Our Lady the Immaculate Virgin

Barbara Roccanti

2011-05-15T12:05:00.003-04:00

Barbara Roccanti, loving wife of Ferdinand Roccanti, passed away this last Friday evening after a long illness.

Funeral Mass and burial are scheduled for Monday, May 16 in Conyers, GA.

Please offer your prayers for Barbara and Ferdinand in this most difficult time.

Our Lady of America, Pray for us!

US bishops criticize Obama administration's decision on marriage law

2011-02-24T13:32:00.004-05:00

By Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS)

The U.S. bishops' Office of General Counsel said the Obama administration's decision to no longer support the Defense of Marriage Act in legal challenges ahead "represents an abdication" of its "constitutional obligation to ensure that laws of the United States are faithfully executed."

"Marriage has been understood for millennia and across cultures as the union of one man and one woman," the office said in a statement issued Feb. 23 after President Barack Obama instructed the Justice Department to stop defending the federal law passed by Congress and signed into law in 1996 by President Bill Clinton.

The Defense of Marriage Act says the federal government defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman and that no state must recognize a same-sex marriage from another state.

"The principal basis for today's decision is that the president considers the law a form of impermissible sexual orientation discrimination," the Office of General Counsel said.

In a Feb. 23 statement, Attorney General Eric Holder said that although the administration has defended the 1996 law in some federal courts, it will not continue to do so in cases pending in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Unlike in the previous cases, said Holder, the 2nd Circuit "has no established or binding standard for how laws concerning sexual orientation should be treated."

In response to the announcement, the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriage, called on Congress to "get lawyers in the courtroom who actually want to defend the law, and not please their powerful political special interests."

"We have only begun to fight," said Brian Brown, president of the organization. He also said that with Holder's announcement, Obama "unilaterally" declared homosexuals "a protected class" under the Constitution and would effectively make a federal court decision on the law, "unreviewable by higher courts."

While Obama favors repealing the law, Holder said he has supported defending it as constitutional if a state or local law meets the legal standard of having "a rational basis" for singling out people for different treatment based on sexual orientation.

But in the pending cases, Holder said, the administration "faces for the first time the question of whether laws regarding sexual orientation are subject to the more permissive standard of review or whether a more rigorous standard, under which laws targeting minority groups with a history of discrimination are viewed with suspicion by the courts, should apply."

Obama "has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny," Holder's statement said. He added that Obama has concluded that the law "as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the president has instructed the department not to defend the statute in such cases. I fully concur with the president's determination."

Holder went on to say that the legal landscape has changed since the law was passed, including with Supreme Court rulings overturning laws criminalizing homosexual conduct and the repeal by Congress of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Unless Congress repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, or a final court ruling strikes it down, it will continue to remain in effect and the administration will continue to enforce it, Holder noted.

"But while both the wisdom and the legality of (the pertinent section of the law) will continue to be the subject of both extensive litigation and public debate, this administration will no longer assert its constitutionality in court," Holder said.

The Girl Scouts Promote Pro-Abortion Agenda

2011-02-16T09:45:00.002-05:00

By J.C. Willke, M.D.

Many of you will recognize the name of the author as the founder of The National Right to Life and International Right to Life organizations. He spent many of his formative years growing up on the property now known as Sylvan Springs in Rome City, IN.

Recently the Boy Scouts of America distanced itself from the Girl Scouts and entered into an agreement with American Heritage Girls to provide mutual support to one another.

The mission of Boy Scouts has always been to prepare young men to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Okay, but where are the Girl Scouts in this picture and who are American Heritage Girls?

American Heritage Girls was founded to offer faith-based leadership and character development programs to girls age five to eighteen. Its mission is to “build women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country.” The small all-girl unit within the American Heritage Girls troop structure provides a nurturing environment for learning and building positive relationships, character development and spiritual enrichment.

At this point you may be thinking this is what Girl Scouts have been doing. Well, the Girl Scout’s Executive Director, Marty Evans, has boasted, “We’re not your mother’s Girl Scout troop.” How true! Let’s take a closer look at why this is the case.

It is quite obvious that Boy Scouts are now considered a controversial group because they won’t allow homosexual troop leaders. You may also be thinking that the Girl Scouts aren’t controversial. These cute little girls who sell you cookies are all sugar and spice and everything nice? Well, not if the current generation of Girl Scout leaders has anything to say about it. For they hope to make these little girls the “shock troops” of an ongoing feminist revolution.

Let’s look back on the history of Girl Scouts, for change has been slowing coming on for years. In 1972, they dropped loyalty to their country from their oath in favor of “I will do my best to be honest and fair.” In 1975 the first Catholic Archdiocese cut off all support for the Girl Scouts because of their sex-ed program.

During 1993, the Girl Scouts made “God” optional in the Girl Scout promise. “On my honor, I will try to serve God and my country, to help all people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout law.” But the Scout manual notes that the word “God” can be interpreted in a number of ways depending on one’s spiritual beliefs. “When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word God with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.”1 Note that Boy Scouts have been sued over keeping God’s name obligatory in their oath.

Central to these changes has been achieving affirmative action for girls visa vie boys. This mandates gender equality in sports and endorsement of affirmative action in “recruitment, hiring, training and promoting…” They are taught to support a decision to pull a life support system from a dying relative and (here it comes) given information and justification for “ending a pregnancy.”2

They still sell cookies, but here are some new badges to earn: “domestic violence awareness, stress management, girl power and decisions for your life”3 (teen pregnancy, etc.). Let’s note a few examples of these changes:

In Pennsylvania, Junior Girl Scouts (age-12) can attend a workshop on puberty designed by Planned Parenthood to earn their “becoming a teen” badge.4

In Connecticut, Girl Scouts honored a Planned Parenthood official for promoting “healthy practices” in local troops.4

In Amarillo, TX, Girl Scouts have sponsored Planned Parenthood sex-ed seminars for 4th through 8th graders.4

The following quotes indicate the Girl Scouts are abandoning their original foundation on biblical principles consisting of definite moral rights and wrongs:

“You can rarely state that something is definitely right or wrong.” (See Exploring Spirituality—WAGGGS 2000)5

“There is no right way to live, look, talk, dress, eat, or act.” (See Brownie/Girl Scout Handbook—1993)6

In Amarillo, TX, Girl Scouts have sponsored Planned Parenthood sex-ed seminars for 4th through 8th graders.“Our movement is secular and founded on American democratic principles, one of which is freedom of religion.” (See What We Stand For—2003)7

Jim Sedlak of the organization Stop Planned Parenthood has stated that the Girl Scouts have said they would not take a position on abortion or birth control. That is the “official” position. However, many troops affiliate and work with Planned Parenthood, which is the largest provider of abortions in the United States. Further, their sex education programs are obviously aimed at young people and getting kids into sexual situations, which of course means more abortions for Planned Parenthood.

One of the initial controversies was quite revealing. A Girl Scout Council in Waco, Texas gave a “Woman of Distinction” award to the local chief of Planned Parenthood who runs an abortion chamber in Waco.8 The Waco, Texas area council then called for a boycott of the annual Girl Scout cookie sales and voted to end their partnership with Planned Parenthood of Central Texas. The Girl Scout officials denied that they supported Planned Parenthood. However, the Girl Scouts Blue Bonnet Council had sponsored Planned Parenthood’s “Nobody’s Fool” teen and pre-teen educational events in the past. In 2003, Planned Parenthood announced in a “Nobody’s Fool” flyer that every child in 7th through 9th grade would go home with a free copy of the book, “It’s Perfectly Normal,” and 5th and 6th graders would be given a copy of “It’s So Amazing.”9 These books offered sympathetic treatment of abortion, masturbation and homosexuality. Pressure to stop this resulted in a firestorm of protests about the local Girl Scout and Planned Parenthood entanglement. As a result, a number of troops in the Waco and Houston areas disbanded or severed ties with National Girl Scouts. However, this remained relatively local and did not spread nationally at the time.

While the Girl Scouts claim neutrality on abortion, their website is clear. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts promoted their participation in a march advocating “sexual and reproductive [abortion] rights.” The participants demanded the following rights:10

All young people must have access to comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive [abortion] health services, including contraption and emergency contraception, in order to avoid unintended pregnancies.10

Accessible, affordable and safe abortions should be made part of the minimum packages of sexual and reproductive health services.10

The World Association of Girl Scouts hosted a panel at the United Nations annual commission on the status of women. According to the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, the Girl Scouts allowed Planned Parenthood to distribute a booklet entitled, “Healthy, Happy and Hot.”11 Much of it was too sexually explicit to print in this article. It purports to be a sex guide, advocating every imaginable kind of sexual activity stating, “There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself.”11 Clearly, nothing is off limits, even for children below the age of consent.

Regis Nicoll, in an article on Charles Colson’s Breakpoint website, states, “Planned Parenthood is a welcomed guest in 20% of the Girl Scout Councils nationwide.”12 During such events, the attendees are given the “It’s Perfectly Normal” book. Planned Parenthood believes that sexual activity of any kind is a human right at any age. It is never too early to start.

The Boy Scouts went to the US Supreme Court to fight attempts by homosexuals to assume leadership positions in Boy Scout organizations. Sadly, the Girl Scouts did not welcome a similar guideline. In one of the scouting books, there are coming-of-age stories such as an essay entitled, “All I really needed to know about being a lesbian I learned at Girl Scout Camp.”13

And then there is the Covenant of the Goddess. This is a Wiccan “witch” website that describes their awards program. There is an Over the Moon Award, age 8 to 11, and a Heart and Crescent Award, age 12 to 18. These are offered to “any young person who is a member of any nature-oriented religion (Wicca, Druid, Asatru, etc.) These award patches are to be worn on the Girl Scout uniform.13

In the last two years, the Girl Scouts have launched a new leadership program. It purports to take the Girl Scouts on a series of “age specific” journeys, culminating with senior scouts becoming ambassadors to “change the world for the global good.”

Has Girl Scouting been captured and brain-washed by New Age theorist? No, it has not been captured; its leadership has voluntarily surrendered. This venture in moral relevance began 40 years ago when the Girl Scout laws went from a standard of clear cut absolutes to a series of suggestions which began with “I will do my best to…” and then made the word “God” an option in the pledge. Now it may well be that a continuing flow of the membership will do the same.

So if you think that your 12-year-old daughter, who joined the Scouts to go hiking, collect leaves, make candles and to do bird-watching is in safe hands, it may be time to for you to investigate what your Girl Scout troop and council are doing. We certainly should emphasize that there are hundreds of troops that still observe the traditional family-centered, God-centered practices of the original Girl Scouts. But they are now fewer and fewer, for the philosophy coming down from national is spreading. In the meantime, please understand there are almost four million Girl Scouts, each of whom pay a yearly membership fee directly to the national office. In 2009 alone, this brought in over $32,518,000 to its national treasury.14 Several years ago, the National Catholic Registrar noted that there are still some Christian people in its leadership but, “we are outnumbered. The feminists have been infiltrating for too long. We should have started fighting back years ago.”

American Heritage Girls

An alternative does exist. In a response to the radical left capture of the leadership of the Girl Scouts of America, Patti Garibay, a former Girl Scout leader, founded the national American Heritage Girls in 1995 in Cincinnati. It has 300 troops in 38 states, with over 12,000 members and a presence in 3 countries. Its program includes the Judeo-Christian values that our countries were founded on. It strives to enhance the girl’s life experiences with fun-filled activities supervised by trained adults, supported by family members and to do all the things that Girl Scouting was originally founded to do. As noted above: In the National Girl Scout Promise it reads, “I will try to serve God,” God now has an asterisk indicating that you can interpret this word any way you wish and substitute it with any other word. Patti Garibay says, “God in our lives is not optional. We believe that character-building programs for youth, such as scouting, demand a moral compass. Our scouting programs are based on a philosophical basis of biblical truths and a continued commitment to assist girls as they grow in their relationship with Christ.” American Heritage Girls takes this oath: I promise to love God. Cherish my family. Honor my country. And serve in my community.

For more information on this alternative to Girl Scouts, contact: American Heritage Girls, 175 Tri-County Parkway, Suite 100, Cincinnati, OH 45246. www.ahgonline.org or 513.771.2025

A Word from Dr. James Dobson

I would like to offer an alternative to Girl Scouts of the USA which I can no longer recommend to parents. That organization has changed radically since 1993 when it began making references to God “optional” and marking the word with an asterisk. Then came mandates against Christmas caroling, praying at meetings and singing hymns. Now we see a surge toward the left that is deeply disturbing to many Christian parents.

For example as part of Girl Scouts United States of America, A Maze Program for middle school scouts, the girls read a quote from Buddha and are encouraged to explore mazes and stone or dirt labyrinths—symbols rooted in pagan mythology and the New Age movement. They are used as meditation tools along with “transformation circles.” Eastern mysticism through Zen Gardens and Buddhist writings are part of the curriculum. Moral relativism is evident throughout, which teaches that ethical issues are up to the individual. GSUSA’s definition of right and wrong includes the statement “whatever is consistent with your character.” The curriculum has a strong, anti-boy tone. Boys are mentioned only in negative situations. There is minimal emphasis on mother, father or family. Girls are not taught pride of country. The United States is depicted as antiquated and incompatible with globalism. One program involves girls in the United Nations Population Fund. Translated that amounts to a massive effort to limit human procreation by means of abortion.

Many of the female role models lauded by GSUSA are radical feminists, lesbians, existentialists or Communists, including the former chairwoman of the American Communist Party. There is much more to disturb parents including a consistent infusion of lesbian and homosexual propaganda. In short the organization has been “captured” by advocates of an extreme leftist ideology that is now being force-fed to millions of vulnerable girls. Its board of directors and many troop leaders are intent on converting every girl from the youngest Daisy to a mature Ambassador into an “agent of change” who is programmed to implement an extreme international agenda. The media has kept this transformation a secret for more than a decade but it is information that all parents should know.

Dr. Dobson goes on to enthusiastically recommend American Heritage Girls as an alternative organization.

Standard of Living

2011-01-30T11:42:00.001-05:00

In light of the growing number of troubled and increasingly desperate people in our society, it seems appropriate to repeat this post which first ran in 2009.

"Thanks" to Janice for sending this item and "Thanks" to my parents who taught me this same lesson growing up.

Your standard of living has very little to do with how much money you make or how many possessions you have. It depends primarily on the way you choose to live your life in each moment.

Your standard of living is not decided by where you came from. It is determined by where you choose to go.

You don't need anyone's permission or assistance to raise your standard of living. You simply must decide to make the very best of who you are and what you have.

Do you wish to live a magnificent life that's overflowing with joy and fulfillment? You can most certainly do that, right here and now, by choosing your attitude, your perceptions, your thoughts and your actions.

Raise your standard of living in every moment by doing something to make your world a more beautiful place. Achieve the very highest standard of living by faithfully following the purpose that lives at your core.

There is always something you can do to improve the quality of your life. Continually seize those opportunities for improvement, and enjoy a rich, rewarding standard of living all the time. --

A Strange Silence

2011-01-19T09:55:00.000-05:00

By MICHAEL BENJAMIN
January 18, 2011

You have to wonder some times about what provokes citywide outrage -- and what doesn't.

Last week, Schools Chancellor Cathie Black's offhand joke about how birth control would resolve school overcrowding elicited a cascade of angry responses flooding news outlets, blogs and Twitter. Before the sun was high in the sky, the usual suspects stood in front of the microphones and sat in front of their keyboards denouncing Black (who has now apologized).

Earlier in the month, news of some truly horrifying health statistics vanished almost without a peep.

First, Archbishop Timothy Dolan and several clergy leaders held a news conference to decry the high abortion rate in New York City. The most recent data are for 2009 -- when 41 percent of pregnancies ended in abortion. The Bronx had the highest rate, followed by Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island.

Almost a week later, the city Health Department reported that The Bronx ranked the worst among the boroughs on almost every major barometer of health, from infant deaths to cancer to HIV/AIDS. Cancer, chronic-obstructive-pulmonary disease, diabetes and abortion are far too common in The Bronx and are the leading cause of death in poor black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

None of the usual suspects expressed outrage, blasted Mayor Bloomberg or announced City Council hearings over these dismal statistics.

The expression of outrage over the city's high abortion rate was left to Dolan and maverick Rev. Michael Faulkner, who said he felt heartsick that abortion is "the leading cause of death among African-Americans" in the city.

It is indeed heartbreaking that 60 percent of all unborn African-American babies are aborted.

Just think about it: Black women in our city have three abortions for every two live births. The Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Nation are giving "fist bumps" all around.

The local chapters of the National Organization for Women and Planned Parenthood reflexively defend this ugly disparity. Planned Parenthood says that if Dolan, Faulkner and their allies are really committed to lowering the city's abortion rate, they should support efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies, like sex education and birth control.

Yet the statistics should be sobering. Dolan says, "We've been hearing for many years from pro-choice supporters that abortion should be 'safe, legal and rare.' Well, if that's the goal, we've clearly, abysmally failed -- especially here in New York City."

Sorry: The NOW/Planned Parenthood-endorsed regime of "comprehensive" sex education, condoms and birth control has been in place for decades in New York City -- yet the abortion rate stands at 48 percent in The Bronx. The city is in the pregnancy-prevention business as well, having distributed 40 million free condoms in 2009.

None of this seems to be having the intended effect. It may be time for a different approach.

The 87,000 abortions performed in 2009 have caused me to question my pro-choice votes in the state Assembly in support of Medicaid-funded abortions. Was I an enabler of abortion as a family-planning tool?

I could at least console myself with my work to restore funding for the Maternity and Early Childhood Foundation -- a nonprofit that provides critical services to young, low-income pregnant women to help them to bear their children and raise them with dignity.

There's hope for common ground here: Traci Perry of Planned Parenthood also cites the need to "really begin to provide the health-care services and the information that these communities need to deal with unintended pregnancies."

I'm joining with the Chiaroscuro Foundation in working with Bronx clergy to design an outreach program for young women and men to combat unintended pregnancies and abortions in The Bronx. It's time to put our collective outrage into constructive action.

Shh! Did you hear that? That was the cry of a black baby being born.

41% of NYC pregnancies end in abortion

2011-01-17T13:04:00.002-05:00

January 09, 2011
Michelle Charlesworth
Web produced by Jennifer Matarese
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Eye-opening statistics about the rate of abortions in New York City have been released by the Health Department.

It raises questions about the effectiveness of current birth control education.

41% of all New York City pregnancies end in abortion.

The rate for minorities is even higher.

Both sides say the high abortion percentage is a crisis.

"If 41% of New York babies are aborted, with the percentage even higher in the Bronx and among our African-American babies in the world, it is downright chilling," New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan said.

Broken down by race for 2009:

Specifically non-Hispanic Blacks have a 59.8% abortion rate.

Hispanics have a 41.3% abortion rate.

Asians have a 22.7% abortion rate.

And non-Hispanic Whites have a 20.4% abortion rate.

The fact that 41% of all pregnancies in New York City end in abortion is not a secret and it's not anything new.

In fact, things have been getting better over the past decade.
Back in 1998, 12 years ago, the number was actually 46%.

Planned Parenthood is also not happy about the numbers, but pushes education.

"We believe in comprehensive sex education, which by the way does include abstinence, but abstinence by itself has been proven to be ineffective,"

Archbishop Dolan reiterated the pro-abstinence, pro-life, anti-contraceptive position of the church.

"My word, what have we done the last 30 years. There's candy bowls on people's desks with condoms, they're dropping them from airplanes, yet nothing seems to improve, so they've been on the wrong track here," Archbishop Dolan said.

Pope John Paul to be Beatified May 1

2011-01-14T08:59:00.001-05:00

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The pope on Friday signed off on the miracle needed for the beatification of Pope John Paul II, and set May 1 as the date to honor one of the most beloved popes of all times as a model of saintliness for the church.

Pope Benedict XVI said in a decree that a French nun's recovery from Parkinson's disease was miraculous, the last step needed for beatification. A second miracle is needed for the Polish-born John Paul to be made a saint.

The May 1 beatification, which Benedict himself will celebrate, is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Rome — a major morale boost for a church reeling from a wave of violence against Christians and fallout from the clerical sex abuse scandal.

Once he is beatified, John Paul will be given the title "blessed" and can be publicly venerated. Many people, especially in Poland, already venerate him privately, but the ceremony will make it official.

"This is a huge and important cause of joy," Warsaw Archbishop Kazimierz Nycz told reporters at his residence in the Polish capital.

Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, John Paul's longtime secretary and friend, expressed "huge thanks" to Benedict for the decree. "We are happy today," he said.

Benedict put John Paul on the fast track to possible sainthood just weeks after he died in 2005, responding to the chants of "Santo Subito!" or "Sainthood immediately!" that erupted during his funeral.

Benedict waived the typical five-year waiting period before the process could begin, but he insisted that the investigation into John Paul's life be thorough so as to not leave any doubts about his virtues.

The last remaining hurdle concerned the approval by Vatican-appointed panels of doctors and theologians, cardinals and bishops that the cure of French nun, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, was a miracle due to the intercession of John Paul.

The nun has said she felt reborn when she woke up two months after John Paul died, cured of the disease that had made walking, writing and driving a car nearly impossible. She and her fellow sisters of the Congregation of Little Sisters of Catholic Maternity Wards had prayed to John Paul, who also suffered from Parkinson's.

Last year, there were some questions about whether the nun's original diagnosis was correct. But in a statement Friday, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints said Vatican-appointed doctors had "scrupulously" studied the case and determined that her cure had no scientific explanation.

Born in Wadowice, Poland, in 1920, Karol Wojtyla was the youngest pope in 125 years and the first non-Italian in 455 years when he was elected pope in 1978.

He brought a new vitality to the Vatican, and quickly became the most accessible modern pope, sitting down for meals with factory workers, skiing and wading into crowds to embrace the faithful.

He was the most traveled pope ever, visiting more than 120 nations during the third-longest papacy and covering distance equal to nearly 1 1/2 trips to the moon.

His Polish roots nourished a doctrinal conservatism — opposition to contraception, euthanasia, abortion and women priests — that rankled liberal Catholics in the United States and Western Europe.

But his common touch also made him a crowd-pleasing superstar whose 26-year papacy carried the Roman Catholic Church into Christianity's third millennium and emboldened eastern Europeans to bring down the communist system.

He survived an assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square in 1981 — and then forgave the Turk who had shot him.

He died in his Vatican apartment on April 2, 2005 after suffering for years from the effects of Parkinson's disease. He was 84.

While adored by Catholics, John Paul did not escape scrutiny about the clerical abuse scandal which came to light in the final years of his papacy. Many of the thousands of sexual abuse cases that emerged in Europe and beyond last year concerned crimes or cover-ups that occurred under his watch.

Vatican officials have said there was nothing in John Paul's record that called into question his path to beatification.

Carl Anderson, head of the Knights of Columbus, one of the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organizations, noted that John Paul's beatification process is not a "score card on his administration of the Holy See."

Rather, he said, it's a statement about his personal sanctity since beatification is way of holding up Catholics as models for the faithful.

"Pope John Paul's life is precisely such a model because it was lived beautifully and with love, respect and forgiveness for all," Anderson told the AP in an e-mail. "We saw this in the way he reached out to the poor, the neglected, those of other faiths, even the man who shot him. He did all of this despite being so personally affected by events of the bloodiest century in history."

Associated Press reporter Vanessa Gera in Warsaw contributed to this report.

Claims of apparitions of Mary met with skepticism

2010-12-14T08:04:00.001-05:00

By Sarah Delaney
Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY (CNS) --

A newly expanded compendium of visions of the Virgin Mary shows how the very idea of such apparitions has been met with skepticism and preoccupation within the church, from early Christian times to the present.

Experts in Mariology presented the Italian edition of the Dictionary of "Apparitions" of the Virgin Mary, translated from the original 2007 French publication with the addition of some 150 new entries, at a news conference near St. Peter's Square Dec. 13.

The 1,600-page volume lists more than 2,400 claims of people who over the centuries alleged to have seen Mary, as well as the consequences of such announcements. Only 15 of these have been officially recognized by the church, a confirmation of the caution with which the reports have historically been received.

French Father Rene Laurentin, a co-author of the book, acknowledged the diffidence regarding such claims.

"The apparitions are not seen with the most benign eye by the church," he said, citing the difficult histories of even the most popular and accepted visions. "Apparitions are the least scientifically studied, the most hidden and most controversial of all theological subjects."

Father Laurentin, an expert on the sanctuary at Lourdes, France, and other shrines inspired by Marian apparitions, said in the introduction to the book that he had been working for more than 50 years on the catalog at the request of bishops and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The goal, he said, was "to put to rest the many misunderstandings and confusion" surrounding visionary claims.

But new diagnostic techniques and modern psychology can help at least in eliminating the claims of people suffering from hallucinations or other pathologies, the experts said at the presentation.

Dr. Tonino Cantelmi, professor of psychiatry at the Pontifical Gregorian University and president of the Italian Association of Catholic Psychiatrists and Psychologists, said advanced neuro-imaging tests such as the PET scan demonstrate that a specific part of the brain shows activity during what could be described as ecstatic experiences.

In the past, Cantelmi said, psychologists and psychiatrists tended to believe that all such alleged experiences were psychological in origin. Researchers are now saying, he said, "that there may be something that is not psychologically explainable."

Father Laurentin said that studies in California and Italy using electroencephalograms showed that visionaries were neither asleep, dreaming, hallucinating or having seizures during their experiences but that their brains were in a normal state.

Father Paolo Scarafoni, rector of the European University of Rome and professor of theology at the Legionaries of Christ's Pontifical Regina Apostolorum University, said that even though the church must be cautious in its approach to claims of apparitions, the alleged visions should be respected "because they involve millions of people."

Even those apparitions that have not been officially recognized by the church are celebrated in shrines around the world by millions of Catholics, he said, and "the door should not be closed on those, but should be studied slowly before final judgment is made."

The co-author of the book is journalist and historian Patrick Sbalchiero. It is published by Edizioni Art, a publishing house associated with the Legionaries of Christ.

The Immaculate Conception Connection

2010-12-07T11:29:00.005-05:00

Most Reverend John Carroll, of Baltimore, was America's first Roman Catholic Bishop. In 1792, he consecrated the newly-created nation of these United States under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the title of the “Immaculate Conception”.

On May 13, 1846, the U.S. Bishops proclaimed the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of “Immaculate Conception”, as the patroness of the United States of America. One year later, Pope Pius IX would finally recognize Bishop Carroll's original consecration of 1792 by proclaiming the “Immaculate Conception” as the “Patroness of the United States”. And, so it was until it was re-confirmed in 1959 when the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was dedicated in Washington, D.C. after facing so many obstacles to completion (the project was nearly abandoned entirely in the 1930’s until an unlikely figure emerged to help save it ).

These consecrations are not mere symbols taken lightly by the Holy men who conduct them but they are the product of deep thought and discerning wisdom. As the roots of Our Lady of America are deep within the walls of this fabulous property She chose to announce herself to a young nun, so is the thread that ties the Immaculate Conception, all the way back in 1792 with Bishop Carroll, to the Diocese of Fort Wayne and this property in Rome City, IN.

Let us go back to the Catholic Church’s beginnings on this continent, and in particular, the diocese where Rome City, IN is located.

What we would consider the Fort Wayne area was first placed under the care of the Bishop of Quebec from 1674 -1789.

Then, with the establishment of the Diocese of Baltimore, the Fort Wayne area was under the jurisdiction of Bishop Carroll from 1789 until 1810.

In 1810 it was under the Bishop Flaget, the Bishop of Bardstown, Kentucky.

From 1834 to 1857 the Fort Wayne area was governed as part of the Vincennes Diocese. Vincennes would later become the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

The earliest accounts of Catholic Mass being said in the Fort Wayne (called Miamitown at the time) area was on December 20, 1789 by a Fr. Louis Payet, a priest from Detroit conducted, "eight services of worship in as many days." At this time, Miamitown would have still been under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Quebec and there really were not that many settlers in the fort itself. The missionary priest only expected to say Mass a few days, gather provisions, and continue on his journey through the still-unsettled territory.

Word quickly spread throughout the area of the good priest's availability and many trappers and woodsmen made their way to the fledgling settlement area to attend Mass and receive Our Lord in The Eucharist. Times were harsh for these settlers and having a priest available to offer sacraments was not that common an event. These people dropped what projects they had in progress to journey to this settlement so that they could partake in the sacraments they sorely missed on the frontier (imagine your own life in their circumstances).

Shortly after these Masses were held, the Diocese of Baltimore was started and the Fort Wayne area (Miamitown) became part of Bishop Carroll’s jurisdiction. Three years later, in 1792, Bishop Carroll would issue his consecration of the United States under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the title of the “Immaculate Conception”.

In 1857, the northern half of Indiana was broken off from the Vincennes Diocese and the Cathedral in Fort Wayne, IN (established 1836) was consecrated as The Cathedral to The Immaculate Conception, thus placing this entire newly-formed diocesan area under the mantle of Our Lady’s protection.

John Francis Noll (from Kneipp Springs History Jan. 7) was born Jan. 25, 1875, in Fort Wayne, one of 19 children. He was baptized at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and attended grade school in the building next door. He entered the preparatory seminary at St. Lawrence College, Mount Calvary, Wis. at the tender age of 13, and went on to Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati for his theology and philosophy studies.

The diocese had a great need for priests at this time, and his mentor, cathedral rector Fr. Joseph Brammer, was gravely ill and worried that he would not live to see the first boy from his parish ordained. Consequently, John Noll was ordained at the cathedral at the age of 23 on June 4, 1898 shortly before the passing of Fr. Brammer

John Noll as a seminarian

Within a year, Father Noll was named pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Ligonier, IN at age 24 (a few miles from Rome City). His parish was 30 square miles, which he covered on foot or horseback. He would occasionally make it by the newly established Kneipp Healing Center to visit with Dr. Geiermann and discuss the progress and relative success of this particular venture.

Fr. Noll was moved about the diocese in 1906 to the community of Besancon approximately 30 miles outside Fort Wayne. It was here that he percolated the idea for a parish newspaper whose aim was to spread Catholic doctrine and catechism to the members of his parish who he felt were lacking in these elements. Later on, convinced of this medium’s success and his desire to repel the influence of dispassionate newspapers like The Menace, a periodical devoted to propaganda against the Catholic Church, Fr. Noll started the first National Weekly Catholic Newspaper and called it “Our Sunday Visitor”. It was not long before Our Sunday Visitor Inc. would become one of the world’s largest Catholic publishers.

At the age of 46, the title of monsignor was conferred on Father Noll in 1921. He was named the fifth bishop of Fort Wayne in 1925, after the death of Bishop Herman Joseph Alerding (also a long-time advocate of Kneipp Springs, but he will be discussed in the coming months).

Bishop Noll

Bishop Noll immediately became an influential leader among U.S. prelates. He was named secretary of the fledgling National Catholic Welfare Conference (now the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), and was a longtime member of that body's administrative committee. In his role with the bishops' conference, Bishop Noll demonstrated remarkable foresight about the coming information age, helping to launch Catholic News Service and the "Catholic Hour" on NBC radio. He would have been a big proponent of the internet and would undoubtedly have used it to great advantage in his work.

During the summer months and vacation get-aways, Bishop Noll would often retreat 35 miles north of Fort Wayne to his lake cottage on Bishop’s Island in the middle of Sylvan Lake which was directly across the road from Kneipp Springs. He would say Mass in the beautiful Our Lady Mother of Mercy Chapel and sometimes seek the benefit of the therapeutic treatments offered at the facility. It became a time and place of recreation and relaxation in his otherwise hectic work schedule.

In the 1930’s, the advancement of the construction of the planned National Basilica of The Immaculate Conception had come to a complete stop. In the middle of the depression era, funds were terribly short for all projects such as this. The work that had already been done was in peril of being demolished and the project abandoned. Bishop Noll took it upon himself, with the co-sponsorship of Archbishop Patrick O'Boyle of Washington, to lead a fund-raising campaign to finish the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., through a campaign in Our Sunday Visitor.

He was also credited with numerous other great achievements, of such great import that if anyone else were to have accomplished any single one of them in their careers, they would be lauded with the highest laurels. For this man, however, it was just a testament to how prolific a thinker and visionary he was.

As a sign of Vatican esteem, Bishop Noll was given the honorary title of archbishop in 1953, even though his see was not an archdiocese.

In 1955, Archbishop Noll suffered a stroke that left him unable to communicate with anyone except his niece, Cecilia Fink, who had been his devoted secretary and had assisted him in his numerous writing projects. His last year of disability was difficult not only for him but for his devoted niece Cecilia. From time to time during his last year, they were able to get back to Rome City for a little R&R and the sisters would always welcome them with comforting care and a good meal of fresh-caught fish from Sylvan Lake. It is quite probable that Sr. Mildred Ephrem Neuzil, who worked in the dining room as a server, would actually have served many of these same fresh dinners to the Archbishop and his niece during their visits.

Archbishop Noll died on July 31, 1956. Our Lady of America appeared to Sr. Mildred Neuzil just 57 days later in Our Lady Mother of Mercy Chapel on Sept 26, 1956. Our Lady appeared again to Sr. Neuzil on October 13 of that same year and showed Sr. Neuzil a model of the completed National Basilica of The Immaculate Conception…a building which would not be completed for 3 more years in 1959.

Reports of Favors and Graces

2010-12-05T10:50:00.002-05:00

Because we are continually hearing stories of people who visit Sylvan Springs at Rome City, Indiana and have their prayers answered, we are interested in keeping records of all favors and graces granted to those who come to Sylvan Springs. Please send us details of healings and miraculous favors that directly result from a visit to the Springs at Rome City, or to requests made of Our Lady of America.

Our Lady of America
P O Box 1322
Elkhart, IN 46515

This Friday Will Be Final Friday Night Rosary For Season

2010-11-22T10:45:00.002-05:00

As we do each Thanksgiving Season, we bring the Friday Night Rosary to a close until after the Easter season next Spring. That means that this Friday's Rosary will be the last until next Spring (provided the new property owner will continue to allow us the privilege next season).

So, mark your calendars for this Friday, November 26 and join us for a holy hour of prayer and devotion to Our Lady of America at 6:30pm. If you cannot make it to Rome City, please pray with us wherever you are.

Photo Taken Over Sylvan Springs on Oct 20, 2010

2010-10-21T11:15:00.002-04:00

Statement by Cardinal-designate Raymond L. Burke on being elevated to Cardinal

2010-10-21T11:09:00.002-04:00

Cardinal-designate Raymond L. Burke Statement by Cardinal-designate Raymond L. Burke on the announcement of the consistory for the creation of Cardinals.

I am deeply humbled and honored by the announcement that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI intends to name me to the College of Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church at the Consistory which he has convoked for this coming November 20th. Having received the news of the Holy Father's intention, I express my deepest gratitude to His Holiness for the great confidence which he has placed in me, and I renew my commitment to serve Him, as Shepherd of the universal Church, in total fidelity and with all my being.

Considering the weighty responsibilities of the members of the College of Cardinals in assisting the Holy Father as his closest co-workers, even "to the shedding of blood," I am more than ever conscious of my own weakness and of my total dependence upon the help of divine grace, in order that I may fulfill worthily and generously the responsibilities which will be mine, God willing, as a Cardinal of the Church.

I count upon the continued intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Communion of Saints, and the prayers of the many faithful whom I have been blessed to serve as priest and Bishop, especially in my home diocese, the Diocese of La Crosse, and in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, and of those with whom I have been, in the past, and am now privileged to serve in the Roman Curia, especially my co-workers at the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. Only the knowledge of God's immeasurable and unceasing outpouring of mercy and love from the glorious pierced Heart of Jesus gives me the confidence to accept the great honor and burden which His Holiness intends to confer upon me.

Today's announcement turns my thoughts with deepest affection and gratitude to my late parents and all my family, living and deceased; and to the priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful who have assisted me to know my vocation to the Holy Priesthood and to respond to it with an undivided heart over the more than thirty-five years of my priestly life and ministry. Today, with all my heart, I humbly thank God for the gifts of life, of the Catholic faith, and of my vocation.

At the same time, my thoughts naturally turn to the many challenges which the Church faces in our day in carrying out her divine mission for the salvation of the world. In particular, I am deeply conscious of the critical importance of the loving witness of the Church to the truth, revealed to us by God through both faith and reason, which alone is our salvation. It is a witness which Our Holy Father tirelessly gives with remarkable wisdom and courage. I pledge myself anew to assist Pope Benedict XVI in this critical witness and in the many works of his pastoral charity on behalf of all our brothers and sisters in the Church and in the world.

I ask for prayers that I may be able to assist our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI to the best of my ability and with every ounce of my strength. I, once again, place my whole heart, together with the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, into the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the glorious pierced Heart of Jesus, I am confident that I will find the purification, courage and strength which I will need to carry out the new responsibilities to be confided into my hands. I thank, in advance, all who will pray for me, and ask God to bless them abundantly.

(Most Rev.) Raymond L. Burke
Archbishop Emeritus of Saint Louis
Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura
October 20, 2010

Photos Taken Before October 15 Rosary

2010-10-20T13:56:00.002-04:00

Photo Taken Before The Friday Night Rosary on Sept 24, 2010

2010-10-01T15:48:00.001-04:00

BRING ME MY CHILDREN! BRING ME ALL OF MY CHILDREN!!

September 25, 1956 Apparition...Eve of The Birth of Our Lady of America

2010-09-25T09:01:00.002-04:00

On September 25, 1956, The Blessed Mother appeared to Sister Mary Ephrem (Mildred Neuzil) as Our Lady of Lourdes in the Our Lady Mother of Mercy Chapel of the Precious Blood Sisters at Rome City, Indiana (Sylvan Springs).

Our Lady promised "that greater miracles than those granted at Lourdes and Fatima would be granted here in America, the United States in particular, if we would do as she desires.”

Frank Young, Jr.

2010-09-18T09:38:00.007-04:00

Thank you for everything you have willingly given for Our Lady. You made a profound difference in people's lives.

We are going to miss you Dad! We love you!

Viewing Will Be Monday, Sept. 20 at D.O. McComb and Sons in Fort Wayne, IN
from 2-4PM and 6-8PM

6301 Fairfield Ave.
Ft. Wayne, IN 46807
(260)426-9494

Funeral Mass will be Tuesday, Sept 21 at 10:00 AM at St Henry Parish 2929 E Paulding Rd. Fort Wayne, IN 46816

Burial will be in St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery of Decatur, IN

Reception to follow in Decatur, IN

Obituary and Memorial Page
http://hosting-tributes-24048.tributes.com/show/Frank-Young-89391369

Photo Taken September 7th at Sylvan Springs

2010-09-16T15:19:00.002-04:00

Click on the photo to enlarge.

Friday Night Rosary To Continue

2010-09-15T10:12:00.004-04:00

All are invited to continue coming to The Friday Night Rosary held at 6:30PM every week.

Those wishing to schedule a historical tour of the property and learn about the Our Lady of America apparitions which began here in Sept. 1956 are asked to call 260-854-3525 or email us at info@oltiv.org to make arrangements.

Sylvan Springs "Sold"!

2010-09-13T15:33:00.007-04:00

It was quite an auction. Most of the more than 500 people in attendance had never seen anything quite like it.

When all was said and done, Sylvan Springs had been sold as a complete piece of property (197 acres) and the winning bidder had successfully purchased a number of furniture and fixture pieces to help keep the nucleus of this fantastic property intact!

OLTIV has been invited to continue its educational and spiritual activities on the property until a meeting of the principals can be arranged after the closing when a more formal relationship can be established.

The identity of the buyer has not been disclosed.

The Friday Night Rosary will continue to meet each Friday at 6:30 PM. As always, all are invited to attend

Twilight at Sylvan Springs

2010-09-08T10:26:00.002-04:00

These photos were taken last evening just after sunset from in front of the Chapel at Sylvan Springs.

Please join us today to celebrate Our Blessed Mother's Birthday by praying the rosary.

Sept 8 Rosary To Celebrate Our Blessed Mother's Birthday

2010-09-06T10:04:00.002-04:00

There will be a rosary in honor of Our Lady's Birthday at 6:30 PM at Sylvan Springs on Wednesday, September 8.

All are welcome to attend!

An Open Letter From Irvin Kloska re: Upcoming Our Lady of America Apparition Site Auction

2010-08-29T13:28:00.008-04:00

August 29, 2010

In less than two weeks the Holy Rome City site where the Blessed Virgin appeared to Sister Mary Ephrem aka Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil will be sold at auction to the highest bidder.
A little over 10 years ago the Way, a cult, gave up the property. Fortunately, Larry Young and his family came along and purchased it and have spent a considerable amount of money renovating and updating the property. The auction takes place because they ran out of money and can no longer pay the mortgage.

Our Lady called Herself Our Lady of America because She was pleased with the love and honor the children of America gave to Her because of Her glorious and unique privilege of the Immaculate Conception. She told Sister Neuzil that there would be greater miracles than those granted at Lourdes and Fatima , here in America, the United States in particular, if we would do as She asks. It is 54 years since Our Lady appeared at Rome City and made this request and we have not yet honored it.

At Rome City Our Lady has been trying to get our attention by many little miracles of conversions, healings and other phenomena over the last 10 years. No one in authority is paying attention.

Wake up Catholic America, time is getting short. Do we need any more hurricanes, floods, tornados or earthquakes to get our attention? Look at our beloved country as it is disintegrating before our very eyes. God has been taken out of our schools and other public places. Churches are emptying. Rampant sexual immorality is all around us. Internet traffic is 40% pornography.

Now is the time to fulfill the request of Our Blessed Mother. It is time to get Her into the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It is time to spread Her message of purity. It is time to reform your life. It is time to please Her by making the rosary a family prayer. Our Lady said on September 27, 1956, “Behold O my children, the tears of your Mother! Shall I weep in vain? Assuage the sorrow of my Heart over the ingratitude of sinful men by the love and chasteness of your lives. Will you do this for me, beloved children, or will you allow your Mother to weep in vain?” In 1957 Our Lady said; “Tell my Bishops of the United States, my loyal sons, of my desires and how I wish them to be carried out”. “My daughter, will my children of America listen to my pleadings and console my Immaculate Heart? Will my loyal sons carry out my desires and thus help me bring the peace of Christ once again to mankind?” Dear Bishops, please let us not wait another 54 years.

The Springs at Rome City is an important part of this devotion. It is Holy Ground as it was anointed by the presence of the Mother of God. This is the place of the message.
This is the place over the last 10 years the Our Lady is trying to get our attention. This property must be saved for fear that it again would fall into secular hands. My people please listen and pray. We need a miracle, for we have less than two weeks.

Some one needs to come forward to help us!

God bless,

Irvin L. Kloska

Image From The Sun Falls To Earth As Priest Prays Outside Apparition Site in Rome City

2010-08-27T11:48:00.003-04:00

It was the afternoon of August 13, 2010 and Father Joseph Nguyen had just finished saying a Holy Healing Mass and praying the Friday Night Rosary with travelers from as far away as California when they noticed the sun spinning very vigorously and decided to take a few pictures.

As Father Nguyen began taking photos, someone in his group asked "wouldn't it be wonderful if Our Blessed mother came right down here with us?" With that, the first image appeared from the sun just a few feet from where the holy priest was standing. As it moved closer, it grew in its shape and clarity.

Even as Father Nguyen moved away, the image remained for a few moments before retreating back into the sky and into the spinning sun.

To answer the question posed by the visitor right before these images appeared, the only answer one can accept is "Yes! It is wonderful!!"

"Bring Me My Children. Bring Me ALL of My Children."

What God Thinks of Family

2010-08-24T17:03:00.004-04:00

Due to a report of potential malware being attached to this particular posting, we have removed it from this blog.

You can search Youtube for Dean Braxton and get his story as told to Sid Roth.