Traditional Latin Mass in Maryland

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CNA >> Pro-lifers disrupt Obama speech, crowd silences them with 'Yes we can' CNA >> Bishop D’Arcy speaks at Notre Dame Via Media (Amy Wellborn) >> Obama's speech Via Media (Amy Wellborn) >> Obama at Notre Dame (analysis; this portion struck me: The bigger issue is Notre Dame and Catholic higher education. I was as distressed as anyone by the rock-star reception by Obama, just as I would if Bush or any other politician were greeted in such a way at a Catholic institution. We've had enough problems with sucking up to civic authority over the last few dozen centuries, haven't we? It was creepy in a "Justice Sunday" kind of way. To me at least .)

CNA has a thorough report on the "movie flap" at College Park and the role of the Catholic Chaplain, Fr. Kyle Ingels, in helping to present the Catholic side to the campus at-large: CNA spoke with Fr. Ingels in a Thursday phone interview. He said the Catholic Student Center had been “very involved” in the “ongoing dialogue” about the event. He reported that the center had engaged in many calls, e-mails and conversations with students, parents, faculty and administrators about the controversy. Explaining the purpose of the student center’s programs on Catholic sexual ethics, Fr. Ingels said: “We want to promote a healthy dialogue about human sexuality. We believe it is a beautiful gift from God.” He explained there are Bible studies run by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) which address the “big three” issues: sobriety, chastity and excellence. A student center group named “Triple X” discusses Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. According to a...

The CNA website today reports from Denver that "CNA has just completed a redesign of video channel on the popular website, Youtube.com. The new eye-catching layout includes all of CNA’s videos, access to CNA’s in-depth news and the option of subscribing to receive new video updates ." The link to the new YouTube site is here, and one can subscribe for RSS updates of videos . The embed below shows the type of story the CNA news organization will report. It appears incredibly promising!

The news has been making its way around the blogosphere ( see RORATE CAELI, for example ). Now, two sources have both confirmed that the Neocatechumenal Way has received final approval of its statutes. Both the Catholic News Agency and Zenit are carrying the story.

The Catholic News Agency, CNA, posted a story last night summarizing the liturgy of Corpus Christi from Rome . The Holy Father's comments are summarized well in the article. “The Eucharist can never be a private matter,” explained Pope Benedict. “The Eucharist is public worship, which has nothing esoteric or exclusive about it. ... We remain united, over and above our differences, ... we open to one another in order to become a single thing in Him." "Walking with the Lord" was the second aspect of the celebrations that the Pope discussed. The chance to accompany Jesus in the Eucharist allows us to reflect on how He in fact, “raises us up again ... and puts us on the journey with the power of this Bread of life. ... The procession of Corpus Christi teaches us that the Eucharist wants to free us from all distress and discomfort ... so that we can resume the journey with the strength God gives us in Jesus Christ," the Holy Father said. Moreover, "Without t...

This story has been circulating in the blogosphere for several days. CNA does a nice summary today : [...] For the first time since 1940, March 17, St. Patrick’s Feast Day, falls during Holy Week. Due to the solemnity of the period, Masses for Saint Patrick cannot be held during Holy Week. Parishes must petition their bishop for permission to say a Mass in honor of the saint. According to USA Today, some American bishops have moved the celebration of Ireland’s patron saint up to March 14. The move has caused some secular organizers to change their schedule as well. [...] In Columbus, Ohio, Bishop Frederick Campbell tried to persuade the organizers of the secular festivities, the Shamrock Club, to keep Holy Week free of parade floats or extravagant parties. Despite months of negotiations, which included offers to make the bishop the grand marshal of the parade, both sides are at an impasse. "The 17th of March is a huge day for any Irish community," said Mark Dempsey...

CNA reports that "(t)he first Catholic Church in an Arab Muslim emirate will be dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary , during a ceremony that will be celebrated by Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples ." Read the story here .

CNA carries a story on a statement released by a coalition of organizations asking Catholic Colleges to boycott asking any politician with pro-abortion views from speaking on their campuses . The statement calling for a boycott of politicians in conflict with the Church was organized by the Cardinal Newman Society , a group dedicated to the renewal and strengthening of Catholic identity in higher education. Signatories included the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights , the Fellowship of Catholic University Students , Catholics United for the Faith , the Catholic Medical Association and the Society of Catholic Social Scientists . Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick J. Reilly summarized the need for the statement, saying, “Like any Catholic institution, a Catholic college or university has a distinct and unique responsibility to provide an environment that supports and upholds Catholic values.” To read the full story, click here .

The Catholic News Agency reports that the Holy Father today reaffirmed the Church's stance against euthanasia : Pope Benedict received participants in an international congress entitled: "Close by the Incurable Sick Person and the Dying: Scientific and Ethical Aspects" today and reiterated that the Church is against all forms of euthanasia . The event which brought the specialists to the Vatican is being promoted by the Pontifical Academy for Life as part of their general assembly. The gathering will take place in the Vatican over the coming days. [...] Benedict XVI also spoke of the larger societal dimension of respecting those who are ill or dying. All society "is called to respect the life and dignity of the seriously ill and the dying", he said. "Though aware of the fact that 'it is not science that redeems man', all society, and in particular the sectors associated with medical science, are duty bound to express the solidarity of love, and t...

There is a fascinating story carried by CNA and by many Catholic news outlets. The story concerns Pope Benedict XVI addressing the Jesuits about their vow of obedience to the Pope . Here is part of what he said: "In the attempt to build bridges of understanding and dialogue with those who do not belong to the Church or who have difficulty in accepting its positions and messages, you must loyally take charge of the Church's fundamental right to remain faithful to its mandate and adhere completely to the Word of God as well as to the Magisterium's charge of conserving the truth and unity of Catholic doctrine in its entirety ." [emphasis mine] Pope Benedict said that this fidelity to the Church's doctrine is "a particularly sensitive point" for many Jesuits, especially theologians and those involved in inter-religious dialogue. "Precisely for this reason I have invited you [here] and I invite you to reflect on how to find the fullest sense of your...

In a marvelous story on CNA, the Sisters of the Cross of the Sacred Heart of Jesus celebrated 100 years of uninterrupted Eucharistic Adoration for the holiness of priests . [...] The charism of the sisters of the Cross of the Sacred Heart is to pray for the holiness of priests and for priestly vocations, a practice recently requested by the prefect for the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, The sisters carry on the tradition of spiritually “adopting” a specific group of priests for whom they not only pray before the Blessed Sacrament but also offer their daily activities and sacrifices. The order’s foundress was Concepcion Cabrera de Armida (1862-1937), a Mexican mother. Read more here .