My review of The 13th Day

Is up at Catholic Media Review.

It comes out on DVD on December 1st from Ignatius Press.

 Don't miss a great Christmas gift opportunity for your family.

Looking to give hope this Christmas? Give to Reece's Rainbow

Here's a great Christmas giving idea; sponsor the adoption of a foreign born child with Down syndrome at Reece's Rainbow with their Christmas Angel Tree project.

For only $35 sponsorship, you get this beautiful ornament and the knowlege that a little one who needs a loving home is that much closer to adoption by a family in the US. Seven children were recently adopted, thanks to generous donations defraying the cost.

Make a little one's future bright with a gift of hope this Christmas in honor of the Saviour.

Click here for more information on Reece's Rainbow.

Archbishop Chaput recommended Reeec'e Rainbow here. I requested that my folks give me this for Christmas last year.

The Last Supper Mocked

This is a painting of The Last Supper using models with Down syndrome. I love the treatment of the men; they are dignified and beautifuly posing, putting emphasis on the man portraying Christ. (click on photo to enlarge)

But the commentary below is far from dignified, it is titled "The Tard Supper".

Please go and leave a comment to enlighten this sick man
Here's the website of the artist.

See the original post here.

Review of A Christmas Carol

My review of the well done family film A Christmas Carol is up at MercatorNet.

All Hallows Eve 2009 at OneTrueMedia.com

This is our family commemoration of All Hallows Eve this year.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

November is the month of the Holy Souls

My column this month at Catholic Mom is about the happy death of my mother, Eleanor and the blessing she was to her family in her final days.

Please remember to pray for her and she will pray for you.

It's called Into the Mercy.

Pro-life Pumpkin

In honor of the 353 babies spared from abortion through 40 Days for Life I carved this pro-life pumpkin.

Well done, Church Militant!

Fr Angelo, FI on The Solemnity of All Saints

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that Thy faithful people may ever rejoice in honoring all Thy Saints, and may be defended by their unceasing prayers (post-communion prayer, Solemnity of All Saints).

After Holy Communion has been received during the Mass for the Solemnityof All Saints, the priest asks Almighty God that the prayers of the saints be a defense to all the faithful. All the saints are our elder brothers and sisters who have been victorious over sin and death through Christ's death and resurrection. Their garments have been washed inthe Blood of the Lamb (cf. Ap 22:14). They have passed through the fire and have come out the other side unscathed (cf. Dn 3:26). Now they are present to us in the Holy Spirit as our defenders and protectors.

But we must want to be protected. He who loves danger will perish in it(Eccl. 3:27). And danger is everywhere. We have a real enemy who isbent upon our destruction and all of sacred history is a chronicle of this endless war. Our enemy is our constant foe and our better in theart of war. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places (Eph6:12). We are not strong enough to resist this enemy, unless we want tobe protected by one who is stronger. So the Lord walks with us in the midst of our peril: His truth shall compass thee with a shield: thou shalt not be afraid ofthe terror of the night. Of the arrow that flieth in the day, of the business that walketh about in the dark: of invasion, or of the noonday devil (Ps 91:5-6).

Thus the Solemnity of All Saints is a feast in which we rejoice in the victory of the saints and in their protection. It is also a yearly occasion when we see played out before us the great conflict of the ages between light and darkness. The cosmic battle raging in our hearts is characterized by a particular violence because the opposing forces of history have, in our time, crossed the last river and met for one final wreck on the field of Armageddon. This is no prophecy of the last days, only the recognition of the signs of our times. This is the age of Satan unchained. It is the hour of darkness. But a voice pierces that darkness and it says: Who is like God. Only the saints can teach us to place ourselves under the protection of humility.Thus in our own day, we celebrate the victory of the saints every year and even while thus celebrating we are engaged in the struggle between light and darkness.

Halloween means "Holy Evening." The name is not, as sometimes asserted derived from the druid feast of Samhain. The name belongs to the light and we should reclaim it from the darkness.It is a night that belongs to the saints. And yet it has been claimed by the Prince of this World and very often even those who profess to be the friends of God follow the spirit-piper into the abyss of the pagan festival of darkness.

Over a decade ago at our friary in Griswold, Connecticut we resolved to fight on the side of the Saints and reclaim October 31 for the light. We celebrated a triduum of Masses from October 29-31, culminating in the celebration of the vigil of All Saints on the very night when the darkness seemed to hold sway. We offered our Communions in reparation for the sins committed against Almighty God around the world during Halloween and we encouraged our children place themselves in the shoes, tunics, habits and armor of the saints: to do more than play make-believe, but to make their costumes into "sacramentals, " so to speak, so as to invoke the presence of the saints and imbibe their virtues.

Over the years, unfortunately, the ideas of reparation for sin and real spiritual combat have taken second place to the opportunity of providing clean and wholesome family fun as an alternative to the usual compromises with the spirit of this world. And in the process of thus providing we have been sucked in by the spirit of unreality. Myths canpoint upward, but they can also lead astray, become a distraction from the real work needed to be done and from the very real danger at hand. I have to offer my mea culpa for leading the way in this. I apologize.We live in very dangerous times, in which not only the godless serve thePrince of this World, albeit knowingly and willingly, but in which also the pious and religious use all kinds of holy pretexts for acting in self-serving and worldly ways. We sometimes sacrifice our interior lives on the altar of conformity and groupthink, substituting the external forms of religion for a deep and uncompromising conversion.

In some ways Halloween at the friary has become like so many other things, a way to separate ourselves from those who do otherwise and create our own little culture of isolation. And in the end our eveningis really not as different from the worldly ways of Halloween. That is not to say that the children should not have an opportunity for fun, but that we should all have a greater sense of our opportunity to find holiness and conversion; to find light and the generosity to sacrifice ourselves for the lost souls of the world, among whom we should place ourselves as members of the same family, because in fact we are. Who is to say how lost anyone is compared to anyone else, except Him whose searing judgment we should all fear?

And so Halloween remains a yearly enactment of the cosmic war between light and darkness, and even among the hosts of God, we are not sureal ways if we are completely on the side of light. The enemy inserts his influence wherever he finds an opening, and we are generally lackadaisical in regard to protecting ourselves from his influence. We need to want to be protected.

Sometimes the prophetic voice of conscience is not a welcome sound. Sometimes we ignore the voice that God sends us, or discount its seriousness and its power. Sometimes we don't want to listen because we really do not want to be challenged or are afraid to leave our comfort zone. When "sometimes"becomes too many times our spiritual hearing is stifled by another voice, a voice of complacency, pride, self-interest and deception. Itis then we loose our desire to be protected.We cannot afford to loose the protection that God offers us.

The Solemnity of All Saints is our opportunity to pray for protection as we do in the prayer from the Mass. We need to turn to the saints, our friends, and show them our gratitude by spitting into the darkness and turning our back on it forever. We need to be grateful to the voice of light and kiss the feet of God's messenger: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings (Is 52:7). Weneed to want to be protected and make decisions that are in accord with that desire.

The Solemnity of All Saints originated in 609 when the Byzantine emperor Phocas gave the Roman temple, the Pantheon, to Pope Boniface IV, who,"after the pagan filth was removed," consecrated it to Holy Mary of the Martyrs. Pope Gregory III transferred the celebration of this event and extended its significance to All the Saints in the 8th century. It just so happened that the celebration corresponded more or less to the time of the druid harvest festival of Samhain, which was also a festival of the dead.

This history is a parable of life. The emperor paid his dues to God and the Church honored the Blessed Mother and the Martyrs. And God protected his people. But the enemy is always right around the corner, looking to wedge himself through any open crack and claim God'sterritory for himself.

On Halloween we need to do more to repent of our own sins and make good on the promises we have made to God to serve Him with all our hearts andto be instruments of forgiveness and mercy for souls lost in the darkness. We are to bear the torch of God's holiness to others, but we cannot do this unless we guard our hearts and beg the Blessed Mother, Queen of Martyrs, and all the saints to protect us.

Be mindful therefore from whence thou art fallen: and do penance and do the first works. Or else I come to thee and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou do penance (Ap 2:5).It would be a grace to go back to our old triduum and the simple spirit of reparation with which we began our celebration of Halloween. Try to spend some quiet time, if possible, before the Blessed Sacrament, on the night of the celebration. Make a visit to Jesus, andin his Holy Name ask for the grace to do penance and to make reparation for the sins of the night of darkness. As for the grace to want to be protected and give thanks for the godly voice that calls us back to our first love.

View Fr Angelo's original post on AirMaria.com

French Convent accepts sisters with Down syndrome

The following is a rough translation of a beautiful article on a French Benedictine community which embraces vocations from women with Down syndrome. The quote from the Mother Superior is something that I have often thought; our children cannot sin, no wonder they have such an amazing connection with God. Why shouldn't they be religious?
We have a lot to learn from them.

"The possibility that a person with disabilities can join of a community depends on the requirements of each: “The important thing is that this incapacity does not constitute an obstacle or insurmountable difficulty to be able to live the mission of the congregation, order or institute. It is not a type of discrimination, but rather of an act of charity towards these people, because it can be very frustrating them not to be able to realise their vocation, they explain from the Web http://www.vocación.org/.

But for the Disciples of the Lamb, this impediment does not exist. Founded in 1985, its vocation is especially contemplative, born in the Rule of San Benedict and the way of the Spiritual Childhood of Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus, and offers to the young people with Down syndrome the possibility of realizing her religious vocation, accompanied by other “valid” Sisters of the community.
For God there are no obstacles
“Although in the scope of the spiritual, the terms of “validity” and “incapacity” must be relativized”, affirms Sister Line, superior of the community. “The most serious incapacity perhaps is not the one produced by sin, that prevents the life of God in the soul? ”, she asks. “A person who welcomes the grace of God totally builds and opens her humanity”, she asserts.
The daily life consists of “prayer and labor” under the Benedictine Rule: they participate in the Mass, they pray and they do tasks of sewing, embroidery, confectioner's, etc. The community is assisted by the Fontgombault Benedictine monastery. Today, the community consists of ten sisters under the same under the same roof, all equally happy. "



Translated from the Spanish website Religion y Libertad.com
The image is a madonna and child where Jesus is depicted as having Down syndrome by Andrea Mantenga an Italian artist with a son who had Ds for a patron whose son had Ds as well.

Today's happy tidbit

For years, Christina has mispronounced dogs "gogs" so we have fallen into the bad habit of using her version of the word.

Today, when I referred to "gogs" she cocked a patient eyebrow at me and carefully enunciated "dogs" in correction.

I got the message.

All Hallows Eve Schedule at the Marian Friary of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Holy Mass is at 6:00 p.m. with costume judging to follow.
Game Booth is open after Mass until 9:00.

Bonfire & field activities will start around 9:00
Food:
Please bring:
a dish to share.
In order to keep the clean-up simple, please bring snack-type food in disposable containers, such as cheese & crackers, chips, veggie trays, fruit, cookies, etc.
a bag of candy for the game booth.

Please try to avoid products that contain peanuts as several families who come to the friary have children with peanut allergies.
Costume Judging:
7 & under - on the stage in the Multi-purpose room.
8+ - under a 2nd tent next to the Game Booth tent.

There is some flexibility within the age groups.
Please keep in mind that in order for a child in the 7 & under group to be qualified for judging he should be able to ideally answer the following questions about his saint:
What century did he live in?
Country of origin?
Was he a religious or lay person?
If religious, what order was he with?
If lay person, was he married?
What symbols is he associated with (ex. lamb - St. Agnes)?
What is he known for?

Here are a few words from St. Paul of the Cross:
"Therefore, be constant in practicing every virtue, and especially in imitating the patience of our dear Jesus, for this is the summit of pure love.

Live in such a way that all may know that you bear outwardly as well as inwardly the image of Christ crucified, the model of all gentleness and mercy. For if a man is united inwardly with the Son of the living God, he also bears his likeness outwardly by his continual practice of heroic goodness, and especially through a patience reinforced by courage, which does not complain either secretly or in public. Conceal yourselves in Jesus crucified, and hope for nothing except that all men be thoroughly converted to his will."

HT Mary Vitamin

All Hallows Eve Celebrations

Its so crazy here, my girls are sick and we are wrapping up 40 Days for Life this week. We hardly have time to plan for All Hallows Eve.

Thankfully the Marian Friary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Griswold, CT has a wonderful All Hallows Eve Mass on Saturday at 6PM which is followed by a festival complete with bonfire to keep the event holy with the right balance of holiness and spookiness.

Here's what I'll be bringing to the party, thanks to Totus Tuus Family Homeschool.

Our Lady calls a Hindu couple to become Catholics

Read this amazing story about how a Hindu woman's recurring dreams of the Blessed Mother calling her caused her conversion to Catholicism.
Does anyone doubt that Blessed Mother Teresa was interceding here?
Read the complete story in the Arlington Catholic Herald.

Putting your money where your mouth is

This morning I had four young women in the car and two dogs. We were heading to Long Island from Eastern CT in the rain. We passed by the abortion clinic where our diocese is holding 40 Days for Life and saw three young clinic escorts idly drinking coffee. Then a noticed a lone older man praying his rosary on the sidewalk. My heart broke, as I also saw the tell tale sign of a man waiting in his car while his girlfriend had an abortion; with their preschool son.
I asked the praying man, "are you alone?" "yes" he replied bravely. "Now, you're not," I answered firmly, heading off to park where abortion protesters are allowed.
Soon, the man was joined by five of us, three teenage girls, and my precious seven year old with Down syndrome. We prayed two rosaries for the escorts, the abortionist, and the nurses. but most especially the man, his girlfriend and their children; BOTH of them.
Sometimes saying you are pro-life means putting your money where your mouth is. Getting drenched in the rain when you had other plans. Risking ridicule from your peers, like my daughters did. Arriving late to your destination.
After forty minutes outside the clinic I spied a happy young couple approaching us, arm in arm under an umbrella, they eyes told us they were deeply in love.
They were the 11AM prayer warriors, and my new friend, John, a pro-lifer for three decades, would no longer be outnumbered by the pro-aborts outside.
There's a lesson to be learned by those of us who are old enough to remember when abortion was illegal. It's a happy one; the younger generation, the survivors of Roe v Wade are coming to take the torch of the pro-life movement from our tired grasp.
They are like this young woman who didn't let her studies at Notre Dame make her abort her daughter. She finished both her education and a tour in the Army.
Now she carries her good example to women at a Crisis Pregnancy Center in Charlotte, NC. This good work is supported by Belmont Abbey College.
Read more at Faith and Family Live.

National Right to Life Pro-life Essay Contest

Information can be found here.
Winners will be announced at the podium of the March for Life next January 22, 2009.

Archbishop Chaput addresses Catholic doctors on special needs children

Archbishop Chaput addressing Catholic Physicians in Phoenix addressed the lives of special needs children and how Catholic Doctors should be champions of the Culture of Life. He says that those who do not respect human life will be held accountable in the life to come.It seems that he fears a great moral challenge is ahead. . .


October 16, 2009
Remarks to Phoenix Catholic Physicians' Guild

I want to talk tonight about the kind of people we’re becoming, and what we can do about it. Especially what you can do about it. But it’s always good to start with a few facts before offering an opinion. So that’s what I’ll do.

A number of my friends have children with disabilities. Their problems range from cerebral palsy to Turner’s syndrome to Trisomy 18, which is extremely serious. But I want to focus on one fairly common genetic disability to make my point. I’m referring to Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome.

Those of us here tonight will already know that Down syndrome is not a disease. It’s a genetic disorder with a variety of symptoms. Therapy can ease the burden of those symptoms, but Down syndrome is permanent. There’s no cure. People with Down syndrome have mild to moderate developmental delays. They have low to middling cognitive function. They also tend to have a uniquely Down syndrome “look” – a flat facial profile, almond-shaped eyes, a small nose, short neck, thick stature and a small mouth which often causes the tongue to protrude and interferes with clear speech. People with Down syndrome also tend to have low muscle tone. This can affect their posture, breathing and speech.
Currently about 5,000 children with Down syndrome are born in the United States each year. They join a national Down syndrome population of roughly 400,000 persons. But that population may soon dwindle. And the reason why it may decline illustrates, in a vivid way, a struggle within the American soul. That struggle will shape the character of our society in the decades to come.

Prenatal testing can now detect up to 95 percent of pregnancies with a strong risk of Down syndrome. The tests aren’t conclusive. They can’t give a firm yes or no. But they’re pretty good. And the results of those tests are brutally practical. Studies show that more than 80 percent of unborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome now get terminated in the womb. They’re killed because of a flaw in one of their chromosomes – a flaw that’s neither fatal nor contagious, but merely undesirable.

The older a woman gets, the higher her risk of bearing a child with Down syndrome. And so, in medical offices around the country, pregnant women now hear from doctors or genetic counselors that their baby has “an increased likelihood” of Down syndrome based on one or more prenatal tests. Some doctors deliver this information with sensitivity and great support for the woman. But, as my friends know from experience, too many others seem more concerned about avoiding lawsuits, or managing costs, or even, in a few ugly cases, cleaning up the gene pool.

We’re witnessing a kind of schizophrenia in our culture’s conscience. In Britain, the Guardian newspaper recently ran an article lamenting the faultiness of some of the prenatal tests that screen for Down syndrome. Women who receive positive results, the article noted, often demand an additional test, amniocentesis, which has a greater risk of miscarriage. Doctors in the story complained about the high number of false positives for Down syndrome. “The result of [these false positives] is that babies are dying completely unnecessarily,” one med school professor said. “It’s scandalous and disgraceful … and causing the death of normal babies.” Those words sound almost humane – until we realize that, at least for the med school professor, killing “abnormal” babies like those with Down syndrome is perfectly acceptable.

In practice, medical professionals can now steer an expectant mother toward abortion simply by hinting at a list of the child’s possible defects. And the most debased thing about that kind of pressure is that doctors know better than anyone else how vulnerable a woman can be in hearing potentially tragic news about her unborn baby.

I’m not suggesting that doctors should hold back vital knowledge from parents. Nor should they paint an implausibly upbeat picture of life with a child who has a disability. Facts and resources are crucial in helping adult persons prepare themselves for difficult challenges. But doctors, genetic counselors, and med school professors should have on staff – or at least on speed dial – experts of a different sort.

Parents of children with special needs, special education teachers and therapists, and pediatricians who have treated children with disabilities often have a hugely life-affirming perspective. Unlike prenatal caregivers, these professionals have direct knowledge of persons with special needs. They know their potential. They’ve seen their accomplishments. They can testify to the benefits – often miraculous – of parental love and faith. Expectant parents deserve to know that a child with Down syndrome can love, laugh, learn, work, feel hope and excitement, make friends, and create joy for others. These things are beautiful precisely because they transcend what we expect. They witness to the truth that every child with special needs has a value that matters eternally.

Raising a child with Down syndrome can be hard. Parents grow up very fast. None of my friends who has a daughter or son with a serious disability is melodramatic, or self-conscious, or even especially pious about it. They speak about their special child with an unsentimental realism. It’s a realism flowing out of love – real love, the kind that courses its way through fear and suffering to a decision, finally, to surround the child with their heart and trust in the goodness of God. And that decision to trust, of course, demands not just real love, but also real courage.

The real choice in accepting or rejecting a child with special needs is never between some imaginary perfection or imperfection. None of us is perfect. No child is perfect. The real choice in accepting or rejecting a child with special needs is between love and unlove; between courage and cowardice; between trust and fear. That’s the choice we face when it happens in our personal experience. And that’s the choice we face as a society in deciding which human lives we will treat as valuable, and which we will not.

Nearly 50 percent of babies with Down syndrome are born with some sort of heart defect. Most have a lifelong set of health challenges. Some of them are serious. Government help is a mixed bag. Public policy is uneven. Some cities and states, like New York, provide generous aid to the disabled and their families. In many other jurisdictions, though, a bad economy has forced budget cuts. Services for the disabled -- who often lack the resources, voting power and lobbyists to defend their interests -- have shrunk. In still other places, the law mandates good support and care, but lawmakers neglect their funding obligations, and no one holds them accountable. The vulgar economic fact about the disabled is that, in purely utilitarian terms, they rarely seem worth the investment.

That’s the bad news. But there’s also good news. Ironically, for those persons with Down syndrome who do make it out of the womb, life is better than at any time in our nation’s history. A baby with Down syndrome born in 1944, the year of my own birth, could expect to live about 25 years. Many spent their entire lives mothballed in public institutions. Today, people with Down syndrome routinely survive into their 50s and 60s. Most can enjoy happy, productive lives. Most live with their families or share group homes with modified supervision and some measure of personal autonomy. Many hold steady jobs in the workplace. Some marry. A few have even attended college. Federal law mandates a free and appropriate education for children with special needs through the age of 21. Social Security provides modest monthly support for persons with Down syndrome and other severe disabilities from age 18 throughout their lives. These are huge blessings.

And, just as some people resent the imperfection, the inconvenience and the expense of persons with disabilities, others see in them an invitation to be healed of their own sins and failures by learning how to love.

About 200 families in this country are now waiting to adopt children with Down syndrome. Many of these families already have, or know, a child with special needs. They believe in the spirit of these beautiful children, because they’ve seen it firsthand. A Maryland-based organization, Reece’s Rainbow, helps arrange international adoptions of children with Down syndrome. The late Eunice Shriver spent much of her life working to advance the dignity of children with Down syndrome and other disabilities. Last September, the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation committed $34 million to the University of Colorado to focus on improving the medical conditions faced by those with Down syndrome. And many businesses, all over the country, now welcome workers with Down syndrome. Parents of these special employees say that having a job, however tedious, and earning a pay check, however small, gives their children pride and purpose. These things are more precious than gold.

I said at the start of my remarks tonight that I wanted to talk about the kind of people we’re becoming, and what we can do about it. And especially what you can do about it, both as medical professionals and as Catholics who take their faith seriously.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer once wrote that, “A man is truly ethical only when he obeys the compulsion to help all life which he is able to assist, and shrinks from injuring anything that lives.” Every child with Down syndrome, every adult with special needs; in fact, every unwanted unborn child, every person who is poor, weak, abandoned or homeless – each one of these persons is an icon of God’s face and a vessel of his love. How we treat these persons – whether we revere them and welcome them, or throw them away in distaste – shows what we really believe about human dignity, both as individuals and as a nation.

The American Jesuit scholar Father John Courtney Murray once said that “Anyone who really believes in God must set God, and the truth of God, above all other considerations.”

Here’s what that means. Catholic public officials who take God seriously cannot support laws that attack human dignity without lying to themselves, misleading others and abusing the faith of their fellow Catholics. God will demand an accounting. Catholic doctors who take God seriously cannot do procedures, prescribe drugs or support health policies that attack the sanctity of unborn children or the elderly; or that undermine the dignity of human sexuality and the family. God will demand an accounting. And Catholic citizens who take God seriously cannot claim to love their Church, and then ignore her counsel on vital public issues that shape our nation’s life. God will demand an accounting. As individuals, we can claim to be or believe whatever we want. We can posture, and rationalize our choices, and make alibis with each other all day long -- but no excuse for our lack of honesty and zeal will work with the God who made us. God knows our hearts better than we do. If we don’t conform our hearts and actions to the faith we claim to believe, we’re only fooling ourselves.

We live in a culture where our marketers and entertainment media compulsively mislead us about the sustainability of youth; the indignity of old age; the avoidance of suffering; the denial of death; the meaning of real beauty; the impermanence of every human love; the dysfunctions of children and family; the silliness of virtue; and the cynicism of religious faith. It’s a culture of fantasy, selfishness and illness that we’ve brought upon ourselves. And we’ve done it by misusing the freedom that other -- and greater -- generations than our own worked for, bled for and bequeathed to our safe-keeping.

What have we done with that freedom? In whose service do we use it now?

John Courtney Murray is most often remembered for his work at Vatican II on the issue of religious liberty, and for his great defense of American democracy in his book, We Hold These Truths. Murray believed deeply in the ideas and moral principles of the American experiment. He saw in the roots of the American Revolution the unique conditions for a mature people to exercise their freedom through intelligent public discourse, mutual cooperation and laws inspired by right moral character. He argued that -- at its best -- American democracy is not only compatible with the Catholic faith, but congenial to it.

But he had a caveat. It’s the caveat George Washington implied in his Farewell Address, and Charles Carroll – the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence -- mentions in his own writings. In order to work, America depends as a nation on a moral people shaped by their religious faith, and in a particular way, by the Christian faith. Without that living faith, animating its people and informing its public life, America becomes something alien and hostile to the very ideals it was founded on.

This is why the same Father Murray who revered the best ideals of the American experiment could also write that “Our American culture, as it exists, is actually the quintessence of all that is decadent in the culture of the Western Christian world. It would seem to be erected on the triple denial that has corrupted Western culture at its roots: the denial of metaphysical reality, of the primacy of the spiritual over the material, [and] of the social over the individual . . . Its most striking characteristic is its profound materialism . . . It has given citizens everything to live for and nothing to die for. And its achievement may be summed up thus: It has gained a continent and lost its own soul.”

Each of you here tonight who serves in the medical profession has a sacred vocation. That vocation of healing comes from Jesus Christ himself. I don’t mean just curing people’s aches and pains, although physical healing is so very important. I mean the kind of healing that comes when a suffering person is understood and loved, and knows that she’s understood and loved. That requires a different kind of medicine. The medicine of patience. The medicine of listening. The medicine of respect.

Over the years, I’ve learned that when God takes something away from a person, he gives back some other gift that’s equally precious. Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, is a friend of mine. Rick has always been Catholic, and always prolife. But it’s one thing to argue in Congress for the sanctity of life. It’s another to prove it by your actions under pressure. Last year Rick’s wife gave birth to a beautiful daughter named Bella. Bella has Trisomy 18. Against the odds, that little girl is still alive and still growing. And she’s surrounded by a family devoted to loving her, 24 hours a day.

Rick and his wife have no illusions about the prospects for their daughter. No one “recovers” from Trisomy 18. But he said to me once that each day he has with Bella makes him a little bit more of a “whole person.” It’s one of God’s ironies that the suffering imperfection brings, can perfect us in the vocation of love. Rick’s daughter is an education in the dignity of every human life; a tutor in the meaning of love – and not just for themselves, but for me as their friend, and for dozens of other people who encounter the Santorum family every week. Another friend of mine has a son with Down syndrome, and she calls him a “sniffer of souls.” He may have an IQ of 47, and he’ll never read The Brothers Karamazov, but he has a piercingly quick sense of the heart of the people he meets. He knows when he’s loved -- and he knows when he’s not. Ultimately, we’re all like her son. We hunger for people to confirm that we have meaning by showing us love. We need that love. And we suffer when that love is withheld.

The task you need to take home with you tonight is this. Be the best doctors, nurses and medical professionals you can be. Your skill gives glory to God. But be the best Catholics you can be first. Pour your love for Jesus Christ into the healing you do for every person you serve. By your words and by your actions, be a witness to your colleagues. Speak up for what you believe. Love the Church. Defend her teaching. Trust in God. Believe in the Gospel. And don’t be afraid. Fear is beneath your dignity as sons and daughters of the God of life.

Changing the course of American culture seems like such a huge task; so far beyond the reach of this little gathering tonight. But St. Paul felt exactly the same way. Redeeming and converting a civilization has already been done once. It can be done again. But we need to understand that God is calling you and me to do it. He chose us. He calls us. He’s waiting, and now we need to answer him. "
Let's pray that not only these doctors but all doctors are listening, they may have to resist the demands of Obamacare if we are not successful in stopping it.

Read his entire address on the Archdiocese of Denver website.

Thank you Congressman Chris Smith

For recognizing the Appreciation Award from Keep Infants with Down Syndrome on your website, which we gave you last January. You are an outstanding advocate for all unborn children, typical or disabled and we are proud to call you our friend.

Come and see our new KIDS blog and keep up with the latest news.

Listen to the latest Among Women podcast, where Pat Gohn and I discuss how I became a pro-life advocate and began KIDS with Eileen Haupt.

Shrine of the North American Martyrs and other family pilgrimages

If your family is like mine, you probably have family spread all over the country, and most vacations are spent visiting them. That doesn't mean that your family can't make a pilgrimage, however, you just have to find shrines in the area you are going to visit. I found the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, NY and the nearby National Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in Fonda, NY just accross the Mohawk River. My oldest daughter was nine, and my middle daughter was four when my family visited these holy sites, but they were still profoundly moved by seeing the site of Kateri's Longhouse and the well she was baptized which still flows with clear water. They were able to visit the river bank where St Jean de Brobeuf (whose memorial we celebrate today)babtized Indian children, and where his body and that of were thrown after their martyrdom. Experiences like this will be remembered long after the glow of an amusement park has subsided.

The Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine Church has a North American Indian theme, and a fasinating array of artifacts in the museum below. The North American Martyrs Shrine has a commanding view of the river, beautiful and extensive grounds and facilities for large groups. The stadium-like church has statues dedicated to each of the French Jesuits who gave their lives for conversion of the Indians. It served to remind them of the often hidden Catholic heritage of the United States. A little known fact about the Shrine is that Fr Corapi had the LONG and colorful confession which brought him back to his Catholic faith, and ended with the words, "and, father, I think I want to become a priest", much to the shock of his elderly confessor!

My family may never get to see the great shrines of Europe, yet they were deeply impressed with the silent witness of the lives of these holy Catholics. We look forward to our next shrine visit; I owe Our Lady of La Leche a visit to the Shrine of Nombre de Dios in St Augustine Florida in thanksgiving for successfully nursing my three girls.

I recommend the video series of The Faithful Traveler top quality videos on various shrines, both in America and Europe. They are interesting, informative without being boring, because they offer plenty of high quality footage of the shrines they cover.

Next time you're planning a family vacation, look up shrines and make your trip something to refresh both body and soul!

Living without limits; the can-do attitude

REAL Health Care Respects LIFE

Benefits of bad weather

This afternoon, since the girls are home with scratchy throats and stuffy noses, we are sipping tea and bracing ourselves for the Nor-easter's second wave. Last night, we were able to show my sister-in-law Milagro who is staying with us from El Salvador, her first snow.
The firewood is stacked, we have: milk, eggs, ice cream, and the ingredients for fresh apple pie, so let it snow.
All we need now is a good book to cuddle with. . .
Speaking of which, Lisa Hendey from Catholic Mom.com has a good book to recommend.

I'm so happy to share some very exciting news with you about a major occurrence beginning next week at CatholicMom.com. Our friend and fellow CatholicMom.com contributor Katherine Valentine, author of several wonderful novels, has volunteered to share her newest novel, Sweet Dreams, with our readers on CatholicMom.com!

Katherine's previous novels have been such a wonderful inspiration to me and so many other book lovers. I know this one will be as well, and would love to share this opportunity with as many folks as possible!

Click here to find details on how to get Katherine's latest novel.

Apostolic Visitation of Women Religious

I am writing an article for my diocesan paper about the "Sacrifice of Enduring Love" Eucharistic Conference at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception last September 11. There were hundreds of young nuns in beautiful habits, full of love for the Eucharist and dedication to their vocation, part of the CMSWR (Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious).

This is just the kind of religious sisters the Holy Father was hoping to find when he ordered the Apostolic Visitation of Institutes of Women Religious, yet US Catholic magazine is framing it as an attack on US sisters. They have a poll here about Americans' opinion on the visitation.
So far it looks like Americans think the visitation is necessary.

What do you think?

Whoopi Goldberg wrong choice for Toys 'R Us catalogue

I sent Christina's photo (late) for consideration for this catalogue. Good thing we never heard back from Toys R Us, I would have been faced with the possibility that Christina could be the little girl sitting on Whoopi Goldberg's lap in this catalogue.
I applaud Toys R Us efforts to include our children, but don't approve of Whoopi as a role model for our children. First of all she has made no secret of her approval of the murder of the unborn. Our children are targeted for abortion at a rate of 90% so we take her stand personally.
Second, she defended Roman Polanski's planned rape of a 13 year old girl, taking the stand that it was a consensual act. Thirteen year olds under the influence of alcohol and drugs are NOT capable of giving consent to a sexual act with an older stranger, under the law.
So, Toys 'R Us, get John McGinley from the TV show "Scrubs"(see photo), who has a son with Down syndrome, or better yet, an actor like Ashley Wolfe, Blair Williamson or Chris Burke who all have Trisomy 21 to do your next catalogue photo shoot. You can find their profiles at the DSIA.

UPDATE: Diane Grover of International Down Syndrome Coatilition for Life has taken action on this issue, and Toys 'R Us is listening. See her post below.

"I have spoken with Toys R Us, and the person who spoke with me is aware that we are working on this. She is very interested in passing our post to those that matter, so they can better understand why this might conflict for our families. She was wonderful, and both of us are hoping this can be a teachable moment for the Toys R Us company!! "
We have a unique opportunity to share how wonderful our children are, and the sad statistic of abortion, in and out of the Ds community. Unlike other advocacy groups, who can not discuss this, the IDSC has the ability to reach many people concerning this issue. Please consider taking a moment to share the beauty of your child, and how it makes you feel to see a pro choice advocate, advocating for your child. Remember, this ad is for those with disablities, and in the small print on the ad, it states that Whoopi Goldberg is a "Child Advocate". If she is not advocating for them to live, she stops short of advocating for children.

http://idscforlife.wordpress.com/

Down syndrome footprint

If you look at this footprint, and you're like me, you'll say, "Huh, I don't understand why this is a symbol of Down syndrome." Look more closely. There is an unusual space between the big toe and the rest of the toes. That is one of the signs of Trisomy 21 which the pediatrician used to diagnose Christina in the delivery room.

Check out their adorable line of accessories on their website Down Syndrome Footprint, and the mom's new blog The Husby Five.

My experiences with the rosary

In honor of the feast day of Our Lady of the Rosary, read my story on how the rosary has become woven into the fabric of my life in my story, "A Mother's Mysteries" on Rosary.com.
Cross posted at Catholic Mom.com and Catholic TV

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

15 Promises for those who say the Rosary

These promises were given by our Blessed Mother to St. Dominic.

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
3. The Rosary will be a powerful armor against hell. It will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.
4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. Those who recommend themselves to me by the recitation of the Rosary shallnot perish.
6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just, he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death, the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.
9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.
11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.
12. All those who propagate the holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.
14. All who recite the Rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only son, Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
HT Spiritual Woman

Hartford Catholic Examiner

I am now live as the Hartford Catholic Examiner. Read my posts about the Guadalupe Celebration which launched Carl Andersen's new book "Our Lady of Guadalupe; Mother of a Civilization of Love" by clicking here.

The Celebration featured a Marian Procession through the campus of Yale University only three days before the tragic murder of Annie Le. Our Lady must have known that Yale needed our prayers.
My slide show of the procession is listed with my posts.

UPDATE:
Thanks to you, I am, in only one day, the most read Examiner in Hartford.

Top Examiners in Hartford

1. Hartford Catholic Examiner
2. New Haven Movie Examiner
3. Hartford Women's Style Examiner
4. Hartford Books Examiner
5. Boston Celtics Examiner

Feast of the Little Flower St Therese of Lisieux

The Last poem written by St. Therese
Soon, soon, to heaven that waits for us, my soul shall swiftly fly.
O Thou who can'st to smile on me at dawn of life's beginning!
Come once again to smile on me.... Mother! the night is nigh.
I fear no more thy majesty, so far, so far above me,
For, I have suffered sore with thee; now hear my heart's deep cry!
Oh! let me tell thee face to face, dear Virgin! how I love thee;
And say to thee forevermore:
thy little child am I.

HT Mary Vitamin