Dayton Police ThreatenTo Arrest Stand True President, Bryan Kemper For Simply Standing On Public Property

And Pro-abortion Activist Mock His Ten Year Old Son

From Bryan Kemper, President
Stand True

On Sunday, Nov 1st, Stand True President, Bryan Kemper and two of his children joined local pro-life activists in exposing the truth at a pro-abortion rally in Dayton, OH. The rally was a celebration of years of child killing by Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities in the Dayton area. About 20 peaceful pro-life activists came to the rally to show exactly what they were celebrating and to to expose the darkness of abortion.

The activists were peaceful and respectful of the crowd, not interrupting the rally but simply showing them what it was exactly that they were promoting and celebrating. Bryan, his children and several of the activist held up images of the victims of abortion who were being dismissed as merely “choices” by the speakers at the rally. They wanted to give these victims the dignity of being recognized as the human persons they are.

                 

At one point in the rally, Bryan’s ten-year-old son, Jaemison, who had asked to come along and protest, was holding a sign that he had picked out, when a pro-abortion protester decided to target and mock him. Jaemison did not waiver or even give this person a second thought; he just continued to stand and show the truth without fear. Jaemison is a true hero and a good representation of the pro-life generation that is emerging more and more.

After about an hour at the rally, Bryan put down his sign to walk around the Courthouse Square, a public area in Dayton, to take photos of the rally. The Dayton police were called to remove all pro-lifers from this public area. While the rally organizers had a permit to gather and hold a rally, they did not have ownership of this public square but the police demanded all pro-lifers leave and go to the sidewalk area outside the Courthouse Square.

Because the officers were claiming that he couldn’t be there even though he was not protesting at the time, Bryan approached them to ask why they were denying him access to public property. One of the pro-abortion protesters claimed that his pro-life shirt constituted a protest sign and disqualified him from being in the public area. The officer mocked the pro-lifers and said, “it’s Sunday. Normal people are out enjoying the day, not causing problems”. When Bryan tried to explain that he had no sign and was not protesting, the officer said, ” I don’t care. You go over there”. The officer also admitted that there was no copy of the permit on hand, and that he could not show it to us as he did not have it, yet he still kicked us off public property.

Watch the video of the police officer mocking pro-lifers and pictures from this event below.

 

Stand True exist first and foremost to glorify God. Through the grace of God, we stand for the protection of human life from the moment of fertilization to natural death. Abortion is the act of killing a human person and it is always wrong without exceptions.

We are committed to establishing a culture of life, and bringing light to a generation covered by darkness. We believe that the only true way to end abortion is to turn hearts to Christ. Though it is important for the unjust laws to change, we must first turn the hearts of our nation.

We are committed to educate, equip and activate young people to stand up and be a voice for their generation.

Until the silent cries of innocent children are finally heard, we will raise our voices, shine our lights, we will Stand True. 

To learn more about Stand True or to make a donation to help them with their work, please use this link. 

Psalms 40:2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

Thoughts from a New Momma

by Nicholas Senz
Catholic Stand

ust over two months ago, I was joined in sacramental union to my beautiful bride, and before the ink had even dried on our marriage certificate, God saw fit to add to our joy and our number by blessing us with a baby on the way. In the week or so after we received this news, my wife put down some of her thoughts and reflections on this radical change in our lives. As she is far more qualified to comment on the new life growing inside of her and far more eloquent than I, her words are far preferable to mine to describe this happy and holy occasion:

_______________________________________

When my husband and I first found out I was pregnant, we were shocked. We had been married only two and a half weeks at the time (now we’ve been married a whopping 4 weeks!), and we found out while we were on our honeymoon.

Our apartment wasn’t even unpacked, we still had wedding gifts in the trunk of our car. We were finally settling down from the absolute whirlwind that is putting on a wedding, and now this! I couldn’t help but initially feel so totally overwhelmed.

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Nicholas Senz is a master's student at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, CA, studying, surprisingly, philosophy and theology. Born and raised in Verboort, a Catholic enclave in irreligious Oregon, Nick grew up in a solidly Catholic family that encouraged asking questions (and boy, did he), taking him on a lifelong journey of fides quarens intellectum ("faith seeking understanding"). Nick enjoys science fiction, basketball, playing guitar, and the usual suspects: J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the Church Fathers. Nick blogs at nicksenz.blogspot.com.

CONSPIRACIES AND CATHOLICISM: LIFE SCIENCE

By Foxfier
for Catholic Stand

“Quit forcing your religion on me! Your Pope might think that a fertilized egg is alive, that it’s human, but that’s your opinion– I believe in science! It’s no more a person than a skin cell is, and you just think it has a soul. If abortion upsets you, you should get people to use birth control.”

If you’ve been in abortion discussions, you’re probably familiar with this kind of assertion. I’ll admit that I’ve taken some slight liberty with the paraphrase– I combined several variations into one claim. Other than that….

IT’S ALIVE!

A ‘fertilized egg’ is a somewhat improper way to describe what happens when a sperm and egg (gamete) join; it’s a zygote, the first stage of development in all animals. It is a single celled organism of whatever species the parents were. In cloning the egg is emptied, the insides of a cell from whatever is being cloned are put in, and the result is induced to start growing as if fertilization had just occurred. (Nuclear transfer; I mentioned this in the Frankenstein installment.) Sometimes the phrase is used to mean “pre-embryo” or “pre-fetus,” although in non-abortion situations (such as IVF) a three-day-old organism is called an “embryo.”

While a skin cell can be said to be alive– because it is part of a living organism– a zygote is an individual constituted to carry on the activities of life by means of organs separate in function but mutually dependent : a living being. If uninterrupted, a zygote will develop into a recognizable adult member of the species. A skin cell will remain an skin cell.

When a human egg is fertilized, the organism that results is a member of the human species, distinct from both parents. That is a scientific fact. The Catholic Church teaches that being a living human being means the individual has inherent dignity which we must respect. The question of ensoulment doesn’t arise. (You can find a much more in depth explanation of when human life begins in this PDF of the same name, from the Westchester Institute.)

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Foxfier is a former sailor and technician, current geek, "three prong" conservative, mother and practicing Catholic. Happily married to TrueBlue. Ranch raised in rural Washington, currently settled in the Seattle Blob.

David L. Gray’s Self-Debate: Wrong Side of History Argument

If you haven’t heard by now, Catholics are on the wrong side of history when it comes to issues such as homosexual marriage, contraception, abortion, and any other number of life destroying issues. We don’t know it yet, but, apparently, sometime in the near distant future, or in a galaxy far far away, we are completely wrong about absolutely everything! We just don’t know it yet . . .

For the past couple of years, this closing argument has been a favorite of liberals. Essentially, their position is that they know the future, and we don’t. Therefore, we should just shut up about what we believe, because they have found out that they win in the end.

Recently, two US Senators wrote a letter to the National Football League commissioner, Roger Goodell, stating that the NFL was on the ‘wrong side of history’ by allowing the Washington Redskins to keep their name that they say people see as a racial slur. There is even a song by Daryl Hall of the Daryl Hall and John Oats fame entitled, ‘Wrong Side of History’, but I think that song is about a woman who broke up with him or something. Nevertheless, I thought I would flush out some of the fallacies of this weak argument by arguing with myself aloud. Here we go . . .

*       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *        *        *

David: Therefore, for all the reasons I’ve stated I completely believe and can prove through natural law, reason, empirical evidence, and Divine revelation that homosexual marriage and homosexual acts are unnatural, immoral, and demonic.

Gray: Well, you’re on the wrong side of history with this issue, buddy!

David: What do you mean that I’m on the wrong side of history?

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David L. Gray is a Catholic author, radio host, and founder of DavidLGray.INFO Inc., where he blogs at regularly; giving his fresh Catholic perspective on all things relevant and interesting.

Pro-Life Even When it’s Uncomfortable

by Michael Lane

I was blessed a couple of weeks ago to chaperone a pilgrimage to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and to attend the National March for Life rally in Washington, D.C. This was a week of firsts for me. I met my first Nashville Dominican sisters, visited D.C. and several of its sites, such as the Holocaust Museum for the first time, and I experienced my first March for Life and all it offered. I originally intended for this post to discuss the many beautiful things I experienced, such as praying the Angelus outside the Shrine with a close friend and a Dominican sister in the blinding snow, the gorgeous and inspiring Basilica, and my own interior growth from this pilgrimage. Unfortunately, they will all have to wait, because I wish to write on one particular aspect of the Pro-Life movement I discussed with other young adults on the trip. That is the latter part of ‘from conception to natural death.’ Last week, I learned one of my fellow graduate students committed suicide unexpectedly. We were not close, but this news does not diminish the shock or dismay of hearing someone in the ‘prime of life’ made the choice to end their life.

First Responder

There are a limited number of responses to a tragedy such as the suicide of a loved one: grief and numbness. These may be quickly followed by questions of frustration and, possibly guilt. How could this have been prevented? Did I do or not do something to reach out to make the individual feel loved and welcomed? My friends who knew this individual asked these very questions. One of my first thoughts though was for the salvation of his soul. Then, while discussing the nature of suicide with a friend, I began to think of how Holy Mother Church approached such a grievous sin. In times of confusion and despair, the Church provides us a safe port in the storm. There is comfort in the Church’s foundations in Jesus Christ, and 2000 years of continual guidance by the Holy Spirit. Knowledge of the ‘what and why’ of a teaching gives the faithful firm ground to stand upon.

The Church’s teachings, however, is where I think we get into sticky territory. Like divorce or ‘leaving’ Catholicism, the Church’s teaching on suicide is one issue that most Catholics do not fully comprehend, and do not attempt to enlighten themselves. Instead, they look to secular answers to console their grief. First, some will say suicide is the right of the individual to end the life they own, and thus is not wrong. Second, suicide can never be a sin, because anyone who commits suicide is not in their right mind, and thus are not culpable for their actions. Third, saying suicide is wrong is callous and inconsiderate of the victim’s family.

I do believe that some sincerely offer these or similar consolations to families, because there is very little one can offer in those first moments of grief. Our good desire to help others feel better cannot come at the price of denying the reality of sin and its consequences. These sentiments are merely a part of our culture’s desire for an amoral world without consequences; a place where all things are possible and can be justified as a right, even a morbid one. St. Thomas Aquinas tackled similar statements in his Summa.

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The Sheer Idiocy of “Every Child a Wanted Child”

by Leila Miller

“Every child a wanted child” has to be one of the more insidious pro-abortion slogans. Think about this silly little euphemism for a second. There are only two ways to ensure a child’s “wantedness”:
1) We start wanting the children we create.
or
2) We kill all the unwanted children.

The first option is the choice to love. The second option is the choice to kill.

Voilà! Both options will leave us with only “wanted” children! Since the unborn child is helpless and has no way of remedying his “unwanted”/”wanted” status, the “unwantedness” or “wantedness” of a child falls, 100% of the time, on the adults around him, including the adults who made him in the first place (the parents), the adults around those parents, and the adults in society at large.

The Culture of Life’s solution is love, and the Culture of Death’s solution is, of course, death.

But let’s go with the fun little slogan for a moment, and expand it. How about, “Every woman a wanted woman”? The rest of you will be shot at dawn! Too bad for you — you should have been wanted, heh heh heh. Maybe “Every Jew a wanted Jew”? Wait, someone in the 1940s already thought of that one. Oh, sorry, I’m so out of line there.

Back to the original: ”Every child a wanted child.”

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Proclaiming Life: Preborn vs. Unborn

By Diane Mckelva

We live in a world of conundrums. The pro-life movement is a perfect example. During the news coverage of the March for Life rally in Washington DC, I was struck by the term that many pro-life advocates continue to use when speaking about a child in the womb: unborn. Of all the prefixes that we could use in referring to the precious life in the womb, I have yet to determine why the term unborn was chosen. More perplexing, since it is an established fact (a unified consensus of both scientific community and pro-life advocates) that life begins upon fertilization, why do we continue to use the term un-born?

In distinguishing when life begins, Dr. Keith L. Moore, PhD, DSc, FIAC, FRSM, FAAA, one of the most respected anatomists and embryologists, says:

“[The Zygote] results from the union of an oocyte and a sperm. A zygote is the beginning of a new human being. Human development begins at fertilization, the process during which a male gamete or sperm … unites with a female gamete or oocyte … to form a single cell called a zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell marks the beginning of each of us as a unique individual.”  [The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, 6th ed. Keith L. Moore, Ph.D. & T.V.N. Persaud, Md., (Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 1998), 2-18]

It’s not surprising that in our current culture, we might unconsciously gravitate toward the prefix “un-”. You don’t have to look very far to witness our fascination, and in some instances the unhealthy obsession with the un-living. First and foremost is our continued support and endorsement of abortion; legally killing to date over 1.4 billion children in the womb. Then there is the television show The Walking Dead that many people follow religiously. Then there is this whole culture of people that are preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse. (Don’t roll your eyes. Even the US Center for Disease Control has a webpage devoted to the ridiculous phenomenon.)  Then, of course, we have the fascination with vampires that has been fostered and promoted by genre writers like Ann Rice and Stephanie Meyer, and immortalized by Hollywood.

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 Diane McKelva is an American writer, essayist and columnist, sharing stories of the human experience that touch each one of us in our life’s journey.   She is a Southern writer, born in Kentucky and raised in Tennessee, where she resides with her husband, children, dogs, and a lone cat with an attitude.

The Prophesy of a Christmas Stamp?

by Karol Henseler Orsborn

During a recent homily, the priest told a story that I feel is extremely profound and important for today, perhaps even more so than he intended.

This priest had gone to the post office shortly before Christmas to purchase “Christmas” stamps for his cards. He had heard in the news that some post office advertisements had left “Christmas stamps” out of their advertising blitz for the year. So, he was not surprised when in the post office he saw a sign advertising “Holiday” stamps, and showing pictures of stamps emblazoned with Jewish menorahs, poinsettias, Kwanzaa lights and gingerbread houses; not a sign of the Blessed Mother, Jesus, or the true meaning of “Christmas” to be found on any of the hanging posters.

When the priest arrived at the customer service desk, he asked if they had any stamps with the Madonna and Child. He was told that they were out of that stamp, although some post offices might still have some in stock. The clerk did inform him that he did have one stamp for “Christmas” for 2013 still available. When the priest glanced quickly at the offered book of stamps, he sighed to see what he thought was an image of the 3 Wise Men on camels. Although representing “Epiphany” and not “Christmas”, he bought the stamps. It was only when he got home that he studied the stamps more closely. What he had initially thought to be the wise men on camels was in error. Pictured in silhouette on the stamps was a man with a staff leading a donkey on which sat a woman cradling a baby to her chest. No – this stamp certainly wasn’t a Christmas stamp, or not even an “Epiphany” stamp —– this stamp entitled “The Holy Family” in actuality represents the “Flight into Egypt” and is part of the United States Postal Service “Holiday” stamp collection from 2013.

Now, there was media coverage before Christmas about the way the Post Office explicitly removed “Christmas” stamps from their “Holiday” stamp advertising this year, and this is important to note. However, I believe that unbeknownst to them, the Post Office may have actually acted in a semi “prophetic” manner in choosing this image for their “Christmas” stamp this year.

 Of course, the Flight into Egypt is not a “Christmas” stamp at all. Instead, this image represents the Holy Family fleeing into Egypt at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and after Joseph’s dream and instructions from an angel, to rescue Jesus from the forthcoming “Slaughter of the Innocents.”

Most of us in the Catholic Christian world are well aware of the assault on the family that of late has greatly intensified. Catholic parents trying to raise their children with a grounding in the Faith know it well, because we feel quite “battle weary” in attempts to keep our families “in the boat” during the storm in which we find ourselves.

So, what lies ahead in 2014? Well, I believe that this stamp symbolizes what we know in our hearts is forthcoming —- increasing persecution and assaults against the family and human life. However, instead of this being a message to promote fear and anxiety, the resounding message I have for you today is “Be Not Afraid!” We know that the Family is the structural “Cell” of our society. As Blessed Pope John Paul II said, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” Our world is falling apart, because our families are falling apart. It is well past time for each of our families to anchor down in our beautiful Catholic faith, and reach for the “weapons” God has bequeathed to us for this epic “battle”.

One must not forget how closely to His heart God holds the family…… so closely that when He decided to send His Only Begotten Son to the world in the fullness of time, He chose to send Him through the means of a humble and loving family. Additionally,  2 major Church approved apparitions also testify to the importance of the Family.

1.     When Our Lady appeared in Fatima, Portugal, in her October 13 appearance to the little shepherds, one of their three visions they saw (during the “miracle of the sun”) was of the Holy Family with St. Joseph blessing the world.

2.     Additionally, in the 1970’s, ophthalmologists, studying the image of the Tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe, discovered in both of the eyes of the Blessed Mother an image of a family.  From EWTN News:

    A Peruvian expert who has been studying the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico for 34 years, says the microscopic figures that appear in her eyes hold a powerful pro-life and pro-family message. (Dr.) Jose Aste Tonsmann said the tiny images in the eyes include an entire Aztec family and are a sign from the Mother of God about the importance of life and the family at a time when both are under attack worldwide. Tonsmann said the other seven figures that appear right in the center of Mary’s gaze appear to be “an Indian family.” The young woman in center of the group looking down is the mother. At her side is the father who is wearing a hat and between them are their three children. The other two figures appear to be an elderly couple and may be the grandparents. They are standing behind the others, and the elderly man is the only figure that appears just in the right eye….. It is not a coincidence, he added, that only today’s technology has allowed the tiny images to be detected and their hidden message “decoded.” “The development of technology has coincided with an age in which the family is denigrated all over the world. For this reason, we can say that the Our Lady wanted the family to be front and center in our times.”

Finally, it is important to note that it was announced in October 2013 that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has convened the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held in the Vatican from 5 to 19 October 2014. The theme for this Synod will be “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization”. Yes, the Catholic family is, has been, and will always be at the focal point of Catholic teaching.

In the follow up article to this, I intend to review for you some of the incredibly powerful “weapons” Holy Mother Church has put into place for us to use during times when the storm seems so intense that it may overturn our boat. I can promise you that by utilizing these “weapons” you will find your family, like little David, aiding in overturning and defeating the giant that the forces of darkness are now planning to present to us.

 Karol Henseler Orsborn M.D., OCDS is a pediatrician of 20 years, as well as a member of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. Her husband, Dave, works for St. Gabriel Catholic Radio and they are the parents of three daughters. In December 2012, she felt called to leave the field of Pediatrics, in order to fight attacks upon the family and the parent/child bond becoming especially prevalent in Pediatrics. Additionally, she has a desire to work towards maintaining and restoring Purity and Innocence in Youth, and exposing them to Virtue, Beauty and Truth in their homes, schools and communities.

The Devil Has a Microphone

“It’s my life!” a teenager rants. “Then, turning to the talk show host he explains, “That is why I should have the right to kill my parents. They are interfering with my right to live as I choose.”

The first part of the statement is as par for the adolescent course as oily skin and moodiness. Wanting to kill for impeding freedom, however, is insane. Rather than booking this fictional guest on a talk show, the deranged child would be whisked off to intensive therapy.

Yet Melissa Harris-Perry of MSNBC announced on her program that she supports the murder of living, newborn children. She did so without becoming labeled dangerously insane. According to her, life begins when the parents feel like life begins and this can be after a child is born. Harris-Perry would like choice to move beyond the womb, insisting that life begins when parents determine it begins.

She was quoted by RealNews24 as stating, “When does life begin? I submit the answer depends an awful lot on the feeling of the parents. A powerful feeling — but not science.” Harris-Perry said that to nationwide astonishment on her July 21 MSNBC show.

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The Unexpected Pro-Life Witness

by Anabelle Hazard

Never in my worst nightmares did I ever think I’d one day be lying on an operating table, voluntarily submitting my body and my baby for a DNC.  But there I was, discovering at 13 weeks of pregnancy that my long awaited baby had lost his heartbeat at 11 weeks and one day old.  A history of a traumatic and ER-ending miscarriage at home, and the possibility of intensive bleeding while traveling internationally left me with little choice.

It was while researching a courtroom scene for my novel that I first I learned of the difference between two of the most commonly used abortion procedures.  (Caution: graphic medical details to follow) For babies ages 8-13 weeks old, the Dilation and Cutterage (DNC) technique is used.  Here, the cervix is dilated, a cutterage (hook like instrument) is used to remove the baby and a vacuum collects the remains.   For older babies at 13-20 weeks, Dilation and Evacuation (D & E) technique is applied. The cervix is dilated (larger because the babies are more formed), suction is inserted, and a Sopher Clamp (forceps) is used to grasp at random body parts and dismember the baby.

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 Anabelle Hazard is a practicing Catholic, non-practicing attorney, happy homeschooler, penniless novelist (of Catholic novels “Sand and Water” & “Fireflies Dance”), and long-winded blogger at Written By the Finger of God.

Humanae Vitae: Bonding and Babies

By Kevin Aldrich
Catholic Stand

(This article is the third in a continuing series on Humanae Vitae.  Last time I examined the question of what the Church means by responsible parenthood.]

At the very heart of Pope Paul VI’s profound and heroic 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae is the teaching that the marital act has two meanings which ought not be separated by the couple: the unitive meaning and the procreative meaning. These two meanings can be simplified as bonding and babies. Human freedom can separate them, but it ought not to because God has designed them always to be joined together.

Here I will address two questions: “What are the unitive (bonding) and procreative (babies) meanings of sex?”  and  “Why should my wife and I not separate them?”

The Marital Act

The Church uses the term “the marital act” to refer to sexual intercourse between a husband and wife. This term is appropriate, because sex is proper or “belongs to” married couples, and to no one else. Other people can get sexually aroused and act on that arousal in a variety of ways—none of which needs to be cataloged here. But it is only in marriage that sexual arousal and its consummation find their correct place.
This term is a hard teaching for people to accept. Many people believe they have the right to have sex
without procreation. Many also think they have the right to procreation without sex. People are convinced they could lose one or both of life’s two greatest goods: sexual enjoyment and having a child.

It is also hard to accept that Paul VI’s teaching is not a religious dogma, but a precept of the natural law. It is obligatory for every person. It is also knowable, understandable, and practicable by every person.
Here is what Pope Paul VI says about this.

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A Salute To The Courage of Newborns

 By Melanie Jean Juneau

Although I am a mother of nine and a grandmother to two other little ones, my first encounter with my third grandchild startled me. I was struck by the sheer courage it takes a new soul to begin life in the helpless body of an infant.

What I found most startling about this little person, called Lila, besides her courage, was a look of utter surprise as she surveyed the world. When Lila turned at the sound of my voice, and looked at me for the first time, her eyes widen suddenly in recognition. It was if she thought, “Ah, so this is what you look like. I remember your voice.”

She remembered the sound of my voice from her time in the womb, and at six hours old finally put a face to that voice. This interaction brought to mind the reaction of John the Baptist, leaping with joy in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth, as she greeted a pregnant Mary.

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 Melanie Jean Juneau is a wife, writer and mother of nine children who blogs at Joy of nine9 http://melaniejeanjuneau.wordpress.com/.  When the words "The Joy of Mothering on a Hobby Farm" popped into her head as a subtitle for her short stories, it was like an epiphany for her because those few words verbalized her experience living with little people.

NYC Cabbie Thankful for EF Mass, Sad for Dead Baby

By Jamey Brown

In this town even going to church can be pierced with the nails of the Culture of Death. I am sure you have all had similar experiences. On All Saints Day I take the day off from cab driving to attend Mass, but I also make the decision to really make it a holy day and to attend my first Extraordinary Form Mass. I get off the F-train across the street from Macy’s and Victoria’s Secret.

Normally I would never give it a second thought but this time of year they are gearing up for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. My eyes flash on Victoria’s Secret Store across the street. It dawns on me a few Sundays later that this is the very store where a 17-year old mother of two was arrested October 17th for shoplifting a pair of skinny jeans. One of her two children, a dead newborn was found in her bag. Officials are awaiting autopsy reports to see if she will be charged with murder. I would think about this in the weeks to come, but today I am trying to find a new church.

I make my way past hundreds of people on the sidewalk. It is easy to tell the tourists from the natives. The New Yorkers usually have that 1000-yard stare, that dead look in the eye that sees, but does not see. The tourists have that wonder still in their eyes, open. That’s why I like picking up the tourists in my cab. They are not so jaded. They still like to talk.

Most people today on the sidewalk are wearing blue jeans and sneakers, but some have green hair or orange hair or purple hair. Some have tattoos and nose piercings or lip piercings or eyebrow piercings. Some look bizarre with spiked hair or Mohican haircuts. And then it dawns on me that I am the freak here: the only one in suit and tie and carrying a red Adoremus Hymnal. So be it.

I walk up Broadway to 37^th Street. I look both ways down the street searching, but I don’t see a church. Then I make out a white cross but that can’t be it. It looks like one of those old Protestant crosses that are in front of their small and sometimes storefront churches. In desperation I walk closer and make out the words in red: Holy Innocents Catholic Church.

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The Churching of Women: Postpartum Support Catholic Style

Once upon a time in colonial America, there was something called a “lying in” period. This was the time, typically a month or so, following childbirth when a community would rally in support of a new mother. She would rest, regain her strength, and bond with her baby while the community kept up the household. Many of her attendants would be relatives, none of whom were paid, and the favor was returned following their own deliveries.

My, how times have changed! Maybe we are just a wee bit sensitive given that Lisa is just four weeks postpartum, and what she wouldn’t give for a couple of extra hands just a few hours per week. Even so, we have been reflecting on how this postpartum experience, Lisa’s third, is significantly different from the first two.

The Loss of Lying In

Long story short, after moving to a major metropolitan area six years ago, we are finally feeling settled in our local Catholic community. With no extended family in the immediate vicinity, friends are our primary means of support. While there were certainly good people who helped out here and there after the births of our first two, the level of support this time is different. There seems to be a genuine sense of the community rallying around us. We feel that in a way we haven’t before.

Where the custom of lying in once sounded like a fantasy, now it seems almost remotely feasible. Historically, the practice was ordered to being surrounded by a large close-knit community, composed primarily of family members. Today, this is generally not the case, as fewer families live within close proximity of extended relation.

It is no wonder the practice of lying in has all but disappeared. If not family, who remains to maintain it? As families become more transient, a stable institution is required to transmit the custom from one generation to the next. Considering the value it places on motherhood and childbirth, who is better to do this than the Church?

Welcoming Back New Mothers

Let’s take a step back. What can we do in our parishes to cultivate a culture that esteems motherhood as it should? We recently attended a baptism in the extraordinary form, as it would have been celebrated until the mid-1960’s in most parishes. Included in the celebration was a largely forgotten rite called “The Churching of Women.”

The what of whom?

The Churching of Women is essentially the Church’s way of welcoming new mothers back following childbirth. Why the need to welcome back? Well, do you know the Church permits women to stay home from Mass, without culpability, for 6 weeks after giving birth? Traditionally, infants were baptized within the first weeks, if not days, of life, and the mother was often absent from the Baptism while lying in. The Churching rite not only became a means to welcome the mother back after her postpartum leave, but also a way for the mother to give thanks to God for the birth of her child. Lest ye think “Churching” is some gratefully discarded pre-Vatican II relic, the practice has been carried forward in an altered form as the “Blessing of a Woman after Childbirth,” contained in the Book of Blessings published in 1984.

Churching is an ancient practice having roots in the Jewish tradition we still commemorate on the Feast of the Presentation, February 2, forty days after the birth of Jesus. While Mary went to the Temple in Jerusalem for the ritual purification required under Jewish law, the Christian extension of that practice has an entirely different understanding. The rite is now focused on blessing and thanksgiving rather than any requirement for purification of the woman following childbirth. While the current baptismal rite contains a blessing for the mother, the Churching rite is a more pointed, special blessing and can be given individually or collectively to mothers after a Baptism or Mass.

A Place for Churching Today?

What could the re-institution of this rite potentially accomplish on a parish level?

• Extends a family-like gesture of support to women who may otherwise not have a built-in community.
• Provides a witness to the high regard in which the Church holds the vocation of motherhood.
• Allows the community to come together to pray for the graces to raise each of its children in a manner pleasing to God.
• Knits together various specific pro-life and family life ministries in the liturgical celebration.
• Potentially serves as the starting point for a parish ministry offering practical support to new moms (meal train, mother’s helper, etc.).

Finally, it is worth noting that the Churching of Women is a natural bookend to the new Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb. This rite was drafted at the initiative of newly-elected USCCB president, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, of Louisville, KY, and approved for use by the Vatican last year. Just as the blessing of the child in the womb welcomes that baby into the community by their prayers, the Churching rite then honors the sacrifice of the mother.

While the Church may not be able to single-handedly revive the custom of lying in, there is a place for the Church to step in and provide a measure of postpartum support. This can be accomplished through prayer and by witnessing to the sanctity of motherhood, particularly in the immediate postpartum period. The Churching rite is simply an existing means to do that.

How does your parish community support and celebrate new mothers?

We’ll leave you with the concluding prayer of the rite:

Almighty, everlasting God, through the delivery of the blessed Virgin Mary, Thou hast turned into joy the pains of the faithful in childbirth; look mercifully upon this Thy handmaid, coming in gladness to Thy temple to offer up her thanks: and grant that after this life, by the merits and intercession of the same blessed Mary, she may merit to arrive, together with her offspring, at the joys of everlasting happiness. Through Christ our Lord.

Peter Singer: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Hypocrisy

 by Diane McKelva

As a member of the Homo sapiens species, I have always found it blatantly paradoxical that the very people who purport the stringent ground rules for the legitimacy of life, whether in or outside the womb, healthy or infirmed, are themselves blessed, if not merely lucky, to have survived birth to live without someone condemning them to death just for breathing.  Despite the Gospel of Life, we continually embrace the extremist philosophies that promote a culture of death.

“Membership of the species Homo sapiens is not enough to confer a right to life.”

There was a time when the world heard the nonsensical ravings of a madman and rejected them as absurd, preposterous, and too outlandish to take seriously.  And yet, the world watched as one man, a fascist and anti-Semite, propelled a whole country, and portions of the world, to believe that Aryans were the superior race, and thus began to “ethnically” cleanse their society, eliminate inferiors, and attempted to redefine the framework of the Homo sapiens.   One might think the above quote was from that infamous madman.  It is not the words of Adolf Hitler.  The statement  is by the Australian moral philosopher and bio-ethicist, Peter Singer; the acclaimed utilitarian who is regarded by liberal academics and the political elite as the perhaps the most respected ethical philosopher alive today.

Like Hitler, Peter Singer ardently believes and postulates that the value of life should be determined by selective reasoning.  And like Hitler, Peter Singer is a hypocrite with the charismatic ability to persuade self-absorbed pliable minds to believe his rhetoric of determining the right to life.  How ironic that Singer is the son of Jewish parents who escaped Nazi-ruled Vienna in 1938.

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 Diane McKelva is an American writer and essayist. She is a "Southern writer" whose work often reflects her Roman Catholic faith as a convert, a survivor of cancer and abuse, and thus frequently examines issues surrounding moral and ethical dilemmas, and conflicts in humanity. She also produces short stories and poetry that challenge the reader to reflect on their own personal struggles.  She is a contributor to numerous Catholic publications such as Shalom Media, and a subsidiary of The National Catholic Register.  Her work also appears on Life of the Beloved where people are encouraged to grow in a better understanding that they are loved and valued by a loving Father.  She maintains the website The Essential Catholic, where Catholics, and non-Catholics, are challenged to view life through a spiritual lens.

Saying ‘Not Now’ to the Supreme Gift: The ‘Gravity’ of NFP

 By Deacon Jim Russell

Transmitting human life is serious business.

Not only that, transmitting human life is a *most* serious business. Pope Paul VI says in the opening line of his prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae, “The transmission of human life is a most serious role (munus gravissimum) in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator.”
He says it’s not just “serious”—it’s the superlative of serious. That’s how important transmitting human life is.

Still, some Catholics appear uncomfortable with using the word “grave” to describe the reasons a married couple might use Natural Family Planning (NFP) to say “not now” to this “most serious” munus of transmitting life. But I can’t quite see how transmitting life could be a munus gravissimum while the decision to postpone transmitting life could be anything less than the “superlative of serious.”

“Is it a good thing to be a person?” Pope Benedict XVI once asked in relation to having children. This is among the “grave” questions married couples must ask when choosing “yes” or “not now” via NFP. The answer is yes—and deciding whether to cooperate with God in bringing a person into existence is a decision of great gravity, precisely because it is always a good thing to be a person. Gaudium et Spes calls children “the supreme gift of marriage” and says that “by their very nature, the institution of matrimony itself and conjugal love are ordained for the procreation and education of children, and find in them their ultimate crown.” Married couples are amazingly blessed to be called by God to “pro-creation.”


We Can’t Judge Anyone Else’s Discernment

But before going further, we need to clearly express another doctrine of the Church: You and I do not get to decide whether another married couple’s exercise of parenthood or use of NFP is “responsible” or not. It’s not my business. This judgment remains too “superlatively serious” to belong to anyone but the married couple and God. No good comes from judging the “gravity” of another couple’s NFP decisions. And this works both ways, just like NFP does—does this couple have too many children? Does that couple have too few? Not my business.

“The parents themselves should ultimately make this judgment, in the sight of God,” as it says in Gaudium et Spes, #50. (Let that sink in.) “Thus, trusting in divine Providence and refining the spirit of sacrifice, married Christians glorify the Creator and strive toward fulfillment in Christ when, with a generous human and Christian sense of responsibility, they acquit themselves of the duty to procreate.” This responsibility belongs to each couple, not me or you.

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 Deacon Jim Russell is a lifelong St. Louis resident, "cradle" Catholic, husband, father of eleven, and grandfather of two. Ordained to the Diaconate in 2002, Deacon Russell serves as Director of Liturgy for Immaculate Conception Parish in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri, the second-largest parish in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. He remains an active supporter of Catholic radio and the Catholic blogosphere and has just begun blogging here at Catholic Stand. Deacon Russell’s theological interests include the sanctity of marriage and the work of Blessed Pope John Paul II.

Adoption: More Than Just an Option

by Diane McKelva

November is designated as National Adoption Awareness Month, however, it seems to be less recognized or celebrated than other social awareness campaigns. When many people hear the word “adoption” they more closely associate the reference with shelter animals than children.

During the month of November, we don’t wear colored ribbons. We don’t plead for donations. We don’t see clever public service announcements on television or billboards. Regretfully, despite the efforts to raise public awareness by pro-life groups, adoption organizations and dedicated adoption advocates, such as the late Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s Restaurants, a significant number of Americans remain misinformed about adoption. Meanwhile, we have more than 463,000 children living in foster care in the United States with over 100,000 of those children  waiting for forever families to adopt them. They long for families that will love them forever unconditionally. Meanwhile, throughout the world, Americans have adopted over 300,000 children from countries such as China, Ethiopia, Russia, South Korea, and Guatemala, who otherwise languish in overcrowded orphanages, or an overworked foster care system, while couples from foreign countries choose America to adopt children into their families.

Sadly, in the United States each year more than 20,000 children age out of the foster care without being adopted and knowing a forever family. A significant number of these teenagers have no other recourse than to become homeless and live on the street.

Although adoption is often chosen in building an already established family, many couples enter the adoption world after experiencing “infertility hell.” That’s the term many couples use. It is a form of hell, because you burn with the desire to embrace a child of your own, and yet that miracle eludes you while appearing to come so easily for others. It’s a natural biological function that you  are denied. You question yourself. You question your health. You question your spouse, and yes, you even question God.

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Pregnancy and the Catholic Father

By Matthew Brower
Catholic Stand

Roughly six months ago, after many prayers, tears and anxious months of waiting, my wife, Miriam, and I learned with great joy that we are expecting our first baby later this year. The months of anticipation since have been filled with the typical joys and nervous concerns that I suspect all parents experience particularly with the first child. This period of preparation has also proved to be a time of great opportunity for spiritual growth both individually and together as a married couple.

I think that pregnancy requires married couples to sacrifice, trust, and love each other to a degree and in ways previously unknown to most during their marriage.

No doubt the sacrifice, trust and love required will only increase upon the baby’s arrival but pregnancy is a unique time most especially for mothers but for fathers too. There are countless ways for fathers to use this time as a springboard to further their spiritual growth. Below I list a few that you new expecting fathers might want to try.

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 Matthew Brower is a practicing attorney in Montana where he lives with his wife, Miriam. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in History and Theology, he worked at a large Catholic parish in West Michigan for 7 years where he coordinated various faith formation programs, RCIA and assisted petitioners seeking declarations of nullity. He then attended the Ave Maria School of Law obtaining his Juris Doctor (cum laude) in 2004. He is admitted to practice in Michigan, Minnesota, Montana and the U.S. District Court of Montana. In addition to running his own law practice, he enjoys hiking in Glacier National Park, cheering on the Fighting Irish, and trips back to the Midwest to visit family.

Let’s Stop Nitpicking Abortion

by Brigit Jones

Sometimes the forest is ignored because too much time has been spent concentrating on the trees. The big picture loses out to the nitpicking of the small details. This becomes apparent when taking a long, hard look at the issue of abortion. For over 40 years now, we have been subjected to the pro-abortion side of things: a Supreme Court who created an imaginary law out of a feigned right to privacy, incrementalism when it comes to which babies to save, and details that do nothing more than present yet another point over which to argue. These thoughts brought me to take a look at what’s at stake here.

Science Proves She’s a Baby

The first step in unraveling our intricately knit pro-life journey is a basic biological fact. Even the pro-abortion side rarely argues against the humanity of the human product of conception any more. Furthermore, we know that it’s correct to call such an unborn human a baby. It’s not a puppy or kitten or fledgling — she’s a baby because she’s not an adult — yet. She does, however, contain everything needed to become a fully developed adult someday. Mincing our words at how we describe these little ones (fetuses) only serves to offer yet another micro-debatable topic. So stop being cautious about what it is that the Mom is carrying within her womb; it’s a baby, pure and simple. End of debate.

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Birgit Jones is a 50-something cradle Catholic who is passionate about the pro-life movement. She enthusiastically serves on the Diocesan Gospel of Life Committee where she chairs pro-life events and writes pro-life articles. Birgit has been married to her Catholic convert husband, Rick, for 37 years. They have four children and seven grandchildren (all age eight and under). Their frequent visits eliminate any fear of an empty nest! Her vibrant Catholic faith colors every aspect of her life. She also sings in the church choir with her husband and daughter. Other interests include politics, as they relate to ‘Life’, and Church liturgy as well as photography, cooking, and gardening. She can also be found on her personal blog, Designs By Birgit