Dear Advocates for Life,
There is a battle for the souls of Oregon Catholics. In feedback I've received from Catholics that are trying to get IRS LEGALLY acceptable information into Oregon Catholic churches, there are roadblocks set up by many priests and church staff. Information and education are censored.
Conversely, the Obama pushing Catholics that work within the Archdpdx and have all the power/money are having a field day with getting their points across. Cases in point, the Catholic Voters Conference. (one to go in Oct) and the welcoming of dissident priests Fr. Richard Rohr and Father Roy Bourgeois just recently and now Sr. Simone Campbell with Saul Alinsky/Faith in Public Life affiliated NETWORK.
At the Fr. Roy event staff from the Archdiocese was seen helping out in the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon parish where it was held. So..the Pro-Obama/anti-McCain message (no fear of IRS here), pro-women priests (two of whom were there, Toni Tortorilla and Ruth Broeski), pro-homosexual, pro Call to Action and the generally progressive Archdicesan position was alive and well.
NOW we have more Obama promoting under the banner of the Office of Justice and Peace's Cat Willett, and her St. Andrews Parish (where these things originate) a new lecture series named after her mother.
This latest pro-Democrat meeting will be held at All Saints Church where another Willett, Claire, who teaches confirmation, goes to church. Here is a YouTube of Claire Willett who mentions her sister Cat in her opening sentence. I found this in July of 2007 and have sent emails and a letters to the Archbishop with no response. I chose not to be really public with this video in respect for Mrs. Willett until after she died, eventhough chances are she saw the YouTube video of her daughters. A guy will speak first and then Claire will talk. This is part of Soulforce. Fr. Roy Bourgeois is involved in this too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q_WKKqAbsU
No money for the unborn, elderly or strengthening of families. Only strengthening of anti-Catholic values with these latest speakers and the voters conference giving a platform for dissent.
We declared bankruptcy because of homosexuality, we have St. Andrews, and All Saints Church involved in Gay Pride parades with no end in sight to this insanity. Connect the dots.
Hiring just liberal staff to push the liberal agenda is unjust, and obviously planned for this election. The Archdpdx doesn't give money for pro-life speakers and can't get a budget or staff for Pro-life work. We are shut down at the parish level and can't get Catholic Teachings on Life handed out at no cost. Let's stop the insanity.
Many of us are working together to bring a "Summit for Life" to Oregon, where practicing Catholics can work out a stratedgy that follows the teachings of Christ. We have been silent for too long. If you'd like to be involved, just let me know. We can't have these meetings at a Catholic Church however, more insanity.
Thank you Diana R. Walters (Oregon Catholic Citizens) and Stephanie Block (Los Pequenos de Cristo) for helping with these articles.
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Find Out About NETWORK..don't be in the dark.
(Be sure to read all about NETWORK; Find information and links at bottom of this email)
Faith Alive: Catholic Social Teaching, Spirituality
and the 2008 Election by Sr. Simone Campbell
Promoted in St.Andrew Catholic Church (Cat Willett,Director of J and P Archdpdx) Sunday Bulletin, 9/21/08,
the Catholic Sentinel
Theresa Willett Memorial Lecture
at All Saints Church (Claire Willett, confirmation teacher, soulforce)
Monday 9/22/08 at 7:30 pm
Sister Simone Campbell, a gifted and faithful witness for justice and peace and a national and international leader for advocacy and reconciliation, will be this year's speaker. The time with Sister Simone should assist all of us in integrating our rich Catholic Social Teaching with the decisions we will soon make in the November election.
St. Michael's and All Angels Episcopal Church, Porltand
Tuesday 9/23/08
For more information, or comments contact: Catherine (Cat) Willet, Director of Archdiocesan Office of Justice and Peace, Parishioner St. Andrew Catholic Church: cwillet@archdpdx.org, or phone: (503) 233-8361
#######
So, Who is Sister Simone Campbell and What is NETWORK?
Please read: Obama: Orthodox Christians are hijackers, 6/25/07: http://insightscoop.typepad.com/2004/2007/06/obama-orthodox-.html
Excerpt:
Which is not to say that good people, including Catholics, cannot hold differing views on many of these issues. What I wonder is simply this: how many people really buy into this sort of rhetoric, which is transparently self-serving, confused, and condescending? Specifically, when Obama mocks those Christians who abhor abortion based on a traditional Judeo-Christian understanding of moral basics (that is, killing innocent people is wrong), does this really expand his appeal? I'd like to think it doesn't, but that is obviously the approach he's taking. And it seems to mesh, more or less, with the approach embraced by many "progressive" Catholics who are pro-abortion but would rather emphasize how committed they are to the poor, to women, to social justice, etc., as a June 24th U.S. News and World Report article, titled "Democrats set their sights on winning back Catholics," explains:
A Roman Catholic nun who leads a social justice advocacy group called Network, Simone Campbell rarely got a phone call from Capitol Hill before the 2006 election. Campbell, based in Washington, D.C., says she "wore her knuckles bare" fruitlessly knocking on lawmakers' doors, particularly those of Democrats who should have been natural allies on issues like raising the minimum wage and comprehensive immigration reform.
Then came last year's midterm elections. Campbell joined a new Catholic voter-turnout operation working to reverse the wilting Catholic support Democrats had seen in 2004. After her efforts helped elect Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Bob Casey Jr. in Pennsylvania, her phone began ringing. Campbell's group is now regularly invited to meetings with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. On a recent conference call about immigration with other religious activists, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York announced at the last minute that she wanted to jump on. Campbell was asked to give the closing prayer at a big Democratic National Committee meeting last winter. "I stopped being a pariah," she says. "Now, I'm value added."
What are the beliefs of Sister Simone and Network? According to the Network site, "NETWORK is a progressive voice within the Catholic community that has been influencing Congress in favor of peace and justice for more than 30 years." The site also states that issues are analyzed according to "Principles of Catholic Social Teaching and the Gospel Message," as well as "A feminist/womanist/mujerista perspective that ... respects the diversity of women's experiences in moving from oppression to liberation..." In other words, Sister Simone gives lip service to Catholic teaching but is pro-abortion. Therefore it's no surprise that she has ties with another, better known "progressive" group, Call To Action.
NETWORK
NETWORK is a Catholic social justice lobby, founded in 1971 by 47 Catholic sisters from several orders around the country to influence the federal government on various policy issues.
They believed that in addition to charitable services for the poor, the Church must also work to change unjust systems that perpetuate economic inequity. To this end, they formed a "network" of sisters to lobby for federal policies and legislation that promote their understanding of economic and social justice.
In addition, NETWORK has produced educational resources and programs related to public policy. The NETWORK Education Program (NEP) is designed to provide issues analysis, skills development for responsible citizenship, and faith reflection on political ministry. To address these issues, NETWORK activists – lay and religious – are asked to familiarize themselves with the talking points, backgrounders, and sample letters supplied by the organization for writing and phoning legislators and media.
NETWORK has a liberationist approach to its policy recommendations. According to its literature, the organization analyzes issues from "a feminist/ womanist/ mujerista perspective that," among other things, "respects the diversity of women's experiences in moving from oppression to liberation."
The group has been highly influential in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), assisting the Conference in its formulation of its own public policy positions. It is referenced in a number of "official" USCC[B] documents and programs, such as the "Communities of Salt and Light: Parish Resource Manual" and CCHD's adult education program "Poverty and Faithjustice."
NETWORK is a Call to Action "church renewal group" supporting Catholic Church 'reform." [See Call to Action]. It has been involved at Call to Action conferences for many years and its national coordinators, past and present, are on Call to Action's "Speakers and Artists Referral Service" listing.
Issues supported by NETWORK over the years have included normalizing US relations with communist Cuba, pushing for federally funded "universal" health care, closing the US Army School of the Americas, increasing availability of public housing, child care, and transportation for low income workers, and lobbying for global governance. Its well-connected leadership has also worked for homosexual and abortion "rights," population control, and within the Church, for women's ordination.
References:
Conner, Laurene, Sustainable Development: A Global Agenda Structured on Population Control, Wanderer Forum Foundation, 1997.
Network website: www.networklobby.org
Steichen, Donna, Ungodly Rage: The Hidden Face of Catholic Feminism, (San Francisco: Ignatius Press), 1991.
God Bless you and yours,
Carolyn
8 If I tell the wicked man that he shall surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked man from his way, he (the wicked man) shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death.
9 But if you warn the wicked man, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself. Ezekiel 33
www.vocalnews.org
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Voice of Catholics Advocating Life
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503-769-4767
Member of the Catholc Media Coalition "In line with the Church, on-line with the World".
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
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3 comments:
I don't expect to see you post this comment on your blog; it is probably too frank. But I find it quite offensive that you continue to persecute my family (the Willetts) on your blog.
I notice that you have posted my unlisted phone number on your blog, which is a violation of blogspot privacy policy.
It is also patently untrue that you went easy on the Willetts while my wife Theresa was dying of ALS. Not that I understand what that has to do with slandering people on your blog.
Regarding the Simone Campbell lecture (which you didn't attend), it is not the case that pro-life issues were ignored. In fact, they were a significant topic of discussion. The dignity of human life from conception is one of the key principles of Catholic Social Teaching and no one was running from that.
I would welcome postings on this blog which calmly and rationally discussed these important Catholic beliefs, and didn't descend to personal attacks and guilt by association.
May God give you peace -- Ken Willett
This article erroneously implies that the Archdiocese of Portland funded Sister Simone Campbell's visit to Portland and her lecture. In fact, she paid her own travel, and her lecture at All Saints was funded by parisioners who made donations specifically for this lecture series.
Ken,
I won't censor anyone for being frank and welcome dialog for clarification.
As far as "persecuting" your family, remember that your family is employed by the Archdiocese of Portland and their salary, etc, is paid by collection plate money. It is not without justice that things are called into account.
I am sorry for your loss and wrote to Cat about her mom, as my mother too died of ALS when I was about Cat's age. There was also a gift of a third class relic of St. Bakita of the Sudan I sent to her. I didn't expect a response, that would be abnormal.
I held back on the public video of Claire's and Soulforce. This is a public information, as is your telephone number. You are a computer guy, just look.
Although I didn't attend Simone Campbell's lecture others did and the lecture didn't suddenly turn into a "save the unborn" plea. Rather it was the same liberal banter of Bernadine's seamless garment theory that is not church teaching. To be Pro-life and save the unborn is seen as a Republican ideal, and poison to bring up at these "lectures". These seem more like brainwashing sessions pulling even more people away from Christ's True Church Teaching, how will people hear the voice of the Shepherd?
And to continue...in answer to your last post...Yes, indeed the Archdiocese DID take collection plate money for the Campbell lecture. It was advertised in the
Sentinel, on the Justice and Peace website and St. Andrew's bulletin. Who pays the salary of those putting these things together?
Those of us who are working to form our conscience to that of the Church are blocked by those with liberation theology as their guide, the Office of Justice and Peace promotes this error and needs to be addressed.
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