Our Lady of the Rosary

O GOD, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.


Cathedral of Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Toledo, OH

Bishop Blair: "Facts Rather Than Fiction" Regarding Pope's Condom Comments

Toledo Bishop Leonard Blair writes in the December 12, 2010 issue of The Catholic Chronicle:

Facts rather than fiction

Written by Bishop Leonard P. Blair
Saturday, 11 December 2010

... As I considered what to write for the December Chronicle, the recent controversy regarding Pope Benedict’s remarks about condoms immediately came to mind. I had to ask myself whether this was really an appropriate topic just before Christmas. However, today we cannot afford to look at Christmas in an overly sentimentalized way, stripping it of its power to change the world through the conversion of human hearts to the truth and love made flesh in Jesus Christ. What Christmas teaches us about life and love embraces every aspect of human existence, including sexuality and the crisis of AIDS, which is a moral crisis as much as a medical one.

In 2009 Pope Benedict made the claim that condom distribution is not helping, and may actually be worsening, the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Now in 2010, he reaffirmed this claim in a recent book interview in which he repeats what he has said in the past, namely, that condoms are not the answer morally or otherwise to the scourge of AIDS.

In the interview the pope also said that the use of a condom by a prostitute with AIDS might represent a first step toward his or her moral awakening, toward a realization that the other person matters. In the context of all that the pope has said and continues to say about AIDS and condoms, there is no basis for asserting that either the pope or the church has changed Catholic teaching. All the pope did was to express a hope that maybe in the hypothetical situation he describes the use of a condom might be the first stirring of a conscience on the long road to conversion.

Let us look at the whole issue of condoms on the basis of facts. After Pope Benedict was roundly condemned, ridiculed and censored for what he said in 2009, the Washington Post published an op-ed piece by Professor Edward Green of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at Harvard University and author of a monumental study on the AIDS situation in Uganda. His op-ed piece, titled “The Pope May Be Right,” provided the following information:

“In 2003, Norman Hearst and Sanny Chen of the University of California conducted a condom effectiveness study for the United Nations’ AIDS program and found no evidence of condoms working as a primary HIV-prevention measure in Africa. UNAIDS quietly disowned the study. (The authors eventually managed to publish their findings in the quarterly Studies in Family Planning.) Since then, major articles in other peer-reviewed journals such as the Lancet, Science and BMJ have confirmed that condoms have not worked as a primary intervention in the population-wide epidemics of Africa. In a 2008 article in Science called ‘Reassessing HIV Prevention,’ 10 AIDS experts concluded that ‘consistent condom use has not reached a sufficiently high level, even after many years of widespread and often aggressive promotion, to produce a measurable slowing of new infections in the generalized epidemics of Sub-Saharan Africa.’ ”

[...]

As I indicated in a previous article, it is estimated that one in four of the 33 million AIDS patients worldwide is being cared for by the Catholic Church, including almost half of the total treatment efforts in Africa, where two-thirds of those afflicted with AIDS live. In Africa the Catholic Church is tremendously active in the fields of education, medicine and relief efforts. To the cries of those who call out for help in the face of AIDS, the church speaks and acts on the basis of moral and medical truths, not ideologyand fiction.

Bishop Blair: "Health Care and a House Divided"

Because I was out of town when this came out, I'm a couple of weeks late to this.

In the most recent issue of The Catholic Chronicle, Bishop of Toledo Leonard Blair explains the USCCB's opposition to Obamacare, praises pro-life politicians who took a stand, and calls out - by name - a group of sisters in the Toledo Diocese who signed the Network statement in favor of Obamacare:

Health care and a house divided

Written by BISHOP LEONARD P. BLAIR

... Almost everyone agrees that we need health care reform. For years the U.S. bishops have appealed to moral principles as a basis of reform, including a special concern for the poor and most defenseless. As pastors and teachers we welcome the effort to make health care available and affordable to all. Whether the new legislation is the right way to go about it is subject to a legitimate diversity of opinion. It is certainly not an article of Catholic faith.

The defense of unborn human life, however, is an article of faith. When it comes to abortion we cannot remain silent if the government intends to fund and/or facilitate abortion and health plans that cover abortion.

There is certainly a grave moral blindness in this: that the murder of the voiceless and nameless unborn should be reduced to one “social issue” among others, a “political position” of relative importance to other social benefits. Imagine if the political price for the passage of health care reform were the reintroduction of racial segregation in southern schools. This would rightly lead to moral indignation and block passage of the bill. However, the murder of 50 million unborn children in our country is seen as a legitimate “choice” and is tossed about like a football in the political field.

Whether or not the new health care legislation maintains the legal status quo of the last 30 years prohibiting government funding for abortion is a matter of debate. Most pro-life Democrats are convinced that what they managed to wring out of the White House and their party leadership at the 11th hour does indeed preserve the status quo. The best legal advice our Bishops’ Conference has received is that these pro-life Democrats are wrong. Perhaps only time will tell, but in the meantime we must do everything possible to ensure that federal law does not fund, promote or facilitate abortions or impose abortion on consciences.

As if the political and cultural challenges were not grave enough, we also see illustrated in the church the words of our Lord: “A house divided cannot stand.” Both the Catholic Health Association (CHA) and Network (a lobbying group claiming to represent 59,000 Catholic sisters) simply dismissed as false and unfounded the grave concerns not only of the bishops but also of pro-life members of Congress regarding abortion in the proposed legislation. The head of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the country, has called what the sisters did a “brave and important move” worthy of the organization’s “gratitude and support.”

A Network spokesperson was quoted as saying: “This is politics; this isn’t a question of faith and morals.” Let us look more closely at this claim.

At the very moment that pro-life legislators, subjected to great pressure and even vilification, were working valiantly to change the health care bill so that it would uphold the status quo of federal protections against abortion, these “Catholic” groups were pulling the rug out from under them, as everyone immediately recognized. There is no doubt that this was a calculated political act, but certainly not one in keeping with Pope John Paul’s words that even the “right to health … is false and illusory if the right to life … is not defended with maximum determination” (Christifideles laici, n. 38).

Last year, Pope Benedict reiterated the need for “a mature and committed laity” who are not merely “collaborators of the clergy” but “co-responsible for the Church’s being and action.” Co-responsibility, however, is founded on the obedience of faith by clergy and people alike to the deposit of faith. Nor does co-responsibility mean equality without distinctions. With the flock we bishops too are Christ’s sheep, but we have also been called by Christ and ordained to sanctify, to teach and to govern His people.

Canon Law, reflecting the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, says that the Christian faithful have a right and even a duty to make known their opinion, but “without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence towards their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons” (CIC, 212). None of these conditions was met by the action of the Catholic Health Association and Network.

Finally, and very sadly, I must point out that in our own diocese the Sisters of St. Francis, Tiffin, were among the signers of the Network statement. Support for health care reform is commendable, but not at the expense of efforts by the bishops and committed pro-life members of congress to protect both the unborn and consciences.

I call upon the Tiffin Franciscans and all the other communities of sisters who signed the Network statement to rededicate themselves to the Catholic teaching reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council that “abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes” (Gaudium et spes, 51), and to defending with “maximum determination,” as Pope John Paul said, “the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights,” including the right to health. I also invite the sisters to join me and the tremendously dedicated pro-life people of our diocese in attending the annual “Right to Life March” in Washington and participating in events like “Forty Days for Life,” prayer vigils, and other visible signs of moral and spiritual support for an end to the scourge of abortion in our country.

[Read the whole thing]

(emphasis added)

My Comments:
Thank you, Bishop Blair, for your unflinching CATHOLIC leadership of this diocese. God bless you.

By the way, does anyone think Bishop Blair might keep the actions of the sisters who signed the Network statement - in direct opposition to the Bishops - in mind as he continues his investigation ... sorry, "doctrinal assessment" ... of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious?

Happy 100th Anniversary, Diocese of Toledo!

From the Diocese of Toledo's website:

Foundation Day Mass: Celebrating 100 Years in the Diocese of Toledo


Foundation Day Mass: April 15, 2010
2:00 pm
Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral
Established as a diocese April 15, 1910 by Pope Pius X, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo encompasses 8,222 square miles in a mixture of urban and rural areas that spans 19 counties in Northwest Ohio. The diocese includes Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood, and Wyandot counties.

We will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Toledo with a special Mass at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral. Bishop Blair will be joined by Archbishops and Bishops from around the country for this special occasion.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Attendance at the Foundation Day Mass requires a ticket and seating is limited. Please contact the Chancery at 419-244-6711 x. 104 for more information.

The Diocese of Toledo and the Media Technology students of Central Catholic High School will be producing a LIVE video stream of the Mass. You can watch online by visiting http://www.centralcatholic.org/ and clicking the banner that says, "Anniversary Mass. Watch LIVE."

You can also download and print a copy of the program for the Mass by clicking here (Adobe Reader required).

Click here to watch the Toledo City Council present Resolution 181 honoring the Diocese's 100 years in Northwest Ohio.

Bishop Blair Speaks Recently at Theology on Tap

From The Catholic Chronicle:

FOSTORIA—Bishop Leonard P. Blair recounted his memories of Pope John Paul II, discussed the issue of parish closings and shared his reasons for being Catholic with an audience of about 75 people in Fostoria March 4.

The bishop discussed these and other topics during an hour-long question and answer session at The R Place as part of Theology on Tap, a monthly Catholic program for young adults that was introduced in Fostoria last fall.

[...]

Bishop Blair was also asked to share his reasons for being Catholic during the program.

“Why should anybody be a Catholic? Because of the thing that the modern world doesn’t believe exists anymore, and that is truth,” said Bishop Blair.

“Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict have spent all their time talking about this. But our world is skeptical about truth; it doesn’t believe there’s any absolute truth. You have yours, I have mine, who’s to say? But to be a Catholic, and I would submit to be a Christian, you are a Christian because you believe the truth of Jesus Christ — that He is the Way, and the Truth and the Life; and furthermore, to be a member of the body of Christ and to be a part of Christ, you have to be a member of His body; and to be a member of His body is to be a member of the Church. He said you cannot have life within you unless you eat my body and drink my blood, and where are you going to get that, except in the church?

“So ultimately the simple answer is, I am a Catholic because I believe it’s true,” said Bishop Blair. “And I don’t believe that there’s any other place to find the fullness of that truth.”

Catholic Schools Week 2010: "Dividends for Life"

The video above in which Toledo's Bishop Leonard Blair discusses the state of Catholic schools was played at this past weekend's Masses in parishes throughout the Diocese of Toledo.

Bishop Blair will be presiding over the Catholic Schools Week Mass this Friday at Norwalk Catholic School.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Mass and Lunch with Bishop Blair

Catholic Schools Week, January 25-31, 2009: "Catholic Schools Celebrate Service"

Catholic Chronicle: "Schools Initiative Spotlights Catholic Identity"

Norwalk Catholic School Offers Marine Biology Courses

May Crownings Yesterday ...

Norwalk Catholic School's Mrs. Cindy McLaughlin Announced as a Golden Apple Award Recipient by Diocese of Toledo

Catholic Schools Week 2008 - "Catholic Schools Light the Way"

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebrated at Norwalk Catholic School

Norwalk Catholic School on The Golden Compass

Two Toledo Diocesan High Schools Ranked Among Nation’s Best (Only 2 Schools in Ohio to Make List)

Yesterday: Norwalk Catholic School's "Spirit Day"

Back to School - 1st Day of Kindergarten

The Good News and Bad News of Catholic Schools Week

Catholic Schools Week

Photo of the Bishop and Jamie

More Bishop Blair (and Jamie, Too)

Digest of St. Paul State Championship Posts

Community Celebrates St. Paul's State Title

Storybook Ending

Champs!

Norwalk St. Paul Flyers are State Football Champs!

Community Celebrates St. Paul's State Title

From today's Norwalk Reflector:

MASSILLON - Saturday’s Division VI state championship for the St. Paul Flyers culminated with a wild celebration at Whitney Field.

The Flyers, 24-21 winners over Delphos St. John’s, were greeted by hundreds of well-wishers as the team buses pulled into the Whitney Field parking lot.

Whitney Field’s lights were turned on and the scoreboard read “24-21” and the time said “20:09.”

The bleachers were packed and the St. Paul High School band pumped out the fight song.

Head coach John Livengood, who is often very serious, smiled as he carried the state championship trophy on to the field.

The players and coaches took the trophy on a victory lap.

Livengood said in Saturday’s post-game press conference the victory “hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Livengood, in 19 years as head coach, has posted an overall record of 181-49.

His teams have captured 13 Firelands Conference titles, been to the playoffs 13 times, advanced to the state semifinals six times and finished as runners-up three times.

Now, add to that the 2009 Division VI state championship. Norwalk Mayor Sue Lesch has proclaimed Tuesday as “State Champion Flyer Football Day.”

The Flyer football team will be honored with a “Night of Champions” at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the St. Paul Convocation Center.

Norwalk city council has moved the time of its work session from 7:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday so council members and city officials can attend the celebration.

Saturday’s St. Paul win was special in several ways.

First, the Flyers upended the undefeated defending champs.

Second, Delphos St. John’s had never lost a Division VI title game (5-0) and had only lost one time as a Division VI playoff team.

That’s right.

Marion Local’s 24-20 over St. John’s in the 2000 state semifinals was the only time before Saturday the Blue Jays had lost in Division VI.

The Blue Jays were Division V from 2001 to 2004.

St. John had won titles in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2005 and 2008.

The 1997 and 1999 wins were both over St. Paul.

Storybook Ending

From The Morning Journal:

MASSILLON — Wow. It is hard to come up for a better word describing a game will be told in hallowed terms for the rest of time in the city of Norwalk and wherever St. Paul graduates scatter across the world. With a magical ending envied by Hollywood, St. Paul won the OHSAA Division VI State Championship over defending state champion Delphos St. John's 24-21 at historic Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

With only enough time on the clock for one more play, St. Paul had the ball on the one-yard line. On the previous two plays, the Blue Jay defense had stopped quarterback Eric Schwieterman inches short of the goal line. St. Paul coach John Livengood used his last timeout and changed the play slightly.

"We took it out one gap wider," Livengood said. "We thought we would have a better chance of a double team. We talked to the kids and said it was the state championship with five seconds or whatever it was remaining, it comes down to this one play."

Schwieterman made it through the gap and the Flyers finally had their state title in their fourth state title game and seven state final four appearances.

"It was a great high school football with two great programs representing their schools," Livengood said. "It couldn’t be much better coming down the wire like that."

But the Hollywood ending began much earlier. The Flyers trailed 21-10 to start the fourth quarter and trailed 21-17 with 10:11 remaining. St. John’s then went to work on the clock. 10 plays and nearly seven minutes later, the Blue Jays had the ball on the one-yard line. A false start pushed St. John’s back to the six. The Flyer defense held on second and third down forcing the Blue Jays to a fourth and four. St. John’s head coach Todd Schulte elected to go for the sure win rather than kick a field goal to go up seven points. He said there was no thought to kick the field goal.

[...]

Senior Justin Wilde forced Jordan Leininger wide and out of bounds. St. Paul took over on the two-yard line with 3:22 remaining.

[...]

The meaning of the phrase "The Drive" is now forever changed in Huron County. The two-word phrase will bring smiles instead of tears. Schwieterman kept his composure and his teammates followed. Facing a 2nd down at the four-yard line, he found Wilde for a 36-yard gain. Three plays later it was 4th-and-3 with 1:25 remaining. Again Schwieterman turned to Wilde this time for 38 yards. Two plays later on third and five, Schwieterman called his own number and was tackled just outside the goal line setting up the winning play.

"We all knew what we had to do," Schwieterman said. "We just took the momentum we had and just tried to take plays that worked and work our way down the field. Luckily we got it all the way down."

"It was an impressive drive," Schulte said. "They stayed pretty calm and poised out there. They weren’t in a huge hurry. It worked."

Livengood credited his senior class for the victory.

"I am very proud of these kids," he said. "It really hasn’t sunk in as a state championship. It is our ultimate goal. We talked since the beginning of two a days about being a team and being a leader and everyone taking their turn being the leader. Not just one individual guy. You never know when that play is going to happen but you have to step up and make the play. You saw it tonight, every kid played a part in it. Every kid stepped up. I would like to think that is what our program is about. I am so proud of these kids because they are so determined. When it came down to being 97 yards away and I just felt with the determination of our kids we had a shot. It is their personality. It is the personality of our senior class. I couldn’t be prouder."

Schwieterman completed eight passes for 187 yards and ran it 30 times for 180 yards and three touchdowns.

"Eric had a great game," Livengood said. "Not just throwing the ball but running the ball. One of the things we felt going into the game was we needed to have Eric running the ball for us and trying to have Delphos spread out a little. Eric has good size and speed. We felt we needed to use Eric in both the running and passing game."

Schwieterman made great reads running with the ball all game.

[...]

The St. Paul defense was outstanding. The Blue Jays had only 17 plays in the first half and only 10 first downs for the game. The Blue Jays came into the game averaging 292 rushing yards a game. St. Paul held them to just 153 on 33 rushes.

[More]

Champs!

From the Sandusky Register:

As light snowflakes started to fall at dusk at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon Saturday, another improbable finish culminated in area history.

The St. Paul Flyers drove 97 yards in just over three minutes to score a touchdown with five seconds left of a 24-21 win over Delphos St. John’s in the Division VI state championship game.

Flyer quarterback Eric Schwieterman — who finished with 334 yards of total offense and three touchdowns — bulled across for the winning score from a yard out to give the area it’s fourth state championship.

On the 35th anniversary of Norwalk’s 1974 state title, the Flyers also join the 1995 Clyde Fliers and the 1999 Perkins Pirates as state champions.

In 1999 at the same stadium, Perkins’ title came on a miraculous catch with less than 30 seconds left to get the distinction of ‘The Catch.’

Ten years later, ‘The Drive’ is born for St. Paul.

“Two great programs played a great game,” St. Paul coach John Livengood said. “It don’t get much better coming down to the wire like that.”

Read more in today's Register or the ePaper.

To see photos from the state championship game click HERE

Video

Norwalk St. Paul Flyers are State Football Champs!

Way to go, Flyers!

St. Paul rallied to defeat Delphos St. John’s 24-21 today to claim the school’s first state title in football.

Flyers senior quarterback Eric Schwieterman’s third touchdown run with five seconds remaining in the game capped a 98-yard drive in the Div. VI championship game at Paul E. Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon.

Schwieterman finished with 30 carries for 147 yards.

Trailing 21-17, the Flyers’ goal-line defense was put to the test late in the fourth quarter.

St. John’s running back Jordan Leininger picked up about three yards on a fourth-and-1 run from St. Paul’s 7-yard line, retaining the ball for his team and keeping alive their hopes of scoring a touchdown that would have sealed the win.

Then, with 3:29 remaining, the Blue Jays faced a fourth-and-goal from the 3. This time, Leininger couldn’t covert, getting forced out of bounds at the 2. That gave the ball to the Flyers, who faced the daunting task of needing to go 98 yards for a game-winning score.

Throwing from his own end zone, Schwieterman connected with Justin Wilde on a 36-yard pass to give St. Paul some breathing room.

Then, on fourth-and-3 near midfield, Wilde’s 33-yard catch-and-run moved the Flyers closer to pay dirt.

Two quarterback sneaks from the 1-yard line failed to give St. Paul the necessary score. So, with seven seconds left, St. Paul head coach John Livengood called Schwieterman’s number one more time. And this time the play proved successful as the Flyers’ senior QB found the end zone.

[More]

Awesome!

MASILLON – The Division VI state championship game lasted a little over two hours Saturday, but it will be talked about for years. Needing to go 98 yards against the defending state champions with 3:22 left on the clock, Norwalk St. Paul found enough guts and lifted a huge weight off of head coach John Livengood’s shoulders.

Quarterback Eric Schwieterman propelled the Flyers to victory with his 1-yard TD run with five seconds left as St. Paul beat Delphos St. John’s 24-21 at Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

The Flyers were 0-3 in state title games before Saturday and were 0-2 against St. John’s. That stigma has been squashed.

“We talked to the kids and said you know the state championship’s on the line with five seconds left and it comes down to this one play,” Livengood said. “They were able to get it in.”

Schwieterman’s TD came on third down after two straight QB sneaks from the 1-yardline failed. This time Schwieterman went out one gap farther and found just enough room.

“We knew they were brining every one up the middle and there was a little bit of a crease to the outside so we figured there would be a better chance if we bounced it out,” Schwieterman said. “There was a little gap there that we were able to squeeze it into.”

When asked how close the final play was, Schwieterman said: “I had the ball across the line.”

Livengood is St. Paul football in the fact that he’s led the Flyers to all 13 of their playoff berths since taking over 20 years ago. In that time frame St. Paul has won six regional titles.

As big a part Livengood has played in making St. Paul the program it is, Schwieterman played just as large a part in Saturday’s victory.

The senior quarterback led an offense that churned out 430 yards with 147 yards rushing and three TDs on 30 carries. He also completed 8-of-13 passes for 187 yards.

Schwieterman continually made play after play against a St. John’s defense that was allowing 209 yards of offense entering the contest.

On the final drive alone the Flyer QB connected with Justin Wilde on gains of 36 and 38 yards, the latter coming on fourth-and-three from the St. Paul 48.

His legs and arm did damage.

[More]

Speaking of Bishop Blair: "Sense and Nonsense"

Toledo Bishop Leonard Blair writes in the October 25, 2009 issue of The Catholic Chronicle:

Sense and nonsense

Written by Bishop Leonard P. Blair
Monday, 26 October 2009

... Far from being immune from this trend [of separating out one's "spirituality" from organized religion], it would appear that Catholics form a significant part of it. Throughout the country we see things that earlier generations of believers would find incomprehensible from the perspective of both faith and human reason.

In the sphere of religious practice, for example, many who claim to be Catholic not only fail to go to Mass on Sunday, but reject the belief that one is obliged to worship God as part of a church community at the Sunday Eucharist in observance of the Third Commandment. This attitude also applies to the sacrament of penance and other religious obligations and practices that are the spiritual heart and soul of what it means to be a Catholic.

When it comes to living the faith, it has to be asked how any person familiar with the foundations of Catholic belief, the interconnection of the mysteries of faith and teaching on faith and morals, could honestly claim to be Catholic and at the same time reject, and even undermine, fundamental moral truths that the Catholic faith believes are part of the deposit of faith from the Apostles.

[...]

There will always be people who fail to live up to the religion they profess, but it is not rationally coherent to insist that one can be a Catholic and not accept the fundamental teachings of the Catholic faith.

The question then arises: who has the authority to say what is Catholic? Even if one were to reject the answer from the Catechism that I wrote about in my last Chronicle article, what the Catechism says is a simple fact of history that goes back to the very beginning of Christianity.

This leads to an even more fundamental question about the very nature of Christianity and the Church. Is it a human project or a divine one? If it is human, it simply reflects what human beings think at any given time. If it is divine, then it is a revelation of truths about God, human life and the world that require conversion and the obedience of faith. If the core beliefs of Christianity and the Catholic Church are a human project, then they can — to use a favorite contemporary expression — be “re-defined.” If they are of divine origin, then it is sinful humanity that is meant to be re-defined.

Every pastor in the Church, and all Catholics in relation to one another, have an obligation “to speak the truth in love” (Eph 4:15). The ultimate judgment of every person belongs to Christ alone, whom we await “to judge the living and the dead.” In the meantime, however, as St. Paul says, we must “proclaim the Word; be persistent, whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching” (2 Tim 4:2).

All of us need to pray and do penance for ourselves and others, because “God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and that they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim 2:25f ).


© Copyright 2002 - 2009 Catholic Chronicle
The Official Newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Toledo

(emphasis added)

Mo Do Attacks My Bishop

Maureen Dowd, the house embittered spinster at The New York Times, has written another unhinged screed attacking the Catholic Church for ... well ... even a Catholic "progressive" like Michael Sean Winters can't quite figure it out:

... I read Maureen Dowd’s column in the New York Times yesterday in which she attacks the Catholic Church for…well, it is hard to tell exactly what she is attacking the Church for because her brushstroke is so wide...

What is clear is that dear Mo not only attacks the Holy Father (which, of course, is de rigueur), but she also goes after my own Bishop, Leonard P. Blair:

... The nuns are pushing back a bit, but it’s hard, since the church has decreed that women can’t be adversarial to men. A nun writing in Commonweal as “Sister X” protests, “American women religious are being bullied.”

She recalls that Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo, who heads one of the investigations, moved a meeting at the University of Notre Dame off campus to protest a performance of “The Vagina Monologues.” [ED.: So, what's your point? Is this supposed to be considered a "bad" thing? By the way, have I mentioned lately that I LOVE my Bishop?] “It is the rare bishop,” Sister X writes, “who has any real understanding of the lives women actually lead.”

[...]

Marcy Kaptur, a Democratic congresswoman from Toledo and one of Bishop Blair’s flock [ED.: Don't even get me started on Marcy Kaptur], got a resolution passed commending nuns for their humble service and sacrifice. “The Vatican’s in another country,” she said. “Maybe people do things differently there. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will intervene.”

My Comments:
Hey, Mo! I have just one thing to say:

Catherine Zeta-Jones!!!
Okay, that was a bit below the belt, I know. But that's about all the effort I can manage for one of Dowd's tantrums.

I'm afraid that if you want a more substantive response (and less ad hominem) to Mo Do's nonsense, you'll have to read it over at Fr. Z's blog or at Winters' piece linked above.

(Hat tip: Opinionated Catholic)

Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (Patronal Feast of the Diocese of Toledo) - 7 October

Cathedral of Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary
Toledo, OH
Today is the patronal feast of the Diocese of Toledo. It also marks the beginning of the 2-year-long celebration (from October 7, 2009 through October 7, 2011) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Catholic Diocese of Toledo in 1910.

The festivities kick off at 12 Noon today with a televised Mass from Rosary Cathedral that will be aired internationally on EWTN:

October 7, 2009
Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
Principal Patroness of the Diocese of Toledo

Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral
2535 Collingwood Blvd., Toledo.
12:00 p.m.

Celebrant: Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair, S.T.D. Bishop of Toledo

Information on EWTN's broadcast of the Mass:

CATHEDRALS ACROSS AMERICA: FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY LIVE (90 mins)

From Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo, OH. Bishop Leonard Blair, Celebrant and Homilist.

Wed 10/07/09 12:00 PM ET / 9 AM PT
Wed 10/07/09 6:30 PM ET / 3:30 PM PT

Here's more on this feast day:

The feast of the Holy Rosary was established by Saint Pius V on the anniversary of the naval victory won by the Christian fleet at Lepanto, October 7, 1571. The victory was attributed to the help of the holy Mother of God whose aid was invoked through praying the Rosary.

The celebration of this day invites all to mediate upon the mysteries of Christ, following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was so singularly associated with the incarnation, passion and glorious resurrection of the Son of God. From the Christian Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours)

Prayers

Collect:
Lord, fill our hearts with your love,
and as you revealed to us by an angel the coming of your Son as man,
so lead us through his suffering and death to the glory of his resurrection,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading: Acts of the Apostles 1:12-14
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away; and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

[More]

From EWTN.com:

Our Lady of the Rosary

Feast: October 7

Apart from the signal defeat of the Albigensian heretics at the battle of Muret in 1213 which legend has attributed to the recitation of the Rosary by St. Dominic, it is believed that Heaven has on many occasions rewarded the faith of those who had recourse to this devotion in times of special danger. More particularly, the naval victory of Lepanto gained by Don John of Austria over the Turkish fleet on the first Sunday of October in 1571 responded wonderfully to the processions made at Rome on that same day by the members of the Rosary confraternity. St. Pius V thereupon ordered that a commemoration of the Rosary should be made upon that day, and at the request of the Dominican Order Gregory XIII in 1573 allowed this feast to be kept in all churches which possessed an altar dedicated to the Holy Rosary. In 1671 the observance of this festival was extended by Clement X to the whole of Spain, and somewhat later Clement XI after the important victory over the Turks gained by Prince Eugene on 6 August, 1716 (the feast of our Lady of the Snows), at Peterwardein in Hungary, commanded the feast of the Rosary to be celebrated by the universal Church. A set of "proper" lessons in the second nocturn were conceded by Benedict XIII. Leo XIII has since raised the feast to the rank of a double of the second class and has added to the Litany of Loreto the invocation "Queen of the Most Holy Rosary". On this feast, in every church in which the Rosary confraternity has been duly erected, a plenary indulgence toties quoties is granted upon certain conditions to all who visit therein the Rosary chapel or statue of Our Lady. This has been called the "Portiuncula" of the Rosary.

(Taken from Catholic Encyclopedia)

UPDATE
I'm not sure what the delay is, but the Mass at Rosary Cathedral is not currently being shown on EWTN. It's somewhat annoying, as this is a big deal for those of us here in the Diocese of Toledo.

At any rate, here is a blurb from the Diocesan website about today's events:

Diocese Celebrates Patronal Feast Day Today

The Toledo Diocese will begin its centenary celebration today with a Patronal Feast Mass at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary that will be broadcast live on the EWTN as part of their "Cathedrals Across America" program.

The Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair, S.T.D., Bishop of Toledo will be the Celebrant, with Assisting Deacons James D. Caruso, and Ronald D. Henderson and Gospel Deacon Alfredo M. Diaz. The Most Reverend Robert W. Donnelly, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Toledo and the Most Reverend Albert H. Ottenweller, D.D. retired Bishop of Steubenville will participate as Concelebrating Bishops. Masters of Ceremony are the Very Reverend Michael R. Billian, VE, Reverend Charles E. Singler, D.Min., and Daniel J. Demski.

The 90 minute inauguration of the centenery year will include General Intercessions in nine languages in honor of the immigrant parishes in the diocese. The Mass will also include the debut of the winning submission in the diocese's Hymn Competition for the centenary celebration. The hymn was submitted by Toledoan Daniel J. Knaggs. The Centenary Cross will be blessed by Bishop Blair during the Mass and the cross will begin its centenary pilgrimmage across the 19 counties of the diocese.

Admission to today's Mass is by ticket only. The Mass will be broadcast live on EWTN at noon, and a will be repeated at 6:30 pm.

UPDATE #2
Finally, an hour late, the broadcast begins.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Toledo Centenary Hymn Competition

Bishop Blair: "Bursts of Divine Glory"

Toledo Bishop Leonard Blair writes in the June 2009 issue of The Catholic Chronicle:

Bursts of divine glory

Written by Bishop Leonard P. Blair
Friday, 05 June 2009

... I am referring to three great solemnities: The Most Holy Trinity on June 7, The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) on June 14 and the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19. All three were instituted to celebrate a particular mystery of faith in the wake of Easter joy.

Now, I’ll focus on one in particular: The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) on June 14.

***
The sacrament of the most holy Eucharist has been with the church from the beginning in all its various aspects — as the sacrifice to be offered, as the sacred meal to be eaten, as Christ’s substantial Presence to be adored. The Solemnity of Corpus Christi in particular highlights Christ’s "Real Presence." Although already attested to in ancient times, our understanding, appreciation and adoration of this mystery has been constantly enriched by the church’s authentic teaching in the face of new questions and challenges, and especially by the insights of the saints — all under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit "guiding us to all truth."

***
... Even though there have undoubtedly been spiritual benefits to the revised liturgy, it also has to be acknowledged that among many Catholics something has been lost when it comes to reverence and respect for the holy Eucharist.

As the Solemnity of Corpus Christi draws near, I offer for your reflection the following excerpt from a little booklet issued in 2001 by the United States bishops titled "The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist." The question asked is, "What are appropriate signs of reverence with respect to the Body and Blood of Christ?"

The answer is, "The Body and Blood of Christ present under the appearances of bread and wine are treated with the greatest reverence both during and after the celebration of the Eucharist. For example, the tabernacle in which the consecrated bread is reserved is placed ‘in some part of the church or oratory which is distinguished, conspicuous, beautifully decorated, and suitable for prayer.’ (Code of Canon Law, 938, ß2)

"According to the tradition of the Latin Church, one should genuflect in the presence of the tabernacle containing the reserved sacrament [unless prevented by age or illness]. In the Eastern Catholic churches, the traditional practice is to make the sign of the cross and to bow profoundly. The liturgical gestures from both traditions reflect reverence, respect and adoration.

"It is appropriate for the members of the assembly to greet each other in the gathering space of the church (that is, the vestibule or narthex), but it is not appropriate to speak in loud or boisterous tones in the body of the church (that is, the nave) because of the presence of Christ in the tabernacle.

"Also, the church requires everyone to fast before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ as a sign of reverence and recollection (unless illness prevents one from doing so). In the Latin Church, one must generally fast for at least one hour; members of Eastern Catholic churches must follow the practice established by their own church."

May God bless us with a profound gratitude for the sacramental gift that Christ makes of Himself in the most holy Eucharist. And may this year’s celebration of Corpus Christi lead us to greater appreciation of the church’s tradition of faith, reverence and respect for the Blessed Sacrament.


© Copyright 2002 - 2009 Catholic Chronicle
The Official Newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Toledo

Toledo Diocese to Welcome Five Men to Priesthood ... Largest Class in Over a Decade

From the Diocese of Toledo's website:

On Saturday, May 30th at 11am, Bishop Leonard P. Blair will ordain five men into the priesthood of the Diocese of Toledo at Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral at 2535 Collingwood Boulevard. This is the largest class of new priests the Diocese of Toledo has seen in more than a decade.

Deacon Kishore Kottana, 44, from Visakhapatnam, India grew up in Mumbai, India and has a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and a Master’s degree in Theology both from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy. Since his arrival in the Diocese of Toledo in 2007, Deacon Kishore performed his pastoral internship at St. Wendelin Parish in Fostoria, and also served at St. Mary’s Parish in Sandusky. Before entering the seminary Deacon Kishore worked as a submarine refit supervisor for 18 years at a naval base in India, and served the poor in an orphanage as part of a Catholic lay community. Deacon Kishore says of the Catholic community here, “I have this sense of belonging, this sense of happiness that I’m accepted.”

Deacon Jason Kahle, 29, from Kalida,Ohio, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Science and Industrial Design from The Ohio State University and a Master’s of Divinity from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West. Deacon Jason performed his pastoral internship at St. Mary’s Parish in Sandusky. He also served at St. Joseph parish in Ft. Jennings, Immaculate Conception in Ottoville, St. Mary in Defiance, Transfiguration of the Lord in Upper Sandusky and at Columbus Children’s Hospital. Deacon Jason says he can trace his first thoughts of priesthood to his involvement in youth ministry in high school and the suggestion of his parents that he would be a good priest.

Deacon Chris Bohnsack, 40, from Toledo has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Bowling Green State University and a Master’s of Divinity from Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West. Deacon Chris performed his pastoral internship at All Saints Parish in New Reigel, and also served at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo. Before entering the seminary Deacon Chris worked with Sunshine Children’s Home where he cared for men with developmental disabilities in a group home environment.

Deacon Eric Mueller, 32, from Landeck, Ohio has a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental and Hazardous Materials Management from the University of Findlay, a Master’s of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toledo, and a Master’s of Divinity from St. Meinrad’s Seminary. Deacon Eric performed his pastoral internship at St. Michael’s Parish in Findlay, and also served at St. Caspar in Wauseon, Indiana University Hospital, Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana, and St. Mary in Sandusky. Deacon Eric spent 11 weeks studying Spanish in Antigua, Guatemala. A suggestion from a friend during his junior year in college influenced Deacon Eric to consider the call to priesthood. He now says, “I’ve grown to really love my vocation and want to give of myself as a priest.”

Deacon Tony Recker, 32, from Napoleon Ohio, is the son of a permanent Deacon, the late Deacon Louis Recker, and credits this strong Catholic upbringing as the foundation of his vocation. Earning a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Medical degree from the University of Toledo College of Medicine, Deacon Tony added a Master’s of Divinity from Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West. He served his pastoral internship at St. Thomas Aquinas and Good Shepherd Parishes in Toledo, and also served at Immaculate Conception in Bellevue, Our Lady of Suyapa Seminary in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, San Juan Bautista Parish in El Paraiso, Honduras, St. Patrick's Historic Parish in Toledo, and St. Mary's in Defiance. Deacon Tony felt the call to the priesthood during medical school, and entered the seminary shortly after finishing his medical degree.

According to The Class of 2009: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood conducted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat for Vocations and analyzed by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University there are 465 potential ordinands this year. Researchers gathered information from 310 seminarians, or about 70 percent of the potential ordinands, and reported that the average age of ordinands this year is 36, and that about 57 percent of new priests are between 25 and 29 years of age.

Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, noted the quality of the Class of 2009 saying, "These new priests reflect a tremendous dedication to the Church and show great promise. They reflect God's blessing on our Church."

Please pray for all of these men.

A Letter from Bishop Blair

A letter from Bishop Blair:

Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair
Bishop of Toledo in America

To the Clergy, Religious and Laity of the Diocese of Toledo:
May the Peace of the Risen Christ be with You.

My Dear Friends,

During this joyful Easter season we have the privilege of celebrating together our new life in Christ, risen from the dead. The mystery of Christ’s saving work is made present and fruitful among us thanks to the gift of the Holy Spirit whose outpouring we will commemorate on May 31, Pentecost Sunday.

Once again this year I invite parishes and individuals, from May 22-30, to pray the Novena of the Holy Spirit, which was published in booklet form by our diocese last year and favorably received by so many people. What was printed reflects last year’s calendar, but it can be used again with a few editorial adjustments. On our diocesan website you will now find a version that reflects these adjustments.

In imitation of Mary and the disciples in the Upper Room for nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost, we implore an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He alone is our source of life and power for the mission we have received to bear witness to Jesus Christ.

This year that mission needs the special blessing of the Holy Spirit for a specific purpose. In preparation for the 100th anniversary of the Diocese of Toledo in 2010, I have asked all parishes to be involved in a program of evangelization, that is, an organized effort to share with others the good news of Christ, the good news of our Catholic Faith.

The theme is The Spirit of Jesus Alive Today: Pentecost in Our Time. Most parishes will participate directly in the diocesan program of that name. Some parishes have determined that a locally designed program better addresses their needs.

The diocesan program is built on the principle that personal contact is the most effective means of invitation and welcome. Parishioners are being organized to make home visits in their local communities in the hope that this personal contact will be used by God to draw into the “Catholic communion of the Church” people who have no church or who have fallen away from the practice of the faith. Happy and confident parishioners with a commitment to and love for their Catholic Faith bring a spiritual energy to evangelization that is far more effective than any media blitz or letter survey.

This is a wonderful opportunity for you who are the lay faithful to be actively involved in the life and mission of your parish and the wider Church. Every parishioner can be involved, whether you visit homes or not. All are encouraged to provide the necessary spiritual support through prayer, especially the Pentecost Novena, and through good works offered up as an appeal to God. Others might help prepare welcoming activities at the parish as part of the follow-up.

At any time, we can and should take advantage of opportunities to bear witness to our faith with friends, neighbors, family and co-workers. If we truly take to heart our obligation to make Christ better known and loved, then our parishes and our diocese will be blessed with new life in the next century.

In the months to come there will be more news about the Centenary of our diocese, which was founded on April 15, 1910. For now, I am happy to announce that the celebration will begin on our diocesan patronal feast, October 7, 2009, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, with a Mass in the Cathedral at noon that will be broadcast live nationwide on the EWTN network. Needless to say, we are hoping for a full cathedral that day from parishes throughout the diocese. More specific information will be forthcoming.

“Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful. Enkindle in them the fire of your love!” May the language of love be our motivating force, our guiding light, and the fruit of our efforts. “Come, Holy Spirit, Come!”

Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair
Bishop of Toledo
May 4, 2009

(emphasis in original)

Toledo Centenary Hymn Competition

From the Diocese of Toledo website:

The Diocese of Toledo is sponsoring a competition for a liturgical song in celebration of the Diocesan Centenary in 2010. This song will be premiered on October 7, 2009 at the Mass for Our Lady of the Rosary that will be broadcast live on EWTN. Publication of the winning composition is guaranteed by GIA Publications, Inc.

Communion Song
1. The song is intended for the Communion procession, particularly for, but not limited to, Marian feasts. It could also be used at Evening Prayer.

2. The text is to have the structure of a refrain for the congregation and verses for cantor or choir.

3. The text is:
Refrain: My soul rejoices in God who has done great things for us.

Verses: (Magnificat, Revised Grail Psalter, Luke 1:46-55)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
For he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
To Abraham and his children for ever.

4. A unison setting is to be provided that can be sung by cantor and assembly with organ for both refrain and verses. Choral harmony should be included for times when a choir is present.

5. Organ accompaniment is to be provided.

6. An optional C instrument part may also be included.

7. Entries must be postmarked no later than August 1, 2009, accompanied by an entry fee of $10.00 payable to Diocese of Toledo and the registration form stapled to the score.

8. A cash prize of $750.00 will be presented to the winner. The judges reserve the right not to select any of the entries. The decision of the judges will be final.

9. Entrants agree that if their entry is selected, the copyright will be assigned to GIA Publications, Inc.


REGISTRATION FORM
TOLEDO CENTENARY HYMN COMPETITION

Name ___________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________

___________________________________________

Phone number _______________________________________

E-mail (optional) __________________________________


I agree to all the rules and conditions set forth in the guidelines for the Toledo
Centenary Hymn Competition.


Signature __________________________________________

Entries must be postmarked no later than August 1, 2009.

Include entry fee of $10.00 payable to Diocese of Toledo.

Staple this registration form to the score.

Mail to: Centenary Hymn Competition
Diocese of Toledo
P.O. Box 985
Toledo, OH 43697

A Personal Message from Bishop Blair

A personal message from Bishop Blair:

Written by MOST REVEREND LEONARD P. BLAIR, Bishop of Toledo
Monday, 20 April 2009

On April 18, the Toledo Blade ran a story about the request that the Holy See has made of me to conduct a doctrinal assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States.

The Blade took the occasion to solicit comments about me from persons totally unrelated to the news in question, including a comment from SNAP’s national outreach director in St. Louis, whom I have never met or heard of. She was quoted as saying that I am “a bishop with a terrible track record on child sex abuse and cover-up.”

Since becoming your Bishop in 2003 I have had to deal with many grave matters, including cases of clergy sexual abuse of minors. I want to assure you that I have never “covered up” anything. Each and every allegation, past and present, has been taken with the utmost seriousness and handled according to the requirements of civil and church law. Above and beyond the law, our diocese has reached out to victims, and the outcome of clergy cases has been made public.

Every person has a right to his or her good name. As your Bishop I want you to know that I reject as false the characterization that appeared in the Blade. At the same time I take to heart what our Lord said, that we are to love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who persecute us.

© Copyright 2002 - 2009 Catholic Chronicle
The Official Newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Toledo

My Comments:
Good for Bishop Blair. There is no end to the slanders and calumnies of the SNAP types, who seem more interested in using the priest scandals as a means of discrediting any efforts by the Church and her Bishops to speak with moral authority on any matter (see Anderson's Law, also known as the reductio ad pedophilium).


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Vatican Picks Bishop Blair to Direct Inquiry Into Nun Organization's Adherence to Catholic Doctrine

Anderson's Law

Toledo Dodges Another Bullet: It's Carlson, Not Blair, to St. Louis

I've feared for quite some time that we here in the Toledo Diocese may lose Bishop Blair to bigger and better things, such as an archdiocese somewhere. At first, I thought it would be to either Cincinnati or Detroit. When those vacancies were filled with other worthy candidates, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, I began to receive some indications that Bishop Blair was moving up on the list of possible successors to Archbishop Burke in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. His recent visit to Rome, I thought, made this a distinct possibility.

Well, now we have word that Bishop Blair's visit to Rome had much to do with his recent appointment to oversee an inquiry into adherence to Catholic doctrine by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. That assignment, while indicating the Vatican's high regard for our Bishop, should at least keep him here in Toledo for the foreseeable future. And late last night (or early this morning) came word that the vacancy in St. Louis had been filled by Bishop Robert Carlson of Saginaw.

Tom Peters at American Papist provides some of the essentials in regard to Bishop Carlson:

... His episcopal motto is "Ante crucem nihil defensionis," or "Before the cross there is no defense" - I think that says a lot about how he views his episcopal ministry.

I have heard he enjoys a particularly close relationship with Pope Benedict. In 2006 when Carlson was in Rome and Pope Benedict heard about it - the pope cleared his schedule and sent a message to Carlson saying that he wanted to meet with him.

In 2003 Bp. Carlson told Tom Daschle he could no longer call himself Catholic, when he was his bishop.

He moves quickly: look at this seminarian post detailing his second year accomplishments in Saginaw.

He called a Eucharistic Congress in 2007 and has gradually been re-establishing sound liturgical practice in his formerly-liberal diocese of Saginaw.

He started a house of formation in the diocese of Saginaw so that it would not have to be farmed out. He has written four pastoral letters and four other documents. He has founded an order in Columbia which is very close to his heart. He chairs the well-regarded Institute for Priestly Formation.

This interview with Bp. Carlson presents his comments on his 2006 meeting with the pope, and gives a decent glimpse of his pastoral style. This story published just today also should prove useful.

Apparently, Bishop Carlson gets under the skin of all the right people:

TOM DASCHLE may no longer call himself a Catholic. [ED.: Truth in advertising, I suppose you could call it.] The Senate minority leader and the highest ranking Democrat in Washington has been sent a letter by his home diocese of Sioux Falls, sources in South Dakota have told The Weekly Standard, directing him to remove from his congressional biography and campaign documents all references to his standing as a member of the Catholic Church.

This isn't exactly excommunication--which is unnecessary, in any case, since Daschle made himself ineligible for communion almost 20 years ago with his divorce and remarriage to a Washington lobbyist. The directive from Sioux Falls' Bishop Robert Carlson is rather something less than excommunication--and, at the same time, something more: a declaration that Tom Daschle's religious identification constitutes, in technical Catholic vocabulary, a grave public scandal. [ED.: Perhaps the Archbishop of San Francisco might want to take note, especially regarding a certain prominent member of the House of Representatives who recently proclaimed the killing of embryos for "scientific" research as "a gift from God".] He was brought up as a Catholic, and he may still be in some sort of genuine mental and spiritual relation to the Church. Who besides his confessor could say? But Daschle's consistent political opposition to Catholic teachings on moral issues--abortion, in particular--has made him such a problem for ordinary churchgoers that the Church must deny him the use of the word "Catholic."

Much of the discussion about Daschle's standing has gone on in private over the last few years, although Bishop Carlson and Senator Daschle had a very public spat about partial-birth abortion in 1997. During the run-up to a Senate vote on the issue, Daschle proposed what he called a "compromise," banning the procedure while allowing exemptions for any woman who claimed mental or physical health reasons for having such a late-term procedure. Pointing out the way the exemptions gutted the ban, Carlson called Daschle's proposed compromise a "smokescreen" designed solely to "provide cover for pro-abortion senators and President Clinton, who wanted to avoid a veto confrontation." [ED.: Hmmmm. That sounds familiar ... much like the Kmiecian "abortion reduction" canard.]

Daschle, in turn, rose on the floor of the Senate in Washington to denounce his own bishop back in South Dakota for speaking in a way "more identified with the radical right than with thoughtful religious leadership." [ED.: No comment necessary, other than the fact that this is the sort of person - who makes a direct political attack on a Catholic Bishop - that one party thought an appropriate Senate Majority Leader and, but for his tax-cheating ways, an appropriate cabinet secretary as head of the Dept. of Health and Human Services.] Carlson later told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader that he remains mystified by Daschle's position on abortion. "NARAL claims him as one of their number-one supporters. I don't understand how he can be in touch with South Dakotans as much as he is, and yet consistently have a pro-abortion record." ...

(emphasis and editorial commentary added)