Stories from the Sidewalk -- Or Not!

 

Stories from the Sidewalk

Today's story doesn't come from the sidewalk, but from last night's screening of Fr. Robert Barron's CATHOLICISM series at Holy Family. We watched episode #5, Peter and Paul. Fr. Barron spoke of how Christ's gospel was confrontational when he preached it two thousand years ago.  Saints Peter and Paul recognized that what they were preaching would offend the ears of many in the world of the Roman empire. They expected to be martyred for their witness to the gospel. It is still confrontational today, Father Barron insists, unless we water it down to make a kind of easy-going gospel that moves along comfortably in the stream of "the world".

In the faith-sharing session afterwards, a friend and fellow parishioner spoke of how she often wondered if she would have the courage to stand up for the gospel in a culture and situation where witnessing could be dangerous.

"Could I," she wondered, "Stand up to the Nazis if I had lived during the time of all that killing and injustice? I like to think that I would have, but I wonder."

Have you ever wondered that about yourself? 

I challenge you, if you have never taken a public stand against the killing of the unborn, to ask yourself why you have not. Thousands of innocent lives are taken every week in Planned Parenthoods and other abortion clinics across the country. We who live in the culture spawned by the injustice of Roe v Wade occupy a position similar to that of the German people who lived in the culture of the Third Reich. We know that abortionists legally kill unborn children by the thousands, the millions, every year. We know that the killings are justified under benign names like "reproductive rights" or "a woman's choice". We know that our nation's heart and soul are being coarsened -- and its conscience deadened -- by decades of our complacence in turning our heads at the deep wounds inflicted on women, families, surviving siblings, abortionists and their staff, and all who participate in this injustice.

Is that complacence a form of complicity? Can silence indicate agreement?

What kinds of weeds might be being sowed to serve as obstacles to hearing the Lord's call to stand against this contemporary Slaughter of the Innocents? Do we worry that people will think we are one of those "pro-life nut jobs" if we come out to pray one day at Planned Parenthood? Do we think we will offend our more sophisticated friends if we stand with and pray for the unborn as they live out the final hour of their short life? Do we secretly agree with our pro-choice friends, and think that some of these cases are so pitiful that death is the best solution for an unplanned pregnancy?

Let's ask ourselves this, and pray about it. I took two weeks "vacation" from sidewalk ministry during the Christmas season. I did not want to face the contradictions of the joy of the season and the sorrow of the lives being taken-- and the sorrow of the Rachels mourning for their children, even when they themselves were cause of that mourning. I had to pray long and hard to prepare myself to come back to the sidewalk. It is not easy duty, but it is powerfully revelatory of the Lord's real and immediate presence in our hurting world. Every time we go, the Lord provides evidence of His presence and love. Every time.

This week, on both Friday and Saturday, public and prayerful witness will take place for the sake of the unborn lives that are at risk and being killed in Wilmington's Planned Parenthood, 625 Shipley St. 

Friday's vigil, with 40 Days for Life under Delaware Right to Life, will take place from 8:30-11:30 am.

Saturday's vigil, with the Knights of Columbus, will take place from 7:30-10:30 am.
I hope to see some new faces this year. Why not let 2012 be the year you step out onto the sidewalk to pray and vigil for the unborn?  The more the Delaware community sees that ordinary folks are praying, not protesting, the more likely they are to realize that for as long as the injustice perpetrated by Roe v Wade continues, praying at abortion clinics is a normal Christian ministry and witness to the gospel.

Kurt Linnemann Found Not Guilty of Baseless Charges

Pro-Life Witness Found Not Guilty of Baseless Charges

Wilmington, DE, November 12, 2011. On November 10, 2011 pro-life sidewalk counselor Kurt Linnemann was exonerated of the charge of causing a public disturbance by making a false 911 call outside the Planned Parenthood of Delaware abortion clinic at 7^th and Shipley Sts in Wilmington.  The prosecution tried to paint peaceful pro-life vigilers as dangerous disrupters of social order. Instead, this misdemeanor trial, which ran for three hours in the New Castle County Court of Common Pleas wasting taxpayer money, completely vindicated long-time pro-life activist Linnemann. The case painted a picture for the public of the peaceful demeanor and non-threatening deportment of the ordinary men, women and children who gather regularly to witness to the value of unborn human life and to offer women alternatives to abortion.  

Kurt chose to be tried by a judge, not by a jury. Both sides presented their case, and the judge rendered his verdict.

The Case.

On Friday, June 10, Kurt Linnemann, Sean Kovalevich, and Susan Andrews arrived early at Planned Parenthood for the pro-life vigil that takes place each Friday morning (surgical abortion day). They noticed a box sitting in front of Planned Parenthood’s door. They had never seen a box before in that position – deliveries are always received during the day. Was the box dangerous?  They discussed the matter and decided that since there is heightened alert these days, they should notify the police and let them decide. They could not step on to Planned Parenthood property themselves.  Kurt made the phone call to 911.

Upon arrival, the police cordoned off the area, examined the box and found it empty. Planned Parenthood told the police that they had not made the phone call, as officers believed, but that the call had come from Kurt and Sean -- known to them as “regulars”. The police swiftly put Kurt and Sean in handcuffs and took them away.  Later, they released Sean but arrested Kurt and charged him with making a false 911 call.

The state presented a very weak case. The police report stated that Lori Magno, a Planned Parenthood employee, told the arresting officer that Kurt had seen her come out of the building, examine the box, and go back inside. Since Kurt had witnessed her doing this, the report reasoned, he knew that the box was harmless. He had concocted the 911 story to disrupt business on an abortion day.

The state showed the surveillance video for that morning. The video showed Ms. Magno examining the box at 7:09, long before Kurt pulled up in his van at 7:16. The video showed clearly that the police report was wrong – Kurt could not possibly have seen Ms. Magno examine the box.

Upon questioning, Ms. Magno denied that she had made the statement attributed to her in the police report. Upon questioning, the police officer stated that he had written his report the day of the arrest, and that if he had written that Ms. Magno had said this to him, he must have believed it to be true, but in the confusion, who knows if he made an error in what he thought she had said.

The state then played the audio of the 911 call.  We all heard a very calm Kurt say that there was a strange box outside PP and that it might be nothing but they might want to take a look at it just to make sure. He identified himself, spelled his name, described the box, all the time maintaining a calm voice, not once urging them to get down there, or asking that the building be evacuated. He simply reported that someone might want to take a look at it.

After the state presented their case, Kurt's lawyer asked for a dismissal of charges. He noted that the case had originally been built on the arresting officer's report of Kurt's knowledge that the box was harmless, but that the video clearly showed Kurt was not on the scene to see Ms. Magno examine the box.  The video from the previous night, played earlier to both counsels, clearly showed the box blowing up onto the property by the wind, thereby dismissing the suspicion voiced by police on the day of the arrest that Kurt had planted the box on purpose.

The judge did not agree to the dismissal, saying that the errors in the police report did not matter. He still had some questions in his mind as to why Kurt had made the call. If he arrived at 7:16, why did he not make the call until 7:33 if he thought the box suspicious? He wanted to hear Kurt's witnesses.

Ms. Andrews and Mr. Kovalevich, who had been sequestered and not seen the video, then testified. Their testimony agreed with Kurt's. The reason for the lapse in time of 16 minutes was because Kurt and Sean first greeted each other and kibbitzed in friendly conversation, before Kurt noticed the box. They then discussed it -- did it seem odd or suspicious? They were still uncertain, and when Susan arrived with three children, they asked her if she thought the box seemed out of place and odd. Susan agreed it was an anomaly, and although it was probably nothing, it was best to be safe. Susan and the children backed away from the front of the building. Kurt made the call.

The prosecutor tried hard to make the case that Kurt called 911 in order to evacuate the building and cause a disruption. She spoke more than once of how the phone call was all part of Kurt’s “agenda”. The judge questioned her as to what exactly the evidence showed of Kurt’s agenda. She admitted that the evidence showed that his agenda was to offer options counseling to women going in for abortions, and apologized if the state had suggested otherwise. The judge asked the prosecutor why, if Kurt’s intention was to disrupt business, he had made the phone call a half hour before the business even opened.  “Was he just incompetent?, the judge asked.

The judge ruled in favor of Kurt: Not Guilty. He saw no evidence that Kurt had done anything other than be particularly vigilant about a suspicious looking box at an abortion clinic, knowing that (as Kurt himself testified) some people did bomb abortion clinics. The judge made reference to how unfortunately we live at a time where not only do terrorists threaten, but also some protesters "who are not as responsible" as Kurt, Sean and Susan, behave badly.

Analysis.

Of course, it's great that Kurt was exonerated.  To this writer, the most troubling aspect of the trial was how much money the state spent on an essentially trivial matter, how willing the judge was to view the pro-lifers suspiciously but discount the contradictions in the police report and the Planned Parenthood testimony.

On the other hand, the judge was obviously impressed by the demeanor and testimony of our three witnesses. They testified clearly and with no hesitation. The 911 call was innocuous. The video tape revealed a bunch of people setting up signs and talking to each other. The judge saw clearly that there was no case, no intent to disrupt, just ordinary people going about their business when confronted by an anomaly.

However, in his closing statements he praised the Wilmington Police Dept., he praised the Planned Parenthood folks, and he showed that he thought they showed remarkable efficiency. He did not think they had done anything wrong in arresting Kurt, he dismissed the discrepancies between the video and the police report by saying "we're all human, we make mistakes", and he obviously thought that although the state had a weak case, their point of view was understandable.

Even though most of you reading this believe that abortion is an injustice, many of you would never come to an abortion clinic to pray and vigil. I suspect that many of you too have some of the same ideas that the judge had -- that “abortion protestors" are a threat.

I would like you to re-think your prejudices against sidewalk vigiling, in light of this trial. Kurt was brought to trial not because of his actions, but because of a prejudice against pro-life witness and a pre-disposition to believe that pro-lifers are extremists.

The culture at large still views pro-life witness as a radical political activity.  But this is not what we do each Friday at Planned Parenthood. We pray. We counsel. We offer literature. And people in the community respond. They can see that we care about the community itself, about the men and women of Wilmington and not just the babies who are at risk. The unborn need the protection of the law. We fight for this in the political arena -- elect officials who will extend protection of the law to every human being, born and unborn, healthy and ill, young and old.

But on Fridays at Planned Parenthood, we witness to the value of the lives of the unborn children being killed that day, we pray for them and for their parents, we pray for the abortionist and the PP staff, we offer resources, we talk to clients, we sometimes take them to A Door of Hope or Birthright for real health care for both mother and baby.

And even Kurt's judge - pre-disposed to view the state's case in the most benign light -- saw clearly that we do not engage in disruption. We're just ordinary folks trying to convey an ordinary Christian thought --- that all human lives are valuable.

40 Days for Life Fall 2011 comes to an end: Stories from the Sidewalk + more

Stories from the Sidewalk

Dear Friends,

We had a few days of bitter cold this Fall during 40 Days for Life. Putting the best spin on it, we decided that the Holy Spirit could blow powerfully even when the temperatures drop. So those fierce winds did not deter the prayer we offered. Who knows, they might've spurred us to more fervor, if only to warm ourselves by proximity to Christ's own fiery Heart. We prayed and offered information and kind words to the young women who sought relief from the burden of a crisis pregnancy by choosing to destroy rather than nurture the growing lives within. We know that the promised relief is temporary, that abortion as a solution to problems is an illusion. Without real hope and support in their lives, without real love, the burden will not lift for those who are ensnared in our bleak culture of death.

Pray for the mothers who have aborted their children during these 40 days of vigil. Pray that they receive the graces they need to turn towards life. Pray that the Lord take the souls of the innocent, unwanted and unborn children to Himself, that they are consoled in His love for their aborted experience of life and love on this earth.

We've heard many stories during these 40 Days of prayer and vigil. Just this week, we heard a father justify the killing of his unborn child inside Planned Parenthood: "I'm a Christian too, I go to church three times a week, I'm on the parish board of my Greek Orthodox church. I'm 58 years old, I can't be a father. My pastor told me it was my choice to make. I go to church three times a week. I've researched it all on the Internet, it's not a human being yet. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't need your information. I'm a member of my parish board. I go to church three times a week."

Three times he felt he needed to repeat his church affiliation. We wonder.... why so many times?

We were praying the rosary, meditating on the mysteries of Christ's Passion, when we were approached by a young woman and her best friend. "I saw you from over there and thought I just needed to talk to you. You're against abortion, right? You don't think it's a good idea, right? I'm pregnant and everybody says I should abort my baby, but I don't want to. The economy is so bad and all. Could I have one of those rosaries? Could my friend? Could you pray with us?" She did not know about Bayard House, or A Door of Hope and Birthright, or Mom's House. We were able to tell her about so many resources that she did not know about. She stopped by two days later, all smiles. She knew what she wanted, and she thought that with her friend's help she would be able to make it. She was just looking for somebody to encourage her in what she knew she wanted to do.

Come Pray With Us This Friday and/or Saturday!

Two days from now, November 4, is the last Friday of this fall's 40 Days campaign. It is also a First Friday. The following day, November 5, is the final Saturday of our campaign. Friday is surgical abortion day at Planned Parenthood. Saturday is "overflow" surgical abortion day, if they get too many clients on Friday.

Come join us on Friday and/or on Saturday. The Knights of Columbus will be there also on Saturday. Let's make a prayerful end of this 40 Days campaign.

Final Benediction at St. Patrick's in Wilmington on Sunday, November 6 at 4:00 pm.

Father Leonard Klein will offer a final benediction on Sunday, November 6 at 4:00 pm at St. Patrick's Church, Fifteenth and King Streets, Wilmington, DE 19801.

40 Days for Life is looking for a non-Catholic to join our coordinating group. Could it be you? Think and pray about it!

40 Days for Life began in a small, evangelical Christian community in Texas. One of the ironies of life is that since it has spread throughout the nation and the world, it is Catholics who tend to come on board in leadership positions. 40 Days for Life Wilmington would like to have a non-Catholic sister or brother join our coordinating team. This is a wonderful opportunity for ecumenical fellowship, as well as a chance to get together with like-minded Christians in service to the Lord. If you feel called, email me at rstabosz@gmail.com or go to www.40daysforlife.com/wilmington and contact any of the five coordinators listed on our home page.

Blessings on you all!

Rae Stabosz

Catholicism has Goodness and Truth covered pretty well these days, but where's the Beauty?

Jennifer Fulwiler has good article on why Catholic/Christian art is not dominant these days.  It doesn't break new ground -- it re-iterates what Debra Murphy, Barbara Nicolosi, Anne Lewis etc. in the Catholic arts community have been discussing for years.  But the article is worthwhile and comboxes have some nice contributions, e.g.:
"Bad art is easier than good art. I used to teach a poetry textbook to highschoolers that had a great chapter called “Good Poetry and Bad” that paired great poems with sentimental jingles on the same themes, then asked study questions to help the student see which was better and why. The better students saw the difference, but there was always a large contingent of the class that solidly and immoveably preferred the cheesy sentimental jingles. So I think we need better art education if we’re to have anyone capable of appreciating the new works you want commissioned."

I titled this article, Catholicism has Goodness and Truth covered pretty well these days, but where's the Beauty? The cynical may well remind me of the scandals and the cover-ups, the squabbling and the bitter internal battles, and wonder how much Goodness the Church has these days. Yes, well... The sinful, like the poor, we have with us always. But is there any group that devotes more of its time, treasure and talent towards ameliorating the suffering of the poor, the marginalized, the disenfranchised, the wounded and the broken?  AA is the only org I know that comes close, and it has time and talent covered but doesn't even have monetary sharing as goal.

PIGMENTLEFT: RAW SHOW

Hey Folks,

The D'Orazio family lives on in another generation!

Take a look at my niece Melissa's first art show in Phoenix, Arizona. She's just bursting with talent! This link shows only one pic from her display, so go down the blog and look at her other stuff.

PIGMENTLEFT: RAW SHOW

Susan G Komen for the Cure & Planned Parenthood -- the Pink Link

My guest blogger today is Nicole Collins, President of Delaware Right to Life. Are you pro-life and thinking of giving to Susan G Komen for the Cure?  Think again!

Every October, the nation turns pink. Friends and neighbors wear pink ribbons, NFL players wear pink shoes. Even the White House reflects pink flood lights onto its exterior in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.



We in the Catholic community also know October as Respect Life Month. It seems these two life-saving efforts should go hand-in-hand right? Not so fast.


In general, the color pink raises awareness for breast cancer – a worthy cause. But the biggest beneficiary of pink-related events is Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the nation’s largest breast cancer charity. Some of you might even support Komen in your charitable giving. And why not? Breast cancer is a tragic disease that far too many women battle every year in the U.S. It’s a worthy cause to support. Unfortunately, just not through Komen.


Why “unfortunately?” Komen financially supports the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood (PP). How can that be? Why would a life-affirming organization like Komen financially support a death-peddling organization like PP? Komen refutes the claim that they directly support abortion, but let me give you the details.


According to the Bioethics Defense Fund (bdfund.org) Komen has a policy of explicitly allowing its state affiliates to give monetary grants to abortion providing facilities. Not all state affiliates give grants to PP using the 75% of the funds that they raise in a state. However, each state affiliate must forward at least 25% of funds raised in their state to the Komen National office. These funds are under the discretion of a board that refuses to disassociate itself from PP, thus the money goes into a pool to be potentially distributed to PP.


Komen gave over $3 million to PP between 2003 and 2008 (though the amount is insignificant). So why does Komen give funds to an abortion giant? They claim they give the money as grants for breast exams. There are two problems with this claim. Number 1: It doesn’t matter what you give money to PP for. The dollars are fungible and it just frees up money for them to use on abortions and other operating costs to keep their doors open. Number 2: PP is a level 1 breast center. It is only allowed to perform manual exams. Despite its implications - it DOES NOT PROVIDE MAMMOGRAMS!


Desperate following the House of Representatives’ recent vote to defund the organization, PP CEO Cecile Richards used the claim that the organization should continue to receive federal funding based on their breast health services. “If this bill ever becomes law, millions of women in this country are going to lose their health care access, not to abortion services, to basic family planning – you know, mammograms, cancer screenings, cervical cancer,” she said.


But the truth is that PP does NOT provide breast exams. They simply provide referrals for breast exams – the same type of referral you can get from your primary care doctor, urgent care center, free clinic or GYN.


Pro-life blogger Jill Stanek did some research and found that not a single PP in America performs mammograms. PP’s own website says, “Ask your local health care provider, health department, or staff at your local Planned Parenthood center about where you can get a mammogram in your area.” [emphasis mine]


Aside from the fact that PP does not provide mammograms, Komen continues to ignore the ominous fact that abortion is the #1 avoidable cause of the very disease they’re fighting. It doesn’t make sense that they’re financially abetting an organization that contributes to the tragic rise in breast cancer.


From the Abortion/Breast Cancer Coalition (abortionbreastcancer.com):


“The breasts grow considerably during pregnancy while under the influence of high levels of the hormone estrogen, a known carcinogen. Estrogen causes the woman's normal and cancer-vulnerable breast lobules to multiply. If she has an abortion, she's left with more places for cancers to start in her breasts. If she has a baby, then other pregnancy hormones mature her breast lobules into cancer-resistant lobules during the last months of pregnancy. She's left with more cancer-resistant tissue than she had before she became pregnant.”

It’s heartbreaking that an otherwise very worthy organization could negate all of the good work that they do by funding an organization that exterminates 332,278 unborn children per year. And this is a fact that, as Christians, we cannot ignore. We cannot overlook the evil that is perpetuated through this partnership by using the false justification that we’re doing a “greater good” by funding breast cancer research. In this situation, there is no greater good. The ends do not justify the means. The murder of over 300,000 innocents does not justify a few mammogram referrals.


Fortunately there are alternative organizations that do beneficial work for the same cause through morally acceptable means. If you’re currently a Komen supporter and would like to divert your funds to an ethical breast cancer research organization, please consider the National Breast Cancer Foundation (nationalbreastcancer.org) and the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute (bcpinstitute.org).

Also, please keep in mind that Susan G. Komen for the Cure is far from the only disease-research organization that funds morally objectionable groups. Many well-known disease advocate groups support Planned Parenthood as well as embryonic stem cell research. Just to name a few: The American Cancer Society (including Relay for Life), Alzheimer’s Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association and American Lung Association. For a comprehensive list of organizations, their positions on life issues, and alternative options, please visit www.all.org/charities


--Nicole Collins, President of Delaware Right to Life

Guest Blogger today: Shawn Carney, from 40 Days for Life National.

Shawn will be speaking at the Delaware Right to Life annual banquet, next Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 at 5:00pm at The Sheraton Dover Hotel, 1570 N. DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 1990. Musical Artist~ Caitlin Jane, Guest Appearance by Maria Cahill ~Miss Delaware 2011~

If you would like to RSVP to this event, please contact Eunice Tate at Eunice@derighttolife.org or 302-526-2732

DAY 8: Darkness


October 4th, 2011 by admin

There is such incredible darkness at the places where abortions are done.

In thinking about that darkness, I am reminded of something Abby Johnson said. Abby was the director of the Planned Parenthood abortion center in Bryan/College Station, Texas who quit her job two years ago and is now sharing the pro-life message.

Abby recently wrote about some of the things she saw while working in the abortion industry. She mentioned how cold the staff was … and said they even joked about sending a welcome gift when the Coalition for Life, the local pro-life group I worked with, moved next door to Planned Parenthood.

They wanted to send us cookies shaped like babies.

And that was one of the milder examples of what passed for humor behind the walls of an abortion facility.

I’m hearing from 40 Days for Life coordinators, who are telling of the darnkess they encounter at the abortion centers. Here are some of their reports.

——————————————————-


TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA

——————————————————-

As the abortion center closed for the day, one of the employees came out and threw eight small plastic babies on the ground.
“I don’t know how long you people plan to be here,” said the worker, “but this is how many we did today.”

“Our group remained silent,” said Ryan in Tuscaloosa. “We watched the staff member leave, and prayed for the eight babies and the staff.”

The local team decided it would be best to distribute the plastic babies to vigil participants to carry as a reminder to pray for all the unborn, especially the eight from this particular day.

To Father Frank Pavone: please stop and be silent!

This morning I received another request for money from Priests for Life. This was my reply:

Dear Father Pavone,



I have always supported you and Priests for Life.


But I have to say that now, in light of the difficulty between you and Bishop Zurek, I think you should give it a rest for awhile. Stop asking for money and support. Stop speaking and defending yourself in the court of human opinion. Just stop. Take some time away from the battle. Rest and re-create. 

Give the Holy Spirit a chance to work. Sometimes silence is best.

The more urgent pleas I receive from Priests for Life, the more I feel uneasy. The fight against abortion requires financial support, yes. But even more, it requires unity among the faithful. And I find it unseemly that you continue to ask for "the largest gift you can possibly make".


Truthfully, I found it unseemly before this latest business in Amarillo. I don't like to be asked constantly for money in the most urgent ways. It smacks of the psychology of fundraising, and I don't like to be manipulated.

Rae Stabosz, regional co-coordinator, 40 Days for Life - Wilmington, DE

This Saturday -- Fundraiser for 40 Days for Life Wilmington DE

This Saturday evening, September 10, 40 Days for Life Wilmington is having a spaghetti dinner fundraiser followed by a showing of the one-hour documentary, Unplanned: The True Story of Abby Johnson. If you haven't made reservations, contact us. 

Can’t make it? Want to help?

You can make a tax-exempt donation:

40 Days for Life Wilmington is an all-volunteer effort. Every cent goes for expenses to educate folks about the reality of abortion in Delaware, and to run two campaigns a year. This includes production and distribution of pro-life brochures, billboards, prayer booklets, signs, and advertisements.

Holy Family Newark to host Delaware premiere of "The Catholicism Project"

Preview Screening In Delaware
Of Fr. Robert Barron’s Highly-Anticipated Catholicism Documentary

Holy Family Catholic Church is pleased to announce a screening of the first episode of Fr. Robert Barron’s upcoming ten-part Catholicism documentary, called “the best-ever film about the Catholic faith” by the scholarly website The Catholic Thing.

When: Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 7:00 p.m
Where: The Holy Family Parish Hall, Holy Family Church, 15 Gender Road, Newark, Delaware.
Admission: Free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. A freewill offering will be taken to benefit Fr. Barron’s Word on Fire ministry.
To register: E-mail to rgarland@holyfamilynewark.org or telephone the Holy Family Religious Education Center at 368-8976.

In Amazed and Afraid: The Revelation of God Become Man, “the strange and dangerous words of Jesus of Nazareth set up a drama that will culminate in a surprising battle between two kings, and in the wake of this conflict, an empire will be defeated – and the world will be changed.”

Catholicism is a groundbreaking documentary written and hosted by Fr. Barron, who is a priest of the archdiocese of Chicago, professor of theology at Mundelein Seminary, and the creator of more than 100 popular You Tube videos on faith and culture. The series is highly anticipated in Catholic media circles. George Weigel, the biographer of Pope John Paul II, calls Catholicism “the most exciting media project in the history of the Church in the United States.”

Praise for Fr. Barron’s engaging and effective style comes from New York Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, who says the professor of theology is able to deliver the message of Catholicism with the same “eloquence and pizazz and conviction” as Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who brought the Catholic faith into American living rooms in the 1950’s and 1960’s in a top-rated television program.

“We’re very happy to host Delaware’s first Catholicism preview screening, says Sr. Carol Heffner, Holy Family Director of Religious Education. “This beautifully made documentary showcases the artistic and architectural splendor of the Catholic faith from around the world.”

The television premiere of Catholicism will be on September 29 in the Washington D.C. viewing area, when public TV station WETA will broadcast two episodes.

In addition to television enjoyment Catholicism can be used in religious education programs, using companion study lessons for each episode. “One of the reasons we are hosting this screening is to review Catholicism for inclusion into our adult faith formation curriculum,” says Sr. Carol. “We’re also inviting all of the diocese’s Directors of Religious Education to come and see if the series would be a useful catechesis tool for their parish.

The ten-part series was filmed on location in 15 countries using high-definition photography. In this sweeping documentary, Father Barron tells the story of Catholicism around the world – using art, architecture, literature, music and all the riches of the Catholic tradition. The production crew traveled to some of the most magnificent and sacred sites in Jerusalem, Rome, Krakow, Warsaw, New York, Istanbul, Ephesus, Lourdes, Mexico City, Athens, Corinth, Mexico City, Uganda, Manila, Sao Paolo, Auschwitz, Kolkata, Philadelphia, Chicago, and beyond.

Filming Catholicism was a life-changing experience for executive producer Mike Leonard, a veteran NBC Today Show correspondent and former parishioner of Fr. Barron. “This series changed the way I think and act. The global settings were stunning, but it was Fr. Barron’s brilliant insights on life’s most challenging issues that shook me to the core,” says Mr. Leonard.

The film team was granted exclusive access to film privately in many locations inaccessible to the general public. Highlights include some of the world’s architectural and artistic masterpieces and most sacred places: The Dome of The Rock, the Hagia Sophia, the tomb of Mother Teresa, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, rare views of the Pantheon, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Pope’s private gardens, Chartres, Notre Dame, and Cologne Cathedrals, as well as one of the largest religious celebrations on the planet – the feast of the Ugandan martyrs.

For further information:
Sr. Carol Heffner, Director of Religious Education
Holy Family Catholic Church
15 Gender Road
Newark, DE 19713
302-368-8976

My Dinner with Ellen: Old Tioga Farm

This weekend, my Pious Ladies friend Ellen Lafferty and I made our ... dare I say it?... pilgrimage to Old Tioga Farm for a dining experience that was a feast for the senses and a solace to modern souls susceptible to exhaustion by the frenetic pace and over-stimulation of life in the 21st century.

For three hours, we enjoyed culinary delights in an old farmhouse setting, where six courses were served up at a leisurely pace, dishes made extraordinary by use of fresh ingredients (some hand-picked on the spot), careful preparation, skilled cooking and intimate hospitality.

This is strictly BYOB. Ellen and I brought a single bottle of Chianti to accompany us through the whole meal. A party of six appeared to have brought a different bottle of wine to accompany each course, possibly picked out by Chef Justin Naylor whose expertise in wine and knowledge of each dish would make for a winning combination.

Think Babette's Feast, but in the rolling hills and green fields of Stillwater, Pennsylvania.

Plus we dressed for dinner! This was totally unexpected. We were hitting the boutiques and thrifts shops in Bloomsburg, PA in the afternoon, and found ourselves looking at wedding gowns at the Salvation Army. We saw some evening wear on the same rack and suddenly thought, "Hey, let's go out tonight in evening wear!" So we spent the next hour pulling together two party outfits -- fit for elegant dining.

Here's how the evening went:

Course 1: Salad of baby lettuces, fresh picked from Old Tioga garden. I exclaimed with pleasure when I had the first bite. I don't know if it was the tender, fresh-picked greens, or the exquisite dressing (made of the usual olive oil, red wine vinegar, sea salt and pepper!) that made this salad so good. I only know that it made me want to cry, and set te tone for the rest of the meal. Mmmm.

Course 2: Potato croquettes with prosciutto. I wish I had a picture. This was Ellen's favorite course. She said she could have eaten those croquettes - exquisitely golden brown on the outside, freshly mashed potatoes on the inside seasoned perfectly and mixed with delicious bits of prosciutto -- forever.

This is as good a time as any to mention that each course was a small portion of food - the cumulative effect was that by the end of the meal you were full, satisfied, but not stuffed or uncomfortable. So many restaurants think they have to give large amounts of food in order to satisfy their customers. There's a place for that kind of economy, but it's not in a six-course meal. We were each served two potato croquettes.

Course 3: Thin-crusted pizza with sausage and mozzarella di bufala.
What can I say? The fresh basil was the piece de resistance of this flat-crusted delight.

Ellen and Rae with Course 4: House-made tortelloni filled with ricotta, sauced with butter & sage. Feeling the good vibes flow.

Again, I wish I had a picture of Course 5: Meatballs of veal and spinach with tomatoes and cream. Ellen was beginning to wear out by this time - she gave me half of her second meatball. My endurance was unfazed...

6th and final course: Flourless chocolate cake. This was like the moistest brownie you've ever tasted, with a crunchy exterior and dusted with confectioner's sugar.

Chef Justin Naylor chatting over final course.

I wish I had picture of our hostess, Dillon Naylor, but unfortunately she was the one taking all the pix. Dillon was a vision of beauty and hospitality in an ivory shirt and long skirt. Their two young sons were at "Grandmom's", nearby, for an overnight.

Their prix–fixe menu is $50, including 6% PA sales tax and gratuity. You need to get on their reservation list in advance, because once they announce the menus and dates for a season, the seats fill quickly. We got on their list in mid-March. They sent out the season's dates and menus on April 1. By April 3 all but a few seats were filled. They have only a single seating per night, one night per week, and their season is the Summer only. (They may be opening for Fall soon.)

Hot off the presses - Viper by John Desjarlais

Murder mystery Viper by John Desjarlais is available for purchase online. Come and get it, and see why I enjoyed interviewing its author last month.

How the Daughters of St. Paul watch movies mindfully - you can do this in your parish too.

This is my first attempt to use the create links option in blogger.

Praying with the movies? You bet. This is one reasons I became a Pauline Cooperator!
Sr. Margaret Joseph reveals two ways the Paulines connect film viewing with God-musing.

Zeke and Amelia Norton - late Spring update

Update from the Nortons of Selma, Alabama. My two southern grandchildren are growing up nicely!

Paterfamilias David Norton writes:

It's been pretty busy for us, though we've had a few unexpected moments of quiet.

Zeke is still doing well hitting the ball in practice and in games. He's gotten a double and some more singles. The coaches have let him play short stop in one inning of a game (that we were losing badly), and he has played other infield positions in practice, and has done pretty well.

His team is in a bit of a slump, but Zeke is unaware of it. He thinks they've won all of their games, and he's wondering when they'll get their trophy.

Zeke turned six on May 26th! He woke up at 3 A.M. or so to let us know. Gabe got him back to sleep, but he let us know right away again when he awoke around 6 A.M.

He got a magic kit for his birthday that he was excited to use on his Dad Dad.

Amelia had a big dance recital, where she danced on stage at an old school downtown. It was a huge crowd, as there were lots of dance students doing their dances for family and friends.



At the end of the show, lots of girls who had danced for a number of years received trophies from their dance teacher. Amelia was tearful coming home at the end of a very long, and late night, as she had not received a trophy for her dancing.

Gabe reassured her that none of the girls could get trophies until they had danced for three years.

Upon hearing that, Zeke insisted that he will dance now, and plans to win thousands of dance trophies when he dances for fifty years.

Interview with Karina Fabian on Infinite Space, Infinite God II

Today I am interviewing Karina Fabian , who with her husband Rob Fabian has edited two very entertaining science fiction anthologies with Catholic themes. Today we concentrate on Infinite Space, Infinite God II (ISIGII).

My daughter-in-law Carrie, when she heard I was doing this interview, said "Catholic science fiction? What in the world would be in it?"

"Not hard to answer that one," I replied. "It's got everything that 'regular' science fiction has in it -- space travel, alien cultures on far-off planets, artificial intelligence, cyberpunk, time travel, robots, space wars... you name it, you'll find it here."

Check it out. At the end of this interview, you'll see that Karina admits that if the sales for ISIGII are not there, ISIGIII is not going to happen. If you're looking for an intriguing read, or a unique gift for a Catholic SF buff, BUY NOW!

1. I have always been curious about how one goes about putting together an anthology. I did not read Infinite Space, Infinite God I, so while you might have covered the question when that book came out, my readers might be as ignorant and curious as myself.

Which comes first, the stories or the publisher? For Infinite Space, Infinite God II (ISIGII), did you pitch the idea to publishers and then go out seeking stories? Or did you call for story submissions, assemble your book, and then go looking for a publisher?

This was definitely a "Push-Me/Pull-You." We had some stories we wanted to sell as a collection, but not enough. The publisher suggested collecting other stories from authors to make an anthology. The result was Leaps of Faith (first e-pub'd by Francis Isidore, then published by The Writers' Café Press). I showed it to another publisher of mine, a friend, and he suggested on of exclusively Catholic stories, which became Infinite Space, Infintie God I. However, his company didn't want to risk branching into sci-fi, so we shopped it around until we found Twilight Times.

ISIG I has won some awards, so Twilight Times asked us to do a second anthology.

Rob and I feel we were led to create these, and we've certainly been blessed to meet and work with such talented writers.

2. Regardless of how the anthology comes about, how do you find your authors? For ISIGII did you approach certain authors whose work you knew, send out a general call for submissions, or do a little of both?

For Leaps of Faith, FrancisIsidore put out the call. For ISIG I and II, we approached the Leaps crew and put out feelers in duotrope.com, ralan.com, through my writing groups and the Catholic Writers' Guild.

3. Tell me about the cover art. I was very drawn to the image of the monstrance juxtaposed over the beautiful blues, greens, reds, whites and blacks of space. What does this image tell the casual bookstore browser about the contents of the book? Did you have control over the cover art, or did your publisher?

The cover art (done by the talented Kurt Ozinga www. ) is play off the cover for ISIG I. Contributor Ken Pick suggested keeping the monstrance and using a different space background. We love the effect--simple, striking, and really says what the book is about.

4. Three of your own stories appear in the anthology -- a "nuns in space" story, "Antivenin", and "Otherworld", a story about ministry in virtual reality, and "Frankie Phones Home". The characters in the first come from your novel-in-progress, Discovery. So we can look forward to seeing more of Sisters Rita, Ann and Tommie. And "Frankie..." gives a short, rousing end to Frankie's story from "Interstellar Calling" in ISIGI. But how about Father Jonas, the Jesuit who narrates "Otherworld"? Cyberpunk and Catholicism are a compelling mix. It seems to be that there are more stories of Otherworld to be told. Are there? I could see this as a continuing series.

I really wanted a cyberpunk story in ISIG II, but we had a hard time finding anyone who could pull it off, so I dinked around with some ideas and settled on exploring faith and morals in a virtual reality world where everything is "just a game." It was an interesting experience for me, because usually, I come up with the character first and the ideas, world, and plot afterward. Right now, I'm full up with other characters who demand I tell their stories (like Sisters Rita, Ann and Tommie). Father Jonas is pretty content, so while Otherworld would be fun to write in, it's low on the priority list.

5. Okay, here I want to be a little bit combative. In the brief editor's note that preceded "The Battle of the Narthex", you wrote, "Ready to laugh? Get ready for a lighthearted look at alien technology, power-hungry nobility, supernatural events, and your not-so-average Saturday evening Mass." I am a purist, and never read the editor's notes until I have finished the story. I finished "The Battle of the Narthex" sighing from a powerful Aristotelian catharsis -- I thought it one of the finest stories in the collection, and was completely puzzled by its characterization as humorous. If that is Alex Lobdell writing humorously, then I definitely need to read his serious fiction.

You will love Alex's serious fiction. "High Hopes for the Dead" in Leaps of Faith is one of my all-time favorite stories.

But seriously (sic), satisfy me on that point. What grabbed you to make you think of this story primarily as lighthearted? I thought the alien technology was fascinatingly clever and plausible. Their cloaking technology fit perfectly as an explanation of human sightings of aliens, demons, angels, etc. But what really grabbed me in the story was the nobility of the old warrior, facing a sinking sun of glory days gone and present times treated as an irrelevance. I am wondering if an age difference explains our different reactions to the story. As a sixty-something, I am an aging warrior myself. Have you gotten any other feedback indicating a difference in how the story was received by readers of different generations?

They say that a story has two elements: what the writer puts into it and what the reader puts into it. Sounds like you really got into the battle while we were more taken by the humor in the battle.

We find Alex has a very wry humor and a talent for giving old cliché's a new twist, and he uses it to great effect in "Battle of the Narthex." The aliens impersonating ghosts tickled us, like how the alien head researcher had a photo of himself impersonating a headless ghost at the Tower of London--downloaded, of course, from a human's ghosthunter website.

The quirks in the technology made us chuckle--it's an old gag, but Alex knows just how to make it a natural part of events. My favorite part, of course, was his incorporating the Catholic Mass and parish with the alien battle--like the countdown coinciding with the missile flying past the Stations of the Cross. Rob loved the perspectives of the parishioners.

We also enjoyed the ironic twists. However, I'm stopping here because I don't want to give too much away.

6. Talk to me about the elegiac tone of "The Ghosts of Kourion" and "Cathedral". The first leaves a sweet-bitter feeling, the second a bitter-sweet. Did you consciously think of these two as having similarities when you included them in the anthology?

Not consciously. We didn't really analyze the stories so much as choose ones that read well and left us either touched or thoughtful--or preferably, both. These two certainly accomplished both. I especially loved the last lines of "Cathedral": Jared, Argentine, don't you know Kat's falling? …And no one's there to catch her... I like to think Someone did.


7. "An Exercise in Logic" is a legal thriller blended with an alien prophecy tale with a dollop of colonization ethics thrown in. Any additional thoughts on the clash of religious cultures and law between Sr. Julian and the high priests of Honendo?

No, except that we found the Honendo as delightful as they were infuriating, and hope Barton will write more stories with them. However, we didn't see the clash so much as religious cultures and law as a clash of two alien thought processes.

8. (Possible SPOILERS) Colleen Drippe's stroy "Tenniel" sets up a situation where a space-traveling missionary priest has to choose between passivity that will surely end in death, and acting in a way that is contrary to his vocation. So tell me, Karina -- when you read the story for the first time, were you applauding Father Tenniel as he makes his decision to stand and fight? I know I was.

I was torn. Part of me said, "That's not the right thing," the other was saying, "That's what will get the job done." Even Colleen said Fr. Tenniel still wonders if he followed God's will. Of course, that's the point: even for the most faithful, life isn't always black-and-white.

9. Robots, androids, replicants, cyborgs, Cylons, synthoids, humanoids -- and now we have the andorganics of "Tin Servants". What kinds of artificial intelligences turn you on? Have you ever felt friendly towards your GPS, computer, or other intelligent device?

What I'd really want is an AI implant in my skull to help me remember all my appointments, obligations, etc., with a low-level nag feature. I have a story with such an implant, used as an assistant in time travel, but I've not touched it in a long time.

I do love the GPS. We call her "Techa" in Rob's truck. Rob, of course, adores his Nexus, which has done a far better job than his wife in helping him keep on a diet and exercise regimen!

We're steadily moving toward the age of androids and cyborgs. The work with prosthetics is amazing, and we recently saw a YouTube video of a singing robot that looks very convincing.

10. Okay, I gotta tell you. I was pretty confused by "Basilica". Hard science and heresy -- the Priscillians no less! I don't really have a question other than this - do you think I should go read up on the Priscillians and then tackle the story again?

Please do and let us know what you think. We personally didn't feel the need to get into deep background about it--the story itself was a great adventure on its own--but one of the best things about fiction like this is that it makes people want to think, to explore, to dig deeper. It's why we call the ISIG books "thought-provoking science fiction."

11. How did Joan Fong like Frankie's resolution in "Frankie Phones Home"?

You know, while she thanked us when we told her what we'd done, she never told us what she thought of the story! LOL. I'll have to send her a copy and ask. We've lost track of each other in the past year or so. However, I can say that the story was pretty much what she asked for: Frankie returning home to explain her sudden disappearance, and to ask forgiveness.

12. After "Battle of the Narthex", I found "Cloned to Kill" the most poignant story. It reminded me a bit of the movie "Inside Daisy Clover." This is as good a place as any to ask, what was your editing hand like? Did you do much editing of the submitted stories? Did you ask for any re-writes?

Most of the stories required a very light hand for editing. We asked for a couple of re-writes, mostly on technical basis. (This is Rob's bailiwick: If the world has this technology, then why doesn't the character use it this way?) Of course, we also extended the deadline for submissions twice in order to make sure we got truly awesome stories. Definitely worth the wait.

13. One last, silly question, but I have to ask: were you thinking of The Fantastic Mr. Fox when you read Dyads?

I'd never heard of him, and after looking him up, I still didn't connect the two. Ken Pick and Alan Loewen have built a truly unique universe with some fabulous aliens, which, while resembling Terry (ak Terran) creatures, are really their own individual--and fascinating--species. We think that's the genius behind "Dyads": interacting with a species that is so different from humans, yet with enough familiarities that some characters might think of them as less than sentients--or even less than human.

14. I lied. This is the real last question. Do you think there will be an Infinite Space, Infinite God III? What would you like to see in a third anthology, if you did one?

I'll be honest: I believe Infinite Space, Infinite God II is going to have to sell a lot better to justify an ISIG III.

You heard her, folks. Go thou forth now and BUY! So many ways to do it, too:

Buy it from Amazon:

Buy it from the publisher, Twilight Times Books

But it from Barnes and Noble

Buy in E-book formats at Fictionwise