Stations of the Cross Restored and the Prayerful Elderly

Stations of the Cross at Our Parish

This Lent  we are having the Stations of the Cross at my parish (St. Mary Queen of Heaven, Linwood, ON) again.  I have to confirm this, but I believe it is the first time these prayers and meditations have been held here since we started sharing a priest 13 years ago.  Of course, they are being led by a layperson while the priest leads the stations at the main parish nearby (St. Clements).

We though at first that it might be only my family showing up, but we were pleasantly surprised to be joined by 6 elderly parishioners from the community. 

Detail of the 12th Station

These parishioners, along with a few others who join when they can, form a core group of what the pastor praised as "our prayerful elderly."


They always come 30 minutes early for Mass to say the Rosary and pray and a number of them always come to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Mass (in honour of Our Lady of Perpetual Help) on Wednesdays.

It hadn't occurred to me very directly before our pastor mentioned it, but this group is a true gift for our parish; I don't doubt that the dedicated and constant prayers of this group are a strength and blessing for the rest of us.

And I am delighted that they have blessed the newly re-established Stations of the Cross by joining us.

One of our crucifixes

Henry Morgentaler - Should We Be Glad He's Gone?

Henry Morgentaler died today, at the age of 90.  Let's look at what this man did:

• he repeatedly, illegally opened abortion clinics and appealed jail sentences until the Supreme Court of Canada  decided that he was right after all
• he personally performed over 100,000 abortions (http://goo.gl/bmepp)
• his clinics performed "many hundreds of thousands more"
• his actions are largely responsible for the over 3.2 million abortions that have taken place in Canada since 1970 and the fact that these cannot be punished by law (http://cambridgerighttolife.ca/testepage/abortion/)

Thanks to him, legally in Canada:

• over 300 abortions are performed ever day 
• over 100,000 are performed every year
• more than 3 babies are aborted for every
• a live-born baby is killed after a "botched" abortion, once a week on average

All of this continues full tilt ahead as you're reading.

Dr. Morgentaler personally has the blood of over 3,200,000 babies on his hands, and the numbers rise.

So, shouldn't we be glad this monster is gone?

And about the Holocaust ... 

It makes me wonder about Dr. Morgentaler - why is it that having experienced the deadliest atrocity in history up to that time first hand, having miraculously survived it, that he would choose to be the leader of the only atrocity, the only large-scale, sanitized, clinicized mass-murder that overshadows that one?

Perhaps no answer will be discovered to that question.

A Lost Soul is a Catastrophe

As tempting as it is to say "good riddance," as good as it would feel for the moment, it is wrong.

One lost soul is a catastrophe, not a victory.  He gave his life to the Enemy, and that is sad. Yes, the 3 million lives he has cost Canada is a catastrophe.  But so is the fact that he died without (as far as I know or has been publicly stated) repentance.

I think of Dr. Bernard Nathanson who's life - despite having performed proportionally more abortions than Morgentaler - was a great victory.

God's Mercy

No, we cannot be happy that this man has died with the blood of so many innocent lives on it.  We cannot rejoice or claim any victory in this sad death.

God have mercy on the soul of Henry Morgentaler.

The First Words From Pope Francis

I have read in several sources that Pope Francis, before appearing on the balcony, called His Holiness Benedict XVI, and they will meet tomorrow (Thursday, Mar. 14.)  To me, this is a very good sign.

These are the words of Pope Francis from the balcony, around 3:10 pm today (EST), as reported on the Vatican news website:

Brothers and sisters good evening. 

You all know that the duty of the Conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone almost to the ends of the earth to get him… but here we are. I thank you for the welcome that has come from the diocesan community of Rome.
First of all I would like to say a prayer pray for our Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI. Let us all pray together for him, that the Lord will bless him and that our Lady will protect him.

Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory to the Father…

And now let us begin this journey, the Bishop and the people, this journey of the Church of Rome which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the whole world that there might be a great sense of brotherhood. My hope is that this journey of the Church that we begin today, together with the help of my Cardinal Vicar, may be fruitful for the evangelization of this beautiful city.

And now I would like to give the blessing. But first I want to ask you a favour. Before the Bishop blesses the people I ask that you would pray to the Lord to bless me – the prayer of the people for their Bishop. Let us say this prayer – your prayer for me – in silence.

[The Protodeacon announced that all those who received the blessing, either in person or by radio, television or by the new means of communication receive the plenary indulgence in the form established by the Church. He prayed that Almighty God protect and guard the Pope so that he may lead the Church for many years to come, and that he would grant peace to the Church throughout the world.]
[Immediately afterwards Pope Francis gave his first blessing Urbi et Orbi – To the City and to the World.]
I will now give my blessing to you and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will.
Brothers and sisters, I am leaving you. Thank you for your welcome. Pray for me and I will be with you again soon... We will see one another soon.

Tomorrow I want to go to pray to the Madonna, that she may protect Rome.
Good night and sleep well!

 Please pray that the Lord bless Pope Francis, as he asked us to do.

(see http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/elezione/index_en.htm; there is also a photo gallery)