Follow up on Dominican Republic... Interesting news from a friend!!!

This is a post note to the article below! Since Monday, ( I work for the Airlines) all travelers that had flights booked to Mexico are now switching their vacations plans on the most part to go to the Dominican Republic. They are afraid of the outbreak of the Swine flu. So, God is already blessing this little country this week as the travel and tourism industry there is booming and will continue to do so for quite awhile...May God abundantly Bless all governments and countries that respect and honor Life - !!! Maybe other countries will take notice! love and prayers...T

Why choose Santo Domingo?
Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the New World, where the settlement of all the Americas began. See the first cathedral, the first hospital. Wander down cobble stone streets among the Spanish colonial architecture and imagine how things were back in the 1600s.
This cathedral, the first in the New World, is the most important monument in Santo Domingo. It was constructed from 1514 to 1546. Its complete translated name is the Holy Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of our Lady Holy Mary of the Incarnation. Its mostly late Gothic architecture also includes Romanesque characteristics. The main façade was built out of coral rock. The chapels were built later than the main temple, and until 1992 one chapel housed the remains of Christopher Columbus, which are now in the Columbus Lighthouse. Please note that you must be appropriately dressed to enter the cathedral.

On Monday, October 12, 21992 the Holy Father John Paul II went to the city of Higüey in the eastern interior of the Dominican Republic, where he celebrated Mass at the Marian shrine of Altagracia. During the Mass on the fifth centenary of the arrival of the Gospel in the Americas, the Pope preached a homily in Spanish, in which he addressed all sectors of society, speaking of their role in the new evangelization and the continuing inculturation of the Gospel in America.

Thank you Msgr Hadden- 1st African American Rector of a Cathedral in the United States

Dear Editor:
As an African American born and reared in Raleigh, N.C., I am very happy that there are now 29 African Americans in the General Assembly.

Recently HB 168, the Choose Life special plate bill, was filed and assigned to the Rules Committee by the Speaker of the House, Joe Hackney. Over 130 other special plates have been authorized by the Legislature and dozens of others have been filed this session.

The Choose Life plate is the only one to be relegated to the House Rules Committee. Here it is expected to die for the eighth year in a row. Two legislators have said that controversial or political plates should not be approved.

It is interesting that at present one special plate is presently available and another has been filed that are certainly political and controversial, especially to African Americans. Currently, the “Sons of the Confederate Veterans” specialty plate is available for purchase in North Carolina. The recently filed “Civil War” specialty plate (HB369/SB735) with the proposed words “Freedom-Sacrifice-Memory” has been assigned respectively to the House Transportation and Senate Finance Committees, the normal assignments given to plates seeking approbation by the Legislature.

We have come a long way in 50 years with regard to civil rights and freedom of speech by all people. Many people have paid the price of their lives so that African Americans could enjoy freedom and rights. I ask the 29 African Americans legislators in the General Assembly to join with those who seek to have the bill for this plate passed.

All of good will should join together in seeking their First Amendment rights in allowing the Choose Life license plate to be authorized for sale in our state.

Rev. Monsignor Thomas P. Hadden
Vicar for African-Ancestry Ministry
Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh

Dominican Republic Nobly Passes Bill to Preserve Life - Lesson for the Whole World

See full article here...
There were some very interesting statements written in this article:

1) On April 23, 2009 the Dominican Republic was urged by its President Leonel Fernandez to consider the matter of ending the death penalty for un-born children in that country. In a remarkable vote the lawmakers put down abortion's blood drain by a whopping 167 to 32.

2) The decision to quit abortion was driven wholly by the efforts of the Catholic Church under the guidance of Santo Domingo's Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez who went on record for saying that pro abortionists were "butchers and merchants." He emphasized that the interests of the pro-abortionist was largely about profit and had little to do with choices as it is touted in America.

3) Actual abortion videos were shown as well on national TV that the Dominicans found unbelievable and wholly repugnant. There is little doubt that you will not see such videos on national TV in the United States which leads the way in the effort to strangle reality, truth and compassion under the guise of all that is now held as "politically correct."

God will certainly bless this Dominican Republic which was previously called Santa Domingo which represents St. Dominic who is the patron saint of hopeful mothers. Before his birth his mother had a dream that a dog lept from her womb and was carrying a torch and "seemed to set the earth on fire!" How appropriate for this little country to start such a fire. The great Dominican St. Catherine of Siena summed up what the Church in the Dominican Republic was successful at doing with the culture in her prayer ‘God grant that I may always be a lover and proclaimer of truth, and that for the sake of truth I may die’ (Letters, 277)

St. Catherine Pray for Us!

The Catechism teaches us that human beings naturally tend toward the truth; they are morally bound to seek truth, to adhere to the truth once they come to know it, and to direct their whole lives in accordance with what the truth demands (n. 2467).

Words of St. Pio to Strengthen...

When Padre Pio was preparing to enter to his religious life he was given a vision that he was to fight a large monster. There in his vision was a Guide that gave him these words of encouragement and strength. When Francesco (Padre Pio) asked not to fight the monster the Guide replied, "All Resistance is useless, it is advisable that you fight this man, take heart, enter confidently into the combat. Go forward courageously for I shall be close to you. I will assist you and not allow him to over come you. In reward for your victory over him I shall give you a splendid crown to adorn your head." In this Vision was clearly portrayed the spiritual battle that has been raging from the beginning of time. The weapon that St. Pio had was that of the Cross. He united his love of Christ and his suffering to the Cross and his closeness to the sacraments all of these weapons were great source of Grace!

Thank you Fr. F for these words...

Fr. Peter West Speaking in Rocky Mount this Weekend!

Priests for Life Fr. Peter West will be at the Parish Our Lady of Perpetual Help
this weekend and also at the 12:30 Mass at Immaculate Conception in Rocky Mount, NC!
which is aprox 1 hour east of Raleigh off 264!
Directions to the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish is here
Directions to the Immaculate Conception Parish is here

Choose Life License Plate in the News

http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/video/4953103/

Follow the Holy Father on You tube...

Join us in the procession to modern day Golgitha!

Come at 1:00 PM on Good Friday starting at OLOL Click here for Directions!

Click on the picture to enlarge it to read...

N.C. Bishops Call on Catholics to Support Conscience Protection Rights

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The right to life and the freedom to exercise one's religious and moral beliefs in the medical field without discrimination are being challenged in a new way and we are asking for your help in contacting federal government regulators about this issue.

First, a little background. In December 2008, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services approved a regulation to protect the rights of doctors, nurses and other health care providers who object, on moral or religious grounds, to performing or assisting in abortions or other medical procedures in health care facilities that receive federal funding. Laws protecting the consciences of health care workers from discrimination in the workplace were first enacted in the early 1970s and this latest regulation added a layer of protection.

On March 10, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made a proposal to rescind the December 2008 regulation, putting at risk the legal protection that doctors and other medical personnel who object to performing or assisting in abortions or other medical procedures have enjoyed for decades.

But the March 10th proposal hasn't been finalized and here is where you can help. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is seeking input from the public on its proposal to rescind the regulation and will accept feedback through April 10. Please click on the link below and let our government know that you do not want to rescind the regulation that was enacted last December and that you want to protect the right of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals who make the life affirming decision not to participate in abortions or other objectionable medical procedures based on their moral or religious beliefs.

You can learn more about this situation by visiting the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Sincerely,

The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis
Bishop of Charlotte

The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge
Bishop of Raleigh

UN Commission Ends with Delegations Saying No to Abortion

By Samantha Singson

(NEW YORK – C-FAM) As the sun rose on the last day of negotiations at the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) at the United Nations (UN) today, delegations were still embroiled in a contentious debate over language concerning “sexual and reproductive health and rights,” which some radical NGOs and UN committees have interpreted and used to promote abortion. As UN member states came together at the closing meeting to adopt the document, delegations took the floor to define abortion out of the document.

Up until the eleventh hour, the contentious term “sexual and reproductive health and rights” remained in the draft document. Just prior to adoption, Iran took the floor to object to the phrase which has never before been included in any negotiated UN document. Iran stressed that the term remained problematic for a number of delegations and urged the Commission to revert back to previously agreed upon and carefully negotiated language from the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Program of Action, which is understood not to create any right to abortion.

In an attempt to get consensus, the chairwoman from Mexico suspended the meeting and after twenty minutes, returned to the room and announced that Iran’s proposal would be accepted and that the term “sexual and reproductive health and rights” would be removed from the text. The document was then adopted by consensus.

Several delegations, however, went further and made statements to explicitly define abortion out of the CPD document and to reiterate that the document created no new rights. Comoros, Peru, Poland, Ireland, Chile, the Holy See, Malta, and Saint Lucia spoke out against the other remaining reproductive health-related terms such as “reproductive rights,” “reproductive health services” and “sexual and reproductive health” and emphasized that these could not be construed to “support, endorse or promote” abortion.

Malta’s ambassador stated that his delegation was finding it more difficult in accepting the resolutions of UN bodies like the CPD where there were consistent attempts to expand “reproductive health” to include abortion.

Saint Lucia made an explicit objection to the term “safe abortion” because the term could “give the impression that abortion was a procedure completely free of medical and psychological risks.” Saint Lucia also highlighted a provision in the CPD document which called on states where abortion was legal to “train and equip health service providers and should take such measures to ensure that such abortion is safe and accessible.” The Saint Lucian representative stressed that her delegation understood this provision did not impact the right of healthcare providers to refuse to perform or be complicit in abortions as a matter of conscience, stating, “Again, no new rights are created or acknowledged in this document, and the universal right to conscience can in no way be overridden or weakened.”

Only the representative of Norway expressed regret that the term “sexual and reproductive rights” was not accepted in the text, saying that his country had widespread access to abortion and virtually no negative effects on women.

The CPD will next meet in April 2010.

People who have influence on the University of Notre Dame...

..................
Yesterday we visited the National Museum of the Marine Corps and it reminded me of the importance of Chain of Command...
First we need to Pray! and ask Our Lady (Notre Dame) for her intercession!
Then we need to write letters to the appropriate Chain of Command to have an effect. Many Bishops have already spoken out about this issue now we need to concentrate on those who have influence and can make decisions. See Cardinal George's Letter above for guidance and the addresses below. It is easy to call Rome do not let calling overseas prevent you from speaking to those who have athority of the University of Notre Dame. The Switchboard operator at the Vatican Switchboard: 011.39.06.6982 answers "Pronto" which means "ready". This greeting is used by all Italians. Do not allow this to intimidate you because the operator will follow with the language that is spoken. I asked for the Congregation for Catholic Education. It was easy to speak to the office. Please note that you should check your calling plans to see if you can add international calling to your cell phone plan. My cell phone had this option and it was changed is only $.07/min to Rome!
Please consider to make calls or Fax or, more importantly, write a handwritten letter to the following contacts!

To contact Notre Dame:

University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
46556, USA
phone: 574.631.5000
email form: http://president.nd.edu/contact-us

Board of Trustees
The Board has general power of governance at the University

Mr. Richard C. Notebaert, Chairman of the Board
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
phone: 574.631.5000

list of all trustees: http://nd.edu/leadership/board-of-trustees/

Notre Dame Fellows
(The Fellows are the "successors and associates in office" of the original founders of the University.)

The Most Rev. Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C.
Diocese of Peoria, IL
phone: 309.671.1550
ckreps@cdop.org

Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., President
University of Portland
phone: 503.943.7101

Patrick F. McCartan, Senior partner, Jones Day
phone:216.586.7272
email: pmccartan@jonesday.com

William M. Goodyear, CEO
Navigant Consulting
phone: 312.583.5700

list of all Notre Dame Fellows: http://www.nd.edu/leadership/fellows/

Alumni Association
contact info: https://secure.alumni.nd.edu/site/c.luIZLdMOJpE/b.2660531/k....

To contact the Vatican:

Vatican Switchboard: 011.39.06.6982

Congregation for Catholic Education
Palazzo della Congregazioni, Piazza Pio XII, 3
00193 Roma
ITALY
Fax: 011.39.06.69.88.41.72

European Parliament will vote on the issue of experiments using animals.

(31 March) a committee of the European Parliament will vote on the issue of experiments using animals. The Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) committee will consider a draft directive which has the potential to force European Union (EU) member-states to use human embryos and embryonic tissue (e.g. stem cells) instead of animals in testing. Although the draft directive does not at present explicitly mention human embryos, it could be used to force countries to demand that researchers use human embryos rather than animals. We are gravely concerned by the draft directive's potential to reduce the status of human embryos to below that of laboratory animals, and the abuse and destruction of innocent human life which would follow. It is essential for the protection of vulnerable human beings and the upholding of scientific ethics that the Committee ensures that the draft directive is fully scrutinized according to the right to life and the dignity of the human person.
See Blog for more details!

First Saturday Lifeguard Events

Here is the events for the Lifeguards this Saturday April 4th 2009:

8:00 am Prolife Mass at St. Joseph's Catholic Church

10:00 am Lifeguard Procession led by Our Lady and Fr. Meares

11:15-1:30 pm Gathering for snacks and Pizza at OLOL Catholic Church Upstairs in the Fallon Center.

Please join us for these events this Saturday and come with your rosary and your Lifeguard Shirts if you have one. Otherwise wear other prolife shirts that you have or a plain red T-shirt.
For details or directions email lifeguardsnc@gmail.com or prolifeeventsnc@gmail.com

Click on the link for all the address and directions for the events~