Mark P. Shea's Blog, page 1402

Seems Like a Good Idea

Reader Dan Roach writes:

I've enjoyed your material for quite some time. Thanks for your efforts in spreading the word about Catholicism.

My wife and I recently launched a quite large Catholic website that we have been developing for a number of years. It is called Our Catholic Neighborhood.

I hope you will take some time to browse thought it in the near future. This past weekend a letter describing the OCN website was included as an insert in the Sunday bulletins at our three Walla Walla parishes. (We live in Walla Walla, Washington.)

Today we featured your podcast website as the favorite link on our homepage. Your website and your blog are both linked to the OCN website under "Media" in the Our Catholic Faith area of the OCN website. This will get you there.

We have told all of the active and retired U.S. Catholic bishops, archbishops and cardinals, as well as many of the pastors in the Pacific Northwest about the OCN website and are now beginning to tell the 66,000,000 "Catholics in the pews" about OCN's launch on the Internet. The OCN website has been viewed by thousands of people throughout all the states (except one) and throughout fifty-five countries. It's gratifying to see that, in just a few short months, without any notification yet to the press and without having informed the search engines about our existence (though they have found us), hundreds of hours have been spent browsing the Catholic content that we have provided. There have been over fifty thousand pages viewed since we launched. We look forward to a lot more traffic to the OCN website as word continues to get out about it.

To give you an idea of what the 20,000 OCN parish webpages (or the 7,500 OCN Catholic schools webpages) that we have created have the potential to look like as time goes on, please take a look at the OCN webpage for our home parish, St. Patrick's in Walla Walla.

Again, thanks for all that you do for the Church. We will again feature your website on the OCN homepage from time to time.

My prayers are with you. Please keep us and our endeavor in your prayers.

Check thou it out!

Euphemism: A Certain Sign of the Presence of Evil

The government that gave you "enhanced interrogation" is now giving you "quantitative easing". I don't know nuthin' 'bout high finance or econ, but I know something about common sense and the smell of rats:



If the curious cat creatures can be trusted (and who would distrust such adorable cartoon critters?), it would appear that we are being majorly swindled by a cabal of a few rich men, something that has, of course, never happened before in the history of the whole world, so how can it be happening now? I doubt there's much to do about it since Caesar and Mammon appear to be very much in bed together.

514 Followers!

Hello, newcomer!

Time to join in the suffering!



That is all!

Prayer Request

A reader writes:

I have started a novena to St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (patroness of immigrants) asking for the extreme favor of being approved by Christmas.

I was hoping that you could ask your readers to pray for this request as well. Normally I don't ask for a favor "on a deadline" but the thing is, my getting approved is basically a sure thing (it's a spousal sponsorship, my husband's financial status etc has already been approved back in October, etc etc), the only worry IS the time factor. Not only this, but I am pregnant, and it is very difficult for me to be apart from my husband during this time, of course.

Luckily I will be able to spend at least Christmas itself in Vancouver with my husband.

Father, we ask that you would grant this prayer through Christ our Lord. Mother Mary, pray for her and her family!

Advent: A Time for Growth Through Suffering

My job is to provide the suffering--because nothing says "Christmas" like Jefferson Starship:



One milllllion dollars!

That is all!

Dominicans: The Shocking Expose!

Here's a look inside the dark and oppressive Dominican Order. Ever wonder what these brooding medieval Inquistors are up to behind the claustrophic walls of their sinister cloisters? Wonder no more! (Warning: scenes of chilling violence!)

This Sounds Promising

Mary's Aggies talks about a good priest who is getting profiled on PBS.

It's rare that the quiet heroism of these guys gets acknowledged. I just got back from Oklahoma and was, once again, impressed by the heroic Fr. Shane Tharp and Fr. Steven Hamilton who, like so many other priests, have dedicated their lives to the service of God and his people far away from the notice of TV cameras in NY, DC and LA. They do good work and should be praised for it by the People of God, as should thousands of other priests.

If you haven't done so lately, thank your priest. He's sacrificed a lot for you.

Prayer Requests

Fr. Rob Johansen writes:

I am grieved to inform you that my father, Robert Johansen, Sr.
passed into eternity on Wednesday. He was 70 years old.

He in Texas at the time - he had gone down there to get all in readiness to put his house up for sale. He and my stepmom had been living in Milwaukee for the past 18 months.

My Dad was my biggest supporter, my biggest fan.

I have more about my Dad on my blog, Thrown Back.

Funeral arrangments are finalized and information is available on my blog.

Please remember my Dad and our family in your prayers.

I'm so sorry to hear this, Father. You have my condolences and deepest sympathy. May your Dad's soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. And may you find grace, strength, consolation and peace in this hour. We ask this of God our Father in the name of Jesus our Lord. Mother Mary, pray for Robert Johansen, Sr!
Another reader writes:

I just finished a preliminary inteview with an educational publishing company. My job would be to more or less use my background in history and social sciences (including religion!) to help with the content of their materials - something I love. Things are narrowed down to me and a couple others. After five years of ups and downs, the whole family would really, really, super really enjoy a dose of stability and financial breathing again. So if you could have the gang pray that this comes through, I would appreciate it.

Father, we ask that you would grant your son this job through Christ our Lord. Mother Mary, pray for him!

Another reader writes:

This morning we got the horrible news that my co-worker's 26-year-old daughter was killed in a car crash. Please pray for her soul and for her family, especially her five-year-old daughter who will now grow up without her mom. It's a real heartbreaking shock. Thanks for praying, brother.

Father, grant eternal rest, light and peace in Christ to this young woman and grant grace, consolation, strength and peace to all who love her. Mother Mary, pray for all involved. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!

DisneyCorp Doesn't Love or Care About You

One of the things that perpetually surprises me is when somebody gets upset when a giant corporation like Disney makes a movie full of PC pieties, or sponsors some celebration of gay sex or has yet another of its former tots grow up to be a screwed up vixen who is not a Role Model for America's Youth.

I mean, complain all you like about such actions. But don't act *betrayed*, as though Disney was trusted family. People think DisneyCorp is something besides a big corporation devoted to mammon. Then they are perpetually surprised that the kids they exploit turn out like this.

Bobby Driscoll can tell you all about how much Disney cares about you or about the kids they exploit.

A parent has to be insane to desire stardom for their kid.

Bureaucrats who know better...

...have performed an Orwellian kidnapping of some poor autistic kid in the UK and are making life hell for him and his father.

Read the story, feel the outrage, then sign the petition. Bureaucrats, being bullies, are cowards and responsive to sound and light from the public. Perhaps if enough folks sound the klaxon about this, he can be restored to his family for Christmas.

Unleash the power of the blog! All you social media readers, please put this on Facebook or Twitter and get it spread as far as possible. Thanks!