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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist A new study released this week found that while two out of three teens regard someone they know personally as a role model, Jesus and Obama each got three percent of the vote.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist By a strict party line vote of 51-47, the U.S. Senate voted against repeal of the Patient's Protection and Affordable Care Act, setting the stage for new battles to come as conservatives set their sights on blocking funding for implementation of the unpopular measure.

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"Baptism initiates us into the Christian life. Often, the dignity of the baptized person is veiled by the ordinary circumstances of his life, so, like the saints, we must strive hard to live in accordance with that dignity at all costs." Francis Fernandez For Reflection: To what extent does my daily life reflect the dignity of my baptism? In what specific areas must I strive to live more in union with that dignity? Am I willing to cooperate with grace for this transformation to take place?

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist A pro-life group released an undercover video yesterday which shows an employee of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Perth Amboy, New Jersey agreeing to help a local pimp hide a ring of child prostitutes.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist  A day after Illinois' "Catholic" Governor Pat Quinn signed a civil unions bill into law, homosexual activists announced plans to demonstrate for same-sex marriage outside Holy Name Cathedral on Feb. 13 and the city has promised not to enforce an ordinance that forbids protests near places of worship.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist In the wake of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's announcement that he will not run for re-election this year, a leading expert on Islamic jihadists is warning that a group dedicated to “eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within” is poised to take power in Egypt.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist Teens across the country are turning to a new designer drug, known as "bath salts," which contain a dangerous stimulant known as mephedrone, to get high.

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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist In a moving and contrite statement released yesterday, famed exorcist and former president of Human Life International, Fr. Thomas Euteneuer says his sudden departure from ministry was due to "violating the boundaries of chastity" with an adult female who was under his spiritual care.

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"A sacrament is a remembrance of the past (Christ's Passion), a proof of the present (grace), and a promise of the future (eternal life)." St. Thomas Aquinas For Reflection: Today I will ponder this great three-fold definition of a sacrament to increase my fervency and devotion to the sacraments of the Church.

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Do you struggle with worry?  I know I do on occasion.  Life for the Christian is a daily exercise in surrender to Divine Providence and Venerable Solanus Casey knew this all to well.  Recently, I have found the following quote from Venerable Casey to be most helpful.  It is a wonderful reflection to use during your prayer time this week, especially if you are struggling with worry.  "Worry is a weakness from which very few of us are entirely free.  We must be on guard against this most insidious enemy of peace of soul.  Instead let us foster confidence in God, and thank Him ahead of time for whatever he chooses to send us. If we only try to show the Dear Lord a good will and ask Him for resignation to the crosses He sends or permits to come our way, we may be sure that sooner or later they will turn out to have been just so many blessings in disguise." Venerable Solanus Casey, pray for us. Related Resources: Saints of the States with Dan Lynch The Heart of a Saint: Ten Ways to Grow Closer to God

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