The Ordinary Polish Catholics Who Brought Down Communism

Communism never inspired love in a deeply faithful people 

From Catholic Herald (UK)

By Father Alexander Lucie-Smith

 

Poles attend the installation of Pope John Paul II AP/Press Association Images

Every now and then you feel a sudden stab of sympathy for a group of people for whom, frankly, you never thought you would feel sorry. I was standing in front of a huge black and white photograph. It was taken from the tower of St Mary’s in the Market Square in Krakow; it showed a huge concourse of people in the square, about half a million of them, dressed in white. This was an event of which I had never heard – the “White March” of 17th May 1981. John Paul II had just survived the attempt on his life, and half a million people from his former diocese had walked through the city in solidarity with him, finishing their march in the square, where a mass was celebrated by Cardinal Macharski. (There are some pictures of it here.) 

Ecumenism in Action

 Anglican Choir Sings at Papal Mass

From L’Osservatore Romano

By Nigel Marcus Baker

The English essayist and poet, Joseph Addison (1672-1719), in his 1694 ‘A Song for St Cecilia’s Day’, called music: ‘the greatest good that mortals know / And all of heaven we have below.’ We have had a practical demonstration of that claim all last week, as Westminster Abbey Choir, singing either alone or alongside the Choir of the Sistine Chapel, have brought to us that ‘all of heaven’ in services and concerts in Santa Maria Maggiore, the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica, and Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

Poland is Still the Land of Blessed John Paul II

Its people have confidence in themselves and the mission of the Church 

From The Catholic Herald (UK) 

By Father Alexander Lucie-Smith

Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary, Krakow (AP)

I have just been to Poland, which is why I have been out of radio contact for the last week. I had been meaning to go for some time, feeling that this was a country that all Catholics should visit, and I come back with my suspicions fully confirmed.

First there are the churches. They are quite magnificent. The baroque splendours of many of Krakow’s churches survived the destruction of war, and several of them are easily equal to the churches of Rome. Unlike Rome they are set in a serene and largely traffic-free environment. Moreover, these churches all seem to be places of religious devotion; many of them have perpetual adoration, and there were people at prayer in all the ones I visited.

In Warsaw’s historic centre virtually every building was damaged beyond recognition, but there the churches have risen again from the rubble of war. Kudos to the people who saw to their rebuilding. In contrast to the British government after the war, the Poles restored what had been destroyed, rather than replacing them with something modern. This was clearly a matter of national pride. Ironic to think that these churches were rebuilt under the rule of the Polish United Workers (ie Communist) Party, just as Britain under both Labour and Tory governments was busily demolishing what the Luftwaffe had spared, all in the name of progress. Warsaw, as a result, is a charming and delightful city, unlike so many of our British urban spaces.

But it is not just churches, it is the people in them that count (though I do happen to think that architecture does matter too.) I was struck wherever I went by the huge amount of young nuns and priests I saw. The nuns were all in habits of the old-fashioned type – the sort that the late Alice Thomas Ellis found so beautiful. The priests were by and large wearing cassocks. The heat was fierce, up to 35 degrees, but although one or two priests had rolled up the sleeves of their cassocks, the nuns seemed quite unaffected by the heat. They were, I have to conclude, one bunch of tough Sisters.

But seriously, these were people who have not lost confidence in themselves and the mission of the Church. This was, and still is, the land of the Blessed John Paul, and his spirit was clearly not confined to himself. We have got a lot to learn from him, I think. From his place in Heaven, he teaches us still.

Why Are Anti-TEA Party Liberals Campaigning for Michigan Senate Candidate Pete Hoekstra?

Washington Examiner reports one of Hoekstra's top signature-gatherers is petitioning pro, convicted felon

DETROIT, MI - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gary Glenn, whose candidacy is endorsed by a statewide coalition of over forty local TEA Parties in Michigan, Thursday advised TEA Party leaders that Teamster union president Jimmy Hoffa, Jr., is not the only anti-TEA Party liberal who has worked to help elect former nine-term Congressman Pete Hoekstra to political office.

Hoekstra's past campaigns, including his 2010 campaign for governor, have been endorsed and/or funded by the Teamsters and Hoffa, who famously said at an Obama campaign rally last year regarding TEA Party members, "Let's take these sons of b-----s out."

Gary Glenn

Glenn in an e-mail and Facebook message Thursday alerted TEA Party leaders that one of the top circulators this past spring of petitions to put Hoekstra on the August primary ballot was Keith Moore of Grand Rapids, who the Washington Examiner last month reported is a convicted felon who works as a professional petition circulator for PCI (Progressive Campaigns, Inc.) Consultants of Los Angeles.

According to a 2010 report by Mackinac Center for Public Policy's Michigan Capitol Confidential, PCI is the same firm that gathered signatures in an attempt to put a slate of alleged "TEA Party" candidates on the Michigan ballot that year. Democratic operatives recruited candidates to run on the new "TEA Party" ticket in hopes of peeling conservative votes away from Republican candidates in order to help elect Democrats.

Archbishop Chaput Concludes Fortnight for Freedom with Call for Heroism "In the Face of Suffering and Adversity"

Delivered during mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC, July 4th 2012.

Philadelphia is the place where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were written. For more than two centuries, these documents have inspired people around the globe. So as we begin our reflection on today’s readings, I have the privilege of greeting everyone here today — and every person watching or listening from a distance — in the name of the Church of my home, the Church of Philadelphia, the cradle of our country’s liberty and the city of our nation’s founding. May God bless and guide all of us as we settle our hearts on the Word of God.

Happy Fourth of July!

A very happy 4th of July to our friends and readers on this 236th celebration of America's independence. In a world where America is more often treated with contempt, we highly recommend a moving tribute to America that is posted on a superb Canadian blog, Piddingworth. Following Ray Charles' rendition of "America the Beautiful," there is a wonderful 1973 tribute by a Canadian journalist and writer, Gordon Sinclair, entitled "The Americans."

Poll: Romney Claims Slight Edge in 15 'Battleground' States

Presidential election campaigns involving an incumbent have always been referenda on the incumbent.  Thus, we have no doubt that the nation's experiment in affirmative action is drawing to a close.  There's still a great deal more damage that the thug can do, but the last taxpayer-paid vacations are at hand.

From National Journal

By Steven Shepard

President Obama remains marginally ahead of Mitt Romney in a new national CNN/ORC International poll released on Monday, although Romney leads Obama in the 15 states identified by the network as battleground states.