Catholic Women Ordained as Priests in Minneapolis

A report here detailing that two women were ordained as Catholic Priests.

Two women were ordained to the priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church at an event in Minneapolis last weekend. The ordination of Judith McKloskey and Alice Marie Iaquinta marked their addition to the approximately 60 other women who have been ordained nationwide. The Vatican, the Catholic Church's highest authority, does not recognize the ordination of women into the priesthood, and in Iaquinta's case, the ordination could result in excommunication.

The West Bend, Wis., woman's ordination has raised the ire of the Catholic Church in that region. Archdiocese of Milwaukee Communications Director Kathleen Hohl told WTMJ, an NBC affiliate in Milwaukee that they will turn Iaquinta's information over to the Vatican.

"It is our duty and obligation to forward this information to the Vatican for consideration," said Hohl.

Iaquinta says it doesn't matter. "The truth is no one can be excommunicated from their faith. By baptism you are born into Christ, and that's that," she said.

The Vatican's official stance on banning women? They've always been banned, so they will continue to be banned. Pope John Paul II wrote in 1994:

"[The Church] holds that it is not admissible to ordain women to the priesthood, for very fundamental reasons. These reasons include: the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church."


Catholics advocating the inclusion of women into the priesthood disagree with that stance and that version of history.

Michael Bayly, executive coordinator of the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities, attended the event with more than 200 others. "These women demonstrate that not only do they feel called by God to minister as priests, but there's a long, albeit, suppressed history within Catholicism of women's ordination," he said. "It's that reality that they're reclaiming, believing, as they do, that such reclamation will make the Church a healthier place and a truer reflection of God's all-inclusive love."

Far be it from me to upset anyone, but there are good reasons why Women are not able to be ordained as Catholic Priests. As much as these fine ladies like the idea, they are NOT Catholic Priests. As much as they think they are 'blazing a trail' for others to follow, they are actually doing damage. If they have any respect andl ove for the Faith, they will stop their charade and renounce what they have done.

Somehow I don't think they will. How very sad.

The Life of Christ

I saw this video clip over on the Reformed Catholic blog. I thought I would share it here.

Beaten for turning to Christianity

Story One:
Authorities in Iran have punished a man with 34 lashes after he was unmasked as a Muslim convert to Christianity when a copy of the Gospel was found in his car.

The man, identified as A.Sh. on an Iranian web site representing Christian converts, was arrested after police searching his car, which had been involved in an accident, found the book printed in Farsi.

He was detained at a police station Number 102 in Tehran for two days where he was lashed and suffered "other humiliation", the site said.

Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism are the only religions people in Iran are allowed to practice, however converting from Islam to one of the others is prohibited.

Story Two:
A former Islamic leader in Ethiopia has described how he found faith in Christ after Jesus appeared to him in a dream.

However, the conversion turned out to be the start of intense persecution from those begrudging his newly found faith.

Following Robel’s conversion, militants destroyed his house and stabbed his son with a spear. His life is now at risk, Release International reports, but even though he has been offered riches to return to Islam he has declared his determination to follow Jesus.

Robel was expelled from the mosque he helped to lead in 2003 for asking questions about Jesus, RI told Christian Today.

The morning after he saw Jesus in his dream, he committed his life to the Lord and started attending church.

He testifies: “After my conversion my house and all my property were burned. Several times the Muslims came to my house with a spear threatening us, trying to hurt someone.”

The militants stabbed Robel’s son with a spear, but the boy escaped serious injury, RI reports.

A year later, extremists burned his house again, and Robel was forced to leave the area without his family.

He explains: “I miss my family and my children are very, very small. I also worry about them, how they will live, because nobody is there to protect them. But I trust in the Lord to take care of our needs. One day He will reunite us, and we will be able to live together.”

Since his conversion, Islamists have tried to entice Robel back to Islam offering him the opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia for Islamic training and return to Ethiopia a wealthy man. But Robel refused, preferring poverty and to sleep in trees - with the freedom to choose his own faith still intact.

According to Voice of the Martyrs, Robel said: “People always seek the money and the wealth of the earth, but what I seek is from God."

Despite the pressure in Ethiopia, Christians in neighbouring Eritrea are fleeing there to escape persecution - which is even worse in their own country.

RI’s CEO Andy Dipper said: “Release International is providing practical support for Christian refugees now living in Ethiopia. This includes helping them to set up businesses and find work. Please pray for the strength of believers going through persecution in Ethiopia and in neighbouring Eritrea."

Via Crucis

I've seen this video clip on three different blogs today. It shows the persecution suffered by Catholics in China. Very powerful, very moving. It's so easy for me, I go to Mass every week, I can go to Church during the day, I can pray and I can share my faith, freely and in the open. We need to keep all in our prayers who are persecuted for their faith.

Should you practice the faith to teach the faith?

I saw a story on Telegraph online today. The headmaster of a Catholic school has entered into a civil partnership with a teacher from another school.

As far as I am concerned, to teach the faith you need to practice the faith. How can the headmaster in the school concerned imagine to teach the Church's stance on this issue when he lives the total opposite? It sets the wrong example, and this man carries a level of responsibility with his job. He has already demonstrated he is not up to the responsibility of his role, and therefore should resign.

Seems obvious to me.

New Last Supper Conspiracy

There is a new conspiracy surrounding the Last Supper, the famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. Someone has taken the picture and superimposed its mirror image on top of it, and made each image slightly transparent. Doing so has revelead an image of a woman apparently cradling a child standing next to Christ, and also an image of two knights at the table. See images below:










Last Supper, superimposed with its own mirror image.















The 'woman' leans across the group in the direction of Jesus















Two guests appear as knights

All to the enjoyment of misinformed conspiracy thoerists, who see this as further 'evidence' to support the theory that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had a child with her.

Just shows that with digital editing you can make an image appear pretty much how you want it to.

Story here