Yet Another Case of Corrupted Catholic Priests

As much as I love the Catholic church, I despise criminal priests who pop up here and there. Here's the latest case as reported by The Associated Press:

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - Two Roman Catholic priests stole millions in offerings and gifts made to their parish over several years, authorities said Thursday.

Monsignor John Skehan, who was pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church for four decades, was arrested Wednesday night on charges that he stole $8.6 million from the church, using the money to buy property and other assets, investigators said.
[...]
The Rev. Francis Guinan, who succeeded Skehan three years ago, has disappeared and was being sought, authorities said. He is alleged to have stolen an unspecified amount of money to take gambling trips to Las Vegas and the Bahamas.

"Millions of dollars that should have gone to helping the homeless folks or the school itself" didn't, said Amos Rojas Jr., a special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Read more...

Nothing is going to replace the mistrust and disappointment of the parishioners in their priests. Hopefully, the new priest will be more trustworthy.

Negative People

I'm allergic to negative people. So, I thought to share this dark joke with you as I'm sure many people can relate to it:

This is something to think about when negative people are doing their best to rain on your parade. So remember this story the next time someone who knows nothing and cares less tries to make your life miserable.

A woman was at her hairdresser's getting her hair styled for a trip to Rome with her husband. She mentioned the trip to the hairdresser, who responded, "Rome? Why would anyone want to go there? It's crowded and dirty. You're crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?"

"We're taking Continental," was the reply, "We got a great rate!"

"Continental?" exclaimed the hairdresser. "That's a terrible airline. Their planes are old, their flight attendants are ugly, and they're always late. So, where are you staying in Rome?"

"We'll be at this exclusive little place over on Rome's Tiber River called Teste."

"Don't go any further. I know that place. Everybody thinks it's gonna be something special and exclusive, but it's really a dump, the worst hotel in the city! The rooms are small, the service is surly, and they're overpriced. So, whatcha' doing when you get there?"

"We're going to go to see the Vatican and we hope to see the Pope."

"That's rich," laughed the hairdresser, "You and a million other people trying to see him. He'll look the size of an ant. Boy, good luck on this lousy trip of yours. You're going to need it."

A month later, the woman again came in for a hairdo. The hairdresser asked her about her trip to Rome.

"It was wonderful," explained the woman, "not only were we on time in one of Continental's brand new planes, but it was overbooked and they bumped us up to first class. The food and wine were wonderful, and I had a handsome 28-year-old steward who waited on me hand and foot."

"And the hotel was great! They'd just finished a $5 million remodeling job and now it's a jewel, the finest hotel in the city. They too were overbooked, so they apologized and gave us their owner's suite at no extra charge!"

"Well," muttered the hairdresser, "that's all well and good, but I know you didn't get to see the Pope."

"Actually, we were quite lucky, because as we toured the Vatican, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder, and explained that the Pope likes to meet some of the visitors, and if I'd be so kind as to step into his private room and wait, the Pope would personally greet me."

"Sure enough, five minutes later, the Pope walked through the door and shook my hand! I knelt down and he spoke a few words to me."

"Oh really! What'd he say?"

He said, "Where'd you get the shitty hairdo?"

I met people who talk and act like this hairdresser. So, I understand this dark joke very well.

Barry, God And The Bike

I'm sure many of you have been waiting for my response to the outrage by the fanatic Muslims over the Pope's remark.

I have nothing to add to the Pope's remark. The overreaction by Italian nun in Somalia and others, who attacked two churches in Iraq yesterday, should answer any questions in your mind.

My church, the Catholic church, had a black history during the dark ages. It has reformed since then, and I wouldn't want to be anything but a Catholic. It's the universality of the church I like the most.

The best thing about being a Catholic is to enjoy the Catholic jokes. I don't seem to get enough of them. So, here's my come-back Catholic joke. I received it from another Catholic friend today:

Little Barry came into the kitchen where his mother was making dinner. His birthday was coming up and he thought this was a good time to tell his mother what he wanted:

"Mum, I want a bike for my birthday."

Little Barry was a bit of a troublemaker. He had gotten into trouble at school and at home.

Barry's mother asked him if he thought he deserved to get a bike for his birthday.

Little Barry, of course, thought he did.

Barry's mother, being a Christian woman, wanted him to reflect on his behaviour over the last year, and write a letter to God, and tell him why he deserved a bike for his birthday.

Little Barry stomped up the steps to his room and sat down to write God a letter.


LETTER 1:

Dear God,

I have been a very good boy this year and I would like a bike for my birthday. I want a red one.

Your friend, Barry.

Barry knew this wasn't true. He had not been a very good boy this year, so he tore up he letter and started over.


LETTER 2:

Dear God,

This is your friend Barry. I have been a pretty good boy this year, and I would like a red bike for my birthday.

Thank you,

Barry.

Barry knew this wasn't true either. He tore up the letter and started again.


LETTER 3:

Dear God,

I have been an OK boy this year and I would really like a red bike for my birthday.

Your friend,

Barry.

Barry knew he could not send this letter to God either. Barry was very upset. He went downstairs and told his mother he wanted to go to church.

Barry's mother thought her plan had worked because Barry looked very sad.

"Just be home in time for dinner," his mother said.

Barry walked down the street to the church and up to the altar. He looked around to see if anyone was there.

He picked up a statue of the Virgin Mary, He slipped it under his shirt and ran out of the church, down the street, into his house, and up to his room.

He shut the door to his room and sat down with a piece of paper and a pen. Barry began to write his letter to God.


LETTER 4:

I'VE GOT YOUR MUM.

IF YOU WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN,

SEND THE BLOODY BIKE

Have a nice day everyone.

Cross-blogged on Fayrouz In Beaumont

A Thank You Prayer

I am back from my much-needed break. I missed blogging and I'd like to return with a nice prayer I received from a friend:

Dear Lord,

I thank You for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you.

I ask now for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. And It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.

I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.

Amen

I need to warm up my thoughts before I can get back to speed. Sorry if you expected a more complicated post after my break :-(

It's Time For An Autumn Break

I'm taking a week off until my 40th birthday. Yes, I'm turning 40 in 10 days and it does feel good. I'm also starting a new and challenging job in few days. So, I definitely need a break from blogging.

I wish you enough until we meet again.

Release Father Saad Petition

UPDATE:
Fr. Saad Sirop has been freed. Thank you for the people who prayed for him and/or signed the petition.

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NOTE: This post will stay at the top until Fr. Saad Sirop is hopefully released by his kidnappers. Please, scroll down for new posts.



Read the latest developments.
Sign the petition.

A Morning Prayer

This is another day O Lord.

I know not what it will bring forth,
but make me ready, Lord,
for whatever it may be.

If I am to stand up,
help me to stand bravely.

If I am to sit still,
help me to sit quietly.

If I am to lie low,
help me to do it patiently.

And if I am to do nothing,
help me do it gallantly.

Make these words more than words,
and give me the Spirit of Jesus.

Amen.

---

Book of Common Prayer

The Brain's God Spot

I admire the curiosity of scientists. Their latest interest in God spot is very interesting:

There is no specific area of the brain that mediates Christian mystical experiences, researchers say, following a study of 15 Canadian nuns.

A University of Montreal team found Christian mystical experiences are mediated by several brain regions.

Researchers asked 15 nuns to recount mystical experiences while studying them on MRI scanners, the journal, Neuroscience Letters reported.

Did they think a nun's brain has a blinking prayer spot? Blink blink, I'm praying. Can't you see the green light in my brain?

Fr Stephen Wang, a Catholic priest teaching at Allen Hall Seminary in London, has some words to those researchers:

"These brain studies can give us fascinating insights into how the human body and mind and spirit inter-connect, but they should not make us think that prayer and religious experience are just an activity in the brain.

"True Christian mysticism is an encounter with the living God. We meet him in the depths of our souls.

"It is an experience that goes far beyond the normal boundaries of human psychology and consciousness."

Exactly how I see it. I wonder what's next for the curious scientists!!! Do we have a soul?

The Diminished Iraqi-Jewish Community

I was always interested in the plight of Iraqi and Arab Jews. Then came the exodus of the Iraqi Christians from Iraq, which started after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003.

I find similarities between the exodus of the two communities from a land they inhabited for thousands of years. I started to read any article related to the Iraqi and Arab Jews. I wanted to learn how they coped with their exodus.

According to Wikipedia [Via Mideast Youth], 135,000-140,000 Iraqi Jews lived in Iraq by the year 1948. By 2001, that number was down to 200. According to a recent article on Kuwait Times, very few Iraqi Jews still live in Iraq:

BAGHDAD: In his worn sandals and grey spotted shirt 82-year-old Abu Brahim-one of the last Jews in Baghdad, perhaps the last-seems tired but undaunted by the violence raging around him. "They came to take me away three years ago and wanted me to leave," said Brahim, explaining that well-wishers had wanted to evacuate him to safety in the chaos following the fall of Saddam Hussein. Old, but wiry and alert, Brahim remains determined to stay put. "Why should I leave? Why change? I always lived here. I do not want to shift," said Brahim.

According to the report, there's a synagogue in Baghdad that was built in 1942. I honestly never heard of the synagogue when I lived in Iraq. Kuwait Times has more details on the status of the synagogue:

Baghdad's main synagogue, standing behind a high beige brick wall, is located on a commercial street perpendicular to a large artery of the capital. It was built in 1942, according to an inscription on the front wall.

An Iraqi Shiite has the keys to the temple, and looks after it discreetly, but refuses to unlock it to visitors. "I have clear instructions. Nobody enters it. No movement inside," he stressed, refusing to give his name, and clearly both frightened and annoyed by the sudden visit of an AFP correspondent. Brahim does not need to go to the synagogue these days in any case. "There are no more prayers there. First there were people who came, but now perhaps there are still some Jews in Baghdad. I do not know. I do not see them any more," said Brahim,

This is very sad. Very soon I'll say the same about the few Iraqi Christians who continue to live in Baghdad, Basra and other troubled parts of Iraq.

Just a Joke: The Catholic Squirrels

There were three country churches in a small Texas town: The Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church and the Catholic Church. Each church was overrun with pesky squirrels.

One day, the Presbyterian Church called a meeting to decide what to do about the squirrels. After much prayer and consideration they determined that the squirrels were predestined to be there and they shouldn't interfere with God's divine will.

The Methodist Church got together and decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God's creation. So, they humanely trapped the Squirrels and set them free a few miles outside of town. Three days later, the squirrels were back.

But -- The Catholic Church came up with the best and most effective solution. They baptized the squirrels and registered them as members of the church. Now they only see them on Christmas and Easter

Catholic Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi, One Year After Hurricane Katrina

It's true that New Orleans suffered the most from Hurricane Katrina. It's also true that Biloxi, Miss. suffered the same fate as New Orleans. But, it rarely gets any media attention. The Catholic Explorer has this update on the status of Biloxi and its Catholic diocese:

Bishop Rodi offered an update on the progress of recovery in the 9,653 square miles of his diocese. He said, "Things are certainly not back to normal. A tremendous amount of work has been done to remove debris, gut flooded buildings and repair the buildings that survived. The rebuilding of what was destroyed has only begun."

The damage to homes and personal property is overwhelming and it has taken a priority in the rebuilding efforts. But the mission diocese, comprised of 70,000 Catholics before the hurricane, is still struggling to deal with the hard decisions that have to be made about the 428 of 433 church-owned properties that were destroyed or seriously damaged and is burdened by the fact that insurance only covered half of the $70 million worth of damage to buildings.

Then comes the best part:

Despite the overpowering odds, Bishop Rodi seemed positive about the future of his diocese. He stated, "Although there continues to be frustration with the pace of recovery, there continues to be a positive and optimistic spirit among the people here in Mississippi. There is a strong 'can-do' spirit. We know that the next few years may be very tough, but we are convinced that good times lie ahead."

I pray that Biloxi and New Orleans don't get hit by another monstrous hurricane. Those two places need time to recover from Hurricane Katrina's destruction. They can't take another hit again this year.

A Tasting For Some Other Place

On Tuesday evening, the Beaumont Civic Center buzzed with people who came to taste the delicious food made by different organizations and churches for the annual "A Tasting For Some Other Place." The proceeds from the event go to Some Other Place. The Beaumont Enterprise states:

Some Other Place - an ecumenical mission that provides food, clothing and household goods as well as financial assistance for rent, medications and utilities for the indigent in Southeast Texas.

This was my first time to attend the event. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the spirit of good will and giving. I didn't taste any of the food because I was busy making photographs to document the event for this blog.

Kidnapped Iraqi Chaldean Catholic Priest Saad Sirop

UPDATE Sep. 11, 2006
Fr. Saad Sirop has been freed. Thank you for the people who prayed for him and/or signed the petition.

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UPDATE Sep. 10, 2006
Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel Delly met with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Sep 6, 2006 to discuss the case of Fr. Sirop. President Talabani condemned the kidnapping of Fr. Sirop and urged his kidnappers to release him.

We don't know who kidnapped Fr. Sirop. So, I'm not sure the message will make much difference. Please, continue to pray for the safe return of Fr. Sirop.

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UPDATE Sep. 7, 2006
Luigia Storti from Pastoral Migrants Office of the Archdiocese of Torino, Italy sent me this information:

I take the chance now to notify you that on the 15 of September (19.00-20.00 p.m.) a special celebration will be held for Father Saad Sirop in San Rocco Church in Turin (Italy) where a special Mass for him was celebrated on the 16 of August, just one day after his kidnapping.

We all hope it will be a celebration to thank God for his release.

I hope my Italian readers get to attend the mass. Please, continue to keep Fr. Saad Sirop in your prayers.

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UPDATE Sep. 5, 2006
On Aug. 21, MIR-Riconciliazione and Archdiocese of Turin Pastoral Migrants Office started a petition for the release of Fr. Saad Sirop.

Please, read the petition and sign it here. Thanks.

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UPDATE Sep. 4, 2006
The Associated Press reports some encouraging news:

ROME The Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad said Saturday he had spoken on the phone with a priest who was kidnapped earlier this month in the Iraqi capital, who told him a week ago that he was well but still in the hands of his captors.

Patriarch Emmanuel Delly told the Italian missionary news agency MISNA, however, that the kidnappers had assured him at the end of his conversation last Saturday that they would release the priest immediately, but he had heard nothing since.

Read more...

At least we know he's still alive. Let's pray for his safe return.

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UPDATE AUG. 23, 2006
As I expected, the kidnapping incident has scared Iraqi Christians who still live in Iraq. Zenit reports:

Last week's kidnapping at gunpoint of a Chaldean priest in Baghdad has sent shock waves throughout the Christian community in Iraq.
[...]
For his part, Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk, in northeastern Iraq, implored on television for the priest's release. Subsequently, during an interview with Aid to the Church in Need, he commented on the distress that the incident has caused in the Christian community.

"Christians are living in a panic and they are terrified of more attacks on their priests and their churches," the archbishop said.

"When a priest is kidnapped, the Christian community takes it very seriously because he is such an important religious symbol," he explained.
[...]
The archbishop described Baghdad as "a jail" from which people are desperate to escape.

Read more...

More people were leaving the country after this incident. It's very sad to see this small community shrinking dramatically.

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UPDATE AUG. 22, 2006
At least we know that Fr. Sirop is still alive. Reuters reports:

ROME, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The Catholic Church in Iraq has received a ransom demand for a priest who was kidnapped in Baghdad, Rome-based Catholic news agency Misna said on Tuesday.

"They want money," Misna quoted Emmanuel Delly, the patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, as saying.

The agency said the kidnappers of the priest, Saad Syrop Hanna, had telephoned the Church to make their demands and had said he was in good health.

Read more...

I hope this ordeal will have a happy ending.

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ORIGINAL POST AUG. 19, 2006
On the 15th of Aug., Fr. Sirop was kidnapped in Al-Doura suburb of Baghdad. Since then the Iraqi Chaldean church around the world has pleaded to the kidnappers for his release and safe return to his church and community. Zenit reports:

Father Saad Sirop of St. Jacob parish in Baghdad's Doura district was on his way home Tuesday from celebrating Mass in the parish church when his car was stopped by three masked armed men who forced him into their car.

In statements on Vatican Radio today, Monsignor Philippe Najem of the patriarchate said that it was still not known who kidnapped the young priest, who was planning to continue his studies in Rome.

Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly, held a meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister to try to find ways for Father Sirop's release.

The Iraqi Islamic Party, which represents Sunnis in the Iraqi Parliament, condemned the kidnapping.

"The Catholic Church suffers very much and daily, as the rest of the Iraqi people, who also suffer because of the lack of what is indispensable to live: water, electricity, hospital and health services, and especially security," said Monsignor Najem.

Read more...

Ankawa Online put a special section for the development in Fr. Sirop kidnapping case. Sorry for non-Arabic speakers. I wish I have the time to translate every article for you.

Please, keep Fr. Sirop in your prayers.

The Deacon and the Preacher

There once was this deacon and this preacher, and they had been friends for a long time. One day the deacon got sick and was put in the hospital, so the preacher decided to go and see his old friend.

When he walked into the hospital room, the preacher noticed all the hoses and medical equipment attached to the deacon. The preacher walked over and kneeled by the bed and asked, ''How ya doing?''

The deacon motioned at a pad and pen on the nightstand. ''You want that?'' the preacher asked him, and the deacon nodded his head yes. So the preacher handed his friend the pad and pen and the deacon began to write. All of a sudden the deacon died.

At his funeral, the preacher was asked to deliver the service. ''He was a good man and I'll never forget him,'' the preacher said, ''I was with him when he died and as a matter of fact I have his last thought in my coat pocket here.''

The preacher reaches into his pocket and pulls out the paper. ''Please, get up! You're kneeling on my oxygen hose!''


Source: Comedy Central

The Greek Hunt For a Stolen Icon of Mother Mary

I can't believe someone would steal an icon from a monastery in Greece. I guess I'm a bit naive when it comes to the minds of thieves. The BBC News reports:

A major police operation is under way in southern Greece to try to find a team of burglars who stole one of the country's leading religious icons.

The icon of the Virgin Mary, at the monastery of Elona, symbolised Greek freedom during a 19th-Century campaign to expel the Turkish Ottoman empire.

Police are working on the theory that the thieves hid inside the monastery when it closed to the public.

They are then thought to have been lowered by rope into the sanctuary.

Read more...

I hope Mother Mary helps bring back the icon to the monastery. For the thieves, I hope you don't find a restful moment in your life until you return the icon.

An Irish Friendship Wish

May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine on your windowpane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Daughter's Prayer

It's time for another joke:

A family was having some people to dinner. At the table, the mother turned to her six-year-old daughter and said, "Dear, would you like to say the blessing?"

"I wouldn't know what to say," replied the little girl, shyly.

"Just say what you hear Mommy say, sweetie," the woman said.

Her daughter took a deep breath, bowed her head, and solemnly said, "Dear Lord, why the hell did I invite all these people to dinner!?!"


Source: Comedy Central

Egyptian Authorities Silences a Coptic Blogger

Almost everyone knows the Egyptian Copts are not happy with their situation in Egypt. They have been harassed lately by different parties. Some of the Copts took their frustration to the blogsphere. But, the government doesn't want them to use this window and let the world know of their ordeal. Egyptian Coptic blogger Hala Helmy Botros couldn't take it anymore and deleted all her posts. The government managed to silence her voice. Reporters Without Borders reports:

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the months of harassment by the authorities in Qina (near Luxor, in central Egypt) that forced Hala Helmy Botros to close down her blog Aqbat Bela Hodood (Copts Without Borders) about the persecution of the Christian Coptic minority, and to stop writing on this subject for other websites.

Botros, 42, who wrote under the pseudonym of Hala El-Masry, is now the target of a judicial investigation and is banned from leaving the country.

"We are outraged by the practices used by the Egyptian authorities to intimidate and silence Botros," Reporters Without Borders said. "With relations between Christians and Muslims off-limits in the traditional media, all she did was write posts on the Internet about the fate of the Coptic minority. It is unacceptable that freedom of expression and movement should be restricted in this fashion. We insist that the authorities guarantee Botros' basis rights."

Read more...

Blogs have caught the attention of the Egyptian government during the last two years. A few bloggers were arrested and released after spending a "not very pleasant" time in prison. Hala is the latest victim of the government harassments.

Happy 25th Anniversary to EWTN

I grew up in the Middle East having limited access to the Catholic media. Now that I live in the States, having a Catholic TV channel feels really good. EWTN Catholic channel may not be a state-of-the-art TV channel, but it's informative enough for me and others.

This month, the channel celebrates its 25th anniversary. Thanks to the efforts of Mother Angelica. Lincoln Journal Star reports:

IRONDALE, Ala. — Twenty-five years ago, Mother Mary Angelica had a vision for Eternal Word Television Network, a channel offering nothing but Roman Catholic programming. She had little more than faith, $200 and a garage to use as a studio.

Now EWTN Global Catholic Network is available in 127 countries and more than 118 million households, and is capping a celebration of its founding in 1981. With viewers from Illinois to India, the satellite channel has grown to include radio and the Internet, and bills itself as the largest religious media network in the world.
[...]
Still based at its original campus in a hilly suburb, EWTN has long had the blessing of the Vatican. And while critics alternately accuse EWTN of being too conservative or too liberal, it prides itself on sticking to the leadership of both Pope John Paul II and his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.

Read more...

The fact that it's been attacked by liberals and conservatives means its views are moderate. I'm sure other people would agree with me.

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Mother Angelica:
The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles

Prayer To Our Mother of Perptual Help

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come; before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen!

-- St. Bernard