In My Liverpool Home!
Torch of The Faith News on Sunday 23 November 2008 - 00:39:26 | by admin
The 'Lantern' at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool.
We've been over the border and up in Liverpool today to visit family and friends.
Liverpool has many world famous streets;
There is Hope Street which links the Anglican and Catholic Cathedrals and houses the renowned Philharmonic Hall and Pub, the Everyman Theatre and the old College of Art where John Lennon once studied.
Scotland Road is the home to the beautiful, St. Anthony's Catholic Church.
Dale Street is first mentioned in documents dating to 1330, and it takes its name from the dale through which a brook flowed into the original Pool of Liverpool!
Penny Lane was immortalised by The Beatles and is today home to the Sergeant Peppers Bistro. After leaving school in 1988, I worked for nearly a decade in various branches of a leading high street bank. A colleague of mine, who was due to retire, used to work at the bank's Penny Lane branch in his youth; he was convinced that he was the 'banker' mentioned in the song!
You remember it -
On the corner is a banker with a motor car
The little children laugh at him behind his back
And the banker never wears a mack in the pouring rain
It's very strange!
There is however one street which the 'City of Culture 08' guide books omit to mention. That is Parkfield Road in Liverpool's L17 district.
With its pleasant Victorian homes, tall trees and 'blue, suburban skies' this could be just another street in just another town. However, it is also the location of the BPAS Abortion mill.
We were there again today to join the faithful and humble little band of pilgrims who have prayed there in all weathers every Saturday morning for many years.
Whilst we were there today, one young lad and girl came outside laughing after the girl had aborted her child. They then got into their car, wound the windows down, lit up some cigarettes, scanned their CD through until finding the song 'Too late to worry now!' and then drove out past the small group of prayers whilst trying to drown out their prayers with this song.
Now that's very strange...
Please pray for these souls and all involved. The Culture of Death is becoming more hardened and more 'in your face' than ever before. We must pray for the conversion and repentance of these and all such souls who do not seem to know what it is that they do.
In spite of the sadness caused by such destruction of lives and souls, it is always very encouraging to meet this little group whose eyes twinkle with hope and good humour in spite of all the odds against them. Their personalities bear witness to the wonder of Grace working in souls and the power of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church and the Holy Rosary.
They cause us to proclaim once more - Be not afraid little flock - for your God is with you!  Â
Torch of The Faith Catechism Evenings
Torch of The Faith News on Friday 21 November 2008 - 21:53:32 | by admin
In his Apostolic Exhortation Catechesi Tradendae, His Holiness Pope John Paul II taught that the object of authentic catechesis is to put people in communion with Jesus Christ. Â
Naturally, this first requires evangelism; the initial proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ and His invitation to a life of discipleship and union with Him. Pope John Paul II explained that 'there is no separation or opposition between catechesis and evangelisation' (CT. 18). Nevertheless, they do represent two distinct and complementary 'moments' in the 'movement' towards union with Christ.
With so much confusion and dischord in the wider culture and even in the Church, Torch of The Faith has been very happy to be helping to lead a series of catechism evenings in Chester. Two of these evenings have now been held and have each attracted eleven souls, including our hosts Ray and Maryla; who also run the Divine Mercy prayer group mentioned in an earlier blog post.
During these evenings Alan follows the organic and structured presentation of the Faith in the Catechism of the Catholic Church to expound on the truths contained therein. At the end of the talk there is a time for questions, reflections and discussion. Then a video is shown of the powerful preacher Fr. John Corapi hosting a questions/answers period based upon the main themes of the evening. At the end we close with prayer before moving into a time of socialising with the chance to purchase orthodox, Catholic books from the Torch of The Faith bookstall.
So far these evenings have proved a great success and people have been confirmed in their faith against the many challenges posed today.
If anyone would like us to come and do a similar evening/day in their home or parish, please do contact us at info@torchofthefaith.com
Pope Paul VI's Prophetic Teachings
Torch of The Faith News on Thursday 20 November 2008 - 12:47:27 | by admin
Pope Paul VI (from Vatican Website)
The American website www.humanaevitaepriests.org provides a summary of the prophetic aspects of Pope Paul VI's excellent teachings contained in his encyclical Humane Vitae. In short, His Holiness said that if his beautiful teaching were rejected, the following consequences would ensue;
Conjugal fidelity would fail and there would be a general lowering of morality.
Men would lose respect for their wives and make of them an object.
Mankind would claim limitless dominion over the human body.
Governments would impose contraception on their populations.
With the gift of hindsight, these warnings can now be seen to be truly prophetic. Tragically they have all come true... and then some!
Focusing for now on this last point, we know of course that China has long persecuted its own people with cruel impositions of population control.
However, a post on John Smeaton of SPUC's blog this week really hits home how these prophecies are now coming home to roost in our very own nation.
John Smeaton says;
I am not reassured by the Government's statement, reported in the Telegraph and elsewhere, that it won't force teenage girls to have a contraceptive injection - a form of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). Do they really need to tell us that? Clearly, the Government thinks it does need to do so.
The Government's statement could not be more disturbing, not least in the context of the
recent Government announcement that it intends to make sex and relationship education compulsory throughout both primary and secondary schools: it reflects a culture of governance in which pressure to contracept and pressure to abort are becoming more and more an instrument of government policy.
We see this culture at work in the imposition on British families of the government's policy of secret access to abortion and abortifacient birth control drugs and devices to schoolchildren - without parental knowledge or consent,
championed by Tony Blair and his government and continued under Gordon Brown.
The Government's outrageous statement, reported today, makes it all the more clear that their plans announced last month regarding compulsory sex education in primary and secondary schools, are all about priming children to embrace the abortion/contraceptive culture from 4 - 5 years old - as I
pointed out at the time. (John Smeaton)
Clearly we must increase our prayers and penance!Â
God is with Us!
Torch of The Faith News on Tuesday 18 November 2008 - 12:30:55 | by admin
During the last few weeks we have been watching DVD's of Fr. Corapi's excellent presentation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Last night we were particularly struck by some encouraging words that we would like to share with you during these physically, and in many ways spiritually, dark days of November, 2008.
Fr. Corapi was calling upon his hearers, in Sacramento during 1996, to refocus on Jesus Christ.
He said that none of us can get through this valley of darkness unless we cling to the Light of Christ. We must concentrate on that light; even, and especially, if at times we have only a tiny sense of that light. No matter how bad or how dark it gets we must focus on and follow that one true light. To focus on the darkness will draw us into its mileu.Â
With power in his voice, Fr. Corapi reminded that if anyone is depressed or alone they are to call upon God;
'Fear not, little flock, for Jesus Christ has made YOU the heir of the kingdom. You need to walk by faith, not by sight. The Blessed Trinity is at work in Creation. No matter what happens He loves us! Enter into the light for GOD IS WITH US! This God loves you and calls you by name to enter into His kingdom.'
Our prayer this day is that all who need comfort, forgiveness and hope, may turn to Jesus Christ and have that peace which the world cannot give.
Spread the Word - the Eternal Word -Â Jesus Christ!
Â
Stopped Short!
Torch of The Faith News on Monday 17 November 2008 - 20:01:42 | by admin
It is great news that the planned visit of the pro-abortion MP Clare Short to St. Paul's Girl's School in Birmingham was stopped late last week.
Clare Short responded in the Birmingham Mail by saying;
 'This shows how incredibly rude they are and is the same reason so many Catholic girls cease to be Catholics.' Â
We cannot improve on the response to that given by James and Ella Preece on their cool blog www.lovingit.co.uk where they state;
'No Shorty - The height of bad manners is voting in favour of making it legal to have little babies ripped out of their mothers womb and shredded in to tiny pieces. The reason so many Catholic girls cease to be Catholics is simple - we stop teaching them about Catholicism when they are six. They are still singing "who put the colours in the rainbow" when they are fourteen and when they turn sixteen we invite pro-abortion MP's to come and give them awards. Also bad manners, is calling your school "Catholic" and then requiring parents to organise protests before you tell the aforementioned MP to get lost. Once upon a time, a Catholic school was a school that was Catholic, now it seems a Catholic school is one that feels obliged to occasionally humour religious people when they make a fuss (and only if it's a big fuss).'
Whilst many liberals will be complaining that this is all an infringement of 'free speech', it is also worth reflecting that this is a profound act of charity. It has prevented the orthodox girls and parents from the school, and the wider Catholic community, from being further scandalised; and it has given a clear sign to Clare Short that one cannot be Catholic and pro-abortion. In that sense it is an essentially pastoral act in the service of her eternal soul and those of onlookers in need of clear guidance.
Please pray for Clare Short in this serious matter.
Â
Please also pray for all women who have been damaged by abortion that they would know that the way to forgiveness and healing is open to them in Christ and His Church.
Let us humbly give thanks to God for this positive result. Let us also give thanks to all concerned for seeing correctly... after pressure. Let us thank all in the blogosphere for contacting the school to ask that this event be stopped. And let us thank that faithful and unsung heroin, the Catholic Mom of 10, for sticking her neck on the line and standing up to be counted in order to uphold the Catholic ethos of the school and to protect her own and other families girls from this confusion.
To quote a much over used Americanism;
Â
!!!Way to go Jackie Parkes!!!
Catholic Woman of the Year award anyone?
The Example of the Saints
Torch of The Faith News on Friday 14 November 2008 - 23:02:24 | by admin
The eminent Catholic philosopher Dietrich Von Hildebrand; whose love of Truth led him to oppose the Nazis at great personal cost.
It is fashionable today to think of Christianity as unreasonable. Sadly, many Christians respond to this phenomenon by retreating into the realm of emotion; where feelings become one’s main guide in the life of faith. This can even be seen in some expensive programmes of evangelisation and outreach.Â
For sure, emotions are not to be ignored, but because we are created in the Image and Likeness of God, they are to be brought under the control of the higher faculties of the soul; the memory, intellect and will. Yet, even these faculties are limited and need to be continually purified by the life of Grace, and by growing in knowledge of the Faith through prayerful and studious reading of (at least) the Sacred Scriptures and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.Â
Pictured above is Dietrich Von Hildebrand, one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th Century; a man who was led into the Catholic Church after his mentor, the brilliant philosopher Max Scheler asked him ‘What is a saint?’
Alice Von Hildebrand relates, in the biography of her husband, how Scheler applied the gifts of his genius to sketch for Von Hildebrand the essence of sanctity. Using Saint Francis of Assisi as an example, Scheler demonstrated how his holiness could not be explained in purely ethical terms; his holiness had to come from a higher source; i.e. God and His unmerited, free gift of Grace (God’s life in the soul). I’ve mentioned before that a part of my own conversion included my Providential meeting with a nun from Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity in Liverpool. This nun profoundly understood me as a young man; her vision pierced my soul and her sanctity, authenticity and integrity touched me deeply. Whilst there was obviously an emotional response involved, this encounter with her being engaged all the faculties of my soul on its journey to God and His Church. In meeting that nun I also met Christ.
As Max Scheler demonstrated in the case of St. Francis, a person like Mother Teresa (or indeed that sister from her community) poses a challenge to reason, because she transcends merely rational attempts to define her being and remarkable actions of love for the poor. Reason is engaged and yet discovers its limits because the driving force within these souls was so powerful and mysterious that it effects the lives of millions, and continues to do so even many years after their deaths.Â
Perhaps John Paul II said it best, just 2 days after Mother Teresa’s death;Â
‘I have a vivid memory of her diminutive figure, bent over by a life spent in the service of the poorest of the poor, but always filled with inexhaustible interior energy: the energy of Christ’s love. Missionary of Charity: this is what Mother Teresa was in name and in fact.’
That power is not a mere force. It is personal. It is the very living power of God!
New Links!
Torch of The Faith News on Wednesday 12 November 2008 - 17:11:48 | by admin
We've just added two exciting links to our links page.
Firstly, we've provided a link to the Faith, Family, Future website because of the great weekend we recently had at their conference in St. Albans, and the useful resources to be found there for families seeking to raise their families in the Catholic Tradition.
Our second link is very important, and has been recommended to us by a good friend called Ray.
As Catholics our love of beauty, goodness, and truth does not stay within aesthetic appreciation of fine cathedrals, churches and sanctuaries. Rather, it flows out from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and on into our love of others and especially our committment to the poor. And who are the poorest in our own culture if not the preborn when 1 in 4 known conceptions now end in surgical abortion?
For this reason yesterday's adulation of the vehemently pro-abortion, U.S. President-elect, Barack Obama by Bishop Crispin Hollis of Portsmouth Diocese, is misguided, at odds with Catholic sensibilities and particularly distasteful. Â
As Catholics we uphold the sanctity of life and dignity of every human person in season and out of season. Cardinal Egan of New York recently promoted the wonderful pictures of pre-born babies to be found at the Life Issues website. We have thus linked to these on our links page for you to see for yourselves and spread the word. Here are a sample -
A baby's hand at 12 weeks from conception.
A baby's foot at 12 weeks from conception - particularly 'striking' when considering our recent story on the footballer Jamie Carragher from Liverpool!
A baby's foot after 14 weeks from conception.
A baby in the womb at 20 weeks after conception... Our British law allows babies to be murdered in the womb up to 24 weeks from conception - or right up to birth in the case of disability...
These pictures should be made available to every woman entering an abortion facility... Who will lovingly, and with compassion, give them to her if not you and I?
Feast of St. Josaphat
Torch of The Faith News on Wednesday 12 November 2008 - 15:19:14 | by admin
Picture from Wikepedia. (St. Josaphat is depicted wearing the pallium of unity with the Pope of Rome and holds the lily of martyrdom).
St. Josaphat was born in Lithuania in 1580 and became a monk. In time, he was elected as Catholic Archbishop of Polotsk. He clung firmly to unity with the Roman Pontiff against the claims of the Orthodox Church. However, with a truly universal outlook he also opposed those who saw Roman Catholic unity exclusively in Latin terms over and against Byzantine traditions and culture.
Josaphat's humility and devotion to prayer and preaching won many converts to Catholicism. His troubles were multiplied because the Orthodox contested the See of Polotsk and appointed their own archbishop.
Nevertheless, St. Josaphat continued to lead his flock and travelled to prisons and hospitals to hear confessions. In 1623 he visited Witebsk to preach peace and to reconcile religious differences. On this date, 12th November, the house where he was staying was raided by opponents who struck his head with an axe, shot him dead, and cast his body into the river. As a true peacemaker he was hated by extremists on both sides. He is an icon of Christian unity because he remained steadfastly united to the objective anchor of such unity in the Successor of St. Peter, whilst also remaining open and seeking to reconcile fellow Christians through his Christlike humility.
St. Josaphat was canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1867.
In the summer of 2004 we were blessed by Divine Providence to be touring the Great Lakes area of North America. We were thus able to spend an awe inspiring afternoon praying and receiving peace in the splendid Basilica dedicated to St. Josaphat in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
You would not know it from this shot of the interior dome (from the Basilica's own website) that this building was constructed using material from the defunct U.S. Post Office and Customs House in Chicago. Fr. Wilhelm Grutza purchased these materials and had them transported on 500 flatbeds to Milwaukee! The basilica was formally dedicated in 1901 to provide a larger church for the growing community of Polish immigrants. Its architecture followed the Polish Cathedral style which was then popular in the region.
The original high altar remains complete and is flanked by two side chapels of similar beauty. The whole edifice gained minor basilica status from Pope Pius XI in 1929.
In keeping with the long established and authentic tradition of Catholic Church building the Basilica of St. Josaphat raises the heart, mind and soul to God in all its aspects and details. Pictures cannot do justice to the sheer, breathtaking and majestic beauty of the interior. As a minor basilica, the church is thus a true place of pilgrimage and if you ever get the chance to visit we heartily recommend it!
In the meantime, why not check out the basilica's website at www.thebasilica.org?
Correction regarding Clare Curtis-Thomas MP
Torch of The Faith News on Tuesday 11 November 2008 - 11:57:03 | by admin
In a recent blog about another dissenting Catholic MP named Clare (in that case Clare Short!), we suggested at the end that Clare Curtis-Thomas MP of Crosby had voted in favour of the HFE Bill at its 3rd reading.
In fact, the crux of the matter was that she did not even attend that vote at all but had written back to our friend Pat MacDonald to suggest that the HFE Bill had elements which she was in favour of. The problems with that, as we have highlighted, are that Clare Curtis-Thomas is a Catholic and vice-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group. We agree that she should be called upon to resign from this post.
Indeed as Pat herself says 'I wonder why the APPPLG exists, 5/6 members also did not vote.'
Here is the full story from SPUC's John Smeaton -
Â
Claire Curtis-Thomas (pictured), the Labour MP for Crosby and a vice-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group (APPPLG), has confirmed her anti-life position in a reply to a SPUC supporter in her constituency. Mrs Pat MacDonald wrote to Mrs Curtis-Thomas to ask her to vote against the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) bill at third reading on 22 October, which was the last chance for MPs to vote on the bill. (As expected, no pro-life amendments to the bill had been passed before third reading, the Commons passed the bill at third reading and no pro-life amendments were made the House of Lords following Commons third reading. The bill is expected to receive Royal Assent in the next few weeks.)
Mrs Curtis-Thomas said in her reply to Mrs MacDonald:
"Thank you for your concern. You have, however, missed the point. Voting against the whole of the bill would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There are many clauses in the bill which are very necessary and welcome. As co-chair of the all party pro-life group, I am clear on my responsibilities and will continue to vote against those parts of the bill which I find morally objectionable. Regards Claire."
Mrs MacDonald replied: "If you are clear on your responsibilities as co-chair of the all party pro-life group, then it is unacceptable that you were not present, or took part in this vote ... It is time you either resigned from the All Party Pro-Life group, or start taking your responsibilities seriously and act with moral conviction. Your duplicitous behaviour is unacceptable."
Mrs Curtis-Thomas replied: "Thank you for your comments. Kind regards, Claire."
As Mrs MacDonald has commented to SPUC, "As usual [Mrs Curtis-Thomas] cannot reply to what was asked of her."
I personally find it sickening that Mrs Curtis-Thomas has said that voting against the bill would have been "throwing the baby out with the bathwater", when so many innocent unborn children will be abused and killed under the bill. I am unaware of any arguments presented by Mrs Curtis-Thomas as to which clauses in the bill "are very necessary and welcome", nor how those clauses could possibly outweigh "those parts of the bill which [she] find[s] morally objectionable".
The truth of the matter is that:
- the HFE bill is intrinsically evil - not just as a whole, but also in all its parts;
- Mrs Curtis-Thomas also made her pro-abortion position clear in May;
- the APPPLG must remove Mrs Curtis-Thomas immediately from the APPPLG.
It should also be noted that Mrs Curtis-Thomas is a Catholic. Organisations associated with the Catholic Church (or indeed any group, religious or secular, opposed to abortion or embryo-killing) should not invite Mrs Curtis-Thomas to their events. Would such organizations invite a Catholic to their events who was not opposed to the killing of members of ethnic minorities? The unborn child has the same human dignity as everyone else and must be given the same respect.
Well done to Pat MacDonald for again holding Mrs Curtis-Thomas to account! (John Smeaton).
The Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Torch of The Faith News on Sunday 09 November 2008 - 18:59:06 | by admin
Picture from EWTN's Website.
Today the Universal Church celebrates a Catholic cathedral which is a sign of authentic, Christian unity throughout the whole world and a call to all Christians to return to the source and fount of that unity.
This day marks the anniversary of the event in 324 A.D. when the Lateran Basilica was dedicated as the Cathedral Church of the Pope, (the successor of St. Peter as the Bishop of Rome and Head of the Universal Church under Jesus Christ). It was dedicated as a Domus Dei; a House of God. And this was one year before the Catholic Church at the Council of Nicaea gave to us the creed of the Christian faith, which formulated the teaching on Jesus Christ as being fully God and fully Man, whilst being of 'one being with' and 'equal to' God the Father; the source of all unity, communion and equality.
Matthew 16:18
Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church.
Let us pray that this feast will help restore unity in the fullness of the True Faith amongst Catholics themselves, and that aided by authentic ecumenism rooted in truth, all Christians will be returned and restored to full communion with the Pope, the Vicar of Christ on earth, in the One, True, Holy, and Apostolic, Catholic Church. Â
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