Happy Our Lady of Guadalupe Day. A Pregnant Mary So Wonderfully Honored.

The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

An elder Mexican man makes his way to Mass in the early morning twilight of December 9, 1531. He is a peasant, a simple farmer and laborer, and he has no education. Born under Aztec rule, he is a convert to Catholicism, and each step he takes this morning is a step into history.

The morning quiet is broken by a strange music that he will later describe as the beautiful sound of birds. Diverting his path to investigate the sound, Juan Diego comes face to face with a radiant apparition of the Virgin Mary.
 
Juan Diego is 57 years old. He has just encountered the Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill, the site of a former Aztec Temple. His wife has died two years earlier, and he lives with his elder uncle, scratching his living from the earth as a humble peasant farmer. Why should this unlearned, man be chosen by Our Lady to carry a message to the Bishop? Perhaps because she would find none other as humble as Juan Diego.

Juan Diego is dazzled by the incredible beauty and miraculous nature of Our Lady's appearance. She appears as a native princess to him, and her words sound more beautiful than the sweetest music ever made.

Our Lady calms the startled traveler, and assures him of who she is. She instructs Juan Diego to visit his bishop and ask that a temple be built on the site of her appearance, so that she will have a place to hear petitions and to heal the suffering of the Mexican people. "Now go and put forth your best effort," Our Lady instructs.

Visibly shaken, Juan Diego approaches the Bishop who is initially very skeptical of his account. What did this peasant truly want? Does he merely seek attention? Notoriety? Money? Or is he possessed by demons? Has Juan Diego been tricked by the Devil?

The Bishop patiently listens to Juan Diego's accounts and dismisses him. The humble farmer has failed.

Juan Diego begins to doubt himself. He returns to Tepeyac Hill where he hopes for some conformation of what he's experienced. Indeed, Our Lady does not disappoint, for she appears again, as radiant as before. Juan Diego tells Our Lady what she already knows, that the Bishop did not believe him. She instructs him to return the next morning and ask again.

The Bishop is beside himself. Why did this peasant insist on telling this story? How could he know if the peasant was lying or perhaps insane? At their second meeting, the Bishop asks for a sign. Juan Diego makes a promise he won't keep, saying he will return the very next morning with a sign from Our Lady.

But that evening, Juan Diego returns home to find his uncle, Juan Bernadino, who is 68 years old, and suddenly, terribly ill. The illness is known to the people there and it brings a burning fever so hot, it's almost always fatal. Juan Diego cannot leave his uncle's bedside to keep his pledge to the Bishop. He spends two days with his uncle, trying to save him. When it becomes apparent his uncle is about to die, he leaves to find a priest who can prepare him for death.

Frightened and saddened, Juan Diego sets off in a great hurry, time is running out, and Juan Diego is afraid his uncle will die without a last confession. On the road, in his way, Our Lady appears for a third time. Upset and afraid, Juan explains himself. Our Lady replies, "Am I not your mother? ... Are you not in the crossing of my arms?" she asks.

Shamed by the admonishment, but emboldened by Our Lady's presence, Juan Diego asks for the sign he promised to the Bishop. He knows he is wrong to doubt Our Lady. Juan Diego is instructed to climb to the top of Tepeyac Hill where he will find flowers. He is to pick the flowers there, which are unlike any he has seen before, and he is to keep them hidden in his tilma until he reaches the Bishop.
Juan Diego is skeptical again. It's December, what flowers could grow on the summit of the hill in this cold?

Nevertheless, he obeys and atop the hill he finds a great number of flowering roses which he picks and hastily gathers into his cloak.

For the third time, Juan Diego is ushered in to see the Bishop. The skeptical cleric has waited for two days to see what sign Our Lady has for him. Juan opens his tilma, letting the roses cascade to the floor. But more than the roses, both men are astonished to see what is painted on his humble tilma - an exquisite image of Our Lady.

In the image, she stands as she appeared, a native princess with high cheekbones. Her head is bowed and her hands are folded in prayer to God. On her blue cloak, the stars are arranged as they appeared in the morning darkness at the hour of her first apparition. The black sash around her waist indicates she is with Child.

Under her feet, is a great crescent moon, a symbol of the old Aztec religion. The message is clear, she is more powerful than the Aztec gods, yet she herself is not God.

At the same time Our Lady is appearing to Juan Diego, and directing him to cut the flowers on Tepeyac Hill, she also appears to his uncle, Juan Bernadino who believes he is about to die. As soon as she appears, the fever stops and Juan Bernadino feels well again. She tells Juan Bernadino, she wants to be known as "Santa Maria, de Guadalupe."

Our Lady of Guadalupe did not appear again, for her mission was complete. The temple was built and remains there today, in what is now a suburb of Mexico City. Juan Diego's tilma, woven from cactus fibers, with a shelf-life of just 30 years at best, remains miraculously preserved.

The symbolism of Our Lady's dress is obvious to over eight million Native Mexicans, whom all speak different languages. She is brighter than the sun, more powerful than any Aztec god, yet she is not a god herself, and she prays to one greater than her. Her gown is adorned with stars in the correct position as in the night sky, and the gold fringe of her cloak mirrors the surrounding countryside.

Millions of natives will convert at the news of what has happened. Millions more will make pilgrimages over the next five centuries to see the miraculous tilma, and to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe. Great miracles continue to occur, even today.

On October 12, 1945, Pope Pius XII, decreed Our Lady of Guadalupe to be "Patroness of all the Americas." Her feast day is December 12, and it is a Holy Day of Obligation in Mexico.

Our Lady of Guadalupe had this to say to Juan Diego:

"Know for certain, least of my sons, that I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God through whom everything lives, the Lord of all things near and far, the Master of heaven and earth. It is my earnest wish that a temple be built here to my honor. Here I will demonstrate, I will exhibit, I will give all my love, my compassion, my help and my protection to the people. I am your merciful mother, the merciful mother of all of you who live united in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who seek me, of those who have confidence in me. Here I will hear their weeping, their sorrow, and will remedy and alleviate all their multiple sufferings, necessities and misfortunes."

Thanks to Catholic Online for the story.

Macy’s: We No Longer Donate to Planned Parenthood Abortion Business - List of those still hanging on.

National   Steven Ertelt   Dec 7, 2016   |   6:28PM    Washington, DC 

Another large corporation has decided to cease donations to the Planned Parenthood abortion business.

After today, pro-life customers can resume shopping at Macy’s — which had been on a list of corporate contributors to the Planned Parenthood abortion company for some time. But today representatives of a pro-life group that tracks corporate donations to the Planned Parenthood abortion organization says Macy’s has ended his relationship with it.

“In the spirit of thankfulness and celebration that comes this time of year, we have a special update to share with you,” Lance Wray of the pro-life group 2nd Vote told LifeNews.com in an email.

“You may remember how four companies (AT&T, Coca-Cola, Ford, and Xerox) publicly distanced themselves from Planned Parenthood last year after our research exposed forty-one companies with direct financial ties to the abortion giant,” he elaborated. “Well, we are happy to report that we can take another company off that list—Macy’s, who confirmed with 2ndVote last week that they no longer give nor match donations to Planned Parenthood.”

“We wanted to share this great news with you because the credit is due to our 2ndVote members who have engaged Macy’s and other companies for their position on the Life issue. This victory wouldn’t have been possible without your involvement,” Wray said.

This latest development comes in the wake of undercover videos that showed Planned Parenthood executives talking about the sale of fetal body parts. Planned Parenthood is facing both federal and state investigations—and the possibility of losing taxpayer funding.

SIGN THE PETITION! Congress Must De-Fund Planned Parenthood Immediately

Corporate donors make a difference. Planned Parenthood receives $1.3 billion in yearly revenue, and of that, “over 25% comes from private donations, including corporate contributions,” according to 2ndVote.

Here is a list of the companies that still fund Planned Parenthood, according to the group:

1. Adobe
2. American Express
3. Avon
4. Bank of America
5. Bath & Body Works
6. Ben & Jerry’s
7. Boeing
8. Clorox
9. Converse
10. Deutsche Bank
11. Dockers
12. Energizer
13. Expedia
14. ExxonMobil
15. Fannie Mae
16. Groupon
17. Intuit
18. Johnson & Johnson
19. La Senza
20. Levi Strauss
21. Liberty Mutual
22. Macy’s
23. March of Dimes
24. Microsoft
25. Morgan Stanley
26. Nike
27. Oracle
28. PepsiCo
29. Pfizer
30. Progressive Insurance
31. Starbucks
32. Susan G. Komen
33. Tostitos
34. Unilever
35. United Way
36. Verizon
37. Wells Fargo

Archbishop Sample to Downsize. Also moved Catholic Sentinel to Pastoral Center.

Making room for parish, archbishop to downsize
Cathedral will make good use of his current quarters there 

 Ed Langlois
Of the Catholic Sentinel

  

Archbishop Alexander Sample and future archbishops of Portland will live in a 3,500-square-foot wooden house to be built on the edge of Mount Calvary Cemetery. Including its chapel, the house will be about a third of the size of the Northwest Portland building archbishops have occupied since the mid-1980s.

“There is a lot of wasted space,” Archbishop Sample says of the residence next to St. Mary Cathedral. 

When the archbishop noticed that Cathedral Parish leaders wanted to boost community life with a parish hall and meeting rooms, he offered to make way by moving out of the three-story former school, built in 1915. 

“I can live anywhere, but the cathedral can’t locate their facilities anywhere,” Archbishop Sample says. “It’s time to vacate that space so the cathedral can use it.”

Since the 1980s, archbishops have lived in the old Cathedral School building in Northwest Portland, with 9,000 square feet of space and high utility bills. The cathedral wanted to use the space for parish ministry, prompting Archbishop Alexander Sample to offer to move and downsize. “I think it’s really good stewardship of the church’s resources, both for the cathedral and the archdiocese,” the archbishop says.

The cathedral has long needed space for community gatherings, says Msgr. Patrick Brennan, the pastor. The lack has been an impediment to building up parish life. 

“It has been very limiting,” Msgr. Brennan says. “We are grateful to the archbishop that he has made this decision.” 

The building now occupied by the archbishop was a school, then a convent. It also housed a few archdiocesan offices. When Archbishop William Levada arrived in 1986, he lived at The Madeleine Parish briefly, then had the old cathedral building renovated. 

Growth at the cathedral and an increase in activity means the square footage for parish functions is most welcome, Msgr. Brennan says. 

The cathedral now has no space for funeral luncheons or wedding receptions. Big events — like gatherings after ordinations — take place in the school gym. That’s workable only on weekends, and a kitchen is lacking.  

The former archbishop’s residence could house a large parish hall, classrooms and perhaps additional space for the parish school. Many groups would be welcome to hold events there.

“We’d like to make the cathedral an open and welcoming place for all parishes,” Msgr. Brennan says.  

The old school building will need seismic upgrades. Meetings are underway to plan the project and parishioners will be asked for input. 

The archbishop’s advisors say his move makes sense economically.  

The archdiocese pays rent and unusually high utility bills at the vast cathedral residence. In the course of 30 years, those costs likely would run at least $900,000. Being relieved from those obligations will more than offset the cost of building the new house, which sits on land already owned by the archdiocese. 

“I think it’s really good stewardship of the church’s resources, both for the cathedral and the archdiocese,” Archbishop Sample says. 

The new two-story house will have three bedrooms, as opposed to the five at the cathedral residence. Archbishops regularly host out-of-town guests, including bishops and the papal nuncio. Unlike archbishops of the past, Archbishop Sample has no live-in housekeeper, but he does care for his mother at his residence and his mother gets help from Holy Spirit Sister Emiliana Moshi, who comes in during the day. 

An architect’s rendering of new quarters for archbishops.

Included in the square footage of the new house is a chapel that will seat about a dozen people. When the archbishop hosts groups at the house, the gathering could include Mass. He says that, with an actual home, he likely will host more gatherings. 

The old school served well as an archbishop’s residence, but now it makes sense to turn it over to the cathedral, says Delia Wilson, longtime property manager for the archdiocese. 

“Archbishop Sample wants something more modest and simple,” Wilson says. 

The new house for archbishops will be built on two acres between Skyline Road and Burnside Road. There are neighbors across the street. The garage will hold two cars and the back of the two-story house will have a deck and patio.

Is the archbishop glad to live next to a cemetery? He jokes about how quiet the neighbors will be, but says seriously that he will feel privileged to live near “holy ground.” 

Coming Soon!! CCHD: It's all about funding Alinsky groups, not helping the poor!

From the President of Catholic Media Coalition, Mary Ann Kreitzer 

 

 

 

This coming weekend Catholic churches all over the country will once again be taking up a collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, It is heavily advertised as helping the poor, but about 50% of the grants go to enrich and enable Alinskyite community organizing groups with agendas directly opposed to the Catholic faith and using means that are fundamentally immoral. That, in itself, is not surprising since, like Machiavelli, Alinsky believed accomplishing his ends justified any means.


This year, like every other, the bishops assure us that the "charity's" action of squandering millions to advance the progressive agenda of abortion, contraception, assisted suicide, gender insanity, educational "reform", and electing Democrats, etc. is a thing of the past, but while money is not given directly to perform abortions or dispense contraception, many groups supported by CCHD promote these evils through education and referral.

But we continue to be told...."Nothing to see here; move on!" Move on, indeed, but hold onto your wallets!

CCHD continues to heavily support Alinskyite community organizing groups like PICO which has received millions of dollars to engage in comprehensive immigration reform. Many Alinsky organizations like PICO use immigrants going door-to-door to support progressive Democrats who hold positions in direct conflict with Catholic teaching. Do a search on the USCCB website for PICO and see the many millions funneled into their group. Interestingly PICO recently garnered attention during the Wikileaks dumps. George Soros gave PICO and Faith in Public Life, another left-wing organization, $650,000 to influence the direction of Catholic teaching during the pope's visit. According to LifeSiteNews:

The post operative report on the funding to influence the papal visit comes in the 2016 report entitled, Review Of 2015 U.S. Opportunities Fund. The Soros group was pleased with the result of their campaign and saw statements by various bishops against presidental candidates who are using "fearmongering" - likely a reference to the GOP lineup, and perhaps Trump specifically - as one outcome of their efforts. “The impact of this work and the relationships it has fostered can be seen in the broad range of religious leaders hitting pointedly back at presidential candidates for their use of fearmongering,” the report said....

The grant specifically targeted the ‘pro-family’ agenda, redirecting it from defending marriage to being concerned with income equality. “FPL’s media, framing, and public opinion activities, including conducting a poll to demonstrate that Catholic voters are responsive to the Pope’s focus on income inequality, and earning media coverage that drives the message that being ‘pro-family’ requires addressing growing inequality,” says the May report....

Concluding their report reflecting on the success of the grant to influence the papal visit, the Soros group was very pleased with the results. Looking to the future, they are excited that the long-term goal of shifting the priorities of the Catholic Bishops in the United States “is now underway.”

Can anyone really believe that PICO is able to serve both God and George Soros?

One of the most insidious efforts of groups funded by CCHD is what they are doing in education: undermining parental authority and promoting a top down approach that directly conflicts with the Catholic principle of subsidiarity. Stephanie Block wrote an article in October 2015 which identifies exactly how the Church's support of Alinsky groups enables and promotes the federal government's takeover of education. She offers a detailed analysis of grants to organizations in New Mexico and how they are undermining parents and insinuating government into the family from the cradle. In another 2015 article, Why Not Give to the CCHD, she reports the Lepanto Institute's findings that prove the problems continue. One group denied funding in 2012 after an expose of their homosexual activism latched onto the CCHD teat again in 2014 while they, guess what, continue to support homosexual activism. This is where your money "for the poor" is going.

Because of its origins, CCHD is unlikely to change. Michael Hichborn wrote an article last year on the Marxist Core of the CCHD. Its history is dark. In fact, the organization was founded in order to funnel Catholic money to atheist Saul Alinsky's programs. Is it any wonder that CCHD still heavily invests in Alinsky community organizing groups?

The wolf is in the sheepfold gobbling up the sheep and the shepherd is in on it.

God Bless Us All on this Election Day. And a GK Chesterton Poem for Us.

O God of earth and altar,
Come down and hear our cry,
Our earthly rulers falter,
Our people drift and die,

The walls of gold entomb us,
The sword of scorn divides,
Take not thy thunder from us,
But take away our pride.

From all that terror teaches
From lies of tongue and pen
From all the easy speeches
That comfort cruel men

From sale and profanation
Of honor and the sword
From sleep and from damnation
Deliver us Good Lord!

Tie in a living tether
The prince and priest and thrall,
Bind all our lives together.
Smite us and save us all,

In an ire an exultation
Aflame with faith and free,
Lift up a living nation,
A single sword to thee.

—- G.K. Chesterton