Texas Bishops Host Scripture Seminar on the Holy Spirit from Genesis to John

Seminar Features Guest speakers:
Rev. George Montague, S.M., S.Th.D. and Rev. Juan Alfaro, S.S.L.

The Texas Bishops' 27th Annual Scripture Seminar will be held at the Oblate Renewal Center in San Antonio, Texas on October 18-21, 2010. This year's seminar, titled "The Long Road to the Pneumatology of John - The Holy Spirit: From Genesis to John" will feature guest speakers Rev. George T. Montague, S.M., S.Th.D., a professor at St Mary's University and author of over twenty books on both the scholarly and popular level, and Rev. Juan Alfaro, S.S.L., an author and teacher at local colleges and universities in San Antonio who also conducts biblical workshops in 45 dioceses. (View Registration brochure here.)

Cardinal DiNardo welcomes HHS Exclusion of Abortion from Federal Insurance Program, Calls for Permanent Law

Following public criticisms of new federally-funded health insurance plans that would have covered elective abortions in Pennsylvania and New Mexico, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a statement that the agency will act to exclude abortion from this program. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, welcomed the statement as averting an “alarming precedent” and called for permanent law to exclude abortion from all programs under the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

“We welcome this new policy,” the Cardinal said, “while continuing to be gravely concerned that it was not issued until after some states had announced that pro-abortion health plans were approved and had begun to enroll patients.”

Bishops Concerned over Federal Court Rulings Rejecting Marriage as Between One Man, One Woman

 Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage, expressed grave concern regarding recent rulings by a federal judge in Massachusetts rejecting the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.

Archbishop Kurtz offered his remarks after two rulings on July 8 that held that section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. Section 3 provides that for purposes of federal statutes, regulations, and rulings, “marriage” means the legal union of one man and one woman.

A Critical Distinction between Direct Abortion and Legitimate Medical Procedures

On June 23, 2010, the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine released a clarification entitled: The Distinction between Direct Abortion and Legitimate Medical Procedures. Since most folks don’t read every new posting on the vast USCCB web-site, this helpful statement could be overlooked.

The statement notes that “On November 5, 2009, medical personnel at the St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, performed a procedure that caused the death of an unborn child. Most Reverend Thomas Olmsted, the Bishop of Phoenix, has judged that this procedure was in fact a direct abortion and so morally wrong….”

When Bishop Olmsted spoke, many a commentator became a self-appointed expert on the Church’s moral teaching overnight.  The national media certainly caused confusion among Catholics and the general public as to what the Church teaches regarding illegitimate and legitimate medical procedures for addressing the risk to a mother’s health or even life during a pregnancy.

Celebrate Independence with a Prayer for our Nation

We wish you a safe and joyous Independence Day weekend! As we celebrate Independence Day, we invite you to pray for our nation:

God our Father,
Giver of life,
we entrust the United States of America to Your loving care.

You are the rock on which this nation was founded.
You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.