Y’know how only a third of Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist?

Well, apparently this factoid is based on faulty survey techniques…and Jimmy Akin explains it, along with a new survey revealing that some 81% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence!

So, we have a daughter due to arrive within the next couple of weeks, and we dutifully went to the parish baptism class this morning after Mass. Shortly, we found out that since we’d been once we didn’t need to go again (our nearly-three-year-old was baptised at one month of age.)  We were discussing how it’s going to be difficult because the baby is due to arrive on January 25, and yet Lent starts just a few days after; our parish only baptises the last Sunday of each month during Mass, and as a rule doesn’t do private baptism.  In addition, no baptisms during penitential seasons.  That means more than likely, it’ll be the Easter Vigil or the last Sunday in March before she can be baptised.

So the couple who teaches the baptism class says, “well, the Church is trying to get people away from the mentality that if you don’t get your baby baptised right away, terrible things will happen.”

Sad…

We’ve got a new blog here on the StBlogs.com network!  Tim is a college freshman I know who’s discerning a calling to the priesthood…and I finally convinced him to start his own blog!  Check out Thoughts From Discernment.

This is interesting. It’s leftover from last year, but I just found out about it today.  Mark Shea has an impressive explanation of how, in fact, Christians were celebrating the birth of Christ on 12/25 each year for decades before there was an official pagan holiday that was celebrated at the winter solstice.  This goes completely against he “common knowledge” that Christians decided to celebrate Christmas on 12/25 in order to co-opt the holiday from the pagans.  Read it here!

H/T to the Curt Jester

My wife brought this to my attention.  Here’s a statement from Fr. Francis Mary Stone, MFVA, host of EWTN’s Life on the Rock program:

Regretfully, I have a message that does not come without significant pain to both you and me. I have to tell you in all honesty and truth, that I have been personally involved with helping a widow and her struggling family. Over the course of time, the mother and I have grown very close. As a result, I am compelled to take some time off to prayerfully and honestly discern my future.

Naturally he is in need of our prayers, and we certainly hope he makes the right choice.  He’s disappeared from EWTN’s website, and I doubt we’ll hear from him again, but we can hope.  He’s a good host for the Life on the Rock program.

What is really interesting here, though, is the comments from some bloggers and many blog comments about how Father should follow his heart and discern his vocation.  Perhaps it’s just me, but he already discerned his vocation and he already took vows of marriage to the Bride of Christ.

Here’s an example.  Suppose I put a blog post up here telling you folks that I had become involved with a young widow and her family, helping them out, and had grown quite fond of her, and I was in the process of discerning my vocation.  Would you put comments on here telling me that it was good that I was coming to terms with it and I should follow my heart?  Or would you castigate me, seeing as I already have vowed fidelity to my wife and have two daughters?  I rest my case.

Same deal with Father – he made his vows of fidelity, and for him to be “rethinking” those vows would be like me “rethinking” my vows to my wife.  Neither is acceptable.

Oh, and then there are the folks who are using this as some sort of a way to argue for married priests.  If only priests could be married, then Fr. Francis could continue his ministry while “following his heart.”  Never mind that he’s already married.

Many samples of such comments can be found here. 

Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ, heard every Wednesday’s Open Line program on EWTN radio (3pm ET,) received a call today asking a great question:

I go to Craton U in Omaha, a Jesuit school, and first I want to thank you for your orthodoxy…I guess my question is, that some of the Jesuits are thought to be pretty liberal, and I was wondering if that was just a local thing, or an individual thing, or..it seems that most people in our area think that Jesuits are very liberal.  My question is, is that part of the order, or does the order tell you you have to take certain stances on social issues, or is that more of an individual thing?

The answer?  St. Ignatius of Loyola taught our order that we are to “think with the Church.”

You can hear the answer in full here.  You’ll need to fast forward to about 43 minutes into the file.  And, unfortunately, you’ll need the RealPlayer to hear it.

I posted this over at Society and Politics, but it merits a spot here too, because it involves anti-Catholic bigotry.

Bobby Jindal is a Catholic Indian (as in from India) running for governor of Louisiana.  Now, the Democrat party isn’t too popular lately, as their fierce corruption was exposed by the Katrina mess.  Apparently, in spite of what the MSM told the rest of us, folks from New Orleans recognize the fact that the biggest cause of the problem was “Chocolate City” Nagin and Governor Blanco.  So, in polls, Jindal has 75% or more of the vote.  Dems can’t have this, so they published this video on YouTube. Gerald did some digging into these allegations.  Also, the Catholic League has made a statement.

All who are surprised, please rise.

Mary Major Fan from the Mary Major Blog commented here after reading my coming home story over at the Closed Cafeteria.  In the comment, MMajorFan made a couple of brilliant points about how cradle Catholics don’t have an “ajcithatplas” moment in their lives because to a Catholic every day is a new day to “ajcithatplas.”

You are feeling a bit bemused and bewildered by now, so here’s what ajcithatplas means.  It means, “asking Jesus Christ into their hearts as their personal Lord and Savior.”  This is likely one of the most common Protestant (esp. fundamentalist) expressions, which refers to a single experience of salvation that one must have in order to be saved.  Any time there’s an altar call (or “invitation”) that’s what one’s invited to do.  For cradle Catholics who are brought up in the faith, as well as for folks like me, who’ve always been in Church, there’s not a single moment I can point to when my life underwent a major change because of accepting Christ – He’s always been in my heart.

Of course, 4 years ago my life did undergo a major change when I came home to His Church…

Kudos to MMajorFan for the new acronym!

Definitive Catholic blogger Gerald over at the Closed Cafeteria is asking for submissions of vocation/conversion stories.  I’ll be submitting mine….you might like to do likewise!

A CNN commentator says the real reason for the recent CDF document’s release is:

an old man trying to get a little attention.

The guy clearly didn’t even read the document he’s criticizing.

This is nothing but a naked attempt by Pope Benedict XVI to “own” Jesus by virtue of the Catholic Church considering the apostle Peter as its leader. He refuses to acknowledge the reality that Jesus didn’t consider a church to be most important. What was? The Great Commission.

The Bible records in Matthew 28:16 that Jesus called his 11 disciples (the other, Judas, hanged himself after betraying Jesus) to Mount Galilee and decreed, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (New International Version).

Of course, previously, Jesus did give Peter the Keys.

Oh – by the way – this guy can’t resist praising Father Pfelger of St. Sabina’s – the priests who travels with bodyguards, who had Calypso Louis Farrakhan speak at his parish (saying that good muslims are good christians and vice versa) and also threatened to “snuff out” a gun store owner.  That’ll do a number on your credibility…
The Editorial