Manila starts beatification process of U.S. Jesuit

The Manila Archdiocese has officially opened the process for the beatification and canonization of a U.S. Jesuit priest credited with building up the presence of the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines during the last century.

Read more here

Risa Hontiveros is demon possessed!

Do not vote Risa Hontiveros!!!

Keep on passing and sharing this!

Thanks to a brother Knight who shared this.

Honestly, the silence of the Knights is bothering me.

More speculations about the Pope's health

VATICAN CITY -- A week after Pope Benedict announced his resignation, more than 50,000 supporters jammed into St. Peter’s Square on Sunday for his next-to-last weekly blessing, as it emerged the aging pontiff may have gone blind in one eye. 

Addressing the cheering crowd, which was larger than usual for the Sunday Angelus, Benedict appeared to criticize the infighting that has plagued the Vatican during his reign.

“The church, which is mother and teacher, calls on all its members to renew their spirit, turn back firmly toward God and ignore pride and egoism to live in love,” he said, before asking in Spanish for prayers to be said for the next pope.  [The message gets drowned by the resignation.]

Benedict, 85, shocked the Vatican and the world Feb. 11 by announcing that he would step down at the end of the month due to failing health, although Vatican insiders have also cited a toll taken on the pope by power struggles behind the Vatican walls.

New evidence is emerging of Benedict’s declining physical condition. Peter Seewald, a German journalist who has interviewed Benedict on numerous occasions, said that when he last saw the pope 10 weeks ago, his hearing had deteriorated and he appeared to have gone blind in his left eye. [may!]

“His body had become so thin that the tailors had difficulty in keeping up with newly fitted clothes. ... I'd never seen him so exhausted-looking, so worn down,” he told Focus, a German magazine, on Saturday.

Seewald quoted the pope as saying: “I'm an old man and the strength is ebbing. I think what I've done is enough.” Asked if he was considering retiring, Benedict replied, "That depends on how much my physical strength will force me to that."

Supporters turning out to hear Benedict speak Sunday said the pope had come to recognize he was no longer able to carry out his duties. “It’s a human decision and I am here to pay my respects and say goodbye,” said Michaela Priori, 35, a Rome office worker. 

 Benedict will hold his last blessing in St. Peter’s next Sunday. That will be followed by a final general audience in the piazza Feb. 27, a day before he is flown by helicopter from the Vatican to the papal summer residence outside Rome to start his retirement. Two months later he is due to move into a former monastery in the Vatican’s large gardens when it has been refurbished.

The conclave at which cardinals elect the next pope is due 15 to 20 days after a pope dies, and an article in the apostolic constitution governing conclaves says that interval is also required if the pope resigns.

However, officials are now studying whether the date can be brought forward since no time is required for a papal funeral and the 117 cardinals due at the conclave are already making plans to travel to Rome. A speedier conclave would allow the next pope to be named before Easter.

***

Too much speculations and useless campaigning from Facebook fanatics.

Why not just pray for the Pope, the cardinal electors and the Church, huh?

Knights of Columbus call to prayer!

Instead of creating those dumb Facebook pages campaigning for a particular cardinal, why not heed the call of the Knights, huh?

As if your popularity contest for the number of likes is going to convince the Holy Spirit to inspire the cardinal electors to elect ole media darling?

From the Vatican Insider

***

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Feb. 15, 2013 -- The Knights of Columbus – the world's largest Catholic fraternal group – is asking its members and all Catholics to pray daily for the pope and the church in anticipation of Pope Benedict XVI's retirement and the election of a new pope.  [And if I may add...STOP MAKING THOSE DUMB FACEBOOK PAGES!  Aaarrrggghhh!!!]

The Knights' campaign comes at a time when Pope Benedict XVI has publicly asked for prayers for himself, his successor and the church. During the papal audience on Wednesday of this week, the Holy Father said: "Continue to pray for me, for the church, and for the future pope." He also thanked all those who have kept him in their prayers.  [Praying for the Holy Father has with it attached indulgences.]

The Knights are asking people to record their pledge to pray at www.PrayerfortheChurch.com

The names of those who have made the pledge online will be brought to the Installation Mass for the new pope. In addition, physical prayer cards are available from the Knights of Columbus for use by parishes, schools or local Knights of Columbus councils. Cards can be ordered by calling (203) 752-4483 or by emailing communications@kofc.org

The Knights are also encouraging people to send their prayerful support to Pope Benedict XVI directly by tweeting "I am praying for you" and the hashtag #prayerforthechurch to the pope's twitter account @pontifex

The prayer, written by Knights of Columbus Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, reads:

"O Lord Jesus Christ , Supreme Pastor of Your Church, we thank you for the ministry of Pope Benedict XVI and the selfless care with which he has led us as Successor of Peter, and Your Vicar on earth. Good Shepherd, who founded Your Church on the rock of Peter's faith and have never left Your flock untended, look with love upon us now, and sustain Your Church in faith, hope, and charity. Grant, Lord Jesus, in Your boundless love for us, a new Pope for Your Church who will please You by his holiness and lead us faithfully to You, who are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen."

"Until a new pope is elected, we ask Catholics worldwide to pledge to say this prayer daily for Pope Benedict, for the church, and for our future pope, and to encourage their friends and families to do the same " said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.

The Knights of Columbus has worked closely with the Vatican during the Pontificate of Pope Benedict. In December of 2012, at St. Peter's Basilica, the pope addressed attendees of a conference co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Supreme Knight Anderson serves on several Vatican committees, [including the Vatican Bank or the Institute for Works of Religion or IOR. :)] and has worked both with Pope Benedict XVI and with his predecessor Blessed John Paul II. Earlier this week, Anderson released a statement noting:

"In these remaining days of his papacy, our thoughts and prayers are with Pope Benedict XVI, who has worked so hard in leading the Church, and has always been such a good friend to the Knights of Columbus. We wish him all the best in his retirement. In addition, we pray for all those cardinals who will take part in the conclave, and for his successor, that God may inspire them as they carry out the mission with which they are entrusted."

For more information visit www.PrayerfortheChurch.com or follow the campaign on Twitter at @KofC

***

Seriously, people.  All we need to do is PRAY.

Stop these stupid Facebook pages please!

Dang Hooligans!

While looking for photos of Knights...

I found this wonderful photo of Filipino Knights of Columbus serving as Honor Guards for a Solemn High Mass (which is as rare as the Mass itself in the Philippines) at Holy Family Parish Church in Roxas District, Quezon City organized by the Societas Ecclesia Dei Sancti Ioseph, Una Voce Philippines during the visit of Canon Jean Marie Moreau of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest.

I never realized that I was actually photographed during the Mass!!!

I saw myself in this picture, sitting and obviously, my head turned.

There you go!

A photo for Google Liturgist and for the wannabe clerics.

...and Carlita Celdran, Filipino Stinkers, Iglesia ni Manalo....

and all those who want my head for breakfast.

Ever played the cartoon games of the late-great Larry Alcala (who should be named National Artist)?

Yeah, if you know that game, play it and look for the back of my head on this photo.

Ha!

Another disgraceful thing that my fellow Knights did!

Read more here!

How Relativism will lead us to perdition!

Ugh!

If I were here, I bet you.........

I'd smack that guy right in the head!

No, not the Mason.

Knights of Columbus fights Obamacare!

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The 1.8-million-member Knights of Columbus are the latest voice calling on the federal government to rescind a mandate that many view as a violation of religious freedom.

On the eve of the Fortnight for Freedom, a two-week period in which Catholics will pray, sacrifice and study issues of religious freedom, the Knights filed a formal comment with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the department overseeing implementation of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

That law called for certain “preventive services” to be provided through employer health plans, with no cost-sharing on the part of employees. The services covered include contraceptives, sterilizations and abortion-causing drugs. Religious employers can get an exemption, but only if they meet a very narrow definition of religious organization. Catholic hospitals, schools and social service organizations would not qualify.  [In other words, they force you to follow a civil law even if it is against your religious conviction or conscience!]

Today’s letter, signed by Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, urged "the Administration to rescind the Mandate altogether" or at least "to expand the religious exemption so that it covers all objecting individuals and organizations from cooperating in actions that genuinely offend their religious beliefs and moral convictions."

"To exempt only some institutions on the principle of respect for religious liberty, as the government seems to contemplate, and to refuse to exempt individuals makes no sense. The right to the free exercise of religion enshrined in the First Amendment extends to the people," the Knights’ letter says.  [a universal human right!  Sorry, Filipino Freethinkers!]

In the letter, the Knights note that the mandate "requires private Catholic individuals and entities, including organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, to violate their most deeply held religious beliefs" and that "it appears to do so in violation of federal law and the First Amendment of the Constitution." The letter also pointed out that "it is improper to deny statutory and First Amendment rights to religious liberty in order to create an entitlement to sterilization, abortifacients and contraception."

"Whatever the intent of the Mandate, and whatever form it takes, it should not compel religious individuals to pay for what they believe is morally wrong,” the letter states. “It is time for this Administration to chart another course."

At the U.S. bishops’ meeting in Atlanta last week, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, the chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, affirmed the conference’s commitment to individual conscience rights and expressed frustration that secular forces and special interests were moving in an opposing direction.

“The idea that individual persons have a right to conscientious objection, as against coercive government action like the HHS mandate — though firmly established in both the teaching of the Church and the policy of the conference for generations — has not merely been called into question, but mocked as some kind of novel or marginal theory,” said Archbishop Lori, who is also supreme chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.

***

Expect the same thing when the RH Bill or that dumb Palatino Bill against religious symbols and activities in government offices becomes a law.

Yes, the Knights will not take these things sitting down.

Not your ordinary 4th degree Knights

I have had more than a couple of times been asked if the Knights are exclusively for the Catholic Church.

Duh!

Of course!

Then I was also asked if there are Knights in the Eastern Churches as well.

Duh!

Of course!

The Easterners are also our brothers, ok?

"But hey Sir Knight TPC, where is your proof?"

Duh!

Here it is!

These fourth degree Knights, based on the ribbons of their officers jewels (they are not called medals, ok?) and the lining of the social baldric (they are not called sash, ok?) these men are Canadian Knights.  Yup, we take the national colors as identifying colors of our country of origin.  So 4th degree Knights of the USA and the Philippines have the red, white and blue.

These Catholic gentlemen are members of Bishop Nykyta Budka Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus Assembly #2755 - Saskatoon

Blessed Bishop & Martyr, Nykyta Budka, is the first Ukrainian Catholic Eparch of Canada and the patron saint of the Assembly.

Want to know more about them, click here and visit their site.

You'll sure learn more about the Knights being present in all of the Catholic Church, West or East, Novus Ordo or TLM.

Of course!

Duh.

Supreme Knight speaks up against RH Bill!

From CBCP for Life

***

MANILA, April 28, 2012–Pointing out that even the United States is wrestling with the grave consequences of contraception becoming a cultural norm and “reproductive health” being legislated, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson of the Knights of Columbus (K of C) explained why things such as contraception, abortion and sterilization finding their way into a government mandate must be rejected.  [the Worthy Supreme Knight knows what he is talking about.]

I remember this photo being taken with the Supreme Knight.  ;)

“[The RH bill] will change the character and nature of the Philippines if it becomes a law. It’s the beginning of the end of the Philippines’ being a truly Catholic country, the Catholic family, Catholic principles,” he said in his remarks to a group of Council chaplains yesterday on the first day of the K of C Philippines 9th National Convention at The Manila Hotel.

Anderson, who was appointed to the Pontifical Academy for Life in 1998 by Blessed John Paul II then to the Pontifical Council for the Laity in 2002, not only reminded but also thanked the Knights in the Philippines for their dedication to uphold a culture of life and encouraged them to cherish a society that values the life of every person with no exceptions.

“People don’t deserve RH bill. People deserve a culture of life, where everyone when they’re born is welcome, where everyone is respected, where everyone is given an opportunity,” he enthused.

“If you don’t respect some people, you don’t recognize the dignity of some… you can’t build a great society on that. You can have material progress, but you can’t build a great culture on that.”

The Supreme Knight — who is also a consultant to the Pro-Life Committee of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) — then expressed the group’s all-out dedication to the efforts to fight the controversial legislative measure pending in the Philippine Congress that will change the country’s family- and life-loving culture if enacted into law.

The religious organization’s efforts in defeating the bill must be top priority, he said, and that “We’re not just competing with wealthy organizations and drug companies. We’re also competing against spiritual powers, so we have to use spiritual weapons. We have to be smart, and we have to fight back smartly. So we’re going to tell the convention tonight, the number one issue for the Knights of Columbus: defeat RH bill.”

The RH bill, which is in the period of interpellation in both the Senate and House of Representatives, has been met with an increasingly strong opposition due to its emphasis on taxpayer-funded contraception, a 6-year sex education program for all schools, and forced participation in RH services health care workers, medical practitioners and employers.

The measure will address the nation’s poverty problem, its proponents and advocates repeatedly claim; [weh?] in addition, poverty continues to be blamed primarily on overpopulation, [people are to be blamed why we are poor, not because some people are just plain damn greedy!] despite studies showing that it is demography – or population distribution – that needs to be addressed. [Most people are in highly urbanized centers like Metro Manila!  Why you might ask?  Because there is no government support in the provinces.  Farmers sell their land in order to get a job in the construction industry in the metropolis.  And so the provinces are emptied and Metro Manila is getting all too cramped!]  Based on this, the “need” to limit the size of the population is inaccurate.

Anderson pointed out an oft-forgotten truth about the wealth that any nation should protect and preserve: “What’s the greatest resource of any country? Its people.”

Many countries are seeing much success in terms of economic progress, he remarked, but partly by destroying the family. “So what will their future be?”  [Look at Europe.]

“The Philippines has a bright future because the Philippines has great people, and as long as the Philippines forms people, preserves marriage, preserves family, this country can ultimately have a great future because it has great people,” he enthused.



Anderson was also optimistic and quietly fervent as he underscored the value of the laity staying united with its priests and bishops. This unity cannot be underestimated; in fact, a lack of it will even pose a stumbling block in the fight for a culture of life, as “the first thing that ‘the other side’ does to weaken the Church is to split the laity from our priests. So we have to maintain that that will never happen to the Knights of Columbus,” he pointed out.  [Not all priests are united with their bishops.  Like priests of MST, SVST?]

“The organization that is number one in defeating the RH bill should be the Knights of Columbus. The only way we can do that is if we remain absolutely, unbreakably united with our priests and bishops,” he added. 


“There may be some organizations that are larger, but there is no organization that gives the Catholic men of our countries the leadership potential, the formation potential, the ability to contribute to the life of the Church, and there is no organization that is more united with its priests and bishops than the Knights of Columbus.”  [Prayer and Action in the Order.]

The Supreme Knight then stressed the role of forming good Catholic men and how this is closely tied to spreading devotion to K of C founder [Venerable] Fr. Michael J. McGivney, whose beatification is avidly being promoted.

“We need to form our men, Catholic men, so they will be good husbands, good fathers, good businessmen, good citizens, and for that we need the help of our priests. For that we need to increase devotion to Fr. McGivney, because as we encourage this devotion, we encourage the understanding of the dedication and commitment of every priest who serves the people of God in his parish,” Anderson enthused.

***

The Supreme Knight delivered an excellent speech in the National Convention.

I hope to post the entire speech in the blog.

Knights lead the March for Life against RH!

From CBCPforLife

Hmmm....I think I see myself in one of the photos. :D

All photos courtesy of CBCP for Life.

***


MANILA, March 25, 2012–An estimated 30,000-50,000 members of the Knights of Columbus and their families trekked from Intramuros to the Rajah Sulayman park on Roxas Blvd. yesterday to carry out the annual Walk for Life to manifest the group’s pro-life stand and demonstrate its strong opposition to the Reproductive Health (RH) bill.  [And they were not even paid P350 each!  Ha!]

Dubbed with the theme “We Value Life” this year, the activity started with a 6:00 a.m. Eucharistic celebration at San Agustin Church, Intramuros, with Luzon State Chaplain and Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco as main celebrant.

After the mass, participants from different Knights of Columbus Councils and other organizations assembled in front of the church then walked to Roxas Blvd., carrying streamers and placards identifying their group, and bearing life-affirming messages as well as expressions of anti-RH bill sentiments.

“Give us a chance to breathe because life is a wonderful gift,”” No to RH bill, We value life,” “Defend life,” “We fight for the Culture of Life, Against the Culture of Death,” “Ang buhay na isang regalo huwag sayangin, pahalagahan ito” and “Take my hand, not my life” read some of the placards that dotted the kilometric line of participants of varied ages, from a handful of preschool children and numerous elementary school and high school kids, to adults and quite a few seniors who were upbeat during most of the way to Rajah Sulayman where a program was held.

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim commended the supposed concern of the RH bill’s proponents for caring for the women’s health issues but pointed out that the measure’s name can be deceiving.

“Ang hindi ko ho maintindihan, ang title ng proposed bill na ito, ‘reproductive health bill’. Ang sinasabi ng mga proponents nito, ay pinangangalagaan daw nila ‘yung kalusugan ng mga ina na manganganak dahil maaari daw mamatay sa panganganak at meron silang mga statistics na nagsasabi kung ilan ang namamatay sa panganganak,” Lim said.

“Sa biglang pandinig, napakagandang pakinggan — inaalagaan ang kalusugan ng mga ina natin.”

He segued into a personal testimony of living a welcoming attitude toward life and being contraceptives-free with his first wife of 44 years before she died and with whom he has eight children, and with his second wife with whom he has four children.

Zambales Representative Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay, known for her firm opposition to the RH bill as well as her prowess in discussing it in plenary debates, explained what makes the measure unnecessary and thereby unworthy of support.

Some 80 percent of the provisions in the RH bill, she said, are contained in the Magna Carta of Women which was signed into law in 2009.  [And they still want the RH.  You know why?  It's all about the money, money, money!]

“Nakalagay po sa proposed RH bill that we should provide pre-natal and post-natal care sa lahat ng mga babae dito sa Pilipinas. Iyang provision na ‘yan nasa Magna Carta na eh. Kapag sinabi niyo pong ‘access to all kinds of family planning methods,’ nasa Magna Carta na rin ‘yan. Kapag sinabi mong ‘the right to space your children,’ nasa Magna Carta ‘yan.”

“Kapag sinabi mong dapat mag-provide ng birthing facilities ang mga health centers nationwide, nasa Magna Carta na rin ‘yan. At ‘pag sinabi mong dapat magkaroon ng midwife, nurse at duktor ang mga health centers nationwide, nasa Magna Carta na rin ‘yan,” Magsaysay continued.

“So bakit pa natin kailangang ipasa ang RH bill? Eh dapat ngayon pinapatupad na po namin sa pamahalaan ‘yung provisions ng Magna Carta.”

The congresswoman also delved on the concept of essential medicines and how she regards the attempt to categorize birth control drugs and devices as “essential medicines” as senseless.

“Anong sakit ba ang ginagamot ng contraceptives? Ang pagbubuntis ba ay isang sakit?” she recalled asking RH bill sponsors in plenary debates, to which the latter replied in the negative.

“Ang alam ko sa ‘essential medicine,’ ‘yan ay iniinom ng isang tao sapagkat siya ay may sakit, at kung sakaling inumin niya yung gamot, gagaling siya. Kung hindi naman pala sakit ang pregnancy, ibig sabihin walang sakit, so hindi mo pwedeng i-consider na ‘essential medicine’ ang condoms at contraceptives,” the solon explained.

The bigger picture that could explain the bill’s proponents’ motivation was revealed by Magsaysay.

“Ang sabi kasi nila, sa DoH, mas mabilis ang priority sa pagbili ng gamot kapag ‘essential medicine’ ang classification. Kaya gusto nilang lokohin tayong lahat at sabihin ang contraceptives ay dapat gawing ‘essential medicine,’ she said.  [it's all about the MONEY!!!!]

The Zambales congresswoman also mentioned that she would rather that students were taught values formation rather than sex education, as the youth need to learn to know and value their self-worth, understand principles such as integrity and focus on character building in general.  [Oh no!  Lagayman would not want this.]

Allen Paolo Guballa, State Chief Squire, also spoke as part of the program, which ended with the release of white balloons as the song “Habang May Buhay” was played.

The Walk for Life took place a day before the Day of the Unborn, a special day officially designated in several countries including the Philippines for celebrating the sacredness of the lives of babies before birth. Besides the Philippines, March 25 is marked with a pro-life theme in El Salvador, Argentina, Guatemala, Chile, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Peru, Panama, Paraguay, Slovakia, Cuba, Austria and Romania. (CBCP for Life)

***

And has anyone heard of this in the MSM?

Nada.  Zilch.  Nil.  Kaput.

Why?

Not media worthy?  Or not convertible to cash?

Right, Howie?

Ha!

BREAKING!!! Knights' Supreme Chaplain named Archbishop of Baltimore

Here is the official press release from the website of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

***

Pope Benedict XVI today named Bishop William E. Lori of the Diocese of Bridgeport, 60, as the 16th Archbishop of Baltimore. He will succeed Edwin Cardinal O’Brien, who served as Baltimore’s 15th archbishop from October 2007 to August 2011. Cardinal O’Brien has served as Apostolic Administrator of the nation’s oldest Archdiocese since his appointment August 29 as Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem.

Archbishop-designate Lori will be introduced at a press conference today:

Tuesday, March 20, 2012
10:30 a.m.
Baltimore Basilica

Archbishop-designate Lori was ordained a priest in 1977 and a bishop by Pope John Paul II in 1995, serving as Bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut since 2001. During his episcopacy in Bridgeport, Archbishop-designate Lori launched several initiatives in support of Catholic education, vocations, Catholic Charities, and evangelization. He has served on several committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse, where he was instrumental in drafting the landmark Charter for the Protection of Children & Young People. He is also a current member of the Committee on Doctrine, the Pro-Life Activities Committee and the Ad-Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage. Archbishop-designate Lori is the Chairman of the newly-created Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty and has been a courageous voice for upholding marriage between one man and one woman, and for religious liberty.

***

I guess the Archdiocese's Media Office does not know that Archbishop-elect Loru is also the Supreme Chaplain of the Order of the Knights of Columbus, eh?

The first 4th Degree Knights

This is one of the 1,100 Knights who were exemplified as the first 4th Degree Knights. The first 4th degree exemplification was held at the Lenox Lyceum in New York City, on Feb. 22, 1900.

Solemn High Mass!!!

The parish priest Fr. Jojo Zerrudo, of Holy Family Parish in Roxas District, Quezon City, spared NOTHING to celebrate the patronal feast of his new parish...complete with Knights of Columbus Honor Guards, which I learned was led by a friend.

The Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form was offered by a Canon Jean Marie Moreau of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICRSS)

For more, visit Fr. Zerrudo's blog.

ANSWER: Guess who this guy is.

Remember the post about asking who this guy is?

Now here is the answer.

Look for him below.  Click the image for a bigger view.

Yup.  He represents the highest degree of Masonry of the York Rite.  There are two "rites" in Masonry:  Scottish and York.  The Scottish Rite is the one here in the Philippines.

That guy up there is Knight Templar, a member of the Order of the Knights Templar.  (Ha!)  equal in right a dignity to the highest degree of the Scottisch Rite's 33rd degree.

Here is how they look today:

Now do they look familiar to you?

Look here.

That is a group of 4th degree Knights of Columbus, wearing the chapeau, baldric and ceremonial sword, the same as those of the Knight Templar of Masonry.

4th degree Knights of Columbus always do not dress this way.

Here is an example of one of the first 4th degree Knights of Columbus.

 

SEE THE SIMILARITY?

There is a reason for this.

It was said that the author of the fourth degree ritual of the Knights of Columbus, William Harper Bennett, (here wearing his fez as Supreme Commander of the Order, pictured with Blessed John Paul II) was once a Mason, and brought back to the Church by our Holy Father Founder, Servant of God, Fr. Michael Joseph McGivney.  Bro. Bill then founded the Order of Alhambra, which is a counter to the Masonic Order of Shiners.  Look at the picture above an look for the guy standing below the arch, the one wearing a fez.

Fr. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus to encourage Catholic men to form a fraternity to support one another and to keep them away from the Masonic Association, which endangers a Catholic man's eternal salvation.

Now you know.

For a more detailed discussion about the connection of the Knights of Columbus and the Freemasons, and why Catholic Men MUS NOT be Masons, click here.

Guess who this 4th degree KofC is

I mean the guy on the right.

See his Baldric?  The sash under his tuxedo?  That is a mark of a 4th degree Knight of Columbus.

The other Knight, third from left, is wearing a Jewel of the Office from his neck, and looks like he is a Grand Knight, since his Jewel looks like an anchor.

And the prelate with the Knights is wearing his ferraiolo or clerical cape which is worn by clerics on formal occasions and remains so today.  The practice is NOT abolished.

Judging by his watered-silk cape, he might be either a papal legate, nuncio or a cardinal since these ranking prelates are the only ones allowed to wear that kind of a ferraiolo.

So chime in your guess.

Servant of God Fulton Sheen moving closer to beatification

And some GULP Exam for you...

 Oh and here is the Rome Reports video of the miracle

***

PEORIA, Ill. (CNS) -- Boxes wrapped in ribbon and a happy little boy are Christmas images, but the combination had another joyful meaning Dec. 11 during ceremonies closing the Diocese of Peoria's inquiry into an alleged miraculous healing through the intercession of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. "May God, who has begun this great work, bring it to fulfillment," said Peoria Bishop Daniel R. Jenky after affixing a wax seal on a box containing evidence gathered in the past three months by an investigative tribunal.

The assembly gathered for the special Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral responded with sustained applause. That evidence is now on its way to Rome for consideration by the Congregation for Saints' Causes. [VEEERRRYYY Special if you watch the video below.]

The congregation is studying the sainthood cause of Archbishop Sheen, a central Illinois native and priest of the Peoria Diocese who became an internationally known evangelist, radio/TV personality, writer and missionary. In a pew just outside the cathedral sanctuary, the focus of the testimonies contained in the box -- 15-month-old James Fulton Engstrom -- sat contentedly with his parents and two older siblings, squirming occasionally as all healthy little boys will do. "For a lot of us it felt like a full-circle moment," said James' mother, Bonnie Engstrom, of the official ceremonies that took place at the start of Mass.

Among those in attendance were members of the tribunal as well as the Archbishop Sheen Foundation. Bonnie Engstrom recalled sitting in the same cathedral -- where Archbishop Sheen had been ordained in 1919 -- a few days after James' birth and "begging for a miracle" during a holy hour attended by family and friends. Considered stillborn on Sept. 16, 2010, after a routine pregnancy, James was without a pulse for the first 61 minutes of his life. It was only when doctors at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria were ready to call the time of death that his heart started beating. The doctors had warned the parents he might not be able to function normally, but they were proved wrong. "It's an amazing story," said Msgr. Jason Gray, who served as episcopal delegate to the investigative tribunal and was responsible for guiding the process.

An oath of secrecy sworn by tribunal members kept Msgr. Gray from commenting further about the findings of the tribunal or expectations regarding its review in Rome.

***

And here are more about this wonderful news.

I am happy for this development as Archbishop Fulton Sheen is one of the patrons and inspirations of this blog and this blogger.

I watched with anticipation the Mass...until....

You find out.  This is one for God's Undercover Liturgical Police aka GULP

No not the Papal Knights nor the Knights of Columbus Honor Guards...though the entrance of the Honor Guards did not follow the standard protocol.  Honor Guards ALWAYS are the first to enter and the last to leave.

***

You can watch more videos about the Cause of Canonization of Archbishop Sheen from the Postulation's YouTube Channel.

With RH, you're dead, boy!

Click the photo for a larger view. WAAAAYYYY larger.

The poster was designed by the Knights of Columbus in partnership with Teodora: In Defense of the Authentic Woman.

KC pray novena prayer to JPII in defense of life

MANILA, Oct. 22, 2011—The Knights of Columbus in the Philippines are united in praying with Blessed John Paul II to Mary, Mother of Life, for the promotion of the “Culture of Life.”

Upon the invitation of the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar the K of C prayed the novena prayer to Pope John Paul II in time for the celebration of his feast day on Oct. 22.  [today is his feast day!]

“May we invite therefore all our sisters and brothers, who in one way or another were touched by the charisma of Blessed Pope John Paul II, to say this novena prayer,” Bishop Odchimar said in his circulated invitation.

The K of C at the main office conducted the novena prayer with the help of its Spiritual Committee in-charge Ms. Resty Yenzon from Oct. 13-21.

The nine-day prayer ended with a Eucharistic celebration at the San Agustin Church on Oct. 21.

“It is our ardent desire that through the intercession of the amiable Pope, the Reproductive Health Agenda would not pass and be entirely scrapped in the Philippine Legislature,” Bishop Odchimar added.

The late Pope John Paul II was beatified on May 1, 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday) by Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, witnessed by a multitude of the faithful.

Blessed John Paul II is also known as “Pope of Life” because of his passionate teachings on the defense of human life, especially in his Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), which provides a strong foundation for the defense of human life and the promotion of the “culture of life” against the “culture of death.” (KC News)

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Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the novena yet.  I will post it here as soon as I get hold of a copy.

A time when Knighthood really matters!

Please don't ask me. I am at the end of my patience with how the Supreme Council is taking all these things sitting down.

EF Mass by Knights of Columbus?

Well, why not?!?!

I am all for it!

Read more here.