extreme Catholic 

Non-traditional baptisms ruled invalid: Courier-Mail (Australia)

The Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, John Bathersby, yesterday declared that children baptised at a South Brisbane church using non-traditional words would have to be re-baptised.

Hundreds of children have been baptised at St Mary's Church in the past decade using the words "creator, liberator and sustainer" instead of "father, son and holy spirit".

This is arrogance beyond comprehension that there would be 10 years where this could be practiced without an issue being raised over it.

Fr. Kennedy seems rather bored and unconcerned by the whole matter. Obviously, there's no fear here from the "obvious that he is wrong" Archbishop. It's obvious this priest believes he is unaccountable.

What's obvious is these baptisms are invalid, and Fr. Kennedy is using this as a issue to promote heresy, schism, and defiance.

Blogger Credit: Catholic World News

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 6:30 PM   Permalink  

Our newly ordained priest had ten kids act out the healing of the ten lepers before Thanksgiving Vigil Mass started. It may have been a trick to get these ten kids, their families and friends to attend Mass.

When the Mass started, it was holy and free of gimmicks.

I'm developing some ideas for a article that I like to get published based on my experience teaching the Catholic faith kids aged 10-15.

First I want to affirm that common wisdom that the family that prays together stays together. Also in following up with kids that I taught a few years ago, if kids develop a love of God before Confirmation, they continue to develop the love and act on that love by learning more about the faith and attending Mass.

What I think is something I've never read before is that a failure to teach the faith properly or to not have the parents attend Mass is actually worse than nothing, worse than neglect. It puts into these children a contempt for the faith or a contempt for outward religiosity.

When feelings rekindle later in life for seeking out God, such Catholics in name only are taking the attitude "I got Confirmed and all I got was this t-shirt." So they turn to Evangelical Chrisitianity, or rejecting Christ, they choose Bhuddism, Judaism, or even Islam. They are convinced that their home is not in the Catholic Church.

A reform in religious education of young Catholics might be to allow them to receive First Holy Communion and then, if the parents are not practicing Catholics, end religious education at that point until the child has more maturity and decide to continue his or her religious education.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 1:51 PM   Permalink  

I wish I had taken notes on this tapestry when I was in Historisches Museum Bern

At the time this was created, 1450, the Rennaisance and Age of Discovery are about to start and all things Roman were greatly admired. Ironically, Trajan who condemned many Christians to death is honored in the tapestry as an example of an effective ruler who led the Roman Empire to its greatest expanse.

My recall is fuzzy, but the tapestry shows executions in both Ancient Rome and contemporary settings. However, the catalog from the collection is in the research section of the New York Public Library, so I will have the details later.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 12:41 PM   Permalink  

Mass for Archbishop Fulton Sheen

If you are attending and want to make this a Catholic blogger meetup for dinner after the Mass, please let me know.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 1:06 AM   Permalink  

Debate on Mark Shea's blog

In other comment boxes I was reflecting on what Ledeen wrote before the I read his Corner clarification.

He's not only discussing the real case of Private Tandey but a hypothetical case where a killing contrary to a soldier's own conscience and the rules of engagement would be a good thing if those called upon to make those tough decisions have to be willing to "enter into evil."

This moral proposition is condemned by the constant teaching of the Church.

Certainly, Leeden is only presenting this as an example of the end justifies the means and not making any claims about its conformity of Christian or Jewish (his religious faith) moral teaching.

I also agree with the others that Ledeen should not concede that the marine killing of the "he's faking it..." combatant was a immoral act to make this point.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:44 PM   Permalink  

Team hopes for better from less than its best: KRT

“The three players that are out, we will be supporting them 100 percent,” Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in his first public comments since the brawl with the Pistons on Friday night. “We'll keep in contact with them and let them know that we're here for them, and we're going to do whatever we can to help them get back as soon as possible.”

“We steadfastly support our players, and we're going to be consistent with that,” [Pacers Head Coach] Rick Carlisle said. “It's a tough situation, but right now all of us are going to stick together.”

You don't need to be Dr. Phil to see that there's a lot of denial going on here.

All the statements from the Pacers sound so phony and lawyer-crafted.

There's not a sincere sound in them.

Here's a list of things that they need to acknowledge:

• It's wrong for a player to leave the court to attack fans.
• Regardless of the soft-drink provocation, Artest started the fighting.
• The other players went nuts as well.
• This was bad and it won't happen again.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:03 PM   Permalink  

I don't think a suspension is enough. Ban a player for life when he leaves the court or field.

Even if it was a missile (like a bottle) rather that beer or coke, nothing good happens when players go after fans in the stands.

To me it looks like an anger managment issue combined with the sense of entitlement than comes with a great deal of money and fame.

The correct response is to retreat, to run away and alert the police or security. This doesn't culturally match the sort of intimidation and dis disrespect

One caller on Rush's show pointed out that the players ran past some big guys (one of whom was a drink-thrower, so go after smaller guys to beat up.

This is one area where I don't think the just-war or self-defense doctrine was correctly applied.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 6:08 PM   Permalink  

I have been back and forth on the death penalty. I see many good points for both sides. Now I'm in favor of the death penalty. What changed my mind was the number of murders and other crimes committed by people on death row. They have not been made incapable of inflicting further harm.

Also, very few people sentenced to life without parole actually serve the full term by dying of natural causes in prison. Anti-death penalty advocates always come up empty when I ask them, for example, how many people convicted to a sentence of life without parole in 1975, for example, died of natural causes in prison, how many remain alive in prison, and how many were released?

Having said that, I think a requirement that physical evidence such as DNA be provided in the course of a trial to impose the death penalty is a good idea.

As John B. pointed out in the comments box, so-called eye-witness testimony has proven to be less than totally reliable. There was also a case where prejured testimony was discovered something like 25 or 30 years after the conviction.

I will be very surprised if the Scott Petersen jury votes for the death penalty, and very, very surprised if it is carried out.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 2:35 PM   Permalink  

Today, on the feast of Christ the King we prayed the “those sentenced to be executed, they God may give them comfort.”

I outwardly prayed for their comfort and inwardly prayed that they repent of their sins, experience a conversion of heart, and embrace Our Savior and thereby be spared from eternal damnation.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 7:27 PM   Permalink