My World of Religion, Politics, Entertainment and Social Issues

Dear Blog Visitors: First of all, I want to wish all of you a very blessed holiday season. Secondly, I want to articulate my hope for a middle-ground church - a church where conservatives and liberals can have dialogue in a respectful way. Unfortunately, I allowed myself to get trapped into a name-calling contest at a website facilitated by Rich Leonardi of Cincinnati (former Rochester resident). To be fair, I respect Rich as a conservative thinker, theologian and writer. It is therefore extremely sad that some of the dialogues at his blog have resulted in personal attacks on me, Bishop Matthew Clark and the Rochester Diocese. In an uncustomary manner for me, I responded to a name-caller in a similar fashion, which only added fuel to the fire. Jesus gave us much wisdom concerning debates that have often become heated at Catholic blogs. We all know that turning the other cheek can be challenging when we are attacked. However, I am finding it is sometimes easier to sit back and let ...

One of my favorite hobbies is collecting holiday films, especially those that bring out the true spirit of Christmas. For those of you with a high speed internet connection, you may wish to visit my YouTube site at www.youtube.com/priestray for a video I made that promotes some of these Christmas films. You may aldo go right to the Christmas video by clicking onto the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAeVT8Ww2Sw Some of the vintage classic holiday films I highy recommend are as follows: My personal Christmas favorite is IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE with James Stewart and Donna Reed. There are several versions of A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens. My favorite is the 1951 version with Alastair Sim as Scrooge. One of my all-time favorite actors is Cary Grant. Be sure to check out his holiday classic, entitled THE BISHOP'S WIFE. (David Niven is the Anglican Bishop, Loretta Young is his wife and Cary Grant is a visiting angel.) As with the case of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, t...

PRESS RELEASE CORPUS, National Association for an Inclusive Ministry Contact: Anthony Padovano (973)539-8732 Russ Ditzel (908) 638-4640 Website: www.corpus.org Priesthood serves the People of God by bringing healing and hope through sacramental celebration and pastoral care. It is God’s People who must discern their leaders and it is the bishops of the Church who are called to validate this in the normal course of events. When that validation is withheld for reasons which have nothing substantial to do with ministry, then the baptized community must call bishops to respect biblical norms and Gospel imperatives. The life of a community and of the Eucharist cannot be held hostage to Church policies which undermine them. A baptized community has a human and evangelical right to community, pastoral care and Eucharistic celebration. For these reasons, CORPUS stands in solidarity with those ordained women who followed their calling and were selected for priesthood when bishops rejec...

Dear Blog Visitors: I am still busy with my latest hobby - namely, making videos for my YouTube channel. The following article caught my attention today, for it details the two Vatican posts that were given to none other than Archbishop Raymond Burke. We have been reading about the hard-line tactics of Archbishop Burke in recent weeks, inclusive of the multiple excommunications he issued in St. Louis. So, it should be no surprise that the Vatican is impressed with him. Here is the article: Pope names Burke to two Vatican offices By Tim Townsend ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/AAAC04C21C1E1288862574420006FA6B?OpenDocument Pope Benedict XVI named St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke to two Vatican offices Tuesday, increasing Burke's already prominent stature in Rome. Burke, a canon lawyer by training, was one of eight cardinals and archbishops worldwide who Benedict named to the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, which ...

Dear Blog Visitors: I want to share the following press release with you. It was released by Rev. Rose Marie Hudson and Rev. Elsie McGrath. Both were ordained Catholic priests. Once again, the infamous Archbishop Raymond Burke has abused his power by way of delivering excommunication letters to both Rose Marie and Elsie. This is fresh on the heals of his threatening punitive action against a very good priest and polish parish. In addition, you will recall that Burke abused his power by making a public announcement four years ago that presidential candidate John Kerry would not be allowed to receive communion in his jurisdiction. It is about time that the Vatican reminded Archbishop Burke that he was appointed as a shepherd to his community. Instead, he has become a wolf in sheep's clothing. My prayers and best wishes are with Rose Marie and Elsie. In additioin to reading the press release that follows, you might want to watch my video in which I criticize Archbishop Raymond Burke f...

Dear Blog Visitors: The following is the itinerary for Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United States in April. I plan to produce a series of videos in advance of his visit, which can be viewed at www.youtube.com/priestray . It is my hope a press conference hosted by married priests and women priests will be scheduled during the pontiff's stay in New York. POPE'S ITINERARY Tuesday, April 15 Arrival at Andrews Air Force Base. Greeting by President Bush and Mrs. Bush. Also present will be local dignitaries of the church and the apostolic nuncio. Wednesday, April 16, 10:30 a.m. President Bush and the First Lady meet the Holy Father on the south lawn of the White House. This is only the second time in history that a pontiff has visited the White House. At the end of the welcoming ceremony, a private meeting is scheduled for the Holy Father and the President, while dignitaries of the two states also meet. Wednesday, April 16, 5:30 p.m. Private prayer service and meeting with th...

Dear Blog Visitors: I have put my pen aside for a while, as I continue to experiment with video technology. My first attempts were a little dark and fuzzy, as you can see at www.youtube.com/priestray . Concerning my continued work in church reform, I am hoping to assist the organization of a press conference during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to New York in April. If something materializes, I will provide details in my blog. Once I become more proficient with videos, I hope to post some of them here. Let us continue to pray for a Roman Catholic Church that is more inclusive. Peace to all.