Great Message from Matthew Kelly

As we prepare for the coming of our Savior during this Advent Season, let us watch and listen to this short message by Matthew Kelly and ponder how we as members of Christ's body can bring positive change into the world in which we live.

Why Belong to a Church? I Can Pray and Worship God on My Own!

We often hear things like, I don't need to belong to a church, I'm spiritual and can worship and pray to God on my own. Here is a good video in response to such philosophies.

Are You Looking for Answers? Fr. Mike Schmitz to the Rescue!

If you're looking for some short answers to questions you have about what Catholics believe, check out these great videos by Fr. Mike Schmitz. Most of them are less than 10 minutes long. I'm certain you'll will enjoy Fr. Mike's presentations because they are both informative and entertaining. In other words, Fr. Mike will not put you to sleep with these great explanations. Enjoy!

Day of Evangelization at SS. Rose & Clement Parish 2015

 

Today, September 12, 2015, residents residing in the neighborhoods surrounding SS. Rose and Clement parish in Warwick, Rhode Island were visited by volunteers participating in this year’s "day of evangelization." Hundreds of homes were visited in the area during which volunteers shared the love of Christ, and extended invitations to all who desire to join our parish family in exploring and experiencing the richness of the Catholic Faith. Among those visited were many Catholics whom for whatever reason became inactive in the practice of their Faith, many of whom were very receptive and grateful for our presence and invitation to return Home to the Faith.

 

Being my first, this year‘s Day of Evangelization was special for me, and so I wanted to share my experience with those whom have ever contemplated participating in such a mission. I’d like to start by saying that we all make plans, but many times God has another, better plan in mind for us.

 

I have never before participated in our Day of Evangelization efforts. Today I intended to assist by spending time in prayer while our evangelization teams took to the streets. This initial plan was foiled when I was approached by a member of the evangelization ministry who informed me that they were one team member short and asked if I would consider filling the position. I quickly realized that this was God’s plan for me today and agreed to step up to the plate, knowing full well that God had blessings in store for me. I must say that those blessings were abundant!

 

After working all night, my original plan was to spend a couple of hours in prayer to support those taking to the streets and then go home to rest. Instead I accepted the request to take part in visiting homes in the neighborhood, and I must say that it resulted in the perfect ending to a perfect day, a day that began perfectly with communal prayer of the Rosary and Mass.

 

My evangelization partner and I had great encounters and conversations with many neighbors,

many of whom were raised in the Catholic Faith but admittedly and regretfully wandered from the practice of their Faith. It was exciting to see by the look in their eyes and the manner in which they responded to us, that our visit seemed to ignite a spark in their souls which seemed to say, ‘it’s time to go Home.’

 

There are so many homesick Catholics out there just waiting for an invitation to return Home. Many were so glad to see us! I am extremely grateful for the privilege of having had this opportunity to join my brothers and sisters in extending invitations Home to those whom have been away, and to have been granted the privilege of being able to share the faith with those whose hearts are restless and long to be filled with the knowledge of His love and mercy!

Why Infant Baptism?

Catholic Church doctrine concerning infant baptism often comes under attack from those who believe that a person should be of the age of reason and make a well informed choice to be baptized. In the following article from his weekly article found in The Quiet Corner section of The Rhode Island Catholic, Father John Kiley brilliantly sheds much light on the most important reason for infant baptism. Father John Kiley writes the following:

National Public Radio featured a discussion of religion among millennials, young adults born just before the turn of this century. One speaker decided to wait before introducing her own children to any specific religious tradition, allowing them to be exposed to diverse spiritual experiences and then arriving at their own religious conclusions as they approached adulthood. The Catholic practice of infant baptism seemed presumptuous to the speaker, coopting a believer’s opportunity to make an informed and mature choice regarding one’s eternal destiny. Millennials are certainly not alone in this thinking.

Some dedicated American Baptists have long postponed baptism into a believer’s grown-up years in the hope that a mature, adult decision will be spiritually more fruitful than a ceremony conducted long before a believer has even reached the age of reason.

William John Hammann was recently welcomed into this world by his parents Joshua and Shannon and brought to St. Francis Xavier Church in Brooklyn, New York, for baptism. Ritually welcoming the child into the Christian community was my honor as the infant’s second cousin twice removed. Friends and family gathered from Brooklyn, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, Indiana, Connecticut and Rhode Island, including the baby’s great-grandfather. Young Will was happily sedate during the celebration, especially enraptured by the flame of the baptismal candle. Admittedly, the new born had no notion of what was taking place amid the marble and stained-glass of this splendid parish church. Whether his grandfather retired NBA coach Jim O’Brien presented him with a basketball or his grandmother my cousin Gail offered him a new winter outfit from L.L. Bean to mark this occasion would not have registered at all with baby Will. Confirming the radio remarks of the millennial, William John Hammann was clueless that he was being cleansed of original sin, becoming a son of God, a temple of the Holy Spirit, a Christian, and a member of the universal Church.

But young Will’s ignorance is precisely the glory of Catholic infant baptism. A small community had gathered in that Brooklyn baptistery not to celebrate William John Hammann’s love of God but rather to celebrate God’s love of William John Hammann. From all eternity God’s Providence determined that William John Hammann would enter into this world and be welcomed by a believing family. When God created Adam and Eve he knew that eventually history would evolve into this happy ritual in Brooklyn. When God announced himself to the early Jewish community he knew that eventually William John would benefit from this ancient revelation. When Jesus Christ became man and established his Church, God knew that Christ’s spiritual legacy was destined for William John Hammann. From eternity and through the centuries, God’s love worked its way into the life of William John. And through the pouring of the Church’s baptismal waters, this love of God was made actual and tangible and perceptible to the Church community gathered one Sunday afternoon on Sixth Avenue in Brooklyn. Baptism is first and foremost a celebration of God’s love for the young believer. God must always be primary. Now the Christian community, both Church and family, must bring the young believer’s love for God to fruition.

An older generation knew that children learned their religion at their mother’s knee. Nowadays that saying might be politically corrected by observing that children learn their religion at their mother and father’s knees. And not only mother and father, but a child’s whole environment – family, friends, neighbors, parish, school, even toys and entertainment – must speak of the love of God to the child. When prayers are part of the home, when Mass is part of the week, when Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter, are family observances, when Bible stories are told and saints are invoked, when parish life is part of family life, when the poor are assisted and justice is a concern, when evil is repented and temptations are resisted, then the love of God celebrated sacramentally at Baptism and First Communion and Confirmation is nurtured practically in everyday life. Parents, family, friends, parish and the universal Church can give the new baptized a daily experience of the inexpressible love that God has for his chosen soul. Through an active Christian lifestyle, God will transform the clueless infant into an alert believer.The above article can be found at http://www.thericatholic.com/detail.html?sub_id=6210

The Catholic Church Is Perfect! Why?

Do you know someone who no longer practices their Catholic Faith, and claims that it was the sexually deviant behavior of some members of the clergy, and the failure of the Church to address the issue that finally caused them to leave the Church?

As repulsive as pedophilia is, especially when committed by a man whom we know has been ordained to represent Christ on earth in the administration of the sacraments, we must remember that the MAN has not been made perfect through the sacrament of Holy Orders. The priest is still a man and thus remains subject to the tendency toward sin along with the rest of humankind.

It is not man that makes the Catholic Church PERFECT, it is Jesus Christ who founded the Church and instituted the sacraments. As Catholics we must remain focused on Christ, truly present in the Eucharist, the very center of our Faith! If we are looking for perfection in a man, we will fail to find it in any church on earth!

John L. Barger, founder of Sophia Institute Press, in a debate with his daughter over the perfection of the Catholic Church, presents a powerful yet brief argument which I encourage all to read here.

Find the Answers

Bishop Fulton Sheen once said, "There are not more than 100 people in the world who truly hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic Church."

The optimum word here is perceive! Where have these perceptions come from?

In the spirit of Christian love, please take the time to examine what the Catholic Church truly believes and teaches about such topics as Mary and the Saints, Salvation, Scripture and Tradition and more.

Scroll to the bottom of this page and allow the Holy Spirit be your guide as you begin to explore these topics.

Year of Evangelization

This is the most important invitation anyone can receive! The logo to the left is so beautiful! A depiction of our Lord Jesus Christ welcoming all to return home with open arms! Imagine!

The following explanation of the meaning of The Year of Evangelization is taken directly from the F.A.Q. page of the website Year of Evangelization - Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.

Please take some time to peruse the website and share it with others!

Thank you for visiting! May the peace of our Lord be with you always!

A Tale Of A Good Shepherd And A Lost Sheep

Recently, Congressman Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island has clashed with the Catholic Church and Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence regarding the congressman’s public support of a health care reform bill which supports public funding for abortions.

Congressman Kennedy’s public support for the right to choose abortion and his criticism of the Catholic Church’s opposition to the current health care reform bill is in clear contradiction to his claim that he is a practicing Catholic. At this juncture, the bishop would be negligent in not responding to, and caring for a sheep that has wandered from the flock into dangerous surroundings!

All of this has now made national news. Congressman Kennedy claimed in an interview dated November 22, 2009, that Bishop Tobin has forbid him to receive Holy Communion. You may read Bishop Tobin’s response to Kennedy’s claims here.

Catholics should be concerned not so much with the their ability to receive the sacraments, but with whether or not they are properly disposed to receive them. Christ’s sanctifying and saving grace is conferred through the sacraments when the recipient is properly disposed to receive that grace, i.e., receiving the Eucharist in the state of mortal is not the proper disposition toward receiving the Sacrament. The same goes for the sacrament of Confession (Penance, Reconciliation). The recipient asking to be absolved is not properly disposed to the sacrament if he or she is not sincerely contrite, and willing to repent and make every effort to avoid sin in the future.

Discussions on local radio talk shows has served to reveal that many professed Catholics, at least in and around the Diocese of Providence have much to learn about the Faith they claim to be practicing. A professed Catholic is not at liberty to pick and choose which Church doctrine he or she believes and follows, and what he or she does not believe, and thus does not follow. The Church has one teaching authority, the Magisterium, whose teachings are the true teachings received from Jesus Christ and passed on through apostolic succession over the centuries up to the present day.

We cannot profess the Catholic Faith and then do what we want concerning abortion, contraception, and reception of the sacraments etc.!

As Catholics, and I include myself, we need to spend much more time learning about and practicing our Faith, then on doing things that do little to enhance the quality of our life here on earth, much less our eternal life!

This is a wake up call for the Catholic Church. We are in dire need of better ways in which to educate the faithful and evangelize the truth. We need to pray more often and more fervently, not only for ourselves, but for our Holy Father, our bishops and priests and all the clergy and religious, all catechists, all political leaders, and everyone throughout the world who does not know Christ, or does not think that Christ is essential in their lives!

Let us pray for Bishop Tobin, that he remain close to our Lord, and continue to courageously and boldly proclaim and stand by the truth as he shepherds his flock! And let us pray for Congressman Kennedy, and all Catholics, whom have strayed and are wandering, that they may safely return home!

Catholic Apologetics with Dr. Peter Kreeft

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and at the King's College (Empire State Building), in New York City. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 45 books including: Handbook of Christian Apologetics, Christianity for Modern Pagans, and Fundamentals of the Faith.

Dr. Kreeft is a great Catholic apologist! Please take time to visit his website by clicking on this link - Peter Kreeft. There you will find many writings and audio files that are yours to download for free.