TWILIGHT ZONE

***More Bad News About Trinity Women
Another Trinity grad is in the news illustrating the kind of “Catholic” woman Trinity is so proud to call her daughters – i.e., those who are “successful” in the eyes of the world [politically correct and making lots of money]. Cathie Black, class of ’66, takes her place alongside her Trinity sisters: Nancy Pelosi (former Speaker of the House), Kathleen Sebelius (Head of HHS), and Maggie Williams (chief of staff to former first lady Hillary Clinton). Black recently left her Hearst publishing CEO job to become the Chancellor of New York City’s public schools. [Uh… qualifications?] One of her first gaffes was to respond to a question about school over-crowding by quipping that birth control would be a good solution. Parents were not amused. Nor are real Catholics who know contraception is the root of abortion. Was Black’s comment surprising given her background? Not hardly! Her bio includes a stint as the advertising director for rabidly pro-abortion Ms. Magazine; and, as head of the women’s division at Hearst, she oversaw magazines like Cosmopolitan that portray women as high class sluts and features degrading, soft-porn covers. But Black’s statement was particularly crass given that NYC kills 41% of its babies by abortion (compared to 24% nationwide), three quarters of whom are black and Hispanic minorities. Aborting and contracepting them out of existence fits right in with Planned Parenthood’s eugenic goals.

***Excommunicate Trinity Woman Pelosi!
Nancy Pelosi continues her shameful pro-abortion posturing on the hill as minority leader in the House. According to the Washington Post (2/10) she wants to make abortion “too hot to handle” so politicians will be afraid to put limits on child killing. Pelosi calls herself an “ardently practicing Catholic” but has no compunctions about attacking Church teaching on sexual morality with predictable frequency. In December she claimed to “mourn this difference of opinion (with regard to Church teaching on abortion) [Doctrine is opinion?] because I feel what I was raised to believe is consistent with what I profess, and that we are all endowed with a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And that women should have the opportunity to exercise their free will.” Trinity obviously failed to teach Nancy about why we have free will: in order to freely choose the good. Choosing evil is to misuse our free will and God warns what will happen to those who do, especially hypocrites like Nancy who parade their so-called faith. “Not all who say, ‘Lord, Lord,’ [or “I’m an ardently practicing Catholic.”] will enter into my kingdom, but only those who hear the word of the Lord and keep it.” Nancy’s public scandal is so grave she should be publicly excommunicated both for her own sake and the danger to other souls led into sin by her example. At the very least she should be denied Communion under Canon Law 915. As Canon lawyer Ed Peters said last year, “If her prolonged public conduct does not qualify as obstinate perseverance in manifest grave sin, then, in all sincerity, I must admit to not knowing what would constitute obstinate perseverance in manifest grave sin."

***Creating Dummies: Count the Ways
Poet Robert Browning wrote, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” The social engineers say “How can I control you?” and their ways are legion, one recent dumb-down method is the elimination of cursive writing. It’s disappearing from the elementary curriculum. Printing takes about four times as long as cursive. Think of the handicap to students who can’t take notes because they can’t write in cursive. Some say advances in technology make it unnecessary, but that’s like saying microwave cooking makes a conventional oven obsolete. Not having one sure limits your choices! Talk to any college teacher these days and he’ll tell you many students arrive in class unprepared to learn, lacking basic skills in grammar and elementary math. Many students can’t compose a well-organized paragraph much less a research paper. Now they won’t be able to take notes either. Welcome to the brave, new, stupid, dumbed-down world.

No less a personage than Mohandas Gandhi believed penmanship was an essential part of education as he stated in his autobiography. I do not know whence I got the notion that good handwriting was not a necessary part of education, but I retained it until I went to England. When later…I saw the beautiful handwriting of [those] born and educated in South Africa, I was ashamed of myself and repented of my neglect. I saw that bad handwriting should be regarded as a sign of an imperfect education. I tried later to improve mine, but it was too late. I could never repair the neglect of my youth. Let every young man and woman be warned by my example, and understand that good handwriting is a necessary part of education. Problem is there’s no room in the curriculum. Can’t take the time away from teaching sex-ed, drug-ed, diversity-ed, save the planet-ed, etc. Home schoolers take note. Teach penmanship and let your children practice on thank-you notes. Gratitude is the parent of many virtues.

**Apostolic Visitation of Women Religious
It’s all over but the report according to Catholic World Report’s (CWR) January 2011 article. After two years, what has the examination of the members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) accomplished? Not as much as they originally intended. From the outset LCWR was defensive about the “attack” by the Vatican [the evil patriarchy!]. At their 2010 Annual Assembly, Sr. Marlene Weisenbeck, FSPA, completing her term as president, said their members are “quavering with the continuing ecclesial inquiries and canonical assessments.” LCWR’s resistance and refusal to answer certain questions caused the examiners to drop the inquiry into living situations, property ownership, and finances, areas certainly needing review, especially after two nuns in one order transferred the order’s property to themselves and converted it into a “‘green’ [like the Emerald City?] ecumenical center where they invite others to join them to ‘celebrate Eucharist around a common table.’”

The visitations themselves appear to have gone smoothly, but some women religious who wished to speak with the visitors in confidence described being intimidated by their superiors. In view of past persecution of orthodox members of dissenting orders, their concern is justified.

As for LCWR, the visitation is unlikely to change its radical leadership which includes many feminist nuns who dissent from Church teaching. The organization has been bad since its beginning in 1970 [Check it out in Donna Steichen’s book Ungodly Rage.] when it morphed out of the Congregation of Major Superiors of Women (CMSW). LCWR promoted the exodus of sisters from traditional work to pop culture projects. In 1975 the group endorsed the radical Equal Rights Amendment and over the years has featured many speakers advocating women’s ordination, abortion, contraception, new-age spirituality, and other feminist positions. In the same issue of CWR describing the visitation, Church historian Sr. Dolores Liptak described the “hermeneutic of suspicion” that prevails among many religious orders which “has not only deprived sisters of a rich reservoir of learning but has prompted an almost universal view the Church is willing to ‘bully’ or ‘deprive’ sisters of their rights.” She also decried the “emphasis on action” with a loss of balance with prayer which upsets the “rhythm” of religious life.

The end result of the visitation may mean less than the decisions of young women entering religious life today who mostly shun the orders represented by LCWR, an increasingly geriatric group, to join those represented by the newer (1992), orthodox Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR). The demographic writing is on the wall. The future is lost to the gray-haired nuns marching in capris and t-shirts to preserve wetlands and demonstrating at the School for the Americas in favor of the new breed of sisters returning to the classroom and the chapel. God bless these lovely young sisters for bringing new hope to people in the pews!

***Bishop William Skylstad Sent to Baker
[Hmm…this seems passing strange.] Bishop Skylstad who resigned from the Spokane Diocese in 2010 has been assigned to replace Bishop Robert Vasa as Bishop of Baker, Oregon. Actually, he’s been named Apostolic Administrator which may imply short tenure, we suppose. Bishop Vasa, an exemplary bishop admired by orthodox Catholics, is named coadjutor bishop of Santa Rosa, CA with the right to succeed which augers good things for Santa Rosa. As for Baker, well, we send them our prayers.

Here are some of the facts about Bishop Skylstad. He supports homosexuals in the priesthood and Communion for pro-abort politicians. He was seriously compromised by the sex abuse scandals. While pastor of Assumption Parish in north Spokane his vicar was Patrick O’Donnell (1974-1976). O’Donnell was actively molesting boys in the rectory under Skylstad’s nose. According to testimony from parents, Skylstad knew and was warned about O’Donnell and did nothing for at least a year after which he reported to his bishop. Thereafter, O’Donnell was moved from pillar to post molesting as he went – at least 65 boys. Two victims later committed suicide. The Spokane Diocese declared bankruptcy in 2004 due to sex abuse claims, settling for $48 million. [Where do you think most of that money came from, folks?]

One last item: prior to the 2007 Vatican document, Summorum Pontificum, which allows all priests to say the Tridentine Mass without the bishop’s permission, Bishop Skylstad publicly opposed a universal indult. And today, four years later, Spokane has one [count it] Tridentine Mass a week in a diocese of about 80 parishes and 90,000 Catholics. Is there really that little interest?

***Will Planned Parenthood Get the Axe?
What will it take to get legislators on Capitol Hill to defund the biggest abortion provider in the country? PPs all over the U.S. have demonstrated their willingness to assist child predators impregnating minors by eliminating the evidence….literally. Numerous sting operations by Life Dynamics and Live Action show that counselors at PP will instruct young girls how to lie to protect adult abusers from statutory rape charges. They will tell those they believe are pimps how to get STD treatment and abortions for their underage “sex workers.” Since PP is a mandatory reporter, both of these abuses are federal crimes. Their development staff will also encourage potential donors who express the desire to fund abortions specifically to kill minority babies. No matter how evil PP’s actions, the mainstream media ignores it all. PP sells gift cards and certificates that include abortion and at Christmas time offer a “Choice on Earth” card. Nothing is too outrageous or offensive to appeal to the ghouls at PP. If you want an insider’s look at the monstrous activities of this organization, read Abby Johnson’s book, Unplanned.

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