVI has told a group of his former students.
“We, who have been able to know [Christ] since our youth, may we ask forgiveness because we bring so little of the light of his face to people; so little certainty comes from us that he exists, he’s present and he is the greatness that everyone is waiting for,” the Pope said.
The Pope presided at a Mass yesterday in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, during his annual meeting with students who did their doctorates with him when he was a professor in Germany.
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna, a regular participant in the Ratzinger Schülerkreis (Ratzinger student circle), gave the homily at the Mass, but the Pope made remarks at the beginning of the liturgy.
The Vatican released the text of the Pope’s remarks today.
Pope Benedict highlighted the day’s reading in Psalm 63 in which the soul thirsts for God “in a land parched, lifeless and without water”.
He asked God to show himself to today’s world, which is marked by God’s absence and where “the land of souls is arid and dry, and people still don’t know where the living water comes from”.
May God let people who are searching for water elsewhere know that the only thing that will quench their thirst is God himself and that he would never let “people’s lives, their thirst for that which is great, for fulfilment, drown and suffocate in the ephemeral,” the Pope told his former students.
However, it also is up to Christians to make God known to the world, the Pope said, and older generations may not have done their best.
“We want to ask [God] to forgive us, that he renew us with the living water of his spirit and that he helps us to celebrate properly the sacred mysteries,” he said.
The formal discussions of the “schulerkreis” this year focused on the new evangelisation.
The closed-door seminar was held from August 25 to 28 in the papal residence of Castel Gandolfo and was attended by 40 people, according to L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.
The Pope chose two speakers to give lectures: Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz, a female German theologian and professor, and Otto Neubauer, director of the Emmanuel Community’s academy for evangelisation in Vienna.
The lectures were followed by discussion among the participants, including the Pope.
Summarising the discussions for L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Schönborn said participants felt that World Youth Day events in Madrid represented a fresh “boost of renewed hope” for the Church.
He said older generations had suffered by first living their faith at a time when Church life was thriving, and now watching parishes lose parishioners.
But today’s young Catholics seem to realise they are a minority in a secular, relativistic world and have shown their “undaunted willingness to give witness to their peers in such an environment,” he said.
Seminar participants saw the so-called “John Paul II and Benedict XVI generations” as a whole new phase for the Church. No one thought young Catholics would be so open to being in “the courtyard of the Gentiles” to evangelise, said the cardinal.
He said the meeting also reflected on how to spread the Gospel in a secular world that nonetheless “shows that it is waiting to receive anew the Gospel message.”
Federal judge strikes down Texas anti-abortion law
A federal judge has struck down parts of a new Texas law that requires doctors to do sonograms before providing abortions. The ruling claims the law violates the free speech rights of both patients and doctors.
AUSTIN, TX (Catholic Online) - U.S. District Judge, Sam Sparks did uphold the requirement that the sonograms be performed, but another, more controversial part of the law which required doctors to describe the images of the babies to women and for the women to listen, has been ruled unconstitutional.
The law did make exceptions for women who were the victims of rape and incest, or whose babies suffered from irreversible abnormalities.
The law, now partially eviscerated, will take affect on Thursday.
Supporters of the new law have explained that many women who seek abortions do not fully understand what an abortion entails--the taking of a baby's life. By requiring the sonograms and for the doctors to describe them to the patients, they argue women will have a better understanding about the choice they are making. The hoped-for result will be fewer abortions.
Those opposing the law claim it requires doctors to describe the baby's features which could be forcing them to say something against their will. They argue doing so could violate ethical medical practices which mandate that doctors must respect a patient's autonomy and act in the patient's best interest, which could conceivably include performing an abortion.
Sparks explained in his ruling that the law, "compels physicians to advance an ideological agenda with which they may not agree, regardless of any medical necessity and irrespective of whether the pregnant women wish to listen."
He also indicated that he did not like the provision requiring victims of rape and incest to sign a form claiming that they were victimized in order to obtain an exemption under the law. Finally, Sparks struck down the penalties for doctors who broke the law, which including losing their license and criminal prosecution.
Texas Governor Rick Perry indicated his opposition to the ruling. In a statement released by his office, Perry wrote, " Every life lost to abortion is a tragedy and today's ruling is a great disappointment to all Texans who stand in defense of life." Perry strongly advocated for the law earlier in the year.
Texas authorities say they plan to appeal the ruling.
© 2011, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.
The law did make exceptions for women who were the victims of rape and incest, or whose babies suffered from irreversible abnormalities.
The law, now partially eviscerated, will take affect on Thursday.
Supporters of the new law have explained that many women who seek abortions do not fully understand what an abortion entails--the taking of a baby's life. By requiring the sonograms and for the doctors to describe them to the patients, they argue women will have a better understanding about the choice they are making. The hoped-for result will be fewer abortions.
Those opposing the law claim it requires doctors to describe the baby's features which could be forcing them to say something against their will. They argue doing so could violate ethical medical practices which mandate that doctors must respect a patient's autonomy and act in the patient's best interest, which could conceivably include performing an abortion.
Sparks explained in his ruling that the law, "compels physicians to advance an ideological agenda with which they may not agree, regardless of any medical necessity and irrespective of whether the pregnant women wish to listen."
He also indicated that he did not like the provision requiring victims of rape and incest to sign a form claiming that they were victimized in order to obtain an exemption under the law. Finally, Sparks struck down the penalties for doctors who broke the law, which including losing their license and criminal prosecution.
Texas Governor Rick Perry indicated his opposition to the ruling. In a statement released by his office, Perry wrote, " Every life lost to abortion is a tragedy and today's ruling is a great disappointment to all Texans who stand in defense of life." Perry strongly advocated for the law earlier in the year.
Texas authorities say they plan to appeal the ruling.
© 2011, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Today on Kresta - August 30, 2011
Talking about the "things that matter most" on August 30
4:00 – Church Leaders: Alabama Immigration Law “Merciless”
Alabama Christian leaders, including Birmingham’s Bishop Robert Baker, have filed a lawsuit this week to stop the state from enacting the “nation’s most merciless” immigration law, claiming it would prohibit Christians from living out their faith and the mandates of Scripture. Al has some comments on viewing immigration through the eyes of Christ.
4:40 – “The 5th Quarter”
In February 2006, young Luke Abbate accepted a ride home from a fellow student following his high-school team practice. In a severe case of irresponsible and reckless teen-age driving, the driver lost control of the car at nearly 90 miles-per-hour, spinning off a narrow road and landing in an embankment some seventy feet below. Luke suffered irreparable brain damage, and died in the hospital two days later. Following his brother's death, Jon considered giving up his football career - but knew that doing so would not properly honor the younger brother who loved and idolized him. Upon his return to Wake Forest, Jon was given the approval of head coach Jim Grobe to change his number from his long-standing 40, to his brother's number 5. And, in so doing, dedicated the new season to the memory of his brother. Nick Thomm reviews the film “The 5th Quarter."
5:00 - Kresta Comments: Earthquakes, Hurricanes and the East Coast Media
5:20 – New Studies on Cancer and Lyme Disease Analyzed by Envita Medical Center
New studies are out that show Lyme disease on the rise and a new gene which may predict breast cancer. We talk with Dino Prato of Envita Medical Centers which does significant research and treatment for cancer and Lyme disease. It is the only clinic of its kind which offers an extensive array of advanced natural treatments from all over the world under one roof. We combine these treatment options with the best of conventional medicine to offer our patients comprehensive and complete treatment programs.
5:40 – Bush Memoir / Cheney Memoir: Are They At Odds or Does the Media Need A Story?
Former Vice President Richard B. Cheney provides an unapologetic defense of the George W. Bush administration in his memoir published today, including explanations of his own decisions on contested national security and domestic policies that often come at the expense of former Cabinet members and colleagues. Those include the justification to invade Iraq in 2003, a judgment he blames on CIA failures, and the lack of support for his urging that the United States strike a Syrian nuclear reactor site in 2007. One storyline the media is picking up on is some minor variances in the Bush memoir to the Cheney memoir. Was Cheney the one making all of the decisions for Bush? Paul Kengor answers.
4:00 – Church Leaders: Alabama Immigration Law “Merciless”
Alabama Christian leaders, including Birmingham’s Bishop Robert Baker, have filed a lawsuit this week to stop the state from enacting the “nation’s most merciless” immigration law, claiming it would prohibit Christians from living out their faith and the mandates of Scripture. Al has some comments on viewing immigration through the eyes of Christ.
4:40 – “The 5th Quarter”
In February 2006, young Luke Abbate accepted a ride home from a fellow student following his high-school team practice. In a severe case of irresponsible and reckless teen-age driving, the driver lost control of the car at nearly 90 miles-per-hour, spinning off a narrow road and landing in an embankment some seventy feet below. Luke suffered irreparable brain damage, and died in the hospital two days later. Following his brother's death, Jon considered giving up his football career - but knew that doing so would not properly honor the younger brother who loved and idolized him. Upon his return to Wake Forest, Jon was given the approval of head coach Jim Grobe to change his number from his long-standing 40, to his brother's number 5. And, in so doing, dedicated the new season to the memory of his brother. Nick Thomm reviews the film “The 5th Quarter."
5:00 - Kresta Comments: Earthquakes, Hurricanes and the East Coast Media
5:20 – New Studies on Cancer and Lyme Disease Analyzed by Envita Medical Center
New studies are out that show Lyme disease on the rise and a new gene which may predict breast cancer. We talk with Dino Prato of Envita Medical Centers which does significant research and treatment for cancer and Lyme disease. It is the only clinic of its kind which offers an extensive array of advanced natural treatments from all over the world under one roof. We combine these treatment options with the best of conventional medicine to offer our patients comprehensive and complete treatment programs.
5:40 – Bush Memoir / Cheney Memoir: Are They At Odds or Does the Media Need A Story?
Former Vice President Richard B. Cheney provides an unapologetic defense of the George W. Bush administration in his memoir published today, including explanations of his own decisions on contested national security and domestic policies that often come at the expense of former Cabinet members and colleagues. Those include the justification to invade Iraq in 2003, a judgment he blames on CIA failures, and the lack of support for his urging that the United States strike a Syrian nuclear reactor site in 2007. One storyline the media is picking up on is some minor variances in the Bush memoir to the Cheney memoir. Was Cheney the one making all of the decisions for Bush? Paul Kengor answers.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Today on Kresta - August 29, 2011
Talking about the "things that matter most" on August 29
4:00 – Facebook, Blogs, Twitter and Evangelization
This past weekend, Matthew Warner of Flocknote, the National Catholic Register and Fallible Blogma, served as emcee of “Catholicon,” a conference celebrating the Church’s latest mission field – the new media. Matt sits down with us to look at the areas of fruit that he sees in different aspects of the new media.
4:20 – Exploring a “Theology of Communication”
When we think about the Church and mass media or the Church and communication, we often think of the pontificates of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI and when it comes to documents – Inter Mirifica. We talk with Fr. John Zuhlsdorf about what it means to have a “Theology of Communication” and how we can go deeper into that concept.
5:00 - The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops Who Tweet
We're experiencing the biggest communication shift since the printing press. Millions have adopted Facebook, YouTube, blogs, and Twitter. What does this mean for the Church? How can Christians harness these new tools to reach out, teach, cultivate community, and change the world? Following Pope Benedict's call to evangelize the "digital continent," Brandon Vogt explores the power and risks of New Media while guiding Christians through this new environment.
4:00 – Facebook, Blogs, Twitter and Evangelization
This past weekend, Matthew Warner of Flocknote, the National Catholic Register and Fallible Blogma, served as emcee of “Catholicon,” a conference celebrating the Church’s latest mission field – the new media. Matt sits down with us to look at the areas of fruit that he sees in different aspects of the new media.
4:20 – Exploring a “Theology of Communication”
When we think about the Church and mass media or the Church and communication, we often think of the pontificates of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI and when it comes to documents – Inter Mirifica. We talk with Fr. John Zuhlsdorf about what it means to have a “Theology of Communication” and how we can go deeper into that concept.
5:00 - The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops Who Tweet
We're experiencing the biggest communication shift since the printing press. Millions have adopted Facebook, YouTube, blogs, and Twitter. What does this mean for the Church? How can Christians harness these new tools to reach out, teach, cultivate community, and change the world? Following Pope Benedict's call to evangelize the "digital continent," Brandon Vogt explores the power and risks of New Media while guiding Christians through this new environment.
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