A couple of links re: CT bishops

Here are a few links on the CT bishops' recent decision to allow the use of Plan B in Catholic hospitals, in accord with a state law that went into effect Oct. 1. For those new to the topic...

According to the CT bishops' own website:

The secondary mechanism of Plan B is to prevent the implantation of a fertilized ovum, which is abortion. This is confirmed on the manufacturer’s web site that says, “Plan B® may also work by preventing it (the fertilized egg) from attaching to the uterus (womb).”

Connecticut Catholic Conference

But the same bishops now say:

[T]o administer Plan B pills in Catholic hospitals to victims of rape[,] a pregnancy test to determine that the woman has not conceived is sufficient [moral precaution]. An ovulation test will not be required. The administration of Plan B pills in this instance cannot be judged to be the commission of an abortion because of such doubt about how Plan B pills and similar drugs work and because of the current impossibility of knowing from the ovulation test whether a new life is present. To administer Plan B pills without an ovulation test is not an intrinsically evil act.

A couple of responses:
Constitutionally Correct
National Catholic Bioethics Center

Basic lessons in Catholicism via podcast

Hey, thought y'all might like to know about this resource, especially if you're going to work in some sort of educational or catechetical setting, or know people who want to learn more about Catholicism.

There will be 30 lessons giving an overview of the Catechism. The booklets were written by Peter Kreeft, and are read by two priests, Fr. Toborowski and Fr. Selvester. These are produced by the Catholic Information Service of the Knights of Columbus. Tell your friends!

Also of interest -- free Catholic info here.

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Was Islam Spread by the Sword?

I was reading a little Q&A at a Muslim apologetics site. The self-understanding of Islam is: yes, Islam was rightly spread in part by the sword. As the site says:

The fact that the sword and power were means of spreading Islam is not a sources of shame for Islam, rather it is one of its strengths and virtues... Islam spread by means of proof and evidence to those who listened to the message and responded to it, and it spread by means of force and the sword to those who were stubborn and arrogant, until they were overwhelmed and became no longer stubborn, and submitted to that reality.

"Meet a Muslim" Night

I was perhaps the only Catholic at a recent meet-a-Muslim night, where about 40 Muslims were socializing. I was welcomed, mostly warmly, and there was a moderate curiosity about what I was doing there. I had several conversations about the Pope's remarks, with American-, Turkish-, and Pakistani-born Muslims. These conversations were not extensive or in-depth, since this was my first meeting, but I did not hear the argument that "The Pope is wrong to quote that medieval emperor because Islam does not teach the spread of the faith by the sword." Some stressed that they respect the office of the Pope, though I felt that a first meeting was not the time to press for a clarification of what was meant, so I accepted it as a peaceful gesture. Concerning the violent responses to the Pope's remarks, one Muslim told me that one Muslim may not 'excommunicate' another Muslim as long as they profess that 'There is no God but Allah and the Prophet is his messenger.' This, she told me, partly accounted for the difficulty in reigning in violent, radical Muslims. The structure of Islam was described as much more like Protestant Christianity than like Catholicism. Another explained that in areas where there was the most violence, the reports of the Pope's remarks were partial, and were distorted by local imams who were eager to have further justification for jihad and to make the case that the West is at war with Islam. I didn't press for why local imams might want to make such a case.

Ramadan starts tomorrow, and I was invited several times to join them for iftar, the breaking of the fast after sunset. I won't be joining them for that, but hope to continue and deepen the dialogue over the course of the next year.

"theology rightly belongs in the university" -- B16

Recommended reading.

Update: Unsurprisingly, the parts of the lecture that are getting the most press are the remarks on Islam.

The Muslim response begins:

I call on all Arab and Islamic states to recall their ambassadors from the Vatican and expel those from the Vatican until the pope says he is sorry for the wrong done to the Prophet and to Islam, which preaches peace, tolerance, justice and equality.

--Haken al-Mutairi, Secretary General of Kuwait's Umma party

I will be interested to see any acknowledgment of Islam's violent theology and history from a Muslim--seems to me like they flatly deny it.

"an investment with an eternal return"

I am broadly construing Angela's request that I "Please forward [this letter] to anyone who might like to hear about me, or who might be able to support me." I will leave it to GIV to prayerfully consider whether the Laboure Society might be a suitable charity to support corporately.


____________________________________


September 5, 2006

Dear family, friends, and others,

I am writing to update you about a major development in my life and to plead for benefactors, both spiritual and financial. To find out exactly why I am asking for your help, keep reading. If you want to skip right to the crux of my request, head for the end of the letter.

As some of you may know, I have been drawn to the vocation of being a nun since at least the beginning of high school. I have especially felt God calling me to religious life while I prayed in front of the Eucharist, where Jesus is present. On September 8, 2006, I will be entering the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, MI. My greatest reason for joining a convent is because I know that Jesus is calling me to be close to him in prayer and to be a bride of Christ. I will be happiest in a life that sets aside time every day for prayer. Being part of community of women consecrated to Jesus Christ is how I will grow in holiness. In addition, religious life will lead me to serve others. It will involve sacrifice and difficulties, but God will give me strength.

It was only recently that I decided to seriously pursue religious life. On May 6, 2006 I graduated from Ave Maria University in Naples, FL with a Master’s degree in theology. At that point, I had made plans to spend a year working for Ignatius Press in San Francisco. I also planned to visit different religious communities during the upcoming year, and perhaps join one of these orders after another year. As you will see, the God was not on my time schedule.

One of the first orders that I visited was the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma. This particular community was founded in 1972 by eight Sisters of Mercy who wanted to remain close to the charisms of Venerable Catherine McAuley, the Irish foundress of the Sisters of Mercy. The sisters who made the new foundation in Alma sought to faithfully serve the Church even as they responded to Vatican II’s call for renewal within religious life. First and foremost, the Alma sisters are women consecrated to God. This consecration, their common life, and their prayer enable them to live their vows of poverty; chastity; obedience; and service to the poor, sick, and ignorant. Their apostolate, or work at the service of others, primarily involves medical care and education. The Sisters of Mercy have photos and further details about their life available at www.rsmofalma.org.

When I visited the Sisters of Mercy in Alma, I was surprised at how comfortable I felt around them. I was excited to learn that they use Saint Thomas Aquinas’ writings as an important part of their formation, because I gained a deep appreciation for Saint Thomas through my studies at Ave Maria. In this and many other ways, the Alma sisters seemed to be a good match for me. I had the privilege of speaking with Mother Mary Quentin, their superior general, during my visit. After I told her that I had been thinking about religious life even since high school, she encouraged me to enter as quickly as possible if I felt that God was leading me to Alma. "What are you waiting for?" she asked me. At first, the thought of entering in September 2006 was huge shock to me. My plans for the next year were already set! Gradually, I began to realize that entering this fall might be God’s plan, and might be the best thing for me. Now I am looking forward to entering in just a few days, on September 8th.

I ask all of you to pray for me throughout the next year. I am scared by many parts of religious life, especially of facing my own weakness and faults. It will not be easy to give myself completely to the Lord and to grow in holiness under the guidance of my new community. Please pray for the Alma Mercy Sisters both that they may discern what is best for me, and that they may work and pray as God asks them to do. In addition, pray fervently for my family who will have to make a big transition as I enter religious life.

I will keep all of you, my spiritual benefactors, in my own prayers. I also hope to offer prayers of thanksgiving for many of you as financial benefactors. I had six great years of Catholic education at Franciscan University of Steubenville and Ave Maria University, but, as is usual today, my degrees left me in debt. My family will temporarily make payments on my college loans so that I can enter religious life, but I cannot leave them to pay the full amount.

The Laboure Society will be helping me to pay off my loans by collecting money in my name. Donations made to them are tax deductible. When the Laboure Society has accumulated enough to pay off the balance of my loans, they will make one large payment to my lenders. Please be generous and financially support my vocation according to your means. If you can make several small donations, over the course of a year, please do so. If you can make a larger donation, that is wonderful. Even if you can send only a few dollars, I thank you for your help. The directors of the Laboure society characterize support for a religious vocation as an investment with an eternal return. As Jesus instructs in the Gospels, you will be storing up treasure in heaven. You can be assured of receiving my prayers for your spiritual and physical needs, as well as the prayers of my whole community. In fact, feel free to write to me during the next year, and to send your intentions to me at Our Lady of Guadalupe Postulant House, 1530 Michigan Ave., Alma, MI 48801. The Sisters of Mercy may also be contacted by email at vocation@rsmofalma.org. My family can be reached at home at 211 Chestnut St., Towanda, PA 18848.

Again, I ask for your prayer for me, for my family, and for all of the Sisters of Mercy. In addition, please pray for Cy Laurent, who began the Laboure Society, and for his coworkers and family.

If, along with your prayers, you are able to make a monetary donation to my vocation, please send checks to:

The Laboure Society
1620 Johnny Cake Ridge Lane
Eagan, MN 55122

Place my name, Angela Hoffmann, in the memo line.

For more information, visit the Laboure Society website . Thank you ever so much. All of you will be in my prayers.

With God’s grace,

Angela Hoffmann

Theology Graduate Program Rankings

Reno's post was interesting, thanks for the link, mizz. Some of the discussion generated is also interesting, for instance at Commonweal.

If you happen to have Reno's e-mail (I couldn't find it quickly just now), ask him how far down the list he'd have to go before AMU shows up. In response to the anonymous commentor, the newness of the program doesn't necessarily affect its noteworthiness. A highly-ranked program can be assembled quickly, with enough money; Duke's strength, in Reno's analysis is its personnel, which doesn't necessarily take that much time to acquire.

Congrats to the new officers, and nice to hear from you Louise!

robed lineup

robed lineup
Originally uploaded by The.helping.people.tick.

Grad snapshot

Grad snapshot
Originally uploaded by The.helping.people.tick.

Here are a couple of photos which come to us via our IPT friend, RS.

Fr. Fessio's March 19 Homily

Fr. Fessio's homily from March 19, 2006 at Ave Maria, in which he remarks at some length on the liturgy, can be heard by clicking... here.
Thanks to Chris, Nathan, and Fr. Fessio!

Bluth Family

Bluth Family
Originally uploaded by The.helping.people.tick.

GIV Proudly represented at Family Olympics...

Boy Fights
Originally uploaded by The.helping.people.tick.

...by the Bluths! Here in one of their finer moments.

Recreational Reading

Some of you will remember Dr. Hankey from the 2005 conference. He writes:

This return to sources was by no means theologically or philosophically neutral. It was not only a reaching back beyond the Middle Ages, Scholasticism and Thomism to the Fathers, but it was specifically a move toward the Greek as against the Latin Fathers, and especially against the unilateral privileging of Augustine.(44) The Jesuits Henri de Lubac and Jean Daniélou were with Blondel in opposing a Scholasticism which was logical and metaphysical to the detriment of an itinerarium simultaneously philosophical, theological and mystical. In the Greek Fathers they thought to find a Christian way which was not tightly departmentalised in the Western fashion, where its rigidities, rationalistic confidence and narrowness had not supplanted integrated spiritual movement, where a deductive theology had not been separated from Scriptural meditation.(45) Those who were seeking an alternative to Thomism, whose scientific divisions of this kind they associated with its Aristotelianism, generally saw Platonism as involving the desired integration for the sake of theology understood as mystical itinerarium.

from FRENCH NEOPLATONISM IN THE 20TH CENTURY © Wayne John Hankey

Podcast Debut

FYI, I had an interview about Project Dominic with Fr. Seraphim Beshoner, TOR, who is at Steubenville. It is available on his blog, Catholic: Under the Hood.
To listen to the interview, click here.

Project Dominic books make great gifts! Order them here.

Effects of Abortion, Revisited

Here's another source for info on the thread from earlier.

No abortion-depression link?

A new study finds no link. The news article is here.