Friday, March 5, 2010

CCHD - FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS. Please spread this far and wide.

Dear Advocates for Life,

Here is a great video from the American Life League, a leading member of Reform CCHD NOW www.reformcchdnow.com . It keeps the facts straight on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development's (CCHD) and sadly some in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). USCCB on CCHD: TRYING HARD to IGNORE FACTS Five minutes could save you lots of confusion.

There is a push from those who receive, in many cases ill gotten gains, to petition the USCCB when they meet in June. Please sign the Reform CCHD Now petition if you agree with it.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND.

The USCCB is NOT the Holy See and does NOT have it's authority.
What is difference between the The Holy See (Sancta Sedes, Holy Chair, the seat of Peter the first pope and all future popes) and the Vatican? (taken from wikipedia in part)

Although it is often referred to by the ambiguous term "the Vatican", the Holy See is not the same as the Vatican City State, which came into existence only in 1929, while the Holy See dates back to early Christian times. Ambassadors are officially accredited not to the Vatican City State but to "the Holy See", and papal representatives to states and international organizations are recognized as representing the Holy See, not the Vatican City State.


The State of the Vatican City aka The Vatican, was created by the Lateran Treaty in 1929 to "ensure the absolute and visible independence of the Holy See" and "to guarantee to it an indisputable sovereignty in international affairs"

Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, the Holy See's former Secretary for Relations with States, said that the Vatican City is a "minuscule support-state that guarantees the spiritual freedom of the Pope with the minimum territory".

Basically, the "government" aka The Holy See of the Catholic Church needed a physical place in the world and The Vatican State was created for this purpose and is the smallest country in the world at 0.2 square miles. (No problem with Church and State)

The Holy See, not the Vatican, maintains diplomatic relations with states and participates in international organizations. When necessary, the Holy See will enter a treaty on behalf of the Vatican City.

THE USCCB is a relatively young organization.
The turn towards truly "social justice" in a rabid sense began 1966. IMAGINE.

See attachment above and this link for more history. http://www.usccb.org/whoweare.shtml
"......This model continued until 1966 when the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) were established. The NCCB attended to the Church's own affairs in this country, fulfilling the Vatican Council's mandate that bishops "jointly exercise their pastoral office" (Decree on the Bishops' Pastoral Office in the Church, #38). NCCB operated through committees made up exclusively of bishops, many of which had full-time staff organized in secretariats. In USCC the bishops collaborate with other Catholics to address issues that concern the Church as part of the larger society. Its committees included lay people, clergy and religious in addition to the bishops.

On July 1, 2001 the NCCB and the USCC were combined to form the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). USCCB continues all of the work formerly done by the NCCB and the USCC with the same staff. The bishops themselves form approximately 17 committees, each with its own particular responsibility.

The staff work is overseen by the General Secretariat which is led by Reverend Monsignor David J. Malloy, General Secretary.

VOCAL COMMENT: When it opened up to the laity note the red....it was the end of Vatican II and in that confusing time, the turmoil in the Church reflected itself in the liberal take of the now USCCB. They saw this as a chance to really take advantage of the situation and in my opinion they charted a new course and the ship is turning home, slowly but surely. Their are many people to pay and so many agendas at the USCCB, Christ seems to be lost in the shuffle.
REMEMBER!!!
The Holy See ALWAYS trumps the USCCB if there's ever a question with two answers.

The CCHD campaign is NOT a mandatory collection.

The Archdiocesan Annual Appeal is NOT a mandatory collection. Your priest has to ask for 100% compliance. The Archbishop is in charge of the USCCB National Collections so there's an extra push. Remember also that the Oregon Catholic Press does give almost a MILLION dollars to the Appeal, and they have lots more money, so don't feel too badly.

The Archdiocese of Portland needs a complete audit so we can be sure that our money is being used to build up the true Catholic Church that answers only to the Holy See and NOT the USCCB, which seems to be in a state of confusion at best.


VOCAL SUGGESTION:
Save oodles of money by disbanding the CCHD in it's current form: no administrative costs, no radio/tv/print ads, no postage, and NO CORRUPTION.

Have a webpage on the USCCB site with suggested non-profits they feel are worthwhile. Catholics are smart enough to discern whether a non-profit is worthy to receive our hard-earned money.
Saved money could easily be used at each parish for their purposes and make ALL the laity feel like they are not just being used for their money.

We pay enough money in taxes for most of these secular non-profits. Diversity is becoming a four-letter word.


God Bless you and yours,
Carolyn
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
John Adams, 'Argument in Defense of the Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials,' December 1770
US diplomat & politician (1735 - 1826)

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Bishop Vasa says Oregon hospital can no longer be called Catholic.

Dear Advocates for Life, Lent shouldn't be a time for rejoicing, but it is. Please bathe in the knowledge that Bishop Vasa keeps his promises to His Boss and in doing so, protects HIS SHEEP. Here's the good Bishop's email address bpvasa@dioceseofbaker.org . Thank God for Holy Boldness. Thank God for Bishop Vasa. . CNS Story: HOSPITAL-BAKER Feb-16-2010 Bishop says Oregon hospital can no longer be called Catholic By Ed Langlois Catholic News Service PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- The Diocese of Baker has ended the church's official sponsorship of central Oregon's largest medical center, citing the hospital's refusal to adhere to some Catholic teachings. Baker Bishop Robert F. Vasa said St. Charles Medical Center in Bend "gradually moved away" from church ethical and religious standards and can no longer be called Catholic. "As bishop, I am responsible for attesting to the full Catholicity of the hospitals in my diocese, a responsibility which I take very seriously, and I have reached the conclusion that I can no longer attest to the Catholicity of St. Charles," Bishop Vasa wrote in the Feb. 18 issue of the Catholic Sentinel, diocesan newspaper for Portland and Baker. The main point of contention is tubal ligation, a form of permanent female reproductive sterilization. "It would be misleading for me to allow St. Charles Bend to be acknowledged as Catholic in name while I am certain that some important tenets of the ethical and religious directives are no longer being observed," the bishop said in a statement issued jointly with hospital officials. The statement said the decision was difficult for all involved. Mass will no longer be celebrated in the hospital's chapel and all items considered Catholic will be removed from the hospital and returned to the church. The St. Charles name will remain the same and the cross will remain on top of the building. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Tipton, Ind., founded St. Charles 92 years ago. In the 1970s, the hospital became a community nonprofit organization with the sisters remaining as sponsors. In 1992, when the sisters decided they could no longer sponsor St. Charles because of the smaller number of sisters, an "association of the Christian faithful" took up the duty of making sure the hospital's Catholic identity was preserved. At the same time, control of policy and operations went to a board of directors. Bishop Vasa said the association's structure did not give it sufficient authority to control the tenets of Catholic identity as expressed in the U.S. bishops' "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services." In 2007, the bishop asked St. Charles officials for an audit of compliance with the directives. He identified problems and began talks, which hit an impasse. In the joint statement Feb. 15, hospital administrators and the bishop said they have "respectfully disagreed" on the meaning of some of the directives. "We are saddened by this decision because of the 92 years of history the St. Charles Bend hospital has had with the Catholic Church," said James Diegel, president and CEO of Cascade Healthcare Community, the parent company of St. Charles. "But, we have an obligation to provide comprehensive health care services to our patients while remaining true to our values of compassion and caring for all." Diegel said the Cascade Healthcare board of directors intends to continue using the ethical and religious directives as they have been interpreted by the hospital. Bishop Vasa has encouraged the hospital to stay as close to the directives as possible in the future. "This is not a condemnation of St. Charles, it is a sadly acknowledged reality," Bishop Vasa wrote in the Sentinel. The bishop said he is convinced that the St. Charles board genuinely thought the ethical and religious directives were voluntary and optional and board members now cannot see a way to move back into compliance. END Copyright (c) 2010 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed. CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1000676.htm God Bless you and yours, Carolyn From the Code of Canon Law....to be followed in all cases different from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops which is non-binding. Can. 387 Since the diocesan bishop is mindful of his obligation to show an example of holiness in charity, humility, and simplicity of life, he is to strive to promote in every way the holiness of the Christian faithful according to the proper vocation of each. Since he is the principal dispenser of the mysteries of God, he is to endeavor constantly that the Christian faithful entrusted to his care grow in grace through the celebration of the sacraments and that they understand and live the paschal mystery. www.vocalnews.org VOCAL Voice of Catholics Advocating Life PO Box 458 Sublimity, OR 97385 503-769-4767 Member of the Catholic Media Coalition "In line with the Church, on-line with the World". www.catholicmediacoalition.org and Reform CCHD Now www.reformcchdnow.com

Friday, February 12, 2010

Stand for LIFE and PURITY in PDX on Valentine's Day / 40 Days for Life in LENT

Dear Advocates for Life, Join Bill Diss and Precious Children of Portland to stand up against the genocide in PDX. The "grand opening" of the new facility Planned Parenthood Clinic on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. is on Valentine's Day. There will be a "Blessing" of sorts by an ex-priest, now Baptist minister and "Chaplain" for PP is Vincent Lachina. From Bill Diss.... Cecile Richards the president of Planned Parenthood of America is coming to town to the grand opening of the 45,000 sq. ft. prenatal killing center on Sunday afternoon. Precious Children of Portland and other groups will be at NE Beech St. and MLK Jr in Portland Oregon from 12:30 to 5:00pm. Folks can come at anytime to pray, sing and hold signs and pick up information. Directions: I-5, Exit 303, East on Alberta, South on MLK Jr. Blvd. Planned Parenthood is having their grand opening from 2:00 to 4:00 and we would love as many people as possible to stand for LIFE and PURITY. People can look at www.pdx4life.org for more information. 40 Days Campaign for Life - February 17 to March 28, 2010 Now in BEND: For times, Contact: Gari Lynn Tocher - garilyntocher@clearwire.net PORTLAND: Monday - Sunday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Planned Parenthood at Beech & Martin Luther King Blvd., Portland. Contact: Bill Diss - bill@preciouschildrenofportland.org www.40daysforlife.com/portland BEAVERTON: Fridays from 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Planned Parenthood - Beaverton, 12220 SW 1st St., Beaverton. Contact: Marie Barzen - (503) 524-5326; barzenm@comcast.net or www.40daysforlife.com/beaverton FOREST GROVE: Monday - Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Dr. Bours office, 3303 19th Ave., Forest Grove. Contact: Georgia Perry - (503) 640-8893; georgiafred1962@yahoo.com www.40daysforlife.com/forestgrove SALEM: Monday - Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Planned Parenthood, 3825 Wolverine St., Salem. Contact: Cheri - (503) 503-378-7061; cheribilliam@gmail.com www.40daysforlife.com/salem, 503-569-4794 if no answer above.EUGENE: Thursdays and Fridays, 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Bours Health Center, 539 E. 11th Avenue, Eugene. Contact: Lynda (541) 844-9399; lynda@prolifeunity.com www.40daysforlife.com/eugene VANCOUVER: Monday - Saturday, 8:00 a.m. - 4A :00 p.m., Planned Parenthood, 5500 NE 109th Court, Vancouver. Contact: Jerry Ross (360) 732-2376; knittedinthewomb@hotmail.com www.40daysforlife.com/vancouver More info. Salem - 40 Days for Life Spring Campaign - Salem 3825 Wolverine St. NE near Lancaster Wed. come pray with parishioners of St. Edwards Church Fridays come pray with parishioners of St. Joseph Church VIGIL HOURS - 8 am to 8 pm Mon. to Sat. - Feb. 17 to March 28, 2010 contact info - call cheri 503-378-7061 or go to www.40daysforlife.com/salem Beaverton & Forest Grove - 40 days for life Spring Campaign will kick off with a Candle light Rosary Vigil DATE & TIME: 5 pm, on Ash Wednesday, February 17th LOCATION: Beaverton Planned Parenthood located at 1st & Betts. VIGIL DETAILS: Fr. Eric Andersen of St Cecilia Catholic Church will offer prayers along with Cantor Heather Renshaw leading the vigil in song. The vigil will include a pro-life rosary, chaplet of divine mercy and blessings for the success of the Beaverton and campaign. An Ash Wednesday Mass will be offered at St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church in Beaverton at 6 pm. VIGIL HOURS - 40 DAYS: The Prayerful Vigil during the Spring 40 Days for Life campaign in Beaverton will be Every Friday from 7 am to 7 pm - February 19th through March 26th. LEARN MORE: www.40daysforlife.com or for details about the Campaign in Beaverton or Forest Grove 503-524-5326. ________________________________________________ "When the time comes, as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgment, I've often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates, you are there alone standing before God -- and a terror will rip your soul like nothing you can imagine. But I really think that those in the pro-life movement will not be alone. I think there'll be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next world -- and they will plead for everyone who has been in this movement. They will say to God, 'Spare him, because he loved us!'" Congressman Henry Hyde God Bless you and yours, Carolyn

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

"I tell priests and bishops what to do." M.J. Tully, Chancellor - Connecting Oregon Catholics with Moveon.org (George Soros), ACORN (Saul Alinsky) and worse.

"I tell priests and bishops what to do."  Strong words and shocking to those at a Southern Oregon meeting in Spring 2007.  Her words, even in jest, were not appropriate.

The actions of Mary Jo Tully had/has many faithful Catholics wondering what's going on.   When she was hired by then-Archbishop William Levada in 1999, she helped him define her role. She was one of two women chancellors in the U.S.  Normally a chancellor is a priest or deacon and there are guidelines regarding their duties.  It seems women are treated differently than men.

She was in charge of many things, but right now we'll concentrate on Ballot Measures 66 & 67 from the Oregon election of

The Archdiocese, not through the Oregon Catholic Conference the lobbying office  but the Office of Justice and Peace says Yes on 66 and 67. Mary Jo is the director of that office

It's not so much the "yes" (although I believe a NO vote is more prudent) but the alliances that were exposed in this process the problem. Plus, we weren't given an opportunity to express ourselves or know what was going on.

IN THE VOTER'S GUIDE ON THE "YES" SIDE.

Attachment #1 - Mary Jo Tully's name is listed with "Defend Oregon" and "Tax Fairness Oregon", who paid $500 to be in the voter's guide since they didn't have the 1000 names to be in the "Vote Yes on 66 and 67' and therefore couldn't get in for free. Remember, non-profits won't have to be taxed, like the church.
Connecting More Dots: WHO ARE THEY, REALLY?
Tax Fairness, Defend Oregon and Our Oregon all have the same address and phone number.
Tax Fairness Oregon Mission Statement
George Soros' Moveon.org's political arm Democracy in Action..is in the web address of Tax Fairness Oregon.
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5838/t/6961/p/dia/action/public/index?action_KEY=1202&start=25
Democracy in Action Links to Pro-Aborts and Church Dissidents. Democracy In Action's mission - To "Wire the Progressive Movement." You'll see Faith in Public Life and ACORN Saul Alinsky group and Catholic Alliance a dissident group just to name two.
Now, notice how Mary Jo Tully signed the Tax Fairness "Religious Leaders" list first and then five minutes later our Archbishop did the same. A week later, Matt Cato, newly hired Office of Justice and Peace director signed a week later.

113Thu Nov 19 17:44:24 EST 2009 Matt Cato

114Thu Nov 19 17:49:24 EST 2009 Archbishop Vlazny

93Thu Nov 12 20:54:42 EST 2009Chancellor Mary Jo Tully


*It is fair and just that those who continue to prosper greatly should give back a little more of their income to support the public services that have made their prosperity possible. The responsibility of the wealthy to the poor and to the common good is a principle deeply rooted in the texts and teachings of our religious traditions." Tax Fairness Oregon Statement

SO....What's going on...?

Pro-Life Action of Oregon www.prolifeactionoregon.org put in a call to the Archdiocese upon hearing that both Planned Parenthood and NARAL were urging supporters with big money to vote yes, the Archdiocesan Chancellor Mary Jo Tully replied, “That’s not a bad thing is it?”

After being asked whether the archbishop knows about Planned Parenthood and NARAL’s lobbying efforts, Chancellor Tully replied, “No, I don’t think he knows.”

See. http://prolifeactionoforegon.org/2010/01/06/planned-parenthood-leads-tax-increase-lobby/

Statements IN FAVOR in your VOTERS' PAMPHLET which you should receive in the mail:

Page 16, bottom of right column: Planned Parenthood and NARA


Page 28, middle of right column: Ecumenical Ministries (Catholic Archdiocese is a member)

Page 73, both columns: Ecumenical Ministries and NARAL

With this action they aligned the Catholics of western Oregon with Planned Parenthood, NARAL National Abortion Rights Action League, Basic Rights Oregon (homosexual lobby) but that's not all.
Mary Jo Tully is on the Board of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. That is the biggest problem we have as Catholics in Oregon.

Western Oregon Catholics are now aligned once again, with ultra-liberal, progressive values, but now it's so obvious, it's blatant and stomach-turning. These NOT the values of the Roman Catholic Church.

So we see that January 25, 2010 the Archbishop endorses Measures 66 & 67.

We pray that Mary Jo Tully can get some new friends and not be so outspoken about her role. It is very unnerving that not ONE of the churches we associate with are pro-life , REAL pro-life protecting unborn white babies, brown babies, black babies, every baby.

"In accord with the knowledge, competence and preeminence which they possess, they (laity) 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 toward their pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons." (Canon 212, P3)


Saturday, January 23, 2010

A follow-up: "FAITH" moves mountains and meetings, opening up a can of Archdpdx worms....

Dear Advocates for Life, A big thank you to Faith, the young mom who took action against the "honoring Roe V Wade Happy Hour" by a simple phone call to a Salem area restaurant to let her voice be heard. See for letter http://vocalblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/open-letter-of-pro-life-action-by-young.html Faith emailing her story to The Bill Post Show at KYKN in Salem set pro-life troops into action with phone calls of their own to the restaurant. Look at the "No host nibbles" ad created to show these women what it looks like to us what they're celebrating. They were going to be made into handouts at the picket. The owner of the Marco Polo Restaurant in Salem cancelled the pro-abort women's "Happy Hour". To support this positive step, many pro-lifers dined at the Marco Polo on Roe V Wade Friday, January 22nd. There was a mood of happiness and gratitude. So.....where did these pro-abort women and men go? Announcing on their website www.oregonwomenlead.com they headed to the Salem YWCA. Why the Y? Because it's pro-abortion. Yes, the YWCA Young Women's Christian Association is linked pro-abortion groups and supports FOCA http://www.lifenews.com/nat4620.html . Some went to picket the Y before going to the restaurant when we found out where the meeting was. (it's monthly, so our works cut out for us.) HERE'S the CAN of WORMS... The YWCA's Salem website has a Catholic connection with Saint Francis Shelter (Salem), Saint Joseph Shelter (Mt. Angel), and Saint Vincent de Paul linked as "community partners." When this venue changed, Mary Jo Tully, the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Portland was contacted by a concerned Catholic about these Catholic connections with the abortion prone YWCA. She didn't seem concerned about this. One reason why Mary Jo Tully probably isn't concerned is because of the Catholic Charities/ YWCA/Archdpdx/Bill Gates etc. connection. There is a $12.5 million building for Catholic Charities to dedicate in Portland in early February. It will be called the CLARK FAMILY CENTER. Well named because the Clark family gave almost $3 million to the building. http://www.sentinel.org/node/9936 Maybelle Clark (she died in December) has her foundation named on the YWCA PORTLAND website http://www.ywca-pdx.org/trusts.html and Mike and Tracey Clark her relations, are also big donors to the Y. I'm sure that Mrs. Clark didn't know the huge change in the YW. Now her Catholic beneficiaries know and I hope that they take action to stop funding this organization. Catholic Charities was so excited that Bill Gates gave them $750,000 for the building. Bill and Melinda Gates are pro-abortion. Have we sold out? Dennis Keenan the director for over 20 years will get a great office to help the poor and hungry. Why such great digs if we want to eliminate these things? They will have a big to do that costs $125 each.Who but the rich can go to this? Something is very wrong. Should Catholic organizations take money from pro-aborts? It seems like there is something else that Bill Gates is giving to and not the Catholic Church's mission. The building will house more than Catholic Charities projects. They give hardly anything for Life in Oregon. Rachel's Vineyard's is from Priests for Life with a half-time woman hired to do post-abortion workshops. And we don't know all the other organizations that will have fancy offices and again possible connect Catholics with non-Catholic groups. There's no reason for Catholic groups to be connected with pro-abortion organizations. It's way overdue to cut ourselves off from connections that use the Catholic name to get funds. Even if they do "good works".....the Faith seems to be dead. Let's pray that Mary Jo Tully takes some action. Hanging around rich people all the time is not healthy for the soul and big fancy buildings inflate the ego. We have more to say about this feeling of the regular folks being pushed to the side. The plot thickens. Thanks again Faith for your faithfulness and Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and not how people might take your actions. You have made the world a better place with your courage. God Bless you and yours, Carolyn The WORDS OF CHRIST. Matthew 4:4 - Jesus answered, "The scripture says 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'." 6:19-21 - "Don't pile up treasures on earth, where moth and rust can spoil them and thieves can break in and steal. But keep your treasure in Heaven where there is neither moth nor rust to spoil it and nobody can break in and steal. For wherever your treasure is, you may be certain that your heart will be there too!" 6:24 - "No one can be loyal to two masters. He is bound to hate one and love the other, or support one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and the power of money at the same time." www.vocalnews.org VOCAL Voice of Catholics Advocating Life PO Box 458 Sublimity, OR 97385 503-769-4767 Member of the Catholic Media Coalition "In line with the Church, on-line with the World". www.catholicmediacoalition.org Member of Reform Catholic Campaign for Human Development www.reformcchdnow.com