Vatican condemns Hallowe'en as anti-Christian

From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/6467253/Vatican-condemns-Halloween-as-anti-Christian.html

By Nick Squires in Rome
Published: 1:10PM GMT 30 Oct 2009

The Holy See has warned that parents should not allow their children to dress up as ghosts and ghouls on Saturday, calling Hallowe'en a pagan celebration of "terror, fear and death".
The Roman Catholic Church has become alarmed in recent years by the spread of Hallowe'en traditions from the US to other countries around the world.
As in Britain, it is only in recent years that Italian children have dressed up in costumes, played trick or treat on their neighbours and made lanterns out of hollowed out pumpkins.
The Vatican issued the warning through its official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, in an article headlined "Hallowe'en's Dangerous Messages".
The paper quoted a liturgical expert, Joan Maria Canals, who said: "Hallowe'en has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian."
Parents should "be aware of this and try to direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death," said Father Canals, a member of a Spanish commission on church rites.
Last year a newspaper controlled by the Italian bishops, Avvenire, called for a boycott of Hallowe'en, calling it a "dangerous celebration of horror and the macabre" which could encourage "pitiless [Satanic] sects without scruples".
Earlier this week the Catholic Church in Spain also condemned the growing popularity of Halloween, saying it threatened to overshadow the Christian festival of All Saints' Day.
The Bishop of Siguenza-Guadalajara, Jose Sanchez, said there was a risk that Halloween could "replace Christian customs like devotion to saints and praying for the dead."

Knock 'apparition' criticised

From www.rte.ie/news

Monday, 26 October 2009
Archbishop of Tuam Dr Michael Neary has criticised those involved in encouraging people to believe there was to be an apparition at the Knock Shrine.
In a statement issued today, he claimed that the apparition in Knock in 1879 was neither sought nor expected by humble, honest people who were its astonished witnesses.
He said that unfortunately, recent events at the Shrine risk misleading God's people and undermining faith.
For this reason such events are to regretted rather than be encouraged.
He said the Shrine would be best served by maintaining its authentic identity.

Guide to Help with Examination of Conscience for Confession

For a more complete guide, go to http://www.communityofhopeinc.org/Catholic%20Beliefs/Examination.html

First Commandment
I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.

I denied, or doubted my faith
_____ Times a week, or month.
I murmured against God
_____ Times a week, or month.
I despaired of His mercy
_____ Times a week, or month.
I missed my daily prayers
_____ Times a week, or month.
I went to places of false worship
_____ Times a week, or month.
I talked against the Church, priests, or faith
_____ Times a week, or month.
I went to fortune tellers
_____ Times a week, or month.
I was dealing with the occult-i.e. Ouija Board
_____ Times a week, or month
I was guilty of superstitious practices
_____ Times a week, or month.
I was guilty of excessive materialism
_____ Times a week, or month.
I was guilty of malice (deliberate choice of evil)
_____ Times a week, or month
I read books contrary to faith
_____ Times a week, or month.

In counting your sins, if you cannot give the exact number, average, tell as nearly as you can, about how often you have committed each.

Second Commandment
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

I swore by name of God (Blasphemy)
_____ Times a week, or month.
I swore by name of Jesus (Blasphemy)
_____ Times a week, or month.
I cursed others by saying: God damn you
_____ Times a week, or month.
I cursed my children and wife
_____ Times a week, or month.
I cursed in the hearing of the young
_____ Times a week, or month.
I perjured myself by swearing falsely in court
_____ Times a week, or month.
I took rash and unnecessary oaths
_____ Times a week, or month.
I provoked others to curse
_____ Times a week, or month.
I did not prevent cursing when I could and should
_____ Times a week, or month.
I spoke against saints, holy things and pious practices.
_____ Times a week, or month.


Third Commandment
Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath Day.

I missed Mass on Sunday & Holydays through my fault
_____ Times a week, or month.
I spent a great part of these days in sinful occupations
_____ Times a week, or month.
I was late for Mass by my own fault
_____ Times a week, or month.
I kept my wife, children or employees from Mass
_____ Times a week, or month.
I assisted at Mass with willful distractions
_____ Times a week, or month.
I engaged in servile works on Sunday and
Holydays without necessity
_____ Times a week, or month.

Fourth Commandment
Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother.

1. Duty of Children

I disobeyed my parents/teachers/leaders in important matters
_____ Times a day, or week.
I caused them to be angry: I grieved them
_____ Times a day, or week.
I used insulting language to them
_____ Times a day, or week.
I kept or wasted my wages I should have given to them
_____ Times
I did not support them
_____ Times
I incited my brothers and sisters against them
_____ Times
I neglected to write them, or send them help
_____ Months _____ years
I neglected them in sickness, in death
_____ Months _____ years

2. Duties of Husbands and Fathers

I grieved, abused, struck my wife
_____ Times
I accused her wrongfully
_____ Times
I neglected to provide for my family
_____ Times
I gave my children bad example
_____ Times
I failed to correct their faults
_____ Times
I neglected to instruct them in religion
_____ Times
I interfered with their religious vocation
_____ Times

3. Duties of Wives and Mothers

I disobeyed my husband
_____ Times.
I caused my children to disobey and dishonor him
_____ Times.
I talked of his faults to my children or neighbors
_____ Times.
I neglected to correct my children
_____ Times.
I gave them bad example
_____ Times.
I did not instruct them in their religion
_____ Times.
I interfered with their religious vocation
_____ Times.

Under this commandment masters and mistresses, employers and employees should examine themselves on their respective duties.

Fifth Commandment
Thou shalt not kill.

I was angry
_____ Times.
I caused others to become angry
_____ Times.
I was quarreling or fighting
_____ Times.
I desired the death of others
_____ Times.
I cherished hatred to others
_____ Times.
I've used or approved of artificial birth control
_____ Times.
I refused to speak or to be reconciled to others
_____ Times.
I caused the death of another by negligence
_____ Times.
I brought dishonor to family, school, community, or the Church
_____ Times.
I have been guilty of detraction (telling an unkind truth about another)
_____ Times.
I led others to commit sin, by word or example
_____ Times.
I Used illegal drugs
_____ Times.

For physicians, parents, others, - caused, counseled, consented to abortion. Abortion is a case reserved by the Holy See to Bishops.

Sixth Commandment and Ninth Commandment
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.

Here the penitent must seriously consider past thoughts, words, and actions against these commandments. If one had the misfortune to break them, one must tell whether one is single or married; whether thoughts, words, desires, or acts referred to single or married persons or relatives.

I had premarital sex, including oral sex, intercourse, impure touching of another
_____ Persons_____ Times.
I took pleasure in impure thoughts
_____ Times a day.
I had impure desires
_____ Times a day
I spoke immodestly in the hearing of
_____ Persons_____ Times a day.
I boasted of sins of impurity
_____ Times a day_____ a week.
I sang or listened to immodest songs
_____ Times a day_____ a week.
I read immodest books, papers, or writings
_____ Times.
I was guilty of immodest looks
_____ Times a week
I kept, showed, looked at immodest pictures/pornographic material
_____ Times a week.
I went to immodest places of amusement
_____ Times a week.
I was guilty of immodest acts
(See note above, and tell what these acts were)
_____ Times.
I committed homosexuals actions
_____ Persons_____ Times.
I committed immodest acts alone
_____ Times.
I was guilty of the sin of Onanism (masturbation, withdrawal method)
_____ Times.

In the Book of Genesis Onan was commanded by his father to impregnate the widow of his slain brother and to raise the offspring of the union. In order to avoid raising descendants for his late brother, however, Onan engaged in coitus interruptus.

There are hidden sins known only to God and the sinner. These he must also tell, and the number of times.

Seventh Commandment and Tenth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.

I stole goods to the amount of
$ _____, _____ Times.
I destroyed property, defrauded insurance companies
$ _____, _____ Times.
I took from my employers
$ _____, _____ Times.
I stole $____ worth, but restored, though able to return all, only
$______ Worth
I wasted time for which I was paid work, value of
$ _____, _____ Times.
I injured others in their employment or goods
$ _____, _____ Times.
I neglected to pay my bills, just debts, amounting to
$ _____, _____ Times.
I defrauded in weights and measures
$ _____, _____ Times.
I defrauded those employed by me
$ _____, _____ Times.
I unjustly deferred the payment of their wages
$ _____, _____ Times.
I desired to possess unjustly my neighbor’s goods
_____ Times.

Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

I told lies
_____ Times.
I seriously injured my neighbor’s character, by
publishing his secret faults
_____ Times.
I carried stories and caused trouble
_____ Times.
I told a deliberate lie to the injury of my neighbor
_____ Times.
I spoke without necessity of the known faults of others
_____ Times.
I've broken promises deliberately
_____ Times.
I am guilty of calumny-telling lies about one another
_____ Times.
I failed to defend my neighbor’s character
_____ Times.
I encouraged detraction or calumny, or
listened to it with complacency
_____ Times.
I failed to make reparation for sins of tongue
_____ Times.

Commandments of the Church

I neglected my yearly confession and Easter Communion
_____ Times.
I attempted marriage contrary to the law of the Church
_____ Times.
I neglected, when able, to support the Church
_____ Times.
I ate meat on days of abstinence, without permission or necessity.
_____ Times.
I caused others to eat meat on days of abstinence
_____ Times.
I broke the fasts of the Church
_____ Times.
I caused others to break the fasts of the Church
_____ Times.

The Seven Deadly Sins

I was guilty of gluttony
_____ Times.
I was drunk
_____ Times.
I caused others to be drunk
_____ Times.
I gave liquor to those drunk
_____ Times.
I was slothful in religious exercises
_____ Times.
I was lazy and idle
_____ Times.
I was envious
_____ Times.
I was yearning for impure pleasures
_____ Times.
I have had an immoderate desire for earthly goods
_____ Times.
I have had an inordinate desire for revenge
_____ Times.
I was proud
_____ Times.

The Four Sins Crying to Heaven for Vengeance

Willful murder (including abortion)
_____ Times.
The sin of Sodom. (unnatural sex)
_____ Times.
Oppression of the poor.
_____ Times.
Defrauding laborers of their wages.
_____ Times.

The Six Sins against the Holy Ghost

Presumption of God's mercy-sinning and saying God must forgive me
_____ Times.
Despair-to believe that God will refuse to forgive you
_____ Times.
To attack as false or questioning the known truth.
_____ Times.
Envy at another's spiritual good
_____ Times.
Obstinacy in sin-refusing to stop known sinful behavior
_____ Times.
Final impenitence-refusing to accept God's mercy at moment of death (of course, it would be too late to confess this)
_____ Times.

Nine Ways of being Accessory to Another's Sin

By counsel-talking one into sin
_____ Times.
By command-telling one to sin
_____ Times.
By consent- agreeing with the sin
_____ Times.
By provocation- to pressure one into sin
_____ Times.
By praise or flattery- congratulating the sin committed by others
_____ Times.
By concealment- covering up the sin for another
_____ Times.
By partaking- approving sin by assisting in it
_____ Times.
By silence-by not speaking up against the sin
_____ Times.
By defense of the ill done- rationalizing the sin done or will be done
_____ Times.

Also, don't forget to always confess all Venial sins that you might have committed-i.e., ingratitude, reckless driving, selfishness, rudeness etc.

Latin High Mass said in St Peter's Basilica

http://www.insidethevatican2.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=letter-36-from-rome-introibo-ad-altoare-.html&Itemid=169

Letter #36, from Rome, Mass
Posted by: Robert Moynihan Ph.D. on Oct 18, 2009

As rain fell in St Peter's Square, a solemn High Mass according to the old rite was celebrated this morning in Latin in St. Peter's Basilica by American Archbishop Raymond Burke. After Mass, the sun came out over the Square, in a blue sky. Photos...
By Robert Moynihan, reporting from Rome
====================================
The Mass in St. Peter's
Archbishop Raymond Burke (photo above) made history in Rome this morning.
Burke, formerly Bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri, now the head of the Apostolic Signature of the Holy See, celebrated a solemn High Mass according to the old rite at 9:45 this morning in the Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament in St. Peter's Basilica (photo by Angela Ambrogetti,who writes for Inside the Vatican and who attended the Mass).
The Apostolic Signature is an office more or less comparable to the "Supreme Court" of the Catholic Church. The head of this office is, according to Church custom, a cardinal. This means that, barring some change, Burke should relatively soon be made a cardinal. The decision of a probable future cardinal to celebrate this Mass gives the event a certain weight and seriousness it might not otherwise have had.
It was the first time a solemn High Mass according to the old rite has been celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica since 1969, 40 years ago.
Many low old rite Masses have been celebrated in different chapels of the basilica over the years, especially in the past two years since the promulgation on July 7, 2007, ofSummorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict'smotu proprio calling for wider celebration of the old Mass.
But this was the first High Mass in the old rite.
Monsignor Guido Pozzo, recently appointed by Pope Benedict to head the Ecclesia Dei Commission within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — the commission in charge of dialogue with the Society of St. Pius X, which wishes to celebrate the Mass only in the old rite — was also present.
Burke, dressed in green vestments with gold braid, was flanked by about 70 priests who joined him in procession across the main nave of the Basilica before and after the Mass.
The chapel was filled to overflowing. I estimated about 400 people in attendance, packed like sardines into the chapel until there was standing room only (I stood in the back on the right side, a little to the right of the center of this photo).
In fact, and somewhat sadly (more on this in the next newsflash), a number of faithful who wished to attend the historic Mass were turned away by Basilica ushers due to lack of space — the Chapel was simply not large enough to hold all who wished to attend.
This led some present to express a certain frustration that the chapel chosen for the Mass was so small.
An organ on the balcony above and a male and female choir accompanied the ceremony. (See photo of the choir of sisters below.)
After the Mass, when Pope Benedict prayed his noon Angelus from his window above St. Peter's Square, he did not make any direct mention of the Mass.
However, he did greet warmly those in the Square "after attending a conference in Rome on Summorum Pontificum" — a reference to the people who had just marked the close of their conference by the celebration of the Mass in the old rite.
This might be considered a "glancing reference" to the Mass, but there was no direct reference whatsoever.
I will reflect further on the Mass itself, and on Archbishop Burke's homily, in an upcoming newsflash.
For now, I think these photos from today's historic Mass give a good general idea of what occurred.
(Some of these photos are drawn from the interesting Italian website, http://blog.messainlatino.it/2009/10/solenne-pontificale-san-pietro-con.html)
========================================
“He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God's providence to lead him aright.” —Blaise Pascal (French mathematician, philosopher, physicist and writer, 1623-1662)

Bishop Calls for "Exorcism" of "Spirit of Vatican II"

Iowa, October 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com)
Catholics must learn to "exorcise" the so-called "spirit of Vatican II" to end the secularization that has "wreaked havoc" on the Church since the Council, says Bishop R. Walker Nickless of Sioux City, Iowa.
In a pastoral letter issued Thursday to the lay and religious of his diocese, Nickless wrote that he has "no other desire" than to see the reforms of Vatican II implemented properly. However, he said, "It is crucial that we all grasp that the hermeneutic or interpretation of discontinuity or rupture, which many think is the settled and even official position, is not the true meaning of the Council."
The "hermeneutic of discontinuity," under the guise of the "spirit of Vatican II," sees "the Second Vatican Council as a radical break with the past," explained the bishop. However, "There can be no split ... between the Church and her faith before and after the Council."
"We must stop speaking of the 'Pre-Vatican II' and 'Post Vatican II' Church," continued Nickless, who agreed with Pope Benedict XVI that the Council's meaning "must be found only in the letter of the documents themselves." "The so-called 'spirit' of the Council has no authoritative interpretation," Nickless said.
"It is a ghost or demon that must be exorcised if we are to proceed with the Lord's work."
The bishop said the cultural upheaval of the 1960s and 70s precipitated a shift in perspective about the Church, and it began to seem that "nothing was certain or solid" in its teaching or liturgy. "Sometimes," he said, "we set out to convert the world, but were instead converted by it. We have sometimes lost sight of who we are and what we believe, and therefore have little to offer the world that so desperately needs the Gospel."
This "hermeneutic of discontinuity," said Nickless, "emphasizes the 'engagement with the world' to the exclusion of the deposit of faith."
"This has wreaked havoc on the Church, systematically dismantling the Catholic Faith to please the world, watering down what is distinctively Catholic, and ironically becoming completely irrelevant and impotent for the mission of the Church in the world," he said. "The Church that seeks simply what works or is 'useful' in the end becomes useless."
Nickless devoted a portion of the letter to defending the family against this relativistic mentality, re-emphasizing the nature of the family as the union between man and woman, established by God for the good of the spouses and the procreation of children.
"This seems really basic, but it is worth repeating in our day and age when the family has sometimes lost its centrality and cohesiveness, and is under constant attack from cultural and ideological forces," he said. "Not only are its purposes sometimes unknown or ignored in practice, but God's authorship of marriage and its nature (and hence its priority over arbitrary civil law) is flatly denied. Therefore we must be attentive to protecting and strengthening family life."
The bishop asserted that the Catholic community must therefore "give concrete help against" the breakdown of sexuality in society. In addition to extramarital promiscuity, easy divorce, contraception, abortion, and pornography, Nickless advised his flock to actively resist the breakdown of the family through "the domination of communication technologies and novelties, and the cult of fun and entertainment, to name just a few dangers."
Nickless called himself "thoroughly a product" of the "exciting, almost intoxicating, time of the Second Vatican Council," which he called "the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church in centuries."
"I have no other desire for my ministry than seeing the hopes and reforms of the Second Vatican Council fully implemented and brought to fruition," said the bishop. "Like Pope Benedict XVI, I know that, while we have worked hard, there is still much work to do."
"Our urgent need at this time," wrote Nickless, "is to reclaim and strengthen our understanding of the deposit of faith.
"We must have a distinctive identity and culture as Catholics, if we would effectively communicate the Gospel to the people of this day and Diocese. This is our mission."
Click here to view Bishop Nickless' full letter.

The Fifteen Promises of Mary to Christians Who Recite the Rosary

I. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the rosary, shall receive signal graces.

II. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the rosary.

III. The rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

IV. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the heart of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

V. The soul which recommend itself to me by the recitation of the rosary, shall not perish.

VI. Whoever shall recite the rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.

VII. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.

VIII. Those who are faithful to recite the rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise.

IX. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the rosary.

X. The faithful children of the rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in heaven.

XI. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the rosary.

XII. All those who propagate the holy rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

XIII. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death.

XIV. All who recite the rosary are my son, and brothers of my only son Jesus Christ.

XV. Devotion of my rosary is a great sign of predestination.

(Given to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan) Imprimatur: Patrick J. Hayes DD Archbishop of New York)

Is it coincidence or is it something else?

Last month, September 3oth was marked out to be the first ever international day of blasphemy. There were events and observances made for this day to promote it. That same day, earthquakes and tsunamis hit the Pacific including Samoa, Sumatra and Indonesia. It has since been decided that Wednesdays would mark days of blasphemy as well. Last Wednesday, October 7th, more earthquakes struck the Pacific this time around Vanuatu prompting tsunami warnings. Is this coincidence, I think not!

Be Warned: This is False, have nothing to do with it.

There is a Dublin man, a clairvoyant, who claims to see Our Lady and predicts an apparition will take place in Knock on Sunday. He claims that he predicted an alleged apparition in Kerrytown Co Donegal last month and that 50,000 people will be in Knock on Sunday. He talked to newspaper and appeared on TV about it. Be warned, this man's claims are false and you should have nothing to do with it. Do not go to see this 'apparition'. Below is a link to an article talking about.
http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7836&Itemid=38

Ireland votes yes but is it right?

From http://www.coircampaign.org

Cóir Date: 03.10.2009

Cóir claims a significant section of the population were bullied and misled into supporting the treaty.
Cóir has said that the passage of the Lisbon Treaty referendum is a win for the political elite but a very real loss for the Irish people who were “shamelessly bullied” into supporting the treaty. “As time passes, and the treaty comes into effect, it will be the ordinary people who will suffer as wages are cut, jobs are lost and the EU takes more power unto itself,” said Richard Greene of Cóir. “The Yes campaign was dirty, extremely well-funded and entirely based on fear and lies. This is a victory for bullies, and for those who did not respect the wishes of the people.” “It’s a grubby victory for the elite who spent enormous sums frightening and manipulating people,” said Mr Greene. And he urged the media to inquire as to the source of funding of the Yes campaign. “I very much hope the media are now going to pursue this issue and ask some hard questions,” he said. The Cóir spokesman had warm praise for the thousands of volunteers who ran the campaign for a No vote. “It was a case of David versus an army of Goliaths,” he said. “The Yes campaign had no volunteers, had no passion, but they had millions to spend.” Mr Greene added that a significant section of the electorate were unrepresented by any of the political parties and that Cóir would be holding some key meetings with its activists in the near future to look at providing a political alternative to those people.

Cóir Date: 02.10.2009

Cóir has said that the State has undermined the confidence the electorate can have in the referendum process by threatening citizens with arrest if they proceeded with plans to monitor the vote on the Lisbon Treaty.
“Today we were told by Dublin City Sheriff, Brendan Walsh, that he had asked the Gardaí to take action against any of our volunteers who sought information as to the number of votes cast in a polling station at the end of the day,” said Manus Mac Meanmain of Cóir. “To say we are shocked is an understatement,” he continued. “In conversation with Cóir, Mr Walsh confirmed that the information being requested by Cóir was compiled by the Presiding officer at each polling centre at the end of the day’s voting in any case.” “But now he has threatened any citizen who politely requests that information from the Presiding Officer with arrest! This is simply outrageous, and will shatter the faith citizens should be able to have in this referendum process.”
Cóir plans to monitor polling in the Lisbon Treaty referendum and the counting of votes to ensure the vote is fair, free and transparent.
“Our volunteers want some simple information: the number of ballot boxes in the polling station, and the number of votes cast in each ballot box at the end of polling,” said Mr Mac Meanmain.
“Requesting this information creates no undue pressure or additional work for the Presiding Officer in each polling station. Most importantly, it allows citizens to freely engage in the democratic process and ensures those same citizens can monitor the referendum and have faith in a democratic, free and fair vote.”Cóir pointed out that it was traditional for Presiding Officers in polling stations to give similar information to the media throughout the day, and at the close of the day. “We can see that in today’s reporting to date,” said Mr Mac Meanmain.
He said that the move by Dublin City Sheriff would create anger and suspicion amongst voters already alarmed that the requirement for equal airtime for Yes and No campaigners has been set aside, while the EU Commission was funding Yes propaganda.
“I would have previously said developments didn’t inspire confidence. Now, I would say the situation is downright alarming,” said Mr. Mac Meanmain. “Citizens should never have to seek the permission of the State to monitor the State. That’s not a democracy,” he concluded.