"if we presevere we shall also reign with Him."

• Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (10/7/19)

• The Rosary, Lepanto's Hope (Catholic Insight, 10/7/19) 

• In a.d. 622, Mohammed set out from Medina to conquer the whole Christian world for Allah by force of arms. Within a hundred years, his successors had occupied and pillaged every Christian capital of the Middle East, from Antioch through North Africa (home of Saint Augustine) and Spain.  All that remained outside Allah's reign was the northern arc from Southern France to Constantinople.... A long line of great warrior sultans sponsored Turkish advances in shipbuilding, gunnery, military organization, and training. By the mid 1550s they had slowly conceived of a long-term offensive, a pincers movement first by sea and then by land, to conquer the whole northern shore of the Mediterranean. Their ultimate aim was to take all Italy; then all Europe. First, in 1565, they launched a massive sea attack on the crossroads of the Mediterranean, the strategically placed island of Malta. They were repelled after an epic siege (which in itself is one of history's great stories). A later northern pincers movement by land was aimed at an attack up through the Balkans, for the conquest of Budapest, and then in a northeast arc into Slovakia and Poland. In this way, the Muslim forces would essentially encircle Italy from the north. The capture of Vienna — and thus the cutting off of Italy, for easy conquest — was the prize most sought.  Because by 1540 the Reformation had begun separating the Christian nations of the north from Rome, the sultans soon recognized that the Christian world would no longer fight as one. The next hundred years or so would be the most fruitful time since 632 to fulfill the destiny of Islam in Europe....
  
  "The Knights of Malta, the premier sea warriors of the time, offered their small but highly skilled fleet in support of the pope's appeal ….an enormous Muslim fleet, nearly 100 ships larger than their own, was sailing near to land toward the Gulf of Lepanto.... In four hours the battle was over....As news of the great victory of October 7 reached shore, church bells rang all over the cities and countryside of Europe. For months, Pius V had urged Catholics to say the daily rosary on behalf of the morale and good fortune of the Christian forces and, above all, for a successful outcome to the highly risky preemptive strike against the Turkish fleets. Thereafter, he declared that October 7 would be celebrated as the Feast of 'Mary, Queen of Victory.' A later Pope added the title 'Queen of the Most Holy Rosary' in honor of the laity's favorite form of prayer....
  
  "King Sobieski of Poland had drawn the privilege of advancing on the right flank, through the heart of the Vienna Wood....Late on September 11, just as his men were making their initial contact with the Turkish outposts, and the final battle began to be joined, the king formed a resolution to attack on the morrow as swiftly and with as much surprise as possible....once again, this time by land, the Muslims had attempted to fulfill the Prophet's command to spread Islam to all corners of the world decisively, with force....After September 11-12, 1683, that power kept receding, on into modern times.  Still, it should surprise no one that the date chosen to bring the new resurgence of modern Muslim ambition to the whole world's attention was also September 11, 318 years after 1683....
  
  "In matters of the spirit, we seem always to become tongue-tied, as if lacking in spirited confidence. We do not insist on presenting better arguments in recognition of the inalienable rights to human liberty that our totalitarian opponents deny.  Mere secular force will not do, since the fundamental battle is spiritual. Thus, the same movie seems to be played over and over. That is the historical record, it seems, at least in regard to October 7, 1571, and September 11-12, 1683, after Lepanto, and after Vienna" (National Review Online, 10/7/14).


• Christians in Pakistan Christians Give Children Islamic Names to Avoid Abuse in School (Zenit, 10/7/19)

• From the tomb of the Apostle James, the destination of many pilgrims from every part of our continent, we too, the Bishops of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, renew our profession of faith on the foundation of the Apostles....We have come to Santiago de Compostela, a city in the westernmost tip of Europe....as morning watchmen, vigilant and ready to point to the new day, we want to give a message of hope to Europe in distress and say forcefully: Wake up, Europe!....Rediscover your roots, Europe!….We believe that the true answer to all questions of meaning is Jesus Christ, the countenance of the Father" (10/5/19) 

• "In Northeastern Syria, even Muslims have real religious freedom....This spark of religious liberty, if not snuffed out, could transform the whole Middle East in future decades....The Islamist dictatorship that Tayyip Erdogan leads in Turkey wants to wipe the new region out" (The Stream, 10/6/19). 

• "President Donald J. Trump spoke with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey by telephone. Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria. The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation, and United States forces, having defeated the ISIS territorial 'Caliphate,' will no longer be in the immediate area. The United States Government has pressed France, Germany, and other European nations, from which many captured ISIS fighters came, to take them back, but they did not want them and refused. The United States will not hold them for what could be many years and great cost to the United States taxpayer. Turkey will now be responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area captured over the past two years in the wake of the defeat of the territorial 'Caliphate' by the United States" (The White House, 10/6/19)

• "In [Arthur] Fleck’s deterministic march into murder, we see how little [Director Todd] Phillips believes in individual agency and choice. Fleck’s not responsible, it’s all the world’s fault.... Director Christopher Nolan’s celebrated Batman movie trilogy from 2005 to 2012 provided a counterpoint to the despair and corruption of Gotham in its portrayal of a troubled man, Bruce Wayne, who suffered to save his city.  'Joker' succeeds only in expressing a common sentiment of our times—a universal indictment of society without nuance, charity, or counterpoint" (Daily Signal, 10/6/19)

National Concerns

• Submit Your Official Comment to Say: Pro-Life Health Workers Must Not Be Forced to Assist With Abortions (Susan B Anthony List)

• Oppose the Misleadingly Named Do No Harm Act (cf, American Life League)

• Oppose the Misnamed Equality Act (Human Life Action)

• Support the Heartbeat Bill, HR 3985 (cf, LifeSite)

• Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (cf, USCCB)

• Born-Alive Legislation Deserves a Vote in the People's House (USCCB) 

• Support the Equal Campus Access Act, HR3243/S1168 (USCCB)

• Please urge the President, your Senator and Congressman to Maintain the Refugee Resettlement Program (Pa Catholic Conference)

• "Make the Family Great Again" petition

Commonwealth of Pa

(Pa Catholic Conference Legislative Review and Voter Voice)

• Please Urge Your Senator and Representative to Co-Sponsor the "Heartbeat" Anti-Abortion Bill (Pa Catholic Conference) 

• Please contact your Rep, Senator, and the Governor to ask for a religious exemption for Catholic adoptions (Pa Catholic Conference) (See also the Pa Family Council link.)

• Call for Funding Increase for Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) (Pa Catholic Conference) 

• Ask Your Representative to Co-Sponsor Speaker Turzai's Bill to Help Harrisburg Public School Students (Pa Catholic Conference)

• "the U.S. Department of Homeland Security defines human trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery that involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. It is estimated to be a $100-billion global industry that can be found everywhere, including Pennsylvania....the vast majority of people involved in prostitution are the victims of human trafficking....Pennsylvania needs harsher punishments to discourage human traffickers and their customers. That’s why the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference supports SB 60 and HB 12" (Daily Item, 9/24/19)

The Garden State

• Support the NJ Born Alive Survivors Protection Act A5287/S3905 (NJRTL)

• Vote No on S4103/ A5802 (NJRTL)

• Oppose NJ S3804/A5508 and S3813/A5510 (NJ Catholic Conference)

• Support the NJ Pain Capable Unborn child Protection Act, A 1686/S537 (http://protectviablebabies.com/take-action/)

On the right side of the home page, you will find links to email Church leadership about "Catholic" health care, Bucks country representation in DC, Bucks County representation in Harrisburg, Central NJ representation in DC and Central NJ in Trenton.