5 Quick Takes Saturday - Vol 3

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This is really late in the day this week, but I couldn't help it. I went to this amazing pro-life teen conference today and was able to hear talks by Dr. Alveda King (Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece), Eric Scheidler and Brian Kemper. The talks were awesome, and definitely made me want to become more involved with the pro-life movement. We also had a picket sign making contest, where we divided up into groups under four various situations, and each team had to make a sign fitting in with that situation. They then picked the best signs from each of the catergories, and then we all picked the best over all. The winning sign was under the situation: President Obama is coming to your town. Create a sign highlighting his pro-abortion stance. The sign read:

Start that "change" now!

Stop Abortion!

We all loved that sign! I was in the same catergory, and my groups sign read:

A Baby
Not Tissue
A Gift
Not a punishment

So if you ever see signs anywhere saying that, we came up with them! It was a lot of fun. Although I wish there hadn't been a conference. Well, hopefully abortion will soon be abolished and there won'd ever have to be another one!

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Fitting in with the pro-life theme, here is an amazing commercial that television stations refused to air during the SuperBowl tomorrow. A Must Watch! I get chills every time I see it.

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Volition. Another wonderful, amazing and awesome video. It is about 15 minutes long, but is certainly worth the time to watch it three or four times, so that the many layers to this sink in. For your information, according to Webster...
Volition: An act of making a choice or decision; also; a choice or decision being made.
That should help in understanding the film.

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Blogger is such a pain. I highlighted those red words and made them bold a couple of takes up, and now I've been fighting with it ever since! It won't stay black and un-bold! So who knows what color and type this will all post in. If it posts at all. It's been 'saving' for the past five minutes.

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Lastly, one more video. Yes, yes I know. But this is another good one. It's a song, and after watching it three times, I think they are making fun of O'bama, but I'm still not really sure. Watch it and decide for yourself. I'll put the link, because you have to read the lyrics too!
There's No One as Irish as Barack O'bama.

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Below is a Mr. Linky list if you'd like to add a link to your own 7 Quick Takes post. (1) Make sure the link you submit is to the URL of your post and not your main blog URL. (2) Include a link back here.
I look forward to reading your posts!

These Dead Shall Not Have Died in Vain

The evening of the March for Life, after the crowds had all dispersed, the sun had set and we had all eaten our dinner, the "Awesome Group" went on a tour of some of the many monuments of Washington D.C. The first one we stopped at was the Lincoln Memorial. I was awestruck at it's size, which you would never guess from looking at photographs of it. It is huge, almost as grand and imposing as the words inscribed inside. I raced up the stairs and attempted to take photos of the statue, but alas, in dim lighting, that doesn't work so well. All blurry. Naturally, on the bus driving away from the Lincoln Memorial I discovered a setting on the camera that said "Use for taking pictures in especially dim lighting". Of course.

After I attempted to take some photos, I strolled over to the side of the monument where the immortal Gettysburg Address is engraved in the wall. Leaning up against one of the towering columns, I read the words written so many years ago, soaking it in. I read it as I always have, thinking of the Civil War, when I came to the last paragraph. I gasped slightly and read the words in a way I have never read them before. New meaning lept out at me and I re-read them again.

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

I read them again, and felt my eyes well up with tears. That was why we were there, why everyone there that day was in Washington D.C. Why there is a March for Life.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

President Lincoln was speaking about the soldiers, but in a way, he could have been speaking about the unborn. Those children gave their lives, maybe without a choice, but they gave them anyhow.

I read somewhere once that everyone was created for a purpose, and that you will not die until that purpose, that mission is fulfilled. It is my belief that the mission of the aborted unborn children is to bring about the conversion of their mothers, to serve as an example to all those contemplating abortion and bring about their conversion, so that our nation, and the world, might someday realize and repent of the evil it has been allowing for far too long. During their short lives, they were part of the Church Militant, they were soldiers too. Now that they are in heaven, they are part of the Church Triumphant, but they are still fighting with their prayers, so that not another child will have to die in the war against The Enemy.

In the words of President Lincoln,

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain!

We must continue the fight, those of us who were given the chance to be born, to grow up, to live our lives for the honor and glory of God.

When I read those words, my throat tight with tears, they gave me such comfort. I admit that I was struggling with disappointment at not having been able to meet up with some friends I'd dearly wanted to meet, and I was brought back to the remembrance of why I went to D.C. I was so thankful to God for not only healing my disappointment, but for reminding me of the reason I was there. Not to have fun and experience history - though I did do both as well - but to save lives. HE gave me renewed dedication to fighting for the cause.

It is my hope that all you who read this blog post, will read that last paragraph of the Gettysburg Address, and then read it again and again. Then resolve in your heart to fight for the pro-life cause

So that these dead children shall not have died in vain.

National Treasure Scenes

Hee hee, ok this is mainly for Hannah, showing her that I have proof that I walked the same ground as the famous Riley Poole! (Who happens to be her forum "boyfriend".)
My proof, photographs and a video. Watch the first couple of seconds of the video, and you will see Riley jump out of his van just in front of the National Archives, the same side as I took a picture of. Ha ha, that's why I took the picture. We were walking past and I was like "Oh my gosh, I've seen that before in National Treasure!" I tried to find a photo, but there aren't any. =P

/\ My photo

So while futilely searching for a photo of the National Archives from National Treasure, I kept running across that blasted photo below (it's everywhere! Ugh.) which reminded me that I had been to the Lincoln Memorial too! (Not that I forgot, but I had forgotten that Riley was there too. And Ben, can't forget Ben.)

/\ My photo!
/\ My photo!

/\ National Treasure's photo

Next time I go to D.C. I shall take a picture just like the NT one! Minus Ben and Riley, of course. =(

(Oh yeah, and I walked past the FBI building too. Did Ben go there in the movie? Because it didn't look the same... maybe I just don't remember or walked past a different side. *shrugs*)
And Hannah, please don't smash too many bottles on my head. Please?

5 Quick Takes Saturday - Vol 2

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I'm home!!!!!!!! Oh it was sooooo wonderful! Ok, in case you didn't figure out from my previous post, I went to the March for Life! Totally unplanned and unexpectedly! Let's see, I heard of a group to go with on Saturday (Thank you Miss March! Wish you could've come!), I was told I could go on Tuesday, and I left on Wednesday and was at the March on Thursday! It was totally awesome!!!! I loved every minute of it, and I wish I was still there! (I'll add pictures to this post sometime today). I think that today's quick takes will be about the March... I mean really, how could I talk about anything else?

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The trip
I left Tuesday night to spend the night with some friends who were going on the March as well, and at 4 in the morning or something we headed off to meet up with the group we were going with. After mass at the church, we loaded up and I rode for the first time in a travel bus. Those things are so cool! They are big, have no seatbelts, and have TVs! The absence of seatbelts took about a 1/2 hour to get used to and I was soon walking around the bus and didn't miss the belts at all! There were two buses, the girls bus and the boys bus, which was nice. On Wed. we watched The Ultimate Gift and Window to the Womb (a 1/2 hour film about ultrasounds). Friday on the way home we watched Expelled and parts of Maria Goretti. The ride was really fun, so even though we were in the bus all day, you didn't notice. The snacks were awesome too. =) By far the best part of the trip was the fact that we were a Catholic group with priests and brothers along, we prayed and sang religous music, and prayed and sang somemore! It really helped in keeping us focused on why we were on the bus heading to D.C.

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The Day of the March

The Awesome Group (my group!) went to mass at St. Patrick's church in D.C., and it was beauitful!!! Not only was the church pretty (and they had a mosaic of St. Rose of Lima!) but the mass was wonderful as well. Besides the Awesome Group, there were 5 or 6 other groups at mass, so the church was really croweded. After mass and lunch we then walked to the mall area, singing and chanting all the way with our papal flags, white hats and yellow scarfs. (If you later saw a group standing on stairs with papal flags and white and yellow umbrella's, that was us!) I actually marched with Christendom College, because the friends I was with got invited to march with them (one of them is going there in the fall!) and my mom said I could go with them, so that was pretty cool. The sight of thousands of people while looking down from Capitol Hill was awe inspiring. We finished the march by praying in front of the Supreme Court building.

After rejoining the Awesome Group, we got lunch at the Old Post Office and went on a tour of Washington! We walked to the White House (I have a funny story to tell about that) and then drove to the Lincoln Memorial (HUGE!), the Korean War Memorial, and the Iwo Jima Memorial (found the extra hand!)
All in all it was a wonderful day! Even in the face of depressing news, the memory of seeing all those who stood up for Life and knowing that there were millions more who didn't come, gives hope that somehow and in someway we did make a difference. (I had fantasies of Obama seeing all the pro-lifers and coming out and promising not to sign FOCA... needless to say, that didn't happen. =( )

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The People
I met so many great people on this trip, including, most excitingly:
MY FORUM "DAUGHTER"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!! I met Puritylover and she was with the Awesome Group too, so we spent three whole days together!!!!!!!!!! It was awesome!!!!! Purity is the one without the hat, isn't she gorgeous?
I also met Purity's sister, Catholicgirl, who happens to be my great niece... oh my gosh! She's my great niece!!!! *faints* I didn't realize that! Wow, that's weird... and I also met Ella11, another *cough* great niece. Ha ha, and they are both great nieces! (Sorry for the horrid pun). I tried to meet up with Paul and Lanta, but alas it did not work out. I did get to talk to them though!!!! (Kind of, the D.C. reception was horrid.) I actually talked to Paul, all I really got to say to Lanta was "hi" and "bye", because I couldn't hear what she was saying.

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Notre Dame
On the way home yesterday from D.C., the Awesome Group stopped in South Bend Indianna for a visit to Notre Dame University. The University graciously allowed us to use one of the dorm chapels for mass, which was really nice. After mass we walked to the Basillica on the campus. It was so beautiful! The ceilings were very tall, and the most gorgeous paintings on them. The tabernacle (left) was amazing as well, as were the many relics of the saints. They still had their Nativity scene up, which was really cool! After a few moments in the Basillica, we went to the Lourdes Grotto where I lit a candle for you all. Then it was back on the road again, homeward bound.

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That's it for today's quick takes, but rest assured, there shall be many more posts! In the meantime...

Below is a Mr. Linky list if you'd like to add a link to your own 5 Quick Takes post. (1) Make sure the link you submit is to the URL of your post and not your main blog URL. (2) Include a link back here.

I look forward to reading your posts!

I'm Heading Out!

See you all in a few days!

Interview Meme

New meme, courtesy of Trina. First, the rules.

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me".
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.


1. How many siblings do you have?
Hmm, I have 6. At least, that's how many I had the last time I checked. The never ending sibling wars might have killed a few more since then.

2. Do you prefer the new order Mass or the Traditional Latin Mass?

Well, I've only been to a Low Traditional Latin Mass, so I can't really say there. I do, however love the Novos Ordo mass. So I guess I prefer the Novos Ordo

3. What blogs do you visit regularly and why?

I regularly visit the blogs that I follow, for the convenient reason that when they post something new it pops up on my dashboard and I don't have to go click through all the links. I'm lazy that way. :P (If you're wondering why I don't put up the blog list that has the updates on my sidebar, it's because it takes up too much space and I have tons of other junk up there.)

4. What do you do in your spare time (if you're not online. :) )?

Ha ha, yes, if I'm not online. Well, I either crochet, read or play the piano. When the mood strikes me I write something. But yeah, that's it.

5. Why did you choose the name of your blog?
Well, I originally had "Lady of the Rose", which came from my web name "Lady Rose". I never really liked it though because "Lady of the Rose" sounds almost like some secret Masonic order or something. (Paul, if you read that you are probably laughing. It's your fault anyhow. *grumbles* You're always talking to me about creepy masonic things.) So I changed it to "A Rose in Bloom" which happens to be the title of my favorite Louisa May Alcott book. And I think it fits better too. I mean, "Lady of the Rose" is kind of ambiguous, but "A Rose in Bloom" isn't as much. I'm a teen and that's usually when girls bloom from children to young ladies, and I'm a 'Rose' (at least on the web), so yeah. That's why I picked it!


If you want me to interview you, just drop a note in the comment box and I'd be more than happy to do it!

5 Quick Takes Saturday - Vol 1

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Introducing Quick Takes Saturday! This is inspired by a thing called "Quick Takes Friday" that Conversion Diary. my mom does it every week, and it looked like a fun thing to do, but all the people who do it are "older" (as in moms). Soooo... my mom suggested that I start doing my own version! If you want to do this on your blog as well, simply post about 5 random things on your blog every Saturday. They can be silly things, serious things, educational things, whatever! The handy dandy "schedule post" feature even allows you to write your post on, say Thursday and have it show up on Saturday if you won't be around to post it on Saturday morning. Now you have no excuse!

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My sister got The Phantom of the Opera for Christmas (which reminds me, I've been wanting to do a review on that...) and when we watched it, I noticed how often Christine's name is mentioned. Soooo when we watched it again yesteday, I did a little survey to see how many times her name is mentioned and how many times specific people said it. Here are the results:
The Phantom: 15 times
Raoul: 18 times (and in four instances Raoul says "Christine, Christine!")
Everyone else: 19 times
Total: 43 times
43 times... well, if your name is Christine and you like hearing it said, watch the Phantom of the Opera!
I also marked down that the Phantom only speaks 7 lines. Yes, in the whole movie he only talks 7 times! All the rest of the what is it, 3 hour? movie, he is singing.

I also realized that the chandalier is listed in the auction at the begining as lot 666...

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Good grief! I just walked down the hallway past our front door and discovered my sister scooping up snow - on the inside of the house! It's very windy outside, as always, and the snow has been blowing all over the place including inside our house. I knew the door was crooked (like everything else), so yeah, now we have snow blowing through the cracks. I thought it was awfully cold in here...

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Today's saint is Saint Anthony of Egypt. From American Catholic.org:

The life of Anthony will remind many people of St. Francis of Assisi. At 20, Anthony was so moved by the Gospel message, “Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor” (Mark 10:21b), that he actually did just that with his large inheritance. He is different from Francis in that most of Anthony’s life was spent in solitude. He saw the world completely covered with snares, and gave the Church and the world the witness of solitary asceticism, great personal mortification and prayer. But no saint is antisocial, and Anthony drew many people to himself for spiritual healing and guidance.

At 54, he responded to many requests and founded a sort of monastery of scattered cells. Again like Francis, he had great fear of “stately buildings and well-laden tables.”

At 60, he hoped to be a martyr in the renewed Roman persecution of 311, fearlessly exposing himself to danger while giving moral and material support to those in prison. At 88, he was fighting the Arian heresy, that massive trauma from which it took the Church centuries to recover. “The mule kicking over the altar” denied the divinity of Christ.

Anthony is associated in art with a T-shaped cross, a pig and a book. The pig and the cross are symbols of his valiant warfare with the devil—the cross his constant means of power over evil spirits, the pig a symbol of the devil himself. The book recalls his preference for “the book of nature” over the printed word. Anthony died in solitude at 105.

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It's been a while since I've posted any of my graphic art attemps, so here are some that I've done recently:

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Below is a Mr. Linky list if you'd like to add a link to your own 7 Quick Takes post. (1) Make sure the link you submit is to the URL of your post and not your main blog URL. (2) Include a link back here.

I look forward to reading your posts!

Josh Turner - The Singer

Some of you out there in the big wide world may know that I desperately love country music. If you didn't know it well then, here you go: I desperately love country music. I place it just below soundtrack music and then you don't get any other categories until...


(...Josh Groban, a recent addiction...)



...This far down. (Why I love country and disdain classical is another post. You can get dizzy rolling your eyes until then.) Since I have made it my mission to get as many people to like country music as possible, it is understandable then that I have come up with the idea of posting about one country music artist every month or so. So, here it goes!

I decided to do Josh Turner as my first star for the all important reason that he is the reason I fell in love with country music. So I feel he deserves the place of honor as #1.
When I was a kid, my dad used to listen to country music a lot, but then from about oh 10 to 13/14 I didn't hear much other than classical music at home and talk radio in the car. (My mom doesn't like 90's country). My musical tastes changed one day while riding home in the car from a friend's house. My dad had just happened to have the radio on and the current hit from Josh Turner just happened to be the song playing. Josh Turner has an amazing voice and the song was great so I listened with thoughts something like, "I really like this song!" Original? Since I said the story of how I fell in love with country was a different post we'll leave it as this; after hearing that song I've loved country and Josh Turner's music ever since.

The bio on his website classifies him as a baritone, and he has a pretty wide vocal range which is what caught my interest in the first place. He can go really low and then back up high in the next line, and he does this pretty often in his songs. I guess you could say it's his trademark.

I enjoy the style of Josh's music as well. It's more of a traditional country feel - as opposed to the "pop country" style of people like Rascal Flatts - with a ballad type here and, well, traditional. No electric guitars anywhere that I can recall, but more natural sounding instruments. The topics of his songs are nice too, really nothing problamatic at all, and as a self-professed devout Christian, that shows up in a few of his songs.

A bit about how he went from un-known to a hit from his web bio:

"Nashville's first taste of that style came with his debut at the Grand Ole Opry in December 2001. The moment has become somewhat legendary in Opry storytelling circles. "When the curtain opened that night," the proverbial storyteller would begin, "no one holding a ticket to the show had ever heard of Josh Turner. But by the end of that chilly Nashville evening, the young singer was all anyone in the audience could talk about." Turner wowed the crowd with his self-penned "Long Black Train", the song that would eventually become his first hit. During this performance, the unknown baritone was showered with several standing ovations...
Fast forward nearly six years: Turner has become a husband to wife Jennifer and a father to a one-year-old son Hampton, all while quietly ascending the path to country music superstardom."

Well I guess that about says it all! I only hope he makes it out to our local county fair before he becomes too famous!
Here are his CD's with the tracks listed; my favorites are the ones in bold. I'll do another post, focused on his music.
1. Long Black Train
2. In My Dreams
3. What it Ain't
4. I Had One Onetime
5. Jacksonville
6. Backwoods Boy
7. Unburn All Our Bridges
8. Don't Mess Around With Jim
9. She'll Go On You
10. Good Woman Bad
11. The Difference Between a Woman and a Man



1. Would You Go With Me
2. Baby's Gone Home to Mamma
3. No Rush
4. Your Man
5. Loretta Lynn's Lincoln
6. White Noise
7. Angels Fall Sometimes
8. Lord Have Mercy on a Country Boy
9. Me and God
10. Gravity
11. Way Down South


1. Everything is Fine
2. Firecracker
3. Another Try (featuring Trisha Yearwood)
4. So Not My Baby
5. Trailerhood
6. Baby I Go Grazy
7. Nowhere Fast (with Anthony Hamilton)
8. The Longer the Waiting
9. One Woman Man
10. Soulmate
11. The Way He Was Raised
12. South Carolina Low Country

You can visit Josh Turner's Official Site Here
Official YouTube Profile where you can watch music videos Here

The Hidden Hand

Always on the lookout for something new to read, I naturally accepted when a friend of mine offered to lend me a book of theirs, saying that they felt sure I would enjoy it.

Did I ever! The first comment I have to make is that I've found when the book has an interesting Preface to it, the book is bound to be really interesting! It's not often that you are hooked on the story by reading the preface, but I confess that I was! Mark Hamby - apparently the Chief Editor for the Rare Collector's Series - captured my interest by describing about how he kept going back and forth about reprinting this book in the series. How he'd read something that would make him decide he couldn't possibly include it and then a while later on read something that impressed upon him that he couldn't possibly not include it. Needless to say, by the end of the one page Preface, I was curious to discover what about this book made him change his mind so many times!

The book opens on a dark, stormy and wild winter night with an equally stormy, wild, and wintery old man nicknamed - appropriatly enough - "Old Hurricane". Despite his thornyness I took to him and enjoyed reading the descriptions of his (many) outbursts of temper. Old Hurricane is called,er dragged away as he would have put it, on this dark night by the preacher to a dying old woman's bedside. ("There - I knew it! i was just aying there might be an old woman dying!") As Justice of the Peace however, he has to go and does so. The woman turns out to be a midwife whom had disappeared some 13 years ago.

She relates the story to a now avidly interested Old Hurricane and proceeds to die soon afterwards. The startling nature of the tale sends Old Hurricane off to New York in search of the midwife's charge. He insists upon going alone, much to the comical dismay of his servants who are convinced the old man has taken it into his head to find himself a young lady to marry.

Old Hurricane arrives safe and sound in New York and soon finds the object of his search. Enter Capitola, a delightfully black haired, mischevous, heroic heroine as you could ever hope to find. Just as to why Old Hurricane resolved upon finding the young girl and bringing her back to Virgina with him is something you shall have to read the book for in order to find out. Rest assured however, Capitola does not marry Old Hurricane.

The rest of the book follows in an interesting, exciting, and occaisonally somewhat complex manner. Up until chapter 24 I admit I was terribly confused as to who everyone was and how they were connected, but my younger sister (who also read it) informs me that she was not confused in the least and my confusion must have due to the fact that I stayed up until 10:30 with a headache reading. Perhaps some truth in that...

The Hidden Hand, by E.D.E.N. (Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte) Southworth is my latest reading recomendation to those who don't have anything to read and especially for those who do. I'd say it's suitable for 12 on up to 120. (Most people don't live past then, which is why I stop there.) It is available from Barnes & Noble as well as from Amazon, as well as being available to read online here. How more convienent could reading a good book get?

Just a reminder

Just a quick note to remind you all about starting the novena to stop FOCA today. It using the rosary as the perfered novena of choice - for Catholics - but if you wanted to pray another prayer, or - even better - pray two novena's, then I would once again recommendthe Novena To The Infant of Prauge. Who better to ask help for children than the Child Jesus himself? Here is the novena below:

Powerful Novena in Urgent Need to the Infant of Prague

O Jesus, who said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you," through the intercession of Mary, Your most holy Mother, I knock, I seek, I ask that my prayer be granted.
(Mention your request)

O Jesus, who said "All that you ask of the Father in My Name He will grant you," through the intercession of Mary, Your most holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask Your Father in Your Name that my prayer be granted.
(Mention your request)

O Jesus, who said "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass," through the intercession of Mary, Your most Holy Mother, I feel confident that my prayer will be granted.

(Mention your request)

Amen.

It struck me that today - the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - is a wonderful and special day to begin a novena to pray for deliverence from this new attack on Life. Keep it in your thoughts that especially on this day, the baptism of Christ, we are praying that thousands of unborn children may have the chance to be baptized themselves.

Damsels in Dire Stress

The other night when some of our friends where over, they showed us this hysterical video. It was made by and star's the daughters of Catholic singer/evangelist Mark Mallett. Too funny not to share!


Damsels in Dire Stress from Mark Mallett on Vimeo.

The Best Christmas Present This Year

My dear friend (whom I shall call "The Ballerina") gave me an awesome Christmas gift this year, and I just had to show it too you!

ME!

Yup, no kidding. That is me! Here below is the original picture. \/

Didn't she do an amazing job? I mean, it looks just like the original photograph!!!! It is proudly displayed in my room. *big grin*

For those of you who don't know, that photo was taken of me when I was a member of the "Angry Mob" in my Theatre troup's performance of "The Seven Last Words of Christ" last March. An aside, I am glaring at "St. John" and the actress who played him said I really scared her with that look! (In our troupe 98% of the guy roles are played but us lovely young ladies.)

So I must say, that that drawing was by far my favorite gift this year!

FOCA

My mother has passed on this prayer request to me, and I have decided to share it with all of you. Please read it and prayerfully consider participating. This is very important to the future of America.

If you are opposed to abortion, please read the information below and join us in prayer and fasting January 11-19, 2009.

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) will be signed into law if Congress passes it on January 21-22, 2009. The FOCA is the next sick chapter in the book of abortion. If signed into law, all limitations on abortion will be lifted, resulting in the following:

1) All hospitals, including Catholic hospitals, will be required to perform abortions upon request. If this happens, Bishops vow to close down all Catholic hospitals - more then 30% of all hospitals in the U.S.

2) Partial birth abortions will be legal and have no limitations.

3) All U.S. taxpayers will be funding abortions.

4) Parental notification of abortions on minors will no longer be required (regardless of age).

5) The estimated number of increase in abortions is 100,000 annually.

Just as important, the government will now have control in the issue of abortion. This could result in a future amendment that would force women by law to have abortions in certain situations (rape, Down Syndrome babies, etc) and could even regulate how many children women are allowed to have.

Needless to say this information is disturbing, but sadly true. As Catholics, as Christians, as anyone who is against the needless killing of innocent children, we must stand as one. We must stop this horrific act before it becomes a law.

PLEASE JOIN US IN saying a novena and fasting from January 11-19. For Catholics, the prayer of choice is the rosary for the special intention of stopping the FOCA. For non-Catholics we encourage you to pray your strongest prayers with the same intention for 9 consecutive days. We hope and pray this will branch and blossom to become a global effort.



Please do the following 3 things:

1) Pass this letter to 5 or more people within 3 days or less (so as many as possible can start praying on January 11)

2) Say a novena from January 11-19, asking God to prevent the FOCA from becoming law in the U.S.

3) Fast at least 2 days during this novena (either a complete fast of bread and water, or a Lenten fast of no meat and meals limited to 1 regular meal and 2 lesser meals during the day).

Remember that with God all things are possible and the power of prayer is undeniable. If you are against the senseless killing of defenseless children, please join us in prayer and fasting.

May God bless you abundantly.

A Little Bit o' Irishness to Brighten' Your Day

A story from a person who recently visited Europe:
On vacation in Rome, I noticed a marble column in St. Peter's with a
golden telephone on it. As a young priest passed by, I asked who
the telephone was for. The priest told me it was a direct line to
Heaven, and if I'd like to call, it would be a thousand dollars. I
was amazed, but declined the offer.

Throughout Italy, I kept seeing the same golden telephone on a
marble column. At each, I asked about it and the answer was always
the same: a direct line to Heaven and I could call for a thousand
dollars.

I finished my tour in Ireland . I decided to attend Mass at a local
village church. When I walked in the door I noticed the golden
telephone. Underneath it there was a sign stating: "DIRECT LINE
TO HEAVEN 25 cents." "Father," I said, "I have been all over
Italy and in all the cathedrals I visited, I've seen telephones
exactly like this one. But the price is always a thousand
dollars. Why is it that this one is only 25 cents?"

The priest smiled and said,
Darlin', you're in Ireland now. It's a local call."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

For auld lang syne, my dear!
For auld lang syne!
We'll take a cup 'o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!