The Catholic Corner

[marthaj 112]

Thank you to all those who participated in these past nine days of prayer for special intention.

[Adam & Beth 3]

This is one of my favorite prayers that we would use to close every Mass. (other than "This Mass has ended, let us go forth and serve God")

It is simply called the Parish Prayer was written by our priest at the time, Father Michael Tracey (aka Father Mike) -gotta love the good ol' Irish priests )

Lord:

As a parish family we come to you;

We come from different walks of life;

Different countries, customs and experiences;

Yet we come in one Faith to worship You;

Form us into a loving, caring family;

Gift us with openness to You and each other;

May we never tire in our desire to serve You.

In our vision, give us hope;

In our struggles, assurance;

In our Prayers, perseverance;

In our plans, courage and inspiration;

May the stranger find a welcome among us;

The Searcher, guidance;

The Doubter, a strong faith;

The Newcomer, acceptance

And the Burdened, refreshment;

Renew us in Mind, Body, and Spirit

so we may renew others through Christ.

-Amen

[weadoptedthree 10]

I like this prayer. Thank you for sharing it Adam.

[ElizabethAnn 690]

Interesting... the Pope has suspended a Catholic bishop in India, after the 58-year-old spiritual leader in Calcutta completed the legal adoption of a 26-year-old woman entrusted to his care with her parents' consent: read the story, here.

According to this story, Catholic priests can be defrocked for adopting a child-- however, this is apparently not so in America, where a Father Clements got papal approval for his adoption of four older boys: Chicago Priest a "Father" in Every Sense of the Word.

[mbell 73]

Hmmm... The priest who gave me my first communion and presided over my marriage (and who is now a bishopand a specialist in canon law), had also become an adoptive father when he adopted an adolescent boy about 25 years ago.

What a nice story (the 2nd). The story of the Indian priest doesn't give enough info, but it seems a bit dicey to me.

[Adam & Beth 3]

I like this prayer. Thank you for sharing it Adam.

My pleasure. It's rather simple but seems to cover all the basics of living a life of Faith

[marthaj 112]

Many beautiful songs and carols are sung during the Christmas season which were originally written for church worship. One such carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, has an even deeper meaning.

From 1558 to 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

So, what do Leaping Lords, French Hens, Swimming Swans, and especially that Partridge who won't come out of the Pear Tree have to do with Christmas?

The song has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning, plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could memorize.

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for Faith, Hope and Love.

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first Five Books of the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for the Six Days of Creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the Sevenfold Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

prophesy, service, teaching, exhortation, contribution, leadership and mercy.

The eight maids a-milking were the Eight Beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit:

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.

Eleven pipers piping stood for the Eleven Faithful Disciples.

Twelve drummers drumming symbolized the Twelve Points of Belief in the Apostle's Creed.

Now, the next time you sing this song, see how many of the "lessons" you can recall!

[DoubleJofFL 0]

Wow! I love to learn new things like that. Thank you for putting it on here. I am going to have to ask my Mom if my Grandpa (who knows all things Catholic) knows these things!

J

[marthaj 112]

This coming Wednesday, February 25 is Ash Wednesday, which begins the 40 day Lenten observance. In the Catholic tradition, Ash Wednesday and Good Fridays are both days to fast. Each Friday during Lent is a day to abstain from eating meat.

I wondered if anyone has some good Lenten recipes or a favorite Lenten dish they'd like to share?

[waiting for a miracle 1]

I know, here it comes and YAY! I absolutely love Lent- Easter is my FAVORITE holiday. Yes, Christmas is a Holy Blessing, and I Love it, yet Easter is such an exclamation that our Lord loves us! I LOVE this time of year.

As for recipes-I am anxious to see any sweet recipes any of you have. We generally eat seafood on fridays....nothing really called a "Lenten favorite" Maine seems to have plenty of options in the seafood department I make a great baked stuffed haddock with maine crabmeat, and scallop casserole, and haddock florentine...how about that one?

this is not rocket science, I normally just eyeball things in the kitchen.

fresh haddock if possible, it's so yummy, but if not, frozen at sea is pretty darn yummy too.

thaw a package of frozen chopped spinach and drain it-really squeeze the fluids out.

add finely chopped red onion, hmmm about a half a medium red onion-more if you love onions like me

add a few cloves of garlic-pressed

add ricotta, about 4-5 oz

add 1/2 package of shredded mozzarella, or mozzarella/provalone mix

add1/4-1/2 cup of grated parm (just enough to keep spinach stuffing from being too watery-you should be able to make mounds without puddles)

mix this well, it should look 50%cheesy and 50% spinachy (hee hee)

about a handful of spinach mix in the bottom of foil lined 8x11 pan top each "mound" with a piece of haddock

place a nice slice of tomato on each "stuffed" fillet, than top them all with remainder of shredded cheese.

Bake them at 400 for about 20-25 min. yummy yummy

this is so yummy that the fasting part feels funny, so I tend to eat fruit, or something wicked small for lunch and skip breakfast all together....

oxoLori

[ElizabethAnn 690]

The Pope announced this week that condom use is not acceptable, even to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Here's the BBC's report on the Pope's position and the public's response.

[kristal 4]

I know religion and politics are hot buttons but I just can't say that this is a BAD idea loud enough

[Runyan2002 0]

The Pope announced this week that condom use is not acceptable, even to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Here's the BBC's report on the Pope's position and the public's response.

Anyone who is Catholic, and studied the religion KNOWS why the church opposes the use of condoms. Wether we agree with it or not, we know, and it stands by it's position, no matter what. I'm not sure how we can say in some instances it's okay and in some it's not when the church, it's core, says it's wrong.

Condoms are always a hot button issue with my non-Catholic friends. Again, we don't believe in it....there are many reasons why. We also don't believe in abortion, no matter what the circumstances. This is one of the reasons why I respect my church also, because thier beliefs are based on a LOT of research, and it doesn't change.

Edited March 20, 2009 by Runyan2002

[kristal 4]

I'm not trying to knock the Catholic Church, but its not as simple as saying "don't have sex" because if that was working the entire continent wouldn't have the highest infection rate in the world. See I think an approach like Uganda took makes the most sense "Uganda used a policy combining abstinence, fidelity and - only if necessary - the use of condoms, to achieve a significant reduction in the spread of HIV." And in the 1980's Uganda was riddled with AIDS but as it uses this system to educate and promote abstaining, committed sex, and when necessary using condoms, the Ugandan infection rate has dropped from 30% to 6%, not to say it isn't a problem anymore but there has been improvement. Obviously condoms are not the driving force on the war against AIDS but it just seems a blanket policy about not using condoms won't really help out Africans.

There are match making services provided by some of the governments to pair pair people with AIDS together, in hopes of reducing the chances they will spread the disease to others, but then when these couples have children they get the disease and spread it. Its a vicious cycle and I think anything that can be done to slow it at all is a good idea. Passing the disease through birth is a huge problem considering 60% of the people in Africa with AIDS are women.

I think the situation over there is pretty dire and whats really sad is that some Africans don't know what AIDS is, or they don't know they have it or they have unfounded beliefs about cures, like that sex with a virgin cures AIDS. In 2001 the world was shocked to find out that it was common for infants only a few months old to get raped by several different people in some areas of Africa because they believed it cured AIDS.

AIDS in Africa is spread mostly by heterosexual partners, and while the problem is getting better in 2007 an estamated 1.3 million people died in Africa from AIDS while 1.7 million became infected with HIV.

Honestly condoms are mostly used in more progressive countries, meaning that many Africans have never seen one. And abstaining because of health risks or spiritual beliefs would be the most effective way to curb transmission, but just like here in America abstinence only leaves gaps of uneducated people making decisions without knowing the consequences. I know the Catholic Church does work in Africa, as many churches do, and that's admirable, but if anything at all can put a dent in the spread of such a powerful disease than it should be used to its capacity. That means encouraging abstinence and condom use.

Here's a site from a group that works to prevent AIDS about the AIDS problem in Africa, its pretty sobering to read about this stuff. http://www.avert.org/aids-africa-questions.htm

[HeidiK 94]

WOW ladies-

I had no idea about both of these prespectives..thanks to you both for sharing. I am thinking today about condoms.............

BTW Kristal----you looks SO cute!

[marthaj 112]

Why don't we launch a special section just for our families and friends of the Catholic faith?

When this thread was begun, I was under the impression that it was a thread to be "by Catholics, for Catholics" and was intended to be a way that we could express how we practice our faith and share milestones (our children's baptism and First Communion, for example) and what that means to us. Whenever a "controversial" item appears in the press that is related to Catholic church teaching, and it is posted on this topic, there is a danger that it will become a means to stir up controversary and division, and to put Catholics on the defensive.

As far as the issue of condom use to halt the spread of AIDS... I totally understand the need to practice abstinence and not rely on the use of condoms as a way to prevent the spread of AIDS. It's almost too simple....if everyone who has contracted the HIV/AIDS virus, not only in Africa but throughout the world, would live a life of abstinence the disease could be reduced significantly within one generation (I will not go so far as to say "wiped out" because there is still the danger of transmission thru the infusion of infected blood or shared needles by drug adicts. Yes, I know there is now blood screening but is it 100% effective? Even one drop of tainted blood that the screening missed is one drop too many.)

Condoms are not a fool proof method. Condoms can break, condoms can be used improperly, condoms can provide a false sense of security.

So, there's my 2 cents on that subject. Now, I would like to switch gears.

What I would like to see this thread become is more of an exchange of ideas among Catholics as to how we approach our faith. For example, I am currently enrolled in an ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity Of Women) class. I am taking the beginning class, Pope John Paul II's Letter to Women. ENDOW is a Catholic educational program that brings women together to discover their God-given dignity and to understand their role in humanizing and transforming society. ENDOW utilizes small study groups, conferences, and retreats to cultivate faith, fellowship and formation. ENDOW study groups meet weekly or be-weekly over an 8 to 10 week period.

For example, thoughout this course I have learned that the feminism practiced in the United States during the past 40 years has nothing at all to do with advancing the dignity of women! I look forward to sharing more of the insights I have gained through this study.

To learn more about the ENDOW course and to see if it's being offered in an area near you, click here

www.EndowOnline.com/endow-classes

[Angie 0]

Yesterday Riley and Bailey had their first Reconciliation. They were very excited but nervous as well. Father David is wonderful with the kids and really put them at ease. All the kiddos came out with big smiles on their faces and promptly did their penance except one of mine that forgot his. He came running to me all excited and then had a very concerned look on his face. He told me that he forgot what he was supposed to say and looked for me for answers. I told him I was not in the room with him so I am not sure. Luckily his brother came out and saved the day. I am very proud of them.

First Communion in on April 26th. They are very excited and are counting down the days!

[suziandben 134]

When this thread was begun, I was under the impression that it was a thread to be "by Catholics, for Catholics" and was intended to be a way that we could express how we practice our faith and share milestones (our children's baptism and First Communion, for example) and what that means to us. Whenever a "controversial" item appears in the press that is related to Catholic church teaching, and it is posted on this topic, there is a danger that it will become a means to stir up controversary and division, and to put Catholics on the defensive.

Martha,

I so appreciate your note. Thanks for speaking out so we can all learn to respect each other's space.

Suzi

[ElizabethAnn 690]

How cool is this?

St. Joseph's in Spokane is honoring women who have placed children for adoption with a special Birthmother's Mass on Saturday!!

If more churches were doing this, more desperate moms might find the courage to consider adoption, no longer fearful that doing so would be a sin?!

[suziandben 134]

How cool is this?

St. Joseph's in Spokane is honoring women who have placed children for adoption with a special Birthmother's Mass on Saturday!!

If more churches were doing this, more desperate moms might find the courage to consider adoption, no longer fearful that doing so would be a sin?!

What a minute... in some churches women who place children for adoption feel that is a sin? Like the adoption is a sin?

(sorry my question not related to catholic corner... way to go st josephs for honoring birthmothers!)

Edited May 4, 2009 by suziandben

[Runyan2002 0]

What a minute... in some churches women who place children for adoption feel that is a sin? Like the adoption is a sin?

I just know for Catholics, but no it is definetely NOT a sin (though I think the Catholic church needs to push adoption more of an option for mothers...not just preaching about abortion being wrong. Give these girls an option!

[ElizabethAnn 690]

Oh, my... a uniquely Catholic battle is being waged in FL at present: Priest & Stripper Fight for Custody of Baby Girl

God bless the child who's caught in the middle.

[Stork Central 1,114]

A Vatican cardinal has taken a stand, stating that Church's belief that all children need a father and a mother: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-cardinal-adopted-children-need-both-a-father-and-a-mother/

[ElizabethAnn 690]

In Australia, the Church is apologizing for thousands (150k!) of "forced adoptions" of babies involuntarily seized by and placed through Catholic churches and agencies from 1950 through 1970s:

Catholic Church of Australia offering penance for stolen children

[marthaj 112]

Catholic radio online "Cradio"

I wanted to share an online Catholic podcast that I just discovered today. I love the uplifting music and sound Catholic teachings! The link I have posted will take you to the Home page. Just click "Listen live" in the upper right hand corner to begin the podcast.