Final Commendation and Commital

Greetings! I bet you thought I was dead. Well, close but not really. Actually, I have had multiple assignments, changes and moves since my last post.

This will be my last post for Journal of God's Call, hence the title taken from the Rite for Christian Funerals.  I chose to end my blog for a couple of reasons. First, while many blogs still exist, Facebook and Twitter have become the most popular means of communication. Additionally, it has become nearly impossible for me to make regular posts and it is not fair to those who have read my blog to be so erratic in my blogging.

I have not decided whether I will take on another form of media to use, such as Facebook or Twitter. I have a Facebook account and I welcome anyone to add me as friend. Just include in your message that you are a faithful reader of my blog and I will be happy to confirm you. My Facebook is: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?src=fftb#/frchrisrossman?ref=profile

I find Twitter to be an enigma in that it seems to have the advantage of communicating what is on your mind and this could be a wonderful means of communicating my thoughts on the faith. However, it also seems to be a way in which many simply bable about random and sometimes private or disturbing elements of their life. I will continue to discern opening a Twitter account and if I do so I will post the Twitter URL on this blog, wich will still remain online but not active. I considered closing the blog completely but many begged me to leave it up because they continue to use it as a teaching tool.

I want to thank everyone who has read, posted and commented on my blog over the years. What started as a simple means for me to ramble about Catholic topics became a wonderful way for me to not only evangelize but to grow and learn about my faith and how others believe and live theirs.

I want to close by urging you to continue to grow in your faith. Seek ways to form that deeper relationship with God. Seek to bring His love to everyone whose lives you touch. I know my lives have been touched by you, my readers. Until next time...when we meet in heaven...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 08:47 | link | comments |
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Actions of Planned Parenthood are shocking

Last week Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson used his line-item veto to restore $300,000 in state funding to Planned Parenthood for "non-abortion services" saying that Planned Parenthood would not be able tro provide quality service to low-income women without the funding. Planned Parenthood said the funding cut would have left low-income women with fewer options for health care. I found it interesting that Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri said there would be few options when they reported a $3.4 MILLION dollar profit.

While I found this very disturbing, what was even more disturbing was something I came across while doing some research for this blog entry. I came across a report on the web site Living His Life Abundantly International Inc.. Within this report werer a couple of very troubling things.

The report cited a recent case of "a 14 year old Ohio girl who was brought to a Planned Parenthood clinic under pressure by the 21 year old man who had been abusing her. Not only did Planned Parenthood fail to question or report the man who paid for the abortion with his credit card, Planned Parenthood even administered a birth control shot to the young girl, which was paid for by the 21-year old male, and gave the girl a bag of condoms so that the man could continue having sex with her after the abortion." This is the level of concern Planned Parenthood has for women and teens. Beyond being illegal - clinics and hospitals in Ohio are required to report abuse claims of teens under 16 years of age - their complete lack of interest of the situation of girl shows their true focus: the man's credit card!! THAT was was important to them.

A second case in this report is even more telling. An 18 year-old University of California sophomore named Lila Rose poesd as a pregnant 15-year-old accompanied by her 23-year-old “boyfriend” played by James O'Keefe, Rose recorded a meeting with a Planned Parenthood staffer who knew she was required by law to report sexual abuse, including statutory rape when the victim is under 16 years of age. The conversation was recorded and I want share a short snippet:

Staffer: “If you're 15, we have to report it ... If you're not, if you're older than that, then we don't need to.”
Rose: “Okay, but if I just say I'm not 15, then it's different?”
Staffer: “You could say 16 ... Just figure out a birth date that works. And I don't know anything.”

Now, I can hear someone saying that the staffer was concerned about her well-being and wanted to help her resolve her "situation." However, I would question that IF this staffer's concern was for the well-being of this girl wouldn't she WANT to contact the authorities? What's more is that I highly doubt this staffer suddenly came up with this idea to tell the girl to lie about her age. I would contend that she was trained by Planned Parenthood as to how to circumvent these type of issues.

These are the kinds of things that most people don't know about Planned Parenthood. They claim that their "caring physicians, nurse practitioners, and other staff take time to talk with clients, encouraging them to ask questions and discuss their feelings in a confidential setting" (Planned Parenthood: About Us). It seems that the only thing they "care" about is their profit margin not their clients. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 10:00 | link | comments |

The damage Notre Dame has caused

This will likely be my last post for awhile about the Notre Dame commencement speech given by President Obama last Sunday. In my previous blog entries on this subject I have focused on the reasons the decision of Notre Dame to invite Obama was wrong, some of the comments of his speech and the aftereffects of his visit may have on the university. In this last entry I want to discuss some of the wider repercussions his visit may and is having on the average Catholic.

We have discussed and agreed for the most part that Notre Dame is the most recognized Catholic university in the United States. Many proudly proclaim that they are alumni of this prestigious CATHOLIC university. I am not quesitoning their claims not am I saying they should not be proud of graduating from Notre Dame. It's not like they went to this university BECAUSE of its actions that are in conflict to the Catholic faith or that they even knew of the university's actions. What I DO want to discuss is the perception the university is having on Catholics because of their identity as a Catholic institution.

Prior to and following President Obama's commencement address I had numerous people who approached me with a wide range of comments about the situation. Many agreed with the Church's stance again inviting Obama. Some didn't understand why the Church cared. Some questioned why the Church thought she had the right to oppose his visit. However, it is the last group of people who approached me that is disturbing. Nearly a dozen people approached me over the course of the weekend and even the first couple of days during the week and used the situation at Notre Dame as proof that you could support abortion and embryonic stem cell research and still be a faithful Catholic.

The conclusions they came to because of Notre Dame's actions are understandable although completely wrong. The first conclusion, and the most common, was that the Church DOES support Obama and his policies and it is the invidivual bishops with their own 'agendas' that oppose him. Their reasoning was simple: Notre Dame - a public symbol of the Catholic Church in America - as a single unified body welcomed Obama whereas the U.S. bishops couldn't agree how to respond. They each simply gave their own "opinion" as one person put it. The university spoke as an "institution of the Catholic faith."

A second conclusion is a little more disturbing for me personally. A few approached me and stated that *I* was trying to impose my own personal beliefs about abortion, especially in my homilies, instead of the fact that it should be the decision of each person. Their reasoning was simple: Catholic priests on the Notre Dame campus supported abortion rights so it is obviously a decision for each person since even the priests can decide which position to take. What REALLY bothers me about this is one person who had moved here recently and told me that at her previous parish (not in this diocese thank heavens) the priest spoke often in his homilies that having an abortion was a deeply personal decion of a woman that we shouldn't question. She went on to say that her priest was against abortion but realized the necessity of it because of the world in which we live in today. Does that not sound eerily similar to what Obama is claiming?

The last conclusion that two people approached me with was that Notre Dame was the true example of the teaching of Jesus about tolerance. I could write a whole blog entry on Jesus and tolerance but their reasoning again was very simple: the university welcomed and respected everyone's feelings about Obama's visit. They supported those few graduates that boycotted the commencement. They allowed others to hold prayer protests. This, they claimed, shows the tolerance Jesus calls us to have and highlights the anti-christian lack of tolerance of the Church.

I spent a fair amount of time pointing out and explaining the holes in their reasoning. Most at least realized that their "simple reasoning" wasn't as clear cut as it seemed. Some came to agree with me that these lines of reasoning were wrong and in conflict with the Church. A few, however, stood by their solid belief that they had proved it was completely acceptable for them to be Catholic and support abortion and embryonic stem cell research. THAT, to me, is the greatest and most damaging consequence of Obama's visit to Notre Dame. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 10:00 | link | comments |
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Has Notre Dame hurt its future?

I have had a wide variety of responses to the Notre Dame situation (see my previous 3 posts). I am not going to reiterate the comments made in my previous blogs because everyone can simply go read them. I do however want to discuss a few of the effects that this has had both on Catholics and on the university.

I already pointed out that nearly 1500 alumni have stated that they will withhold their donations to the university, which has been estimated to total about $14 million dollars. So, financially the university has taken a hit. Theologically, many Catholic are questioning whether the teachings of the university reflect the true teachings of the Catholic faith. Which brings me to the last point that some are reconsidering their desire to attend the university. Now, I am not a graduate of Notre Dame so I cannot speak to the theological soundness of its program. Regardless, the fact is that some ARE questionings it and this is resulting in some questioning attending the university. Even one of its professors, Professor Richard Garnett, agrees with these assessments. He told Fox News, "My strong hope is that serious Catholics will not let this particular incident drive them away from Notre Dame, which remains very important in the life of the Church. But, Notre Dame has allowed itself to get into a very unhealthy adversarial relationship with many bishops, and lay Catholics." John Souder, a student who just graduated also agreed saying, "Notre Dame's standing within the Catholic community will lessen. For many years, Notre Dame has stood as a symbol of American Catholicism ... This invitation has been perceived, and understandably so, (as) a betrayal of this identity."

I think both people are correct. This incident has altered the perception many Catholics toward the university. It is going to be extremely difficult if not impossible for the university to fully recover and return to its former prestige. In my next blog entry I want to discuss some of the responses from Catholics at my parish. Notre Dame's decision is blurring the understanding of some Catholics as to the teachings of the Church. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 12:40 | link | comments (1) |
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Obama's words fuel fire at Notre Dame

This past weekend President Barak Obama gave the commencement address at Notre Dame University and was also awarded an honorary degree by the university. My previous blogs dealt with the reasons why it was wrong for a Catholic institution to invite a speaker who is pro-abortion and pro-embryonic stem cell research, especially such a dignitary as the President of the United States. In this blog I wanted to touch on the speech President Obama gave and a couple of the comments he made.

One of the most disturbing comments he made was regarding embryonic stem cell research. He said: "Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son's or daughter's hardships might be relieved."

The first thing I would point out is the he intentionally did not distinguish between embryonic stem cell research and adult stem cell research. This insinuates that we oppose ALL stem cell research which immediately paints us in a negative light. What is worse is his apparent willingness to trade one life for another. He speaks of the sacredness of life and yet in the same sentence proclaims it acceptable to destroy that life to help another. Notice also, that his example is killing an innocent life in order to treat a disease that is not normally terminal. For him, it isn't even the concept of destroying a life to save a life. He is preaching destroying a life to make another's life better.

He did make one comment I wholeheartedly agree with. The president stated that: "I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away...the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable." Of course they are irreconbilable! We are never going to compromise on the sanctity of life. ALL life is precious; period. When we seek to compromise on the sanctity of life then we quickly fall into the trap of 'ranking' people and their right to life. This person deserves to live because they are important or a celebrity so it is ok to destroy innocent lives to cure their disease. The mother of this unborn child is a single mother, on wellfare and so it is ok to take that child's life. This person is elderly, bedridden and has cancer. We can put them out of their misery. When we begin 'ranking' the value of a human person we play God.

I may explore this speech in more detail in future blog entries. Sunday was a sad day for our Church and for the corruption of one of the most famous Catholic universities in the world. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 15:17 | link | comments |
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Notre Dame disgraces itself

In my last blog I spoke about pro-abortion U.S. President Barak Obama being invited to the Notre Dame commencement and being presented with an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree. The Catholic Church has objected vehemently to the invitation issued by Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins. Some have argued that the Church has no business objecting to what the university does. However, I believe I correctly demonstrated in my last blog that the actions of Notre Dame are most certainly the business of the Catholic Church.

The president did speak on Sunday and I will be examining his speech in my next blog. Today I wanted to discuss the actions of the university both prior to the commencement and on the day of the commencement.

The most common argument I heard in support of the president speaking at Notre Dame was that the Church should consider the prestige and importance President Obama shows to the university in accepting an invitation to its commencement. The problem with this perspective is that it shows the WRONG type of prestige and importance. It says that we are willing to overlook the fact that this person's deep beliefs are completely in opposition to the teaching of the Church and the foundational tenet of respect for all life. A friend made the following comparison that I found bold and yet very applicable. He said, "Everyone would be absolutely outraged if a predominantly black college, such as Florida A&M or Alabama State University, were to invite the Grand Knight of the KKK as its commencement speaker." Some may see this as an extreme example but I think it is quite comparable. The KKK is foundationally opposed to the life and rights of African Americans. Likewise, the president is foundationally opposed to the life and rights of unborn children.

The blame, while primarily directed at Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins, also falls upon the average Catholic who sees no conflict of interest in this situation. While there were many who protested, others had no problem with the president giving the commencement address including the majority of the graduates. I also had numerous people from the parish come up to me with a wide range of responses to this situation. I will address these comments in a future blog. In my next blog, however, I want to examine the comments of his speech. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 09:40 | link | comments |
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Ashamed of Notre Dame

Most Catholics have heard that the President of Notre Dame University invited U.S. President Barak Obama to this year's commencement ceremonies where he will receive an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree. Unfortunately, Notre Dame's president, FATHER John Jenkins, ignored the U.S. Conferences of Catholic Bishops, who in 2004 released a document instructing Catholic universities NOT to honor pro-abortion politicians. It is widely known that President Obama is an extremely outspoken pro-abortion advocate. There is some debate as to whether Fr. Jenkins had alterior motives for his actions or if he was simply 'following the crowd' as his predecessors had done in inviting U.S. Presidents to commencements. However, his motives are not as important as the results.

I have had a few persons approach me to dispute why the Church should even be involved in this situation. I even had one person tell me that its just another example of the Church "sticking their noses in other people's business just like they do in my personal life and in my bedroom." Obviously this person has issues with the Church well beyond the Notre Dame issue and is simply looking for an angle of attack against the Church. Yet, I think it is a good idea to explore why this situation at Notre Dame IS the business of the Catholic Church.

First, I don't think you could find more than a handful of people in the United States who don't know that Notre Dame is a Catholic university. In fact, it is uneqivocally the most recognized Catholic university in America. Some may not know that Georgetown or Gonzaga are Catholic universities but everyone knows that Notre Dame is Catholic. That is the first issue. Notre Dame prides itself on being a Catholic university. It is one of its primary selling points. To prove it, simply Google Notre Dame on the internet and their university will come up first. The description below the link on Google says, "An independent, national CATHOLIC university located at Notre Dame, Indiana" (caps added for emphesis). If you identify yourself as a Catholic university then it IS the Church's business because you are using it to promote your school.

Second, since the President as well as a significant number of the faculty are Catholic priests it is not only the Church's business but the Church also has direct authority over them, and specifically their bishops have authority over them. Their presence and positions on the staff of the campus speak even more to the university being Catholic. It's one way to say "we are Catholic" but its another to have representatives of the Catholic Church on your staff.

I think these two points make it clear that the situation at Notre Dame is absolutely the business of the Church. Yet, many question the Church's involvement and still others ask what is the big deal anyway. That sounds like a question to tackle in my next blog. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 10:30 | link | comments (6) |

Whirlwind April comes to a close

April is over and we are into the month of May...thank heavens. April was one of the busiest months at Prince of Peace. Of course we began the month with Palm Sunday, Holy Week, the Triduum and Easter. Those are the busiest days of the liturgical year for a priest. The planning and preparation just for the celebration of Holy Saturday is extensive. At Prince of Peace we also have *7* Easter Sunday Masses so both Fr. Frank and I celebrate back to back to back Masses (we have a 9:00am and 10:30am both upstairs in the church and downstairs in the parish hall).
Having completed the Lenten season, though, was only the beginning for us. We had 1st Communions. Our parish elementary school has 75 children in 2nd grade. Our SOR program (CCD) has roughly 175 2nd graders. So, we have *4* 1st Communion Masses to accomodate the shear number of children. So, on Divine Mercy Sunday we had our school 1st Communion Mass at 2:00pm. The following Saturday we had two 1st Communion Masses; at 10:00am and 2:00pm. Sunday, we had the fourth 1st Communion Mass at 2:00pm. These were all in addition to the regular weekend Masses.

That would have been enought to wear us out but we had one more sacrament to celebrate: Confirmation. We have roughly 250 teens in 8th grade receiving Confirmation (60 in the school and 190 in SOR). As such, it is impossible to have a single Confirmation Mass so we had two - one night after the other. Confirmation Masses take preparation as well, including server training and set up. We also have dinner with the Archbishop at the rectory prior to the Masses which also requires some major planning.

So, you can see why I am so happy May is here. Granted, there are graduations and ordinations to attend BUT I do not have to set up, organize or prepare them. They say April showers bring May flowers. Well, in April I got poured on so I am looking forward to 'smelling the roses' a little bit in May. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 01:24 | link | comments |
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Miss Prejean is not alone

If you read my previous post about the comments made by Miss Carrie Prejean you saw the negative responses in the media to her answer. However, while the liberal media seems to be reporting only the negative responses for Miss Prejean, there were a few comments that were made that I found very interesting and even enlightening.

One such comment came from Charmaine Koonce, the mother of Miss New Mexico USA Bianca Matamoros-Koonce, who said: "In the Bible it says marriage is between Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!" I absolutely LOVE this comment.

Another pleasant surprise was on the CNN.com website which includes a video snippet of the question and answer as well as an interview with Perez Hilton. What was pleasing to me was not the CNN video, which supported Mr. Hilton, but the opinion and comments section on the web site. There were 20 comments posted within an hour prior to my writing this blog entry. NINETEEN (19) of those responses stongly supported Miss Prejean AND ranged from critizing Mr. Hilton for the question to calling for him to never be considered as being a judge for any contest. Their support of Miss Preajean and her answer was overwhelming. It is also interesting to note that if you watch the video of the question and answer, the overwhelming response from the audience was loud cheers and applause NOT a mix of cheers and boos as the media is reporting.

Another surprise was an unofficial poll on CNN.com which asked, "Miss USA Controversy: Was it appropriate to ask about gay marriage?" There were 8,830 votes as of my blog entry and 62% (5,476) said the questions was NOT appropriate.

It seems that our country DOES support family beliefs in traditional marriage and commends Miss Prejean for her honesty. It is refreshing to see the truth of the overwhelming majority of the American people come out. Of course, you notice this comes not from the liberal media itself but from comments and votes by the average American. It is Americans that will prevail in this country and not our media so I hold out real hope for the future of our country. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 12:00 | link | comments (1) |

Not afraid to speak her faith

Some of you may have heard the story of Miss U.S.A. pageant runner-up, Carrie Prejean - Miss California, for her response in the Q and A section of the pageant. For those who may not know, let me give you the transcript of the question from Fox News:
Perez Hilton: “Vermont recently became the 4th state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit. Why or why not?”
Prejean: “Well,  I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised and that’s how I think it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you very much.”

This drew a wide range of wild responses throughout the country and especially in California. Most of the press coverage from our liberal media, not suprisingly, is focused on the outrage by pro gay marriage supporters. Some of the comments made against Miss. Prejean really upset me and clearly show the type of bias and hate of persons who speak from their faith. I'll provide a small sample of the people who have commented on this.

• Keith Lewis, co-director of the Miss California USA, stated that: I am personally saddened and hurt that Miss California believes marriage rights belong only to a man and a woman...I do not believe our government should be able to discriminate against anyone and religious beliefs have no politics in the Miss California family."

Ok, the first problem with his comment is that it was one of the JUDGES that asked this question, which EVERYONE knows has deep moral and religious roots. Miss. Prejean did not ask the question. She responded to a politically-charged biased question honestly and openly. Mr. Lewis needs to seriously re-evaluate his position if he thinks it is Miss Prejean's fault for her answer.

• Perez Hilton called Miss Prejean a bitch in his blog rant saying: “She lost not because she doesn’t believe in gay marriage, she lost because she’s a dumb bitch!”

How mature to demean and insult the young lady for honsetly answering your loaded question. It shows HIS bias as a judge in the pageant.

• On ABCNews.com Mr. Hilton said: "I was floored. I haven't said this before, but to her credit, I applaud her for her honesty. However, she is not a politician, she's a hopeful Miss USA. Miss USA should represent everyone. Her answer alienated millions of gay and lesbian Americans, their families and their supporters."

What Mr. Hilton forgets is that he didn't ask her to state everyone's belief. He said and I quote: "do YOU think..." If he didn't want HER opinion he never should have asked the question in the first place.

• According to FoxNEWS.com, arguments broke out in the lobby of the theater, with one gay man shouting, "I think it's ridiculous that she got first runner-up. That is not the value of 95 percent of the people in this audience. Look around this audience and tell me how many gay men there are."

This man obviously has not clue about the reality of the beliefs in this country. 7 MILLION voters in California passed a law affirming traditional marriage. In CALIFORNIA!!! Hollywood is in California and I think it is safe to say the city is VERY liberal. A december 2008 poll by CNN/Opinion Research Corp. shows that 55% of Americans state that gay marrige should not be recognized as valid.

While I am sure the controversy over this will continue, it is obvisous once again to see that the beliefs of the American people and the "representative" reporting of our media are at odds. I am sure this won't change in the near future but I also know that God will prevail. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 12:00 | link | comments |
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