in Pennsylvania's First Congressional District
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania's_1st_congressional_district http://archphila.org/pastplan/MAPS/Arch.pdf
and the Central Garden State

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Charlie Gard update

Judge demands ‘drastic’ evidence or he’ll force Charlie Gard off life support this week (LifeSiteNews, 7/10/17)
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/judge-could-decide-charlie-gards-fate-on-thursday?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=499e79efc0-Daily%2520Headlines%2520-%2520U.S.&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-499e79efc0-401378689


"The case of baby Charlie Gard has the gravest consequences for the rights of parents and the autonomy of the family. This assault against the family and life stretches beyond the borders of the UK, and we should all be very concerned....the decision about whether to pursue extraordinary care should rest with the rightful authority – in this case, clearly Charlie’s parents....The Catholic Church has always defended the primary rights of parents over the welfare and a education of their children.  Wherever those rights have been eroded, totalitarianism has not been far behind....Charlie and his parents deserve our steadfast support and prayer. Charlie’s parents have the best interests of their son at heart, and we must demand that the government respect their decision, as well as acknowledge and secure Charlie’s inherent dignity" (Rev. Shenan Boquet, Human Life International, 7/8/17).

Petition for the release of Charlie Gard from Great Ormond Street Hospital's care.
https://www.votervoice.net/UserSite/MarchforLife/Petitions/1135/Respond




7/16/17, 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time






On the right side of the home page is a link to email the White House and the Pa Delegation in D.C. on federal/international matters, as well as a link to email the Bucks County Delegation in Harrisburg on state matters.







  • Marriage/Family/Sexuality and God's beautiful plan for human happiness (7/1/17)
    • National NFP Awareness Week (USCCB, 7/23/17 - 7/29/17)
    • "....The books of Scripture, even when they’re morally demanding, are not shackles.  They’re part of God’s story of love for humanity....Sex is linked intimately to human identity and purpose....Acting in ways that violate that purpose becomes a form of self-abuse; and not just self-abuse, but a source of confusion and suffering for the wider culture....If the Letter to the Romans is true, then persons in unchaste relationships (whether homosexual or heterosexual) need conversion, not merely affirmation...." (Archbishop Chaput, 7/6/17)
    • Marriage Unique for a Reason: July 2017 Newsletter (USCCB, 7/1/17)
    • "Primal Loss: The Now Adult Children of Divorce Speak....should be required reading for anyone who thinks that divorce is [a] 'good thing' for their children—or even for them.  Consider the following passage from the book, in which a woman writes of suffering through her parent’s divorce during her youth:
      My grandparents’ generation had to deal with a lot — war, undiagnosed PTSD, and alcoholism—but they had a noble idea: That you sacrificed your own happiness for your children’s well-being. You took on all the heartache so they didn’t have to. …
      My parent’s generation inverted that. They decided it was better a child should have her world torn apart than that an adult should bear any suffering. Of course, they didn’t frame it that way. They wanted to believe that the child would suffer less, because children were just extensions of the mother, and the mother would theoretically be happier [p. 131]....
      "Disclaimer: Not everyone who is divorced came to be so in the same way. Some tried hard to save their marriage but their spouse was unwilling. Others came to conversion later in life. Still others were physically endangered during the marriage. This essay is not to be construed as a general condemnation of all who are divorced. Rather, it is a heartfelt plea that amidst today’s divorce culture we count the full cost of divorce and that we remember that marriage is first and foremost about what is best for children" (Msgr. Charles Pope, 6/28/17). 
    • What can priests practically do to combat the porn epidemic? (EWTN, 6/14/17)
 http://faithfulinthe8th.blogspot.com/2017/06/sistine-chapel-images-wtc.html http://faithfulinthe8th.blogspot.com/2017/06/sistine-chapel-images-wtc.html
http://faithfulinthe8th.blogspot.com/2017/06/sistine-chapel-images-wtc.html
  • "I offer my respectful and cordial greetings to you, and to all the Representatives of the Member States of FAO.... The Holy See closely follows the work of the international community and wishes to assist its efforts to promote not mere progress or development goals in theory, but rather the actual elimination of hunger and malnutrition....If the goals we continue to propose still remain distant, that is largely dependent on the lack of a culture of solidarity....
    "The commitment of each country to increase its own level of nutrition, to improve agricultural activity and the living conditions of the rural population, is embodied in the encouragement of the agricultural sector, in increased production or in the promotion of an effective distribution of food supplies.  Yet this is not enough.  In effect, what those goals demand is a constant acknowledgment that the right of every person to be free of poverty and hunger depends on the duty of the entire human family to provide practical assistance to those in need....
    "This moment of evident difficulty must make us even more conscious that hunger and malnutrition are not only natural or structural phenomena in determined geographical areas, but the result of a more complex condition of underdevelopment caused by the indifference of many or the selfishness of a few....
    "We need to be aware that in these cases the freedom of choice of each must take into account solidarity towards all, in relation to actual needs, and the fulfilment in good faith of commitments undertaken or proclaimed.  In this regard, inspired also by the desire to encourage governments, I would like to make a symbolic contribution to the FAO programme that provides seeds to rural families in areas affected by the combined effects of conflicts and drought.  This gesture is offered in addition to the work that the Church continues to carry out, in accordance with her vocation to stand at the side of the earth’s poor and to accompany the effective commitment of all on their behalf.
    "This commitment is asked of us today by the 2030 Development Agenda, when it restates the idea that food security is a goal that can no longer be put off.  Yet only an effort inspired by authentic solidarity will be capable of eliminating the great number of persons who are undernourished and deprived of the necessities of life.  This is a very great challenge for FAO and for all the Institutions of the international community.  It is also a challenge that the Church is committed to on the front lines" (Pope Francis, 7/3/17).
  • " I would like to offer some considerations that, together with all the Pastors of the Catholic Church, I consider important in view of the forthcoming meeting of the G20, which will gather Heads of State and of Government of the Group of major world economies and the highest authorities of the European Union....
    "In the minds and hearts of government leaders, and at every phase of the enactment of political measures, there is a need to give absolute priority to the poor, refugees, the suffering, evacuees and the excluded, without distinction of nation, race, religion or culture, and to reject armed conflicts.  At this point, I cannot fail to address to the Heads of State and of Government of the G20, and to the entire world community, a heartfelt appeal for the tragic situation in South Sudan, the Lake Chad basin, the Horn of Africa and Yemen, where thirty million people are lacking the food and water needed to survive....
    "The history of humanity...presents us with a vast panorama of current and potential conflicts.  War, however, is never a solution.... all parties [must] commit themselves to substantially reducing levels of conflict, halting the present arms race and renouncing direct or indirect involvement in conflicts, as well as agreeing to discuss sincerely and transparently all their differences....

    "The fateful ideologies of the first half of the twentieth century have been replaced by new ideologies of absolute market autonomy and financial speculation (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 56).  In their tragic wake, these bring exclusion, waste and even death.  The significant political and economic achievements of the past century, on the other hand, were always marked by a sound and prudent pragmatism, guided by the primacy of the human being and the attempt to integrate and coordinate diverse and at times opposed realities, on the basis of respect for each and every citizen.  I pray to God that the Hamburg Summit may be illumined by the example of those European and world leaders who consistently gave pride of place to dialogue and the quest of common solutions: Schuman, De Gasperi, Adenauer, Monnet and so many others....
    "Problems need to be resolved concretely and with due attention to their specificity, but such solutions, to be lasting, cannot neglect a broader vision.  They must likewise consider eventual repercussions on all countries and their citizens, while respecting the views and opinions of the latter....there is need to make constant reference to the United Nations, its programmes and associated agencies, and regional organizations, to respect and honour international treaties, and to continue promoting a multilateral approach, so that solutions can be truly universal and lasting, for the benefit of all " (Pope Francis, 6/29/17).
  • "....Although I was saddened by Pope Francis's decision not to renew Cardinal Gerhard Muller for a second term as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the faith, I take consolation and encouragement from the fact that the Holy Father has appointed as Cardinal Muller's successor Archbishop Luis Ladaria. I know both men and hold them in high esteem....I am not privy to the Pope's reasoning in making these decisions, but I can tell you what is NOT going on here. He is not replacing a 'conservative' with a 'liberal'....I am sorry to see Cardinal Muller leave the CDF. He is a treasure of the Church and a true apostle. May God reward him--all six feet seven inches of him--for his dedicated and selfless service. I know I am far from alone in feeling enormous gratitude for his work and witness" (Professor Robert George of Princeton University, 7/1/17).
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071617.cfm  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071617.cfm  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071617.cfm  http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071617.cfm

"CATHOLIC BEGINNINGS - PHILADELPHIA"
(being broadcast at various time on EWTN)

1) CATHOLIC COLONIAL PENNSYLVANIA
2) EARLY JESUIT MISSIONARY ACTIVITY IN PENNSYLVANIA
3) REVOLUTIONARY AND EARLY NATIONAL CATHOLICISM IN PENNSYLVANIA
4) PROBLEMS OF LAY TRUSTEEISM IN PHILADELPHIA
5) THE NATIVIST RIOTS IN KENSINGTON
6) THE EPISCOPACY OF ST. JOHN NEUMAN
7) BISHOP NEUMANN AND THE BUILDING OF THE CATHEDRAL
8) TWENTIETH CENTURY CATHOLICISM IN PHILADELPHIA: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ST. KATHERINE DREXEL

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