To Russia With Love

Arkansas Catholic ( the official newspaper of the Diocese of Little Rock) has an awesome article about a very dear friend of my Fr. James West, he has just returned from Vladivostok Russia, a port city of roughly 700,000 on the Sea of Japan.

The Full article is post here: Arkansas Catholic - To Russia With Love

Below are a few snippets, Please keep Fr. West in your prayers

Father James P. West and a team of parishioners from Immaculate Conception Church in North Little Rock got a firsthand look last month at the painstaking task of revitalizing the Catholic faith in Russia.

"The Church is building back from nothing," Father West said. "It's so slow, it's moving at a glacial pace."

From 1917 to 1959, thousands of bishops, priests, monks and lay Catholics were killed in an effort to wipe out the Church's influence while thousands of other clergy and laity were imprisoned or deported. Nearly every church was closed....

...When two American priests took up residence at Most Holy Mother of God in 1992, she explained, "There was no such thing as a volunteer, no charitable anything."

Besides, Gray added, building anything in Russia requires 23 permits.

"The priests gave us a wish list, everything from Kool-Aid to diapers to organ shoes," Gray said.

Each team member brought two suitcases, one for themselves and one packed with donated goods.

Father West said the work in Vladivostok illustrates building a Christian society from the ground up.

"Communism robbed them of all humanity, all civility," the North Little Rock pastor said of the Russian people whom he saw and visited. "It's as though the church is having first to teach them what it means to be a human being and then to move from there into the area of faith."....

"It was such a wonderful experience," Father West said. "I'd get back on the plane and go right back over there right now."

Sung Requiem Mass in Garnett KS

This just was confirmed to me today, If anyone can help them out that would be great!

If any readers are in the area and can attend please go show your support!

A Sung Mass in the Extraordinary form of the Latin rite will be
celebrated at:

Holy Angels

514. E. 4th Ave.,

Garnett, KS,

For All Souls' Day, at 7 PM on Nov. 2.

If you are not sure where Garnett KS is here is an Map to give you a better idea.

In my prayers

Photo: By Phil McCarten, Reuters.

Dear Readers-

Please pray for those in the path of these devastating fires.

This came across my wires today:

The fires continue to burn out of control ... additional evacuations havebeen called to the east of us. The fires are threatening to make a semi-circle around downtown San Diego, via the large north-south El Cajon Valley. I had thought previously the major threat was from the north; now it seems to be from the east: El Cajon and La Mesa. Another fire is burning to the south in Chula Vista, and threatening to join with the fires to the north and east, completing the semi-circle. At that point we will have noplace to go except into the ocean, if the fire climbs the west side of ElCajon Valley and starts to burn to the west, towards downtown. The winds are gusting to 100 mph in some places, so there's no telling what's going tohappen. We still have
electric power for the a/c and the breathing machines,but if the semi-circle is
completed, we won't. The stadium in Mission Valley is evidently already full of
refugees ... I don't know about the new onedowntown ... it hasn't been mentioned
yet.

Missa Cantata- St. Lawrence Catholic Center

Yes I've been gone for awhile but... I'm back today with some new pictures

Today a Missa Cantata was prayed for the first time in MANY MANY Moons at the

St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas Campus


Here are some Pictures Enjoy (You may click on the Image for an High Res View :

Virtus - My take

I have just completed "Virtus" training for our diocese as is required for anyone who works or volunteers - in any way shape or form- with children in the diocese.

The Virtus Website describes its self as :

VIRTUS is the brand name that identifies best practices programs designed to help prevent wrongdoing and promote "rightdoing" within religious organizations. The VIRTUS programs empower organizations and people to better control risk and improve the lives of all those who interact with the Church.

The three hour session I attended was titled "Protecting God's Children" The course was given in a parish hall with snacks and drinks provided for us. The program I attended was given by a very nice speaker whom seemed well read and informed on the subject. The Session consisted of a DVD video, a workbook, and pamphlets to back up the workbook.

The Video was split up into two parts Part 1: A Time to Protect God's Children and Part 2: A Plan to Protect God's Children. The video Starts off with Bishop Emeritus Raymond Boland of the Kansas City - Saint Joseph Diocese speaking on child sexual abuse and we hear from Bishop Boland throughout the Video series. After the Video sessions we were to break into small groups and discuss what we had seen, The video portrayed 4 Victims of Child Sexual abuse and 2 Men who admitted to abusing children. The story's were very explicit and very heartbreaking to hear that any CHILD had to go through these tragic experiences. The two men that were abusers showed very little outward emotional regret or remorse for their actions, and at some points even seemed excited to share their story's of Child Sexual abuse.

So where am I going with all of this?

The Virtus Session and program seems to me to give good information to parents and laity within our Catholic communities, it appears to bring awareness and a proactive approach to this awful Sexual abuse scandal that Satan has brought against Holy Mother Church, but I feel this may be too little too late.

The workbooks contained material and questions about the videos that would be typical of a 5th grade class, The discussions were not very in depth and no ordained clergy was found to show commitment to this program from the very area where the Media and others have placed focus. One Parishioner asked the program leader, "Why Don't we hear this preached during the Homily", she Did not have an answer but the person who should have the answer was not there to give it.

Satan is working very hard to attack The Catholic Church on this front and it seems very few on this side of the fence are willing to do more than the bare minimum.

Your Such a Post-Trib...

A good friend of mine from High School met up with me for some drinks last night, we somehow got on the topic of faith and religion, now my friend is not religious by any means but he seems open to truth, From our discussions he says he can hear truth in some of what I have said and he said there is truth in what his buddy from work talks to him about.

My Friend wanted to share the CD with me that his work companion gave him, I of course took it and the CD was Labeled "Mystery 5 : Rapture" My poor friend is just so simple minded (in a good way) that he can be confused and led astray so easily, He does not understand the protestant concept of the Rapture, nor the Catholic rebuttal against it.

I find it very interesting that the "Old Paths" Baptist preacher admits around the 16min mark that he does not Understand everything he is going to teach, In one sentence he proclaims that scripture is all we need to uphold our faith, but then he proceeds to tell us that , todays talk is going to be regarding something that is almost all Bible based Christian faiths teach- He Makes sure to note that the Methodists, Episcopalians, and Lutherans no longer teach the rapture, also he emphasizes that the Catholic faith never has taught the rapture- Pastor even admits that the word Rapture isn't in the bible but its A-OK hes going to preach it to us from the Bible anyway... By 39min into it he is trying to get one of his parishioners to help him explain the Vulcan mind Melt

With the whole "Left Behind" Series overcoming many of our Catholic brothers and sisters, and false interpretations of scripture have swooned many from the one true faith, I thought I would share some media that you can pass around to your friends and family that may have bought into this silly idea of Pre-Mid- Post.. etc..etc..

Online Links:
Catholic.com- The Rapture (with Imprimatur)

Scripture Catholic - The Second Coming

Audio MP3's to Burn:

One True Faith TV Show Podcast - Episode 8 : The Rapture

Bible Christian Society- The Rapture and the Bible

Anyone have any other links or suggestions Stick Em in the Comments and I will update the post.

Since you've been gone.

Yes I have been gone for quite some time, but I now return with an update of whats been going on.

I have quit my current Job and I start my New Job next week, This new job seems very promising and can open some new opportunities for me. My prayers for a new job have come to fulfillment (Deo Gratias!) I pray now that I am following the path that God has led me to.

In Local Catholic news Traditional Catholic Mom has beat me to the punch in Announcing a Missa Cantata in Lawrence at the St. Lawrence Catholic center.
I urge everyone who is in the area to fulfill their Sunday obligation at this Mass on 10/21


I will be posting more regularly in the days to come... Stay Tuned