Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 494

Heroes Still Walk Among Us

Lone Nepali Soldier Defends Potential Rape Victim Against 40 Men

My New Grandson

My new grandson Daniel Xavier Ray – thanks to a great son and daughter-in-law and ultrasounds.

Rick Tells the Story of his Conversion from Episcopalean to Catholic

Rick has a delightful and moving story. You can read how his mother came from France with an abandoned Catholicism and he was raised with no religious upbrining.  He was later influenced by an Episcopalean relative. He tells how he eventually converted to the Catholic faith.

He begins, "Sometimes it has been difficult for me to articulate what my Catholic journey means to me.  It is an enormous gift with immeasurable rewards. It is not destined to wind-up in the basement or attic, unused and later discarded after neglect.  My name is Rick, I am 52 years old, and I want to share my story of crossing the Tiber and coming into Communion with the Catholic Church."

To read the whole story, click here.

Glimpse into our Time & Ministry in Bombay

Here is a short video to give a glimpse into the Catholic Church in India, our time in Bombay and a few glimpses into our ministry here.

We have spoken to over 30,000+ hungry Catholics, anxious to learn how to defend their faith — mainly against Protestant sects vigorously attacking Catholics.

We've thoroughly enjoyed our exhausting time here — sometimes speaking up to five times a day and traveling many miles through chaotic traffic to get to far-flung venues.

We love the Indian people and now have a real devotion to them, their bishops and the Catholic Church here in India.

Egypt-Jordan Pilgrimage Postponed

To no one's surprise, we had to postpone our Egypt and Jordan pilgrimage. We had planned to be in Egypt starting February 4, but the uprising made the pilgrimage impossible.

My own Egyptair flights from Bombay to Cairo were canceled; our pilgrims' flights on Delta from the US to Cairo were canceled. But we couldn't have taken people anyway as we watched the downward spiraling situation. We would never take pilgrims into harm's way.

Corporate Travel is doing an exceptional job handling all the problems related to postponement. I am grateful to them for their professionalism.

We are sorry to have this happen. Egypt is a wonderful country and I hope that after the transition — it will even be better. The population is over 20% Christian! Our pilgrimages support them since we use only Christian agents, guides and resources.

Since this trip was postponed, the next one is planned for February 7, 2012 and many of the pilgrims are already planning to join us on that trip — assuming things are calm and it is safe to go. Stay tuned at www.FootprintsOfGod.com!

Sister Keehan Accepts Bishops' Authority over Catholic Hospitals

WASHINGTON, D.C., JAN. 31, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Sister Carol Keehan, who garnered widespread attention with her support of Barack Obama's health care reform proposal in the face of the U.S. bishops' opposition to it, is acknowledging the authority of the local bishop in resolving moral and ethical questions for Catholic hospitals.



In a statement released today, Sister Keehan, who is the president of the Catholic Health Association (CHA), showed a united front with the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, in affirming the authority of the local bishop to interpret the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.

To read the whole story, click here.

Interesting Video on Demographics & Islam

Goan India Newspaper on My Priest Seminar

Here is a nice article from the newspaper in Goa India. It is commenting on the day long conference where I spoke to priests, relies and seminarians – about 1,000 of them.

Goan India Newspaper on My Ptiest Seminar

Here is a nice article from the newspaper in Goa India. It is commenting on the day long conference where I spoke to priests, relies and seminarians – about 1,000 of them.

Finished Conferences in India

We are DONE! After speaking to 30,000 people in India, sometimes 5 times a day, we're now finished. The bishops, archbishops and sponsors said it was a huge success. Blessed be God!