Catholic Voice 2nd July 2021 Issue 320

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Issue 320

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2 EDITORIAL

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

Some Good News

Anthony Murphy Let’s start with some much needed good news! Readers may be aware that at the beginning of June a parish church in Dublin decided to fly the LGBT marxist rainbow flag.

But after being up for less than 72 hours, the homosexual flag in the grounds of Our Lady of Assumption Church in Ballyfermot, Dublin, was removed due to popular outrage. The Archbishop of Dublin instructed the parish to remove the flag.

However, reparation still needed to be done. The flag was removed but God had still been offended. So over 70 people gathered in front of the church to pray the Rosary. Some locals, upon seeing the campaign, enthusiastically joined. Other participants came from Waterford, Limerick, and Dungannon. Joy permeated the entire rally which was a good example of what can happen when faithful Catholics join together in action and prayer.

There are other encouraging signs that the Church is beginning to recover its voice.

CatholicVoice

Editor: Anthony Murphy editor@catholicvoice.ie Telephone: 059 8627268 ROI 00353 59 8627268 Outside ROI Keep up to date with news and articles via The Lumen Fidei website www.lumenfidei.ie

The United States Bishops’ Conference, on a motion by Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne, has voted to prepare a formal document on whether nominally Catholic politicians who offer scandal to the faithful by openly opposing the Church’s teaching should be excommunicated.

Cardinal Cupich, one of nine children, opined that most priests would be “puzzled to hear that bishops now want to talk about excluding people at a time when the real challenge before them is welcoming people back to the regular practice of the faith and rebuilding their communities”.

Bishop Rhoades said: “We weren’t targeting particular individuals or limited to one issue, but I think we need to accept the discipline that those who obstinately persist in grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”

Meanwhile, a recent poll shows that almost three quarters of churchgoing Catholics are opposed to abortion supporting politicians receiving Holy Communion.

Bishop Rhoades cited a 2019 poll that found a decline in Catholic belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. “We want to reignite that faith and help catechise people to the truth of that. But it has to be the whole truth,” he said.

It’s “part faith in the Eucharist” but also “the call to live the Eucharist — that’s where consistency comes in,” Bishop Rhoades said. “How can you do so without living ... being in communion with the faith of the church? That’s eucharistic consistency. You can’t do a full treatment of the Eucharist without talking about that, without teaching about that.”

Bishop Rhoades said the terms “eucharistic consistency” and “eucharistic coherence” originate in Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 exhortation on the Eucharist, “Sacramentum Caritatis” (”The Sacrament of Charity”).

The response from the Vatican was typically cautious. For it is well aware that the most notorious “catholic” opponent of fundamental doctrine is none other than Joseph Biden, described as a “President of the United States”.

Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has called for “a delay to the debate”. Or, in plain English, no discussion of this embarrassing and inconvenient topic at all.

He is supported by Cardinal Blaise Cupich, archbishop of Chicago.

The poll was conducted by the faith-based advocacy organisation CatholicVote, and had 600 Catholic respondents. 70% of the respondents agreed with the statement: “Catholic public officials who disagree with their Church on serious or grave matters, should avoid creating confusion and disunity by presenting themselves for communion.” 86% of the respondents agreed that “public officials who identify as Catholic but openly advocate for policies hostile to Church teaching are hypocritical.” 83% of the respondents said that “Catholic teaching holds that anyone conscious of ‘grave sin,’ who has not received the sacrament of reconciliation, should not present themselves for Holy Communion.”

Curiously, these statements received strong positive responses, even though only 38% of the respondents identified themselves as “conservative.”

The respondents agree with the Church’s teaching that Catholics who are obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.

The Church’s official stand against abortion and the other positions held by the Biden administration is very clear. As Pope Francis’

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2nd July 2021 Catholic Voice

EDITORIAL 3

predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, stated in 2004, Catholic politicians who consistently campaign and vote for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws manifest “formal cooperation” with grave sin and must be “denied” the Eucharist.

Newspeak, “Currently-Undocumented Potential Citizens”, known with cheerful irreverence in Texas as “CUPCakes”) and bussing them all over the nation, settling them almost exclusively in republicancontrolled States.

Biden, only the second Catholic to have occupied the White House, supports “reproductive rights for women” and is a loud advocate for abortion and believes the torture and killing of unborn babies in the womb is healthcare. Like almost all of today’s Left, Biden puts his marxism way before his Christianity.

Kill the indigenous population by abortion, import new Marxist voters across every border, ship them to Republican States to dilute the non-Leftist vote, rewrite the law to institutionalise and legalise the widespread voter fraud by which Biden grabbed the White House, and the “Democrats” – a misnomer if ever there was one – will hold power indefinitely.

The reproductive right of women is to bear children, not to torture and dismember them. But Biden has made it plain that if the Supreme Court, which legalised abortion in the notorious Roe v. Wade decision of 1973, follows Roe herself in rethinking its decision, he will support – and, as President, sign – legislation infliction abortion on the American people.

The Supreme Court’s decision of 1973 was purely party-political, and it was unconstitutional. Indeed, it was contrary to Article 1, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which says: “All legislative power herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.”

The Constitution thus expressly denies to the Supreme Court, or to anyone other than the elected Congress, the right to make law. Indeed, Biden has admitted this, saying that there is nothing about the “reproductive right” of abortion in the Constitution.

That, at any rate, is the plan. The very first Bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Biden’s watch, labelled “HR1” is a Bill to gerrymander the voting process so that States who want to conduct honest and rigorous ballots, by junking the electronic voting machines in which China took a $400 million stake a month before the election, and by verifying that those who vote are entitled to do so and are not voting twice or more, are forbidden to tighten the voting process by Federal law.

One can understand why some in the Church are panicking at the U.S. Bishops’ decision to prepare a formal document on whether those who, like Biden, openly defy the Church on her fundamental teachings should be excommunicated. The Bishops, if they do excommunicate Biden, will put the entire worldwide Marxist project of destroying the hated Christian West at grave risk. Let us hope that Bishop Rhoades prevails.

Biden was recently asked about the possibility that the Church might excommunicate him. He replied: “That’s a private matter and I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

No, it is not a private matter. Biden has repeatedly made public his stance on abortion, which, like many of his other stances, has flip-flopped over the years. At present, he is implacably determined that the Leftist viewpoint should prevail in this as in all things.

Communism, under its coy brand-name “Socialism”, has killed more people than any other political or religious doctrine in the history of our species. No one knows for sure how many it has killed in Russia and its satellites, in China, in Cambodia, in North Korea and in many other countries. Estimates range from 100 million to 250 million. And that is before taking any account of the hundreds of millions who have been killed by the abortion championed by the Left.

One of the reasons why the Left support birth control through abortion or contraception is that it is inexorably reducing the White population, which – particularly in America – votes overwhelmingly for non-Marxist parties. For the same reason, the Left support unlimited immigration, which is why hundreds of thousands are now crossing into the United States from Mexico.

What has not yet been reported on this side of the Atlantic, where most of the news media are now under Marxist influence, is that Biden’s administration has been picking up illegal immigrants (or, in woke

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4 HOLY SCRIPTURE

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

Air In The Scriptures Canon J. Heppelle I.C.K.S.P.

In this series of articles on themes in Sacred Scripture, after looking at fire in Divine Revelation, today we look at air. The word air is only used 37 times in the Bible, and most of these occurrences are in the phrase “the birds of the air” or similar expressions. Air in motion, or wind, however is used over 120 times and is rich in spiritual imagery.1 On the natural level, the Bible shows that air is one of the elements that are beyond the control of man, but subservient to the will of God. There are several recorded events where the Lord used wind to produce miracles. In Genesis, the Lord sent a wind to dry up the waters of the deluge. (Genesis.8:1) In Exodus the Lord God sent a strong wind when He opened a path through the Red Sea: “And when Moses had stretched forth his hand over the sea, the Lord took it away by a strong and burning wind blowing all the night, and turned it into dry ground: and the water was divided.” (Exodus 14:21) A few weeks later, when the people wanted meat to eat the Lord used a strong wind to bring quail into the desert. (Numbers 11:31) Sacred Scripture also tells us that God is the master of the air, indeed of all nature, even in everyday life.

Psalm 106, for example, extols the power of God over nature: “He said the word and there arose a storm of wind… he turned the storm into a breeze and the waves were still.” (Psalm 106:25,29) In light of these Old Testament passages we can better understand the amazement of the disciples when our Lord calmed the storm with a single command “be still!” As the apostles had not yet come to believe in the Divinity of our Lord they wondered: “What manner of man is this, for the winds and the sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:27) Holy Writ does not merely show us that God is the master of nature, but also uses the image of wind to teach us some important truths about human nature. In the book of Proverbs for example the littleness of man, and the greatness of God is expressed in a series of questions including: “Who hath held the wind in his hands?” (Proverbs 30:4)

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In the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament, the wind is often used as an image of the transitory nature of Man. In Psalm 77 for example, the psalmist declares “They [man] are flesh; a wind that goeth and returnth not.” (Psalm 77:39) Developing this thought, the Apostles use the image of wind to describe the fickleness of human beliefs when they are not rooted in a solid faith in Divine Revelation. People who are not united to Christ says St Paul are “carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men” (Ephesians 4:14) St. James for his part says: “For he that wavereth (in Faith) is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind.” (James 1:6) Wind is also seen or rather heard and felt in the some of the theophanies of both the Old and New Testaments.

When Job finally breaks down and demands an explanation for his suffering, “the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind” (Job 38:1). In the book of Acts a great wind signalled the descent of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles. As St Luke writes: “suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house” (Acts 2:1) Yet the Lord does not always speak with such great fanfare. There is an important event in the life of the prophet Elias where God spoke to him in a gentle breeze. Elias stood on “the mount before the Lord: and behold the Lord passeth, and a great and strong wind before the Lord over throwing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces: the Lord is not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake: the Lord is not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire: the Lord is not in the fire, and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air.” (3 Kings 19:11-12) It is in this “gentle air” that Elias heard the voice of the Lord, and received the grace and inspiration he needed to continue his mission.

This is very significant for our spiritual lives, as this represents the normal way of divine communication with faithful souls. The public, grandiose, miraculous and spectacular revelations, such as occurred on Pentecost, are always more for the benefit of the Church, or the wider world, than for the individual visionary. When the Lord wants speak for the benefit of the recipient alone, He usually speaks to us in the depths of our heart during prayer and silent adoration.

As he spoke to Elias in the “gentle breeze.” If we make the effort to shut out the bustle and noise of the world, we too will hear the Lord speak to us in the quiet of our hearts. _____________ 1. Stastistics taken from Thompson and Strack, Concordance to the Bible.

2nd July 2021

FRANK DUFF 5

Catholic Voice

The Rise and Fall of the Sacred Heart in Dublin K.V. Turley

Through the efforts of Dublin’s Frank Duff, the seedy Monto district was transformed and claimed for the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Just north of Dublin’s ProCathedral, there was an area once known as “Monto.” From the 1860s to 1925, Monto was the site of Europe’s largest red-light district.

Estimates vary but some suggest that there were as many as 1,200 prostitutes working in that area.

Monto’s brothels ensnared many from the higher echelons of society but their chief clientele came from the various army barracks dotted around the city.

The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 meant the British Army withdrew from Dublin. Almost over night, a great swathe of Monto’s paying customers had gone.

But the cause of Monto’s subsequent decline and final disappearance was largely down to one man: Frank Duff.

When in 1914 Duff joined the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVP), the then middle-class civil servant’s eyes were opened to the endemic poverty of his native city.

By 1921 Duff had founded what would become known as the Legion of Mary.

Duff’s time with the SVP had alerted him to the “trade” that was going on in the streets of Monto.

So shocked was the young man that on one occasion at seeing a group of prostitutes on the street he pleaded with them to give up their lifestyle.

Their reply was interesting. They scorned him — not because of what he asked (perhaps in their hearts they knew his words were true) but rather because they had no other livelihood. They asked him: How else would they live? What would they eat? What other work could they find?

Not unreasonable questions, which Duff set out to answer. But first he sought to establish a place where former prostitutes could find refuge — somewhere they could live while preparing for a better life.

In the 1920s Duff was a highranking civil servant in the newly formed Irish Free State. By virtue of his office he had access to the nation’s leaders. One of these was the head of the government, William T. Cosgrave.

Cosgrave agreed to provide a house for the women Duff sought to help.

The new property would become known as “Sancta Maria.”

In 1923 two women residents at Sancta Maria returned to their old ways. Duff sought them out. In the end, he was unable to locate the women, but his inquiries brought him face to face with some of those running Monto’s brothels. It was then he realised the challenge faced in trying to eradicate the blight of prostitution in that district. It was also made clear that Monto’s pimps and brothel madams were opposed to Duff’s plans for the women as enslaved as their clientele.

Now Duff understood what needed to be done. Informing the clergy at the nearby Pro-Cathedral of what was happening on their doorstep, he enlisted their aid, asking them to condemn Monto’s prostitution racket from the pulpit — something they agreed to do.

Next, Duff mobilised the members of the still-fledgling Legion of Mary, together with the SVP, to canvass Monto. Via notices all its residents were informed that there was to be a parish mission in the area specifically for prostitutes, beginning with a retreat at the Pro-Cathedral. Thousands of local people, as disturbed as Duff was by what was taking place in their neighbourhood, helped in the subsequent mission. Consequently, the retreat lasted three weeks.

The brothel keepers started to worry. The British Army had left and now a religious zealot, seemingly with the backing of the new Irish state, was causing trouble in their streets. Duff did not wait for their reaction, however. Instead, he called them to a meeting in a Dublin hotel. Perhaps reading the writing

Photo Cograng - wikimedia

on the wall, incredibly, the madams agreed at that meeting to the sum of £40 each in return for the closure of the brothels.

So on March 12, 1925, Monto’s infamous trade was set to close.

On that day police flooded the area, raiding addresses and arresting 120 people. At the same time, through the streets of Monto, Duff led a procession in honour of the Sacred Heart. Many of those taking part were seen to pause so as to nail pictures of the Sacred Heart to the walls of the district. In so doing they were reclaiming those streets for a different Lord than that which had ruled them for so long.

Shortly after, on Mabbot Lane, a statue of the Sacred Heart was erected on the highest building in Monto. It was from there that the Sacred Heart was to watch over the city, and in particular the residents of Monto.

Consonant with the Ireland then emerging, however, in the summer of 2000, the local council took down the statue of the Sacred Heart.

Frank Duff was born on June 7, 1889 and died on November 7, 1980. Both those dates were First Fridays, days given to particular devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Shortly before he died, it is thought one of the last things Frank Duff would have gazed upon was the picture of the Sacred Heart that hung on the wall opposite his bed.

His cause for canonisation was opened in 1996.

6 THE HOLY EUCHARIST

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

Eucharistic Coherence Fr. Joseph Gill

Back in the eleventh century in Trani, Italy, a nonChristian woman was debating her Christian neighbours about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The non-believer scoffed at the idea, and claimed that it was just a piece of bread. To prove it to her friends, she decided to secretly steal a Eucharistic host and destroy it, to show that it was nothing more than bread.

The following Sunday, she attended Mass and received Communion, but immediately took the Eucharist from her mouth and hid it in a handkerchief. She took the Lord home and recklessly tossed Him into pan of boiling oil, intending to fry It to make a mockery of it before her friends.

But when the Eucharistic Lord touched the hot oil, it began to bleed most severely, so much so that the blood overflowed the pan and began flowing across the floor. The woman was horrified, and her friends heard her screaming and came to see the miracle. The local bishop was alerted, and came and respectfully returned the Host to the church. As you can imagine, the woman was instantly converted. To this day, you can still see the frying pan, and the house has since become a chapel. In the face of non-belief, Jesus Christ

showed His true presence to this sinful woman in a most miraculous way!

As St. John Vianney said, “There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us.” But as it is, He gave us Himself. Not just to look at or touch, but to consume, so that our union with God would be physical as well as spiritual. But for this incredible gift of Christ’s True Presence to bear fruit in our lives, it isn’t enough to receive Him – we must receive Him with faith and with a clean conscience.

Scripture bear witness to the connection between the Eucharist, faith, and a pure heart. God led the Israelites out of the Promised Land, and as they waited at the base of Mount Sinai, Moses received the Ten Commandments.

Coming down the mountain, he presented these commandments to the people, and, “They all answered with one voice: we will do everything the Lord has told us to do!” So God swears a covenant by sacrifice, and the people promise obedience to His commands.

But, alas, despite their good intentions, they couldn’t keep the commandments. So God ultimately sent His Son to forgive us for our sins. This forgiveness comes through sacrifice – the ultimate sacrifice of Christ’s death on the Cross.

And how do we participate in His Sacrifice? Through the Eucharist. Jesus makes that explicit in the Gospel – this Eucharist we receive is the same Body that was offered on the Cross, the same Blood that was shed upon that tree. But notice something interesting – Jesus does not say that His Blood would be shed “for all” but “for many”. Why? Because the forgiveness and salvation that Jesus offers requires a response: repentance and faith.

So let’s put these pieces together and apply them to the Eucharist. Our Church teaches that the Eucharist forgives all venial sins. But the Eucharist cannot be received with mortal sins on our soul, because we must be spiritually close with Christ in order to receive Him sacramentally.

Receiving Communion means that we are “in communion” with Him in our souls.

Right now there is a debate going on in the Catholic Church in America – should pro-choice politicians receive the Eucharist? The question is one of “Eucharistic coherence” – in other words, if Communion is an outward sign of us living our lives in union with Christ, then those who have chosen to live their lives in opposition to Christ or some of His fundamental teachings would be hypocritical to receive Him on Sunday and then deny Him at work on

2nd July 2021 Catholic Voice

THE HOLY EUCHARIST 7

Monday. But this is not just a question for politicians – it is a question for all of us.

St. Paul himself speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 11, when he says that “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty [of profaning] the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” St. Paul requires two things: faith in the Real Presence (we must “discern the Body”) and a clean conscience (an upright life).

If a person is sick to their stomach, they have to eat only bland food like rice. To eat something strong like blueberries or cayenne pepper might harm them, even though those foods are nutritious for healthy people.

In the same way, if a person is spiritually sick through mortal sin, receiving the Eucharist would cause more harm than good, as it would be a sin of sacrilege to receive Him. Do you wish for the Eucharist to bear fruit in your life?

We must make sure that our lives have “Eucharistic coherence”. Do we approach the altar with a conscience first cleansed in Confession? Do we receive Him on Sunday only to deny Him on Monday? If we wish for the Eucharist to be a profound and true union with God, it must be accompanied with faith in His Real Presence The Eucharistic Miracle of rT ani by Blessed Carlos Acutis and repentance from our sins.

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8 THE WAGES OF SIN

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

The Progressive Stages Of Sin Monsignor Charles Pope

We are living in times when many are doubling down on their sin. As the darkness grows, many fiercely defend their sinful practices. This is especially evident in the matter of abortion. The science could not be clearer that there is a unique, beautifully formed, distinct human life in the womb of a pregnant mother, with a heartbeat, brain activity, alternating sleep and wake cycles, and the ability to feel pain.

Despite this, many demand that all limits on abortion be removed. They “shout” and celebrate abortion, rejoicing in the dismemberment of babies in the womb and all the while considering themselves morally superior to those who support life.

How does it happen that so many obstinately persist in sin and promote wickedness until they are ultimately lost? As with all progressive diseases, sin is a sickness that moves through stages, further debilitating and hardening the sinner in his ways.

St. Alphonsus Liguori laid out five stages through which sin (if not resisted and repented of in its initial attacks) takes an increasing toll on the human person, making

“The Wages of Sin is Death”

repentance less likely and more difficult.

While the names of the stages are mine, I am summarising the insights of St. Alphonsus, who details these stages in his lengthy essay, “Considerations on the Eternal Maxims” (also called “Preparation for Death”) in Chapter 22, “On Evil Habits.” I have added some of my own additional insights as well.

Stage 1: Impairment The first effect of habitual sin is that it blinds the understanding.

Scripture says, Their own malice blinded them (Wisdom 2:21). Yes, every sin produces blindness, and the more that sins are multiplied, the greater the blindness they produce.

A further effect of this blindness is a foolish and dangerous wandering about. Scripture provides several references for this: The wicked walk round about (Psalm. 12:8).

They stagger as with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment (Is 28:7).

Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the pit that he has made (Ps 7:14-15).

Thus, habitual sin leads to impaired vision and an impaired walk. Not seeing, the wicked stumble about and fall into a pit of their own making.

Stage 2: Indifference After an evil habit is contracted, the sins that previously excited sorrow are now viewed with increasing indifference. Scripture says the following: Fools destroy themselves because of their indifference (Prov 1:32).

But he who is careless of conduct will die (Prov 19:16).

To the increasingly indifferent and careless, the Lord gives this solemn and salutary warning: In little more than a year you who feel secure will tremble; the grape harvest will fail, and the harvest of fruit will not come (Is 32:10).

2nd July 2021 Catholic Voice Thus, as unrepented sin grows, not only does the sinner stagger about and fall into pits, he cares less and less about the foolishness of his ways. The sins that once caused shame, or the thought of which caused sorrow and aversion, either go unnoticed or seem normal— even attractive.

Stage 3: Incapacity As sin deepens its hold, the willingness and even the capacity to repent decreases. Why is this?

St. Augustine answers this well when he says, dum servitur libidini, facta est consuetudo, et dum consuetudini non resistitur, facta est necessitas (when lust was served it became habit, and when habit was not resisted it became necessity) (Confessions, 8.5.10). Sin deepens its hold on the sinner in this way.

Stage 4: Incorrigibility As Scripture says, The wicked man, when he is come into the depths of sins, has contempt (Proverbs 18:3).

St. John Chrysostom commented on this verse, saying that habitual sinners, being sunk in the abyss of darkness, despise corrections, sermons, censures, Hell, and God; they despise everything.

A bad habit hardens the heart and the habitual sinner remains increasingly unmoved and mired in contempt for any correction or remedy. Scripture says of them, At your rebuke O God of Jacob, they have all slumbered (Psalm 76:7).

An evil habit gradually takes away all remorse and replaces it with angry indignation at any attempted correction.

Then, instead of regretting his sins, the sinner rejoices in them, even laughing and boasting of them.

Scripture says, They are glad when they have done evil and rejoice in the perverseness of evil (Proverbs 2:14).

THE WAGES OF SIN 9

A fool works mischief as if it were for sport (Proverbs 10:23).

Thus, they are incorrigible. They laugh at attempted correction and celebrate their sins with pride.

Stage 5: Indisposition When the understanding is deprived of light and the heart is hardened, the sinner ordinarily dies obstinate in his sin. Scripture says, A hard heart shall fare ill at the end (Ecclesiastes 3:27).

Some may say that they will amend their ways before they die, but it’s very difficult for a habitual sinner, even in old age, to change his life.

St. Bernard said, “The man on whom the weight of a bad habit presses, rises with difficulty.”

Indeed, how can a sinner, weakened and wounded by habitual sin, have the strength to rise? Even if he sees the way out, he often considers the remedies too severe, too difficult. Though conversion is not impossible, he is indisposed because it all seems like too much work. In addition, his love has likely grown cold for the good things that God offers.

Thus, even on their deathbeds, many sinners remain unmoved and

The Confession - Pietro Longhi (1701–1785)

unwilling to change; the darkness is deep, their hearts have hardened, and their sloth has solidified.

In these ways sin is like a progressive illness, a deepening disease; it moves through stages in much the same way that cancer does.

Repentance at any stage is possible, but it becomes increasingly unlikely, especially by stage four, when the sinner becomes proud of his sin and joyful in his iniquity.

Beware the progressive illness of sin!

10 GOD IS NOT MOCKED

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

You Want To Normalise What? Knock It Off! Fr Richard Heilman Let’s get something straight. We are neither fanatics nor extremists; we are only “staying home.” In other words, we are choosing to remain loyal to what civilised people have always held as true.

In the context of “staying home,” let’s call these truths the “house rules.” It is here that I point out that the prodigal son left home to follow “his own” rules. Once he came to his senses and returned home, he understood he could not bring the prostitutes with him; he could not advocate for “new house rules.” He came home, knowing that being home meant following the “house rules.”

Sure, there have been plenty of times within history that pushed a more evolved and “progressive” way of looking at things, like Sodom and Gomorrah. They had done all they could to “normalise” wickedness, and their wickedness did, indeed, become “normalised.”

They had strayed so far from “home” (the house rules) that God, in essence, felt He needed to hit the reset button.

There was another point in Church history when just about everyone accepted that Jesus was not Divine (Arianism). Only a very few staunch and heroic souls did not buy what the majority was selling.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote: “Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote.

Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong. Right is right, even if nobody is right.”

Today, according to an August 5, 2019 Pew Research study, the vast majority of Catholics (nearly 70%) no longer believe that is God made Present on that altar. At the same time, far too many bishops condone admitting pro-abortion politicians to Holy Communion.

Therefore, they are teaching the faithful that mortal sin no longer restricts anyone from receiving Holy Communion.

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They proclaim their “evolved” view, “The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect.” In essence, they are saying, “We have ‘progressed’ beyond what was always held as true.”

In today’s culture, we are quickly seeing a remake of the “Sodom and Gomorrah Effect,” as 1.5 billion babies (worldwide since 1973) have been murdered under our watch, sodomy has become normalised, gender dysphoria has become normalised as men are allowed to enter the bathrooms of little girls, we are mandated to pay for abortions, nuns are told to pay for abortifacients, and on and on and on. Just recently, we are seeing a push to rename moms as “birthing persons.” And, all of this has happened in many of our lifetimes, while most of this has been forced on us in just the past few years.

As each of these attempts to create “new normals” are thrust upon us, many of us have the same look on our faces as the Mayberry cast in the photo for this article.

“SAY WHAT?!” “We can just proclaim we are now another gender?!” Babies are not babies, so they can be murdered?!” “Marriage can now mean anything we want it to mean?!”

“WE’RE NOT SELLING!!”

BUYING

WHAT

YOU

ARE

Think about this, Adam and Eve, to their ruin, believed that “freedom” was defined as the freedom from

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Catholic Voice

GOD IS NOT MOCKED 11

adhering to the will of God. They wanted the ability to “Just Do It,” to do as they pleased and determine for themselves what was right and wrong. They believed they had “progressed” beyond God. And … there’s that seemingly indisputable term: “progress.” Or, as its adherents refer to themselves, “progressives.” By and large, this is a clever movement to utilise this term (talking point) – “progress” – to remake whatever they determine to be archaic and no longer applicable, by the “enlightened” generation who has thankfully, “arrived on the scene” (sarcasm alert).

They claim to have a kind of lofty gnostic understanding of things that the “common folk” do not possess.

In reality, they are seeking an elite status by “opposite think.” In other words, if the lowly riff-raff – the deplorables – think one way, they will set themselves apart and above them by taking an opposite position to those troglodytes. They often make the lofty proclamation that they have “evolved.” What have they evolved beyond? GOD! In today’s culture, if you hold these truths (Natural Law) to be self-evident (to borrow a phrase) – notions that find their source in our faith in God – YOU are the problem!

YOU are causing division. And YOU must be censored or even punished. In other words, the socalled progressives have granted to themselves the right to dictate to everyone else what is right and wrong. They are the arbiters of what is considered the “new normal” of values. They have made themselves gods.

Jesus warned of this evil elitist “opposite think” with the Parable of the Weeds: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was

The Destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah - John Martin (1789 - 1854) sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.” (Matthew 13:24-26) Have we been sleeping? Or, more possibly, have we been indifferent and distracted with our worldly affairs, as we allowed the enemy to sow weed after weed of falsehoods, with their goal to overtake the wheat, making their “weeds of lies” the new normal? We even have bishops punishing priests who dare offend the enemy sowing the “weeds of lies.”

It is way past time that we give a big fat “NO” to the “weeds of lies” and become more aggressive than we have ever been in planting the “good seeds of truth” everywhere possible.

St. Paul has always been one of my favourites, as you can always catch his strident “manner and

tone” that comes from his military background. Here, St. Paul reminds us that the more we sow good seeds, the more we will receive God’s blessing. Conversely, those who sow the “weeds of lies” will get their comeuppance. “You reap what you sow!”

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

(Galatians 6:7-10) In other words, St. Paul was saying, YOU WANT TO NORMALISE WHAT? KNOCK IT OFF!

12 PROTECT THE CHILDREN

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.

John Lacken

**PARENTAL WARNING** THIS ARTICLE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN We live in very dark times where the light of Christ is almost eclipsed by the evils rampant in our world. Our bishops, by and large, are following a worldly path where the laws of the secular State are given precedence over the laws of God and over the laws of the Catholic Church. This is why we must pray earnestly for our bishops and we must challenge them to restore the Catholic Faith to its proper place in our society.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Once again, I have to write an article which brings a great heaviness to my heart. I am writing about the LGBT ideology which is a form of child abuse when promoted to children. For too long in our society, many of the episcopal voices who should speak out to protect our children, have remained silent. They hide behind secular definitions which have nothing to do with the Catholic Faith and when challenged, they point out how well they are complying with state legislation.

The secular powers have defined child abuse as pertaining solely to the physical, emotional or sexual abuse of children. They have dictated to the Catholic Church what it must do in order to be seen to conform to protecting children from the State’s definition of child abuse. Our bishops all too readily comply and limit themselves to following State directives in this matter. But we know that the secular State does not care for children for they have sanctioned the murder of countless innocent children. Our bishops do not protect our children from abusive ideologies.

Is this good enough?

To answer this question we must look to what is called, ‘the ultimate end’ of man. The ultimate end of man, the purpose for which he is created, is to attain Heaven. To be united with the Holy Trinity for all eternity. Nothing else really matters or is of any lasting significance.

The Catholic Church teaches us that those who die in a state of mortal sin are damned to Hell for all eternity.

“Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself.

It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back.” (CCC 1861) Therefore, we must guard ourselves and our children from mortal sin.

There are three conditions for a sin to be mortal. There must be grave matter, full knowledge and full consent. Sins against chastity always consist of grave matter and therefore with full knowledge and full consent these sins are always mortal in nature and deprive those who commit them of sanctifying grace. This is not to say that sins against chastity are the greatest sins, but, in the end, what does it really matter if one goes to Hell for murder or for adultery, one is still deprived of the beatific vision for all eternity.

The Catechism teaches us that “When the will sets itself upon something that is of its nature incompatible with the charity that orients man toward his ultimate end, then the sin is mortal by its very object” (CCC1856)

Isaiah 5:20

God created man in His own image and likeness and the first recorded Words of God to man are found in the first chapter of the Book of Genesis.

“And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.

And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:27-28) This ‘Word’ of God tells us the purpose of our human nature which includes our sexual nature. We are called to increase and multiply and to fill the earth with souls destined for eternal glory.

Adam and Eve caused a cataclysmic catastrophe when they listened to the serpent and rebelled against God. God punished them; pain in child birth; hard labour; unjust male domination of women.

“I will multiply thy sorrows, and thy conceptions: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thou shalt be under thy husband’s power, and he shall have dominion over thee.

And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work; with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life.

Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth.

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return. (Genesis 3:16-19)

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Catholic Voice

And so our sorry sinful tale continued until the time was ripe for the Incarnation.

“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law: That he might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

(Galatians 4:4-5) Christ restored order to the world and He founded the Catholic Church to teach us how to get to Heaven. He restored order to the sexes by confirming the original nature of marriage and elevated matrimony to a sacrament.

The devil seeks to destroy the work of God in our hearts and as Sister Lucia of Fatima pointed out, “the final battle between the Lord and the reign of satan will be about marriage and the family.”

Faithful Catholic parents realise that we have been in the midst of that battle for many years now but the enemy’s focus has now shifted and he seeks to directly corrupt our children from as early and age as possible.

The battle has also entered the Catholic Church and it is so sad and distressing to see immoral sexual practices being promoted to children from within organisations that were founded by the Church and from within Catholic schools which have Catholic bishops as patrons.

The image above comes from the Facebook page of the Kerry Diocesan Youth Services (KDYS).

They are promoting what has become known as ‘Pride Month’.

You will notice that there are five flags on the image and these are, from left to right - the pansexual flag - the social media lesbian flag - the non-binary flag - the bisexual flag - the transgender pride flag.

My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee. I beg pardon of Thee for all those that do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee. Amen.

Angel to the Children of Fatima 1916

I tried to speak with Bishop Raymond Browne, the Bishop of Kerry, but I was told that he was in meetings. I e-mailed him to alert him to the above image stating, “Promoting the LGBT agenda to children is a form of child abuse, as it leads children to believe a distorted version of human sexuality which is contrary to God’s purpose.”

I pointed out to Bishop Browne that in the past, KDYS has encouraged children as young as 13 to attend gay pride parades and that they have featured an image of some of their ‘heroes’ who had marched in the Dublin pride parade.

Fr Gearóid Godley, a priest of the Kerry Diocese has served on the board of KDYS and was chairman of the board in 2019. As far as I am aware, Fr Godley is still a board member of KDYS. Bishop Browne responded by acknowledging receipt of my e-mail and then he wrote.

“The following is by way of clarification.

KDYS is an independent registered company with its own board of directors.

It works closely with Tusla, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Department of Education, and the youth work

sector in Ireland. This includes all aspects of Safeguarding of Children and the requirements of Children First.”

It is hard to know what to make of this response.

I responded by stating that those who promote the LGBT ideology to young people are actively facilitating child abuse and that this organisation, which has a priest of the Diocese on the board of directors is actively facilitating child abuse.

I asked Bishop Browne if he was really trying to tell me that promoting bisexuality and lesbianism and encouraging young people to take part in pride parades is a part of child safeguarding.

I asked him if he was telling me that he doesn’t have to speak out against this form of child abuse because KDYS is an independent company even though Bishop Browne advertises their services on his diocesan website.

I asked Bishop Browne where are the same-sex attracted young people, who are part of his diocese, going to find out the truth about human sexuality if the diocese points them in the direction of KDYS. Later that evening, I continued my research into this matter and I decided to ‘follow the money’. I

14 PROTECT THE CHILDREN downloaded the KDYS financial report for the year 2019. KDYS is in receipt of over two and a half million euros in government grants annually.

I then discovered from the report that, “The Diocese of Kerry may nominate up to four Directors and the balance of up to nine additional Directors may be co-opted by the Board on the basis of their perceived expertise.” (KDYS Annual Report for 2019) What this means is that KDYS is not completely independent of the Diocese of Kerry as Bishop Browne has the authority to nominate up to four Directors to the board.

I also discovered that KDYS is a member of Youth Works Ireland.

Youth Works Ireland in turn partners with both ‘Belong-To’ and ‘Spunout.ie’.

‘Belong-To’ is an abortion advocate and promotes the homosexual lifestyle to young people.

SpunOut.ie promotes casual sex, homosexual sexual encounters, contraception and abortion amongst other things. I do not recommend a visit to their website as it contains matters of a gravely evil nature, but our young people are being directed to this website by the secular authorities.

SpunOut.ie also provided a link to videos from the IFPA which were designed, “to help those accessing abortion services during the pandemic” When I tried to access the videos they were marked as unavailable and may have been taken down or blocked by YouTube.

So the Kerry Diocesan Youth Services, which has a priest of the Kerry Diocese on the Board of Directors and where the bishop of Kerry has the authority to appoint four members of the board of directors, is directly co-operating with an organisation that promotes the killing of innocent children.

When I found out this information I once again contacted Bishop Raymond Browne and I told him, that, given the seriousness of this situation it is imperative that he act, otherwise he should resign

Catholic Voice as Bishop of Kerry because he is failing in his duty of care for our children.

At the time of writing this article, I have not had a further response from Bishop Browne.

As I was writing this article, I was contacted by a supporter from down in the south of Ireland. He drew my attention to the fact that Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, in Ballyfermot, Dublin, was flying the pride flag outside the Church on church property.

I checked their Facebook page and I found out that they were promoting this sacrilegious act there. (see image across the page) I contacted Fr Adrian Egan C.Ss.R and left a message. I also contacted the Child Safeguarding and Protection Service of the Dublin Archdiocese and said that I wanted to make a complaint as promoting the LGBT ideology to young people is a form of child abuse.

The Dublin parish flying the pride flag shows that this is not just a problem in the Kerry Diocese and it is not just about Bishop Browne.

I also briefly checked the Cloyne Diocesan Youth Services and they too are promoting the LGBT ideology from their Facebook page and are members of Youth Work Ireland.

Catholic parents need to develop a sense of moral outrage at the targeting of their young Catholic children with the LGBT ideology in what should be Catholic settings.

Those who promote this ideology, who permit this ideology to be promoted to children, or who remain silent in the face of this ideology are leading themselves and children to Hell.

Jesus Christ showed moral outrage when the money changers abused the Temple. We and our children are temples of the Holy Ghost, and the secular State is corrupting children with the co-operation of many within the Catholic Church.

Catholic Fathers must raise their voices in protest at this and we must work to overthrow anyone who is co-operating with this evil.

2nd July 2021 The Irish Government, which murders Irish children and which also provides significant funds to the organisations that are promoting abortion and the false LGBT ideology, must be resisted.

Catholic parents must realise just how determined these people are in getting their corrupt message to children. Catholic parents need to write to the Bishop of Kerry, Bishop Raymond Browne, and ask him to, either publicly denounce what is going on with the KDYS, or resign from office.

Catholic parents need to contact the Archdiocese of Dublin and ask for Fr Adrian Egan to be removed of his duties because his promotion of gay pride represents a serious danger to the salvation of the souls of children.

We are entering a new period of child abuse in Ireland and, as in previous times, those of us who first raise our voices against this child abuse will be sidelined, we will be ignored, and those we report the abuse to will move to defend their positions and their institutions. They will try to deflect responsibility away from themselves. They will try to argue that they are following government guidelines on safeguarding children thus justifying their silence about this form of child abuse.

Those who accept and who actively promote this ideology will harass us and call us homophobes and other names. We may be accused of ‘hate’ crimes and face criminal prosecution. So be it. We must still rise up to protect children from this seriously harmful ideology which leads souls to Hell. We must calmly and clearly call the LGBT ideology, when it is promoted to children, what it is - Child Abuse!

When it comes to safeguarding children, we should follow the guiding precepts of the Catholic Church and not those of the abortion providing secular State which sees no problem with indoctrinating children into the LGBT ideology.

Our children and our young people are being led into mortally sinful situations by Catholics and others who do not have a full grasp of, or who reject, the Catholic Faith.

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Catholic Voice

PROTECT THE CHILDREN 15

There are already signs, including those detailed in this article, that the proposed Synodal path in Ireland will be used to promote the LGBT ideology and will follow the German synodal path into schism.

Jesus Christ warns us “But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6) Let us pray that we will not be found wanting when it comes to protecting children from the false and damaging LGBT ideology. Let us proclaim the truth to those who suffer with samesex attraction so that they may find comfort in the sacraments of the Catholic Church and let us hold our bishops to account when it comes to protecting children.

Let us form Catholic family networks with a primary focus on getting ourselves and our children to Heaven through the practice of our Catholic Faith as our ancestors practiced it in times of persecution.

There’s A Place For Us

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There’s a Place for Us Homosexuality in the Divine Plan of Redemption Jesus said to those who would stone her: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”

John Cassidy - Bio Ex-homosexual and New Man John Cassidy has been serving the Catholic Church as a full-time Lay-Man since his conversion in 2014. John has founded the Association of Believing Catholics which is a lay initiative to promote and defend the fullness of Catholic truth.

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16 RIGID OR SIMPLY FAITHFUL?

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

What Does It Mean To Be Rigid?

Rob Marco

Although my family and I have attended the Traditional Latin Mass exclusively for the past three years, and have no intention of changing course, I would not consider us “traditionalists” in a strict sense.

Why? For one, I simply don’t find a term like this especially useful. It tends to divide and cement the Church into factions (that people already know exist), and as our Lord says, “A house divided against itself cannot stand” (Mark 3:25). It operates by way of stereotypes and broad brush strokes and encourages tribalism, which isn’t always of benefit to our mission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). I don’t need labels, and I don’t find them helpful, so I tend not to latch on to such terms.

Need for Clarity For another thing, I am generally averse to using contemporary nomenclature because its expressions have a short half-life. They tend to be overused (and often cringeworthy) and usually degenerate into pejoratives.

When we say, for example, that someone is “woke”, we don’t mean he is enlightened, but that he is a virtue signaller. Likewise, when we call people “rad trads”, it usually implies they lack charity and are overly zealous about the things of the past. It’s a weaponised use of language to make someone into the “other” so we can write them off.

And yet, we cherish Tradition and the traditional liturgy and want to see it grow and flourish. That is why I wonder sometimes where our Holy Father Pope Francis is coming from when he equates such

America - The Jesuit Review / YouTube

love of Tradition with what he calls the “perversion” found in so-called “rigid priests”.

“Clericalism is a perversion of the priesthood: it is a perversion. And rigidity is one of the manifestations,” the Pope said on June 10.

“When I find a rigid seminarian or young priest, I say ‘something bad is happening to this one on the inside.’ Behind every rigidity, there is a serious problem, because rigidity lacks humanity.”

He continued, “The world is thirsty for priests who are able to communicate the goodness of the Lord to those who have experienced sin and failure, for priests who are experts in humanity, for pastors willing to share the joys and labours of their brothers, for men who allow themselves to be changed by the cry of those who suffer.”

I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, and the Holy Father is no exception. And there is an element of truth in what he says – there

is a kind of “lack in humanity” in rigidity, if we take this at face value to mean that one expects perfection sans mercy, or “ties up heavy burdens” in a Pharisaical way without giving one the means in charity to perfect themselves.

I have to assume this is the “perversion of the priesthood” (clericalism) the Holy Father speaks of. The world is indeed thirsty for priests who are able to communicate the goodness of the Lord to those who have experienced sin and failure. But is the Pope being clear here? The traditional priests I know do not fall under this definition of rigidity.

Theology as Art and Science It may be helpful to speak about the difference between art and science in this context. Theology is unique in that it is both an art and a science. As a science, Theology (“theos” meaning God, “logos” meaning study) has a subject: God, the Supreme Good, whom we can know through the revelation of Himself to us in His divine Son, Jesus Christ.

2nd July 2021

Catholic Voice

But Theology is also an art in that it attempts to explain the unexplainable and depict the goodness of God to a fallen humanity. It does this through art, literature, poetry, nature, metaphysics…really anything that can be used to reflect the goodness and nature of God. Because we are not automatons, theology seeks to answer ultimate questions (“Why are we here?” “What happens to us when we die?” “What is the purpose of life?”) in a systematic fashion while dealing with human beings as the subjects – the receivers of God’s Divine Revelation – who are rife with imperfections.

“Accompaniment” is an overused word in more progressive Catholic circles that tries to accommodate for this kind of human failing and imperfection. It is often touted as a kind of merciful antidote to this “rigidity” the Pope is so critical of. There is nothing wrong with walking with someone in the throes of sin who is not yet ready to leave that life, per se, especially when done in charity.

But here we must be careful. Any parent who has dealt with a son or daughter addicted to drugs or alcohol knows at some point the danger of enabling. This could also apply to other areas – the parents that affirm or condone their child’s decision to undergo gender reassignment therapy, or who wants to live with their boyfriend or girlfriend before marriage. When parents take a hard and uncompromising stance in these areas of morality (which pertain to one’s state of grace), and set firm boundaries in what is and isn’t acceptable, and often do so with much suffering and heaviness of heart, they are often accused by outsiders of being “hateful” or “unloving” or “rigid”.

There was another mother centuries ago who could have been accused

RIGID OR SIMPLY FAITHFUL? 17

of such rigidity. Queen Blanche of Castile, the mother of St. King Louis IX, once told her son, whom she raised to be a saint: “I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should ever commit a mortal sin.”

Defining Rigidity So again, we come back to this question – what constitutes “rigidity”? Is it adherence to the law at all costs? What if that law is the law of God, which preserves us from sin and ultimate damnation, as the Psalmist sings praise, “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9)? What if one loves the soul of another more than they love their own good name?

My wife and I do not consider ourselves “rigid” people. Our lack of a set bedtime for our kids and our house, which is in a general state of disarray, can attest to this.

But we would also not hesitate to echo the words of Queen Blanche to our own children, “I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should ever commit a mortal sin.” This is because we are not raising our children to be servants of Tradition or liturgy, but rather to cultivate the virtues for themselves that are needed to attain sanctity.

It is our number one priority as Catholics, and our raison d’etre as parents who hope to attain Heaven and see our children there.

We recognise the liturgy does not save on its own but is only a means to that end. People can attend a Latin Mass their whole lives and still fail in charity on a daily basis if they never learn to “bend, not break” in how they treat their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

But we can never compromise when it comes to sin. We may

adjust how we address a wayward brother; we may change our tone to suit our audience; we may even tolerate such conditions as long as we are persistently and gently leading one in charity towards the well that never runs dry.

Building the House of Virtue If some priests (and laypeople) find fertile ground in Tradition for building the house of virtue, and if that, by extension, makes them targets of the threat of “rigidity”, so be it. I find that it is not, as Pope Francis said, “Something bad which is happening to this one on the inside,” but rather that they love God’s law so much that they “will the good of another,” which is the essence of charity.

For the stiff-necked and obstinate, true charity will almost always feel abrasive and superficially “unloving” because it does not condone the poison in the meal, or it rips a drowning man’s shift collar while pulling him into a life raft.

Maybe the use of these pejoratives such as “rigid” made by one’s own father are meant to be borne by those who love Tradition and God’s law as a metaphorical scourging at the pillar or crown of thorns – a kind of humiliation one endures as a means to his sanctification. Or if open-minded, he may take it as a challenge to increase the virtue of charity in his own life, even if a challenge to another doesn’t look “loving” from the outside when it is for the benefit of his flock’s souls.

Either way, if an abhorrence of sin in one’s own life and the world, and a love of God’s law and the depositum fidei handed on to us by the Apostles for the sake of our ultimate salvation is a kind of “perversion”, well, colour me rigid.

18 TOTALITARIAN PERSECUTION

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

How Fear Of Reputational Assault Made Jellies Of The G7 “Leaders” Christopher Monckton of Brenchley

The Church has long been seen as the arch-enemy by totalitarians, who hate and fear the independentmindedness and unwillingness to defer to any mere Party Line that are the glorious consequences of loyalty to God, country and family.

The most effective tactic of totalitarian fanatics is organised reputational assault on all who have proven publicly successful in opposing their false ideology.

Here, “false” has a particularly strong meaning: for the hallmark of totalitarianism, in all its forms, is its insistence on slavish adherence to propositions that are manifestly, egregiously untrue. If those propositions were not manifestly false, there would be no need for totalitarianism.

Wokery – the nasty, cruel blend of Fascism and Communism that constitutes today’s transiently fashionable totalitarian ideology – insists upon the following propositions among others: that there are no differences between men and women; that there are so many differences between men and women that there are hundreds of distinct genders; that all those putative genders do not matter anyway, for everything from public lavatories to G7 communiqués ought to be “gender-neutral”; that genders matter so much that, at the taxpayer’s expense, even children should have the right to “gender-reassignment” surgery that will make them forever ill and unhappy; that divorce should be made ever easier and marriage ever harder (unless you are a serial divorcé described as a “Prime Minister” seeking to be wed in a Cathedral presided over by a woke

Cardinal Archbishop who can be relied upon to put the Party Line before the Faith); that children are bad because their very existence harms the planet; that the torture, piecemeal dismemberment and butchering of children in the womb by way of abortion is a woman’s “reproductive right”; that homosexuality, notwithstanding the disease and death that it inflicts upon those who are at once its practitioners and its victims, is to be sedulously peddled, promoted and even glorified; that the State should own and command everyone and everything; and that to ensure the utter destruction of capitalism and the worldwide dissemination of abject poverty and starvation the coal, oil and gas that powered the industrial revolution should be forever banned outright.

Sure enough, under the increasingly ludicrous “leadership” of Carrie Symonds and her puppet Boris Johnson, the G7 met at a grey, dismal resort that no one had heard of on the least-attractive stretch of the

Cornish coast and issued a leaders’ communiqué that comprised a foofaraw of fatuities that were the very embodiment of wokery. My favourite examples are the “Race to Resilience Campaign”, the “Race to Zero Campaign”, “equality, including gender equality, in the climate and environment sector”, and the “Equal by 30 Campaign for gender equality in the energy sector”.

One hardly need emphasise that all the propositions of the totalitarianism that calls itself “woke” are directly, bitterly opposed to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Readers of this column will already know that the assault on the natural, Christian family that is the greater part of wokery had its origins in the resolutions adopted by the Third Extraordinary Congress of the Communist Party of the United States in 1921, 100 years ago this year, at the direct instruction of an envoy sent by Lenin, and that the capture of Greenpeace and the

2nd July 2021 Catholic Voice

TOTALITARIAN PERSECUTION 19

wider environmental movement

by Communists was part of the long-standing programme by the Kommissars of the Kremlin to destroy the Western economies from within, a programme greatly accelerated by the humiliating defeat of the Communist-led miners’ strike in Britain by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.

the generators of the cheapest electricity in the world by a large margin, is not only a waste of costly, long-established assets but a monstrous burden on every industry and every household. How anyone can imagine even for an instant that that daft policy will “create jobs” is beyond me. But there it is in the “leaders’” communiqué.

How is it that soi-disant “world leaders” have fallen so rapidly and so head-bangingly into line with the “woke” agenda? The reason is their fear of being made victims of the campaign of vicious reputational assault that is directed against successful opponents of the Party Line.

What is more, all the drivel about achieving “net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible” is about to be rendered visibly pointless by the forthcoming publication of a major research paper by two dozen scientists, among whom are some of the world’s foremost solar physicists.

The technique was invented by Goebbels, found in the archives of the Reichspropagandaamt by the then MGB, the precursor of the KGB, who had within one month founded the Disinformation Directorate to do nothing but trash the reputations of Communism’s leading opponents, and had thereupon mounted a decades-long campaign against Pope Pius XII, whom they falsely made out to be a Nazi-loving Jew-hater.

After studying 16 datasets of solar activity and countless datasets of global temperature change, this large and exceptionally well-qualified

The sheer viciousness of that lavishly-funded, long-pursued attack is now a vital part of the armoury of totalitarianism. Boris Johnson, for instance, knows full well that extracting and combusting coal, oil and gas is not in the least dangerous for the planet. Yet he simply lacks the moral fibre to stand out against the woke bullies. Hence the pages and pages of twaddle in the G7 communiqué, where it is suggested that destroying the coal industry – the current focus of the totalitarians’ hatred – will somehow “create jobs”.

It ought to be obvious even to Mr Johnson that the enforced shutdown of coal-fired power stations,

team – I cannot yet name them, for their paper is not yet in print, though it has been peer-reviewed and accepted – have discovered that, if one studies only rural temperature stations unaffected by the direct emission of heat by cities, the rate of global warming is only half of the officially-stated observed rate.

What is more, they have discovered that natural influences – chiefly variations in the output of energy by the Sun – account for 70% of that small warming, and our sins of emission account for only 30%, equivalent to approximately 0.2 C° per century.

From here on, it is a race to the death between wokery and the truth. Let us pray, for the sake of our fellow men and women (male and female created He them), that the truth will prevail sooner rather than later.

“Offer up everything within your power as a sacrifice to the Lord in an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended; and of supplication for the conversion of sinners. Thus invoke peace upon your country. I am her Guardian Angel; the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings that the Lord may send you.”

(The Angel of Portugal to Fatima children 1915)

20 WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

Is The Church An Institution Or Is There A Better Description?

Mary Kearns

Is the Church to be understood like a great department of spiritual welfare? Is it where we go when we need the kind of nourishment that can’t be obtained elsewhere?

This is now the time when we Catholics should know how to talk about Holy Mother Church when so many simply understand her as an institution and when she is so prone to being criticised.

Like government departments and the Health Service Executive, we recognise our dependence on these institutions but at the same time we are quite at liberty to say what is wrong with them and we frequently do. What then, makes the Catholic Church different?

The problem apparently lies with the word “institution.” The Church is of course an institution but if we think more about the Holy Spirit as being the animating principle, we will be less likely to think of her as just an institution. Perhaps if we lived in an entirely spiritual world we could do without institutions but because we are corporeal and we live in a world that has measurable dimensions, we do need structures and yes, institutions. Everything that is established is an institution, from the family to the local football club to yes, the Holy Roman Church.

That said, if the family and marriage were just institutions we would not get very far. There has to be an animating principle here as well; in the case of the family, that is the love and sense of responsibility that the members have for one another.

When it comes to the Church, the next problem seems to be the lack of acceptance of hierarchy. The rule of democracy is broadly understood as

the equality of all people. While this might be the underlying ideology, in practice it often does not work that way. For instance, businesses that are set up for purposes of market success, are often open to various suggestions from employees as to how the organisation could benefit. It is doubtful if these kind of suggestions ever find their way to the boardroom but nevertheless, there is an effort made to show the workforce that their opinions matter, at least to some extent.

With regard to the Church, there is little understanding even among some Catholics of her being anything other than an institution.

Nonetheless if we try to deal with this problem of identity, we must be careful not to try to describe the Church in secular terms as this will invariably fall far short of the mark.

It is not a secular establishment - the Church is the Bride or Christ, she is our Holy Mother and we should think of her and speak of her with the feminine pronoun. This is very confusing to those outside the fold!

Through the centuries, the Church has been described in many different ways, each of them valid, however limited in scope. One must be prepared to see the limitations of each definition and yet to give each the respect that is due. One comparison made is that the Church is like a large diamond one could walk around, observing its various facets.

While images are useful in pointing to a truth, they can only succeed if they have meaning to those they address. For instance, we have to admit that in today’s sophisticated climate, it is unlikely that many people will readily identify with images such as lambs and sheep, vines, grapes and leaven in bread.

We need at the same time to guard against the belief that there are ways of seeing the Church that change with time and that some outlive their usefulness.

Following the Second Vatican Council, the dominant model of the “Pilgrim Church” that emerged was

2nd July 2021

Catholic Voice

that of the Church as the People of God and the Sacrament of Christ with the former being the most widely accepted. The document Lumen Gentium sought to open the Council with an exploration of the nature of the Church. This was vital, as her nature and mission is of such immense significance. She is entrusted with the sacred duty of uniting the whole of humanity in love and understanding. The original title “The Church Militant” was soon discarded leading to the adoption of a new tone for the whole ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council. The title of the Council’s first document then became “The Mystery of the Church.”

in his First Letter to the Corinthians where he described the purposes of parts of the human body and the necessity for all of them.

In the years leading up to the First World War, the Church had been regarded in the main as an institution, rather like a extensive and cumbersome machine that directed it members in a hierarchical fashion. The doctrine of papal infallibility was supreme and this dominated all through the layers of the Church. The institution was understood almost like an army that operated with determination, marching towards it salvation.

The faithful on earth were part of the Communion of Saints in union with the Blessed in heaven and the Holy Souls in Purgatory. At that time members of the Catholic Church thought of themselves as the “Church Militant,” struggling against the world, the flesh and the devil and living in the hope of gaining the kingdom of heaven.

Other institutions do not have “organic growth.” They do not possess the animating principle that can bring about growth by their own nature, just as a seed grows into a flower and an infant grows into a man. In the Church, this principle is of course the presence of the Holy Spirit who is never absent and who fills the entire organism with his gifts.

Writing as Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Emeritus Benedict tells how this began to change in the inter-war period, approximately 1920-1940.

The Church began to be described in terms of Christology with the official teaching of “The Mystical Body of Christ.” This doctrine is rooted in scripture and was the model best articulated by St. Paul

It was at this point that Ratzinger explains that the Church began to be seen as much more than an institution.

It had become clear that it is an organic growth that has developed through the centuries and that continues today. It had become clear that through it, the mystery of the Incarnation remains present and contemporary. Christ marches on through the ages.

It is doubtful that many Catholics apprehend the Church in terms such as those just described and

WHAT IS THE CHURCH? 21 it is debatable if the model of the “People of God” has served us well.

While not exactly wrong in itself, it has led to some misunderstandings and misinterpretations, much of these apparent in the practice of the sacred liturgy.

What we need to recover is a more supernatural way of talking about the Church. Possibly as everyone understands how the human body is made up of parts, the understanding of the Holy Church as being the Mystical Body of Christ is the most illuminating. A body has to be hierarchical. Each part has its function but the parts are not of equal importance.

In 1943 Pope Pius XII wrote: “If we would define and describe this true Church of Jesus Christ which is the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Roman Church - we shall find no expression more noble, more sublime, or more divine than the phrase which calls it “The Mystical Body of Jesus Christ.”

For catechesis and liturgical formation: marykeenankearns@gmail.com 087 7794687

22 EVER ANCIENT - EVER NEW

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

Rite Of Millennial Antiquity Begins To Flourish Once More Anne O’Hare It’s a cold, dark Tuesday evening in late November past. Over a hundred people gather to hear Holy Mass in the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in Belfast.

The scene resembles the packed churches of Ireland in the 1970’s, the days before “The Spirit of Vatican II” took hold, eroding almost 2000 years of ritual and tradition - a rite of millennial antiquity.

The priest – slim, tall and distinctly youthful, appears from the left. He is dressed in a black and golden Roman chasuble, made from the finest silken brocade. He carries a chalice veiled in matching attire and a maniple that hangs from his left arm. He is flanked on either side by two small altar boys dressed like little priests.

They make their way to the bottom step of a rather grand altar which enshrines a large statue of the Blessed Virgin, topped with a huge golden crucifix. With his back to the people, the priest ascends the steps rather like a plumber would, to lay the tools of his trade, upon a stone marble altar table.

Joining his two little comrades once again, he begins to speak in a voice, barely audible and in incomprehensible Latin.

The congregation follows with unbelievable discipline, a sort of sacred gym of breast-beating and cross-signing while kneeling continuously until a brief respite presents itself and the people instinctively know to sit to hear a lesson – the word of God, recited in Latin.

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The Beth Misona Chalice - Used at Holy Mass in Syria 6th-7th Century

Before long, a bell is rung and another surge of people fall to their knees as the Sanctus is observed. Another bell is heard, and a certain change comes over everyone in earnest. A clatter of bells ring out as the priest elevates the host – the epicentre of the entire event.

who once prayed and worshipped here before it was consecrated a year previous.

A great sense of sorrow springs from the depths of nowhere. She recalls a homily once given by her parish priest of Drumbo and Carryduff, in the Diocese of Down and Connor, when she was a little girl. Her parish priest was a great man, loved and respected among his parishioners.

The silence that falls is colossal. It is like a primeval silence before the world ever came to be. What the people are attempting to adore, quite unselfconsciously, is the Mass – aboriginal Christianity.

His name was Fr. Joseph Cunningha m. She a lw a y s It is the real presence, the only event remembered that grown-ups often in the history of the world which referred to him as Doctor, due to hundreds, upon hundreds of our Irish his wealth of knowledge in Canon ancestors have died to defend.

Law. Ironically, those who come to hear Holy Mass in this Extraordinary It was Advent Sunday 1978. Fr Form for the first time usually revel Cunningham belied his usual easyin the fact the Mass is easier to going demeanour as he stood facing understand with all its mystery, awe the people who had gathered that and wonder intact – an unbloody morning for Mass at half-past eight. sacrifice, a continuation of Calvary. His face, tinged with crimson, looked stern. Despite her best For one young woman, it is the efforts, Fr. Cunningham’s words of first time she has visited the once lament for the loss of the Old Mass Presbyterian Church of Fortwilliam echoed in her mind now. and Macrory. As it’s the month of the Holy Souls, the priest is offering “This morning, it is with a heavy the Holy Sacrifice for the Protestants heart that I must cease from

2nd July 2021

Catholic Voice

offering the Sacrifice of the Mass in the way it has always been offered for almost two millennia. I received a letter from my bishop, William Philbin, this week telling me I must fall into line with all the other parishes of the diocese and offer the new Mass, whether I like it or not.

“Not that many years ago I took a vow of obedience at my ordination and it is that vow that I must honour if I am to remain as a priest within the diocese. However, I am none too pleased at having to squander our 2000-year-old inheritance,” he said.

As despair etched across his face, he asked a rather puzzled looking congregation: “Why is the Catholic Church prepared to wantonly abandon Her majestic rituals and beautiful traditions?

Why are modern Catholics intent to set aside Her splendour and the very features which has attracted so many converts.”

He continued: “Proponents of Vatican II say this is a great time for

EVER ANCIENT - EVER NEW 23

the church, a sign of hope and great renewal, but I remain unconvinced.

The faith belongs to another realm we cannot see. The mark of Her lies in its submission to a revelation which comes from heaven.

“We hold in our hands all that is needed to overthrow the mountains of the world,” he calmly explained.

“Men may succeed in shaking this Church – the church of Jesus Christ. This has happened many times throughout Her history but always She has been revived more beautiful and stronger. The Holy Trinity will never abandon her. All the attacks made against Her are but trials that will one day allow for purifying the faith.

“Until then it appears to me, the supernatural mystery may, in time, have no place in the conversation of daily life. The effects of which only your children and your children’s children will suffer. The more the Church conforms to social egalitarianism, which could soon become the prevailing climate of

the political world, the more it will respond to the wishes of those who seek to liberalise her.”

Fr. Cunningham appeared more resigned. His forehead smoothed; his temper eased. He finally added: “A green light has been given to those who have been straining at the leash to free public worship from the stuffiness of mystery, history and tradition and make it more agreeable to modern man.

“With an almost indecent haste, we will continue to watch further erosion, bit by bit until, the signs of our faith, may well end up denying the true presence of Christ altogether.”

Gazing ahead, the woman brings her attention back to this evening’s Mass. She notices how the elderly drag their arthritic knees to touch the ground and face the altar as they entered their seat before Mass.

Such reverence and humility are rare today, she thought.

24 EVER ANCIENT - EVER NEW

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

She began to wonder why, in 2014, at a Mass in one of the great cathedrals of Belfast, did the bishop address the congregation before the Consecration, with the words: “Welcome to the Liturgy of the Eucharist, were we will break bread and distribute it.”

She, smiled to herself when she remembered that the next day, she contacted the bishop to ask him why he explained the central part of the Mass in such a vague fashion. Perturbed, by such audacity, he responded thus: “I was attempting to make it easier for our Protestant brethren who may have been visiting, to understand what transubstantiation means.”

The Protestants are great people, she thought to herself, but it wasn’t a definition of the Mass that would encourage many Catholics to risk martyrdom to defend, as our forefathers had during the Penal years and the reign of Cromwell.

It now seemed quite evident, that many within the church had been more than eager to appease opponents of the Catholic faith, instead of looking after the flock, as Fr Cunningham had rightly alluded to, that Sunday morning in 1978.

Although weakened from scourges and attacks over the last 50 years, the Catholic faith still remains the only obstacle to Satan’s agenda left in the world today. The penny had

Fridolin Assists with the Holy Mass - Peter Fendi (Austrian, 1796 - 1842)

finally dropped; she could see it clearly unfolding.

sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth.

The woman took solace from the words of Archbishop Fulton Sheen which appeared on a Twitter feed she read recently. She no longer wondered why her Catholic Faith was so despised by the aggressively secular, anti-Christian corporate media, who had lost its moral compass decades back.

“Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself the Truth.

Sheen, a well-received celebrity in his day, once famously said: “If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world. In other words, I would look for the Church which the world hates.

“Look for the Church which amid the confusion of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its voice as the very voice of its founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly, it is otherworldly.

“My reason for doing this would be, if Christ is in any one of the churches of the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh. If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world. Look for the Church that is hated by the world, as Christ was hated by the world.

“Look for the Church which is accused of being behind the times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned.

Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they

“Since it is other-worldly, it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ Himself. The Catholic Church is the only Church existing today which goes back to the time of Christ. History is so very clear on this point; it is curious how many miss its obviousness...”

The slim, tall and distinctly youthful-looking priest, bows before departing from the altar. A little like a plumber, the woman thought to herself, just after he turns on the tap of eternal salvation.

2nd July 2021

NEW PRIESTS 25

Catholic Voice

We Have New Priests, Rejoice!

Christina M. Sorrentino

Today was truly one of the best days of my entire life. I experienced for the first time an Archdiocesan ordination to the priesthood. It was absolutely beautiful, and the joy simply radiated throughout the entire Cathedral Basilica, and I still cannot stop smiling. I had this overwhelming feeling of something that I cannot even properly express in simple words other than it must have been the supernatural. The presence of God was made known to us in an incredible way.

It was a day that I will never forget, and throughout the Mass it was difficult to keep the tears from flowing down my face. To see these men, one of them being a friend of mine, giving their whole selves and their whole lives to the sacerdotal priesthood to serve Christ’s Church and His people was simply breathtaking and exciting beyond words.

The Litany of the Saints has always been a favourite prayer of mine, especially sung as a traditional chant. These five young men were physically laying down their lives for God and offering their gift of teaching, sanctifying, and governing to their local Church community, the Archdiocese of Newark. And I knew that there were ten other men laying down their lives on the same day and even close to the same time for the Archdiocese of New York.

Today, God gave us such a beautiful and precious gift to the Church, and I feel truly blessed and eternally grateful. I am thankful beyond words for not only these men’s lives to the priesthood, but for all of our good, faithful, and holy priests, especially my own parish priests. We do not thank them enough for all that they do, but we definitely should let them know how much that we appreciate them.

It was such a remarkable moment to witness the Bishop call down the Holy Spirit upon these men by the laying on of hands, and then later anoint them with the sacred Chrism. They were created anew ontologically; changed forever. Once a priest becomes a priest he is always a priest because this fundamental change is complete and permanent.

Five Priests Ordained to Newark Archdiocese - May 29th 2021 - (screen-grab)

He receives an indelible mark that cannot be “repeated or conferred temporarily”. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1582) “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 7:17) I looked at my friend kneeling down beside the Bishop with his hands extended as the Bishop anointed him and I knew that he was no longer the same, and that gave me a most incredible feeling of pure elation that is even difficult to describe in words.

Before the final blessing a most beautiful part of the Ordination Mass for me was when each new priest went up to the Bishop and gave him a blessing while he was down upon his knees. It was such a beautiful act of humility and grace.

After the Mass the tradition is that those who attended the Ordination Mass receive a first blessing from the newly ordained priest. The individual receiving the blessing kneels down while Father extends his hands outward over the person’s head and give his priestly blessing.

Afterwards he then holds out his arms facing them upright for the individual to kiss the palms of his anointed hands. It was absolutely and utterly beautiful.

This was a day of unbelievable excitement, and the CathedralBasilica was just bursting with a brilliant glow of absolute gladness where God’s love could be felt simply outpouring throughout the sacred space. It was the first time since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic that so many of us laity along with our priests were able to come together to celebrate such a wondrous occasion, and not be distracted by thoughts or words about Covid-19. There is a time for grief, a time for a mourning, a time for worrying, and a time to be afraid, but today was all about celebrating the men who were making promises of celibacy and obedience, and embracing a life of simplicity and detachment.

It was a different kind of day, one that was unique to anything we have experienced in this past more than a year now. Everyone was together as one in God’s House rejoicing with the men who were offering their fiat to the Lord, and receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders. It was a remarkable morning that I hope will remain with me forever.

Let us pray for all of our newly ordained priests that they may remain good and faithful. And let us continue to offer prayers always for all of our priests that they remain steadfast in the faith and courageous to defend the truth.

26 SAINT JOHN VIANNEY

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

Lessons Learned From a Parish Priest Diana Ragsdale

Each one of the saints has the power to change our lives and influence us in incredible ways. I still remember the first time I learned about Saint John Vianney and how he came into my life and changed it in a marvellous way.

When I was a teenager, I was receiving a home-schooled education with Seton Home Study School. One of the books I had to write a book report on was about Saint John Vianney’s life. I remember reading about him for the first time and becoming so interested in everything he did and everything he was.

Saint John Vianney One of the main qualities that struck me was his complete selflessness.

He had such compassion for his parish that he did extreme penances, preached with his whole heart that was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and ended up converting his parish Ars which was immoral at the time.

Through Saint John Vianney’s example and works he changed the hearts of his people for the better.

It is truly remarkable to think of how one person can do so much if they only surrender to the will of God. That is what I learned from Saint John Vianney. We have the power to share our gifts and talents from God with one another and by this, we live our best life.

Vianney’s Intercession I remember one particular moment O Jesus, it is for the love of Thee, in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and for the conversion of poor sinners [that I do this]. Amen.

Our Lady of Fatima - June 13th, 1917.

The Body of St John Vianney - Ars, France - (Image Herwig Reidlinger CC3 licence)

in my life where I really felt Saint John Vianney’s intercession.

Back when I was home-schooled with Seton Home Study School there was a time when I was struggling with maths. What I was trying to learn did not make any sense to me.

I called upon Saint John Vianney’s intercession because I read about how he struggled in his studies.

Even becoming a priest, he had trouble learning Latin. Not grasping a concept easily was something I could relate to. He completed his schooling however and what is amazing is that even though he struggled in his studies becoming a priest, in the end, he became the patron saint of parish priests. Only God can make a weakness of ours a great strength.

It was in this time of confusion and defeat, I asked for Saint John Vianney’s intercession that I learn the lessons, apply the knowledge to the world we live in, go further

in my education, and grow into the individual God wants me to be. I prayed to him with my whole heart and the very next day I faced the problems in my textbook with new confidence. It was then and there I was able to understand the concepts in front of me and I thanked Saint John Vianney with a grateful heart.

In retrospect, a Saint John Vianney quote always comes to mind, “The saints did not all begin well, but they all ended well.”

I have been praying to Saint John Vianney ever since. I pray for his guidance. When the time came for my Confirmation, I decided to choose him as my confirmation saint because I really admire his character and I knew he had already been praying for me. I know he blesses me in the spiritual battle of good and evil that I may be equipped to fight for Jesus.

Praying As I Write As a writer, I want souls to be inspired by my writing. I always

2nd July 2021

SAINT JOHN VIANNEY 27

Catholic Voice

pray to the Holy Spirit before I write my articles. My aim is to inspire readers to live the best life they can possibly live according to Jesus Christ. And, even if one person takes my writing to heart and it motivates them to follow the will of God with new confidence, I feel like I have done God’s heavenly mission for me.

It would be such a blessing and a grace from God. As Saint John Vianney’s sermons touched the heart of his parish, I hope my writing may uplift and encourage readers that they bear the cross they are given and follow Jesus always like it is stated in Sacred Scripture.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? (Matthew 16:24-26 ).

Saint John Vianney cared so much about bringing souls to heaven.

That is why I love the prayer to Saint John Vianney on the back of my prayer card so much because it shows how much his heartbeat for them. The prayer is this.

Almighty and merciful God, thou didst make Saint John Vianney wonderful by his pastoral zeal and constant prayer and penance.

Grant, we beseech Thee, that by his example and intercession we may be able to win the souls of our brethren for Christ, and together with them attain everlasting glory.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

LIBERALISM IS A SIN

Don Félix Sardà y Salvany: – was

CATECHISM

born on May 21, 1844 in Sabadell, Catalonia, Spain. He was a Catholic priest and writer who wrote against Liberalism which he considered a grave sin. He was the editor of the weekly Spanish Catholic magazine

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God With thy whole heart, And with thy whole soul, And with thy whole mind.

This is the greatest And the first commandment.

Holiness Pope Pius X, issued the Encyclical ‘Pascendi Dominici Gregis’ which translates as “Feeding the Lord’s Flock”. Pope Pius X was aware that the Catholic Church had been infiltrated by modernists who were seeking to undermine her doctrines from within.

Father J. B. Lemius, produced this ‘Catechism on years. He died on January 2, 1916 at Modernism’ in the familiar the age of 71. This book, Liberalism question and answer format is a Sin, is particularly relevant to of the time, in order to make the teachings of the the times we live in today where Liberalism permeates every Encyclical more accessible to ordinary Catholics and aspect of our society and has deeply infiltrated the thinking of by way of explaining in a clear and concise manner the many of the Catholic hierarchy. reasons why the Encyclical was published.

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28 STAND FOR TRUTH

Catholic Voice

2nd July 2021

City Of God Or City Of Man? Transgenderism Is Not From God Fr. Michael P. Orsi

A moral dilemma illustrates how the cultural madness that breaks out from time to time in the City of Man can have profound consequences for the lives of innocent individuals.

repeats itself every day of our lives. We choose our city each time we make a moral judgment, deciding to follow what we know is the correct path, or else to cut some ethical corner.

St. Augustine’s famous book, The City of God, identifies the “heavenly kingdom” not as a physical place, but as a way of living in accordance with the Will of God.

Most of these decisions are about small matters. And while the cumulative effect of such choices determines our moral destiny, we don’t see the immediate results of each judgment — not usually, anyway.

The great Fifth-Century philosopher and Doctor of the Church describes certain behaviours and attitudes which we must adopt in order to be included in the kingdom. And he notes that each of us is called upon to decide whether we will make those behaviours and attitudes part of our lives.

On occasion, though, we run up against a choice whose moral contrast is all too stark and whose consequences are obvious and threatening. I became aware of such a situation this week, when I received a phone call from an attorney who found himself in a quandary.

In other words, we must choose which city we wish to live in: the City of God (the heavenly kingdom), or the City of Man (the earthly realm).

It’s been my experience that this isn’t a decision we make once for all time. Rather, it’s a process that

HANDS OFF OUR KIDS

PROTECTING PARENTAL CHOICE IN THE CLASSROOM

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This fellow works for a government agency in another state. He had been called upon to process a court order to change the legal identity of a 17-year-old boy who’s been adopted by a same-sex couple, now claims he’s a girl, and has begun hormone treatments.

“Can I do this, Father?” the attorney asked me. “I know in my heart this isn’t right.”

His dilemma illustrates how the cultural madness that breaks out from time to time in the City of Man can have profound consequences for the lives of innocent individuals. I receive many questions from lawyers, doctors, teachers, and other professionals drawn into such morally conflicted situations.

There are lots of good people struggling with difficult ethical problems of which we may be totally unaware.

And these are not abstract questions. They can affect someone’s livelihood, their civic responsibilities, personal reputation, and position in the community.

As Christians we must never promote what is evil. But it takes a strong and devout person to draw a line and say, “This is where I stand. I cannot do what is wrong.”

Because the price of drawing that line may be high. In the case of the attorney — a husband and a father of three children — his job and insurance benefits were at stake.

It’s often the case that your gut tells you what’s the right thing to do, so I asked him, “How do you feel about doing this?”

He said, “I feel sick.”

We talked some more, and at the end of our conversation he said to me, “Father, I’m not going to do it. This is

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Catholic Voice

not of God.” He chose to live in the City of God. I don’t yet know the outcome of the attorney’s decision, but I’m not a fatalist. Things may work out. There was recently a similar situation involving a gym teacher in Virginia who resisted his school’s policy of forcing the use of “preferred” pronouns for children who insist they are the opposite sex.

The teacher was suspended, but he went to court, and won reinstatement on First Amendment grounds. The court found that the school had violated his right to freedom of speech.

It’s absurd that such battles must be fought, such risks must be taken.

But that’s life in the City of Man, the place of idolatry, where we’re told a boy can be made into a girl or a girl into a boy, all as an expression of human will.

Just as the early Christians sacrificed much for their right to live according to the Will of God, so are those battles being fought again. Pray for the brave individuals who are carrying on the struggle in our day, trying to live in the City of God.

Pilate Washes His hands - Matthias Stom (1600 - 1652+)

Please Help Us To Promote The Five First Saturdays of Reparation Order Some of Our New Five First Saturday Devotions Cards These cards are designed to help people to complete The Five First Saturdays Devotion of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Contact John Lacken 085-1208779 secretary@lumenfidei.ie

Fatima Prayer

Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He Himself is offended, and through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg of thee the conversion of poor sinners. Amen.

“To forestall this [the second world war], I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays.

“If they heed My requests, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace. If not, she shall spread her errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecutions of the Church; the good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated; in the end, My Immaculate Heart shall triumph.

(Our Lady - Fatima July 13th 1917)

30 BOOKS

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2nd July 2021

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THE CHURCH IN OUR TIMES

This book contains three essays, one in question & answer format, from a time when pastors were more direct and ‘plain speaking’ in presenting the Truth of Catholic doctrine to their flocks.

They were primarily concerned with the salvation of the souls entrusted to their care rather than being overly concerned about whether or not their flocks would find these Truths offensive or difficult.

They sought the Praise and Glory of God, and not the praise of men.

is a series of reflections on topical issues concerning the Catholic Church and the practice of the faith ranging from ‘Faith and Culture’, to ‘GLBT – New thinking’, to ‘Purgatory and Remembrance’. Fr Hahesy’s style is conversational and he weaves through the various topics all the while pointing to the soul’s need for God. “The daily prayers at the end of this book, will ensure the salvation of our soul and a happier life here. Please believe me. It does not seem much to ask for such a great reward. To know and love God is the ultimate good whether people know this or not, accept it or not.”

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EGO EIMI - IT IS I

“May the present book of Rev. Fr. de Malleray FSSP, a beautiful and impressive “paper shrine to the Most Holy Eucharist”, have a wide diffusion and be a practical spiritual aid in order to renew the Catholic Faith, the Catholic Love and the Catholic Worship of the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist.” + Athanasius Schneider.

“This highly readable, informative, and edifying treatise on the Holy Eucharist will enrich the understanding and devotion of Catholics regardless of their prior knowledge of the subject: I recommend it wholeheartedly.” Dr Joseph Shaw PhD,

SCIENCE SAYS NO

In this book, Dr. van den Aardweg debunks many of the myths created by the global homosexualist movement. The argument for gay “marriage” is exposed as a deception in this ground breaking book. For many years the public has been indoctrinated with unfounded assertions which in fact are no more than modern fairy tales sold as science. In other words, as regards homosexuality, people hear and read mostly lies. The book explains why the deception is possible and shows why no assertion of the gay ideology has been scientifically validated. €/£9 inc p&p Ireland €/£10.50 inc p&p outside Ireland

SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

This really is a fantastic book which presents Catholic teaching on sin in a simple, clear and precise way. You will learn about the nature of sin, about the different kinds of sin, mortal and venial, formal and material sins.

Reflections on the Abortion Issue in Ireland.

Oxf, Chairman of The Latin Mass Society.

The book also teaches us about sins of omission. After discussing sin, the book then speaks of the great graces offered to us in the sacrament of confession, it teaches us about temptations, about Christ’s suffering and death on the cross, and then it finishes with a very hope filled chapter on the joys of the resurrection.

Many countries, including Ireland, have removed the right to life from the Constitution and given the legislature the power to legalise abortion, which by definition is the intentional killing of the unborn child.

The assumption is that unborn babies have no human rights. The essays in this monograph expose the fallacy that unborn babies do not have the right to life and may be ‘terminated’ if that is the ‘choice’ of the mother. In the New Ireland, human killing is now legal. It is estimated that 800 – 900 unwanted unborn babies are ‘terminated’ every month. Abortion has become the murder machine of our time.”

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(LISTED BY DIOCESE) DAILY & WEEKLY Meath: Silverstream Priory (Benedictine monks) Armagh: New Mellifont Abbey, Collon, Co. Louth Stamullen: Sunday 10.00 preceded by Terce, other days 11.00.

Every Sunday 3pm.

Meath: Church of the Nativity, Johnstown, Navan, Co. Meath Cork & Ross: Ss Peter’s & Paul’s, Cork: Sundays 12.00 noon, Sundays 1pm; First Fridays 11am; Holydays as announced.

Mon - Sat 10.00.

Ossory: St. Patrick’s, College Rd, Kilkenny; Sun 17.00.

Cork & Ross: St Mary’s, Pope’s Quay, Cork. Sundays 8:00am Raphoe: St. Patrick’s, Drumkeen, Donegal Sun 11.00. in the Dominican Rite; Down & Connor: Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Waterford: (FSSP) St. John’s Church, Parnell Street, Waterford Sunday: 8 and 11am, Mon-Fri (ex Thurs), 19:00. Thurs: 8am, City – Every Sunday 1:30pm, Mon 1:00pm, Tues – Friday

Welcome To Our New Lourdes Website saintbernadette.info Included are the following: The life and times of St Bernadette: The Importance of the Holy Rosary for our times: The Lourdes Apparitions: The Song of Bernadette Movie: Prayer cards on request and much much more. Contact via email morgansharpesenior@gmail.com

Sat: 8am, 11am.

Dromore: St.Mary’s, Newry: Sundays and Holydays 9.00am.

Dublin: St. Kevin’s, Harrington Street: Sundays & non working Holy Days: 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00; (Vespers Sun 3:30pm.) Mon - Fri 08.00; Sat 09.00.

Working Holidays & 1st Fridays; 08.00 and 19.00.

Dublin: St. Joseph’s, Newtownmountkennedy Co Wicklow Sat 11:00 Elphin: Church of the Sacred Heart and St Barry, Whitehall, Tarmonbarry, Co Roscommon. Every Sunday 5pm Ferns: (FSSP) St. Alphonsus, Barntown, Co Wexford: Every Sunday 17.00 (Sung Mass 1st and 3rd Sundays), Holy days as announced.

Galway: Chapel of St. Mary’s College, St. Mary’s Road (ICKSP) Sun 15:00 Limerick: Sacred Heart, The Crescent (ICKSP) Sun 8am, 10.30am, 6pm; Mon-Weds 08.00 and 18.00; Thurs 8:00, Friday 18.00; Saturday 08.00 & 10:30 (followed by 1st Saturday devotions)

19:30 (19:00 1st Fridays) Sat 11:00am, Holydays as announced.

TWICE MONTHLY Derry: St. Columba’s , Longtower: First and Third Sunday 14:00 MONTHLY Armagh: St. Patrick’s, Dungannon, Co Tyrone: First Saturday 14.00.

Cork & Ross: St. Francis, Liberty St. Cork : First Saturday 13.00.

Derry: St. Marys, Aughabrack, Co Tyrone: Fourth Sunday 12.45 Elphin: St. John’s, Carraoe, Co Sligo ; Last Sunday Killaloe: St. Joseph ‘s, Ennis, Co Clare: First Sunday 17:30 Tuam: St. John the Baptist, (Old Parish Knock, Co Mayo; Second Sunday 17.30.

Every effort has been made to ensure this list is up to date.

Please contact The Latin Mass Society of Ireland in the event of any changes or errors.

Email: adminmass@latinmassireland.com

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Golden Arrow Prayer dictated by Our Lord to Sister Mary of St Peter in 1843 May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable, most incomprehensible and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in heaven on earth and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen

Image - Marc Nozell

In 1844 Sister Mary of St Peter was given a vision in which she saw the Sacred Heart of Jesus delightfully wounded by this ‘golden Arrow’ prayer, as torrents of graces streamed forth from His Heart for the conversion of sinners.

Published by: Catholic Voice Newspapers, St Michael’s House, Castlemitchell South, Athy, County Kildare. Tel 059-8627268 ROI / 00353 - 59 8627268 Publisher: Anthony Murphy.

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