Grace & Peace in 2009

As a reminder, I am spending time with family and friends over the twelve days of Christmas and will return to DC (and regular blogging) soon. I hope these days have been as blessed for you as they have been for me!

God save us in 2009.

Papist Picture of the Day - 12/28/08

Monsignor Ganswein: "My preeeeeeeeeeeecious!"

[source: AFP/Filippo Monteforte]

Photo: Christmas Eve in St. Peter's Square

"People walk around a Nativity scene, center below the obelisk, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008. Pope Benedict XVI is gearing up for his Christmas celebrations with Midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. The Vatican's Christmas festivities began several hours earlier Wednesday with the unveiling of the larger-than-life Nativity scene next to the Vatican's largest-ever Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)."

Papist Picture of the Day - 12/24/08

A rare shot of a cardinal about to bilocate.

[source: AP Photo/Max Rossi, pool]

Free download: O Emmanuel Antiphon Chant

A little freebie offered by Paraclete Press.

Hiatus

Posting has been light (and will be lighter) due to my finishing up school and work in DC, and heading back home to MI for Christmas this weekend. In the meantime, safe travels to everyone who is journeying, especially through the nasty conditions many of us can expect! I'll try to chirp on twitter from time to time.

2009 Pro-Life Blog Awards have begun

Hosted by the American Life League.

Hop on over if you're a pro-life blogger!

Pope 'more likely to die after Wales won Grand Slam'

I can't tell if this is actually being regarded as "news".

Silly British tabloids.

Viva il Papa!

Ph/t: AmP Reader Tim.

Two-Day AmP Gear Sale!

Two exciting offers, just to make sure everyone who wants Papist Gear this Christmas, gets Papist Gear this Christmas:

1) CafePress is offering a free upgrade to its premium shipping through Friday to ensure Dec. 24th delivery.

2) I'm dropping prices on AmP Gear until Friday (midnight EST) to help out folks on a budget!

Click here to browse the AmP CafePress store.

And remember what I said in my first post - I'd love to have people send me their pics of their Papist Gear in action ... on the road, at home, at seminary, at school - be creative!

Pro-Life Blog wins Canadian Blog Awards

... by a whopping margin of almost 60% of the vote!

Thanks to all you Papists who heard my call and voted! Hopefully more people hear about this fine blog.

EWTN provides Digital Advent Wreath for those on a budget

For your inner devotional pyromaniac:

http://ewtn.com/

I tried to light the whole homepage on fire.

Pro-Life Rick Warren to Give Invocation at Obama Inauguration

CBNews:

Pro-life pastor Rick Warren will give the invocation at President-Elect Barack Obama’s inauguration. It makes a whole lot of sense. Even though Warren and Obama disagree on the life issue, they do see eye to eye on many social justice issues. This move is also classic Obama because it is a signal to religious conservatives that he’s willing to bring in both sides to the faith discussion in this country. Obama has never shied away from that.

So how's this "pleasing both sides" working out?

"Gay leaders furious with Obama."

Oh.

(And by the by: why are pro-lifers okay when Obama invites them, but are otherwise to be shunned?)

Cash offered to addicts, alcoholics who agree to sterilization

This is so offensive to the dignity of the human person!

Instead of attempting to cure the cause of people's ills, some are attempting to nullify the inconvenience these people cause to the rest of society:

Folks at downtown's Ronstadt Transit Center on Tuesday afternoon had a way to make a quick $300.

The only stipulation was that the people be drug addicts or alcoholics who agree to long-term birth control.

The group Project Prevention, started by Barbara Harris in 1997, has so far paid more than 2,800 men and women across the nation.

.... Acceptable long-term birth control includes tubal ligation, Depo Provera shots and IUDs for women, or a vasectomy for men. (Tuscon Citizen)

Here's how Project Prevention responds to criticism:

"Those who oppose what we're doing should be willing to step up and adopt a few of the babies," Harris said. "These women can't raise these children."

Don't bother mentioning why people might oppose this.

I wonder how these unfortunate addicted people are going to use this $300 ... oh, that's right.

Pope Benedict: crisis helps restore simplicity to Christmas

Make no mistake: poverty is not a good in itself.

But riches can and so often do distract us from our true treasure in heaven:

The world economic crisis might mean fewer Christmas presents, but Pope Benedict XVI says that tough times can give back simplicity and solidarity to holiday celebrations.

Benedict has expressed hope that the financial crisis will help people focus on the spiritual meaning of Christmas, when Christians worldwide mark the birth of Jesus.

Benedict says the crisis can help people to rediscover what he calls "the warmth, simplicity, friendship and solidarity" contained in authentic Christmas values.

The pope reflected on economic suffering during his traditional Wednesday audience with pilgrims and tourists at the Vatican. (AP)

You can read the complete text of the Holy Father's (short) address here.

Papist Picture of the Day - 12/17/08

Today's Top Post: Introducing American Papist Apparel!

Pope Benedict receives his Christmas bonus check for a job "very well done."

[source: REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito (VATICAN)]

Nominations for Catholic New Media and Innovation Awards

AmP is in, and so can you. From LoveToBeCatholic.com founder Thomas Hall:

At long last, I am moving forward with an informal award to recoginize excellence in Catholic New Media and innovation. This is my small effort to bring attention to the good work of many talented people who unselfishly find unique and original ways to evangelize the Catholic faith.

I set up a special email account to accept suggestions: awards@lovetobecatholic.com

There are no specific award categories. I prefer to keep the nomination field broad and defined only as new media and innovation. It will be fun to see what suggestions people send to us.

Here is a link to my blog post about the awards.

Spread the word!

A legislative threat to the Archdiocese of Washington?

Local blogger William Newton alerts us:

Former Mayor and current City Councilman Marion Barry is known for (and has plead guilty to) many things. Now he appears to be spearheading a movement to go after the Archdiocese of Washington in court. In the interest of supporting our Archdiocese, I supply the following which was forwarded to me[]. Please pray, and do what you can to combat this effort.

I'm looking for some confirmation. Has anyone else heard about this?

update: read the DC Wire to get more of the back story. Note how enemies of the Church cleverly phrase their arguments to mask their intentions. But their aims are obvious: they want to further pilfer Church assets.

update 2: Read this letter to the editor in WaPo from the Arch. of Washington's Chancellor.

Ph/t: Eric Wilson.

iBreviary for your iPhone!

iCool! A digital vade mecum:

Ph/t: Cellphone9 via IntoMobile.

Jeff Miller has the authorized St. Blogs' review of the program.

While it's been widely claimed the iBreviary is "Vatican approved", there isn't in fact any congregation in charge of approving/endorsing software programs. Jeff claims, however, that the Vatican's Council for Social Communications has mentioned it. I'd imagine that if the program simply faithfully transposes the text of an authorized Breviary, the approval carries over with it.

Gee, all I need now is an iPhone. *sigh*.

update: a clarification directly from the creator of the program, Don Paolo Padrini, who says representatives at the Vatican have mentioned and appreciate the application.

15 sedevacantist nuns rejoin the Catholic Church

Tales of hope ought to be widely told:

Last July, 15 nuns from a schismatic convent in Washington state rejoined the Catholic Church. They left the motherhouse of the Religious Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI), located on the outskirts of Spokane, to form a new congregation: the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church. They formally renounced their state of schism, made a profession of the Catholic faith, became a private association of the faithful under the care of Spokane Bishop William Skylstad, and recognized the legitimacy of the popes from Paul VI through Benedict XVI.

Their former order, which still has approximately 35 sisters, holds to the sedevacantist position that popes elected since John XXIII are invalid and that Vatican II was a heretical council.

Welcome home.

Westminster Abbey adds Hindu snowmen to Christmas displays

'Tis the season ... to be kooky:

Some Anglican clergy have added a multicultural twist to Christmas decorations, adding Hindu snowmen, a Chinese dragon and a Jewish temple to the lawn where the traditional scene of a baby Jesus, angels, and the three wise men used to be displayed alone.

“Strictly speaking, the message of Christmas is about the birth of Christ, but it has a much broader message of peace and goodwill,” said Hedges.

Westminster Abbey will showcase life-size snowmen with turbans and bindi dots on their foreheads to send out the message that Christmas is not exclusively for Christians.

The Diocese of Liverpool will stage a nativity that features a Chinese dragon and lantern procession. (Christian Today)

Aside from providing good "photo caption call" fodder, this is such malarkey.

... though I'd love to see the Chinese Dragon take on the Hindu snowmen!

(Related: Barack and Michelle Obama are appearing in Italian nativity scenes this year.)

And if you're looking for a little sanity in all this madness, run to Fr. James Schall:

".... my theory about the elimination of Christmas is more subtle than just prejudice or bigotry, which also exists. “Tis the season to be jolly.” You cannot celebrate something for no reason. All holidays were originally holy days. Celebrations could not be something simply “man-made.” They have to arise out of what is unexpected, startling, transcendent, too good to be true. We do not have holidays just to have holidays..."

And we don't put up Nativity Scenes just to get rid of that extra wood we had lying in the back yard.

December 17: O Sapientia

Today begin the O Antiphons.

I grew up with this wonderful tradition, and would recommend it to you.

CatholicCulture explains (and provides directions for how to pray them):

"December 17 marks the beginning of the "O" Antiphons, the seven jewels of our liturgy, dating back to the fourth century, one for each day until Christmas Eve. These antiphons address Christ with seven magnificent Messianic titles, based on the Old Testament prophecies and types of Christ. The Church recalls the variety of the ills of man before the coming of the Redeemer."

Today's O Antiphon:

O Sapientia (December 17) O Wisdom (Eccl 24: 5), you came forth from the mouth of the Most High (Sir 24: 30), and reaching from beginning to end, you ordered all things mightily and sweetly (Wis 8: 1). Come, and teach us the way of prudence (Isa 40: 14).

If you are around kids, you might also consider building an "O" Antiphon House!

update: Sandro Magister also writes on the O Antiphons today.

Abortion industry to receive $1.5BILLION bailout

Talk about change we don't need.

With all the money being tossed around by the government these days, pro-abortion activists smell blood in the water. The Susan B. Anthony list gives us some of the grim details:

The Abortion Bailout Package:

* $1 BILLION dollars in taxpayer funding for International Abortion Groups
* $700 million in taxpayer funding for “Title X” Health Clinics (aka your local Planned Parenthood affiliate)
* $65 million for the UNFPA, an international aid organization connected to coercive abortion as part of China’s coercive one-child policy
* Repeal the Hyde Amendment – Vastly expanding federal taxpayer funding for abortions
* Include Abortion coverage in any taxpayer-subsidized national health care program

SBA provides an online form to let you write a letter to your Senator easily.

Deal Hudson provides more context:

Go to Change.gov, the Web site of President-elect Barack Obama, and you'll find a document titled "Advancing Reproductive Rights and Health in a New Administration." Signed by dozens of pro-abortion groups, including Catholics for Choice, this 55-page document provides an overview of the marching orders for the Obama administration in removing all present restrictions on abortions while dramatically increasing abortion funding.

... The attitude expressed in "Advancing Reproductive Rights and Health in a New Administration" is anything but moderate -- it is imperial, determined, and uncompromising. The fact that it is posted on the official Web site of the Obama-Biden transition is an unambiguous endorsement of its policy recommendations.

Introducing American Papist Apparel!

Plenty of folks have asked me over the years why there wasn't any such thing as American Papist fan gear?

There's a simple answer: I don't know how to make it.

Well, lucky for us, Erik Bootsma has genersouly contributed his top-notch graphic design services, so now we're happy to offer you the first "official" American Papist fan gear on CafePress for American Papist Fans.

... and not just AmP fans, but also anyone who wants a distinctive "Not Your Average Catholic" brand of clothing.

Shirts, Hoodies, Kids clothes, Hats, Bags, Mugs, Buttons, Magnets, ... we got it all. I think the stickers are cool, myself.

And if you need some graphic design work done for you, well, you can already tell Erik knows his stuff. Contact him at erikbootsma [at] yahoo.com and see if he can help! (update: and also visit his blog, Beatus Est.)

And do please spread the word around about AmP Apparel!

Also, I'd like to create a gallery of AmP fans sporting their papist gear. So if you buy something from the story, send me a picture of you with it and I'll figure out a cool way to use it down the road!