Respect Life Month!

Not enough people in this country realize that October, already half over, is Respect Life Month.  And if you search your church bulletins you might find some interesting activities going on, such as the odd vigil outside an abortion clinic, for example.  It would be good to join in on the right side of the spiritual war and against the war waged by Planned Parenthood on the unborn by attending any of these you can. 

I missed the one conducted by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades in York, PA on October 2nd because I was on the road.  But he was there along with the Knights of Columbus and 200+ faithful who proceeded from the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church to the local Planned Parenthood abortuary.  Together they prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary for the unfortunate pre-borns, who will never have the joys of drawing their first breaths and whose lives are ended without so much as a whimper.

I have included much of Bishop Rhoades' homily for the occasion found in Catholic Witness:

"The idea that every human being has an innate, inalienable and sacred dignity is not accepted by pro-choice activists.  The pro-choice arguments for abortion are based on a very dangerous and erroneous assumption that human rights are not inherent in the person but are assigned to the person by society.  I don't know if many pro-choice advocates actually philosophically consider their position.  Where do human rights come from?  Where does the right to life originate?  They are given by God, not by society.  Society and government have no right to deny these fundamental rights of the human person.  They are inherent in human beings as human beings.  They are not based on the person's race or color, on the person's age or health, or on the person's location within or outside the womb....

...Our teaching has always been and always will be a great yes to human life.  We support research and medical science which serves human life, which overcomes or corrects pathologies.  But we reject whatever involves the intentional destruction of human beings or which uses means that contradict the dignity of the human person.  Why such respect for human dignity?  Because each human being carries in an indelible way his or her own dignity and value.  It is not something given by society or by legislators.  It is innate.  This is what pro-choice advocates reject or ignore.  As followers of Christ, we also believe that at every stage of his or her existence, the human person, created in the image and likeness of God, also reflects the face of his only-begotten son.  We believe that God's love for every one of us, including our brothers and sisters in the womb, is boundless.  In the words of Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II, 'human life is always a good, for it is a manifestation of God in the world, a sign of his presence, a trace of his glory.'"

(Picture borrowed from Catholic Witness.)

At Long Last!...Confirmation At Pentecost!

At the original Pentecost, the one mentioned in The Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit descended to those apostles in tongues of fire which rested upon each one of them. As a result of this, each apostle spoke a different tongue so that he could go abroad and confess boldly the name of Christ. Then the apostle Peter explained it all to those around him, and as a result of this 3,000 were converted to Christianity that day. All who believed in Christ were together and had all things in common...

At my own Pentecostal Confirmation this past Sunday at St. Patricks Cathedral in Harrisburg, PA, a successor of the Apostles, The Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades, Ninth Bishop of Harrisburg, and five priests dressed in red robes celebrated both the birthday of the Catholic Church and the Sacrament of Confirmation for myself and several others in the Harrisburg Diocese. When my forehead was anointed with Chrism oil and I confessed with my mouth in agreement (Amen!) with Bishop Rhoades that I was now sealed in the Holy Spirit, I felt such joy, elation, and peace I could hardly contain myself. Without ruining the solemnity of the occasion (I hope), I gave a mini-high-five to my RCIA leader on my way back to my seat. Then I got on my knees and washed the incense out of my eyes with tears of joy, for what should have been done at age 13 and was finally done at 45. Better late than never... I have posted on my journey at length HERE and HERE.

When Communion time came minutes later I stood and nodded to my mother, who had taken the train in from Chicago, now sitting several rows back and observing me for the first time taking Holy Communion. To this day I cannot explain why I had refused it back when I was 7 years old, much to her anger and chagrin. But she nodded back to me this time and smiled wryly, knowing I had already taken my first at Easter Vigil earlier this year. My long-time friend and college roommate, Kevin Gleeson, who also helped me out late last year with this blog, stood with me as my Confirmation Sponsor, with his right hand on my shoulder as I was anointed with Chrism and named Augustine.

After Mass, the Bishop, a man of the people, stood for a good 45 minutes to an hour shaking hands and posing for pictures for anyone who wanted them. For me he blessed my Confirmation Rosaries and stood patiently for SEVERAL pictures. Leaving the Bishop at the Cathedral, we walked to Molly Brannigans for good Irish eats and great Guinness on tap where I sat glowing among the seven friends and relatives who traveled from as far as Oklahoma to join the celebration. At the end of the day we took dessert at Rita's for their great gelati and Italian Ice. It was an exceptionally good day, to say the least.

Here are the rest of the pics from that day. As usual, please feel free to click on the image to make it much larger:

Got to Meet My Bishop Today...

For most of today I was involved in the Rite of Sending at my local church, and then the Call to Continuing Conversion of Candidates to the Catholic Church at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Harrisburg, PA. Both ceremonies were beautifully done, but especially the latter with its huge-sounding organ and massive choir. Click HERE for the virtual tour of St. Patrick's.

First the 9am service at my local church had both the catechumens (unbaptized RCIA members) and candidates (previously baptized, like me) step forward and be recognized, along with our sponsors, at Mass. Then later in the afternoon, we all traveled to Harrisburg to stand before the Bishop himself, Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades, who gave a very stirring homily for the occasion.

Afterwards I stood in line for nearly a half hour waiting to have my picture taken with Bishop Rhoades, a very nice fellow, who also honored me by blessing my rosary. I was so nervous I had trouble smiling during the meeting, but the Bishop was a very good sport and took it well.

While I was waiting in line to see him, some of the RCIA staff members were betting on whether or not I would be taller than the Bishop with his hat on, once we stood together. See pic with handshake. See also HERE.