Here are some images of our installation of officers. My Council of the Knights of Columbus Installed our officers on Sat. night. Michael is the new Warden and I am Deputy Grand Knight.
Later on in the night, I attended a reunion of my class from St. Gregory’s College (1981). We had a wonderful time and hope to do that again!
Linda and I hosted my father and step-mother, Jose’ and Frances Arroyo, last Saturday. I must admit that it was with some nervousness, on our part and I am sure, on their part, as well. It has been over a decade since we have had contact and so this was a reunion, and meeting. I cannot begin to describe how the healing process started but I am certainly glad that we took the steps to make it happen.
I think, and hope, it is the first step in many to come. Linda and I certainly enjoyed ourselves and Dad and Frances had a great time as well. It is rather funny, I think that Linda is the reason why I was able to make these steps, Linda is the reason that I can begin to understand Frances, Dad’s wife. Before I remarried and began to look at a “step-parent”, I didn’t really understand why Frances did many of what she did. I can begin to see, after she has been at his side almost 30 years, how much she loves my father and can be so protective of him. Linda has done the same for me over the years.
VATICAN CITY, 1 JUL 2010 (VIS) -
Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for July is: "That in every nation of the world the election of officials may be carried out with justice, transparency and honesty, respecting the free decisions of citizens".
His mission intention is: "That Christians may strive to offer everywhere, but especially in great urban centres, an effective contribution to the promotion of education, justice, solidarity and peace".
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From Left to Right:
William (“Bill”), Bobby Lee, Linda, Terri McGrew, Shirley with Christina and Bob Ward with J (“Tony”) Arroyo.
This Saturday, the people of God in the Diocese of Tulsa were given a beautiful and wonderful Gift. Kerry Wakulich offered himself to our service as a priest in our Diocese. I thought this might be an opportunity to offer some reflections on this gift which Fr. Kerry Wakulich has offered and, maybe, clear up any misconceptions about what he has done and will do for us.
Fr. Kerry, as all priests, have taken a vow of Celibacy. I know that many of our Protestant brothers and sisters think that priests should be married and see this as a terrible sacrifice that is unnecessary. Personally, I believe it is such a wonderful gift that is freely offered to all of us as the people of God and would be tragic to see it change. In my view, it is like a man offering a woman an engagement ring, that through such sacrifice he has purchased the most beautiful diamonds he could find, the finest gold, and, presenting it to her, she demands that he exchange it for quartz and iron. The gift represents his sacrifice, his love and should be joyfully accepted in appreciation for how much he loves her. Fr. Kerry has done just that, offered the very best of himself, his heart and soul, and his chance to carry on his name. I am proud to accept his gift.
In our society, we define ourselves by our children carrying on our name. We are immortal because our family name lives on long after we are gone. When a man chooses to forsake this definition of immortality, which has been around since the beginning of time, he puts all his faith in the Resurrection, the Promise that Christ has given us, and makes himself a beacon of the life to come instead of the here and now. Think of it, in ancient cultures, when a man is completely punished, his family is punished as well. When a man is utterly destroyed, his family is destroyed with him. The ultimate historical punishment was, not simply to kill a man, but to kill his children as well, particularly his sons! This is even seen in modern times in China where, with the “One Child Policy”, female children are killed because they do not have the ability to carry on the family name.
Now, in the modern Catholic Church, in the Latin Rite, a priest forsakes having children, taking a wife and companion for the opportunity to give his gift of faith to the faithful. There is no “safety net” for Fr. Kerry, he will not hedge his bet by having children “just in case”, he places all his chips on the bet that Christ promises him an eternity with him. This is not an idle boast for Fr. Kerry (or any of the other priests and brothers in our diocese and across the globe), but this is the promise that he has placed all his faith in so that we can believe that what he preaches is true. Fr. Kerry does not simply preach the Resurrection but we can believe because he is proving it by his life.
Thank you, Fr. Kerry, for your gift. You join, hand in hand, with all the priests that we remember fondly over the course of our lives (Frs. Joe, Denis, Ian, Boniface and Lawrence O.S.B., Frs. Morgan, Gerlach, Knipe, Pickett, and Bernie Schmidt, Frs. Ed, Vern and Joe Tuoc Nugyen S.J., and the list goes on – we all have our private lists).
We are very proud of Andrew tonight! Here are some of the pictures from his graduation:
VATICAN CITY, 30 APR 2010 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for May is: "That the shameful and monstrous commerce in human beings, which sadly involves millions of women and children, may be ended".
His mission intention is: "That ordained ministers, religious women and men, and lay people involved in apostolic work may understand how to infuse missionary enthusiasm into the communities entrusted to their care".
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Deacon Kerry Wakulich will be ordained to the Priesthood for the Diocese of Tulsa next Saturday, May 29th at 10 AM at Holy Family Cathedral. Kerry was our neighbor (J.A. and Linda Arroyo’s) in East Tulsa when I went to St. Thomas More on 129th. I don’t know if I want to get into how surprised we were when he answered the call to the priesthood! Suffice it to say that I cannot imagine a more blessed addition to the Diocese of Tulsa.
Knights, of course, are encouraged to attend this Blessed Event for the Tulsa Diocese!
Dear family and friends,
Last week, Barbara Crabb, a federal judge appointed by former president Jimmy Carter, declared that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. Bizarrely, she said it is a violation of the First Amendment.
Yet the tradition of national days of prayer goes back to our very first congress and our first president. Just two days after members of Congress passed the First Amendment, they asked President George Washington to declare a national day of thanksgiving and prayer. In response to this request from Congress, President Washington, less than a week after passage of the First Amendment, issued just such a proclamation on October 3, 1789.
From a merely historical point of view, this makes it clear that it is preposterous to suggest that there is anything unconstitutional about a national day of prayer. Judge Crabb seems dangerously unaware of American history and the true meaning of the First Amendment, which was designed to protect freedom of religious expression, not stamp it out.
On Thursday, May 6, I invite you to participate in Meet At City Hall from 12:20 pm to 12:40 pm during the National Day Of Prayer. At thousands of city halls across the country, individuals will gather to pray for a moral rebirth in our country. The National Day of Prayer is an annual event established by an act of Congress which encourages Americans to pray for our nation, its people and its leaders.
Your participation in Meet At City Hall is very simple. Simply show up at your local city hall at 12:20 pm on Thursday, May 6. There will be others present. Spend the 20 minutes in prayer.
If you want to help promote Meet At City Hall, we suggest you invite members of your Sunday School class or church to join together and organize, as you desire. You can invite some public officials, local pastors, church choirs, etc. to participate. The amount of organization and promotion is entirely up to you. Let us unashamedly take our Light from underneath the basket and set it on a table.
Sincerely, 
Tim Wildmon, President
American Family Association
Linda and I had a fantastic time with the Million children and Kadence. Michael has been around lately while he has been working nights at WalMart.
Alec had a blast helping Grandpa work on blowing leaves from the garage!
This past weekend marked our 12th Anniversary (March 14th). Linda and I had a wonderful time getting away to a local Bed and Breakfast, the Crow’s Rest, going out for Steak and Lobster at Elements and spending an evening at a casino (we didn’t come home rich!). I included a few pictures from the Crow’s Rest.
We definitely want to thank Landon, Kayla and Kadence Morris for making our getaway possible. While we were away, they volunteered to take care of our dogs and really made it a worry-free weekend.
General Principles
by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
[Note: The following memorandum was sent by Cardinal Ratzinger to Cardinal McCarrick and was made public in the first week of July 2004.]
1. Presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion should be a conscious decision, based on a reasoned judgment regarding one’s worthiness to do so, according to the Church’s objective criteria, asking such questions as: "Am I in full communion with the Catholic Church? Am I guilty of grave sin? Have I incurred a penalty (e.g. excommunication, interdict) that forbids me to receive Holy Communion? Have I prepared myself by fasting for at least an hour?" The practice of indiscriminately presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion, merely as a consequence of being
present at Mass, is an abuse that must be corrected (cf. Instruction "Redemptionis Sacramentum," nos. 81, 83).
2. The Church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is a grave sin. The Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae, with reference to judicial decisions or civil laws that authorize or promote abortion or euthanasia, states that there is a "grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection. [...] In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to 'take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law or vote for it’" (no. 73). Christians have a "grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God’s law. Indeed, from the
moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil. [...] This cooperation can never be justified either by invoking respect for the freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil law permits it or requires it" (no. 74).
3. Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.
4. Apart from an individual's judgment about his worthiness to present himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion may find himself in the situation where he must refuse to distribute Holy Communion to someone, such as in cases of a declared excommunication, a declared interdict, or an obstinate persistence in manifest
grave sin (cf. can. 915).
5. Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him
that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.
6. When "these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible," and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, "the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it" (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Declaration "Holy Communion
and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics" [2002], nos. 3-4). This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgment on the person’s subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person’s public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin.
VATICAN CITY, 1 MAR 2010 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for March is: "That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking account of the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest".
His mission intention is: "That the Churches in Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent".
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I am reprinting an article I wrote for our Knights of Columbus Newsletter. Maybe it will help some of my family and friends who are Protestant to understand some of what it means to be Catholic Christian.
Brother Knights and Friends;
Many of our Protestant friends have a problem with our practice of Confession. Here are some comments and some apologetics for Brother Knights. The most common argument is that there is “That is not in the Bible”. Well, here are instances of Biblical support:
Biblical References to Confession (Penance, Reconciliation)
Well, there are two instances in the Bible where God breathes on man, in Genesis where Life is given to Adam and in John, where Christ breathes His Spirit and gives new life to mankind. I think all of us have times where we have felt a kind of dread in entering the Confessional. I have had those times, and it has kept me away from the Grace which is always present in the Forgiveness of Our Lord. For whatever the reason I have stayed away, I have come back and felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. When I was in college, I took my walks down the front of St. Gregory’s with Fr. Ian, Fr. Louis, or Fr. Theodore.
If we think back, we can hold on to the real answer to our Protestant friends suspicions. The answer is the way we feel when we come out of the Confessional, when we feel like there is no forgiveness for how we have behaved, or how we’ve treated our friends, or our wives, or our children. But, without fail, there is forgiveness, there is no judgment, just those simple words,
“I Absolve You in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”
With those simple words, we walk away feeling more refreshed than any shower, any caress, and light on our feet to receive the Body and Blood of the Savior that Redeems us, and forgives us through the Ministry of the Church.
When we confess our sins to a priest, we are confessing the guilt of our sinfulness. Why this is uplifting is that we hear Jesus, through the person of the priest, say the words:
“Your Sins are forgiven!”
This is important because when we hear and believe, God's grace is poured out on us. While going to God directly is good, after a while, when we don't hear God answering us, we begin the spiral downward. Believing that God does not hear us, and our hearts become hardened. The effect of God's Grace lessens because we do not believe we are worthy to receive this Grace. Thus, speaking your sins out loud to another person who stands in the person of Jesus as the head of the Church, is humbling because the priest, who is human, understands. It is uplifting because Jesus understands us as well. The Grace poured out is from the Heart of Jesus responding in and through the actions of the priest.
Vivat Jesus!
Next week, Eucharist…
Thank you, Fr. Jim, for your input into this article….
