D&C Blogs: Kevin Vellon, a 10th grader at the Leadership Academy writes
According to a study recently released by the Schott Foundation for Public Education, only 9% of black male students in the Rochester City School District graduated. [9%!?! That sounds like a pretty major problem]
…
Education begins with the family unit. A small child needs to be read to; needs to know that reading and aquiring knowledge is necessary to his growth and development. He/she needs to know that the family is supportive of his/her education and dreams. Education needs to be a top priority in his/her household. Without education, very little can be achieved in life. Unless we change this cycle of low graduation rates leading to limited employment opportunities leading to poverty, we will never become the society we once were; the society we hope to become again. Really, poverty limits a person’s freedom. As Ben Carson once said, when you give a man education, you are giving him freedom. I would add that you are giving him back his dreams and his opportunity.
This young man makes some sense.
sidenote: A family member sent me a video talk of Dr. Benjamin Carson (mentioned above) at the National Prayer Breakfast (with Obama in attendance). I didn’t end up watching the entire thing, but I can vouch that at least the first half or so is very good. You can watch it here.
New Advent: Watch this: Outspoken atheist Penn Jillette (Penn & Teller) defends Catholic orthodoxy on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight
It really is this simple, folks. We need to stop pretending that it isn’t.
CC: Club helps girls learn about faith By Jennifer Burke
I think I’ve heard of this group before – sounds pretty interesting. I’m guessing this is their official site. Anyone around here involved or care to comment?
Young Adult Eucharistic Adoration
Holy Thursday, March 28, 2013
8:00-9:00 p.m.
Our Mother of Sorrows Church
Child Care available (see flyer for details)
well, how about that?
Restore established order
To the editor,
I am saddened by the practice in many parishes of allowing or even encouraging a child to receive First Communion before First Reconciliation. This practice violates Canon Law (914), the Catechism (1457), and other Church documents. Why have we turned against the teachings of our Church?
Our diocese promotes a readiness-based approach to sacramental preparation, which is a good procedure when used wisely. Certainly a child should not be pushed through a sacrament simply because other children that age are receiving it. However, a child cannot be ready to receive Holy Eucharist if he is not ready to experience Reconciliation.
A child may not be ready for Reconciliation if he has an immature understanding of sin and his own culpability. If he cannot grasp his own sinfulness, though, he certainly cannot understand the need for a Savior. Without the need for a Savior, what is the value of Eucharist? Without a solid understanding of his sinfulness and the need for a repaired relationship with God, a child cannot begin to understand the value of Christ’s sacrifice.
I pray that those in charge of sacramental preparation will soon recognize the wisdom of the Church and give our children the spiritual formation they need.
Liana Eisenman-Wolford
Pittsford
Seems to make sense to me.
I made a meme
Just curious. Is the mime Passion still on at St. Ambrose? It’s not on the online calender which makes me wonder if it got cancelled again due to lack of participants or if it is being done on the QT to avoid scrutiny.
Love the meme! It certainly strikes my hot button. Evangelizing with Copyright! I am not even sure why we need an NAB version except that it is the basis for US Liturgy, and it makes some money for the USCCB. The rest of the English-speaking Catholic world I believe uses the RSV in liturgy (which, yes, has its problems too!) But even the English translation of the Catechism is based on the RSV, and is a common link for discussion with Protestants (except for the 7 books they are missing.)
The current NAB can be accessed on the USCCB site under the BIBLE/Chapters tab, with a very convenient “click the chapter” format. That layout is beneficial, but copyrighting the whole NAB? It seems so antithetical to Christ’s message of evangelization. I am not even sure how this applies Christ’s message in Matthew 10:8: “You received without paying, give without pay.”
By the way, hijacking a translation theme,for just a moment, there are many translations which omit Luke 22:44, and often verse 43 as well. I was absolutely delightd to read in Pope Benedict’s Jesus of Nazareth Holy Week volume that he uses verse 44! That is good enough for me!
Ben, thanks for sending the link to Dr. Benjamin Carson’s talk at the Prayer Breakfast. What the doctor said was excellent, and I’m sure that it took a great deal of courage to deliver that message in the presence of Barack Obama. I noted that Mr. Obama didn’t look too comfortable, the more Dr. Carson went on. I believe that this was a venue where Mr. Obama was forced to look into his own heart, and to hear the words that he really needed to hear! Hopefully, some of those words took root.
Ms. Eisenman-Wolford’s letter is wonderfully Thomistic; she identifies the relevant canons and then provides a reasoned explanation. Is the DOR still allowing parishes to swap the order of the sacraments this way? Even in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the last of the bitter-enders got fixed the problem almost ten years ago.
Ms. Eisenman-Wolford writes a nice letter, but is the Letters to the Editor of the CC the proper place for her to voice her complaint? She mentions by name no parish or parishes where the practice is taking place; is this a strawman or are there real instances of abuse? If the latter, isn’t it preferable to approach the pastor(s) to (in charity) present the same argument, and if not satisfied, to then bring her complaint to the Apostolic Administrator? What is to be gained by that communication?
Yes, many instances in fact. I’ll post on it soon.
The letter is fine as is and the only thing I would drop would be the gratuitous retort “Why have we turned against the teachings of our Church?”
And it is appropriate to send it to the CC as well as make your thoughts known to the parish (which I will assume she has done). She’s not accusing anyone of a sin that no one else knows about, she’s pointing out a public error. There is no need or even point to discreetly going up the chain of command in a manner of speaking.
I will vouch that I received First Communion before first reception of Reconciliation. In the DoR, although I cannot recall to rule out if +Hogan was still bishop.
My wife sometimes says, only half jokingly, that I should go have all my sacraments conditionally redone, in particular Matrimony.