Oregonians, Petition 303, Down...But Not Out

Oregonians, Petition 303, Down...But Not Out! Wed, 10 Oct 2007 Dear Friends, Thank you for all your help with Petition #303 (same-sex marriage). The letter from David Crowe says it all. Concerned Oregonians was a key player in this effort and the Defense of Marriage and Family Again team, thanks them from the bottom of our hearts. I will just add that this effort afforded us the priviledge to see the Body of Christ is actiona true ecumenical movement based on love for Him. He was truly present and alive in each Protestant and Catholic who would have never met without this mission. Each person knew their part and gracefully worked together. It was amazing to witness: echoed by a new friend , "I am honored to be a part of this." Let's pray for #304 (sexual expression, and behavior as a protected minority ) and it's success. God Bless you and yours, Carolyn www.vocalnews.org "The destiny of mankind is not decided by material computation. When great causes are on the move in the world...we learn that we are spirits, not animals, and that something is going on in space and time, and beyond space and time, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty." Winston Churchill -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oregon Voters Arise to say "Let Oregonians Vote!" October 9, 2007 King City, Oregon - Yesterday marks the fourth time in three years that the People of Oregon sent a message to the Governor, the legislature, the courts, the media, and to those in Portland, Eugene and Corvallis who are determined to use government to make the people of Oregon yield to something they clearly oppose, and do not want. With less than $50,000 in expenses, an all volunteer army of unpaid circulators, no paid professionals and an unsympathetic media, Oregonians produced sufficient signatures to place HB 2007 on the November 2008 ballot only to see their efforts undermined by a highly questionable signature validation process that is often subjectively and arbitrarily applied by both state and county officials. 116 Signatures Short? Yesterday the Oregon Elections Division announced the results of that process, having determined that Concerned Oregonians and Defense of Marriage and Family Again, fell 116 signatures short of the required 55,179 valid signatures. Never mind that we turned in nearly 63,000 signatures on the due date. Never mind that they threw out 400 signatures because one individual signed twice. Never mind that in the neighborhood of 20% of the signatures that were rejected were rejected because the reviewer at the county level couldn't quite come to believe the signature on the petition matched the signature on the registration card. Never mind that entire pages of signatures were dismissed because of conflicting information from within the Elections Division during the signature gathering process. Never mind that this petition campaign submitted the cleanest list of signatures in Election Division history. Never mind. We apologize for the misleading information, but we have determined that you were short! The Signature Review System Needs an Overhaul The issue that is raised by these actions is about far more than the issue of same sex marriage or turning our moral base upside down. It is about the abuse of government in the hands of a few in the governor's office and in the state legislature who disregard the will of the people and the Oregon Constitution to achieve private and personal political goals to satisfy a small but powerful special interest group. It is about a system of signature validation that desperately needs review and overhaul if the people of Oregon are to have any chance to recover their rights and respect for our votes . . . and our signatures. There WILL be a VOTE on these bills! And it is about the good people of Oregon politely - but firmly - pushing back, saying "No, this is not right." The people of Oregon have a right to VOTE on the issues these bills address, especially when the legislature and governor choose to ignore the clear will of the people in Measure 36. And we will! This press release was sent today to nearly 100 news media outlets throughout Oregon and beyond. Please watch your local news and print media to see if there is any reference to it. Concerned Oregonians David Crowe Director Click www.concernedoregonians.com for more information. "Impress upon your children the truth that the exercise of the elective franchise is a social duty of as solemn a nature as man can be called to perform; that a man may not innocently trifle with his vote; that every elector is a trustee as well for others as himself and that every measure he supports has an important bearing on the interests of others as well as on his own." Daniel Webster, October 5, 1840 Copyright © 2007, Restore America. All Rights Reserved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- email: david@restoreamerica.org http://www.restoreamerica.org Help us "Call All Christians to Exercise Their Citizenshp Responsibility" by forwarding this message to your friends and family. This email was sent to vocalnews@hotmail.com, by david@restoreamerica.org Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by Restore America | P.O. Box 2225 | Lake Oswego | OR | 97035

"Justice in Pieces" CD/"Ungodly Rage" Donna Steichen event.

Dear Friends,

  "If it's worth anything, it's worth doing poorly". GK Chesterton.

Since the "virtual workshop" I had planned is not perfected yet, I would like to offer you a CD and handout that was given to those attending the first "Justice in Pieces" workshop.

Stephanie Block's talk is forty minutes long and worth listening to over and over again. Saul Alinsky "tactics" have are alive and well in Oregon and in our Church. For a preview go to www.faithinpubliclife.org

Hilary Clinton did her thesis on Saul and he mentored her until her death. If you could send a donation to VOCAL PO Box 458 Sublimity, OR 97385 that would be great, HOWEVER, this is a labor of love and "God cannot be outdone in generousity", so please, I'm happy to make them as a gift.

Wonderful opportunity. Donna Steichen, author of "Ungodly Rage, the face of Catholic Feminism has agreed to a trip to Oregon for a Justice in Pieces workshop.

Our affiliation with Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon has attached us to Faith in Public Life affiliation and we need further education to protect our way of life and True Justice and True Ecumenism. With the "ordination" of Toni Tortorilla, at an Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon Church and a former Archdiocesan employee and "Catholic" counselor, Oregon needs this.

If you are unaware of Donna Steichen, please buy or borrow Ungodly Rage. www.amazon.com has them new and used. This will take place in early 2008 and for this event we will need a venue and the costs for her talk and airfare. We have time to read Ungodly Rage and learn and ask questions. Final plans will be sent out soon, so we can advertise.

"I am, in fact, convinced, that what feminism promotes in its radical form is no longer the Christianity that we know; it is another religion." Pope Benedict XVI speaking (as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) on radical feminism. Excerpt from 'The Ratzinger Report' (Ignatius Press)

Archdpdx and EMO consent to woman's "ordination" ?

Dear Friends of Life and Family,

On July 28, 2007 an Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) Church allowed a mockery of the priesthood by having an "ordination" of Toni Tortorilla. She is well known around the Archdiocese of Portland.

The relationship between Ms. Tortorilla and the Archdpdx seemed to trump the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the responsibility to Oregon Catholics in protecting these teachings by the Archdiocese. Below is the letter Archbishop Vlazny wrote after the Oregonian went public with this story. (my notes are in red)


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Archbishop Vlazny
Catholic Sentinel August 23, 2007

"On Friday, Aug. 17, the Oregonian reported on a religious (religious?) ceremony at Zion United Church of Christ (EMO Church) in Gresham which was described as a Roman Catholic “ordination.” According to the report, we now have the first woman Roman Catholic priest in Oregon.

Most readers, hopefully, were somewhat suspicious about the event when they learned it did not take place in a Catholic church.(This is NOT an option!) Out of respect for those involved in the ceremony (Toni Tortorilla? Is there respect for the Roman Catholic Church?), I had decided to make no public statement. (Silence implies consent.) The Oregonian also said nothing for three weeks.

My main purpose in speaking up now is to assure you that there was no ordination of a Roman Catholic priest at Zion United Church of Christ in Gresham on July 28.(thanks for the assurance? where is the condemnation?) Even though Catholics (in name only) were involved, the claim that it was a Catholic ceremony is wrong but, hopefully, not intentionally disrespectful of a sacrament which we Catholics regard as a precious treasure (The Body of Christ is not a treasure, but the Source and Summit of our Faith..egads. They were totally disrespectful, what else do they have to do?When things are hidden it's for a reason. Even atheists know that woman are never Roman Catholic priests. What Catholics were involved besides Toni? We deserve to know.if they were also employees of ours), one for which we are called to exercise reverent and faithful stewardship.

Our relationships with other churches are sometimes fragile because of differences in beliefs and values. But in all ecumenical relationships Christian churches do their best to respect the diversity in practices and beliefs. I regret the apparent disregard for this understanding."  (Sorry you're in dreamland. You "regret" the "apparent disregard"?}

This seems to be a blatant effort to undermine the Catholic Church. Are we respected by the EMO churches? We give them credibility. We give them money and contacts. We are used to make people think that Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon represents ALL the protestant churches to the Legislature and public at large which is not the case. This relationship with EMO is not true ecumenism



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IMPORTANT

The Archdpdx Griffin Center, on the campus of Christ the King Church in Miluakie, is due to receive $660,000 (20%) of the Archbishop's Annual/Catholic Appeal this year. Toni Tortorilla was part of their Ministry formation to:

"....fulfills the requirement for National Certification Standard 1: Personal and Spiritual Maturity.

Students will devote the weekend to preparing a personal plan for ongoing spiritual development. Her collegues at the Griffin Center were;

Mary Jo Tully, Chancellor;
Rev. Dennis O'Donovan, Vicar General;
Cathy Shannon, Child Protection Director (contact her for questions on new "safe environment" programs; Sister Jeremy Gallet, Office of Worship (for issues of kneeling, contact her);
Ruth Hayes-Barba, Care Ministry;
Sister Maureen Abbott, Griffin Center Director;
Brother Robert Rodrigues;
Rev. Juniper Schneider, on Justice and Peace board;
Sister Catherine Hertel.

Toni Tortilla is on staff for the Northeast Catholic Counseling Center.
"Toni Tortorilla, of Portland, lives with her lesbian partner." Santa Barbara Independent July 26, 2007.
IS HER THEORETICAL ORIENTATION THAT OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF PORTLAND?
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Theoretical Orientation of Toni Tortorilla:
"My therapeutic orientation is a blend of trans personal, humanistic and feminist models. I support simultaneous development of psychological and spiritual growth by drawing on various approaches and disciplines. I facilitate healing, awareness and self-understanding through the integration of life experiences. My style is intuitive, creative, compassionate and interactive."


Toni Tortorilla is a psychotherapist and spiritual director in Portland, Oregon with an MDiv from a Jesuit theological school. She has been in the counseling field for 27 years, landing there originally in an attempt to pursue the calling to ordination that had seemed to pursue her relentlessly since she was 5 years old. She completed a B.A. in Theology just after the conclusion of Vatican II, and worked as a DRE during the early transition years. She taught high school religion, got fed up with the hierarchy and its position on women, followed other wise and transformative spiritual paths for 20 years, then came around full circle to the heart of the RC tradition once again. After returning, Toni soon found herself in a parish working with a team of people interested in reaching out to disenfranchised and alienated Catholics. When anti-gay initiatives came before the voters of Oregon she approached a sympathetic priest with the idea for an outreach ministry to the gay and lesbian community. He was enthusiastically receptive, and this pastoral experience became the launching pad for her application and acceptance into seminary. Toni will be ordained a priest this summer on July 28, 2007.

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Be Not Afraid!!

The Catholic Church believes that the laity is necessary for more than money. In fact Canon 212 gives us value we don't often experience :


Canon 212, § 3 . “In accord with the knowledge, competence and preeminence which they possess, the Christian faithful have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and they have a right to make their opinion known to the other Christian faithful, with due regard for the integrity of faith and morals and reverence towards their pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons.”

The Archdiocesan Pastoral Council is one place to have your voice heard. Get to know your Vicarate representative and tell them your concerns. They exist to show that the laity is involved and prevent clericalism.

Mr. Ken Willett (503) 281-2469 Downtown Portland/Southeast Portland
Mr. Clint Bentz (503) 394 3268 Albany-Corvallis/Santiam
Dr. Thom Faller (503) 285-1350 Beaverton Suburban
Ms. Marie D'Agrose Columbia County/Middle Coast/North Coast
Mr. David Mastroieni (503) 653-0793 East Ptld. Suburban/South Ptld. Suburban
Ms. Lois Cersovski (541) 995-6973 Metropolitan Eugene
Ms. Carmen Swan Metropolitan Salem
Mr. John Cooper Northeast Portland
Ms. Sue Klemenhagen (541) 756-2865 South Coast
Mr. Rick Nelson Southern Oregon
Mr. John Mikitka (503) 649-4120 Tualatin Valley
Mr.Gary Stump (503) 636-3737 West Portland Suburban
Mr. Wendell James (503) 829-8694 Yamhill County/Marion County


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For your information and future reference. Please note the protocol
.

When one is writing the Vatican to alert them to
heresy and errors and abuses, the protocol to follow is usually
to send originals letters addressed to each of the following.
(updated 2-28-06)

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI PP.
Bishop of Rome
Apostolic Palace
Via del Pellegrino
Citta del Vaticano
Vatican City State, 00120
phone: 011.3906.6988.10.22
email: av@pccs.va
fax: 011.3906.6988.53.73
(When sending mail to the Holy Father, do not
place the word 'Italy' on the envelope. The Vatican
is an independent nation and Italy's mail system routinely
misroutes mail addressed to the nation of Vaticano.
When the Vatican sends mail back to you, you'll notice
it is postmarked from within the U.S. somewhere. That's because
Italy's mail is so unreliable that the Vatican only uses its own
couriers routinely traveling to the U.S., on a daily basis, to carry
US mail over and mail it within the U.S.)


His Excellency The Most Reverend
Pietro Sambi
Apostolic Nuncio to the United States
3339 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008-3687
phone: 202-333-7l2l
fax: 202-337-4036

Most Reverend Celestino Migliore,
Permanent Observer of the Holy See
to the United Nations
25 E. 39th St.
New York, N.Y. l00l6-0903
phone: 212-370-9614
phone voice/data: 212-370-7885
fax: 2l2-370-9622
email: hsmission@holyseemission.org
email: HolySee@un.int
http://www.holyseemission.org/contact_us.html
(the above two are positioned in the U.S. and
are important to notify as they relay news back to
the Holy See. Then, you continue to send copies
to the following Curia or Congregations:)

His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Sodano
The Secretariat of State
Apostolic Palace
00l20 Vatican City State
europe
phone: 011.3906.69.88.34.38
fax: 011.3906.69.88.50.88
(He closely assists the Pope in the
exercise of his supreme function. The Cardinal
Secretary presides over it.)

Cardinal William J. Levada, S.T.D.
Prefect for
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Piazza del S. Uffizio ll
00l93 Rome Italy
phone: 011.3906.69.88.33.57
fax: 011.3906.69.88.34.09
email: cdf@cfaith.va
(He promotes and safeguards the doctrine
of faith and morals in the whole Catholic world;
therefore, those things belong to it which
touch this matter in any way.)


His Eminence Francis Cardinal Arinze
Prefect
The Congregation for Divine Worship and
the Discipline of the Sacraments
Piazza Pio XII l0
00l93 Rome, Italy
phone: 011.3906.69.88.43.l6
fax: 011.3906.69.88.34.99
(He pertains to the moderation and promotion
of the sacrfed liturgy, especially the sacraments,
with due regard for the competence of the
Cong. for Doctrine of Faith. He fosters and safeguards
the discipline of the sacraments, especially
what pertains to their valid and licit celebration; he
concedes favors and dispensations for matters which
are not contained in the
facilities of diocesan bishops.)


His Eminence Dario Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos
Prefect
The Congregation for the Clergy
Piazza Pio XII 3
00l93 Rome, Italy
phone: 011.3906.69.88.4l.5l
Fax: 011.3906.69.88.48.45
(He is concerned with due regard for the
rights of bishops and their conferences and
he examines those things which concern priests and deacons of the secular clergy
with regard to their persons, ministry. This Congregation studies,
proposes and urges the means and aids by which priests strive for sanctity.
This Congregation also has charge of everything which concerns the work
and discipline of the diocesan clergy, especially Preaching of the clergy,
Catechesis, religious instruction of the young and adults.)



Most Rev. Stanislaw Rylko
President
Pontifical Council for the Laity
Piazza S. Calistoly
00l53 Rome, Italy
phone: 011.3906.6988.7322
FAX: 011.3906.6988.7214


His Eminence Giovanni Battista Cardinal Re
Prefect
Congregation for Bishops
Piazza Pio XII 10
00193 Rome, Italy
phone: 011-3906-6988-4217
fax: 011-3906-6988-5303
He oversees the exercise of the bishops
function in the Church. This Cong. provides
also for the naming of bishops, apostolic administrators,
coadjutors, auxiliaries of bishops, military vicars,
and bishops enjoying personal jurisdiction. It is
competent for all things that have to do with bishops
and publsihes norms which provide for the more urgent
needs of the faithful.


Most Reverend Archbishop Zenon Grocholewski
Prefect
The Congregation for Catholic Education
(of Seminaries and Institutes of Studies)
Piazza Pio XII 3
00l93, Rome, Italy
phone: 011.3906.6988.4167
fax: 011.3906.6988.4172
(He's responsible for formation of those who are called
to Holy Orders as well as for the promotion and organization
of Catholic Education, for clerics and laity both. He is
charged with the direction, discipline and temporal administration of seminaries
and whatever touches the education of diocesan clergy and secular
institutes, overseeing Universities, faculties, and any institute of
higher learning which has the name of 'Catholic' including those
directed by religious as well as laity.It watches over Catholic
schools in the dioceses as well.)


His Eminence J.Francis Cardinal Stafford
Prefect
Apostolic Penitentiary
Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura
Piazza della Cancelleria 1
00186, Rome, Italy
phone: 011-3906-6988-7520
fax: 011-3906-6988-7553
The competence of the Tribunal is concerned with those
matters which pertain to the internal forum, for both
the sacramental and non-sacramental internal forum.
This Department consults that justice may be correctly
administered in the Church, judging matters assigned to
it between the Holy See and the various nations. Also,
specifically handles sensitive questions & indulgences
regarding Sacrament of Confession & Spiritual Direction.


There is an American priest, working for many years in
the Roman curia, who is most sympathetic to matters
of maintaining orthodoxy in the U.S. parishes. His name:
Rev. Msgr. Arthur Calkins
Assistant to President Angelo Cardinal Felici
Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei"
Piazza Pio XII 3
00l93 Rome, Italy
phone: 011.3906.69.88.4l.5l
Fax: 011.3906.69.88.48.45
This commissiion regularises canonical situations
of a traditionalist nature; to collaborate with local
bishops with a view to satisfying the numerous groups
of faithful linked to the Latin liturgical tradition with
request a regular celebration of the Holy Mass in keeping
with the l962 rite in their dioceses. The commission can
indicate to the local bishop a way to meet the needs of
the traditional faithful.

You should also contact the Saint Joseph Foundation in San Antonio, Texas. Their
job is to assist Catholics who wish to make canonical appeals.

The St. Joseph Foundation
11107 Wurzbach Suite 601B
San Antonio, Texas 78230-2570
Telephone: (210) 697-0717
Fax: (210) 699-9439
http://www.st-joseph-foundation.org/

Thank you to Barbara who is a wealth of information and devoted to Our Lord.

Barbara Kralis
Jesus Through Mary Foundation
Avemaria@earthlink.net
phone: 903-532-5555
fax: 903-532-6544
919 Harrell Road
Howe, Tx. 75459

Lex orandi est lex credendi, translated into English as
"The law of prayers dictates the law of belief."
In other words, the way you pray shows what
you believe; what you exhibit externally reflects
what you believe internally. As Archbishop Fulton
Sheen once said, "If you don't behave as you
believe, you will end by believing as you behave."

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FOR MEN ONLY

"Lord fill with the gift of the Holy Spirit him whom you have deigned to raise to the rank of the priesthood, that he may be worthy to stand without reproach before your altar, to proclaim the Gospel of your Kingdom, to fulfill the ministry of your word of truth, to offer you spiritual gifts and sacrifices, to renew your people by the bath of rebirth; so that he may go out to meet our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, your only Son, on the day of His second coming, and may receive from your vast goodness the recompense for a faithful administration of His order." Byzantine Rite Ordination Prayer

63,000 Signed Petitions Protecting Children from Sexual Predators

Dear Friends of Life and Family,

The Body of Christ was visible to hundreds of Protestants and Catholics bringing in over 63,000 signatures to the Secretary of State's office yesterday. Everyone did what they could to let Oregonians vote on two issues, "same-sex" marriage and "sexual orientation, behavior and expression" as a protected minority that Governor Kulongoski refers to as "transformational". We will vote in November!!!! If we have enough valid signatures we will vote and if we don't make have enough signatures we will file a two new initiatives!!!

Protecting marriage and family became everyone's priority and it was amazing to have people send petition sheets by Express Mail, driving hundreds of miles, use the Greyhound bus and spend up to twelve hours a day getting signatures. The sacrifices were in lost wages, little sleep and donating their God-given talents to do something that cost other campaigns hundreds of thousands of dollars to accomplish. This Ecumenical movement didn't take millions from collection plate money to hire others to show people how to become what we already are: The Body of Christ.

Unum corpus et unus spiritus sicut vocati estis in una spe vocationis vestrae

One body and one Spirit: as you are called in one hope of your calling. Ephesians 4:4

Immediate Action for Family Life/Justice in Pieces "virtual workshop" coming soon...

Dear Friends of Catholic Family Life, Time is short for the two referenda on family life. They will be handed into the Secretary of State's office on September 26th. Please collect the last of your signatures by September 20th and either send them or deliver them to chief petitioner Janice Bentson - 6495 Windsor Island Road N., Keizer OR 97303. Please read the definitions again of these bills that will be passed into law unless we have enough signatures to be able to LET OREGON VOTE www.letoregonvote in November 2008. This is about the vote of the people, not the legislature guiding our state without us. Green Sheets - Petition #303 is for Enrolled HB 2007 - relating to same-sex relationships. http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/hb2000.dir/hb2007.en.pdf Blue Sheets - Petition #304 is for Enrolled SB 2 - relating to sexual orientations including affirmative action. http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measpdf/sb001.dir/sb0002.en.pdf Pope Benedict says traditional family must be defended, helped By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service 2007 VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI turned his attention to the family in early June, encouraging church members to help couples in crisis and reaffirming church teaching that marriage between a man and a woman is the only legitimate basis for family life. Because human beings were created in the image of God, and because God is love, "the vocation to love is that which makes the person an authentic image of God: One becomes similar to God to the degree that one becomes one who loves," the pope said June 6. The pope's speech to the Diocese of Rome's annual convention at the Basilica of St. John Lateran was the most extensive of his three interventions on the family in three days. Pope Benedict told the diocesan convention that contrary to what many people think today marriage is not a "casual sociological construction," but a reflection of the truth about the human person, the meaning of life and the relationship of human beings with the God who created them out of love and for love. A lifelong pledge of fidelity between a man and a woman and the openness to having children also are a reflection of the identity of the human person as an "indissoluble" unity of body and spirit. "Man is a soul which expresses itself in the body and a body that is given life by an immortal spirit," he said. "The body of man and of woman has, then, a theological character that is not simply corporeal, and that which is biological in the human person is not simply biological, but is an expression and fulfillment of our humanity," Pope Benedict said. "Human sexuality is not something that exists alongside our being a person, but belongs to it," he said. When a man and a woman say "yes" to each other, they are pledging their entire being to one another: body and soul, he said. Saying "yes" implies using one's freedom to make a choice and a commitment, he said. "The greatest expression of freedom is not the search for pleasure without ever making a true decision; rather, it is the ability to make a decision about a definitive gift in which freedom, freely given, finds its fullest expression," he said. "The various modern forms of the dissolution of marriage -- like free unions, 'trial marriages' and the pseudomarriage between persons of the same sex -- are expressions of an anarchic freedom," he said. What many people today think of as freedom is a way of acting based on the idea that each person should do whatever he or she wants, whenever he or she wants, paying no attention to what it means to have been created male and female and called to love completely and responsibly, the pope said. Just as understanding the full meaning of human sexuality requires an acknowledgment of the human vocation to love, so the true meaning of parenthood can be grasped only when seen in the light of love, Pope Benedict said. The pope said it is "contrary to human love, to the profound vocation of man and of woman, to systematically close their union to the gift of life and, even worse, to suppress or tamper with the life about to be born." Pope Benedict said the church's obligation to help build strong families must not stop with defending marriage, preparing engaged couples and helping married couples in crisis. The fundamental role of parents to educate their children in the faith, in morality and in good citizenship also is under attack today, he said. "A particularly insidious obstacle to education today," he said, "is the massive presence in our society and culture of that relativism, which recognizes nothing as definitive, leaving as the ultimate standard only the individual and his or her desires." The pope said that without guidance a person's individuality and desires end up "being a prison," rather than freedom. Meeting at the Vatican June 4 with pilgrims from the Diocese of Verona, Italy, Pope Benedict said it was right that concern for the family was at the center of their diocese's recently concluded synod. "In your diocese, as is the case elsewhere, the number of divorces and irregular unions has increased, and this is an urgent call to Christians to proclaim and witness to the Gospel of life and of the family in its entirety," the pope said. Pope Benedict said that, despite the problems all couples face and the "social and cultural conditioning" that currently seems to encourage couples to split, "Christian spouses have not stopped being a sign of the faithful love of God." Also June 4, Pope Benedict confirmed the convocation of the Fifth World Meeting of Families in July 2006 in Valencia, Spain. Pope John Paul II had convoked the gathering. Confirming the meeting in a letter to Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Pope Benedict said the value of the family founded on marriage is "central for the church and society." "The church cannot forsake announcing that, in accordance with the plans of God, marriage and the family are irreplaceable and do not allow for other alternatives," he said. The "Justice in Pieces" workshops were informative and necessary for all people of faith to experience. A "virtual workshop" is being prepared. Stewardship of our collection plates and where the money goes is our responsiblibity. Building up the Culture of Life is our mission. Please pray for the success of the signature collecting and all involved. God Bless you and yours, Carolyn "You should rather humble yourself before God than be distressed if He reserves for you the sufferings of his Son, and makes you experience your weakness. You should offer up to Him the prayer of resignation and hope, even when you fail through frailty, and thank Him for all the benefits with which He continually enriches you." Padre Pio VOCAL Voice of Catholics Advocating Life PO Box 458 Sublimity OR 97385 www.vocalnews.org Member of Catholic Media Coalition "In-line with the Church, on-line with the world"