TWILIGHT ZONE

***Here We Go Again With CCDI (sigh…)
The Arlington Catholic Herald (Oct. 27 issue) once again gave free advertising to CCDI (Continuing Christian Development Institute). Among the courses offered this fall, one features Delores Leckey, past director of the US bishops Secretariat for Family, Laity, Women and Youth where, for twenty years, she unrelentingly promoted feminism. With a bio chock full of degrees, honorary degrees, and awards, Leckey masquerades as an authority. Her course, “The Theology of the Laity: A Story Worth Hearing, can hardly be expected to promote authentic Catholic teaching since she desires a feminist overhaul of the Church. In fact, according to James Hitchcock writing in Catholic World Report in June, Leckey “who for years used her position [at the bishops’ conference] to promote feminism, in effect now denies that there even is such a thing as legitimate Episcopal authority – bishops act only because they are ‘afraid’ and ‘insecure,’ not because of their religious convictions.” And this is the woman the bishops gave a standing ovation when she retired. [Maybe they were glad to see her go? We wish!]

***Leckey’s Feminist Roots: During her tenure at the bishops’ conference, Leckey worked to promote diocesan “women’s commissions” heavily stacked with feminists who wanted inclusive language, women priests, etc. In 2000, she joined other well-known radicals in signing the Madeleva Manifesto. Among the 16 “theologian” signers were Sr. Elizabeth Johnson whose recent book, Quest for the Living God, was condemned by the USCCB’s doctrine committee; Sr. Sandra Schneiders and Sr. Joan Chittister, well-known radical nuns; and other dissenters with links to the notorious Call to Action.

Though the Manifesto doesn’t call directly for women’s ordination, the Madeleva Lecture Series typically features feminists who do and the whining text of the document implies that the Church is misogynist and hates women who must not despair as they pursue “gospel feminism” and “stay in the struggle to overcome oppression… whether based on gender, sexual orientation, race, or class.” The manifesto also urges women to commit to “far-reaching transformation of church and society…to protest and resist…all actions, customs, laws and structures that treat women or men as less than fully human.” [I.e., The church is trying to squash women like bugs.] Finally, they end with, “We pledge ourselves to carry forth the heritage of biblical justice which mandates that all persons share in right relationship with each other, with the cosmos, and with the Creator. [What the heck is a “right relationship with the cosmos?” Does that mean howling at the moon… walking the labyrinth…. Or is it planting a garden? Can anyone take this nonsense seriously besides these doddering dissenters some of whom have died of old age since 2000?]

***Leckey Continues to Disgrace Herself since retiring. She signed the infamous Catholics United letter endorsing the nomination of pro-abort Catholic Kathleen Sebelius to head Health and Human Services despite the fact that Sebelius’ bishop, Joseph Naumann, prohibited her from presenting herself for Communion in Kansas. Liberals like Leckey, however, don’t mind advancing pro-abortion extremists because they support their liberal, feminist agenda. So why is Leckey promoted in the Herald as a teacher of the laity? And exactly what does her “theology of the laity” include? In view of her history and her connection to radical feminism, it sure isn’t likely she’ll be defending Church doctrine.

***Trinity Hires Pro-Abort B. B. Kennelly Washington Trinity University (D.C.) recently hired ex-Congresswoman and Trinity alum Barbara Bailey Kennelly ‘58 to teach political science. No surprise, really, for Trinity to put another pro-abort front and center. She and Nancy Pelosi were the first Trinity girls to make it to the big time as power brokers in the halls of Congress. Both are daughters of long-time Democrat bosses and members of political dynasties. As for Trinity, who cares what their grads stand for as long as they break the glass ceiling? Success trumps faith any day! And what did Kennelly stand for in Congress? She was a consummate liberal during her tenure from 1982-1999 working the system to accomplish many “firsts” for women. That, of course, meant she couldn’t deviate from the Democrats’ party line, and she didn’t. She championed “reproductive rights” at the expense of future Trinity girls who will never join class sings in the historic Main building stairwell because they were sacrificed on the feminist altar. President Patricia McGuire is thrilled and the alumnae journal gushed that Kennelly “served with great distinction” and “blazed the trails that later led to the great success of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.” We also learn that, as head of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, “she was a major force behind-the-scenes for health care reform” which we all know, includes abortion and denial of conscience rights. Once again Trinity chooses “empowered” women over Catholic women. But a question remains: What exactly will impressionable young coeds learn at this faux Catholic school from a champion of child-killing?

***Don’t Eat Those Cookies! Girl Scouts USA is in the news after a Colorado troop was forced to enroll a 7-year-old boy, Bobby Montoya, who believes he’s a little girl trapped in a boy’s body. And what sonny wants, Mommy insists he gets. So the leader who rejected the child in the first place because he “doesn’t have the right [body] parts” is being sent for sensitivity training and GSUSA gushes that they are gender neutral. Any little boy who wants to make believe he’s a little girl is welcome. Whew! What relief. Mums everywhere can rejoice that their sexually confused little boys can dress up in brown or green, say, “Look! I’m a girl,” and sashay around as they sell Thin Mints and Samoas.

Actually, disintegration of the Girl Scouts began decades ago. In 1970 feminist Betty Friedan, author of The Feminist Mystique, joined the national board where she helped transform the Girl Scouts into a radical feminist propaganda machine. In more recent years, GSUSA has become more and more open in their perversion. Here’s one example from the GS Timeline at www.honestgirlscouts.com: “1995: The Great Rivers Girl Scout Council in Ohio is caught using explicit sex education curriculum, ‘Sexuality and You’ at a weekend overnight event. When a troop leader disclosed to parents that their girls had been instructed to pass around a lifesize phallus and…exposed to a game where the words ‘zoophilia,’ ‘nymphomania,’ ‘sado-masochism’ and more were placed on their backs, she was kicked out of Girl Scouts. Twenty-six fellow volunteers resigned in solidarity. One of the twenty-six, Patti Garibay, went on to found American Heritage Girls as a result.”

Happily, Girl Scouts are having financial troubles. Despite selling about 198 million boxes of cookies in 2010 at $3.50 a pop to the tune of $714 million, some councils are having to sell off property to make ends meet. Let’s hope their latest exercise in “gender sensitivity” compels many parents to pull their girls out of Girl Scouts. There is an alternative, American Heritage Girls. There is also a secondary alternative for Scout Councils that want to remain in the group, but minimize support for its evil agenda. A troop can sell one box of cookies to donate to the military in order to remain in good standing. Troops in good standing may run their own separate fundraisers. So a Catholic troop could ditch the cookie sales in favor of an alternative after purchasing ONLY ONE BOX of cookies for the entire troop. And girls can be in uniform if they wear the Girl Scout pin – no need to spend a cent on those ugly green outfits. Personally, Les Femmes advocates pulling girls out of GSUSA, but, short of that, second best is to minimize funding for their evil. Let National Girl Scouts and the state councils starve.

***Obama’s War with the Church Outed! The U.S. bishops thought they had a special relationship with their buddies in government. After all, they’ve worked closely for years taking government handouts and reciprocating by supporting liberalism and lobbying for progressive causes. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Catholic Charities (CC) wink at Catholic doctrine while they work with population controllers. As for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) it’s been funneling money to liberal Democrats for forty years.

But it seems all was in vain. Obama, who got his start with a CCHD grant, cut his benefactors off at the knees. First, the feds failed to renew a Church grant for sex trafficking. Next HHS mandated contraceptive coverage in health care that forces Catholic schools, hospitals, and most other Catholic entities to offer the Pill, including “Ella,” an “emergency contraceptive” that can abort a pregnancy weeks after conception. The highly touted “exception” for religious groups is so narrowly defined it only covers a religious employer who “primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets” and “serves persons who share its religious tenets.” So it sounds like parishes and chanceries may be exempt, but just about nobody else including, perhaps, parochial schools with Protestant children attending.

***Will the Church Cooperate with Evil? The real issue is joined. Will the Church cooperate with the State like the hapless bishops in Henry VIII’s England, or will she rise up like Mattathias in the Book of Maccabees and rebel? In view of past history of clerics assisting the culture of death. (e.g., the Land o’ Lakes conference where Fr. Hesburgh joined Rockefeller and destroyed Catholic higher ed), we are not hopeful. PRAY!

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