Monday, July 10, 2017

U.S. archbishop: Active gays must repent and change lifestyle before receiving Communion.


                           Thank you Archbishop Sample for caring for our immortal life.

PORTLAND, Oregon, July 10, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) Pete Baklinski

An American archbishop has released guidelines upholding the Church's constant teaching that Catholics in "serious sin" – including active homosexuals and those in adulterous unions – must repent before receiving Communion.

The new guidelines from Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon are intended to implement Pope Francis’s Exhortation Amoris Laetitia in a way that he said is “compatible with Church teaching.”

The guidelines state that those in “serious sin,” including divorced and civilly-remarried persons living unchastely as well as persons in an active same-sex relationship, must “sacramentally confess all serious sins with a firm purpose to change, before receiving the Holy Eucharist.”
Sample wrote in his May 2017 guidelines that Amoris Laetitia “calls for a sensitive accompaniment of those with an imperfect grasp of Christian teaching on marriage and family life, who may not be living in accord with Catholic belief, and yet desire to be more fully integrated into Church life, including the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist.”
But true accompaniment, he said, can only take place within the “tradition of the Church’s teaching and life.”

“In fact, pastors must always convey Catholic teaching faithfully to all persons – including the divorced and remarried – both in the confessional as well as publicly. They should do this with great confidence in the power of God’s grace, knowing that, when spoken with love, the truth heals, builds up, and sets free (cf. Jn 8:32),” the guidelines state.

The Archbishop said that there have been “misuses” of the Pope’s Exhortation “in support of positions that are not compatible with Church teaching.”

Among these is the notion that an individual’s conscience has, after Amoris Laetitia, become the final judge in moral matters. Such a position is taken by Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, who has argued that the civilly-divorced-and-remarried as well as active homosexuals should be able to receive Communion if they came to the decision “in good conscience.”

But, following what the Church has always taught, the Archbishop’s guidelines state: “Catholic teaching makes clear that the subjective conscience of the individual can never be set against the objective moral truth, as if conscience and truth were two competing principles for moral decision-making.”

They continue:
As St. John Paul II wrote, such a view would ‘pose a challenge to the very identity of the moral conscience in relation to human freedom and God's law. . . . Conscience is not an independent and exclusive capacity to decide what is good and what is evil’ (Veritatis Splendor 56, 60). Rather, ‘conscience is the application of the law to a particular case” (Veritatis Splendor 59). Conscience stands under the objective moral law and should be formed by it, so that “[t]he truth about moral good, as that truth is declared in the law of reason, is practically and concretely recognized by the judgment of conscience’ (Veritatis Splendor 61).
Archbishop Sample said that in view of Catholic teaching on conscience, “priests must help the divorced and civilly remarried to form their consciences according to the truth.”
“This is a true work of mercy,” he said.
Divorced and civilly-remarried Catholics wishing to return to a sacramental life within the Church must either “‘regularize’ their marital status in the Church” (receive a declaration of nullity for first union and then marry within the Church) or, if this cannot be done, “refrain from sexual intimacy” by living “as brother and sister.”
“Undertaking to live as brother and sister is necessary for the divorced and civilly-remarried to receive reconciliation in the Sacrament of Penance, which could then open the way to reception of the Holy Eucharist. Such individuals are encouraged to approach the Sacrament of Penance regularly, having recourse to God’s great mercy in that sacrament if they fail in chastity,” the guidelines state.
They continue:
[W]here pastors give Holy Communion to divorced and remarried persons trying to live chastely, they should do so in a manner that will avoid giving scandal or implying that Christ’s teaching can be set aside. This is left to the prudential judgement of the pastor involved. In other contexts care must also be taken to avoid the unintended appearance of an endorsement of divorce and civil remarriage; thus, divorced and civilly remarried persons would not hold positions of responsibility in a parish (e.g. on a parish council), nor would they carry out liturgical ministries or functions (e.g., lector, extraordinary minister of Holy Communion).
The guidelines specifically address what pastors must do when a same-sex couple presents themselves openly in a parish.
The Church welcomes all men and women who honestly seek to encounter the Lord, whatever their circumstances. But two persons in an active, public same-sex relationship, no matter how sincere, offer a serious counter-witness to Catholic belief, that can only produce moral confusion in the community. Such a relationship cannot be accepted into the life of the parish without undermining the faith of the community, most notably the children.
“Those living openly same-sex lifestyles would not hold positions of responsibility in a parish, nor would they carry out any liturgical ministry or function until they are reconciled with the Church and are living in accord with the Church’s moral teaching,” they add.
Sample said that while the guidelines may be a “hard teaching for some” they “correspond[] with our belief about the nature of the Holy Eucharist, marriage and the Church.”
The Archbishop said that guidelines are to be “considered normative for the Archdiocese of Portland, and they are to be carefully and faithfully observed.”
“The sanctity of marriage and God’s plan for a joy filled marriage require all those engaged in pastoral ministry to exercise the tremendous responsibility entrusted to them with complete fidelity to Catholic teaching coupled with mercy and compassion,” he said.

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Catholic Sentinel Alert - Abortion spending and coverage increased in Oregon


Providence pressure increased strength of religious exemption,
 but GOP lawmakers say it does not go far enough

A bill that increases state spending on abortion by $10.2 million is moving through the Oregon Legislature. 
The House on July 1 advanced the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which requires health plans to provide free coverage of exams, drugs, devices and procedures, including abortion. The Senate will take up the proposed legislation next.

The bill includes a religious exemption, but it orders the Oregon Health Authority to provide coverage where religious organizations will not.

The House majority leader, Rep. Jennifer Williamson, a Portland Democrat, argued for the proposed law, saying high medical bills can prompt bankruptcy or homelessness.
Pro-life lawmakers approved of most of the bill, but vigorously questioned why abortion had to be included, causing a moral crisis. They attempted to have abortion provisions removed, but that motion failed.

Rep. Werner Reschke, R-Klamath Falls accused supporters of the bill of promoting abortion coverage as if being pregnant were a disease.

The House vote was 33 for and 23 against.

The bill also allocates almost $500,000 in the 2017-19 budget for abortions and other procedures to immigrants. Oregon’s Medicaid program already spends nearly $2 million a year to pay for about 3,500 abortions.

Oregon already accommodates and provides for abortion more than most states. There are no waiting periods, education requirements or spending limits on taxpayer funds.

Democrats drafted the bill in response to possible changes in federal health care policy.

Earlier, Providence Health System had threatened to exit the state’s insurance market, saying the religious exemptions did not go far enough. Though the bill’s handlers did increase exemptions, GOP lawmakers say the provisions still fall short.

Bill Diss, leader of Precious Children of Portland, calls the proposed law “fundamentally an abortion bill that will boost the coffers of abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.” Diss says other portions of the bill could be accomplished “without further funding and promoting the killing of unborn children.”
Please donate to Precious Children of Portland and receive a tax-exemption by sending it to:


ORTLEF – PCOP
4335 River Road North
Salem, Oregon 97303

Saturday, July 1, 2017

July Birthdays for Oregon Priests

Sorry to say that some of these birthday's are NOT the the correct ones. 
I will try and alert the ACCW
 
“A Year of Prayer for our Priests” is a ministry of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women. We share the joy of this devotion with all Oregon Catholics. A day each month is set aside to pray for the names of priests serving in the Archdiocese of Portland. Please remember them and all priests, deacons and religious in your daily prayers.

O, Jesus I pray for Your faithful and fervent priests, especially (name here). Keep them all close to Your heart and bless them abundantly in time and eternity. Amen.

July 1 — Apostles of Jesus Fr. Freddy Ocun
July 2 — Fr. Joseph S. McMahon 
July 3 — Fr. Patrick McNamee 
July 4 — Fr. Bryce McProud
July 5 — Fr. Jeffrey Meeuwsen 
July 6 — Discalced Carmelite Fr. John Melka 
July 7 — Fr. Ronald Millican 
July 8 — Fr. Timothy Mockaitis 
July 9 — Fr. William Moisant 
July 10 — Fr. Todd Molinari
July 11 — Fr. Neil Moore
July 12 — Fr. Mike Morrissey 
July 13 — Fr. Jack Mosbrucker
July 14 — Dominican Fr. Gabriel Mosher 
July 15 — Jesuit Fr. Charles Moutenot 
July 16 — Msgr. Gregory Moys 
July 17 — Fr. Hans Mueller, newly ordained (error)
July 18 — Dominican Fr. Brian Mullady 
July 19 — Msgr. Tim Murphy 
July 20 — Fr. Ronald Nelson
July 21 — Apostles of Jesus Fr. Dominic Mtenga Ngayaku
July 22 — Fr. Joseph Hau Due Nguyen 
July 23 — Fr. Joseph Hung Nguyen 
July 24 — Benedictine Fr. Joseph Nguyen
July 25 — Benedictine Fr. Liem Nguyen 
July 26 — Fr. Luan Nguyen
July 27 — Fr. Thomas Hanh Tien Nguyen 
July 28 — Apostles of Jesus Fr. Francis Njau
July 29 — Holy Cross Fr. Edwin Obermiller 
July 30 — Fr. Peter O’Brien
July 31 — Fr. Terry O’Connell

Guest Post: "Lovejoy on Thursday. OH. MY. GOSH. Empty parking lot. Dead trees."

This guest post is from Therese Ruesink. A true warrior for the unborn. She is from the Portland area and is fighting the good fight with Bill Diss of Precious Children of Portland. 


This shows how the Lord listens to the prayers of his people and the cry of the poor, the unborn in this case. Even the Earth is cooperating. Thanks to Therese and the warriors in Portland fighting so on heroically. 

Lovejoy 6-29-17
 
Dear Prayer warriors for LIFE,

Sandra and I had not been to Lovejoy for two Thursdays in a row and not for two Fridays in a row because Sandra was out of town visiting family, and I was indisposed. But when we arrived at Lovejoy today, we were in for a surprise! John, the maintenance man there, was outside, sweeping up the dead pine needles in the beds where the trees surrounding the place used to be. ALL the trees have died, except one little one by the front stairs. He said (and I have noticed) that that is the second time this has happened. They’ll call in a Landscaper and put in trees, and then they die. “They can’t grow here. The ground’s poisoned” John said. And I added…..“by the blood of the lambs….”

He was in a talkative mood. “I’m the only one here (early this morning). The building’s closed (they are usually open bright and early when Sandra and I arrive at 6:30 am.) The regular supervisor wasn’t even there, and she usually shows up at around 5 am. (We found that out because Pat Weis has gone there to pray at the crack of dawn many times before.) John went on to say that business is really down, and that he thought they might have to sell the building!! The culture is changing…..more people are pro-life…..he said. Our jaws just about broke when they hit the ground. We were speechless. But that only lasted a few seconds because we wanted more information! The building did open that morning, but the employees began coming in much later than usual. And the supervisor never did show up.

John also relayed that he gets in trouble whenever he gets caught talking to us—he gets yelled at. But luckily, this morning, he was alone.

John went on to relay how they thought of selling the building about 2 years ago when the Westover Towers (the apts next to them) made them an offer. Apparently, even though most of the people in that area are “pro-choice” the apartment owners don’t like having the abortion facility in the neighborhood. It’s a pretty ritzy neighborhood. And then you get people like US showing up, and others who are less polite………shouting early Saturday mornings, and inciting the police to arrive. But Alene Klauss (sp?), the owner, turned them down, even though she’s well into retirement age!


John also said that about 2 years ago, the abortionist, Richard Kurl, who had been performing abortions for 30 years, died unexpectedly in his sleep. We figured he alone must have done around 30,600 abortions in the time he worked there. And about 2 months ago, their regular abortionist had a stroke. So “he’s out” John said. He said that Alene Klauss was returning from The Dominican Republic today. He thinks something is going on.

When we were there today, we got the most vitriolic comments ever! The remarks were SO STRONG by drivers and passersby. It was shocking to see the trees gone, to talk to John, and to hear those slurs. It seems the battleground lines are being drawn. It’s so obvious. satan’s mad, and he knows his time is SHORT. No, I’m not capitalizing that word…..

Some happenings over the years are worth mentioning. One of the prayer warriors came way back in the 80’s, and still comes. She knew Doc Marian Hite. Doc prayed out in front of L.J. for around 30 years, everyday but Sundays, when he was at church. He held a sign that said something to the effect of don’t hurt your baby; I’ll take your baby. Someone can enlighten me as to the exact wording. He was there up until he was 100 years old and then he had to stop. He lived until he was 102. When he died, someone at Holy Rosary (his parish) did a portrait of him. Surrounding the portrait were many, many, tiny baby faces…….they looked like angels! This prayer warrior said that once they (she and others) got arrested when they were at Lovejoy. She ended up in the back seat of the police car with Doc Marian Hite. He was kind, and got her calmed down, and told her basically what to do and how to act with the police. She said it was the greatest privilege of her life!

Once about 5 months ago, when I was there with Terry H. she/we heard this awful sound. Terry was standing with a sign, waving and smiling at the cars driving by. We were getting lots of positive responses. Suddenly there was this sound, like a caving in, like the earth moaning or groaning. Like metal girders falling, like the earth caving in on itself. Terry thought it was the sound of the earth mourning the loss of thousands of unborn babies. It was horrific.

When Lovejoy opened today, a gal came accompanied by her Dad, to get an abortion. Sandra and I spoke with her. When asked if she was pregnant, she responded yes, and half smiled when I congratulated her. We let her know that we cared about her, that we would give her anything she needed if we could possibly get it. When I told her about all the pain that she might endure—physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological, she didn’t say anything. But she deserved to know. When I said you can’t undo this, she said “I know”. We told her about where she could get a free ultrasound. When asked if she had children, she said no. So this was her first pregnancy. Her Dad didn’t say anything, letting us speak with her as he waited on the stairs. But we pointed out that that was his grand baby. We invited her to coffee. She went in and didn’t come out by the time we left at 9. Please pray for “Marie.” It was so sad.

Another young couple came in and didn’t speak to us or take any information, but they had tears in their eyes.

A Mom came in with her daughter, who had a set of twins already, and said she had been raped. The Mom said she couldn’t afford to take care of (another) grandchild, and asked us if we could afford it, and would we take care of her? We said “YES!” but she wasn’t serious, because then she just turned and went in with her daughter, saying “with Trump in there, there’s NO Way”. I don’t know what she meant by that.

 We are having our 40 Days for Life campaign at Lovejoy, starting September 27th.

 Sandra and I were talking to a young man who came to pray there today(he knelt down) and we started wondering, in this new light of occurrences, and knowing that when there are lots of people praying outside of clinics, appointments are often broken --What would it be like if we surrounded that building with hundreds of people every day during the 40 days? Or maybe even only 50?! Would it be the nail in the coffin of Lovejoy? I feel it could happen.

PLEASE PRAY THAT LOVEJOY CLOSES.

And plan on coming to the vigils during, or even before, the 40 Days for Life campaign starts. We are there Thursday, and most Friday, mornings. Contact me if you want to come.

Yours in praising God, from whom all blessings flow,

Therese
 ruesinktherese@comcast.net

America you are beautiful...and blessed.... The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless. If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." - Pope John Paul II

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