Bill Donohue and David Dukes

Bill Donohue is the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. You may know him from his many, many appearances on cable news programs, op-ed pieces in newspapers, or for any other of the many media outlets where he brings his crusade. He can be bombastic, loud, and engage in histrionics, however these are but a few of the reasons to love him! He is one of the few consistent voices in the media speaking in defense of the Church, and isn't afraid to take on any comers. This article, from Inside Catholic (the web version of the old Crisis magazine) by way of Catholic Online, is a most enjoyable satire.

God love you!

Father V.

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Bill Donohue Parody:

'I'm Catholic, Staunchly Anti-Racist, and Support David Duke'
By William Donohue, Ph.D
10/7/2008
Inside Catholic (http://www.insidecatholic.com/)

I have informed my conscience. I have weighed the facts. I have used my prudential judgment. And I conclude that it is a proper moral choice for this Catholic to support David Duke's candidacy.

NEW YORK, NY (Inside Catholic) - EDITORS NOTE to our readers: Bill Donohue is vehemently against racism as much as he is strongly Pro-life. He wrote this piece to point out what he sees as the absolutely inherent contradictions in a Pro-Life Catholic such as Dean Cafardi saying that he is pro-Life but then endorsing a Candidate who promises as one of his first acts to sign the "Freedom of Choice Act".

The following is a tongue-in-cheek reply to Nick Cafardi's article, "I'm Catholic, Staunchly Anti-Abortion, and Support Obama.":

I believe racism is an unspeakable evil, yet I support David Duke, who is pro-racism. I do not support him because he is pro-racism, but in spite of it. Is that a proper choice for a committed Catholic?

As someone who has worked with minorities all his life, I answer with a resounding yes. Despite what some say, the list of what the Catholic Church calls "intrinsically evil acts" does not begin and end with racism. In fact, there are many intrinsically evil acts, and a committed Catholic must consider all of them in deciding how to vote.

Last November, the U.S. bishops released "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," a 30-page document that provides several examples of intrinsically evil acts: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research, torture, racism, and targeting noncombatants in acts of war.

Duke's support for racist rights has led some to the conclusion that no Catholic can vote for him. That's a mistake. While I have never swayed in my conviction that racism is an unspeakable evil, I believe that we have lost the racism battle -- permanently. A vote for Duke's opponent does not guarantee the end of racism in America. Not even close.

Let's suppose the 1964 Civil Rights Act is overturned. What would happen? The matter would simply be kicked back to the states -- where it was before 1964. Overturning the 1964 Civil Rights Act would not abolish racism. It would just mean that racism would be legal in some states and illegal in others. The number of racist incidents would remain unchanged as long as people could travel.

Duke's opponent has promised to appoint "judicially activist" judges who would presumably vote not to overturn the 1964 Civil Rights Act. But is that sufficient reason for a Catholic to vote for him? To answer that question, let's look at the rest of the Church's list of intrinsically evil acts.

Both Duke and his opponent get failing marks on embryonic stem cell research, which Catholic teaching opposes. The last time the issue was up for a vote in the Senate, both men voted to ease existing restrictions.

There's another distinction that is often lost in the culture-war rhetoric on racism: There is a difference between being pro-choice (e.g., the right to choose racist practices) and being pro-racism. Duke supports government action that would reduce the number of racist incidents, and has consistently said that "we should do everything we can to avoid unprovoked confrontations that might even lead somebody to consider racist behavior." He favors a "comprehensive approach . . . where we teach the tenets of civility to our children." And he wants to ensure that therapy is an option for bigots who might otherwise choose to commit a racist act.

What's more, as recent data show, racist incidents drop when the social safety net is strengthened. If Duke's economic program will do more to reduce racism that his opponent's, then is it wrong to conclude that a Duke presidency will also reduce racism? Not at all.

Every faithful Catholic agrees racism is an unspeakable evil that must be minimized, if not eliminated. I can help to achieve that without endorsing the immoral baggage associated with the party of Duke's opponent. Sustaining the 1964 Civil Rights Act is not the only way to end racism, and a vote for Duke is not somehow un-Catholic.

The U.S. bishops have urged a "different kind of political engagement," one that is "shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences." I have informed my conscience. I have weighed the facts. I have used my prudential judgment. And I conclude that it is a proper moral choice for this Catholic to support David Duke's candidacy.

William A. Donohue is the president and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

Sorry for the unfortunate song posted on my page this morning (for those who stopped in!)  MySpace didn't work in the way I intended it too (no surprise) and I was surprised by what appeared instead of "Shine on Harvest Moon." 

AND...thank you for all of the birthday greetings, wishes and blessings.  They are appreciated.  With a new decade I feel the passage of time picking up the pace.  Each birthday becomes a memento mori of sorts, reminding us that we are mortal, and that God will, at some point, call us home.  Now before my older and wiser readers jump up and say, "You're only 30!", let me say that I fully realize that I am still young!  However, it is good to keep the truth of life, and its brevity, always before us.  In all things look to the end, and be ready, not with morbid fear but living hope!

 Anyhow, onto the blog!

The Living Witness of a Holy Death

This great article from the National Catholic Register tells the extraordinary story of Thomas Vander Woude. It's extraordinary in the details of Vander Woude's life, but extraordinary more so in the faith that can't be extricated from either his life or his death. A daily communicant, Vander Woude raised seven sons with his wife, and with his wife instilled the faith in his sons using the means most effective and most difficult: living witness.

I believe that their are thousands of Catholic families around the country who have lives very similar to the ones found in this article. Not in the details, perhaps, but in the culture of faith and love built in the Christian home. Lives of heroic self sacrifice are not often lauded in our culture of death, but here is one that couldn't be ignored.

Offer a prayer, if you would, for the Vander Woude family, and for the repose of Thomas's soul. While you're praying, pray as well for all Catholic homes: may every member model the faith to each other, and may the family as a whole be a living witness to the world.

God love you!

Father V.
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7 Sons Lay Hero Dad to Rest

TIM DRAKE

The story of a Catholic father dying to save his son started being told in a small town in Virginia. Then on the front page of the The Washington Post. Then it began to be repeated on blogs and in online discussions from coast to coast.

But those who know him say they always knew Thomas Vander Woude was special. Whether it was installing a gymnasium floor, training altar boys or coaching sports, when the daily communicant father of seven saw a need, he stepped in.

That trait led to the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 8, when he dove into a septic tank to save the life of his son.

Anne Carroll, director of Seton High School, in Manassas, where Vander Woude coached, served on the board and volunteered, said Vander Woulde sacrificed for others "on a daily basis."

"He died as he lived," Carroll said.

Born in Sioux Falls, S.D., in 1942, Vander Woude left the farm to join the Navy. A pilot, he served the country for 17 years and was a Vietnam War veteran. He married Mary Ellen Earley in 1964, and the couple raised seven sons: Tom, Steve, Dan, Bob, Chris, Pat and Joseph. In 2002, he retired after 26 years as a commercial airline pilot. Between 2002 and 2007, he served as athletics director at Christendom College in Front Royal.

The more than 2,000 people, 70 priests and one bishop who attended his funeral Mass on Sept. 15 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gainesville, all came to pay their respects to a man who inspired them not only in life, but also in death.

Vander Woude's son Father Thomas Vander Woude celebrated the Mass and gave the homily. Bishop Paul Loverde of Arlington, Va., presided.

A Selfless Life

Vander Woude's life was marked by selflessness and humility. His third son, Dan, who lives next door to his parents in Nokesville, said that when his father saw a need, he didn't worry about whether he was the most qualified -- he just stepped in.

"He didn't know soccer, but there was a need, so he went to coaching clinics to learn that," Dan recalled. "Whether it was coaching basketball, soccer or directing altar boys, he was very good with young men."

There were several things about his father's spiritual life that stood out for him.

"When others asked about the secrets of success for raising Catholic families, he was always quick to point to the family Rosary," said Dan. "He was definitely devoted to Our Lady."

"He also did a Holy Hour between two and three in the morning and was a daily communicant. With the Rosary, he used to say a prayer to St. Joseph," added Dan. "Those were the things in front of us that we saw of our father. In this culture, which is selling a lot of stuff, I had a father on his knees who was showing me how to be a man of God."

Vander Woude's devotion to the Blessed Mother also led the family to host an annual Marian festival/procession/picnic on their farm the last Sunday of May. Hundreds of family friends and acquaintances would attend the celebration, which the family held for nearly two decades.

A Father's Love

Vander Woude, 66, died while helping his youngest son, Joseph, 20, who has Down syndrome. Joseph fell through an old cover that gave way into a septic tank on their property. Vander Woude yelled to a workman to call 911 and jumped in, forcing himself past Joseph so that he could get underneath him to hold him up.

According to family friend Michael McGrath, Vander Woude told the worker, "You pull, I'll push."

"As he lifted Joseph up, his eyes closed, and he collapsed into the tank," said McGrath. "When the paramedics came, they were unable to resuscitate him."

Those who knew him said that his love for his sons was paramount.

"His son Bob said, 'It's so right that he died saving one of us,'" said Peter Westhoff, a former teacher at Seton, where Vander Woude's sons went to school.

"One time on the farm, he told me, 'You know, I don't want any of the boys to ever leave. I'd love to have them around me all my life,'" recalled Westhoff.

To that end, Vander Woude had his 26-acre property split up, giving an acre of land to each of his sons. Two of his sons live on the nearby parcels.

Westhoff remembers a time in the mid-1990s when a school in Washington, D.C., was closing, and he went there to get materials for his school. When Westhoff entered the biology lab, there among the jarred lab specimens was a human fetus. Westhoff didn't feel it was appropriate to leave it, but he wasn't sure what to do.

He called Vander Woude's eldest son, Father Thomas Vander Woude, now pastor of Queen of Apostles Church in Alexandria. "He said, 'I'm sure my dad and mom would have a burial on the farm,'" said Westhoff. "When I called Mr. Vander Woude, there wasn't any hesitation."

Friend Pete Scheetz built a small pine coffin for the child. "When Mr. Vander Woude saw the pine coffin, he commented, 'Where can we get in line for ours?'" remembers Westhoff.

After Vander Woude's death, Scheetz built another simple pine coffin for his friend. Scheetz' wife and the Vander Woude daughters-in-law added a personal touch, sewing in the wedding dress of Mary Ellen, Vander Woude's wife, as the lining.

Faithful to the End

As difficult as Vander Woude's passing has been for his family, son Dan said that there have been many blessings. One comfort is that their father, who was dedicated to the Rosary, died on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was buried on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.

"One consolation is that God is using Dad's witness to touch a lot of people's hearts," said Dan.

Vander Woude's dying act was "truly saintly" and "the crown of a whole life of self-giving," Bishop Loverde said at the Mass, according to The Washington Post. "May we find in his life inspiration and strength."

Said Dan, "We've heard of priests in Spain and Colorado preaching about my dad's death during their homilies on the feast of the Triumph of the Cross. I've also heard from many friends that his story is inspiring other husbands and fathers for how they should be leading their daily lives."
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Tim Drake. "7 Sons Lay Hero Dad to Rest." National Catholic Register (September 28-October 4, 2008).

It's About Time!

The Front Fell Off

Sweet Mystery of Life

When I was a kid, my father would often play music in the house. His favorite singer was (and still is) Mario Lanza, the great tenor from the 50's. I learned to love opera listening to him sing arias, and through him I also came to love the American Standard Songbook. While my favorite singer is Frank Sinatra, Mario Lanza still ranks up in the top 5. Lanza's song, "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life", a great piece of music from the American Standard Songbook, ranks in my top ten favorite songs of all time, and it was that song that came into my head as I read the below article.

The mystery of life is just that: a mystery. We don't understand it, and we can't. Sure, there are the mechanics of the body that we have a rudimentary understanding of. But life it self: why it is, how it is, what it is, is beyond the realm of science and belongs to Faith. Science can tell us how (to a certain extent), only the Faith can tell us why. What is good and true in one only serves what is good and true in the other.

Why? All truth compliments truth. Truth is One, and everything good and true (with a small 't') points to the One Truth (capital 'T') who is Jesus Christ. He is the Word through whom God made the Universe, the Word that the Father spoke to pronounce creation Good, the Word who was there in the beginning with the Father bringing and breathing life into creation. The prologue of St. John's Gospel, which speaks of this, reads like poetry:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

This article goes to show how little science understands.  Science can be good, no doubt, but it can't be God.  Brain dead, sent home to die with her family, and yet life remained and responded to care and love.  What a novel idea!  This article, and a thousand others like it, may be anecdotal but go to show that while we may understand what makes the engine work, we don't understand how or why it works.

Questions and comments are always welcome!

God love you!
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Ash Wednesday: Mourning our Fallen Humanity

I wanted to write something on Ash Wednesday, about Ash Wednesday. I preached yesterday on the days of Lent, and how we are not simply walking with Christ towards His death on that Good Friday afternoon, but allowing Him to accomapany us on our journey towards death as well. The ashes imposed on our foreheads are the remanent of something dead, something that once was that no longer is.

Our bodies too will return to that state, mixing again with the dust of the earth from which the first of our race was created. We will stand before God in judgement with simply our soul, marked with His indeliable seal given us in Baptism. We will either kneel in adoration and ask for His mercy (and be sure of receiving it), or we will turn from His glory, seeking to hide ourself from Him who knows and sees all.

How do we know which path we choose? By looking at the path we have walked thus far. We were told that, (ontological change aside,) the man we were the day before ordination to the priesthood, is the man we would be the day after ordination to the priesthood. The person you are the day before your wedding will be the person you are the day after.

In the same way, the person you are the day before you die will, most likely, be the person you are the day after you die. Have you served God in every moment? Have you followed His commandments? Have you loved Him as He made you to love Him? Or, have you declined His invitation to grace and holiness time and time again? Have you rejected the unique help He offers through His Church and her Sacraments? Have you broken the commandments without a second thought to going to Him for forgiveness? Have you loved Him as you wanted instead of as He made you to love Him; or very honestly, have you loved Him at all?

If we refuse to kneel before God asking Him mercy in life, we will not kneel before Him asking for His mercy in Judgement. And this is the paradox: those who kneel are invited to stand with Him in the Father's house sharing in the Father's glory for all eternity. Those who refuse to kneel for a moment of penance before the Lord find that they kneel for all eternity under the weight of their pride, lust, greed, anger, envy, gluttony and sloth.

As Chesterton said while dying, "the issue is now clear, it is between light and darkness and everyone must choose their side." Ash Wednesday reminds us of exactly who we are: sinners in need of a savior, sinners who will die and stand before the Lord in Judgement, and sinners that God loved so much He sent His only Son to die for.

We are all making our way either to Heaven or to Hell, and Lent provides us with the reminder that we can change course. We can drop all the burdens of our life, the sins we have accumulated, the garbage we hold in our hands in order to reach out and take the one gift God wants to give us: joy, peace, and life with Him forever in Heaven. We can serve God, and find the happiness that He offers, the happiness that only He can give, the happiness that we are made for.

The below article is taken from the Catholic Education resource center, and a very good reflection on our fallen human condition and the need for universal mourning.

God love you
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Persecution of Christians in Atheist Soviet Union

Our Tainted Nature's Solitary Boast...

Vocation Video, Circa 1964

Am I the only one?

This article is taken from the Daily Mail out of London, via the Drudge Report. It is the heartwarming story of a woman, pregnant with twins who, following her doctor's advice, decides to abort one. Here's the heartwarming part: despite repeated attempts to kill one of the twins, he held on to dear life and was born healthy. He so strongly fought the attempts to kill him the doctors nicknamed him "Rocky."

What? You're missing the feel-good aspect of this story? You think that the people involved in this whole nefarious scandal should be embarrassed, indeed horrified, by their actions and not celebrating their failure? I do too. As I read this article, I thought to myself, "Am I the only one deeply troubled by this whole ordeal? Have we gone mad when the executioners celebrate the survival of their charge?"

Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled beyond imagining that this child, Gabriel, survived. However, this should be a call to conscience for all involved and not an "ahhh, isn't this nice" story.

Questions and comments are welcome.

God love you,
Father V.
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Thriving: Gabriel, right, with his twin brother Ieuan, is now a healthy 12lb 6oz at seven months

Dear friends and readers,

I will be away until the 31st of October on vacation, and not checking e-mail or MySpace.  Please pray for me, and the couple whose wedding I will be attending in sunny California!

I have no doubt that, in lieu of a wedding gift to them, my friends would rather you give me a gift.  One wonderful gift would be a vote in the Bloggers Choice Awards competition!  Click on the link above; it would only take a moment, and you would help spread the word about the blog.  

Know that I pray for my readers! 

God love you,
Father V.

One more shameless plug for votes!  The voting is almost over, and I have been stuck on page 4, with 87 votes, for quite a while.  I would love to score a little higher, and increase my exposure and readership.  With 504 subscribers and over 1000 hits a week, I should be able to score a little better than that! 

So if you have it in you, and I pray you do, let's push the blog up a little further; it would only take a moment!  It would be great to at least place in the top 10.  If only 200 of my readers voted, I would make this goal easily.

If you enjoy this blog, find it interesting, challenging or even aggravating, vote and push me up a few notches! 

Be sure to stop in and vote! I am on the bottom of page 4 in "Best Religious Blogs." Your votes would help to spread the word and increase readership!

God love you! -Father V.

My ordination, May of 2006, by Sean Cardinal O'Malley.

Frankenstein's Monster: The 'New Church'

Great Clouds of Incense

What can Brown do for you?