I've spent most of my adult life fighting for the little ones in the womb waiting to be born. For many infants, it's the most dangerous place in the world. That was recently emphasized by the attempt of a couple to force the surrogate mother carrying "their" baby to undergo abortion because the little one had a curable heart problem. She refused and fled from the biological parents who live in the death state of California to Texas where the little one could be treated after birth.
by James M. Thunder
published in The Narthex, blog of New Oxford Review, in four parts
Feb. 24, March 8, 11 and 13
Part 1: Notre Dame: The Good News & the Bad News | New Oxford Review
Folks, the good news out of Notre Dame is shockingly good. The bad news out of Notre Dame is shockingly bad. I’ll start with the bad.
On January 8, 2026, Notre Dame issued a press release announcing that a professor, Susan Ostermann, was being appointed, effective July 1, as director of the Liu Institute. Because of her public and persistent pro-abortion views, this appointment has been met with objections by:
First Notre Dame
Is there anything shameful the administration at Notre Dame won't do? They gave Barack Obama, the most pro-abortion, divisive, bigoted president in history (Am I exaggerating?) an honorary law degree and the privilege of being their 2009 commencement speaker. Obama's entourage met a crowd of protesters including a friend of mine who was arrested and had to spend the next year traveling back and forth from Texas to deal with the draconian tactics used against those arrested some of whom weren't even on campus. President John Jenkins, the baby-faced villain of that debacle is gone, but Notre Dame continues on its pathetic and anti-Catholic trajectory.
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| The Exhortation to the Apostles -- James Tissot (1836-1902) |
This was the lead article from the Spring issue of the Les Femmes newsletter. Vol 21 #1 2016. I'm republishing it here because so many people have been sucked in by the heresy of Americanism and the rather arrogant belief in American Exceptionalism. Both of these beliefs have as their foundation the false beliefs of the French Revolution. And many Catholic prelates including Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore Catechism fame, who promoted Elizabeth Seton's educational efforts, got caught up in the enthusiasm and desire to be politically accepted. The desire for human respect is a trap that catches many. July 4th seems a good day to reprint it.
I must be getting old and crotchety. My patience for long-winded dissertations in the comment section has reached a low point. If you want to spend 500-1000 words illustrating your Trump derangement syndrome and trolling, start your own blog. And I'm not posting comments with a dozen links or buckets of rash judgment.
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| Are the U.S. Catholic Bishops Pharisees or Shepherds? |
There's a story, perhaps apocryphal, about a conversation between Cardinal Ercole Consalvi, Secretary of State to Pius VII, and Napoleon Bonaparte which has the ring of truth. Apparently Napoleon told the cardinal he had the power to destroy the Church. The ironic answer from the prelate was, "If the bishops haven't been able to do it in the past 1800 years, how can you expect to succeed?"
Have you ever noticed that diocesan "newspapers" are filled with puffery and pulchritude to make the diocese and the bishop look good? I usually glance at the headlines of The Arlington Catholic Herald and, every now and then, read an article, but for the most part, it's not worth the time. A standing joke with our previous bishop was to count how many of his photos graced the pages. Well, after all, the diocesan paper is the Catholic version of the celebrity fan magazine. Make the bishop look good.
You will never hear the term "illegal alien" from the U.S. bishops. Every law breaker violating our borders is a poor "refugee" and we must "welcome the stranger." But don't expect them to be welcomed into the bishops residence or the chancery.
PCHETA (Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (S. 2243, previously introduced in the House in 2019 as H.R. 647), is the death peddlers kill bill. We need to oppose it!
Why?
Palliative care used to be patient focused -- to help patients with chronic or terminal illnesses live as fully as possible until natural death. Often, patients assisted with palliative remedies from their primary physicians lived comfortably and fruitfully for years. They were encouraged to enjoy their families, have a positive outlook, and continue to participate in activities as much as they could. It wasn't about using every possible extraordinary means to prolong life, but to treat illnesses and offer pain relief when necessary.
Modernists work the problem of "updating" the Church to conform to the world with predictable strategies. They aren't particularly creative; they just repeat the same thing over and over. Sad to say, these repetitive attacks seem to do the trick more often than not -- at least in the short term. The secular world uses them as well. Perhaps that's why they succeed so often. They appeal to the worldly. "Hey! Give them another crisis and we'll scare them into submission!" The message from the Modernists is a little different. "Give them another excuse for their favorite sins and we'll have them by the nose!"
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| John van Hengel, Father of Food Banking |
PHOENIX — With Thanksgiving heading toward us, a time officially to be grateful, let’s recall a man who put food on tables all year long around the world after having an idea that was hiding out in plain sight and was as simple as saying: if you want to play ball, lace your shoes. Simple, but previously overlooked.
I occasionally get asked what charities are safe to donate to. I have a few favorites of my own with Aid to the Church in Need, the Poor Clares, and the Little Sisters of the Poor among them. We also support a number of pro-life groups. Sad to say, many of the Catholic groups are among the most egregious when it comes to supporting intrinsic moral evils like abortion and contraception. The Lepanto Institute has a great webpage with reports on various charities both secular and religious. Their reporting on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and Catholic Relief Services exposes their deep connection to abortion, contraception, and sodomy. Catholic Judas groups often support organizations that help defeat pro-life politicians and elect radical leftists. And they use money from the people in the pews to do it who erroneously believe their hard-earned money is helping the poor and downtrodden.
Be careful where you donate your money. We are all called to give alms. Let's not give alms to the baby-killers facilitated by a Church bureaucracy gone bad! The Lepanto Institute has a list of safe/unsafe charities both religious and secular. Check it out here.
The bad news: Cardinal Zen was arrested in Hong Kong. He's out on bail but they've taken his passport so he's not free to leave the country. I think we can thank the Vatican for this. Will they do anything now? Or just double down on letting China name Catholic bishops and run roughshod over the underground church. (Source) The Vatican is following the situation "with concern" and "with extreme attention." That should make us all relieved, right?
LOTS OF GOOD NEWS FROM SOME GREAT STATES (Not Maryland, but, hey, even a bad state makes an occasional good decision.)
Alabama doctors stop giving transgender drugs to kids as new ban takes effect| Our millstone award goes to the Catholic Press Association and the fishwrap! |
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| Are those bitter herbs from the Amazon to remind us that Lent is coming? |
