The Way of Beauty: 'Due Proportion' Hosted by David Clayton, Episode 4

This is the fourth episode in a new series examining Catholic traditions in art as an expression of a Catholic worldview. The series focuses on authentic Catholic artistic traditions (iconographic, gothic, baroque and sacred geometry). The Way of Beauty examines what constitutes a tradition, how it is taught and passed on so that it can respond to the times, while retaining its essential principles. The series shows how the style of these traditions can be related directly to the liturgy, theology and philosophy of the Church. The Way of Beauty is hosted by David Clayton, an iconographer and artist in residence at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, N.H.

Previous episodes in this series may be found by searching at the top, left of this page, or in the archives listing for September 2010.

A Reagan Forum with Ben Stein

A Reagan Forum with Ben Stein on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

Obama's End Game Revealed

Bakery Displays Morals, Now Faces Eviction

An Indianapolis cookie shop could be evicted from its longtime location for refusing a special order from a college homosexual group.

From OneNewsNow
By Charlie Butts and Jody Brown

The bakery "Just Cookies" has operated in a city-owned market for over 20 years. The president of the board that oversees the market told the Indianapolis Star that he would "hate to lose them" as a tenant -- but that could very well happen because owner David Stockton took a moral stand and did not want to endorse homosexual activity.

Controversy arose this week after the owners of the bakery cited moral objections to a special-order request for rainbow-decorated cookies for next week's "National Coming Out Day" observance at a nearby university campus. Stockton told the caller he did not feel comfortable in supporting homosexual values, especially because it would not set a good example for his two daughters.

Micah Clark of the American Family Association of Indiana says there are reports the city might evict Stockton, citing a local "anti-discrimination" statute.

"Indianapolis passed a sexual-orientation city ordinance five years ago," Clark explains. "...We warned [at that time] that this type of thing would happen if they passed an ordinance elevating a sexual behavior to the same moral equivalent of race or skin color."

Had the shop filled the special order, the owner felt he would be providing a microphone for homosexuals to celebrate their lifestyle. But there is another consideration, says Clark.

"If this were a Muslim-owned bakery, what would happen?" he wonders. "I don't think the city would pursue it the way they're pursuing it now. I think this is part of the liberal agenda where people must conform to the views that our culture wants in support of homosexuality."

In an interview with the Star, the AFA of Indiana spokesman argued for the rights of business owners. "It's one thing if someone walks into a store and buys a cookie off the shelf, but [the Stocktons] were being asked to become part of the [pro-homosexual] celebration. To make rainbow cookies for a special event with which the company has a disagreement -- I think that goes beyond the pale of what we should expect companies to do."

Meanwhile, homosexual groups are circulating memos encouraging people to stop purchasing at Just Cookies. Clark's response to that is to ask residents to do business there in support of the owners and their wholesome beliefs.

The Star reports the organizers of the homosexual celebration found another bakery to fill their order -- "The Flying Cupcake."

Nathalie Dupree Launches Longshot Senate Bid in South Carolina

From Southern Political Report
By Tom Baxter

The U.S. Senate race in South Carolina got a new flavor Thursday when cookbook author Nathalie Dupree announced she is running as a write-in candidate against Republican Sen. Jim DeMint.

“I’m a long-shot candidate, yes, but I’ve been in the homes of hundreds of thousands of South Carolinians over the years through my cooking shows and books. I know you, you know me, and you know I mean business when I tackle anything. It’s time to cook some goose, and the goose is Jim DeMint,” Dupree said in an announcement statement.

Dupree spoke Thursday afternoon on the State House steps in Columbia and in front of the Pineapple statue at Waterford Park in Charleston.

Dupree’s late entrance is a sign of frustration among many Democrats in South Carolina about this race, which eroded from an easy jog for DeMint to a national curiosity when Alvin Greene, an obscure candidate with no political record, won the Democratic primary.

DeMint has stirred more controversy within his own caucus lately than he has at home, and leads the most recent Rasmussen poll of the race by more than 40 percentage points.

Dupree’s husband, Jack Bass, is a historian who has written two biographies of Strom Thurmond, who became the only write-in candidate to win a U.S. Senate seat in 1954.

She noted that while Thurmond voted against many spending bills, “he made darn sure that South Carolina got every dollar available for programs needed for our state.”

Demint’s “stubborn refusal and condemnation of earmarks” is threatening the state’s economic development, she said.

“Every coastal state in our nation is receiving earmarks from the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a study required before their major port can be deepened as needed for the larger ships that in 2014 will be crossing an expanded Panama Canal. Except South Carolina,” Dupree said.

Dupree, who lives in Charleston, has owned restaurants and a cooking school, had a cooking show and is the author of 10 cookbooks.

Heading to Rome? Will Entire Maryland Episcopal Parish Become Catholic?

Mount Calvary Episcopal Church will vote in October on full-communion with the Catholic Church

From Catholic Online
By Randy Sly

The Process which brought the whole parish to this historic moment began with a Vestry retreat in October 2007 where it was decided unanimously that Mount Calvary should explore the possibility of becoming part of the Roman Catholic Church. Since then the All Saints Sisters of the Poor were received into the Catholic Church and the Apostolic Constitution for Anglicans coming into full communion was promulgated.

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - In a letter to parishioners, the Reverend Jason Cantania, rector of Mount Calvary Episcopal Church in Baltimore, Maryland, announced that the vestry of the parish had voted unanimously in favor of two resolutions. First, they have voted to leave The Episcopal Church (TEC) where they are a part of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, and, second, to become an Anglican Use parish in the Catholic Church through the new initiative from Rome - the Anglicorum Coetibus.

Under the terms of this apostolic constitution, the Church has provided opportunities for "personal ordinariates for Anglicans entering full communion with the Catholic Church." As an Anglican Use parish, they will be authorized to use an authorized version of the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer called the "Book of Divine Worship."

Mount Calvary Episcopal Church, founded in 1842, is located in the heart of the city of Baltimore. On their website they describe themselves as a parish that has "borne faithful witness to the essential truth of Catholic Christianity and the tradition of the Oxford Movement for over 150 years, and remains to this day a bulwark of orthodox Anglo-Catholic practice.

[Author note - The Oxford Movement was a movement in the early 1800's of "high church Anglicans" who were desiring to maintain faithfulness to essential Catholic teachings. One of the early principle proponents of the Oxford Movement was John Henry Newman, who, as a Catholic convert, received the red hat as a Cardinal. He was recently beatified by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to England.]

"From its foundation, Mt. Calvary has 'contended for the faith once delivered to all the saints,"'the Catholic and Apostolic faith grounded in Holy Scripture as interpreted by the Fathers and Councils of the undivided Church."

The church will come together for a special meeting on October 24th to vote on the vestry's resolutions.

Virtue Online published the letter from the Rector which was first published on another blog entitled The Bovina Bloviator.

LETTER FROM THE RECTOR OF MOUNT CALVARY CHURCH TO PARISHIONERS

September 21, 2010

Dear Friends in Christ,

I write today to inform you of a special meeting of the Congregation of Mount Calvary Church which has been called by the Vestry for Sunday, October 24, following the 10:00 am Solemn Mass. The purpose of this meeting is to vote on two resolutions which have been unanimously approved by the Vestry. They are as follows:

Resolved: In accordance with Article 12 of the amendment to the Charter of Mount Calvary Church, Baltimore, adopted April 10, 1967, the Vestry of Mount Calvary Church hereby determines that The Episcopal Church (formerly known as the "Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America") has clearly, substantially, and fundamentally changed its doctrine, discipline and worship, and that Mount Calvary Church should become separate from and independent of The Episcopal Church. The Vestry therefore calls for a special meeting of the Congregation of Mount Calvary Church to be held on Sunday, October 24, 2010, following the 10:00 AM Mass, to affirm and enact this resolution.

Resolved: That Mount Calvary Church, upon separation from The Episcopal Church, seek to become an Anglican Use parish of the Roman Catholic Church.

Most of you are fully aware of the history which has brought us to this point. That history extends all the way back to the 19th century, when Mount Calvary became well-known, throughout Maryland and throughout the Episcopal Church, for its adherence to Catholic faith and practice. Indeed, to some it was notorious for its "popish" ways, and in fact for many clergy and people over the years (including two of my predecessors as rector), Mount Calvary has been their last stop before "crossing the Tiber".

The immediate process which brings us to this historic moment began with a Vestry retreat in October 2007, where it was decided unanimously that Mount Calvary should explore the possibility of becoming part of the Roman Catholic Church. Since then, two crucial events have occurred. The first was the reception of the All Saints Sisters of the Poor, our own parish sisters, into the Catholic Church in September 2009.

The second was the announcement the following month of Anglicanorum Coetibus, the Apostolic Constitution calling for the creation of "personal ordinariates" (essentially non-geographical dioceses) for groups of Anglicans entering the Roman Catholic Church while retaining elements of their tradition. The result of these developments is that the Archdiocese of Baltimore now stands ready to welcome Mount Calvary as a body into full communion with the successor of St. Peter, and the process of establishing ordinariates in various countries, including the United States, has begun.

While I know that the vast majority of you are enthusiastic about making this transition, I realize that some may still have questions and concerns about the prospect of entering the Roman Catholic Church. In the weeks ahead, prior to the congregational meeting, I will invite a series of guests to speak about their experience of life in the Catholic Church and to answer questions. Some of these guests will be well-known to you; indeed they will include former parishioners and clergy of Mount Calvary. I think all of them will be helpful in allaying any fears there may be.

Let me conclude by saying how truly grateful I am to be leading Mount Calvary Church at this moment in time. When I became your rector over four years ago, I had not the faintest idea that this would be the journey we would take together. Nonetheless, there is not a doubt in my mind that this is the work of the Holy Spirit and truly the will of God, not simply for me, but for Mount Calvary.

This is not about rejecting our past and our heritage, but rather fulfilling it. We have before us the opportunity to carry with us the richness of the Anglican tradition into full communion with the wider Catholic Church. I therefore ask that each of you pray that God's will be done in this place which we all love so dearly as we approach this momentous decision.

Yours in Christ,

The Rev'd Jason Catania, SSC
Rector

Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online and the CEO/Associate Publisher for the Northern Virginia Local Edition of Catholic Online (http://virginia.catholic.org). He is a former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church who laid aside that ministry to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

Bishops Urge EU to Defend Persecuted Christians

Destroyed homes of Christians in India

From Catholic World News

The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) is urging the European Union to defend the rights of persecuted Christians.

“75% of the death[s] linked to hate crimes of [a] religious nature concern people of Christian faith,” COMECE noted in a press release announcing an October 5 conference, whose speakers include bishops from Sudan and Iraq. “Each year 170,000 Christians suffer because of their beliefs. The total number of faithful who are discriminated amounts already 100 million. This makes Christians the most persecuted religious group.”

“Persecution may also include obstacles to the proclamation of Faith, confiscation and destruction of places of worship or prohibition of religious training and education,” the statement added. “Europe cannot remain passive. The European Union must take the co-responsibility for the protection of religious freedom in the world.”

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

• Persecution against Christians (COMECE)