Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Well, 2006 is coming to a close and the Arroyo Family have had a wonderful, blessed year thus far. From Rainee coming over and making Reindeer cookies with Grandpa (pictures of this are in the web album which is clickable below) to the new puppy for Grandma, it has been a fun holiday season.

Paul and his family experienced tragedy this year and our prayers are with him, Jonathon, his girlfriend and family.

J. is halfway through the year at All Saints. I have to say a huge THANK YOU to the parents and kids at All Saints. I am humbled by the well wishes and Christmas giving of the parents. That is not the reason that I just LOVE teaching but it makes me feel so Blessed to be there. Thanks to all the kids, the parents, my co-workers, for all of their blessings!

Joe Cummins went into the hospital a few weeks ago and it looked so bleak but he is back home now. At 95, Joe continues to hold onto life and continues to bless us with his presence. Linda works for Joe and, over the years, it has become much more than a 'job' but has become a investment of her heart.

The Arroyo Family

A Christmas Puppy for Linda

Frances, Landon and J. gave Linda an early Christmas gift, "Baron"! Merry Christmas to Linda and our new addition to the Arroyo Family!

All Saints Guadalupe Pilgrimage

Our Lady of Guadalupe

All Saints 7th and 8th Grade's participated in a pilgrimage to St. Thomas More Catholic Church and the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Tulsa on December 12th. This was my first ambitious field trip and over 50 people participated. Eight wonderful parents and two teachers helped make this pilgrimage a resounding success. Special thanks to Deacon Jose' Perez and Father Carl K from St. Thomas More for the celebration of the Eucharist and presentation about St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Knights of Columbus continue campaign to ‘Keep Christ in Christmas'

New Haven, Dec. 08, 2006 (CNA) - The Knights of Columbus have continued with their North American media campaign to “Keep Christ in Christmas”.

Public service announcements (PSAs) in English and Spanish will air on television and radio, encouraging people to remember the real religious significance of the Christmas season and to celebrate it in various meaningful ways, including by helping the less fortunate.

"In the midst of an increasingly materialistic and secular society, it is all too easy to lose sight of what Christmas really means. We give gifts to each other because it is the day on which we celebrate the ultimate gift: the Christ child, the savior of mankind," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. "Even those who do not share the Christian faith can and do appreciate the message of peace and hope that this Christian holiday – holy day – brings to the world."

The Knights have been producing the PSAs since the 1980s. The radio and TV spots can be accessed at www.kofc.org

Last year, the PSAs reached more than 43 million television viewers and 37 million radio listeners. Hundreds of billboards with the same message were also posted around the country.

This month the Knights kicked off the Christmas season with the "Light up for Christ" program. Councils were encouraged to hold a Christmas tree or Nativity scene lighting ceremony on the first Tuesday of December to commemorate Christ's birth.

Immaculate Conception

The Immaculate Conception is a Catholic dogma that asserts that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved by God from the stain of original sin at the time of her own conception. Specifically, the dogma says she was not afflicted by the lack of sanctifying grace that afflicts humankind, but was instead filled with grace by God, and furthermore lived a life completely free from sin. It is commonly confused with the doctrine of the incarnation and virgin birth, though the two deal with separate subjects. According to the dogma, Mary was conceived by normal biological means, but her soul was acted upon by God (kept "immaculate") at the time of her conception.

The Immaculate Conception was solemnly defined as a dogma by Pope Pius IX in his constitution Ineffabilis Deus, published December 8, 1854 (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception), and consecrated by Pope Pius XII in 1942.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary had been established in 1476 by Pope Sixtus IV who stopped short of defining the doctrine as a dogma of the Catholic Faith, thus giving Catholics freedom to believe in this or not; this freedom had been reiterated by the Council of Trent. The existence of the feast was a strong indication of the Church´s belief in the Immaculate Conception, even before its 19th century definition as a dogma.

The Catholic Church believes the dogma is supported by scripture (e.g. her being greeted by Angel Gabriel as "full of Grace"), as well as either directly or indirectly by the writings of many of the Church Fathers, and often calls Mary the Blessed Virgin ( Luke 1:48). Catholic theology maintains that since Jesus became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, she needed to be completely free of sin to bear the Son of God, and that Mary is "redeemed 'by the grace of Christ' but in a more perfect manner than other human beings" (Ott, Fund., Bk 3, Pt. 3, Ch. 2, §3.1.e).

In the Catholic Church, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December is generally a Holy Day of Obligation, and a public holiday in countries where Catholicism is predominant. Prior to the spread of this doctrine, December 8 was celebrated as the Conception of Mary, since September 8 is the Feast of the Nativity of Mary.

Click here for more on the Immaculate Conception...

Volleyball Awards

Volleyball Awards

The Volleyball Awards were last night and the pictures are available through the link above. I was priviledged to be the coach for the 6th and 7th grade boys and look forward to next season!

Let it Snow....

Well, the weather outside was frightful...

School was out this past week, Thursday and Friday saw first sleet then snow cover the ground with upwards of 10 inches of snow. I know, those that are not from Oklahoma would say, "So?" but, here , that is alot of snow!

Wednesday morning was over 70 degrees and I was wondering what the real reason that I brought my coat was. Then I found out as the temperature dropped more than 40 degrees in less than 24 hours!

Snowing, 2006

Click the link above to see more pictures of the fun in the snow!

Thanksgiving

From Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! More pictures from this holiday feasting to come! CLick on the picture below to see pictures from both of our Thanksgiving celebrations.

Thanksgiving

New pro-abortion Congress Will Try to Ratify Dangerous UN Treaty….

The following message is from the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute:
================
SIGN THE PETITION TO STOP RADICAL UN TREATY

New pro-abortion Congress Will Try to Ratify Dangerous UN Treaty….

Pro-abortion Catholics to lead the fight…

Your help needed right now…
November 29, 2006

Dear Friday Fax Reader,

There is a real and immediate danger that a radical UN treaty may be forced through the US Senate. The treaty is called CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women).

If ratified by the United States government, Roe V. Wade MIGHT NEVER BE OVERTURNED. Why? Because the CEDAW Committee at the UN has determined that abortion on demand is a part of the treaty and therefore binding on states that ratify it.

Here is the further problem. With the impending change in Senate leadership, pro-abortion Democrats will soon be running the Senate Committee that has the power to send CEDAW to the Senate floor for ratification. And the pro-abortionists now hold power in the Senate…..

Pro-abortion Catholic Joseph Biden of Delaware is chair of that committee. Sitting with him on the committee is radical pro-abortion Catholic John Kerry. Sitting with them is the equally pro-abortion Senator Diane Feinstein.

As a Friday Fax reader you know about the CEDAW Treaty. What you also know from reading the Friday Fax is that this innocuous sounding treaty has been used by UN radicals to force pro-life countries to change their laws on abortion. It has been used to coerce governments from listening to religious leaders.

The CEDAW Committee has…

…directed Ireland to legalize abortion…
…directed China to legalize prostitution…
…directed Krygystan to legalize lesbiansism…
…directed Belarus to cancel Mother's Day…
(because it "perpetuates" a negative cultural stereotype)
…criticized Ireland for allowing the Catholic Church to great a voice in public policy…

Almost alone the US has stood firm against ratifying this crazy treaty…but now I am worried….

I HAVE RECEIVED WORD THAT PRO-ABORTION FORCES ARE ABOUT TO LAUNCH A WAR-LIKE PUSH TO RATIFY CEDAW IN THE US SENATE….

The coming weeks are absolutely crucial to putting a stop to this treaty and so I come to you for help.

As you know the Friday Fax has been a beacon of learning and of hope for thousands and thousands of social conservatives all over the world but especially in the United States. The Friday Fax is the only weekly source of pro-life and pro-family news coming out of the UN.

The Friday Fax has alerted the pro-life and pro-family world to literally dozens of impending crises at the UN and elsewhere. The Friday Fax has literally gathered hundreds of activists at UN conferences in New York and elsewhere.

Once more the Friday Fax is going to be a crucial warrior in this fight against ratification of CEDAW by the US Senate. The Friday Fax stands at the crucible of this fight.

Over the next few weeks I will outline our plan to fight back against CEDAW. To start, we are asking you to go immediately to www.c-fam.org/apetition.htm and sign the "Petition to Stop CEDAW". While you are there I urge you to also make a much needed contribution to this campaign and to support the Friday Fax.

I fully expect that in the coming few weeks we will garner upwards of 50,000 signatures that we will HAND DELIVER to the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Yes, we will march across town, knock on their doors and hand the petitions to them.

While you are signing the petition I also humbly ask you to donate to this "Friday Fax Campaign to Stop CEDAW." You can sign the petition at www.c-fam.org/apetition.htm and right there is a menu button which will take you to our secure donations server!

In order to fight CEDAW we have an immediate need of $150,000. And we need it in the next 37 days (and counting)! We began this campaign last week and have raised $35,000, a very nice start.

I know $150,000 sounds like a lot but is it really that much when we are talking about defending the sovereignty of the United States and defending the defenseless unborn from pro-abortion radicals at the UN?

I urge you to go to www.c-fam.org/apetition.htm, SIGN THE PETITION and give as much as you can to help the Friday Fax stop CEDAW.

Remember, that the US stands almost alone in not ratifying CEDAW. The US remains a beacon to all those countries who want to change their minds on CEDAW. We have to give them hope by making sure the US NEVER SIGNS OR RATIFIES THIS RADICAL TREATY.

Can you make a sacrificial gift of $1000 to keep the Friday Fax fighting for the unborn and for the family? What about $500? Or even $100. Send whatever sacrificial gift you can afford!

Go to www.c-fam.org/donations.htm right now and give. There are four ways to give.

1. Credit card, by using our SECURE CREDIT CARD SERVER.
2. Calling 1-866-353-2326
3. Mailing your donation to:
C-FAM/Friday Fax
1413 K Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington DC 20005
4. Sending a donation by wire transfer

All of these methods of helping us are explained at www.c-fam.org/donations.htm

Go there now and give us as much as you can. With your help we can use the Friday Fax to stop CEDAW and to protect the unborn.

Yours sincerely,

Austin Ruse
President, C-FAM
Editor, Friday Fax

PS If we do not stop CEDAW no one will. Help us stop this radical treaty aimed like an arrow right at the heart of unborn babies. Go to www.c-fam.org/donations.htm and give now.

PPS And it does not matter if you are not American; these Democrats always make a big deal about how the US must pay attention to global opinion. Well, give it to them!!!

SEND THIS LETTER TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY….
===========================
End of email alert

Raising Children of Character: 10 Principles THOMAS LICKONA

Parenting is arguably the hardest job there is and the one for which we get no training. Here are ten principles of parenting that can guide us in the demanding work of raising children of character.

Raising a civilized child takes 20 years of constant teaching and another 10 of review.
- Judith Martin (Miss Manners)

1. Make Character Development a High Priority

One of my college students, reflecting on her character development, wrote: “I was an only child, and my parents let me have my own way most of the time. I know they wanted to show how much they loved me, but I have struggled with selfishness my whole life.”
We need to view our children as adults-in-the-making. What kind of character do we want them to possess as grown men and women? Will they be generous and responsible adults? Will they make loving husbands and wives, and capable mothers and fathers? How is our approach to parenting likely to affect these outcomes?

2. Be an Authoritative Parent

Parents must have a strong sense of their moral authority — their right to be respected and obeyed. Psychologist Diana Baumrind's research has identified three styles of parenting: authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive. Authoritarian parents use a lot of commands and threats but little reasoning. Permissive parents are high on affection but low on authority. By contrast, authoritative parents are high on authority, reasoning, fairness, and love. The authoritative parent "explains reasons behind demands, encourages give and take, and sets standards and enforces them firmly but does not regard self as infallible." Baumrind finds that at all age levels, the most self-confident and socially responsible children have authoritative parents.
To establish an authoritative parenting style, we should have a zero tolerance policy for disrespectful speech and behavior. When kids engage in disrespectful back-talk, they need immediate corrective feedback (“What is your tone of voice?”, “You are not allowed to speak to me in that way, even if you’re upset.”). Allowing our children to speak to us disrespectfully will quickly erode their respect for our moral authority, our rules, our example, and our teaching.

3. Love Children

When kids feel loved, they become attached to us. That attachment makes them receptive to our guidance.
One-on-one time. We need emotionally intimate time to keep any relationship strong and growing. To protect one-on- one time with our children, we should plan it. I know a school superintendent, a father of four, who can show you in his appointment book which child he’ll be spending the coming Saturday afternoon with. “If I didn’t schedule that time,” he says, “it wouldn’t happen.”
Love as communication. Good communication doesn’t happen automatically. We often need to do something deliberate to bring about a meaningful exchange of thoughts and experiences. When our older son Mark was 13, I became frustrated with the fact that our exchanges typically consisted of my asking questions and his giving monosyllabic answers. (“How was school?” “Fine.” “How’d the game go?” “Great.”) One day, in exasperation, I said: “It would be great if you asked me a question.”
He said, “Okay, Dad, how are your courses going this semester?” It was the first time I ever talked to him about my teaching. After that, even if we had only five minutes in the car, we’d do “back-and-forth questions”: I’d ask him one (e.g., “What was the best part and the worst part of your day?”), he’d ask me one (often the same question), and so on. It became a family tradition.
Love as sacrifice. About a million children see their parents divorce each year. Marriages fail for many reasons, including violence, alcoholism, and infidelity. Researcher Judith Wallerstein's book, The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce (2000), documents the often lasting repercussions of family breakdown for both kids and adults. Given such evidence, both secular and religious marriage counselors are now urging married couples having problems to do everything possible to try to save their marriage.

Click here for the rest of this article

Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro

Miguel Pro is Michael's patron. Here is his story:

November 23, 2006

Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, S.J.

(1891-1927)
¡Viva Cristo Rey! (Long live Christ the King) were the last words Father Pro uttered before he was executed for being a Catholic priest and serving his flock.

Born into a prosperous, devout family in Guadalupe de Zacatecas, he entered the Jesuits in 1911 but three years later fled to Granada, Spain, because of religious persecution in Mexico. He was ordained in Belgium in 1925.

He immediately returned to Mexico, where he served a Church forced to go “underground.” He celebrated the Eucharist clandestinely and ministered the other sacraments to small groups of Catholics.

He and his brother Roberto were arrested on trumped-up charges of attempting to assassinate Mexico’s president. Roberto was spared but Miguel was sentenced to face a firing squad on November 23, 1927. His funeral became a public demonstration of faith. He was beatified in 1988.

Comment:

In 1927 when Father Miguel Pro was executed, no one could have predicted that 52 years later the bishop of Rome would visit Mexico, be welcomed by its president and celebrate open-air Masses before thousands of people. Pope John Paul II made additional trips to Mexico in 1990, 1993 and 1999. Those who outlawed the Catholic Church in Mexico did not count on the deeply rooted faith of its people and the willingness of many of them, like Miguel Pro, to die as martyrs.

Quote:

During his homily at the beatification Mass, Pope John Paul II said that Father Pro “is a new glory for the beloved Mexican nation, as well as for the Society of Jesus. His life of sacrificing and intrepid apostolate was always inspired by a tireless evangelizing effort. Neither suffering nor serious illness, neither the exhausting ministerial activity, frequently carried out in difficult and dangerous circumstances, could stifle the radiating and contagious joy which he brought to his life for Christ and which nothing could take away (see John 16:22). Indeed, the deepest root of self-sacrificing surrender for the lowly was his passionate love for Jesus Christ and his ardent desire to be conformed to him, even unto death.”

• I visited his grave before his body was moved when he was beatified in Mexico City. It was a moving experience, a small tomb with a chapel only inches from his body. I could feel the presence of holiness in this small room.
  
• Today, as I go through this story to my classes, I am continually brought back to the numerous lessons of Blessed Miguel. He teaches us to go beyond our pain, find joy in our blessings, to rejoice in the suffering that is placed upon us as we live for Christ.

Saint of the Day content provided by AmericanCatholic.org

Here is more of his story from his postulator:

Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro
Jesuit Priest and Christ's Witness Unto Death

On 31 July 1926, a law persecuting the Church came into force
in Mexico. It had been promulgated on the 14th of June by President
Plutarco Elias Calles.

On 27 October 1926, the same President of the Republic enacted a new
set of regulations governing Article 130 of the Federal Constitution.
These governing regulations further specified and rendered even more
intolerant the provisions contained in the aforementioned document:

"The purpose of the present initiative is precisely to make up for these deficiencies and to realize the goals of the Constitution in the area of public cult and external discipline.

To this effect, the various articles of the bill submitted for your
examination sanction punishments against those who do not observe the
prohibitions contained in the said Article 30, as well as against those
who do not fulfill the norms it prescribes."

With these words were introduced the specific regulations which
violated not only the Church's right to worship, but also the inviolable
right of every person to live his or her faith.

With these laws and regulations commenced the deplorable development
which constitutes a sad page in the story of Mexico in our century and
yet, at the same time, a glorious page in the story of Christianity. As is
well-known, these very governing regulations eventually led to the violent death of many Catholics. Faithful to Christ, those men and women deliberately ignored an unjust law and continued to live and practice
their faith clandestinely in difficult situations, hunted as they were by
the police and deprived of a fundamental right of every person -- their
religious liberty.

Among the thousands of persons who paid with their very lives for their
devotion to the Lord and the Church was a Jesuit priest, Miguel Agustín
Pro. On 23 November 1927, without benefit of a trial, he was executed by a firing squad for the simple reason that he was a zealous and actively
committed priest and, as such, hated by the government. As early as
October 1926, a warrant of arrest had been issued against him for being a "religious propagandist." Consequently, he was being sought by the police.

His spirit and his priestly activity constituted a challenge to the
government and the regulations which it had issued.

A passage from Sacred Scripture taken from the Book of Wisdom seems to sum up the events which led to the killing of Father Pro as well as what characterized him:

The wicked said:
"Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
he sets himself against our doings;
reproaches us for transgressions for the law and charges us with violations of our training.
Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
For if the just one be the son of God,
he will defend him and deliver him from the hands of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put him to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words,
God will take care of him."
(Wisdom 2: 12, 17 - 20)

It is not our intention here to describe the life and activity of Father Pro in detail, nor to enter into the particulars of his death. Our purpose is to highlight the chief features of his rich personality and give prominence to the spirit which animated him and led him to martyrdom.

However, even this is not an easy task, especially when we keep in mind what a great sense of humor he had, an expression of his candid and cheerful personality. The jokes he played, even during the years of formation he spent as a Jesuit, were proverbial. It is both fascinating
and amusing to observe his capacity for making fun even of the policemen who were looking for him and who had actually laid hands on him. We know what disguises he used to elude surveillance so he could exercise his priestly ministry. They have been amply recorded in photographs.

Hs personal gifts, the richness of his temperment, the purity of his heart and of his behavior enabled him to come into contact with people of every kind and to establish very warm relationships. The education he received in the family, his experiences with his father, a mining engineer, had refined his innate sense of goodness, of understanding and of closeness to the less fortunate. The special studies which he later did, especially when he was in Belgium, and the contacts he made with some French Jesuit Fathers, developed his sensitivity to social problems, of which he acquired a considerable knowledge and competence. the visits he made to the miners, especially in Charleroi, enabled him to see for himself more than once the miserable conditions of certain kinds of persons and sharpened in him the need to be near the suffering and exploited and to dedicate himself to their welfare.

On one occasion he had gone down with the workers into the mine tunnels and later, on returning to the surface, wanted to accompany them in the train on their way home. When the miners realized that they were in the presence of a priest, they remained silent until one of them, probably to intimidate him, asked him if he was aware that he was surrounded by socialists. Unruffled, Father Pro declared that he himself was a "socialist" and that his only worry was what they would do with the money of the rich once they had it in their hands. The worker did not know what to reply. To get himself out of trouble, he pointed out that there were also many communists among them. Father Pro reacted by saying that he himself was also a "communist."

"Look, it is one o'clock and you are eating. Well, I'm hungry too!! Will you not share your food with me?"

Bewildered by such composure, the worker looking questioningly at his
companions. Then, he turned once again to the Father and asked him: "Are you not afraid to enter our compartment?" Whereupon Father Pro announced in mock-heroic tone that he always traveled armed. While the workers looked sidelong at one another, even more stunned by the unusual behavior of such a priest, Father Pro pulled out a crucifix from his pocket, his "arms." Then he explained to them the love of Christ for the workers. At the first station one of them got off the train, bought a chocolate bar and shared it with him. Before taking their leave, everyone wanted to shake hands with him.

This is one of the many incidents in the life of this man who knew how
to use his sense of humor and ability to joke in order to establish a
friendly rapport which became the medium of a message of goodness and of love -- one that came straight from the depths of his priestly heart.

A Tireless Priest

Upon his return to Mexico in 1926, Father Pro started a varied and profoundly vigorous pastoral activity. Thanks to his own letters, we are able to appreciate not only the richness of his apostolic commitment, but also the light of an authentic priest of Christ that shines through it. His
writings, which date back to the time of his re-entry into Mexico, are a
mine of information. They put us in contact with Father Pro who occupies himself with lorry drivers and helps to rehabilitate poor young people who have been exploited into prostitution; a Father Pro who goes from house to house according to a pre-established timetable in order to bring Holy Communion to countless persons who have requested it; a Father Pro who gives spiritual direction to university students, professionals, workers, and who gives the Spiritual Exercises to persons desirous of
deepening their devotion to Christ at a time of persecution, and perhaps
seeking to know their vocation in life.

It is he himself who informs us of this many-sided and intense activity. His style is unmistakable. The freshness of language with which he describes the situations and the surroundings in which he works enables
us almost to see him in action:

Imagine fifty automobile drivers, hefty, of a type who sport the tejano cap, with a lock of hair sliding down the corner of the eyes,
and spitting prodigiously from the corner of the mouth.
Precious types, despite their rough and filthy manners.... To my great
surprise, I realized that coarse words flowed naturally from my lips.
And after so many years, I thought I had already forgotten them; it has been no less than 16 years since I left the mines; but, by golly! It is
though I had left them only yesterday.

Needless to stress the solemnity of this conference. I held it in a
spacious makeshift courtyard, dressed as a mechanic, with a beret pulled
down over my forehead and rubbing elbows with my sympathetic audience.

God bless the drivers of the world! Giving himself totally day and night to the exercise of his priestly ministry and of charitable activities towards countless needy persons, Father Pro never lost his cheerfulness and serenity.

But, he had to do everything with the utmost care and ingenuity,
resorting at times to amusing improvisations even at the expense of his
pursuers.

He was well aware that he was among the priests who were targets of the police:

The revolution is worsening. Reprisals will be terrible especially in Mexico City. The first to be arrested will be those who have had a hand in religious matters; and I... I have had mine up to the elbow!

Ah! to be among the first or among the last; in any case, to be among
their number! If this happens, send your petitions to heaven: There I
will be your best provider.

As we said, since October 1926 he had become an object of totally special surveillance and a warrant of arrest had been issued against him for being guilty of carrying on religious propaganda. The state of things became further aggravated in December when, on the occasion of a big feast day, the Catholics had taken the opportunity to send off 600 balloons which were to rain down leaflets on the city. As the colored pieces of paper poured down from the sky, the crowd cheered. Calles, who was also present at the festivities, showed himself pleasantly surprised by that spectacle. But when one of the leaflets was brought to him, and he saw the religious message, he flew into a rage and ordered the arrest of the culprits.

That same evening, a strict watch was set up around the house of the
Pro family. They suspected Humberto, but it was Father Miguel who ended up in the hands of the police. He himself has given us a report of what happened:

On 4 December, the day the balloons were launched, Bandala
came to search the house. He found nothing but gave orders to arrest
anyone who entered the house. Since I was the only one who entered, I had the honor of paying a visit to the elegant palace of Santiago
Tlaltelolco (the prison).

At seven in the evening, they led me between two rows of soldiers
along with six others who had been arrested like me on account of the
balloons. The lieutenant in charge who received us at Santiago first
read an official notice of the government which declared us prisoners,
and then added laughing: 'Tomorrow we shall have Mass.' I was afraid
they had guessed who I was. We eyed each other from head to foot to see who it could be and he specified: 'It is one called Miguel Agustín.' At
that point I remonstrated and asked for an explanation. Pointing to the
word Pro after my name, he asked what it meant. It is my family name, I answered. It is P-r-o and not P-b-r-o which is am abbreviation for
"presbitero" (Spanish for 'priest').

We spent the night under the stars because they had received orders
to make life difficult for us. Well, they laid out for us a large
mattress of cement and for pillows, the walls, and as blankets, the air
currents. All seven of us huddled together against each other because it
was really exceptionally cold. The next day they would have liked to
rouse us with buckets of water, but because we were not asleep, we
started to run at the first approach of the buckets amidst the hoots and
laughter of the soldiers.

Our purse contained the moderate sum of three pesos and 10 centavos,
enough to pay for a pot of boiled orange leaves without sugar, but for
us it seemed like nectar fallen from heaven, after the cold had made us
rigid as drumskins. At noon I left the prison.

This vivid, accurate, and humorous account written in his own handwriting is one of the many which have come down to us. They are occasional writings, written in great haste during the few free moments he had. They reveal the humorous side of his character, but at the same time his profound seriousness, his love for God and for men and women, as well as his awareness of the danger he was constantly running because of the courage with which he lived his priesthood.

Although he was set free, the police never again let him out of their
sight.

And yet his zeal urged him on. Fearlessly, he continued to exercise his
priestly ministry. The Pauline phrase Caritas Christi urget nos (2
Cor. 5, 14) describes Father Pro himself very well and reveals the force
which animated him:

The work has increased because as far as my strength allows,
I have taken charge of the Holy Family parish. Before things changed for the worse, I had my 'Communion Centers,' where I went every day to bring Holy Communion to between three and four hundred people. On the first Fridays of the month the number almost trebled and they increased every month: 900, 1300, 1500 communions.

It will be easy for you to imagine what this means for a poor parish
priest unaccustomed to hear confessions.

Very elegantly, I rode through the streets of God on my brother's
bicycle, because the drivers of Mexico are very cheeky. I have lost
track of my other ministries. Sick calls have been my favorite
occupation besides bringing Viaticum and giving Extreme Unction.
Baptisms and marriages galore, especially among the working class. I
mention in particular the baptism of two young girls of
twenty-five and twenty-eight who had foolishly received communion
several times before they had been baptized. Then there was the
conversion of some socialists and of a heretic, and very many First
Communions.

Appointed chief lecturer by the League, I organized 150 young men for
a lecturing campaign which at first had excellent results. but
subsequent arrests clipped our wings and brought down our elaborate
organization.

In the poor quarters, pushed about by the vortex of persons of my kind, I seemed to have found myself in my element. I talked, shouted, bellowed before that audience in shirt sleeves. Hundreds came to our conferences, braving the gendarmes and the policemen. Poor people! So much good can be done among them!

As the situation worsened, superiors considered it
wise to order him to go into hiding. During that time he wrote these
lines:

Confined now to a small room, without any view except the
neighbor's yard, I am prohibited from allowing myself to be seen often.
If you could send me books, I would be grateful to you.

In prayer and in silence he obeyed what was asked of him. As a good Jesuit he accepted the will of his Father Provincial and, as a good Jesuit, he did not hesitate to manifest to him all that he had in his heart. So from his hiding-place he continued:

Obedience is better than sacrifice, so I have not moved from
here.

I really do not want to complain or to blame anyone. But allow me to say this: The situation is very delicate, dangers surround us, and yet has not the good God said: 'Help yourself, that heaven may help you?'
The people are in dire need of spiritual help. Every day I hear of various persons dying without the sacraments. Priests are no longer ready to court danger; they have retreated out of fear or out of obedience. If I could do my little bit, I would certainly be exposing myself to danger if I were to do it as before; but to do it with discretion and moderation does not seem reckless to me. Father Carlos is much too afraid; between two solutions he infallibly chooses the more
pessimistic one. It seems to me that between recklessness and fear there is a third choice, just as between excessive prudence and audacity.


I have presented all these reasons to Father Carlos; he fears for my life! But what is my life anyway? To list it for my brothers and sisters: Is that not perhaps equal to saving it? Of course I should not lose it foolishly. but when the sons of Loyola have to fight, are they to turn their backs at the first gunshot? I speak, of course, in general because there are those who will be of great use tomorrow, and it is wise to watch with care over their lives. But a character like me!


What motivates me, Father, is not a desire that comes from a false sense of humility for from an air of courage. On the one hand I am convinced before God of my uselessness and of my little value, and on the other hand I know that I can be useful to a large number of persons, both priests and lay people, if I remain among them these days, when these poor brethren have so much need of the help of the Church.

The most that those fellows can do to me is kill me; but this
will not happen except on the day and the hour that the good God chooses.

Besides it seems that the persecution will last for quite a while, and there are few, very few pastors who are taking care of the flock of Christ....



Well do I know that I am doing more for the Church by remaining buried, out of obedience, in a poor room, than if I were to keep myself out of the fray of my own free will. But I also know that it is not disobedience to ask my superiors permission to do something, when I can do it without exposing myself top danger.

The Father Provincial was so impressed by this letter
that he gave him permission to resume his activity, but with the advice that he do so with utmost prudence. Father Pro took up his apostolic labors again with great enthusiasm. Meanwhile, the situation worsened and he manifested this to Father Provincial in a letter dated 15 May 1927:

Here things are going pretty badly. One can't see the point
when the horizon will clear up. Without the direct intervention of God Our Lord, human means cannot remedy the evil. Blessed is he who thus disposes things and gives us the grace to live this life, which is no longer a life! The lack of priests is serious. People die without the sacraments and the few priests who are left are not enough for the task.
Those who are left? O my! If each one would do his part, things would not go so badly; but not all are masters of their fear....


I observe the precautions which you suggested and nothing has happened to me. The alarms...remain on the level of alarm and they help me, spiritually and materially, to throw myself with confidence into the arms of a loving Providence of God our Father. When the danger has passed, we have the time of our life because the disguised life we lead is that of a perfect comedian.

With regard to ministries, I am kept busy especially with confessions and preparations for death. I wish I could multiply myself a hundred times so I could be present to everyone. God will accept my goodwill.

I commend myself in a most special way to your prayers. The dangers among which we live are terrible. Terrible if we look at them with the eyes of the body, but not so if we look at them with the eyes of the soul.

These excerpts from his writings need no comment.
They are enough to help us capture and appreciate the personality of
Father Pro and his spirit. So inspired, he continued on his way, following
with passionate love his Lord to whom he had given his life in the Society
of Jesus.

"He told me to desire physical and moral martyrdom,"
testified a confidant of his, Father Alfredo Méndez Medina, "and when I asked him what he meant by a moral martyrdom, he replied that he wanted to die dishonored like Christ."

The idea which St. Ignatius proposes to those who want to follow Christ in the Society of Jesus is that to which Father Pro sincerely aspired. It was in these terms that the founder of the Order expressed himself:

So those who are progressing in the spiritual life and truly
following Christ our Lord love and intensely desire.... to clothe
themselves with the same clothing and uniform of their Lord.... ready to
accept and suffer with patience, through the help of God's grace, any
such injuries, mockeries, and affronts entailed by the wearing of this
uniform of Christ our Lord.

All of this was to become reality in the life of the Jesuit, Miguel Agustín Pro.

Arrest and Martyrdom

An assassination attempt against General Obregon became the occasion for following a trail that led to the arrest of Pro and his brothers Humberto and Roberto. From their arrest, they were brought to the cells in the basement of the Detective Inspector's Office in Mexico City. The
proceedings of their investigation that were written there reveal without
any ambiguity that the Pro brothers were innocent and that they had
absolutely nothing to do with the attempt, either with its actual
execution or its conception and planning.

Then, after the proposal to have a formal trial was rejected, came the
order to have the priest shot and, together with him, his brother
Humberto.

Till the very last moment, Pro and his brothers were convinced that
within a short time they would be set free, such was their confident
innocence. But the unyielding fury against the Church, and especially
against this exemplary priest of hers, brought him to that ignominious
death with which the authorities sought, vainly, to place on him the
infamy of the attempt of which he was entirely innocent and even
completely ignorant.

There is no way more eloquent to summarize what happened in those last moments of his life than to go back to what Roberto Pro had solemnly given as sworn evidence. He was released after he had shared those days in prison with his brother Miguel and Humberto, and was present at the last moments of their lives. And so we have a first class testimony which also enables us to further appreciate the mind and heart of Father Pro:


I saw my brother Miguel when they brought him out to shoot
him, and this is how...., but so you may understand my narrative, let me
go back to the day before he was shot. On 22 November 1927 my brother Miguel made his last deposition towards 7 or 8 p. m. I remember him
saying more or less these words to me: 'Now I think they have finished
with our depositions. I suppose they will appoint a competent tribunal
and turn us over to it. The Lord will provide. From that it seemed clear
what his impression was at the end of the depositions, but the
impression was altered when we both noticed the unusual movements of the troops and of the guards assigned to us. Our guard was changed every half hour from around 9 p.m. of the 22nd. The first thing we both did without communicating the fear which we felt, was to recite the rosary.
After that we remained silent, because neither one of us dared to
communicate to the other what he was thinking. But something happened to stir us form our silence. Towards 11 p.m. or midnight, Generals Roberto Cruz and Palomera Lopez came down to the basement of the police office. The latter was an immoral and bloody man; he had turned into an executioner of Catholics and of anyone who opposed the plans of the government. They were accompanied by various colonels whose names I do not know, but I know that they were the adjutants or seconds of the said generals. Moreover, there were various photographers. I don't know whether they were official or belonged to the newspapers. The two
generals commanded my brothers Miguel and Humberto, Engineer Luis Segura Vilchis, Juan Tirado and myself to come out to the corridor of the
basement. When all five of us were lined up, General Cruz, accompanied
by General Lopez, identified each one of us by name so that General
Palomera Lopez could inspect us closely from head to foot without saying
a word. Immediately thereafter, he ordered the photographers present to take a picture of each of us. Those were the photographs which were
published in the newspapers of Mexico. They are the ones where the three of us brothers are wearing sweaters. The inspection over, orders were given that no one was to speak with anyone. For this reason the guards were changed for the evident fear they had that we might subvert our guards. Next them made us return to the basement where we had come from, without saying one word to us. Back in the basement, Miguel and I could not hide the great uneasiness and fear which the visit of Palomera Lopez and companions left in us. I remember Miguel saying to me: 'Now things are really getting serious. Who knows what these gentlemen want to do. I am afraid they are up to no good. Let us ask God for resignation and strength for what He has in store for us and let us resign ourselves to what will happen.' I remember that afterwards we prayed again. I made my confession to Miguel and he gave me absolution. We passed a rather uneasy night, what with the sound of arms, the voices giving orders and, above all, the frame of mind we were in. The next morning, more or less towards six, Miguel who woke up with a severe headache, took an aspirin tablet or something equivalent, and I remember that he said more or less these words to me: 'I don't know how to explain it, but I feel that today something is going to happen to us. Let us ask for His grace.' After praying, we set to playing as cheerfully as we possibly could by performing juggling feats to keep ourselves warm. I do not recall if we had breakfast or not. But I definitely recall that towards 9:30 a.m. we heard the squeals of clarions, troop movements and general commotion all over the police headquarters. At 10:20 a.m., the chief of agents, Mazcorro by name, appeared and with a commanding voice that we all could hear, called Engineer Luis Segura Vilchis. Eight or ten minutes afterwards, we heard a volley of rifle shots and a few seconds after, a single shot. For or five minutes passed before Mazcorro came again. With the same commanding voice he called my brother Miguel who was with me in the basement. As I said, he did not have his coat on. Mazcorro told him to put it on and as he was putting it on, he took and shook my hands and then left accompanied by Mazcorro. I went to a small window which was blocked by tables and faced the courtyard of the headquarters. I saw Miguel pass escorted by Mazcorro, an official, and some soldiers. I could not see anything after that. I only heard another loud volley of rifle-shots, as before, and a moment after, a single shot. This was the way he received the notice of execution which had not even been communicated to him. I want to declare that I cannot state for sure what Miguel's impression was when he heard the volley that killed Engineer Luis Segura Vilchis because all these things happened one after another in a few minutes. They were terrible minutes for me and I do not want to risk reporting a fact of which I am not completely sure. I said that I saw him go out, and his step was natural and serene as usual.

What Roberto Pro did not see and was not included in his
account is supplied for us in the deposition made by Jose de Jesús
Olivares, a Mexican priest who was himself detained in the basement of the Detective Inspector's Office. He was able to follow the movements of
persons in the very courtyard where Father Pro was shot.

On 23 November, I saw from a window of my cell that soldiers had arrived in the courtyard of the Inspector's Office. They were personnel of the Office and other persons who were to witness the execution.

Towards 10:30 a.m., I saw Father Pro arrive in the same courtyard. He was escorted by four soldiers who let him up to the place of execution. Then I saw the commanding officer of the firing-squad approach Father Pro to ask him a question which I could not hear because of the distance from where I was, but from the gestures I gathered that Father Pro asked
for a few moments to recollect himself in prayer. Then he knelt down, took out a rosary from his pocket and a crucifix which he kissed. He remained in prayer for some time, raising his eyes to heaven. Shortly after, he stood up and turning to the firing-squad, he once more kissed the crucifix which he had in his right hand while in his left he held the rosary. Then he stretched his arms in the form of a cross, and giving a nod he got ready to receive the volley of shots.

Not very long before these tragic events, a friend of Father Miguel Pro, Engineer Jorge Nuñez Prida, had asked him "what he would do if he were condemned to death." His reply was this:

I would ask for three things: that I may be permitted

1. to kneel down to make an act of contrition;
2. to put my arms in the form of a cross to receive the shots;
3. to shout: 'Long Live Christ the King!'
   

All this happened. Miguel Agustín Pro ended his life with the name of Christ the King on his lips. His life was completely dedicated to the good of men and women because it was animated by the spirit of Christ.

No wonder, then, that the present Superior General of the Society of
Jesus, Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, following the example of his
predecessors and particularly of the one who was superior general at the
time of his martyrdom of Father Pro, wrote a letter to all Jesuits,
holding up this fellow Jesuit as a model worthy of imitation. Focusing on
the special attributes, he wrote:


The tireless activity of Father Pro had attracted the attention of the authorities. It was strictly priestly activity and in no way political, but the law at that time considered it illegal. Even in his youth, along with his father, a mining engineer, Miguel learned something of the conditions in which the poor miners lived and he devoted himself to their service. This had a considerable influence on him and consequently on his vocation. To be a priest of Christ in order to be close to those suffering and in need; to spread the Kingdom of charity without neglecting that of justice. It was this priestly spirit and this 'social solicitude' of the Church that were the target of the execution squad when Father Pro was shot, with his arms spread open in the form of a cross and his lips repeating, 'Long Live Christ the King!'

In this article which we have based principally on the writings of Father Pro himself, we have tried to bring into relief the characteristic traits of his personality and spirit. Yet we would not be doing him justice if we omitted to mention the prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows which he wrote ten days before his death, when he instinctively sensed what was going to happen:

Let me live beside you, my Mother,
to keep you company in your
solitude and your deepest grief!
Let me feel again in my soul
the sadness of your eyes and the abandonment of your heart!
On the road of my life I do not want
to taste the joy of Bethlehem, adoring
the infant Jesus in your virginal arms.
I do not want to enjoy the dear
presence of Jesus Christ
in your humble house of Nazareth.
Nor do I wish to unite myself
with the choir of angels
in your glorious Assumption!
In my life I want the jeers and the derision of Calvary;
I want the slow agony of your Son,
the contempt, the ignominy, the infamy of the Cross.
My wish, O Sorrowful Virgin, is to stand beside you,
to strengthen my spirit through your tears,
to consume my sacrifice through your martyrdom,
to sustain my heart with your solitude,
to love my God and your God
through the immolation of my whole being.


---

Translator's Note: Miguel Agustín Pro was beatified by Pope John Paul II at the Piazza San Pietro on Sunday morning, 25 September 1988.


---

This text, originally titled Il Beato Michele Agostino Pro, Martire della Fede and published in La Civiltà Cattolica, 1988, IV, 128-140, was written by Paolo Molinari, S.J. and translated by José María Fuentes, S.J. for the Center for Ignatian Spirituality, Manila Philippines. This text has been graciously provided for electronic use by the Jesuit Office of Vocations, Loyola House of Studies, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Manila, Philippines.


---

JOB PERFORMANCE FOR JESUS

In the work-world, it is customary to conduct evaluations of personnel and projects. The following ten-point checklist will help you evaluate your work for Jesus at your place of employment.

1. Do I consider my job performance for Jesus a high priority?
   Most people work forty-plus hours a week. If we're not serving Him on the job, we're not living the Christian life. Even those who are not employed in a salaried position must work full-time for the Lord (2 Th 3:10).
2. What am I working for?
   We should be working to permeate, social, political, and economic realities with the Gospel of Jesus (Catechism, 898). We are working for the Holy Spirit Who will help us discover and invent the ways of permeating our culture with the Gospel.
   If we're working for perishable food, we're in slavery (Jn 6:27). Even though we may receive salaries and benefits, we should work in thanksgiving, love and obedience to the Lord. If you inherited a million dollars today, would you go to work anyway? The answer should be "yes." We shouldn't work for the money but for the Master.
3. Do I have a prayer list of co-workers that I intercede for daily?
   Little good happens in this world except by prayer. The Lord has assigned us certain people to lift up in prayer (see Jn 17:9). Are you doing your assignment? Do you have a prayer-partner at work? Do you remember to pray for workers in the Third and Fourth Worlds and in Communist countries?
4. Have I led a co-worker to Jesus in the last month? Have I even tried?
   We are Jesus' witnesses (Acts 1:8) and should not be ashamed of the gospel (Rm 1:16). Each person must make his or her own decision for Christ, but we must give them the invitation. The Holy Spirit will empower us to witness for Jesus.
5. Do I take advantage of opportunities to minister to co-workers?
   We must use our spiritual gifts to serve, heal, teach, encourage, and counsel co-workers on and off the job. "Make the most of the present opportunity" (Eph 5:16).
6. Am I willing to suffer on the job?
   We should expect to be persecuted (2 Tm 3:12) and to take up the daily cross of self-sacrifice (Lk 9:23). This is redemptive suffering, which will have a powerful effect in changing the lives of co-workers.
7. Is my work of the highest quality?
   Since we work for the Lord, we work harder and have the highest possible standards (Col 3:23). Because our work is a sacrifice to the Lord (Heb 13:16), it must be unblemished (see Lv 1:3).
8. Are my relationships with co-workers and especially with my boss characterized by Christian love? (1 Cor 13:1-3)
   They'll know we are Christians by our love (Jn 13:35). Especially our relationships with our bosses (even unreasonable ones) are to give glory to God (1 Pt 2:18-19; Eph 6:5; Ti 2:9-10).
9. Would I quit my job if God told me to do so? Would I stay on the job against my will in obedience to God's will?
   Sometimes, like Peter, we are called to "leave our nets" (Mt 4:20). At other times, we must stick it out. The main objective is to do God's will. The use of our spiritual gifts will move us in or out of a job. We should act in faith. Does it take deeper faith to leave or to stay on your job?
10. Do I keep holy the Lord's Day? (see Ex 20:8)
    The Lord's Day is made for our benefit (Mk 2:27). Sunday is our day of rest and resurrection. It will make the difference between our work becoming the slavery of sin or the creativity of paradise (Gn 2:2-3). It is our "declaration of independence."

Nihil obstat: Rev. Ralph J. Lawrence, May 2, 2002Imprimatur: † Most Rev. Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, on May 6, 2002.
The Nihil obstat and Imprimatur are a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free from doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil obstat and Imprimatur agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.
The cost of this publication is a donation. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit what amount He would have you contribute.
Copyright © 2006 Presentation Ministries3230 McHenry Cincinnati, Ohio 45211 Phone: (513) 662-5378 www.presentationministries.com

Keeping up

Well, many things have been going on lately. The Knights of Columbus 4th degree was present for the All Saints Day Mass at All Saints School on Nov. 1st. I was proud to don my regalia for the first time in almost 10 years for this event.

Last night, Nov. 9th, I was present for the Honor Guard for Deacon Jose' Perez' 25th Anniversary Mass at St. Thomas More Parish in Tulsa. It was a kind of "Homecoming". Maria Perez, his daughter was present. We went to St. Gregory's College together over 25 years ago! Alot of catching up to do!

On Wednesday, our Knights Council at St. Catherine's elected me Deputy Grand Knight. This is an honor for me to be entrusted with those duties. I enter into it prayerfully and hope that I can fulfill my fellow Knights' trust.

Volleyball season is finally over with last week's tournament at Monte Casino. The boys came home with the second place trophy. I am proud to have been their coach this year and look forward to next year!

A wonderful visit from Matthew and Chelsea

The Matthew Arroyo family, my son, his wife, Chelsea, daughter Amiya, and Matthew Jr., visited for dinner last night. I cannot say that I have had a more delightful time! Amiya was a blast, so full of energy and smiles! Matthew Jr. slept most of the time but was so beautiful.



Amiya loved playing with her daddy, Matt, and keeping him VERY busy!

All Saints Mass

The eighth grade led the Mass for All Saints Day with our celbrant, His Excellency, Bishop Edward, Msgr. Gaalaas, Fr. Dodd, and Fr. Valentine. It was a wonderful event, with all the kids celebrating with the Knights of Columbus providing a Color Guard for the first time.

I was honored to be a part of the Honor Guard and can't say that I have been more proud to be a Catholic man, a Knight of Columbus, or a teacher.

Knights of Columbus

HOLY FATHER'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR NOVEMBER

31-October-2006 -- Vatican Information Service

VATICAN CITY, OCT 31, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father's general prayer intention for November is: "That, everywhere in the world, an end be put to all forms of terrorism."

His mission intention is: "That through the effort of believers, together with the living forces of society, the new and old chains which prevent the development of the African continent may be broken."

Spanish Rosary

Just as an informational thing, I have a link to the Rosary in Spanish. This will come in handy for my students that will be praying the Rosary on December 12th, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Mary Foundation Rosary CD's

I thought that I would go ahead and copy this link off for those that visit this site. These are free cd's, you pay for shipping and handling of a nominal charge, up to $10 for 8 cd's.

http://www.catholicity.com/maryfoundation/rosarycd.html

Here is what they say on the web site:

The Every Day Rosary
Our version is a simple voice recording (only 17 minutes in length) and it exploded in popularity. Every year, year after year, it's the most popular recording we distribute (and our first available in both CD and audio tape format.).

This is because it's the "every day" rosary recording. There are no extra prayers or distracting music. It features normal, pleasant male and female voices at a normal pace--neither ponderous nor rushed. It's pretty much the best Rosary you can own for a daily commute in the car to work or on your way to pick up the kids at school. It's great for your kitchen or workshop. It makes the Family Rosary much easier for the little ones.

A Wonderful Gift

And it's a wonderful gift for teaching others to pray the Rosary. It also includes these excellent bonus features:

1. The Divine Mercy Chaplet
2. A treasury of traditional Catholic prayers
3. A short, wonderful History of the Rosary

So be sure to not only order a free copy for yourself and your family, but ask for extras to give to your friends, your parish, and even your coworkers.

Volleyball Season

Well, Volleyball season is nearing a close. Tomorrow night is the last regular season game for the 6th and 7th Grade Boys. A roundup of the last three matches: won 2 matches and lost against San Miguel (1 game to 2). San Miguel was a nail-biter! The boys played hard and won the last game against a very tough opponent!

Tomorrow night, Thursday, we will play again and, hopefully, will tie our standings for the season. Our tournament at Bishop Kelly will begin bright and early with a match against Marquette. 8 am will be the first game and we will play throughout the day at Bishop Kelly. Wish us luck!

Thanks to the Pope, Now We're Talking

By David Warren
An extraordinary thing happened a week ago. Thirty-eight Muslim scholars and chief muftis, from across the Muslim world, jointly replied to the Pope's speech at Regensburg (and more have associated their names with this document, since). It was presented to the Vatican's envoy at Amman; the full text in English is available through the Islamica magazine website, the Catholic website, Chiesa, and elsewhere. I look through the list of signatories, and they are a "who's who" of the learned leaders of a faith that has always aspired to be led by its most learned.
One of the points the Pope has made, about the difficulty of engaging in dialogue with Islam, is to know who speaks authoritatively for it -- as, for instance, the Pope can speak for Catholic Christians. The document answers that question. In effect, the signatories reply, "Here we are." Here, for Muslims as well as Christians to read, is an authoritative contemporary statement by men who DO speak for Islam. Not for "moderate Islam", whatever that could mean, but for the living religion itself. And they speak in forthright contradiction of the welter of idiotic fatwas issuing from Afghan caves, the Sunni Triangle, and the North London Central Mosque.
Click Here to read the rest of this article

Pope's prayer intentions for October

Vatican, Oct. 02 (CWNews.com) -

The Vatican has announced the prayer intentions designated by Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) for the month of October.

The Holy Father's general prayer intention is:
"That all those who are baptized may mature in their faith and manifest it through clear, coherent, and courageous choices in life."

The Pope's mission intention is:
"That the celebration of World Missionary Day may everywhere increase the spirit of missionary animation and cooperation."

Five non-religious arguments for marriage over living together

Five non-religious arguments for marriage over living together: "Five non-religious arguments for marriage over living together
DENNIS PRAGER


There are enormous differences between being a 'husband' or a 'wife' and being a 'partner,' a 'friend' or a 'significant other'.

I have always believed that there is no comparing living together with marriage. There are enormous differences between being a 'husband' or a 'wife' and being a 'partner,' a 'friend' or a 'significant other'; between a legal commitment and a voluntary association; between standing before family and community to publicly announce one's commitment to another person on the one hand and simply living together on the other.

But attending the weddings of two of my three children this past summer made the differences far clearer and far more significant.

First, no matter what you think when living together, your relationship with your significant other changes the moment you marry. You have now made a commitment to each other as husband and wife in front of almost everyone significant in your life. You now see each other in a different and more serious light.

Second, words matter. They deeply affect us and others. Living with your 'boyfriend' is not the same as living with your 'husband.' And living with your 'girlfriend' or any other title you give her is not the same as making a home with your 'wife.' Likewise when you introduce that person as your wife or husband to people, you are making a far more important statement of that person's role in your life than you are with any other title.

Third, legality matters. Being legally bound to and responsible for another person matters. It is an announcement to him/her and to yourself that you take this relationship with the utmost seriousness. "

Fourth, to better appreciate just how important marriage is to the vast majority of people in your life, consider this: There is no event, no occasion, no moment in your life when so many of the people who matter to you will convene in one place as they will at your wedding. Not the birth of any of your children, not any milestone birthday you may celebrate, not your child's bar-mitzvah or confirmation. The only other time so many of those you care about and who care about you will gather in one place is at your funeral. But by then, unless you die young, nearly all those you love who are older than you will have already died.

So this is it. Your wedding will be the greatest gathering of loved ones in your life. There is a reason. It is the biggest moment of your life. No such event will ever happen if you do not have a wedding.

Please, click on the link here to finish this important article.

Matthew Dale Arroyo with Mom and Dad

Matthew Dale Arroyo with Mom and Dad
Originally uploaded by Arroyo Family.

This is a good picture of our new Grandson, Matthew Dale Arroyo. Welcome to the family, Matthew (is this the new "Matty D"?

Volleyball Game

My sincere apologies, I had the game at 8 pm last night on the calendar page. I will double check the listings for next month and make sure I have them correct. Sorry Gage, I know that you missed the game because of my error.

We did not win the match last night against Holland Hall 8th Grade Boys. Hey! 8th Grade boys! It was an awesome match and our 6th and 7th grade boys team gave NOTHING away free! They made the Holland Hall team work for their win! The last game was a nail biter!

J

Matthew Dale and Chelsea welcome Matthew Dale!

Born tonight, Sept 28th, Matthew Dale Arroyo!

All Saints vs. Monte Casino

Here are the scores from last night's (Sept 25th) games:

Game 1:
All Saints: 25
Monte Casino: 15

Game 2:
All Saints: 25
Monte Casino: 14

Game 3:
All Saints: 9
Monte Casino: 15

Match:
All Saints 2 games to 1

The Catholic apologist's scriptural cheat sheet

Last revised September 25th, 2001 by Christopher Wong (cwong@world.std.com)

Sola scriptura

Jn 21:25 ... not everything is in the Bible.
2 Thess 2:15; 2 Tim 2:2; 1 Cor 11:2; 1 Thess 2:13 ... Paul speaks of oral tradition.
Acts 2:42 ... early Christians followed apostolic tradition.
2 Pet 3:16 ... Bible hard to understand, get distorted.
2 Jn 1:12; 3 Jn 1:13-14 ... more oral tradition.
2 Pet 1:20-21 ... against personal interpretation.
Acts 8:30-31 ... guidance needed to interpret scriptures.
Heb 5:12 ... need to be taught.

Sola fide

Jas 2:14-26 ... what good is faith w/o works?
Heb 10:26-27, Rom 8:12-13 ... must avoid sin.
Jas 5:20 ... "earning" forgiveness.
Lk 6:46-49; Mt 7:21; Mt 19:16-21; Jn 5:28-29 ... must do will of God.
1 Cor 9:27 ... "buffet my body"
Phil 2:12; 2 Cor 5:10; Rom 2:6-13; Mt 25:32-46; Gal 6:6-10; Rev 20:12; 1 Pet 1:14-17 ... works have merit.
1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:24; 1 Jn 5:3 ... keep commandments.
Intellectual assent (1 Th 2:13), confidence in promise (Rom 4:2-3, Gen 15:5-6), obedience (Rom 1:5) and love (Gal 5:6) implied by faith.

Salvation (once and for all?)

1 Cor 9:27 ... after preaching ... I myself disqualified.
1 Cor 10:12 ... thinks that he stands ... lest he fall.
Phil 2:12 ... work out salvation with fear and trembling.
Heb 4:1 ... fear of failing to reach salvation.
1 Jn 5:16-17 ... some sins are mortal, some not.
Rom 11:21-22 ... spare branches, continue or be cut off.
Heb 6:4-8 ... believers can apostasize, be damned.
Heb 10:26-29 ... those sanctified who sin can still be damned.
2 Pet 2:20-21; 1 Cor 8:10-13; Gal 5:4 ... righteous can fall.

Deuterocanonicals

Deuterocanonicals were used in NT: 2 Mac 6:18-7:42 ... Heb 11:35; Wisdom 3:5-6 ... 1 Pet 1:6-7; Wisdom 13:1-9 ... Rom 1:18-32
Septuagint (Gk, w/ Deuterocanonicals) version of OT quoted in NT, noticably different from Hebrew version: Is 7:14 ... Mt 1:23; Is 40:3 ... Mt 3:3; Joel 2:30-31 ... Acts 2:19-20; Ps 95:7-9 ... Heb 3:7-9 etc.

Purgatory

Lk 12:58-59; 1 Cor 3:15; Mt 5:25-26 ... temporary agony.
Heb 12:6-11 ... God's painful discipline.
Mt 12:32 ... no forgiveness ... nor in the age to come.
1 Pet 3:18-20 ... might be purgatory (limbo?).
1 Pet 4:6 ... preached to the dead.
Rev 21:27 ... nothing unclean shall enter heaven.
Heb 12:23 ... souls in heaven are perfect.
Col 1:24; 2 Sam 12:13-14 ... "extra" suffering.
2 Mac 12:43-46 ... sacrifice for the dead. (not in Protestant Bibles)
2 Tim 1:15-18 ... prayer for Onesiphorus for "that Day."
1 Jn 5:14-17 ... mortal/venial sins

Eucharist

Mt 26:26-27; Mk 14:22-24; Lk 22:19-20; 1 Cor 11:24-25 ... this is my body ... this is my blood.
1 Cor 11:26-30 ... sinning against the body and blood.
Jn 6:32-58 ... long discourse on Eucharist.
Gen 14:18; Ps 110:4; Heb 7:1-17 ... Melchizedek.
Acts 2:42 ... breaking of bread.
Ps 14:4; Ps 53:4; Is 9:18-20; Is 49:26; Micah 3:2-3; Rev 17:6,16 ... symbolic interpretation of Jn 6 inappropriate.
Ex 12:8,46 ... paschal lamb has to be eaten.
Jn 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7 ... Jesus is lamb of God, paschal lamb.
Jn 4:31-34; Mt 16:5-12 ... Jesus speaks symbolically of food.

Baptism

Acts 2:38-39; Acts 16:15; Acts 16:33; Acts 18:8; 1 Cor 1:16 ... suggests baptism of all, incl. children.
Jn 3:5; Rom 6:4; Mk 16:16 ... necessity of baptism.
Col 2:11-12 ... circumcision (normally performed on infants c.f. Lk 2:21; Gen 17:12) replaced by baptism.
Acts 22:16 ... baptism removes sin.
1 Pet 3:21 ... baptism saves by water.

Forgiveness of sins

Jn 20:22-23 ... "if you forgive ... they are forgiven."
Mt 18:18 ... binding on earth and heaven.
2 Cor 5:18 ... ministry of reconciliation.
Jas 5:14-16 ... forgiveness of sins, anointing of the sick, confession.

Papacy/infallibility

Mt 16:18-19 ... Jesus gives Peter primacy: rock, keys, binding and loosing.
Is 22:22; Rev 1:18 ... keys as symbol of authority.
Jn 21:17 ... "feed my sheep"
Mt 10:1-4; Mk 3:16-19; Lk 6:14-16; Acts 1:13; Lk 9:32 ... Peter mentioned first, as foremost apostle.
Mt 18:21; Mk 8:29; Lk 12:41; Jn 6:68-69 ... Peter speaks for the apostles.
Acts 2:14-40 ... Pentecost: Peter who first preached.
Acts 3:6-7 ... Peter worked first healing.
Acts 10:46-48 ... Gentiles to be baptized revealed to Peter.
Jn 1:42 ... Simon is Cephas (Aramaic: Kepha for rock).
Lk 22:31-32 ... "Simon ... strengthen your brethren".
Lk 10:1-2,16; Jn 13:20; 2 Cor 5:20; Gal 4:14; Acts 5:1-5 ... "vicars" (substitutes) of Christ.
Mt 17:24-27 ... Peter, Jesus' representative, is exempt from temple tax.
Mk 6:20; Lk 1:70,2:23; Rom 12:1; Act 3:21, 1 Cor 7:14; Eph 3:5; Col 1:22 ... humans can be holy ("call no one holy").

The 'Brothers' of Jesus

Mary wife of Cleophas and "sister" of the Virgin Mary (Jn 19:25) is the mother of James and Joset (Mk 15:47; Mt 27:56) who are called the "brothers of Jesus" (Mk 6:3).
Acts 1:12-15 ... apostles, Mary, "some women" and Jesus' "brothers" number about 120. That is a lot of "brothers."
Gen 14:12-14 ... Lot, Abraham's nephew (Gen 11:26-28), described as Abraham's brother (KJV).
Gen 29:15 ... Laban, Jacob's uncle, calls Jacob his "brother" (KJV).
John 19:26-27 ... Jesus gives care of Mary to John, not one of his "brothers."
2 Sam 6:23, Gen 8:7, Dt 34:6(KJV) ... "until."
Jn 20:17-18 ... "go to my brethren/brothers": Mary goes to disciples.

Mary

Gen 5:24; Heb 11:5; 2 Kings 2:1-13 ... Enoch and Elijah taken to heaven.
Lk 1:28 ... annunciation.
Lk 1:42-48 ... blessed among women. All generations shall call her blessed.
2 Tim 4:8, Jas 1:12, 1 Pet 5:4, Rev 2:10 ... coronation awaits saints.
Jn 2:1-5 ... Mary's intercession.
Jn 19:26-27; Rev 12:17 ... suggests Mary's motherhood of all Christians.
1 Kings 2:19 ... queen mother, intercessor.

Saints

Mk 12:26-27 ... "not God of the dead, but of the living."
Jn 15:1-8 ... vine and its branches.
1 Cor 12:25-27; Rom 12:4-5 ... body of Christ.
Eph 6:18; Rom 15:30; Col 4:3; 2 Thess 1:11 ... intercessory prayer.
Jos 5:13-14; Dan 8:15-17; Tobit 12:15-16 ... veneration of angels united with God (Mt 18:10).
1 Cor 13:12; 1 John 3:2 ... saints also united with God.
Lk 20:34-38 ... those who died are like angels.
2 Mac 15:11-16 ... deceased Onias and Jeremiah interceded for Jews.
Rev 8:3-4; Jer 15:1 ... saints' intercession.
Is 14:9-10, 1 Sam 28:8-19, 1 Pet 3:19, Lk 16:19-31, Mt 17:3, Rev 5:8, Rev 7:9-10, Rev 6:9-10 ... those who have died are not in a coma.

Statues, images and relics

Ex 25:18-22, Ex 26:1,31; Num 21:8-9 ... God commands images made.
1 Kings 6:23-29, 35, 1 Kings 7:29 ... Solomon's temple: statues and images.
Acts 19:11-12 ... Paul's handkerchiefs and aprons.
2 Kg 13:20-21 ... Elisha's bones.
Acts 5:15-16 ... Peter's shadow.
Mt 9:20-22 ... Jesus' garment cures woman.

Church and authority

Acts 2:42 ... doctrine, community, sacred rite (bread).
Eph 5:25-26 ... Christ loved the Church.
1 Tim 3:15 ... church is pillar/foundation of truth.
Mt 16:18 ... Christ protects Church.
Heb 13:17 ... obey.
Mt 18:17-18 ... church as final authority.
Mt 23:2-3 ... Pharisees succeeded Moses (seat of Moses).
1 Cor 5:5; 1 Tim 1:20 ... excommunication.
Jn 17:21 ... that they may be one.
Jn 10:16 ... one flock, one shepherd.

Priesthood

Acts 1:15-26; 2 Tim 2:2; Tit 1:5 ...unbroken succession.
Acts 15:6,23; Acts 14:23; 1 Tim 4:14, 1 Tim 5:22; 2 Tim 1:6-7; 1 Tim 5:17; Jas 5:13-15 ... presbyters/elders (priests) were ordained, preached and taught the flock, administered sacraments.
Jn 8:56; Lk 16:24; Rom 4:1,16-18; 1 Cor 4:14-15; Acts 7:2; 1 Thess 2:11; 1 Jn 2:13-14; Judges 17:9-10; Judges 18:19; ... "call no one father"?
1 Cor 7:7-9 ... Paul unmarried.
Mt 19:12; 1 Cor 7:32-33, 1 Tim 4:11-12 ... celibacy.
Gen 14:18; Ps 110:4; Heb 7:1-17 ... Melchizedek.
1 Cor 12 ... different roles of members of body.

Worship

1 Kg 8:54; 2 Chr 6:13; Ezra 9:5; Mt 17:14; Lk 5:8 ... kneeling.
Rev 8:3-4; Lk 1:8-9; Ex 30:7-8 ... incense.
Col 2:16 ... don't condemn concerning sabbath.
Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2 ... Eucharist, collections on Sundays.
Rev 4:8, Mt 26:44 ... "vain repetition"?

Justification

1 Jn 1:7, 2 Pet 1:9 ... purified from sins.
Jn 1:29, Heb 9:26-28 ... takes away sin.
Acts 3:19; Ps 51:1-2, Ps 103:12, Is 43:25 ... blot out, clear away sin.
Tit 3:5-7 ... regeneration, renewal part of justification.
Rom 2:13, Rom 3:20 ... future justification.
Heb 11:8... Gen 12:1-4; Rom 4:2-3... Gen 15:5-6; Jas 2:21-23... Gen 22:1-18 ... justifications of Abraham.
2 Pet 1:4 ... become partakers of the divine nature.

Morality

Gen 38:9-10 ... Onanism.
Mal 2:14-16 ... God hates divorce.
1 Cor 7:10-11 ... don't divorce.
Mt 5:32-33; Mt 19:4-6,9; Mk 10:11-12; Lk 16:18 ... Jesus prohibits divorce.

St. Joseph vs. All Saints (6th & 7th Boys)

Saturday, Sept 23rd, 2006 Match between All Saints and St. Joseph (Muskogee) 6th and 7th Grade Boys:

All Saints vs. St. Joseph's results were as follows:

Game 1:

All Saints 21

St. Joe: 25

Game 2:

All Saints 25

St. Joe: 11

Game 3:

All Saints 28

St. Joe: 26

Match to All Saints 6th and 7th Grade Boys.

What can I say but WOW! This was a definite on the edge of your seat match with all players from both teams giving it all! This was not a match that was given to us by any means, it was hard fought and hard earned. The last game, the All Saints Cougars came from behind (at 24-11) to tie, then pass, then a give and take until we won 28-26!

What is Museum Day?

What is Museum Day?

On September 30, 2006, for one day only, museums across the country will join the Smithsonian Institution in its long-standing tradition of offering free admission to visitors.

The following museums are participating in Oklahoma:

Gilcrease Museum
Tulsa

Oklahoma History Center
Oklahoma City

Omniplex Science Museum
Oklahoma City

Philbrook Museum of Art
Tulsa

Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
Norman

Sand Springs Cultural and Historical Museum
Sand Springs

Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium
Tulsa

What Kind of Catholic Are You?

In the spectrum of Catholicism, where do you fall? Take our quiz--which covers issues like Vatican II, Marian devotion, and married priests--to figure out how you relate to the church.

Click on the link below to take this quiz.

http://www.beliefnet.com/section/quiz/index.asp?sectionID=&surveyID=95

Favorite Catholic Movie:

Very Traditional:"The Passion of the Christ"

Moderately Traditional:"Black Robe"

Moderately Progressive:"The Mission"

Very Progressive: "Dead Man Walking"

Favorite Catholic Actor:

Very Traditional:Mel Gibson

Moderately Traditional:Nicole Kidman

Moderately Progressive:Martin Sheen

Very Progressive:Tim Robbins

Favorite Apparition of the Madonna:

Very Traditional:Our Lady of Fatima

Moderately Traditional:Our Lady of Guadalupe

Moderately Progressive:The Madonna of the Streets

Very Progressive: Madonna