Category: RELIGION

Guest Opinion: Another Anti-Catholic Joke

Bill Donohue | CNBNews Contributor

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on another anti-Catholic joke:

We know Seth Meyers will never trash Muslims, but he can safely insult Catholics knowing we will not resort to violence. He won\’t trash Jews because he doesn\’t have the guts to do so, and he sure won\’t attack \”people of color.\” The most protected of all classes these days are the LGBTQXYZ people: he

would actually quit his job before mocking them.

Yesterday, we mentioned that Trevor Noah, David Spade, and the Onion libeled priests with \”jokes\” about the coronavirus. To show how creative the Hollywood writers are, Seth Meyers chimed in last night with one of his own. \”Despite Italy\’s national lockdown, Pope Francis today urged priests to visit coronavirus patients, and if there\’s one thing priests respond to, it\’s urges.\”

No reasonable person seeks to justify someone who, in the heat of a confrontation, lashes out against his adversary with a bigoted remark. But at least the context helps explain the outburst.

What do we say about someone who makes a gratuitous, totally unprovoked, sweeping statement about an entire class of people, maliciously assaulting them?

This is the state of anti-Catholicism in America today. Those who claim to be the most tolerant people in the country—the Hollywood elite—have more in common with white supremacists than they know.

Contact Lauren Manasevit, NBC Entertainment Publicity:

lauren.manasevit@nbcuni.com

THE INSANE WEEK WE HAD EBOLA

Pastor Joe Marlin

Pastor of The Epiphany Church

On the anti-virtue of fear.

We came home from Rwanda for a few months in 2014 as missionaries for a time to reconnect with family and be ‘invisible’ in our home country, but that was not in the cards for us!

If you google

‘Maple Shade Ebola’

you will find 128,000 results. You will also see articles about it from

local news stations like Actions News

all the way to international

news agencies

like the BBC, CNN, and France 24. Yes, in the middle of that “ebola mania’ it was

our family

that came under the international spotlight, though our identities were never revealed. Not only did our family anonymously become the “Ebola scare of the week” on the news, our case affected international politics as an ebola free Rwanda, decided to impose a visa fee on American visitors for the first time and to check American’s temperature three times a day for 21 days, since ‘technically’ America had cases of Ebola. That was an interesting year. In America and then back in Africa, there wasn’t a day we did not hear about it, even deep in the village where there was no TV people knew about the Rwandans whose kids were not allowed to go to school in New Jersey.

The interviews shown on TV were not flattering of South Jersey, but it was the comment sections, and the overheard conversations at the WAWA and other local spots that was straight up as racist, and ignorant as you can imagine, even getting to the point where people threaten this “Rwandan family” with violence if they tried coming into the school.

We could have tapped out in a bunch of ways, but we didn’t. There were generous offers for our kids to go to a private school. There was also the idea that it could be leaked that this ‘Rwandan family’ are actually missionaries, and that my wife and I where married right in that town. Should our race and the reason we were in Rwanda matter?

You know the answer

.

Invisibility isn’t even an option for many minorities in majority spaces.

FEAR is a terrible thing, and we are seeing it raise it’s ugly head now with this coronavirus. I was reminded of this when When it comes to our kids, our fears go into hyperdrive. But we must resist fear.

This was a post recently by a friend and fellow pastor. 30 years in America, what is the excuse for this?

At Epiphany, we like to talk about the three chief virtues of a Christian, which are Faith, Hope, and Love. Sadly in the culture and in the Church, we have distorted these virtues into ‘anti-virtues.’ Instead of the three virtues, we find from the Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 13, we feed on fear, hate, and lust like a chained up pitbull in a junkyard .

I am going to write about these anti-virtues in the weeks to come but today I just want to encourage to ask yourself what good comes out of stoking fear? Yet that is what sells, that is what gets attention, that is what seems to motivate so many religious and so many irreligious people. True Faith is not your grandma smacking you with a Bible till you ‘fall in line’, True Faith is full of

curiosity

and

courage

. The soil where real genuine faith grows that isn’t fake is a soil where you can ask questions, where you are allowed to have doubts, and where those doubts are addressed thoughtfully and lovingly. Authentic faith also blossoms into courage, it isn’t cursing at the darkness, at the big horrible word. True faith doesn’t care about, need or even want whatever ‘cultural power’ the Church had in the past because it’s not about comfort or power. True faith is at peace because it’s hope is not in being in the majority, but being in the truth.

So I encourage you to consider what news you listen to, consider how much you listen to your friends, and ask yourself, do they stoke the fires of fear, hate, and lust or do they stoke the virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love.. If we are honest with ourselves, especially as we look at the Church, so much of what we see doesn’t make us more like Christ, but less.

Let’s wash our hands, get our facts right, and love our neighbor, wherever they are from, and whatever they look like.

POST SCRIPT:Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) IS WAY MORE CONTAGIOUS THAN EBOLA (AND WAY LESS FATAL), THE PRINCIPLE OF THIS BLOG ARE THE SAME, LET’S REJECT FEAR AND HATE. HOWEVER IT IS WISE TO BE PREPARED AS POSSIBLE. SO PAY ATTENTION TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES, BUT TAKE SOME OF THE THINGS YOUR FRIENDS SAY WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.

Written by Pastor Joe Marlin, pastor of The Epiphany Church, Monmouth and Sussex Streets, Gloucester City

The Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel to Mark Feast Day

Faithful throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are invited to celebrate the feast day of Saint Katharine Drexel at her Holy Shrine within the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

12:05 p.m. (Sung Mass)

7:00 p.m. (Evening of Song and Prayer)

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Philadelphia, PA 19103

The Evening of Song and Prayer will feature the writings of Saint Katharine Drexel mixed with traditional and contemporary Christian worship music. Vocalists from across the Archdiocese are invited to join the choir for this event. Vocalists should reference the following link for sign-up information and rehearsal times:

www.SaintKatharineDrexelShrine.com/Events

.

The Solemn Novena to Saint Katharine Drexel began on Sunday, February 23, 2020. The Novena is prayed following all Masses at the Cathedral Basilica through to March 2.  A link to the Novena is provided below for those who would like to pray the Novena at home:

https://www.saintkatharinedrexelshrine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Solemn-Novena-Prayers-Saint-Katharine-Drexel.pdf

.

Background Regarding Saint Katharine Drexel

Saint Katharine Drexel was canonized on October 1, 2000. She is the second American-born person ever to be canonized. Born into tremendous wealth as part of the Drexel family, she gave up her life of privilege to found the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1891. She dedicated her life to serve the needs of African Americans and Native Americans, and inspired so many women, who joined the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, to follow her example.

Diocesan FaithFULL Food Drive set for March 22

The Camden Diocesan-wide FaithFULL Food Drive will be held on Sunday, March 22, and Catholics throughout South Jersey have already begun collecting food items in their parishes, schools and homes.

Through this annual charitable event, Catholic Charities and other local food pantries will be able to fill their shelves once again, especially after donations stagnate during the months following the holidays.

The campaign is held for multiple purposes, according to Matthew Davis, director of the Office of Life and Justice Ministries, who is leading the initiative.

“We hope to raise awareness about people locally who struggle with food insecurity, and we hope to join together as a church family to collect as much food as possible for those affected by this hardship,” he explained. “The FaithFULL food drive is also a concrete and practical way for us to be faithful to the Gospel’s call of solidarity and concern for the least of those among us. This is a joyful occasion where we do good and have fun while doing it,” he added.

“Food insecurity” refers to the USDA’s measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. It also includes having limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.

Currently, in Camden County alone, there are 17,200 food-insecure children, 24% of whom are ineligible for federal nutrition programs. Overall in Camden County, the total food-insecure population is more than 60,000 individuals.

The statistics for food insecurity in South Jersey’s other counties are equally sobering. Gloucester County is home to 8,180 food-insecure children in a total food-insecure population of 26,860 individuals. Suffering the impact of rural hunger are more than 8,000 food insecure individuals in the less populated farmlands of Salem County — most of whom living more than 10 miles from the nearest grocery store.

“Many households still need to make trade-offs between food and other important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills,” explained Cristina Chillem, program director at Catholic Charities. “Many households are still just one paycheck away from financial crisis.”

So when people come to one of the eight offices of Catholic Charities throughout the diocese seeking food, they often leave with much more.

According to Chillem, “In addition to bags of food staples, these clients are also able to learn about and access additional services right there on the spot, like financial coaching, housing counseling, employment assistance and more.

That’s the beauty of being a multi-service agency; we are able to help pantry clients sort out the issues that lead them to food insecurity,” she said.

She added that Catholic Charities is also able to provide educational programs which teach clients how to shop healthy on a budget and assist them in applying for SNAP benefits, crediting the support from the Walmart Foundation and the Salem Health and Wellness Foundation.

To learn more about the FaithFULL Food Drive, including the items that are being collected, drop-off locations and times, and more, click

here

.

Finally After Years Struggling a Place to Call Home

PENNSAUKEN, NJ–Kimberly Van Hook moved excitedly around her new apartment, pointing out each and every detail — the view of the trees from the window, the food items neatly arranged on the shelves in her refrigerator, the smooth counter-tops in the kitchen. Every few moments, she’d pause and say, “I can’t believe I finally have a home,” while looking around wondrously.

Kimberly Van Hook is one of eight senior citizen residents who, after experiencing difficulty finding permanent housing, recently found a place to call home at

Stonegate at Saint Stephen – Phase II

through the help of staff at the Diocesan Housing Services Corporation.

Van Hook was one of eight senior citizen residents who, after experiencing difficulty finding permanent housing, recently found a place to call home at

Stonegate at Saint Stephen – Phase II in Pennsauken

, a newly-developed 68-unit senior community of the

Diocesan Housing Services Corporation of the Diocese of Camden

(DHSC). Through the help of the DHSC staff who guided her through the entire application process, Van Hook now has a comfortable one-bedroom apartment to call her own. And because of staff at Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden, who collected donations and helped set up the new units, she and seven of her fellow new residents were surprised and overjoyed to walk into homes that were completely furnished.

Van Hook revealed that she had spent years without a stable place to live, resorting to a series of less-than-ideal living options as she battled a number of health conditions.

“No more living out of a truck. No more imposing on friends or family,” she said, picking up a bouquet of tulips from her countertop. “[The staff] gave me these the day I moved in. Can you believe that?” she said, laughing. “Everyone — from the directors to the maintenance staff — have been so kind and so helpful. The first day I moved in, they invited me to have pizza with them downstairs, and that was so nice because I don’t know anyone here yet. But there’s even a game room down the hall, so I’m sure I’ll meet some more people!”

Jose Sanchez, a program director at Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden, has worked with DHSC staff, as well as donors, to ensure that new residents who have experienced difficulty in finding housing would have quality furniture and supplies when they moved in to their new homes.

Two floors below her apartment, Michael Alessi, another new senior resident was preparing for his daily five-mile walk, a practice which he credits for his perfect health at the age of 70. The other key, he said, is his devout Catholic faith. He remains a life-long member of Sacred Heart Parish in Camden, where he grew up and worked for most of his life. Motioning toward the housing staff members, he said, “I prayed for years for direction, and they were the answer to my prayers. I knew that this place was a Christian community before I even asked. I can feel their love and their faith; they truly do love us as their neighbors.”

This sense of love is echoed in the mission of Diocesan Housing Services Corporation, which quotes Saint Teresa of Calcutta when she said in her 1979 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, “Because I believe that love begins at home, and if we can create a home for the poor — I think that more and more love will spread.”

Those words inspire the Diocesan Housing Services Corporation’s team of property managers, maintenance and social services professionals to address the housing needs of people across the Diocese of Camden. Together, they work to provide quality affordable housing for low and moderate income households in New Jersey’s six southern counties with a special focus on senior citizens and those who are living with disabilities.

“We are so happy to be able to offer seniors the opportunity to access high-quality affordable housing with the opening of Stonegate II,” said James Reynolds, executive director of the Diocesan Housing Services Corporation. “We look forward to helping our residents enjoy their golden years in a warm, loving and supportive environment rooted in the Catholic tradition of meeting the needs of the underserved.”

Over the next several months, more than 60 additional seniors are expected to move into the new building, including others, like Van Hook and Alessi, who have experienced difficulty in finding a long-term place to call home.

AS OF PUBLICATION, APPROXIMATELY 10 UNITS ARE UNCOMMITTED AND REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR LEASING. ANYONE INTERESTED IN MAKING APPLICATION SHOULD CONTACT DAWNE PENNER AT 856-342-4055.  CLICK

HERE

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT STONEGATE AT SAINT STEPHEN PHASE II.

Girls in Scout Troop 51023 have Big Hearts

VINELAND, NJ–They may be small in size, but the four girls in Girl Scout Troop 51023 proved that their hearts are big.  At Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden’s office in Vineland, these young helpers fastidiously filled backpacks with collected donated items to be given to the homeless in Cumberland County as part of the annual Point-in-Time Count.

Each year, Catholic Charities staff joins other agencies to participate in the statewide count, which takes place during the last 10 days of January and identifies people who are residing in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, safe havens and living on the streets or other locations.  This year, as Catholic Charities’ case managers and volunteers collect critical data about homeless populations in order to better their services, they will also be able to distribute backpacks filled with donations and packed with love.

Rev. Howard E. Muhlbaier, Retired Catholic Priest; Teacher and Alumnus of Gloucester Catholic HS

Rev. Howard E. Muhlbaier

Cherry Hill – Rev. Howard Edward Muhlbaier, retired Catholic Priest of the Camden Diocese passed away on February 22, 2020 at St. Mary\’s Villa in Cherry Hill, with devoted friends and caregivers by his side, at age 81. Rev. Muhlbaier was born on June 16, 1938 to Sebastian Muhlbaier and Dorothy Kennedy Muhlbaier. He was raised in Swedesboro, NJ and was a graduate of Gloucester Catholic High School class of 1956. He continued his studies at Saint Charles College, Loyola College and Saint Mary Seminary having received his Master\’s in Theology. Father Muhlbaier was ordained May 22, 1965 in Camden, NJ by Archbishop Damiano.

First assigned as parochial vicar at Incarnation in Mantua, Rev. Muhlbaier went on to serve the parishes of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Pitman, Saint Andrew the Apostle in Gibbsboro, St. Maurice Church in Brooklawn and Saints Peter and Paul in Turnersville. From 1992 through 2000, Rev. Muhlbaier was the pastor of Assumption Parish in Atco. He then served as a chaplain at the former Kennedy Hospital in Washington Township until 2008. His final assignment was senior priest at St. Andrew the Apostle. From 1965 through the 1980\’s, Rev. Muhlbaier served on the faculty of Gloucester Catholic High School, Paul VI High School and St. Joseph\’s High School in Hammonton.

In addition to his parents, Father Muhlbaier is predeceased by his brothers, Sebastian, Charles, Vernon, Norman, Esq. and James. He is survived by his brother, John \”Jack\” Muhlbaier of MD; sister-in-laws, Patricia Muhlbaier and Anna Muhlbaier, as well as dear friends, Ritamarie and George Simmons and many loving nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews.

Viewing will take place at 8:30 AM on Wednesday, March 4th, 2020 at St. Clare of Assisi Parish, St Joseph\’s Church, 130 Broad St., Swedesboro. Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan will celebrate his Mass of Christian Burial at 10 AM. Burial will follow at St. Joseph\’s Cemetery, Swedesboro.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to Gloucester Catholic High School Alumni Fund, 333 Ridgeway St., Gloucester City, NJ 08030. Please memo, Rev. Howard E. Muhlbaier.

Condolences and Memories may be shared at

www.mccannhealey.com

under the obituary of Rev. Howard E. Muhlbaier. Funeral Arrangements and Inquiries through: McCANN-HEALEY FUNERAL HOME, Gloucester City. Ph: 856-456-1142

Gloucester City PD Issues Road Closures/Parking Restrictions for St. Patrick\’s Parade

February 25, 2020

On Sunday, March 1

st

. the 5

th

. annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will begin on Johnson Blvd. at Monmouth Street at 1:00 pm.

The parade will proceed west on Monmouth Street to King Street, then south on King Street to Cumberland Street.

In order to accommodate the parade, the following road closures/ no parking will be in place from 10:30 am until the Highway Dept. finished sweeping the parade route following the parade. When viewing the attached maps, all streets highlighted in yellow are closed to traffic and parking.

Streets highlighted in pink are open, but parking is prohibited.

Monmouth St. closed from Johnson Blvd. to King St.

Johnson Blvd. closed between Highland Blvd. / Klemm Ave. and Bergen St.

Brown St. closed between Somerset and Bergen Sts.

Somerset St. closed at Johnson Blvd.

Kathryn St. closed at Johnson Blvd.

Frances St. closed

Highland Blvd. closed between Baynes Ave. and Greenwood Ave.

Klemm Ave. closed between Johnson Blvd. and Rosalind Ave.

E. Brown St. closed between Frances St. and Sparks Ave.

Sparks Ave. closed

Baynes Ave. closed between Johnson Blvd. and Barnaby Ave.

S. Railroad Ave. closed at Monmouth St.

N. Railroad Ave. closed at Monmouth St.

Library Parking Lot closed at Monmouth St.

Champion Rd. closed at Monmouth St.

Sussex St. closed at Monmouth St.

Burlington St. at Monmouth St.

Willow St. closed at Monmouth St.

The following parking restrictions will be in place from 10:30 am until 3:00 pm:

Klemm Ave. between Rosalind Ave. and Sylvan Ave.

Rosalind Ave. between Klemm Ave. and Highland Blvd.

Baynes Ave. between Market St. and Barnaby Ave.

King St. between Monmouth St. and Cumberland St. (west side only)

Signs will be posted and we appreciate everyone’s cooperation.

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Ash Wednesday Services at Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez

will be the main celebrant and homilist at the Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Wednesday, February 26, 2020.

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent for Christians throughout the world. Lent is a 40-day penitential time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving from Ash Wednesday through Holy Thursday in preparation for the Easter celebration.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

12:05 p.m.

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Faithful across the Archdiocese will receive blessed ashes on their foreheads, marked in the sign of a cross, reminding them to repent and believe in the Gospel as the 2020 Lenten Season begins. In addition to the celebration of Mass with the distribution of Ashes, there will be Celebrations of the Word of God and the distribution of Ashes in each of the nursing facilities within the parish boundaries on Ash Wednesday.

The Cathedral Parish offers the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation on weekdays beginning at 11:30 a.m. for the Lenten Season in addition to other scheduled times. Alternative dates and times for this Sacrament are available at individual parishes throughout the Archdiocese.

The Bishops of the United States prescribe that all Catholic persons who are fourteen years of age and older should abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent. Further, all persons eighteen years of age and older, up to and including their fifty-ninth birthday, are bound to fast by limiting themselves to a single full meal on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday, while the other two meals on those days are to be light.

Behind The Diocese Of Harrisburg Bankruptcy

By Bill Donohue | CNBNews Contributor

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on

the decision of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to declare bankruptcy

:

In 2018, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro unethically released a grand jury report on Catholic priests and lay people who were accused of sexually abusing minors decades ago—most were never found guilty and some successfully contested the public release of their name (the Catholic League filed an amicus brief in this victory in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court)—the result of which was to spur a debate over suspending the statute of limitations.

The debate has been just as political as the cherry picking of the Catholic Church in seeking a grand jury probe. Last year a state appeals court allowed a case to go forward against the Altoona-Johnstown diocese despite the fact that it was time barred by the statute of limitations. The case is currently being appealed but in the meantime similar cases are being filed.

Similar cases against which institutions? Pennsylvania Rep. Mark Rozzi, who is leading the charge to suspend the statute of limitations, is quoted in the Washington Post as saying it is not just priests who have victimized minors. He mentions \”Amish and Mennonite abusers, schoolteachers, pediatricians, Boy Scout leaders, Penn State\’s Jerry Sandusky, Bill Cosby.\”

Rozzi\’s list is incomplete. He left out many other secular and religious institutions, and he never mentioned the fact that most sexual abuse occurs in the home. And what exactly has he done about it? For example, why has he not lobbied to remove the obscene protections afforded the public schools in Pennsylvania? They are shielded by the doctrine of sovereign immunity: a student has to make a claim within 90 days of the alleged abuse, otherwise the clock runs out.

There are discussions now to include the public schools, but why didn\’t Rozzi demand they be included years ago? Just as important, where are the claims being made against the public schools now that an appeals court is saying that students who were victimized decades ago can proceed in court?

Shapiro is quoted in the Washington Post as saying the Catholic Church \”has refused to reform.\” That is a bald face lie: no institution has undertaken more reforms, with more positive results, than the Church.

When Shapiro released his grand jury report, we found that in the Diocese of Harrisburg, 71 persons were named: 42 were dead and four were missing. Most of those who were still alive were no longer in ministry. In August, the diocese paid 106 people $12 million in compensation; five more settlements have since been reached.

There is a reason the Diocese of Harrisburg filed for bankruptcy the day after the Boy Scouts of America did: both have been targeted by lawyers who have a profound hatred of institutions that promote traditional moral values. It is incontestable that no religious organization is known for doing this more than the Catholic Church, and no secular organization can rival the Boy Scouts on this score.

Beginning in the mid-1960s, both the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts dropped their guard and succumbed to a more secular vision of sexuality; it lasted roughly until the early-1980s. They both paid a big price for it. But other religious entities were just as guilty, to say nothing of the public schools. Why are they not filing for bankruptcy? This has nothing to do with kids not being raped by teachers: it has to do with politics. There is no comparable animus against these organizations.

The hypocrisy is serious but not as serious as the injustice: to single out the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts is moral profiling. This is no less invidious than racial profiling.