Candles used in a voodoo sex ceremony are being blamed for a fire that swept through a Brooklyn apartment building last weekend, leaving one woman dead and 20 others injured. Read the rest…
Monthly Archives: February 2011
Daughters of God Gather in Appleton, Wisconsin
I had the privilege of spending the weekend of February 11 in Appleton, Wisconsin at the The Dignity and Vocation of Women conference held at St. Pius X Church. It was an awesome event! Organized by Jody Lueck, over 100 women gathered together for this inaugural event. The Feminine Genius Women’s Conference is sure to have a long and lasting history if this first gathering is the standard of things to come.
For me personally it was yet another reminder of the great work God is about in the hearts and minds of His daughters. He is indeed pouring out graces for restoration, renewal, and revitalization. This was not lost on the women who attended. An attitude of receptivity marked their demeanor as well as that of the women who presented and the special guests who were invited.
I was delighted to see Mercedes Wilson (Families of the Americas) whose work I so greatly admire and whom I hadn’t seen in several years. And I was so pleased to meet Jeannie Hanneman (Elizabeth Ministry International), Judith Leonard (Diocese of Wichita), Vicki Thorn (Project Rachel), Margaret Hartshorn (Hearbeat, International), and Rosemary Sullivan (Exec. Dir. National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors). What powerful women in the Lord!
Following is an article written in The Compass News, the diocesan newspaper of Green Bay:
Read the rest…
Judge Awards Custody of Teen to His Homeless Dad
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A Brooklyn judge has decided that a 17 year-old boy who has been in the custody of his well-paid mother all of his life, will now be better off living with his father – who is homeless and currently living in a city-run shelter.
House Speaker Calls National Debt a “Moral Threat” to America
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
While addressing a conference of the National Religious Broadcasters Association, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) called the national debt a “moral threat” to America and mentioned how people can get help from National Debt Relief to understand why this is something that should be a concern for all.
Furor Erupts over Removal of Pro-Life Billboard
B y Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A billboard declaring the womb to be the “most dangerous place for an African American” has been removed from its prominent location in Manhattan,prompting outrage among pro-life activists who are calling its removal “an outrageous act of censorship.”
Kidney Rationing: Facing the Inevitability of “Death Panels”
Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Anyone who doubts the inevitability of the emergence of “death panels” doesn’t need to wait until ObamaCare is in full force. The rationing has already begun.
February Gracelines
“Silence is not a privation of stillness, nor a muteness, nor an emptiness; it is a communion by which one attains truth above creation and action.”
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
For Reflection:
What does it mean to attain “truth above creation and action?” In what practical ways can I begin to lead a more silent life – exteriorly and interiorly? I will make up a practical plan to implement this during Lent.
February Gracelines
“Speak little to creatures but speak much to God. He will make you truly wise.”
Mary Mazarello
For Reflection:
Of the words I speak each day, what percentage do I speak to God and what percentage do I speak to creatures? Am I happy with these totals especially in light of the gift of wisdom?
(See tomorrow’s Grace Line to discover why much chatter is counterproductive to the spiritual life.)
February Gracelines
“The love of talk distracts all the powers of our soul from God, and fills them with earthly objects and impressions like a vessel of water which cannot be clear and settled while you are continually stirring the earthly particles from the bottom.”
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
For Reflection:
The powers of the soul are will, reason, and emotion. How can the “love of talk” draw these away from God? To what extent have I seen this to be true in myself? What practical strategies can I use to mortify myself of this tendency?
(See tomorrow’s Grace Line to see how silence leads to wisdom.)
