Today I listened to "American Catholic Radio", a weekly podcast sponsored by the Communication Campaign of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in conjunction with the Franciscans.
I heard a wonderful interview of Sister of Charity Paula Gonzalez. Sister Paula is a former professor of biology, now working as an environmentalist, presenting workshops and retreats on how to live in better harmony with creation.
Last November she wrote an article in St. Anthony Messenger about Charles Darwin, the theory of evolution and how it relates to our Catholic faith. Sister Paula kindly points out that the theory of evolution is not contrary to our Catholic faith, although some atheists do try to use it that way. Evolution is, in fact, an excellent scientific theory that is supported by a large body of scientific fact.
Evolution simply appears to be the way that God chose to create the Universe and fill it with life. How wonderful Thou art, O God! How mighty the works of Thy Hands! Our Eternal Creator continues to support and sustain all His Creation. Praise God!
Read Sister Paula's article is at: http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Nov2009/Feature2.asp
Hear the interview with Sister Paula on American Catholic Radio program #10-07, February 8, 2010, at: http://www.franciscanradio.org/ACRepisode.asp?EpisodeNum=307
American Catholic Radio is also available as a podcast on iTunes.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen was one of the best public voices for the Roman Catholic Church -- his radio show was outstanding. Yet, many people today have not heard him -- well, he has passed away.But now some wonderful people have put him on the Internet! His voice lives on!The main thing is that Archbishop Sheen gives really, really good explanations of the Roman Catholic faith, making it very easy to learn about our faith, and to defend our faith.Here is a website I just went to tonight, and I am downloading all the mp3 files as I write this:http://www.americancatholictruthsociety.com/articles/sheen.htm
Approximately 30 percent of Californian families do not earn enough to pay for basic needs. Many of them are struggling with inadequate resources and are forced to make hard choices between hunger, housing and health care.
To build awareness of the facts and to fight poverty more effectively, Catholic Charities of California launched Step Up California, Campaign to Cut Poverty.
For more information on the Step Up California campaign and on what you can do, visit: http://www.stepupca.org
The program has six concrete steps that you can take:
* Step 1: Support Our Resolution
* Step 2: Join Us
* Step 3: Advocate
* Step 4: Volunteer Your Time
* Step 5: Make a Donation
* Step 6: Educate
Fast for Haiti is a program by a Catholic youth ministry leader.
The tradition of fasting and praying is thousands of years old -- raise your small sacrifice in prayer to God -- it is really powerful.
Since Lent is coming up, this is a good way to start thinking about how you will live out prayer, fasting and almsgiving for your Lenten observance.
http://www.fastforhaiti.com/
Does an embryo have a soul?
Isn't society justified in putting to death a criminal that has committed a capital crime?
Why should taxpayers have to support health care and schooling for undocumented children?
Why didn't Pope John Paul II agree to call President Bush's invasion of Iraq a "just war"?
When did health care become a "right"?
All of these apparently unconnected questions actually involve the same central Catholic moral principle, the consistent ethic of life. This principle is often associated with Cardinal Joseph Bernardin’s 1983 proposal of the “seamless garment” analogy, a reference from John 19:23 to the seamless robe of Jesus, to provide a moral compass to help Catholics apply moral principles to life issues present in the public square.
The “consistent ethic of life,” as it is now commonly articulated, states basically that all human life is sacred from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. In his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II taught the principle clearly: - “"Human life is sacred and inviolable at every moment of existence” (n. 61).
- “As far as the right to life is concerned, every innocent human being is absolutely equal to all others” (n. 57).
Read more about this in a great article by By Rev. Richard Benson, C.M. at http://www.cacatholic.org/index.php/news-and-analysis/life-issues/bioethics/651-gospel-life.html
Generous contributions from Catholics across the country to Catholic Relief Services are helping thousands of Haitians after the devastating earthquake on January 12th.
Catholic Relief Services has provided food and other emergency supplies to more than 90,000 people through two large sites and parish distribution sites across Port-au-Prince. Catholic Relief Services medical teams are treating 300 per day.
For more information on Catholic Relief Services relief efforts in Haiti as well as prayer resources, educational resources, and information on how you can help with the long-term rebuilding process, go to www.crs.org.
For a beautiful prayer in solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters, visit: http://education.crs.org/resources/prayer-after-eq-haiti.pdf
Catholic Relief Services is the global outreach arm of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. They do great and lasting work for social justice and charity. A really effective organization!
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' -- Matthew 25:35-36
Our bishops’ are currently launching a national campaign to support comprehensive immigration reform. This effort will educate and engage Catholics around the country on this critical issue. Learn more at: http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/
What Have Popes Said About Migration?
“Every human being has the right to freedom of movement and of residence with the confines of his own state. When there are just reasons in favor or it, he must be permitted to emigrate to other countries and to take up residence there. The fact that he is a citizen of a particular state does not deprive him of membership in the human family, nor the citizenship in that universal society, the common, world-wide fellowship of women and men.” -- Paragraph 25, Pacem in Terris, Encyclical OF Pope John XXIII on Establishing Universal Peace in Truth, Justice, Charity, and Liberty, April 1963
"Every man and woman may be regarded as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father"— Pope Benedict XVI
My Family Migrated to America: How About You?
My family has been in America for many generations now. Yet everyone of my forebears came from Northern Europe. My father's grandfather's grandfather fled the chaos following the fall of Napoleon, and came to Indiana by covered wagon. My mother's great grandmother's a few back all fled Scotland and England -- probably they were destitute second sons or other outcasts.
Try finding out about your own family tree. Unless you are 100% native American, your family were also migrants to America.
I just found a new podcast on iTunes: "Catholic Stuff You Should Know".
Just a few minutes long, this podcast presents fun facts of faith in a lighthearted, bantering style. If you are familiar with the "Stuff You Should Know" series for technology and history, you know what I mean.
I am a catechist for RCIA and a member of the pastoral council in my parish. I listened to the first four podcasts, and they were faithful to the Roman Catholic Church. One of the podcasters is an ordained deacon, and the other is a lay person -- and they know their theology and history . . . and can present the faith in an entertaining and engaging way!
The website is: http://www.catholicstuffpodcast.com
