Thankful





















Dare to be an Evangelist - Patrick Sullivan




Resources

  • Application for Life
    • iMissal - An app to edify your faith for life.  "Whether you are a Priest, Deacon, Lector, RCIA Candidate or Parishioner, iMissal has something for you!"
    • The Complete Rosary (R. Kochis)


Labels:

Just War Theory and Contemporary Application


















"Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."  — Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa 


















The medical, environmental,
and humanitarian consequences of nuclear war



Saving Children from Scourge of War (University of California Television)



TAPS Good Grief Camp Helps Children




Tallulah Rendall - We Don't Want War Anymore - In aid of the Child Refugees Of War



CordBands.com

Real Men Pray the Rosary


Resources


Loss of Human Dignity











Planned Parenthood and the Loss of Human Dignity


"Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being." - Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 2274



National Catholic Bioethics - Why is the Church Opposed to Abortion?



Alexander Tsiaras: Conception to birth -- visualized



Resources


Human Trafficking and Slavery












Center for Human Trafficking Awareness

"Human Trafficking is A Plague on Humanity" - Pope Francis


“Out of the Darkness”
Refugees, immigrants, human trafficking victims find themselves trapped
Catholics invited to participate through prayer, action - USCCB


Fast Facts



Human Trafficking


  • Human Trafficking in the News - A Catholic Perspective - Catholic.org
  • International Meeting of Pastoral Care for the Liberation of Women on the Street - Vatican.va
  • In the United States, "people are being bought, sold, and smuggled like modern-day slaves." - Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Living in the shadows: Religion's response to human trafficking - CBS News
  • Survey: How many slaves work for you? - MadeInAFreeWorld.org
  • "There are 27 million slaves in the world today.." - FreeTheSlaves.net
  • "Traffic of human beings is a $10-billion growth industry" - Catholic Relief Services
  • United States: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
  • USCCB Anti-trafficking program staff at 202.541.3357 - USCCB
  • College Students Across All Majors Strive to End Human Trafficking - Today's Catholic News



Human trafficking is dependent upon
the generous donations of silence and inaction. ~ E.L.D.




Break My Heart, by Jonny Diaz
Published 09.21.2011
Updated and Republished 01.03.2014; 04.18.2015
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Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
















"Today...[L]et us commemorate the Lord’s entry into the city for our salvation, following in his footsteps, so that, being made by his grace partakers of the cross, we may have a share also in his Resurrection and in his life." - www.CatholicPhilly.com





Resources
Noteworthy


Labels:

Common Core










Resources
Books





"As those first responsible for the education of their children, parents have the right to choose a school for them which corresponds to their own convictions. This right is fundamental. As far as possible parents have the duty of choosing schools that will best help them in their task as Christian educators. Public authorities have the duty of guaranteeing this parental right and of ensuring the concrete conditions for its exercise." - Catechism of the Catholic Church





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Religious Persecution: 100 Million Brothers and Sisters Suffer for Their Faith in Christ



 



"When the Saints go marching in, I want to be one of them..." - Sara Groves













Stories of Christian Persecution | I Have Decided to Follow Jesus - No turning back...








President Obama Agrees to Meet with Pastor Saeed’s Wife








"God is alive... He is with us forever..." (Daughter of Asia Bibi).
Death Penalty Upheld; Battle Not Over - 10.21.2014




Hate is a learned behavior and so is the act of disengagement. - Barbara Coloroso





Did you know over 100,000,000 brothers and sisters in Christ suffer persecution for their faith?  That is to say, people who believe in our Lord, and live out their lives faithful Christ's teachings "suffer interrogation, arrest and even death for their faith" - Open Doors USA



"Lord, I have a heavy burden...
But your Word is shut up like a fire burning in my bones...
calling for freedom..." - Sara Groves



Persecution




"There are more martyrs today than in the first early centuries of the church." - Pope Francis





Did you know in 2010 then Pope Benedict XVI had something to say about religious persecution? - FoxNews.com

According to Vatican News, "Holy Father Benedict XVI...stressed that in many Countries Christians are deprived of fundamental rights and sidelined from public life; in other countries they endure violent attacks against churches and their homes. At times they are forced to leave the countries they have helped to build because of persistent tensions and policies which frequently relegate them to being second-class spectators of national life." Vatican News 

Did you know as a faithful follower of Jesus, you can do something to help?
  1. Stay informed.  See Catholic News Agency for more information.
  2. Get involved.  See Aid to the Church in Need or Where God Weeps for some suggestions.
  3. Let others in your parish know, and begin to dialogue and allow the Holy Spirit to move each of you to employ your collective skills, talents and prayer to aid others in need.






"Every man and every woman should be free to confess their religion of choice..." - Pope Francis

A persecuted Church ‘The 21st century has already seen in its first 13 years 1 million people killed around the world because of their belief in Jesus Christ.’ - Editorial Board OSV Newsweekly

"The Catholic Church embraces with hope the commitment to ecumenism as a duty of the Christian conscience enlightened by faith and guided by love, Jesus himself..." Quotes From Church Teaching On Ecumenism And Interfaith Dialogue

"It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good.  This obligation is inherent in the dignity of the human person." - Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 913



Persecution of Christians (Catholic TV)

Resources

Advocacy



Articles / Reports


  • Father Gerald Murray on the Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI - "[T]he pope is very intent that all believers in God come to a common understanding of how we defend the basic right to religious freedom in the modern world, the right of believers to be able to practice their faith in the public square without coercion; also very sensitive to the right of people to be able to change their religion without suffering penalties of the civil law."



Lethal Attacks on Those Who Live for Christ

Podcasts

Videos


A New Defender Of Religious Freedom In Europe


Websites
  • Church in Need - As an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy Father, Aid to the Church in Need’s mission is to help suffering and persecuted faithful worldwide.
  • Hudson Institute: Center for Religious Freedom - The Center for Religious Freedom promotes religious freedom as a component of U.S. foreign policy by working with a worldwide network of religious freedom experts to provide defenses against religious persecution and oppression.
  • Movement for the Abolition of War
  • Odyssey Network - "Stories of Faith in Action.  Stories Changing the World.  Odyssey Networks, founded in 1987, is the nation's largest multi-faith coalition dedicated to producing and distributing media that fosters understanding among people of different beliefs and perspectives and that enriches spiritual life."
  • Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
  • Persecution.org - International Christian Concern: ICC acts as a bridge between believers in free countries and believers in persecuted countries. This bridge carries encouragement, prayers and aid in while news, requests, and love flow back over the bridge. 
  • The Woolf Institute - The Woolf Institute is a global leader in addressing one of the most pressing and rewarding challenges of our time: the current and historical relationships that exist between the faith-traditions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity, with special reference to Europe and the Middle East.
  • Vatican Radio - The voice of the Pope and the Church in dialogue with the world!
  • United States Commission International Religious Freedom
  • Where God Weeps - Where God Weeps is a weekly TV & Radio show produced by Catholic Radio & Television Network with the support of the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.
  • World Watch List - The World Watch List (WWL) is a ranking of 50 countries where persecution of Christians for religious reasons is worst.




This is your Catholic moment... CATHOLICISM: The New Evangelization


Published 03.02.2013
Updated 10.22.2014; 01.21.2015; 01.29.2015
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Catholic Youth Ministry - Then and Now


Then.











Now.


"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." - Mark 16:15


Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (Kindle Edition)




"Chosen is going to change the way we pass along our precious gift of the Catholic Faith ..." - CatholicFaithForTeens.com




"Everything in the Mass is oriented to actually meeting Jesus..." - Fr. Mike Schmitz, Life Teen






Resources




Originally published: 03.10.2013
Updated: 01.20.2015
0 comments
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Recovery and Healing Through His Grace














"Beloved:
Clothe yourselves with humility
in your dealings with one another, for:

God opposes the proud
but bestows favor on the humble.

So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time.
Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.

Be sober and vigilant.
Your opponent the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, steadfast in faith,
knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world
undergo the same sufferings.

The God of all grace
who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus
will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you
after you have suffered a little.
To him be dominion forever. Amen."
1 Peter 5:5B-14



Suicide Prevention: A Parent's Perspective





Impact of Domestic Violence on Children

Domestic Violence Prevention
Substance Abuse Recovery

Substance Abuse Treatment & Recovery





Published: 04.24.2013
Updated: 01.17.2015
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Mary, Mother of God



Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God





"Without adding or detracting from the singular mediation of Christ Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary is acknowledged and invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix. She is the model of maternal love who must inspire all those who cooperate – through the apostolic mission of the Church – in the regeneration of all humanity." - Adoration, Reparation, Spiritual Motherhood for Priests







Mater Eucharistiae - Dominican Sisters of Mary






"Beginning with Mary's unique cooperation with the working of the Holy Spirit, the Churches developed their prayer to the holy Mother of God, centering it on the Person of Christ manifested in His mysteries..."
- Catechism of the Catholic Church; 2675

LightingACandle.org










"The mother of Jesus, Mary, is revered in many branches of Christianity as the all-holy Mother of God. In this video Dr. Mary Cunningham looks at the origins of devotion to Mary, and her place in Orthodox and Catholic theology and belief." - Dr. Mary Cunningham, University of Nottingham


"One of the major figures of The Second Vatican Council, Cardinal Leo Joseph Suenens, reflects on Mary the Mother of God, in light of Council documents in an Interview with Servant of God, Father Patrick Peyton [The Rosary Priest], CSC, on Family Theater Production's TV show, Matter of Faith." - Family Theater Productions

Resources



"There is a remarkable amount of truth about Mary in sacred scripture, as well as in history." - Tim Staples, Catholic Answers


 





"When we identify the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God, the emphasis is only secondarily on her- it is primarily about Christ." - The Mystery of Mary, Mother of God, Word on Fire



Published: 05.09.2014
Updated: 10.09.2014; 01.01.2015
Labels: ,
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