The Catholic Knight

Religious Freedom LOST In the United States

2012-01-27T22:29:00.000-06:00

(CNA/EWTN News) - Pope Benedict XVI warned today of a “grave threat” to religious liberty in the United States that requires American Catholics to respond with intelligence and courage.

“It is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres,” he said Jan. 19 in an address to a group of American bishops visiting the Vatican.

The Pope said he was particularly concerned with “certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion.”..

read full story here

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(Star-Telegram) - The United States is a nation founded on the principle of life, liberty and justice for all. Throughout the history of this great nation, the religious communities and those in posts of civil authority have recognized that free practice of religious belief is foundational to our country.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...." But in recent days the latest salvo in the attack on religious freedom was fired by the Obama administration and, sadly, by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic.

On Jan. 20, Sebelius announced the administration's decision to mandate the inclusion of particular health services in insurance coverage that would result in Catholic institutions having to provide coverage that violates Catholic Church teaching and, therefore, Catholic conscience.

The HHS ruling requires that sterilization and contraception, including controversial abortifacients, be among the "preventive services" coverage in almost every healthcare plan available to Americans, including health plans offered by religious organizations.

read full story here

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(CNA/EWTN News) - Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, head of the U.S. bishops' conference, says the Obama administration has revoked the religious freedom of groups that do not regard women's fertility as as “disease.”

“The Catholic Church defends religious liberty, including freedom of conscience, for everyone,” the New York archbishop and conference president wrote in a Jan. 25 Wall Street Journal editorial, addressing the government's final decision to require contraception coverage in most new health plans.

With this decision, the cardinal-designate wrote, “the Obama administration has failed to show the same respect for the consciences of Catholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease.”

On Jan. 20 the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed it would impose the contraception coverage mandate on most religious institutions, with a narrow exception for groups whose main purpose is the “inculcation of religious values” among people of the same faith.

“Even Jesus and his disciples would not qualify for the exemption,” Cardinal-designate Dolan noted, “because they were committed to serve those of other faiths.”

Health and Human Services finalized the contraceptive mandate just days before the annual March for Life, an event that mourns the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision...

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: In what is threatening to become the story of the 21st century, religious freedom is being lost (particularly for Catholics) in the United States of America. The culprit is in 'how' the courts and the legislatures interpret the term 'religious freedom.' In that, the judges and politicians are interpreting 'religious freedom' strictly in terms of religious worship, meaning freedom to engage in the ceremonial rites of one's choice. While religious conscience, the freedom to morally act according to one's beliefs, is being ignored. The latest case with the Obama administration and the HHS is just another link in a long chain of offences. This however, is Obama's second attempt to take what had been a state and local conflict to the national level.

Previously, Catholic Charities have been shut down in a few states throughout the Union, due to the Church's refusal to adopt children to homosexual couples. Furthermore, the City of San Francisco, one of the most homosexual-friendly cities in the nation, has openly condemned the Catholic Church in an official statement, calling upon Catholics to openly rebel against Church teaching. The United States Supreme Court has sanctioned this action, allowing the city statement to stand, without any fines or penalties.

Now, the Obama administration has made two direct attempts to undermine and attack the inner workings of religious institutions in America. The first was in the form of forcing churches to hire women and doctrinal dissenters to teaching positions within religious schools. Thankfully, the Supreme Court struck this down unanimously (9 to 0) in what was a humiliating defeat to the Obama administration. With that failure behind them, the Obama administration has pushed ahead full-speed toward forcing all religious institutions (especially the Catholic Church) to provide medical services that directly contradict religious conscience. The administration knows this and that is why it is doing this. By pushing forward in driving a wedge between religious worship and religious conscience, the administration knows it can make inroads into controlling religious institutions within the United States, with the long-term eventuality of defining 'orthodoxy' for them.

Catholic bishops across the United States are unifying against this clear threat to religious freedom that is presently under way. Catholics are being urged to contact their congressional representatives and demand a stop to this assault on religious liberty. Non-Catholic Christians would be wise to join them.

Pro-Choice Catholic Politicians Excommunicate Themselves and are Unfit For Public Office

2012-01-27T09:40:00.003-06:00

(California Catholic Daily) - When Sonoma County Pro-Life advertised its annual Rally for Life held last Sunday, it promised that its keynote speaker -- Santa Rosa Bishop Robert Vasa -- “is sure to challenge and inspire us all.” Bishop Vasa did not let them down.

“Any government leader, particularly those who claim to be Christian, who claim to be pro-choice, is unworthy of public office,” Bishop Vasa told the rally at Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa on Jan. 22. “Absolutely unworthy and absolutely unfit for public office.”

Politicians who support abortion are “as guilty of abortion as those who choose it themselves,” he said. And Roe v. Wade, said Bishop Vasa, was an “illicit and invalid” decision.

Because of its pro-abortion policies, said Bishop Vasa, the U.S. is no longer “the land of the free and the home of the brave. It's a land of the imprisoned and the home of the cowards.”

The bishop’s remarks, reported the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, brought cheers from a crowd of about 100 people who gathered in the afternoon rain to hear his speech.

“Vasa suggested such leaders who publicly hold such a position shouldn't accept communion at Mass,” reported the Press Democrat. “He also said they could be excommunicated, or banished from the church through their actions.”

“In some ways, they excommunicate themselves,” the Press Democrat quoted the bishop as saying in an interview following his speech....

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: While the excommunication scene above, from the film 'Becket,' seems a little 'over the top' with pomp and circumstance, I do think it accurately conveys the sentiments of most faithful Catholics today, particularly in the United States and Europe. How long must we endure the Church's tolerance of these scandals? How long will it be before the bishops finally say enough is enough? How many more millions of babies must die before the hierarchy FINALLY does its job? We are just sheep, but they are the shepherds. They carry the crosier for a reason. When will they finally drive out the wolves from among us!?! Your comments?

We Need A Catholic Alternative To Medical Insurance

2012-01-24T12:25:00.000-06:00

Click Above To View The Medi-Share Website

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I originally posted this on February 10, 2011. Now in face of the most recent developments regarding Catholic healthcare in the United States, it seems even more urgent. So I am posting it again, hoping that my readers will take it upon themselves to start writing their bishops to get something done about this....

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February 10, 2011

Medi-Share is an Evangelical Christian alternative to medical insurance, and it works! Basically the whole concept is based on the Biblical Christian model of shared responsibility and brotherly love.

Medi-Share is not medical insurance. It is a sharing technique in which monthly "share" funds are transferred between participants as the needs arise. It is what some might call a "Healthshare Cooperative" between Christians. Medi-Share does not guarantee that medical bills will be paid, hence the reason why it's not medical insurance, but nevertheless medical bills do seem to get paid anyway.

The reason why I'm bringing this up is because the Evangelicals are on to something here. They've discovered a way to bring an ancient Christian concept into the modern world. Unlike the Amish, who use a similar system on a more primitive level to pay for their medical needs, this method works for people living in the modern world and in secular life. It's a novel concept that is putting Catholics to shame and it's high time I think some of us look into this seriously.

We need a Catholic version of Medi-Share.

I say a "Catholic version" because Medi-Share was designed by Evangelicals primarily for Evangelicals, as can be demonstrated by their online Statement of Faith which each new member must sign on to in order to join. On the surface it may seem there is no direct inconsistency with the tenets of this creed and the Catholic faith, but because of the way it's worded, it would give some Catholics pause for concern. That's fine though. Medi-Share can have their Evangelical Statement of Faith, because in the end I believe the Catholic Church here in the United States can build a much bigger and better system, far more robust and able to handle a much bigger pool of participants. This is why I am calling upon all of my readers to act now by doing the following.

Briefly look over the Medi-Share website.
Write a brief letter (no more than two short paragraphs) explaining that we need a Catholic version of this type of healthshare cooperative here in the United States, and that it needs the full backing of the U.S. Catholic bishops. Be sure to include a link to the website - http://mychristiancare.org/
Send a copy of this letter to three key people: (1) your local bishop, (2) your parish priest and (3) the Grand Knight of your nearest Knights of Columbus council. Contact information for your local bishop can be obtained off your diocesan website. Contact information for your parish priest can usually be obtained from the phonebook or by simply visiting the parish office. Contact information for your nearest Knight of Columbus council can be obtained here.
Send a copy of this letter to The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Carl A. Anderson via email using this address: info@kofc.org Be sure to type in the subject line "c/o Carl A. Anderson."
Pray that something gets done!

The Shocking Conclusion About Genetic Homosexuality

2012-01-24T11:30:00.001-06:00

Natural Selection

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: We cannot choose our temptations in life, but we do have a choice about our actions. Those who suffer from homosexual temptations have a hard burden to carry. Who knows what causes those temptations. Maybe it's genetic, or maybe it has something to do with experiences in early childhood. My personal suspicion: it's probably some combination of the two. Nevertheless, we all suffer from temptations in life. Straight married men suffer from the temptation to cheat on their wives, yet many of them choose not to. Straight celibate men suffer from the temptation to have sexual relations with a woman outside of marriage, yet many of them choose not to. I suppose there are some poor perverted people out there who suffer from the temptation to have sexual relations with teenagers and children, but many of them know it's wrong and choose not to. Entering the world of the bizarre, we know there are some people out there who even suffer from the temptation to have sexual relations with animals, yet even some of them may know it's seriously wrong and chose not to. So my point is, just because your tempted to do something doesn't mean you are going to, and our temptations do not define who we are as a person. Our choices do that.

That being said there is a prevailing assumption in the Western world that homosexual people are simply 'born that way.' That their sexual temptations are 100% genetic, and they can never find fulfilment in life unless they act on those temptations. The assumption is that if you are tempted to 'be gay' then you must act on it, or else you are 'living a lie,' and going against nature. Much attention has been given to counter this argument, by pointing out as I said above that ultimately it is our choices that define us, not our temptations. Christian doctrine teaches us that sexual fulfilment cannot be found outside of God's natural plan for us, regardless of our temptations, and therefore we should seek God's will to find that fulfilment. There are of course those who try to twist Scripture and the authority of Church teaching to justify their homosexual sin, but for the most part, historic Christian sexual ethics are just discarded in favour of an evolutionary mindset that nature simply selects some people (randomly I suppose) to be homosexual. The assumption is if one experiences persistent homosexual temptation, than obviously God (or the gods, or mother nature, or whatever) wants that person to 'be gay.'

Rather than counter this argument, The Catholic Knight will now play devil's advocate and reason it through to the most logical conclusion. Let's suppose the homosexualists are right. Let's suppose it really is all about evolution and natural selection. Let's suppose people are predestined from the start, by genetic code, to 'be gay.' Let's just assume they are right and Christianity is wrong.

Now let's take this to it's most logical and natural conclusion.

Nature puts the sexual desire into all creatures to propagate the species. In other words, nature has only two rules. The first is 'make babies or die.' The second is 'only the strong shall survive.' So if we are to assume that nature is naturally selecting some people to be 'gay' than we can only assume one thing. Nature doesn't want them to reproduce, or at the very least, nature doesn't want them to reproduce as rapidly as 'straight' people. Because you see, the sexual urge in straight people remains the same. So unless they are artificially contracepting their natural reproduction, they will likely reproduce much faster than a gay person who is wasting his/her time having sexual relations with members of the same sex.

So why would mother nature want some people to have more babies and other people to have less? The second law of nature supplies us with the only logical answer, as cruel and insensitive as it may sound. Nature must only want the strong to survive. In other words, something must be genetically wrong with the gay people, which is why mother nature is trying to slow their reproduction and thus weed them out of the population.

When we eliminate the Christian explanation that temptations do not define who we are, this is the only logical explanation for the homosexual phenomenon. Nature has selected their gene pool for extinction, or at the very least, a significant population reduction.

I don't know about you, but if I suffered from homosexual temptations, I think I would prefer the Christian explanation over the genetic explanation. That's just my thoughts anyway. Maybe some people prefer to think of themselves as genetically inferior and therefore selected for extinction/reduction.

Catholicism and Science

2012-01-23T10:58:00.001-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I have long advocated on this blog that Catholics should remain current on the cutting edge of scientific discovery. Why? Well, because I have discovered in my own personal life that a good understanding of the latest scientific theories, discoveries and laws not only helps me understand the universe better, but it also helps me understand the Catholic faith better. More importantly, it puts modern science into perspective.

You see, much of the science that atheists rely on to 'prove' their theories of godlessness is actually very old science. In fact, the science typically taught to high school students is actually over one-hundred years old. Unless you study science in college, and by that I mean such things as astrophysics or quantum mechanics, chances are, you probably don't have much more than a high school understanding of scientific theories. That understanding is certainly enough to get you through modern life, but it's not enough to really and truly understand the world around us. It is this lack of understanding that atheists rely on, to attack our religious faith.

Keeping in mind that the science atheist rely on is the same science taught to high school students is important, because that science is old and outdated. In fact, it's obsolete. Real scientists today consist of many different faiths and religions, and yes, some of them are atheists, but the latest theories and information they discover today are so fascinating, so compelling, that questioning another man's faith almost seems superfluous. Everyone's understanding of the universe is challenged -- even the atheist's. What we discover is that the universe is so incredibly 'different' than what we previously thought, and commonly experience, that it's really no man's placed to call into question the existence of God.

Every time I learn something new about the universe, my faith in God (and his Christ) is strengthened not questioned. Realising that none of this new understanding would be possible, without the existence of the scientific method, which was in actuality CREATED by the Catholic Church, again only reinforces my faith. The arguments of modern-day atheists often cause me to laugh, or at least chuckle a little, not just because of my faith, but because of my reason which is fuelled by the latest scientific discovery.

Some columnists have recently put forward the theory that modern Evangelicalism (at least as we know it) is dying, that its days are numbered, simply because it has embraced the Puritan idea that reason (science in particular) is the enemy of faith. Because of this, science is destined to crush the Evangelical model of Christian faith. In time, as our scientific understanding of the universe improves, those who embrace the Puritanical notion that faith and science are incompatible will eventually have to shelve either their faith or else their reason. Those who cling to faith will eventually be consigned to backwoods communities, living as the Amish, and shunning the modern scientific world (that is, until they need medical attention). While those who cling to reason will have to shelve their faith, embracing atheism or at the very least some form of agnosticism. Such a dichotomy is ridiculous and completely unnecessary. The Puritans were wrong about a great number of things, including their belief that faith and reason where incompatible. Is it any wonder their sect no longer exists? As for the Evangelicals, they had better learn to drop this notion and adapt quickly, or be consigned to the ash heap of failed ideas in the not-too-distant future. I've met some Catholics who cling to this Puritanical idea too. That is a huge mistake for them, at least on an individual or group level. The only redeeming thing about that is the Church itself does not embrace this view, which means the Church will soon leave them behind, along with those who still cling to the geocentric theory and a flat earth.

Catholics would do well to keep up on the latest scientific trends, and in doing so, I predict your faith will be enriched because of it. I don't say this because there is anything spiritually edifying in science -- there isn't -- but rather because Catholics who do this will begin to understand the fluid nature of scientific theories, particularly how they change and why. It isn't because scientists don't know anything. Actually they know quite a bit. They are, after all, very smart people. Rather, it's because they are like children still learning, and guess what? They will be the first to tell you that! While they understand much of how the universe works, they will tell you that for every answer they achieve, even more questions are proposed, making way for more discovery. The universe is much like this endless puzzle, and the more they put it together, the more they realise the puzzle is much larger than they ever previously expected. For example, imagine working on a puzzle, but you do not know how big it really is. There is no box to tell you. You simply reach into a hole in the floor and pull out a couple dozen pieces. You take some time to put that together, only to realise you just have a portion of a much bigger picture. So then you reach into the hole and pull out a few more dozen pieces. All the while your understanding of the picture is increasing, but as your understanding increases, you realize the picture is still much bigger. What started out as a hundred piece puzzle, has now turned into a thousand piece, and no sooner you put together a thousand pieces, you discover ten-thousand more pieces. This is how scientific discover is. Does it mean the scientists understand nothing? No quite the opposite actually. They understand much more than the common man, but when it comes to getting the big picture, they still have a very long way to go.

I want you to keep in mind that the scientific theories we use to send rockets into space and put men on the moon are based on theories developed over three-hundred years ago. Stop and think about this for a moment. The man who invented the science NASA now uses to send objects into orbit was Sir Isaac Newton. When he formulated these theories, the United States hadn't even been created yet. Men rode on horses' backs, sailed on the high seas with nothing more than the wind to propel them, and the sword, not the gun, was still the most reliable weapon ever devised. Yet from the theories this man developed (old and obsolete theories by today's standards) NASA has been able to send men to the moon, put a space station into orbit, and make multiple trips of unmanned vehicles to other worlds in our solar system. Granted, it took a few centuries for the engineering technology to reach a point where all this could happen, but we have Sir Isaac Newton to thank for all of it. The mathematical theorists of the 20th century have only begun to shape the world around us. Assuming we survive the secrets they've unlocked, and I suspect we probably will, there is no telling what kind of technology awaits us as a result of their contributions.

For years, understanding the latest scientific theories has been the job of geeks and nerds, for people who make it their career to understand these things. Of course, we should be nice to them, for in the course of just my lifetime, the geeks have inherited the earth (pun intended). Our whole modern life is owed to men such as these. Thankfully, some of these geeks have taken it upon themselves to explain their most recent discoveries in terms the rest of us can understand. They've produced documentaries that 'dumb it down' so to speak, for the rest of us to easily understand. In truth, I think this may be their greatest accomplishment, for in doing so, they open the eyes of the masses.

Modern atheists, militant secularists and moral relativists, depend on a public understanding of science that is old and antiquated -- essentially obsolete. By keeping people locked in the late 1800s scientific understanding of the universe, these people have been able to successfully crush the faith of millions. Today's elementary and high schools rarely ever teach anything beyond this level of scientific understanding. Yet by today's standards, these are just the basics. They are essentially no more than the ABC's of how the universe works.

Catholics who keep abreast on the latest science has to offer, even by just watching the layman's 'dumbed-down' version via documentaries, will quickly find themselves amused by the atheist's attempt to explain away God. The Catholic Church encourages the study of science, and in fact, the Catholic Church invented the study of science. So long as we always remember that science is not the study of truth, but rather the study of evidence, we will never get confused. The scientific method was never designed to teach us truth, it was designed to give us evidence. Truth is the stuff of philosophers not scientists, and any good scientist will tell you that. A scientific theory is nothing more than a certain explanation for the nature of things, until a better one comes along. The Catholic Church does not fear modern science, in fact, she invented it. Catholics should not fear it either, but rather embrace it, understanding that while evidence may come from science, truth comes from the Church, and it was the truth of the Church that gave us the process of discovering evidence, which is the scientific method.

Still we have the ignorant, who like to point to such historical examples as the Galileo affair to blemish the Church. I have answered those people soundly at this link HERE.

Today, I would like to encourage my readers to take an hour out of their busy schedule and watch this video HERE. It is a video documentary on the latest scientific understanding of the nature of the universe. Then come back and leave your comments below...

2012 -- America's Last Stand -- This Is It !!!

2012-01-23T00:01:00.002-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: This year is America's last stand. There will be no more warnings. There will be no way of turning back after this election cycle. AMERICANS MUST REPENT!!!

So long as we turn to the government to solve our problems for us, so long as we abdicate our religious responsibilities to government programs, we replace the one true God for the cult of the omnipotent state. The family is the key. Sexual purity is the key. Mental and emotional purity is the key. Obedience to Christ and His Church is the key. Trust in Christ, his Mother and the Church (not the government) is the key. Our Lady of America shows the way. REPENT! The time is now! There is no time left!

For more information about the APPROVED PRIVATE REVELATION of Our Lady of America, which is endorsed by Cardinal Raymond Burke of the Apostolic Signatura in Rome, or if you would like to order an Our Lady of America medal -- click here to visit the website.

OUR LADY OF AMERICA -- PRAY FOR US!!!
Especially in reparation for acts of violence committed against the human person through abortion and for the full legal Right to Life to be restored in the United States.

NEWS FLASH: Most of Catholic Sex-Abuse Scandal Is Media Hype

2012-01-22T08:30:00.000-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Just a little news flash for you folks out there in the blogisphere. In the wake of the Los Angeles diocese settlement over sex-abuse allegations, here are some little factoids you won't see in the anti-Catholic mainstream news media...

1. Reports of sexual-abuse in the Catholic Church are now at the lowest levels they've ever been since the 1950s...

2. The election of Pope John Paul II, followed by Pope Benedict XVI, appears to have contributed to a decreasing number in sexual-abuse cases...

3. Of all priests accused of sexual misconduct, the overwhelming vast majority of them are no longer in ministry...

4. Sex-abuse in the Catholic Church was often the result of Catholic churches failing to practice Catholicism... read the story here

5. 96% of all Catholic clergy in the United States had nothing to do with the scandal and were never accused of any sexual misconduct... read the story here

6. The sex-abuse scandal in the Catholic Church was overwhelmingly the result of homosexuality not pedophilia... read the story here

7. Since the scandal broke in 2002, homosexuals have been barred from the seminaries entirely, and can no longer become priests, even if they promise to remain celibate... read the story here

8. Sexual abuse of minors is actually higher in Protestant churches than it is in the Catholic Church... read the story here

9. Since the 2002 sex-abuse scandal broke, the US Catholic Church has set a new national standard for institutional reform, and has led the way on strategies of protecting children from sexual predators. Today, other public service industries look to the US Catholic Church for leadership in this area.... read the story here

10. A child is nearly 100 times more likely to be molested in a Public School than in a Catholic or Protestant church... read the story here

Catholic Vote 2012

2012-01-20T19:57:00.006-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: What every Catholic needs to know....

Also see this. A leading Traditional Catholic, distributist, author, columnist and president of the American Catholic Lawyers Association, has likewise come out in favour of Ron Paul...

Christopher A. Ferrara
(The Remnant) - No one is more critical of libertarian error and nonsense than this Remnant columnist, but given the field of liberals that American politics has always been, in this election Paul is far and away the liberal who will do us the least harm. And unlike the serial philanderer Gingrich, Paul is a genuinely decent man, concerning whom even the ultra-sensitive nostrils of the media jackals have been unable to detect so much as a whiff of scandal. In the rogues gallery of American party politics that is saying quite a lot...

read full story here

Dear Catholic reader, if you live in the United States, or you know any Catholic who lives in the United States, I implore you to share this video with as many Catholics as possible. Please get this message out. The future of the United States, and the stability of the world, hangs in the balance. Feel free to use the 'share' icons below, or cut and paste this URL to an email: http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2012/01/catholic-vote-2012.html

Please spread the word.

Black Ministers Protest The SPLC

2012-01-20T18:47:00.003-06:00

H.K. Edgerton, former president of the Asheville North Carolina chapter
of the NAACP, stands in protest of the SPLC headquarters in Montgomery, Alabama.
Photo Courtesy of Dixie Outfitters

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Well it's about time!....

(LifeSiteNews.com) - A coalition that includes black pastors and pro-family organizations held a protest outside the headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center yesterday to protest the organization’s ongoing “slander” against pro-family organizations.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which has traditionally sought to counteract racist organizations in the south, has recently begun to categorize pro-family groups as “hate groups” for opposing the homosexual political agenda and condemning homosexual behavior as immoral.

Groups condemned as “hateful” by the SPLC include The Illinois Family Institute, Mass Resistance, Abiding Truth Ministries, and Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, all of which appeared at the protest or made supporting statements. The Family Research Council has also been condemned by the SPLC.

Among the African-American pastors protesting at SPLC headquarters were Pastor Glen Sawyer, of the Mt. Zion Church of God in Christ (Camden, North Carolina), Pastor Wil Nichols, Victorious Praise Fellowship (Durham, North Carolina), Pastor Jon Robinson, Kingdom C.O.M.E. Ministries (Clairton, Pennsylvania), and Pastor Kenneth Jefferson of Greater Harvest....

read full story here

In addition, the SPLC has been slandering traditional Catholics for a number of years as well, including the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) in particular. Dixie nationalists and Southern independence organisations are very familiar with the methods of slander and libel frequently employed by the SPLC.

Many Traditional Catholics have been
slandered by the SPLC.

Waving a Dixie flag and believing in state's rights (subsidiarity) does not make one a racist any more than worshipping at a traditional Latin mass and questioning some of the perverse interpretations of Vatican II. The SPLC uses the tactic of guilt-by-association, which in itself proves nothing, but in their case, the association is not always real to begin with. Sometimes it's just implied, assumed or even just made up. The SPLC lost all credibility with traditionalist and family values groups a long time ago. Now with this latest episode, it's become apparent that they've lost all credibility with a growing number of black communities around the nation.

Liberal Modernists love to cite the SPLC's research papers as 'proof' that their ideological opponents are motivated by 'hate.' They use them as a means to discredit their opposition without ever giving an answer to their opponents arguments. Organisations like the SPLC have for years given Liberal Modernists the ammunition they need to skate past the tough questions and scrutiny often applied disproportionately to traditionalist pro-family groups. The real bigots are the ones running the SPLC and now the whole world can see that plainly.

Love Jesus but Hate Religion?

2012-01-19T23:17:00.000-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: On January 10, 2012, Jefferson Bethke uploaded a video to YouTube that recorded a poem he had written, in which he said that Jesus hates religion, that he came to abolish religion, and that Jesus Christ is opposed to religion. Of course, this is a highly Evangelical way of thinking, but the video was an overnight sensation. As of the date of this blog entry, it has received more than 15 million views. The video is here...

In addition to the Catholic reply above, the video has also prompted a response from Fr. Robert Barron here...

Anti-Dixie Bigotry in Southwest Missouri

2012-01-19T00:16:00.005-06:00

(KY3) - Riley Collier loves flying the flag in the back of his pickup -- the Confederate flag.

"Just trying to express myself; it's just like bumper stickers or anything of that nature," said Collier.

He ran into a big problem, though, when he took it on his school grounds. Collier said school officials warned him to stop flying Ole Dixie.

"They said they could view the flag from inside the building, so it was a distraction to students apparently," said Collier.

So he took it down, but continued to fly it to and from Republic High School. In response, the school suspended Collier's driving privileges for 30 days.

"It would be easier and it would pacify them, but I just don't see why I should," said Collier.

When he earned his driving privileges back, his flag came back and that led to his second driving suspension.

Collier has the support of his dad.

"To my knowledge there's nothing in any of the school handbooks that says you can't do it," said Gene Collier.

"We don't articulate every rule and regulation; no school district could do that. We don't have the manpower, time, hours, energy to do all that," said Republic School District Superintendent Vern Minor....

read full story and watch video here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: It's a sad reality here in Dixieland, as the shadows of Reconstruction are continually cast over our people and our heritage. The latest episode hits close to home, in a small town just outside the Springfield Missouri area. Republic High School was built just one mile north of Wilson's Creek Civil War Battlefield. A small monument erected by the Sons of Confederate Veterans sits just atop a hill north of the battlefield site.

The Battle of Wilson's Creek was a Confederate victory, wherein the first Union general, Nathaniel Lyon, was killed in action. This whole region of Missouri was Confederate territory for a time. Missouri's alignment with the Confederacy is an interesting one. General Lyon himself stated he would rather see every man, woman and child in Missouri dead and buried than concede to the requests of neutrality from a state that had just recently voted to stay within the Union. Missouri congressmen changed their pro-Union tune quickly after finding themselves on the receiving end of General Lyon's unprovoked and unwarranted attack. They voted to secede from the Union just a few months later. It is reported that General Lyon was slated by President Lincoln to become the North's supreme commander after securing the Western front. God had other plans. Lyon was killed at the Battle of Wilson's Creek. General Ulysses S. Grant was then tapped by President Lincoln as his second choice.

Exactly one-hundred and fifty years later, a young man named Riley Collier would find himself a victim of the consequences of that war just one-mile north of where the Battle of Wilson's Creek happened. To the victor go the spoils of war, and to the victor goes the ability to rewrite history. My international audience may find it difficult to understand this. What does this little town of Republic Missouri have to do with the American empire and world history? It has a lot to do with it, because you see, the whole history of the Western world is wrapped up in the American Civil War. This is because the American Civil War was the conflict in which Empire America cut its teeth on the people of Dixieland. By vanquishing them on the battlefield, the American empire was born. What once was a constitutional compact between separate but equal and sovereign states, turned into an empire that was ruled by a centralised government in Washington City (today 'Washington DC'). Prior to the Civil War, the United States was always referred to in the plural -- the United States 'are.' After the Civil War, the United States was referred to in the singular -- the United States 'is.' What was originally E pluribus unum (from many came one) turned into Multa sub una (many under one). This led to the Western Expansion and the subjection of the Native Americans, followed by the 'Yankee Imperialism' of the early 20th century, ultimately leading to our intervention into World War I, which radically changed the course of the 20th century. Many historians agree that America's intervention into World War I is the direct cause that led to World War II. The Second World War elevated America to a world-wide superpower. Maintaining that superpower status, while also attempting to create a welfare state, is the main reason for our current economic woes.

What of the people of Dixieland? What became of them? Well, we still exist, but we are oppressed. Initially, the empire in Washington banned the Dixie flag, prohibiting its display under penalty of law. As reconstruction (occupation) came to an end, Southern children were taught to salute the American flag in stiff-arm Nazi fashion (called the Bellamy Salute - see here) and recite a 'Pledge of Allegiance.' They were also instructed in songs of Northern patriotism and Yankee anthems. The symbols of Dixieland, particularly the Confederate flag, was marked as a symbol of shame and children were instructed that it 'represented slavery.' Later, racists adopted it as one of their symbols too, which they held in reverence second only to the American flag. In time however, about a hundred years after the conflict that crushed our people, the Dixie flag returned to public view, and young men and women everywhere began flying it with pride again.

You will notice I refer to the flag as the Dixie flag, rather than the Confederate flag, and the reason why is because the Confederacy no longer exists, but the flag of Dixie does! The Dixie flag we commonly know today was never an official flag of the Confederate government. Rather, it is a variation of the Confederate Naval Jack flown on just a few ships during the Civil War. A smaller square version was flown over the battlefields on land. Today however, the naval version has been adopted as the most beloved symbol of the PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH. Not a symbol of any government, not a symbol of hate or ideology; but it is a symbol of a culture and a way of life.

It is for this reason the actions of Republic High School are so particularly distressing. It demonstrates a profound ignorance on the part of the superintendant, the principle and the faculty. It also demonstrates the extremely poor history lessons that pass for 'education' in this public school. One-hundred and fifty years after the battle that defined this region of Southwest Missouri, those running the public schools, just a mile north from where it happened, seem either unable (or unwilling) to educate their students about their own heritage. They would rather instead suppress it, resorting to extreme measures, not even defined in their own rules, to crush the spirit of a young man showing nothing more than pride in who he is and where he lives. This is the legacy of Reconstruction, and it is the shadow of political correctness, wherein those who are supposed to be 'leaders' in the community cower to the fears that some ignoramus of history might possibly be 'offended.'

Where is the 'tolerance' for this young man? Had the flag been a Mexican flag, and the student Hispanic, would the school have acted so boldly? Suppose the flag were the colours of some African banner, and the student Black? Would the school then act with such bigotry? No. Of course not. Only the Dixie flag gets such treatment in America. They claim it's because the flag is used by racists. What fools! The American flag is used by more racists than the Dixie flag. It's a fact. Look it up. Shall we ban the American flag too? It was not the Dixie flag that was saluted in stiff-arm fascist style by American schoolchildren for fifty years, but the American flag! So who has more right to be offended by the school's use of the American flag outside and inside its buildings?

The only thing the Republic School District has managed to do is galvanise this young man's love for the flag of his heritage, and simultaneously raise his awareness to the intolerance and bigotry many of his adult superiors have for it. Now he knows first hand what it feels like to be the victim of political and cultural discrimination.

If his classmates care for this young man, and what he believes in, they should support him. They should organise a protest, every one of them, wherein on a certain day they all bring in Dixie flags, on their cars, their book bags, stickers and banners, waving them proudly, facing suspension courageously and accepting it, as they tell their case to the local news media. The adults in Republic, those who still might care about intellectual freedom anyway, ought to do the same. If memory serves, the City of Republic once had a fish emblem on their city seal and flag. That symbol of Christian heritage was forcibly removed by a lawsuit from the ACLU. For years after that the city left that quarter of their seal and flag blank, while the people of Republic placed fish symbols and passages of Scripture on their own private property everywhere. Citizens of Republic Missouri! Aren't you tired of people in authority taking away the symbols of your heritage!?! Do you really want a sterile community void of any recognition of who your people are and where they came from? This time it's not the big bad ACLU abusing the national establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution. This time it's just some intellectual bullies in your own school district. Are you going to let them crush the spirit of your youth!?! Do something! Show your support! You just celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Wilson's Creek for heaven's sake! It was a Confederate victory! Show the colours of your Dixie flags. Fly them in support of this young man and against intellectual tyranny in your public schools. If they are willing to so forcefully crush the spirit of this young man, what do you suppose they will do to YOUR CHILDREN when they get the opportunity!?!

Secular E.U. Attacks Catholic Hungary

2012-01-17T13:21:00.003-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: In what is a predictable move, the militantly secular European Union has launched a full scale legal attack against the people and government of Hungary. The majority of people in Hungary are Catholic, and they have recently awaken from their long slumber to recognise the train-wreck that is the European Union. In an attempt to save their nation from the threat of militant secularism and multicultural insanity, the people of Hungary have overwhelmingly elected a new government, and a new national constitution, designed to save their nation from financial, social and cultural ruin. (read more here) This new constitution limits the influence of non-Hungarians in positions of government and the media, establishes the cultural identity of Hungary as 'Christian,' recognises the unborn foetus as a person with rights and establishes marriage as strictly between a man and a woman.

For this, both the United States federal government and the European Union have assailed the new constitution as borderline 'fascist.' They have all but condemned it, and demanded it be revoked or at least modified to reflect the so-called 'values' of European secularism and multiculturalism. Now the European Union has taken it to the next level, threatening heavy fines and penalties for such insolence as self determination.

Let us pray this monstrosity, that is the European Union, is dissolved quickly, that the people of Hungary may be delivered from their enemies in Brussels and Washington. Oh God, let not the collapse of the European Union be delayed too long...

(Telegraph) - Prime Minister Viktor Orban's conservative Fidesz party has been condemned by the international community for introducing measures that threaten the independence of the media, the judiciary and the central bank since sweeping to power in 2010.

The Commission, the EU's executive, said the laws governing the central bank, the retirement age of judges and the country's data protection authority violated EU rules. They needed to be changed within one month if Hungary wanted to avoid a procedure that could end up at the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court.

Failure to comply with the EU means that Hungary is also stalled in its efforts to negotiate financial assistance from international lenders as it tackles the threat of insolvency...

read full story here

Nigel Paul Farage, Leader of the UK Independence Party, Exposed the EU in 2010

The Ordinariate Rumour Mill

2012-01-15T14:21:00.001-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: In the quiet that seems to fall in the interim period between the naming of the new U.S. ordinary for Anglicans and his consecration, there has arisen the customary worries and fears that have sadly become all to common to this process. I'm sure our Anglo Catholic brethren in England could attest to similar experiences, and our Anglo Catholic brethren in Australia should take note of this, as it will inevitably come to their shores.

At the centre of the controversy is a concern that 'dark forces' have infiltrated the ordinariate structure (which as far as I know consists of only two people right now) and are conspiring to thwart the work of the Holy Father by keeping admission to the ordinariate limited so as to insure its failure. The main concern right now seems to be the notion that the nominated Ordinary and his assistant will not allow Anglican Use Pastoral Provision parishes into the ordinariate.

Okay, I know I may have oversimplified things here, but I think I captured the essence of people's concerns. So let's break this down and analyse it a bit in a logical and dispassionate way.

First and foremost, the fears are understandable. I will not sit here at my keyboard and disparage those who come up with such worries. Considering the history from which many of these people came, their paranoia is justified. Many of the Anglo Catholics entering the Church through the ordinariate have been traumatised by liberal Modernism in the Anglican Communion. In addition, some have dealt with endless politics, division and strife following their exit from the Communion and their stay in the Anglican Continuum bodies. Anglicans have been fighting a long, hard and losing battle that has lasted a generation. They are shell shocked. It is what I can only compare to a type of spiritual post-traumatic stress syndrome. They need healing. That is not going to come until they've been safe within the Catholic Church for a number of years. In addition to that, we have those Anglicans who entered the Catholic Church some years back. They too still carry some scars left over from their experience in Anglicanism, plus some minor battles with Roman bishops hostile to the Anglican patrimony. As the creation of the U.S. ordinariate for Anglicans gets under way, it is understandable that tensions would arise. There is a lot at stake here, everyone knows it, and above all, people just want to make sure this thing works! So it only makes sense that this period of silence might be interpreted in a negative way, especially when some have been told to remain silent, and others have been told to wait on their local bishop.

Second, let us accurately assess the situation. Both Father Jeffrey Steenson (the nominated Ordinary) and Father Scott Hurd are former Episcopalian priests who entered the Catholic Church through the Pastoral Provision. Granted, neither of them adopted the Anglican Use as their speciality, but neither of them were ever required to. That doesn't mean they have a problem with the Anglican Use. It only means that it didn't suit the type of ministry they pursued. It should be noted however, that both men were nevertheless Pastoral Provision priests, and that alone PROVES that the ordinariate is open to priests from the Pastoral Provision. It proves it beyond the shadow of a doubt actually. For if the ordinariate is not open to Pastoral Provision priests, than neither Father Steenson nor Father Hurd can be a part of it. Thus the ordinariate does not exist! In fact, however, it does exist, because Pope Benedict XVI says so. Therefore we must conclude that the notion that Pastoral Provision priests cannot be part of the ordinariate must be false. The very existence of Father Steenson and Father Hurd in the ordinariate demonstrates this beyond any shadow of a doubt. Furthermore, by nominating a Pastoral Provision priest as Ordinary, the Holy Father has himself set the precedence of admitting Pastoral Provision priests to the ordinariate first, before all others, and demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt that the ordinariate is open to them.

Third, the headquarters for the U.S. Anglo Catholic Ordinariate has been selected. It is Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Church in Houston Texas. What is this parish? Why it's an Anglican Use Pastoral Provision parish of course! So if it is true, as some have suggested, that Anglican Use parishes will not be permitted into the ordinariate, are we then supposed to believe that the Ordinary has decided to set up headquarters in a parish that he cannot admit to the ordinariate? Are we supposed to believe that the Ordinary will set up his cathedral in a parish not even owned or controlled by him? Are we mad!?! Of course Our Lady of Walsingham parish will become part of the ordinariate! To think otherwise is insane! Yet once again we have a precedence here. The very first parish admitted to the ordinariate will be -- are you ready? -- an Anglican Use parish of course! If this is the precedence, indeed if this is the pattern already established, than it looks to me like the Anglican Use parishes are first in line.

Fourth, based on the rumours that I have heard, and I am open to correction here, it sounds as if the nominated ordinary is simply trying to engage in proper episcopal protocol. Currently, Anglican Use parishes, missions and societies are owned by the bishops of the respective dioceses they find themselves in. Therefore, the bishops of those dioceses are in control. That means they must ask permission to become part of the ordinariate, and wait until such permission is given and the Ordinary (Father Steenson) invites them to become part of it. This is nothing more than showing respect to those with authority, and it is a central part of being Catholic. If you don't like episcopal authority than go be a Baptist! This is how it works in the Catholic Church. One need not worry about those bishops being unfriendly to Anglican Use groups, because if they were, such groups would not exist in their dioceses. They would have forbidden them. So here is the good news. Cheer up! If you're part of an Anglican Use parish, mission or society in your area, than chances are you already have a bishop who is friendly to the Anglican Use tradition and is more than likely willing to cooperate with the pope's Anglican ordinariate vision. If you're a member of a traditional Anglican parish seeking the ordinariate, than have no fear, you were who this ordinariate was designed for. As for those of you who have nothing, but have been 'watching from afar' as they say, than you might have to wait until an ordinariate mission is available in your area, or else you can apply to the ordinariate and request one.

Now while we are waiting is the time to talk to your pastors. If you're part of an Anglican Use parish, mission or society, ask him to petition your bishop to be transferred to the ordinariate, assuming that's what you want. That's really all there is to it. Once the petition is made, you need to give a little time for episcopal procedures to take place. Then wait and see what happens.

For now, let's put aside the rumour mill. It hasn't even been a month since Fr. Steenson was named Ordinary. He's still trying to put things together I'm sure. He probably hasn't even finished moving his office yet. Relax. Give things a little time to work.

Idiots Try To 'Occupy' The Vatican

2012-01-14T23:00:00.000-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: What a bunch of IDIOTS! I can think of no other Traditional Catholic blogger, besides me, who has attempted to be fair and gentle to the 'Occupy' movement, but these people at the Vatican are morons! Wall Street I understand, Washington DC I get, but the Vatican? The Vatican!?! Seriously!?! Don't these dipsh*ts know the Vatican has done more for their cause than any other organisation in the world? Are these numskulls completely unaware that the Vatican is the only city-state in the world with a zero carbon footprint? Are these retards clueless to the fact that the pope has spoken out more times than any world leader against the inequity of wealth, the sin of greed, and the plight of the poor. Are these absolute moonbats knowledgeable of the fact that the Vatican gives no less than ninety percent (90%) of its annual revenue to charity!?! What an amazing display of PURE STUPIDITY AND ARROGANCE!!!It is lunacy such as this that will eventually prevail in Europe, fulfilling the prophecies of old, that the Vatican will be stormed by a senseless mob, the pope will be wounded and flown to safety somewhere else, where he will eventually die in exile. Then, and only then, will the Angelic pope be elected, and the Great Monarch appear to 'judge his people' as the prophet St. Malachi foretold. I have always wondered what the phrase 'judge his people' meant in St. Malichi's prophecy. Now I know. He shall judge them for their stupidity!

William Wallace -- A Faithful Catholic

2012-01-14T13:26:00.001-06:00

(Vatican Insider) -- He didn’t wear a kilt but a religious habit. Part warrior, part monk, he was above all armed with a “fervent Catholic faith”: this was the real William Wallace, the Scottish national hero, made famous by the Oscar-winning film “Braveheart” that came out in 1995, starring Mel Gibson. This is according to traditionalist website Pontiflex.roma.it, which covers studies and research carried out in Scotland by the Society for Tradition, Family and Property, a body that was established to promote the thinking of the Catholic intellectual, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira.

According to the Catholic website, Gibson’s film is important in that it taught the whole world the story of the Scottish leader who led his fellow nationals in the rebellion against English occupation. However, it missed out one fundamental fact about the figure of Braveheart: his Catholic faith.

Since his birth in 1270, the young nobleman, Wallace, received a Catholic education. His career was allegedly church oriented: he was educated by the Augustinians and the Benedictines and apart from his mother tongue, Gaelic, he also spoke English, French, German and Latin.

Then, a series of violent episodes made him abandon religious life. An English patrol killed his father and eldest brother in cold blood, after they were found guilty of refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to Edward I of England and of supporting the Scottish sovereign, John Balliol’s cause instead. William consequently killed some English soldiers and went into hiding: this was the moment when the man who was to lead the revolt against the invader, with the help of the Bishop of Glasgow, was born...

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: It seems so common that people forget that if you called yourself a Christian anywhere in the Western World prior to the 16th century that meant you will likely a member of the Roman Catholic Church. After five centuries we have so easily forgotten that Christianity was essentially unified in the West prior to the Reformation and the words 'Catholic' and 'Christian' were completely synonymous. William Wallace was one such Christian, a devout Catholic and defender of his people.

Those of us who claim our cultural heritage from Scotland, particularly those of us in the American Southeast -- Dixieland -- would do well to remember that. Catholicism is just as much our cultural heritage as anything else.

U.S. Supreme Court Sides With Church Against Womenpriests

2012-01-13T15:01:00.000-06:00

President Obama suffered a humiliating defeat as all nine justices
essentially threw his case out of the Supreme Court on its ear.

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: This will buy us some precious time...

(The American Catholic) - As expected, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a church school cannot be sued in court over an employee’s discrimination complaint.

In a unanimous decision SCOTUS overturned the earlier ruling by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission et al which had allowed the lawsuit to move forward, saying the teacher’s work was more secular than religious.

The high court disagreed.

Consistent with precedent, SCOTUS ruled that the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion shields churches and their operations from the reach of anti-discrimination laws when dealing with employees of religious institutions. SCOTUS also extended this precedent to include complaints of discrimination under the Americans With Disabilities Act....

read full story here

The decision allows the Catholic Church, and other religious institutions, to freely practice religion in regards to clergy selection. The unanimous margin (9 to 0) by which the decision was made insures this will remain settled law (stare decisis) for some time. That's a very good thing, but we should not count on this remaining a permanent fixture of the American legal landscape. As we know, the Supreme Court does NOT write its decisions in stone. New presidents can nominate new supreme court justices, and new justices can overturn previous decisions. Therefore we should not get into the comfortable position of thinking the matter is settled. It is not.

What has been determined however is this. There are forces in this country (most recently concentrated in the Obama administration, but by no means limited to it) that are hell-bent on making sure churches are FORCED by law to hire female ministers. From a Catholic perspective this is particularly insidious, because if implemented it would mean the hand of the government is being used to interrupt authentic priestly ordinations and authentic apostolic secession. Nothing could make the devil happier!

The problem is not so much legal as it is cultural. Legal systems have existed in the Western World for centuries and we've never encountered a problem quite like this before. This kind of problem only arises when the culture itself is infected with the cancer of liberal Modernism. The only reason why the Obama administration was able to muster enough support to even put this case forward is because he was elected by a culture that tolerated what he said during the campaign and was pleased with the way he conducted himself in office. Indeed, had the culture been more 'christian' (small 'c' here) than a man like Obama would have never been elected in the first place. Then again, a man like John McCain would have never won the 2008 GOP primaries either.

In Europe the cultural problem is endemic to the whole region, save a few isolated spots here and there, with the nations of Hungary and Poland being exceptions for the time being. In the United States of America, things are a little different. For the most part, the entire Northern and Western portions of the United States have a similar problem as Europe, albeit not as severe yet, in that Christianity has been abandoned as a source of public moral guidance. In the Southern Midwest to Southeast (Old Dixieland) the problem still exists, but there is still a sizeable remnant that clings to the virtues of Christendom. Of course the biggest problem here is that most of those people are Evangelical Protestants and that makes them highly susceptible to change. The best thing that could happen to the American Southeast (Dixieland) right now would be for traditional Catholicism to move in and help crystallise the Dixieland tendency to cling to tradition. This would solidify the Old South's stand against Modernism.

I think perhaps what might have made this possible in Dixie is something really awful that may perhaps work its way out as a blessing in disguise. (God works all things together for good for those who love him.) I'm talking about the loss of the Civil War. You see, ever since the South lost the Civil War, it has to this day found itself subject to the ridicule and oppression of Northern (Yankee) culture. Southerners (Dixians) continue to be mocked for their language, accents, manners, morals and beliefs. This has caused some Dixians to embrace Yankee Modernism, but it has also cause a lot more to dig in their heels, galvanise and defiantly hold their ground throughout the decades. It is perhaps this very form of liberal Yankee persecution that has in effect made it possible for the South to still find herself a bastion of faith and culture while the rest of America has gone to hell in a hand basket.

So why am I bringing this up, and what does it have to do with the recent Supreme Court decision? Well, as I said above, this recent decision buys the U.S. Catholic Church some precious time, but it does not settle the matter. The liberal Modernists (Yankee style) will return and this issue will be revisited sooner or later. Nothing will really change until the culture changes, and the one place in America where the culture is most likely to change in the Church's favour is in the American Southeast -- Old Dixieland. Catholics should concentrate our efforts there, to help galvanise what is left of Christendom in this region. There we can take our stand against the corruption of liberal Modernism in the rest of America. I firmly believe the Old South, of all places ironically, is the one area that is most likely to restore Christendom to the rest of North America. Of course many people say Catholic New England is the key, others say the Catholic portions of the American Southwest are the key. I say none of the above. It's Dixie or nothing. You want to change the culture in America, than help make Dixie more Catholic, or else forget about it!

Ron Paul Surges in South Carolina - Rick Santorum Plunges !

2012-01-13T12:28:00.003-06:00

Presidential Primary Preference:

South Carolina
Likely Republican Primary Voters	Jan 11-12 2012

Gingrich	25%
Huntsman	1%
Paul	20%
Perry	9%
Romney	29%
Santorum	7%
Other	2%
Undecided	7%

Mitt Romney leads the South Carolina Republican presidential primary with 29%. Newt Gingrich is in second place with 25% and Ron Paul is in third place with 20%.

Paul has gained the most and Rick Santorum has lost the most since the last American Research Group survey on January 4-5. In that survey, Paul was at 9% and Santorum was at 24%.

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: There is a bitter sense of vindication that comes from this. Vindication because it proves that I was right. Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate that can beat Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. Bitter because it appears that not enough people are seeing that now, and this will inevitably result in the re-election of Barack Obama in November.

I don't know if Ron Paul will surge enough on his own to win South Carolina. Certainly if Rick Santorum or Rick Perry dropped out right now, it would be 'game on' for Ron Paul winning South Carolina. To my fellow Catholic supporters of Santorum out there, did you really think the 'he's a good Catholic' line would play well in South Carolina which has one of the smallest Catholic populations in the entire United States? You have to understand, a large number of Evangelicals (most concentrated in South Carolina) really see no distinction between Catholics and Mormons. They are both viewed as a 'cult' by Evangelicals, and some might even see the Mormons as less threatening. Newt Gingrich's popularity there is mainly from name recognition and folks remembering his 'Contract with America' back in 1994. I dare say a good number of voters in South Carolina don't even know he's Catholic.

Santorum and Perry are finished. The best thing they could do is drop out and let their delegates go to Paul and Gingrich respectively, giving Romney a real run for his money. Alas, I fear they will continue to divide the conservative vote in the Republican Party, allowing Romney to skate right into the GOP convention with the most delegates this August.

A Romney victory in August spells an Obama victory in November.

Now that being said, and all rancour aside (my own included), let's analyse something a little more dispassionately. Regardless of what anyone says about this primary process, and regardless of whoever wins the GOP nomination, there is one thing that is absolutely clear and cannot be denied. Ron Paul has changed the face of the Republican Party -- forever.

What we have right now is an entire section of the Republican Party (about 20%) that has rejected the status quo precedents set by previous GOP administrations and congresses. What we have is a political party that is now about 20% more 'libertarian' than it was just ten years ago. We have a party that is 20% more likely to embrace a non-interventionist approach to foreign policy. We have a party that is 20% more likely to want to abolish the Federal Reserve. We have a party that is 20% more likely to embrace states rights and decentralisation. This is why GOP icon Sarah Palin has warned Republicans not to alienate the Ron Paul supporters. For in alienating them, they risk the breakup of the Republican Party entirely. The only GOP candidate bringing in sizable numbers of young energetic voters right now is Ron Paul. It is clear, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the future of the Republican Party is going to reflect Ron Paul's thinking a lot more than any other political candidate. Paul has made his mark on the GOP, and it is a mark that is here to stay, unless of course the GOP rejects it. If they do that however, the GOP rejects its future and consigns itself to a generation of irrelevance.

The New Hungarian Constitution

2012-01-11T17:13:00.003-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: A reader of this blog recently asked what my views were on Hungary's newly adopted Constitution which not only acknowledges, but honour's and enforces, Hungary's Christian heritage. In my opinion, Hungary's new constitution is a good thing and a sign of things to come. While from a democratic standpoint this may seem extreme to some Americans, we have to remember that Hungary IS NOT a federal republic made up of multiple smaller republics (like the United States). Rather, it is a singular republic nation-state. Therefore, as a singular republic nation-state, it has the right to govern itself as it sees fit, and that would include protecting its historic Christian culture in a era where that is under siege by militant Secularism and Multiculturalism, which has resulted in the emergence of militant Islam knocking on their front door. While of course I think a return to the Hapsburg Dynasty, or some form of constitutional monarchy, is preferable, this is the next best thing.

I do hope the emerging founding fathers of the renewed nation of Dixieland will look to Hungary as a model to consider when drafting a new constitution for the reborn Confederate States of Dixieland (CSD). That being said, we have to remember that a Confederate constitution need not be so strict because a revived Confederacy will be a composite of multiple sovereign states. Thus a Confederate constitution would only need to support those actions deemed necessary by the states. So for example, if the State of Alabama, for example, decided the best way to heal its own wounds inflicted by militant Secularism was to enact a constitution similar to the one in Hungary, but customised to address Southern issues, than the Confederate government's only responsibility would be to support that state's right to govern itself that way.

Our Lady of Fatima prophesied that entire nations would soon vanish as a result of this great Chastisement coming upon the earth and I am now convinced the United States is one of those nations. What replaces the former USA will likely be a Balkanised version of North America. My hope is that all of these newly formed nations will use Hungary's new constitution as a template to remodel their own governments as needed to address North American issues which thankfully are not nearly as severe as Europe's problems.

This new Hungarian constitution is a sign that the old order of militant Secularism and Multiculturalism has miserably failed. A growing number of the European population is striving for a return to something more traditional - something akin to Christendom. Our Catholic prophecies tell us they will, after much strife, eventually get what they want in the form of a new Holy Roman Empire. I think the Hungarian constitution is a sign of this, a precursor, and of course the Hungarians will likely have the least trouble integrating into the new Christendom when it comes, (that is assuming they survive the Chastisement to come), because they're government was already prepped for it.

I believe the time has come for Catholics all over the world, particularly here in North America, to abandon the militant Secularism and Multiculturalism that has brought the Western world to ruin - both socially and financially. I believe the time has come for Catholics to abandon those forms of government that are actively promoting militant Secularism and Multiculturalism. This would include, but is not limited to, the United States federal government (seated in Washington DC), the French Republic, the German Republic, the Russian Federation, and all monarchies that are no longer Catholic. When I say abandon these regimes, I am not talking about violent revolution, which contradicts our Christian virtues. Rather, we should render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, paying our taxes and obeying the laws, but all the while supporting alternate forms of government which may arise in their place, so long as those governments are friendly to the virtues of Christendom.

Considering everything that has happened, I believe this to be our religious duty as Catholics. In those places where some alternative form of government may exist in embryonic stage, which is friendly to Christendom, than that alternate form should be supported and embraced by Catholics, all within reason and civility. In those places where no such alternate government exists, than I believe it is incumbent upon Catholics to create one, all within reason and civility. The time to act is now! The Secularists and Multiculturalists have failed us. The time now has come for all good men to come together and save our civilisation from complete ruin. We should show our Secularist Multiculturalist governments a vote of 'no-confidence.'

Romney will be the GOP Nominee

2012-01-10T19:59:00.000-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Mitt Romney has just won the New Hampshire primary on the heels of a very narrow victory in Iowa. Rick Santorum lost to Romney in Iowa by just eight votes but was soundly beaten by him in New Hampshire by 26 percentage points. Romney also bested Ron Paul by 12 percentage points. While a New Hampshire victory was predictable for Romney, it has reinforced the notion that he can easily carry all of the New England states in future primaries.

Rick Santorum's best chance at making a comeback is in South Carolina at the end of next week, where he trails Romney by an average of 10 percentage points, depending on which poll you believe. Even if Santorum manages to pull out a narrow victory in South Carolina, that victory will be short lived when Florida holds its primary ten days later, where Romney leads against Santorum by 20 percentage points and Gingrich by 10 percentage points. Then comes Nevada in February, followed by Main, Colorado, Minnesota, Arizona, Michigan and Washington. Romney will win all of these states. By the time we get to March, Romney will have so much momentum behind him that he will be nearly invincible. Romney will have won every single primary, with perhaps only one exception (South Carolina), and that's only if Santorum is incredibly lucky. What we are witnessing is a repeat of 2008 but worse. Romney is going to skate into the convention with more delegates than anyone else, while Santorum and Gingrich battle it out for second place. Ron Paul, will not win a single primary, as expected and planned by those who control the type of candidates we get for the general election.

So the international corporate-money cartel wins again. Americans will choose between Romney and Obama in November. Both are corporate whores. Both serve the money cartels. Both will give us more of the same. There is your choice America. Enjoy.

A Dixieland Manifesto

2012-01-10T11:57:00.010-06:00

We the people of Dixieland (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia) do hereby declare ourselves a separate and distinct people from the rest of the United States of America. We come from diverse ethnic, religious and social groups, but we are united in language, culture and history. We repudiate the moral abominations of slavery and segregation that were thrust upon us by the prevailing political and economic forces of their time. We stand together in Christian fraternity and charity toward our fellow man. We pledge to each other our Christian faith, our undying loyalty and our sacred honour. For it is in this context alone that true and equal freedom enters into the lives of men.

For one and a half centuries our lives have been dominated by the prevailing influence of the United States federal government's imperial power. Upon exercising the rights defined under the U.S. Declaration of Independence, our ancestors were met with the most fiendish hostility perpetrated against our people by a government sworn to protect those rights. Never in the history of North America has such savagery been unleashed by the sons of European Christendom. Even the British showed far more civility when dealing with their rebel colonies. What followed this American apocalypse was a period of occupation, wherein the rights of our ancestors were stripped for a generation, and the ability to govern ourselves was made a mockery. What followed this was a century of repression that goes on to this day, wherein our history is maligned, our symbols outlawed, our language mocked and our children propagandised to despise their own heritage. These evils alone were insufficient to crush the tolerance of a Christian people. For over a hundred years we pledged our allegiance to the American empire, we raised her banner proudly to prove our patriotism, we sang her anthems and sent our sons to die in her wars. We have done everything humanly possible to demonstrate we are 'good Americans,' far more than any other quarter of the empire, and we have quietly dismissed the words of intolerance and mockery that have repeatedly been uttered against our people and our heritage. In every way imaginable, for one-hundred and fifty years, we have followed the command of our Lord and Saviour to 'turn the other cheek' and 'carry the cloak two miles instead of just one.' For this we were met with the following.

During the last generation the American empire, with its power seated in Washington DC, has levelled an absolute war of legal oppression against our Christian faith and our Dixieland culture. This warfare began in the federal courts, denying our children the right to pray in public schools. This later extended to the suppression of all religious expression on all government owned properties. Everywhere the government advanced, religion was forced to retreat, and so it seemed as time passed, the government was advancing everywhere. Then again in the federal courts, the government stripped our states of their right to regulate and prohibit infanticide in the form of surgical and chemical abortion. This has resulted in a holocaust of death that has most severely affected our black population in what can only be compared to a form of racial genocide. Under the guise of 'compassion' our people have been heavily taxed by this imperial regime, and their wealth 'redistributed' through government agencies, to create a welfare dependent class of people, which again has disproportionately affected our black population, re-enslaving them in what has come to be called the 'government plantation.' Through all of this, the churches have been robbed of their God-given commission to feed and care for the poor, relegating many of their religious duties to social events. This combined with the imperial regime's refusal to allow states to regulate profanity and obscenity on the public airwaves, has led to a moral and social decline that is unprecedented in Western history since the fall of the Roman Empire.

Now with all this under way, this imperial regime which reigns over us, with the threat of the most malignant force should we dare to assert our political independence again, has taken its warfare against our faith and culture to the most extreme levels. Under the auspices of 'tolerance' churches are forced to shut down their charitable programs. Christian pastors face the threat of prosecution for reading portions of the Bible that contradict this new government sponsored 'politically-correct' orthodoxy. Homosexuality is promoted as 'normal,' even 'desirable,' and those who protest are labelled 'intolerant' and 'hateful,' forced to fear government reprisals should they dare to resist. Public school children are suspended or expelled for expressing their Christian beliefs or cultural heritage, and these are just the beginning of human rights violations. Over the last half-century this American empire has become a worldwide superpower, and so has thrust its weight into the far corners of the earth. Today the empire heavily taxes her people, most especially the sons and daughters of Dixieland, to pay not only for its colossal welfare state, but also for its police actions around the world. What it lacks in tax revenue it supplements in money printing through the unelected and unaccountable Federal Reserve banking system. This creates inflation which acts as a double tax on our people, impoverishing us even further, and robbing our children of any hope for the future. With these revenues the empire intervenes in the affairs of other governments across the globe, inciting their hatred of us, and provoking their retaliation against our people, leaving us nothing to show for it but a massive national debt that can never be repaid.

The empire has also waged a war against small family-run business, granting favours to large corporations, thus destroying the very fabric of our independent economy. Our people have become 'wage-slaves' to large national and international corporations, that pay us barely enough to survive and place many of our people on government program dependency for food and medical necessities. To complain against these unfair business practices is to be told we are 'lazy,' as we are forced to send our wives and older children into the workplace just to keep our households solvent. Meanwhile the few good paying jobs that exist are exported overseas, as the empire tells us this is a 'good thing' for America citing reasons that are simply unintelligible to us. For all of our loyalty, for all of the imperial flags waved across Dixieland, for all the anthems we have sung and the pledges we have made, for all the blood spilled by our sons and daughters in the empire's endless international wars, we are left with this? This is our legacy? This is our inheritance? We are left struggling for financial solvency, apologising for our culture and fighting for our religion?

We are disgusted with the outcome of this venture into American imperialism and are forced to conclude, after a century and a half, that the surrender of the Army of Virginia at Appomattox was a mistake. We are left with the sad realisation that our people would have fared much better had General Robert E. Lee taken his troops into the hills and fought a perpetual conflict of guerrilla warfare, rather than surrender to superior Union fire power. We are heartbroken that after one-hundred and fifty years of promising and proving our fidelity to the empire, we have once again become her enemies, simply for being what we are and for no more than that.

Therefore, without resorting to acts of violence, which contradicts our Christian virtue, we individually and communally pledge to undertake the following measures...

We shall no more hide the symbols of our identity in shame. We adopt the Confederate Naval Jack as the symbol of our people and our struggle, pledging to display it whenever possible, in the most honourable and dignified way. This 'Christian Cross of St. Andrew' shall be the sign of our resistance.
We shall in every way identify our land as Dixie or Dixieland, and our people as Dixians, Dixons or as the citizens of our respective states, so as to separate ourselves from the directional designation of 'Southerners' which geographically ties us to the United States. We must in every way assert ourselves as a separate and distinct people.
We shall seek to restore the manners and chivalry of Christendom in our homes, neighbourhoods and religious congregations.
We shall endeavour to persuade our local and state elected officials to enact laws that enforce the virtues of Christian civility.
We shall likewise endeavour to persuade our local and state elected officials to unceasingly petition the empire (Washington DC) for provisional self-governance, with the long-term goal of full independence. This pressure must continuously be applied to the empire even if Washington's answer is always 'no.' Likewise, we should make sure this call for independence is well known in the United Nations and the international community, thus making our struggle an international embarrassment to the empire.
We shall culturally adjure the realm by cutting off our families from the popular media.
We shall remove our money from national and international banks, supporting local credit unions instead.
We shall refuse to shop at 'big box' superstores owned by massive corporations, endeavouring instead to keep our money local, finding locally owned, or worker-owned (cooperative) places to do our business.
We shall endeavour to press our local and state politicians to break up monopolies, allowing for cooperatively owned competition in energy production and manufacturing.
We shall in every way seek a return to a simpler way of life, honouring the religion of our antebellum ancestors, showing Christian charity toward our neighbours, impartial to race, colour or creed, as we attempt to restore a remnant of Christendom for ourselves and our posterity.

2012 - No Economic Recovery - Total Economic Collapse

2012-01-08T22:05:00.001-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: For your discernment...

Gerald Celente has predicted that the European Union (EU) will suffer a catastrophic and total economic collapse by April 1st, 2012 (in less than 90 days).

The Catholic Knight does not know if this marks the beginning of the Chastisement prophesied by the Saints and Catholic prophets, but it does have some major similarities to the conditions described by them. See this link to review Catholic prophetical writings.

Who are the Nicolaitans?

2012-01-06T15:10:00.010-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: There is a popular teaching in many Evangelical circles that is a regular source of irritation for me, namely because it demonstrates such a poor level of Biblical scholarship that it would almost be humorous were it not so intoxicating to the general Evangelical public. The error has to do with the identity of a group cited in the Book of Revelation as the 'Nicolaitans'...

But you have this in your favour: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. -- Revelation 2:5-7

Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. -- Revelation 2:14-16

These two passages are the full extend to which the Bible mentions the sect of the Nicolaitans. From these two passages, the Scriptures tell us only three things about them. The first is that one of the churches listed in the second chapter had members who embraced their teaching. The second is that one of the other churches hated the teachings of the Nicolaitans. The third is that God hated their teachings too. That's it. That's all we have from Scripture on this sect, nothing more and nothing less, yet from these two passages some modern Evangelicals have constructed a very elaborate explanation.

Essentially, they claim the word 'Nicolaitans' is itself a combination of two words. The first being 'nico' which has its root in the word 'to rule' or 'dominate' and the second is 'lait' from which the word 'laity' can be constructed. Therefore in this Evangelical explanation, the 'Nicolaitans' were those Christians who constructed a separation between the clergy and the laity. (Do you see where this is going?) The Evangelicals then triumphantly claim that God must hate the separation of clergy and laity, thus these passages are used as a vindication of Evangelicalism which has no clear distinction between clergy and laity (even though it really does, just in a more subtle way). By constructing this explanation, it gives Evangelical pastors (a type of subtle clergy by the way) an opportunity to bash Catholicism and traditional Protestantism as well, claiming that God hates the clerical system, thus God prefers Evangelicalism and hates Catholicism (and traditional Protestantism). Evangelicals generally fall for it, because the guy at the front of the chapel preaching it just happens to be wearing a common suit and looks a lot like the guys sitting in the pews next to them. 'Ah ha!' the Evangelical says; 'Here in our Evangelical church we are all equal because we all dress the same and there is no distinction between us.' Never mind the fact that the man preaching at the front of the chapel is functioning in the role of clergy in spite of how he is dressed, and the man who looks the same in the pew would be in for a rude awakening should he ever try to walk up to the front and preach in the pastor's place. Yes, Evangelicals make a very clear distinction between clergy and laity, but they just don't use clothing to define it. Rather the distinction is subtle, but it is there, and it is enforced fully in every way. When I was an Evangelical, I once witnessed an extreme example of this, where a man from the congregation tried to walk up to the front of the chapel and take the pastors place. That man was literally tackled by the ushers and dragged out of the chapel screaming. The poor fellow was probably a deranged lunatic and certainly needed to be stopped. I'm not criticising the ushers here. Their actions were justified. However, the point I'm trying to make is that there is a clear distinction between clergy and laity in Evangelical churches. They don't use clothing to define it, but they do most certainly enforce it. So when an Evangelical pastor uses these above verses to condemn clericalism, he does so hypocritically, because he himself functions as a cleric even though he may not dress as one or call himself one. Anyone who dares to take his place, without going through the proper channels, will be put down rather quickly and in some rare cases -- physically.

The problem here comes with the way Evangelicals often handle the Bible. They are trained by the most strict Protestant discipline to reject all traditional explanations for Scripture as the 'traditions of men' and try to extract from the very words of the Bible their own interpretation of the overall text. This is an admirable trait, up to a point, but the Bible was not written in a vacuum. It was written in an historical and cultural context, therefore, it should not be interpreted in a vacuum either. Rather it should be interpreted in the historical and cultural context in which it was written. Yes, there are many instances when we can extract from the words of Scripture themselves a deeper meaning to the overall text, but sometimes we need to look at the life and times of the people who wrote the text to get a better understanding. This is what is called 'contextual interpretation' of Scripture, and it stands in contrast to the 'literal interpretation' often employed by Evangelicals, or the 'allegorical interpretation' sometimes employed by Modernists. In the case of the Nicolaitans, because Scripture gives us no indication of who they were, it makes sense to look back into the context of history and culture to get some more information. Sadly, a good number of Evangelicals have never done this.

Who were the Nicolaitans? Multiple sources dating back to around the time of the early Church tell us the Nicolaitans were a Gnostic sect, founded by an apostate Church deacon named Nicholas. The name Nicholas itself simply means 'victorious over people,' which helps to explain the Evangelical interpretation error. This is recorded by Hippolytus, Irenaeus, Epiphanius, and Theodoret. (Since the name Nicholas was fairly common, we do not know if there is any relation to the deacon named Nicholas mentioned in Acts 6:5, though Irenaeus records that the Nicolaitans themselves claimed him as their founder.) The early Church historian Eusebius tells us this sect was short-lived. Irenaeus specifically tells us 'they lead lives of unrestrained indulgence.' (Adversus Haereses, i. 26, §3; iii. 11, §1.) The church historian, Venerable St. Bede, stated that Nicolas allowed other men to marry his wife. While Thomas Aquinas stated that Nicholas supported either polygamy or the holding of wives in common (group marriage).

[Nicolas] had an attractive wife, and had refrained from intercourse as though in imitation of those whom he saw to be devoted to God. He endured this for a while but in the end could not bear to control his incontinence.... But because he was ashamed of his defeat and suspected that he had been found out, he ventured to say, 'Unless one copulates every day, he cannot have eternal life.'
-- Epiphanius, Panarion, 25, 1

Here the early Church Father Epiphanius, the Bishop of Salamis (a city on the Island of Cyprus) gives us a good deal of information on how the sect of the Nicolaitans was understood in the late 4th century. We can get a lot from this citation. Apparently Nicholas was a deacon (possibly the native from Antioch mentioned in Acts 6:5, who was ordained by the apostles in Jerusalem in 33AD, but we cannot say that with certainty), who admired the discipline of celibacy practised by many clergy within the early Church.

Note; here we have yet more evidence of celibacy practised by early Church leadership. St. Paul mentions this many times in Holy Writ. However, Deacon Nicholas was married, as were many deacons and priests (presbyters) as well. The practice of clerical chastity in the early Church is nearly identical to how it is practised today. Whatever you enter the ministry as is what you stay. If you enter the ministry married, you stay married of course, but that's it. You accept the life (and the wife) that God has given you. You are faithful and loyal to her, denying her neither affection nor children. If she should die before you, than that's it, you accept the lot that God has given you and you move on into full celibate service of the Lord. Likewise, should you ender the ministry as an unmarried celibate man, than an unmarried celibate man you shall stay in full service to the Lord. All of this is outlined in St. Paul's writings (1st Corinthians 7). The Biblical teaching was the one kept by the early Church. Remain as you are, married or single, if you can when you enter the ministry, for this is the path the Lord has chosen for you.

However, based on Epiphanius citation of Deacon Nicholas, it would appear that he made a common mistake often duplicated by many lay Catholics today, with the false assumption that celibacy somehow makes one 'more holy.' This is a totally false assumption and flies in the face of official Catholic teaching, but it is a fairly common mistake. The Catholic Church's teachings on marriage are outlined in 1st Corinthians 7, and basically state that marriage is a holy sacrament, equal to holy orders (the ministry), and married men may become ministers (deacons and priests) provided they are married BEFORE they enter the ministry. (The only exception to this is in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, one of 23 rites actually, which only admits unmarried men into the priesthood, with only rare exception.) After they enter the ministry they should accept the marital state God has placed them in (wither married or single). Deacon Nicholas apparently committed the error of thinking celibacy made him a better Christian, and in doing so he denied his own needs and the needs of his wife. Other sources tell us he initially gave his wife away in marriage to another man, but then later could not stand to be without her. Thus he rekindled the marriage with her, while she was married to the other man, and in doing so Deacon Nicholas concocted the doctrine of polygamy or polyamory (group marriage) to justify his actions. His followers then did the same with their wives, and before long the whole thing degenerated into multiple-partner group marriages for everyone! Family households became polyamorous as we see demonstrated in this video documenting the modern equivalent....

So there you have it. While it is likely that the Nicolaitans also taught various doctrines of 'secret knowledge' necessary for salvation, as was common among Gnostic sects, it is likely this marital practice that singled them out individually for their namesake.

The Nicolaitans likely justified their behaviour under the grace of God, assuming that because Jesus died for our sins, it's okay to go ahead and sin as you please, so long as it's all done in a spirit of brotherly love. It's sort of like Calvinism (the teaching of 'once saved always saved') abused and run amok, but in a way that neither John Calvin nor his followers would ever condone. Based on Church history, and the writings of the people who lived closest to the time, this is the most accurate understanding of the teaching and deeds of the Nicolaitans. Outside of this historical understanding we should not tread, for to do so is to risk twisting the Scriptures into something they were never intended to say.

Switching gears for a moment, let's go back to the popular Evangelical interpretation of this passage, which is a vain attempt at condemning clericalism. As I pointed out above, when Evangelical pastors do this, they do so hypocritically, because they themselves function as clergy even though they refuse to dress or identify as such. This notion that there is no hierarchy within the Church is not Christian in origin. For from the very beginning, we see that Jesus himself set up a hierarchy structure even among his apostles. This translated into the clergy in the Book of Acts, as the apostles separately ordained bishops and deacons, the deacons holding a lesser ministerial role than the bishops. Gradually, over the first twenty years or so, the early Church separated the office of bishop into two clerical positions, one lesser than the other, the bishop and the priest. This is alluded in the Scriptures as the term 'presbyter' appears in the New Testament to describe bishop-like clergy who are not fully bishops.

All of this comes from the Biblical concept of ordination, of which the Greek words cheirotonia and cheirothesia are used, meaning 'the laying on of hands.' This comes to the Church through the Jewish custom by the Hebrew word semichut. The scriptural concept of ordination is a transferring of the character of one's office. Case in point; when a Jewish priest ordained a man to the priesthood, that man took on the full authority and religious character of the one who ordained him. The ordination was full and complete. The ordained possessed all the powers of the ordainer -- unless the ordainer intentionally specified to only share some of his ministerial powers. In this latter case, the ordained could receive only part of the powers given by the ordainer.

Now as this practice translated to the early Church, we have Jesus Christ himself, who is both God and the promised Messiah. He is both the ultimate High Priest, and the King of kings. Jesus ordained his apostles, and in doing so he shared many (but not all) of his ministerial powers with them. Then he instructed them to go out and make disciples of the whole world. To do this, these apostles ordained other men as bishops (meaning 'elder' or 'overseer'), and gave them their full apostolic authority. As these men ministered in the areas the apostles left behind, they shared part of their ministerial powers with other men who would help them administer the Church in that area. Those ordained as presbyters were given all the powers of the bishop, minus the ability to ordain others, and minus authority over other ordained persons. Those ordained as deacons were given many of the authorities needed to help the presbyters, but not the full ministerial authority of a presbyter. This was the primitive hierarchy of the early Church, and this hierarchy continued to develop over the centuries. There is nothing wrong with this, and in fact, it was a pattern modelled by Jesus and the apostles themselves. In all human endeavours, some kind of authority structure is needed, and God understands this. He understood it in the Old Testament, and he understood it in the New Testament. The Church's hierarchy structures we see today are the natural progression of this.

So where does the occasional Evangelical pastor get off by teaching that God hates the clerical structure (even though he himself is technically part of it). The notion comes not from Christianity but from Freemasonry (the Masonic Lodge), where men are taught that they are all equals and not one of them has authority over the other. Their leadership rotates based on elections, and any man is eligible to become the 'Worshipful Master' in time as the elected rotation progresses. Thus there is no clerical separation in the Lodge. Religious rituals (and yes they are 'religious' in nature) are carried out in the lodge by those in elected authority, and those people rotate every so many years, so no one man holds the same office for very long. Thus all are 'equal' and there is no 'separation' between members. This is where the warped interpretation of Nicolaitans likely comes from, and in some Protestant sects (especially during the 18th and 19th centuries) the notion of elected clergy became in vogue. Some modern Evangelical and Pentecostal sects continue with a slightly reduced version of this today, wherein a 'board of elders' is elected and rotates every so many years, while the pastor is often interviewed and hired by this board. All of this comes from Freemasonry's influence on Protestantism over the last few-hundred years. That's not to say that every Evangelical who preaches the anti-clerical version of the Nicholaitans is a Freemason or has some connection to the Lodge. Far from it! I've personally heard some Evangelical preachers condemn clericalism and Freemasonry in almost the same breath! These pastors may be anti-Mason in their beliefs, but they promote Masonic teaching unwittingly in their actions; by preaching a Masonic interpretation of the Nicolaitans and practising the Masonic tradition of electing elders and hiring pastors.

Remember that next time some Evangelical tells you that God hates clericalism and that it's in the Book of Revelation. The only thing God hates is wife-swapping (Nicolaitanism), and those who say God hates clericalism are actually promoting a Masonic concept which in itself is something else God hates.

U.S. Anglican Ordinariate Plants Seeds for Anglican Rite And Renewal of Roman Rite

2012-01-01T01:12:00.002-06:00

The mass according to the Anglican Use of the Roman Rite
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Today is the Feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, in the season of Christmastide. On this first day of this first month, in the year of our Lord 2012, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, creates the United States ordinariate for Anglicans, which has been named the 'Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter' - see official website here. Former Episcopalian Bishop, now a Catholic priest, the Reverend Dr. Jeffrey Steenson, has been nominated for the position of the new Ordinary.

Fr. Jeffrey Steenson

Fr. Steenson is married with three grown children. The Catholic Church has been admitting married men into the Catholic priesthood for at least some thirty years now. Fr. Steenson was received into the Catholic Church in 2007, and ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 2009. Pope John Paul II created the 'Pastoral Provision' in 1980, which opened the door for married Protestant clergy to enter the Catholic Church and be ordained Catholic priests. Currently, there are over one-hundred such men serving as priests in the United States, most of them came from The Episcopal Church USA (American Anglicanism), but some came from Lutheran and other Protestant traditions. Because the Anglican Ordinary will likely be a married priest, he cannot be consecrated as a bishop at this time. This is a tradition going back to the earliest days of Christianity. However, the U.S. Anglican Ordinary, if he is not a bishop, is instead granted all the powers of a mitred abbot. He will have the full authority of a bishop, except he cannot ordain men to the priesthood himself. Instead regular Roman bishops may do this upon his request. He may even wear episcopal vestments during liturgical events and carry a crosier, just as if he were a bishop. That's because these are symbols of his shepherding role in the ordinariate. The Ordinary will be given an equal seat with the other prelates at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

This condition of a non-episcopal Ordinary is in all likelihood a temporary one. It is designed to prepare the way for something different later on. Originally, when traditional Anglicans first opened communications with Rome, the idea was to create a whole new rite for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church, however, this proved impossible at this time because of the condition Anglicanism currently finds itself in. In order to have a full-fledged rite, there must be celibate bishops with real apostolic succession, an undisputed patrimony, and no ambiguity on the sacrament of holy orders. Historically, Anglicanism has not possessed these things, in any clear fashion, even though it has demonstrated an certain affinity toward English Catholic liturgy and sacramental life.

So what the pope did was create an incubator called the 'Anglican Ordinariate.' It is similar to the military ordinariate for Roman Catholics. The idea of the Anglican Ordinariate is to create a 'space' (if you will) within the Catholic Church, wherein traditional high-church Anglicans (i.e. Anglo Catholics) can further develop their patrimony with absolute clarity, in an environment where holy orders are no longer in question. The position of Ordinary may be occupied by a married priest for as long as these Anglo Catholics require one. However, it is envisioned in the long run that there will be some celibate men ordained into the Anglo Catholic priesthood eventually. These men will eventually become candidates for the position of Ordinary when the time is right. When that day comes, a celibate bishop will be consecrated as the next ordinary (someday in the future). Once that happens, the ordinariate becomes a 'particular church,' a full-fledged diocese (if you will), and the Anglican patrimony is well on its way to become a full-fledged rite within the Catholic Church, just as soon as all the ordinariates worldwide are similarly prepared.

As for time frame, your guess is as good as mine. Speculatively, one would think one to two generations would be ample. However, that is not a job for this pope or this generation. This pope plants the seeds of a future Anglican Rite. Another pope, someday in the future, will harvest the crop, and actually make it happen. Just as Pope John Paul II cleared the field with the Anglican Use Pastoral Provision some thirty years ago, so this pope (Benedict XVI) is laying the foundation with the Anglican ordinariates. Other popes will help build the structure as Anglo Catholics supply the living materials, and someday the Anglican Rite within the Catholic Church will be completed. Personally, I would think at least thirty to forty years will be required before this happens, perhaps longer, but you never know. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

As for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church, the ONLY thing they need to do is just keep the Anglican Patrimony and be good Catholics. As for a future Anglican Rite, that is a job best left to the Holy Spirit.

In the mean time, the Holy Father has a much broader plan for the Anglican ordinariates. First and foremost, of course, they provide an easy point of entry for Anglicans (Episcopalians) into the Catholic Church. They also provide a similarly easy point of entry for some Lutherans, as well as other traditional protestants. Second, because the ordinariates will have their own traditional English liturgy, and their own rubrics in which that liturgy MUST be celebrated, they provide yet another means through which the Holy Father can further his liturgical "reform of the reform" of the Western Church. Traditional Anglo Catholics are more than eager to help the pope in this regard, as it is primarily their love for liturgy that has driven them to the Catholic Church over the last two centuries. Third and finally, the ordinariate structure, as provided for under the Apostolic Constitution for Anglicans, puts ordinariate members under Roman canon law, and for the time being anyway, considers the Anglican ordinariate patrimony a subdivision of the Roman Rite. This allows clergy and laity to easily cross over between any Roman diocese and the Anglican ordinariate. Thus, any ordinariate priest can fill in as a substitute guest priest in a diocesan parish. The same is true vice versa. Likewise, any Roman Catholic layman can take up membership in an Anglo Catholic parish. The same is true vice versa. This crossover is designed to alleviate some of the strain caused by the priest shortage, and to give traditionally-minded Roman Catholics some more liturgical options, as well as give some ordinariate Anglo Catholics easy access to diocesan life should they prefer it. This allows for some regularisation and normalisation between the ordinariate and local dioceses as things get under way. It also introduces Catholics from both groups to opportunities to help each other out. With these Anglican ordinariates, the Holy Father has done nothing short of helping both Catholics and Anglicans, giving both groups more tools at their disposal to further nourish their spiritual needs during a period of dark times for Western Christianity.

Finally, I would like to offer a word of admonition to both Roman Catholics and Anglicans entering the Church through the ordinariate.

To Roman Catholics I say this. DON'T BE STUPID. The Holy Father has structured these ordinariates in such as way as to help struggling Roman dioceses in their time of need. Make no mistake about it. Dioceses that are accommodating to Anglican ordinariate parishes and groups will be blessed. New vocations may arise from these communities, and those vocations will likely be of service to both the diocese as well as the ordinariate. Anglo-Catholic priests are fully permitted to celebrate the Roman Rite liturgy as well as their own. This means with your local bishop's permission, they can do a regular mass in any diocesan parish, and you can be sure they will celebrate the Roman liturgy with the highest level of respect and honour given to your traditional customs. That can only serve to strengthen your local parish's Roman Catholic identity. This is a win-win situation for Roman dioceses. Don't pass the opportunity up when it arises. Embrace the Anglican ordinariate, in the true spirit of Vatican II (a spirit of continuity not rupture), and your diocese will be blessed because of it.

To all those entering the Church through the ordinariate, most especially to Anglicans for whom these ordinariates are being created, I would like to admonish you to fully embrace the Catholic faith as well as the Anglican Patrimony. Most especially, nurture the Anglican Patrimony, which is primarily liturgical of course, but can also include personal and family customs that are unique to Anglican history and English culture. The Holy Father has made it ABSOLUTELY CLEAR that he EXPECTS us to build something new and unique in the universal Church. He does not want us to be absorbed into the Roman Rite as a community. Granted, if individuals (or families) want to be absorbed into the general Roman Rite, than that is fine, and that is their choice. As an Anglo Catholic community however, those of us who choose to remain part of that, should endeavour to be unique and distinct, keeping with our Anglican Patrimony and forging ahead in Traditional development. Remember, it was our most conservative Anglican traditions that brought us INTO the Catholic Church, and it is those same conservative Anglican traditions that will help us move forward WITHIN the Catholic Church. As for today however, let us celebrate and give thanks to the Lord. Today history is made. Today marks a new beginning not only for Anglicans (Episcopalians) in the United States, but also for Roman Catholics as well, as we will both mutually benefit from this ordinariate arrangement.

Our Lady of America - The Immaculate Conception - Mother of God

2012-01-01T00:00:00.151-06:00

Our Lady of America
The Immaculate Conception
Mother of God

On May 13 1846, (exactly seventy-one years, to the day, before the Fatima apparitions), the Catholic bishops of the United States, who were gathered for the Sixth Provincial Council of Baltimore, adopted a decree by which they chose the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin, as Patroness of the United States.

This decree, translated from Latin into English, is as follows:

With enthusiastic acclaim and with unanimous approval and consent, the Fathers [of the Council] have chosen the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin, as the Patroness of the United States of America; without, however, adding the obligation of hearing Mass and abstaining from servile work on the feast of the Conception of Blessed Mary. And, therefore, they decided that the Supreme Pontiff be humbly asked to transfer the solemnity, unless the feast fall on a Sunday, to the nearest Sunday, on which both private and solemn Masses may be celebrated of the feast thus transferred, and the vesper office of the same feast may be recited.

Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil
on August 15, 1964

The choice of Our Lady, in her Immaculate Conception, as Patroness of the United States was approved by Pope Pius IX in an audience on Feb. 7, 1847; and this approval was announced in a decree of Propaganda dated July 2, the same year. Both of these decrees of Propaganda have the signature of Cardinal Fransoni.

In 1956 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in a vision to Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil in Rome City, Indiana. She appeared as Our Lady of Lourdes, drawing Sister Mildred's attention to that 19th century apparition in France wherein Our Lady revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception. (The United States was dedicated to the patronage of the Immaculate Conception in 1847, a full eight years before that doctrine was defined as infallible Catholic dogma by Pope Pius IX). In Sister Mildred's vision Our Lady said...

"I am pleased, my child, with the love and honor my children in America give to me, especially through my glorious and unique privilege of the Immaculate Conception. I promise to reward their love by working through the power of my Son's Heart and my Immaculate Heart miracles of grace among them. I do not promise miracles of the body, but of the soul. For it is mainly through these miracles of grace that the Holy Trinity is glorified among men and nations. Let America continue and grow in its love for me, and I in return, in union with the Heart of my Son, promise to work wonders in her. My child, I desire that this be known."

Of course with any Marian apparition there is almost always a message. What does Our Lady want of us? Why did she come? What is the message she's carrying to us from God? For the people of the United States, for all Catholic Americans, and for all Christian Americans in general, her message is one that cannot be argued, as it is in perfect alignment with the gospels. Our Lady calls us to live lives of purity and trust. Sister Mildred related the message given to her for our benefit as follows....

"I am Our Lady of America. I desire that my children honor me, especially by the purity of their lives."

“My child, I entrust you with this message that you must make known to my children in America. I wish it to be the country dedicated to my purity. The wonders I will work will be the wonders of the Soul. They must have faith and believe firmly in my love for them. I desire that they be the children of my Pure Heart. I desire, through my children of America, to further the cause of faith and purity among peoples and nations. Let them come to me with confidence and simplicity, and I, their Mother, will teach them to become pure like to my Heart that their own hearts may be more pleasing to the Heart of my Son."

In this visitation the Blessed Virgin Mary asked for no shrines to be built in her honor as Our Lady of America, but instead that a statue of her image be placed in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, where she may be venerated as Our Lady of America, the Immaculate Virgin. As she told Sister Mildred...

"I desire to make the whole of America my shrine by making every heart accessible to the love of my Son."

She continued....

"Behold, O my children, the tears of your Mother! Shall I weep in vain? Assuage the sorrow of my Heart over the ingratitude of sinful men by the love and chasteness of your lives. Will you do this for me, beloved children, or will you allow your Mother to weep in vain? I come to you, O children of America, as a last resort. I plead with you to listen to my voice. Cleanse your souls in the Precious Blood of My Son. Live in His Heart, and take me in that I may teach you to live in great purity of heart which is so pleasing to God. Be my army of chaste soldiers, ready to fight to the death to preserve the purity of your souls. I am the Immaculate One, Patroness of your land. Be my faithful children as I have been your faithful Mother."

The United States of America has been dedicated to the patronage of St. Mary - The Immaculate Conception. For this our Land has enjoyed a special protection and blessing, but for this our nation shall also be held accountable for it's sins against purity and modesty. Through the intercession of Mary, this nation might be preserved, but not without our repentance.

AMERICA IS WORTH SAVING

While not a perfect representation
the original American flag
makes a nice crown for Our Lady

There is a difference between the people of the United States and the government of the United States. This is something we often get a little confused about. Perhaps this is because of our electoral process and the structural nature of our republic. Often the government is described as a government of the people, by the people and for the people. It's a nice thought to be sure, but in practical application, this is hardly the case. When we look back at the last 200 years of the American experience, it becomes clear that our government hasn't served us too well. It was our own federal government policies that preserved the institution of slavery, making it profitable to farmers in the south and bankers in the north, ultimately leading us into a Civil War. It was our own federal government policies that led us into multiple wars with our Native American neighbors, a crime our own Founding Fathers cited as one reason for secession from the British Empire. It was our own federal government policies that coddled segregation for a century, and then flipped virtually overnight, only to vilify the very people in the South who still backed the federal policy with their own state laws. It has been our own federal government policies that has kept African Americans on the proverbial "plantation" for the last 200 years. First literally with slavery, then effectively with segregation, then essentially with welfare and abortion. Now our federal government has amassed a debt so great that it can never be paid, and our national sovereignty is in danger as our economy implodes. This is just domestic issues, don't even get me started on foreign policy. When one looks at this on the surface, one might get the impression that America is a particularly bad place, and that Americans are particularly bad people.

However, that is a very superficial way to look at things. In fact, when you really get down to America on a family by family basis, what you discover is something completely different. Americans remain the most religious people in the industrialized world. Per capita, more people still identify themselves as "Christian" in America than in any other industrialized nation. American families are for the most part a generous people. Charitable giving is higher among Americans, per capita, than any other industrialized nation. This is even reflected in government policies, believe it or not, wherein the United States exports more food to poverty stricken third-world nations than any other country on the planet. America literally feeds the world. When you talk to the average American family, you'll find a people who are generally very practical, balance their home budget, don't spend more than they can afford, believe in basic morality of right and wrong, good vs. evil, trust in God, go to religious services weekly and help their neighbors. Granted, there are always exceptions to this rule, and we can find plenty in the inner cities, but for the most part this is how it is. What a contrast! To imagine these generally good people are represented by such a selfish government is unthinkable, and yet this is how it is.

Our Lady of America Medal
worn by those with special
devotion to Our Lady of America
may be purchased here.

Yes, America is a good place, and Americans are (for the most part) good people. The American government, on the other hand, is another story. The United States of America has gone through literally four national governments since it's inception. The first was the Articles of Confederation. The first president of the United States was not George Washington. It was actually Samuel Huntington, but the term of the president was very short under this system of governance. He was followed by fifteen other men as president, until George Washington, who was in actuality the seventeenth president of the United States, but the first under the newly ratified Constitution. This Constitution of the United States served as America's second government until 1861 when the nation was torn by Civil War. From 1861 to 1865 America was governed by two constitutions; the Constitution of the United States governed the northern states, while the newly drafted Constitution of Confederate States governed the southern states. After the Civil War, the United States was unified once again under the Constitution of the United States, but with one major change that turned the whole thing on it's head -- the Fourteenth Amendment (adopted on July 9, 1868). The longest amendment ever passed, this article changed the entire reading of the Constitution, defining U.S. citizenship and giving considerable power to the federal courts. For better or worse, the fourteenth amendment remade the U.S. Constitution into a totally different form of government, which was far more centralized and powerful. This government has remained to this day, and from 1868 to present, has become our longest system of government so far. The point I'm making here is this. America has gone through four systems of government in it's 200+ year history. There is no reason why a fifth form of government cannot follow, and indeed history dictates that it will eventually. What form that government takes is entirely up to us for now. Yes, we do have a choice, and no, we don't have to do what the power brokers on Wall Street tell us, no matter how much pressure they put on us.

America is worth saving and it can be saved. Indeed Our Lady of America revealed to us that God actually WANTS to save America, and he wants America to lead the way of repentance for all the Americas (North, South and Central), thus paving the way for the rest of the world. It is not impossible, and it is within our reach, in spite of the massive economic downturn that awaits us in the very near future. This is what we can do...

Turn to Mary as the patroness of our nation. Our Lady of America is a wonderful family devotion for all of us, and it's message is more applicable now than when it was given. The Catholic Church in America honors the Immaculate Conception as our patroness. It's time we get back to basics and restore our national identity in Our Lady of America -- the Immaculate Conception. Catholics are the ONLY ones who can lead the way in this. So let's start leading already. Begin doing family rosary time, even if it's just one chaplet a day, due to the attention span of small children. Ramp it up to two decades as they get older, then three, then four, and so on. Teach your family the message of Our Lady of America and venerate her in your home.
Focus on teaching our children sexual purity in a real and adult way, guiding them in the Christian understanding of sex and marriage, and helping them reject the ways of Hollywood and Washington DC.
Embrace our Mexican neighbors to the south, by offering them citizenship in exchange for learning English and adopting an American identity. We must encourage them to be good Catholics, and introduce them to the devotion of Our Lady of America -- the Immaculate Conception -- which complements their devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Remember, Mexican immigrants are the only thing that is saving America from having to import massive waves of Muslim immigrants like Europe has. Yes, Mexicans will help save America, that is IF indeed we will let them, and teach them how to be Americans in Jesus and Mary.)
Embrace our English language, and the heritage of English Catholicism! America is an English nation, plain and simple, regardless of our racial and ethnic diversity. We speak English (or at least we're supposed to), we are governed by English common law (or at least we're supposed to be), and our culture is primarily English in nature. This is where the pope's creation of a Personal Ordinariate for Anglicans can really help us here in America. It is a vehicle through which Americans can be reintroduced to their English Catholic roots. Hopefully, the U.S. ordinariate will become more than a niche group for Anglo-Catholics, but rather an evangelistic arm of the U.S. Catholic Church that can not only bring more Protestants into the Catholic Church, but also renew American Catholicism by rubbing off various elements of the English Patrimony into various diocese throughout the United States.
Pursue papal politics! Besides being a tongue twister, this is actually very good advice for Catholic Americans. The political rivalry between Republicans and Democrats has virtually destroyed this nation. Catholicism is more than just a religion. It is a comprehensive way of life, which is why Catholics cannot be defined as Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal. Parties and ideologies are woefully ineffective as far as defining Catholic politics. One of the areas we Americans are sorely lacking in is following the teachings of our pope. Both popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have outlined a comprehensive political strategy that if followed, the United States would not be in the mess it's in today -- neither would Europe for that matter. What are papal politics? Well, an entire book could be written on it, and indeed some have, but to summarize, we should be...

Militantly Pro-Life, opposing abortion, euthanasia, human cloning and embryonic stem-cell research.
Opposed to any policy that hurts or redefines the traditional family.
Pursuing government policies that encourage traditional marriage and children.
Demanding school-choice initiatives in every state, county and city.
Opposed to all wars not directly related to self-defense.
Kind and generous to immigrants.
Conserving resources and pursuing alternate forms of energy with a passion.

I think this is a good place to start, and we as Catholics can do this. It is within our reach. I firmly believe that while Protestants formed this nation, Catholics will ultimately save it. That will be America's future. I also believe that when Americans become a moral and virtuous people again, on a widespread level, we can begin to reign in the abuses of our federal government, but not until then. So to save America, we must turn to Our Lady of America, and begin working on changing ourselves.

What happens however, if we fail to do this. Well, your guess is as good as mine, but based on my study of cultural demographics I think it's pretty safe to say the United States will break up mostly among cultural lines. If America breaks up, nobody wins. The North American continent will have consigned itself to at least fifty years of economic and political stagnation, but that's the path we will have chosen. I believe it's best for us to turn to our Lord and our Lady for assistance in these trying times, lest our future look something like this...

The people of the United States of America are now at the final crossroads in our nation's history. We have a choice. The year 2012 will be the year America chooses her fate. For 2012 marks the year of the END of the American Empire. Our Superpower status ends this year. We may not see the final results of that for a couple of years to come, but the decision will be made this year. It comes down to this. The American Empire is going to end -- period. Nothing can stop that now. The choice is this. Shall our empire decline like the British Empire or the Roman Empire?

That's it! That's the choice that faces us. It really is no more or less than that. We can either go the way of Britain or Rome.

When the British Empire became unsustainable, the Brits got smart. They permitted their colonies to become independent nations (rather than risk a repeat of 1776). They downsized and focused on rebuilding their internal economic foundations. They scaled back their military to a more reasonable size that was commensurate with national defence alone. In the process they saved billions of pounds, and gave their nation new life. Today they are no longer an empire, but many of their former colonies have erected constitutional monarchies that still (voluntarily) name the Queen of England as their sovereign -- Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Today you can go to Britain and still see British society. Their government remains intact. The queen still reigns from the throne. It's all still there! And in spite of their many national problems, there is no indication that it is going extinct any time soon. We here in the United States can choose this path. We can accept that our international superpower (empire) status is unsustainable. We can scale back, downsize, and save trillions of dollars! We can refocus our efforts toward rebuilding our economic and political integrity. We can turn back to the national Constitution, and start following it for a change!

Or we can refuse to accept the unsustainable nature of our empire (superpower status), and ignore all the signs around us. We can move forward internationally in wars and conflicts, increasing our debts, just as the Roman Empire did, and in doing so, we can follow in their footsteps into oblivion. The map of the former United States above represents just one possibility of how North America will eventually be Balkanised should we refuse to accept reality. We can follow the example of Rome right into a fall so great that it results in the ripping apart of our nation into smaller nation-states in a European kind of fracture. Yes, there was once upon a time, some 1,500 years ago, when all of Europe was united under one government and one language. Today you can go to Rome and see what's left of that government, in the ruins of the Forum and Colosseum. Today Europe is still divided up into different governments, languages and cultures. Every attempt to reunify Europe in the past has failed, and it looks as if this most recent attempt to economically unify Europe (The European Union) will fail too.

So there you have it. Americans can either choose a smart decline like Britain, or a stupid suicidal decline like Rome. One way or another, we will decline, and this year (2012) marks the year we make our choice.

My Presidential Picks

2011-12-31T14:11:00.001-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I've been getting asked who I would vote for in the upcoming Republican presidential primaries. I've decided to make my picks known to anyone who might be interested. I base this list on fidelity to the Social Doctrines of the Catholic Church and what I view to be the lesser of evils from among the available GOP candidates. So for President of the United States these are my picks....

1st Choice - Ron Paul
2nd Choice - Rick Santorum
3rd Choice - Michelle Bachman
4th Choice - Newt Gingrich
5th Choice - Satan himself !
6th Choice - Mitt Romney
7th Choice - Rick Perry

Catholic Support for Ron Paul

2011-12-31T12:17:00.001-06:00

For more information visit RONPAUL2012.com
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I personally believe that modern American democracy is a sham, and it has been for the last 40 years or so. I think I'm about to be proved right once again, perhaps within weeks. (Please God, prove me wrong!) Every so often a candidate for president of the United States will arise to the surface that truly represents some American ideals and values. He may not be perfect. In fact, he may be flawed in some serious ways, yet nevertheless, he does speak for the heart and soul of the people. He is in every way a 'representative' of his nation. Once he approaches the top of the heap, and has a real shot at the nomination for president, the political party machinery kicks in and crushes him.

In 1996 we saw this happen in the GOP with presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan. For a brief time in the early days of the '96 primaries, Buchanan was the front-runner among GOP presidential hopefuls. It was at that time the Republican Party leadership met with one agenda in mind -- how to deal with the 'Buchanan threat.' The GOP then decided to throw the election. They painted Buchanan as a radical, extremist and anti-Semite, then they put forward their favourite son (and certain loser) as the alternative -- Senator Bob Dole.

Pat Buchanan (left) -- Ron Paul (right)

We all know what happened. In November of 1996, on the heels of a massive Republican victory in 1994 (the largest ever), GOP presidential candidate Bob Dole was soundly vanquished by Democrat President Bill Clinton who at that time was mired in scandal and low job-approval ratings. How did this happen? Simple. The GOP willed it. You see, had Patrick Buchanan actually gone on to win the Republican nomination, there is no doubt that he would have destroyed Bill Clinton's presidency, not only unseating him in the November election, but also decimating his legacy by overturning virtually everything he and his predecessor (Republican George H. Bush) had done from 1988 to 1996. For this, candidate Buchanan was deemed a 'threat' by the GOP, and the powers that be in the Republican Party decided it would be better the throw the election than let Buchanan have a shot at winning. Who was Pat Buchanan? He was (and still is) a devout and practising Traditional Catholic, who attends the Latin Mass, and believes in the social encyclicals of the popes. He opposes American imperialism and supports states' rights. He is everything the Democrat-Republican ALLIANCE loathes, and history has demonstrated these two parties will work together, even to the detriment of one, to prevent a man like Patrick Buchanan from ever taking a seat in the Oval Office.

Ron Paul surpassed all presidential
candidates in military donations

Now as we approach the 2012 election it appears another similar scenario is about to take place. Presidential candidate Ron Paul is anything but perfect. His views on some issues sound foreign to many Americans, but because of his consistent opposition to American imperialism and support for states' rights, he is striking a chord with the American people. Nowhere is this more evident than in Iowa, were he leads in the polls, and stands a good chance at winning the Iowa caucus, threatening Romney in New Hampshire and possibly creating a bandwagon effect in South Carolina. If he wins Iowa, performs well in New Hampshire, and just ties another candidate in South Carolina, the pendulum will swing and he will pick up the support of the entire American Southeast (Old Dixieland) as well as the American Midwest. Ron Paul will become unstoppable and the GOP knows it. That is why I predict we will soon possibly see a repeat of 1996. The GOP will decide to throw the election, preferring instead an Obama victory, than allow Ron Paul the nomination and a chance at the Whitehouse. Instead of allowing Ron Paul to campaign freely, the GOP will work with the national media to smear him, putting forward their favourite son, and certain loser, which will either be Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney as a 'more realistic alternative.' Doubt me? Just watch and see for yourself. I predict this will all unfold over the next six to twelve weeks.

U.S. Active Military Overwhelmingly
support Ron Paul

What will become of Ron Paul if this happens, nobody knows for sure. There are those who say that unlike Pat Buchanan, he will attempt a third-party or independent run in the same election year. Perhaps, but that remains to be seen. Either way it won't matter, because the GOP will have already decided to throw the election. The Republican candidate will not (indeed cannot) win, and he will have never been intended to win. He was selected to be a 'fall guy,' just like Bob Dole, a faithful party man whom they know will 'take one for the team.' If Ron Paul re-enters the race as an Independent or third-party candidate, he will get many votes (including my own), but he will not win. The only thing he will accomplish is to focus the wrath of those who still believe in the GOP against him.

Ron Paul is a medical doctor. He worked for a Catholic
hospital for $3/hour and never once accepted Medicare
or Medicaid payments. He is 100% Pro-Life and has
personally delivered thousands of babies.

Who is Ron Paul? He's a former Episcopalian who currently attends a Baptist church due to disagreements over moral issues with the Episcopal Church (namely abortion and homosexuality). His children were raised Episcopalian and a couple of them have converted to Catholicism. He is NOT a Libertarian, as many people believe. The best way to describe Ron Paul's political ideology is 'moral libertarian' or 'constitutionalist' with a heavy emphasis on states' rights (or 'subsidiarit y'). He is perhaps very Jeffersonian (Thomas Jefferson) in his views. Morally, he is staunchly pro-life, and wants to eliminate the federal government's role in the abortion debate by simply stripping the federal courts of their jurisdiction over matters related to abortion. The same goes for gay-marriage, and Ron Paul supports the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA). This puts him in line with the Catholic Church on domestic social issues more than any other viable GOP candidate. (Yes, I said 'viable.') On issues related to foreign policy, he is the ONLY GOP CANDIDATE that is in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church. (Yes, I said it. He is more 'Catholic' on foreign policy than Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum combined!) The only thing that might seem to put him at odds with the Catholic Church is his solution to domestic economic issues, but even then a closer analysis says otherwise. Ron Paul has nothing against states setting up their own 'universal healthcare' or 'single-payer systems,' he just doesn't believe the federal government should manage it. As I said, he is not a Libertarian but rather a 'constitutionalist' with a heavy emphasis on states' rights (Subsidiarity). He is far from perfect, and I don't worry about him getting everything he wants if he ever became president. Most presidents rarely do. If he did become president however, and even if he only got 10% of what he wanted as president, it would radically shift the pendulum in America, putting the country on a much more reasonable path that is far more consistent with Church teaching than what exists today. In this sense, I would say that Ron Paul represents the LEAST OF ALL EVILS among all the GOP candidates and President Obama combined. While I have said I will not endorse any candidate for president this time around, I suppose you could call this the closest thing to an endorsement you will get out of me. As a practising Roman Catholic, faithful to the pope and magisterium of the Church, I have no problem casting my vote for Ron Paul for president of the United States, and if given the opportunity, I probably will do so. Given the options presented to me, this seems like the most 'Catholic' thing to do.

Ron Paul enjoyed a good working relationship with
Ronald Reagan during his presidency.

Should Ron Paul win Iowa, the GOP will certainly turn on him like a snake. If the Republican Party turns against Ron Paul after an Iowa win, it will signal that the GOP has once again decided to throw the election and repeat the events of 1996. At that point Americans will have a choice, and that only choice will be between Ron Paul and Barack Obama. That choice will exist immediately after the Iowa caucus regardless of what anyone says. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are political losers. They are fall guys. They are the favourite sons of the GOP establishment, and their job will be to 'take one for the team' (a political defeat to Obama) should one of them win the nomination. They are both the Bob Dole of 2012. If Ron Paul wins Iowa, than the only real choice that faces voters is between Ron Paul and Barack Obama, and that will be a simple choice between big-government statism or limited-government subsidiarity. It will be a choice between continuing American imperialism at the behest of big corporations, or resuming our place in the world as a nation among nations, leading the world by example rather than military force. If Americans have truly repented of our arrogance and pride, we will support Ron Paul and he will become our next president, regardless of what the GOP does, because the GOP will lose the support of voters. If however we have not repented of our national arrogance and pride, we will believe the lies of the GOP, support some other candidate instead (Newt or Mitt), and one of these will go on to political defeat against Barack Obama. That is the paradigm as I see it, and if Ron Paul wins Iowa, I predict we will have the answer to this question within the next six to twelve weeks. Has America learned her lesson? Are we ready to repent of our national sins? In six to twelve weeks we shall know.

UPDATE 12-20-2011...
It looks like Patrick Buchanan (mentioned in the article above) is poised to give an endorsement to Ron Paul... read more here

Sadly, I have been proved right in less than 24 hours since writing this article. The infamous 'conference' is beginning to happen, and the GOP elites are already kicking around the idea of throwing the election should Ron Paul make a good showing in Iowa and New Hampshire. The Republican governor of Iowa has just told the mainstream national news media to 'ignore' a Ron Paul victory in Iowa and focus on who comes in second place instead. Next on the agenda will be a direct effort by the GOP to destroy Ron Paul, just as they did Pat Buchanan in 1996, and put forward a fall guy instead -- a GOP party man who will 'take one for the team.' Make no mistake about it, the attacks against Paul will be personal and vial. The Republican elites will spare no expense. They will try to dig up whatever dirt they can about him, and when they find none, they will just resort to lies. Rumours of election fraud are being circulated as well, but when pressed on the matter, nobody gives any credible details. What they all agree on however is that Ron Paul is a 'threat' and a 'problem.' The 2012 GOP sabotage has just gone into effect. The election is being thrown as you read this. It's 1996 all over again. When will we all learn the GOP and Democrats are working together? When will we learn they are both on the same team? If the Republican Party actually does this again, there may be a serious miscalculation this time. Ron Paul supporters are fed up with the Republican Party already. This kind of unfair black balling their candidate may push them over the edge, and Ron Paul will be under considerable pressure to run either as an Independent or third-party candidate. If that happens, the GOP may suffer more permanent consequences. Especially of Ron Paul decides to run as a Constitutionalist on the CONSTITUTION PARTY ticket. The Constitution Party is America's largest third party. A Ron Paul association would put the Constitution Party over the top as far as exposure goes, energising it, and turn it into a permanent fixture in American politics. The GOP doesn't want to do this. It would spell the end of their two-party dominance with the Democrats that has remained the status quo in America for the last 150 years.

(Politico) -- Conservatives and Republican elites in the state are divided over who to support for the GOP nomination, but they almost uniformly express concern over the prospect that Ron Paul and his army of activist supporters may capture the state’s 2012 nominating contest — an outcome many fear would do irreparable harm to the future role of the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

In spin rooms, bar rooms and online forums, the what-to-do-about-Paul conversation has become pervasive as polls show him at or near the top here just weeks before the January 3rd vote....

....Leading Republicans, looking to put the best possible frame on a Paul victory, are already testing out a message for what they’ll say if the 76-year-old Texas congressman is triumphant.

The short version: Ignore him.

“People are going to look at who comes in second and who comes in third,” said Gov. Terry Branstad. “If [Mitt] Romney comes in a strong second, it definitely helps him going into New Hampshire and the other states.”...

....Paul officials note that they’ve embraced the Iowa way. And even establishment Republicans like Branstad concede that the congressman has done it “the old-fashioned way” and enjoys the best organization of any of the candidates....

read full story here

UPDATE 12/21/2011
The media lynching of Ron Paul is now underway. Right-wing talk radio hosts are beginning to attack Dr. Paul across the board, on every issue imaginable, and they are questioning his sanity. In fact, some are now just calling him 'crazy' outright. This is becoming a full-court press from the right-wing establishment. 'Destroy Paul' is the message from the GOP board room. They are using a similar pattern they used against Pat Buchanan in 1996. They are painting him as a 'racist anti-Semite lunatic' who is 'dangerous.' This can only mean one thing. The GOP is willing to throw the election. In their minds, another four years of Obama is preferable to someone like Ron Paul who might dismantle the military-industrial-banking cartel they've worked so hard to build over the previous decades.

UPDATE 12/28/2011
The GOP onslaught against Ron Paul is now in full gear, as virtually every GOP presidential candidate has now turned their guns on him, and yet he still leads the polls in Iowa. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich has just let the cat out of the bag, signalling that a Barack Obama victory in November of 2012 would be preferable to a Ron Paul victory. Newt (an old party-man) has just sent the signal to the GOP party bosses that Ron Paul must be taken down, even if it means throwing the election. Can there be any doubt now that the Republicans and Democrats are working together? Make no mistake about it. Should Ron Paul win Iowa, the election choice will be between Ron Paul verses Barack Obama. Any other GOP candidate will spell certain (and intentional) failure.

UPDATE 12/29/2011
Tonight I just heard a right-wing radio talk-show host liken Ron Paul to Adolf Hitler, basically saying that anyone who supports Paul is being snookered, just as Hitler snookered the German people. What was the context of this tirade? Zionism of course. The host is apparently a Zionist. He more than implied that Ron Paul is an Anti-Semite because he doesn't unconditionally support the State of Israel.

Attention Iowa Voters....

2011-12-30T18:46:00.000-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Before you caucus this Tuesday, you need to watch this video...

Mitt Romney is a career politician. He will say whatever he needs to get elected. In this video he was pandering to the liberal voters of Massachusetts. Today he is pandering to the conservative voters of Iowa. Keep that in mind. The Late Ted Kennedy was right, and I rarely find myself agreeing with that man on anything. When it comes to issues like abortion, Mitt Romney is neither pro-choice nor anti-choice. He's multiple choice! A careful analysis of the video above, in comparison to where he stands on the issues today, demonstrates a similar pattern across the board.

While I personally believe the best choice in this caucus will be Ron Paul, if you cannot bring yourself to vote for him, than Rick Santorum would be a far superior choice over Mitt Romney. I'm not telling you how to vote. I'm just trying to give you what I believe to be some helpful information. Do with it what you deem best.

If you would be so kind as to pass this blog entry on to other Iowa caucus goers I would be most appreciative. The 'share' icons below may be of some help to you.

Britain or Rome? In 2012 Americans Must Choose

2011-12-29T15:58:00.001-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The people of the United States of America are now at the final crossroads in our nation's history. We have a choice. The year 2012 will be the year America chooses her fate. For 2012 marks the year of the END of the American Empire. Due to increasing national deficits and a colossal national debt, staggering trade deficits, the lack of industrial infrastructure, economic stagnation coupled with inflation (stagflation) and a general inability (or unwillingness) to secure our own national borders, our superpower status will end this coming year. We may not see the final results of that for some time, but the decision of HOW our superpower ends will be made this coming year. It comes down to this. The American Empire is going to end -- period. Nothing can stop that now. The choice is this. Shall our empire decline like the British Empire or the Roman Empire?

That's it! That's the choice that faces us. It really is no more or less than that. We can either go the way of Britain or Rome.

When the British Empire became unsustainable, the Brits got smart. It took them a little while, but they did eventually figure it out. They permitted their colonies to become independent nations (rather than risk a repeat of 1776). They downsized and focused on rebuilding their internal economic infrastructure. They scaled back their military to a more reasonable size that was commensurate with national defense alone. In the process they saved billions of pounds, and gave their nation new life. Today they are no longer an empire, but many of their former colonies have erected constitutional monarchies that still (voluntarily) name the Queen of England as their sovereign -- Canada, Australia, and New Zealand just to name a few. Today you can go to Britain and still see British society. Their government remains intact. Their queen still reigns from the throne. It's all still there! And in spite of their many national problems, there is no indication that it is going extinct any time soon. We here in the United States can choose this path. We can accept that our international superpower (empire) status is unsustainable. We can scale back, downsize, and save trillions of dollars! We can refocus our efforts toward rebuilding our economic and political integrity, reforming and downsizing the welfare state as well. We can turn back to our national Constitution, and start following it for a change!

Or we can refuse to accept the unsustainable nature of our empire (superpower status), and ignore all the signs around us. We can move forward internationally into wars and conflicts, increasing our debts, just as the Roman Empire did, and in doing so, we can follow in their footsteps into oblivion. You see, the Romans refused to accept that their empire was unsustainable and in decline. They chose to hang on to it until the bitter end, exhausting their resources and over stretching their military. We can follow their example right into a fall so great that it results in ripping apart our nation into smaller nation-states, in a European kind of fracture. Yes, there was once upon a time, some 1,500 years ago, when all of Europe was united under one government and one language. Today you can go to Rome and see what's left of that government, in the ruins of the Forum and Colosseum. Today Europe is still divided up into different governments, languages and cultures. Every attempt to reunify Europe in the past has failed, and it looks as if this most recent attempt to economically reunify Europe (The European Union) will fail too.

So there you have it. Americans can either choose a smart decline like Britain, or a stupid suicidal decline like Rome. One way or another, we will decline, and this coming year (2012) marks the year we make our choice. So America, what's it going to be?

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-12-24T18:00:00.010-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: No blogging, no comments, no debate, no digital nonsense. Just a silent night, and sleep in heavenly peace.

Gay Pride Is Morphing Into KKK

2011-12-23T13:31:00.002-06:00

Some Gay Pride Groups Frequently Harass Catholics and their Churches

(Huffington Post) - Cardinal Francis George, the Archbishop of Chicago, this week told a Chicago news station that he agreed with a local Roman Catholic church's objections to the city's recently-adjusted Gay Pride Parade route passing by its doors and warned that the parade could "morph into the Ku Klux Klan....

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I submit to you the good cardinal is on to something here. What we have emerging in the post-modern 'Gay Pride' movement is gradually morphing into a virulent anti-Catholic community on par with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) of the early 20th century.

I would like to encourage my readers to be on watch, and alert other Catholics, especially priests and civil authorities, to the Klan-like activities of some of these Gay Pride organisations. Clearly, we Catholics are being targeted by these hate-groups for our religious beliefs. Rarely do these Gay Pride hate-groups go after Orthodox Jews and Muslims with the same intensity. Such systematic 'targeting' of a particular religious group is very Klan-like in nature. While the Klan opposes many religious and ethnic groups, one of the historic strategies of the Klan has been to target one group at a time, focusing all their efforts against one class so as to maximise intimidation.

U.S. Anglican Ordinary Named?

2011-12-23T00:35:00.001-06:00

Father Jeffrey Steenson

(Virtue Online) -- "It is being noised Jeffrey Steenson, the former Bishop of the Diocese of the Rio Grande in the Episcopal Church, who was received into the Catholic Church in 2007 and is now a priest, will be named Ordinary of the American Anglican Ordinariate on January 1, 2012," the Bovina Bloviator posted under an Ordinariate Buzz header.

Steenson's Anglo-Catholic pedigree comes from being an Episcopal priest for 24 years including stints as the curate and rector at two Pennsylvania parishes -- All Saints' Church in Wynnewood, and Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont, before going on to St. Andrew's in Fort Worth, Texas. From there he was elected, in 2004, to be bishop coadjutor for the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande under Bishop Terence Kelshaw. The former Rio Grande bishop has the distinction of being the 1000th Episcopal Church bishop consecrated with his "lappets" stretching all the way back to the first Bishop of Connecticut, Samuel Seabury who was consecrated in 1784. Steenson's consecrators included then Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, his predecessor Bishop Terence Kelshaw, Anglo-Catholic Bishop Clarence Pope, indigenous Bishop Mark McDonald, and ecumenical Bishop Anthony Burton from the Anglican Church of Canada. Steenson became the eighth diocesan bishop in 2005. He was an Episcopal bishop for two short years before swimming the Tiber.

The Anglo-Catholic Bishop of the Rio Grande shed the purple in December 2007 and was received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. This was done in Rome, Italy, at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major during a private ceremony officiated by Bernard Cardinal Law, the former Catholic Cardinal of Boston and then archpriest at a Roman basilica.

The former Episcopal bishop embraced the Pastoral Provision that allows for former Anglican clergy to become Roman Catholics and eventually recoup their priesthood. The Pastoral Provision is the precursor to the unfolding Anglican Ordinariate and will operate along side of it for those converting priests who do not wish to become a part of the Ordinariate yet want to become Roman Catholic....

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I would like to remind my readers that this is all 'unofficial' at this time, as Rome has not actually made the official announcement yet. I provide it here only because the information has already been leaked onto the Internet. It should be considered a highly credible RUMOR. However this information is allegedly confirmed by multiple inside sources, and is being accepted as factual by some who are supposedly 'in the know.' I suppose we will all know for sure on January 1st.

Novena for the U.S. Anglican Ordinariate

2011-12-22T00:00:00.010-06:00

Our Lady of the Atonement
Anglican devotion to Mary -- the Mother of God

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: On January 1st 2012, on the Feast of the Holy Mother of God, Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to create an ordinariate for Anglicans in the United States of America, and name an ordinary for its leadership. Let us pray a novena for the Holy Father, requesting of our Blessed Mother her intercession, that the Holy Father will receive the grace of strength and wisdom to complete this historic event.

The creation of the U.S. ordinariate for Anglicans will turn the restoration of authentic Anglo Catholicism into an international movement. This will demonstrate Pope Benedict's Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus is truly a prophetic document and now a permanent fixture of the Catholic Church -- literally an authentic fulfilment of the ecumenical vision of the Second Vatican Council according to how the conciliar fathers intended. (Not the liberal ideas of syncretism that developed after the council.)

The U.S. Catholic Church will benefit from the U.S. ordinariate in many ways, helping to coax U.S. Catholics into a more traditional way of viewing the liturgy and sacraments. A door will be opened not only for U.S. Anglicans/Episcopalians, leading to full unity with the Catholic Church, but also for U.S. Lutherans and other liturgically-minded Christians who may wish to be a part of this historic movement. An international means will have been created to preserve the Anglican patrimony, under Catholic orthodoxy, which will certainly outlast the Anglican Communion and the Anglican Continuum.

Please join The Catholic Knight in praying the following Novena December 23 through December 31 of 2011, as we await the historic announcement on January 1st.

This novena is to be said along with a daily rosary...

Our dearest Mother Mary, behold us, your children, in prayer at your feet. Accept this Holy Rosary, which we offer you in accordance with your requests at Fatima, as proof of our tender love for you, for the intentions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in atonement for the offences committed against your Immaculate Heart, and for this special favour which we earnestly request in this Rosary Novena: That the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, be aided with divine grace in the creation of the U.S. ordinariate for Anglicans. Amen.

Catholics Should Be Distributists

2011-12-17T23:01:00.002-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: A reading of the papal encyclicals on economic social justice reveals this to be true. Catholics should be Distributists.

I believe we are now entering a time of complete economic and social collapse, which of course will lead to political collapse too, not just for the United States, but for nations around the world. Current trends now being reported in China indicate a massive economic bubble is about to pop in the Chinese housing market. This will likely result in the complete implosion and collapse of the Chinese economy, followed by economies around the world, perhaps delivering the final blow needed to implode the European and American economies as well. This is it! Laissez-Faire Capitalism and State Socialism have failed. The post-enlightenment economic models have left the whole world in financial ruin!

In a desperate attempt to regain control after the inevitable collapse that will soon come, we can look forward to the emergence of big-brother police-states in the Western world, employing strategies of law enforcement similar to those used in Communist China and the old Soviet Union. Even the United States has paved the way for this through recent legislation passed by the Senate, and on its way to be signed by President Obama. The governments of the West are preparing for a soon coming Economic Armageddon! In the midsts of this social upheaval and the police-state to follow, I do not know if 'The Catholic Knight' blog will be able to remain on the Internet. We can pray, and I will certainly try to keep it online for as long as possible. However, when living under a government that fears ideas that contradict the status quo, and has now the legal means to silence those ideas, I do not think it far fetched that Uncle Sam may perhaps shut down this little blogging venture in the not-too-distant future. Should that happen, I want my readers to start thinking about the future. When this is finally all over, we are going to have to rebuild, and I want you to take this idea with you. After the implosion of the economic models given to us by the Enlightenment Era (Capitalism and Socialism), let us all return to the teachings of the Church on economics, because what is economics after all, but morality by another name...

(Wikipedia) -- Distributism (also known as distributionism, distributivism) is a third-way economic philosophy formulated by such Catholic thinkers as G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc to apply the principles of Catholic social teaching articulated by the Catholic Church, especially in Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Rerum Novarum and more expansively explained by Pope Pius XI's encyclical Quadragesimo Anno.

According to distributism, the ownership of the means of production should be spread as widely as possible among the general populace, rather than being centralized under the control of the state (state socialism) or a few large businesses or wealthy private individuals (laissez-faire capitalism). A summary of distributism is found in Chesterton's statement: "Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few capitalists."

Essentially, distributism distinguishes itself by its distribution of property (not to be confused with redistribution of wealth). While socialism allows no individuals to own productive property (it all being under state, community, or workers' control), distributism itself seeks to ensure that most people will become owners of productive property. As Belloc stated, the distributive state (the state which has implemented distributism) contains "an agglomeration of families of varying wealth, but by far the greater number of owners of the means of production." This broader distribution does not extend to all property, but only to productive property; that is, that property which produces wealth, namely, the things needed for man to survive. It includes land, tools, etc.

Distributism has often been described as a "third way", in opposition to both socialism and capitalism. Thomas Storck argues that "both socialism and capitalism are products of the European Enlightenment and are thus modernizing and anti-traditional forces. In contrast, distributism seeks to subordinate economic activity to human life as a whole, to our spiritual life, our intellectual life, our family life".

Some have seen it more as an aspiration, which has been successfully realised in the short term by commitment to the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity (these being built into financially independent local cooperatives and small family businesses), though proponents also cite such periods as the Middle Ages as examples of the historical long-term viability of distributism....

source

U.S. Senate Paves Way for American Dictatorship

2011-12-15T13:11:00.000-06:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON 12/5/2011

(Salem News) - In a stunning move that has civil libertarians stuttering with disbelief, the U.S. Senate has just passed a bill that effectively ends the Bill of Rights in America.

This bill, passed late last night in a 93-7 vote, declares the entire USA to be a "battleground" upon which U.S. military forces can operate with impunity, overriding Posse Comitatus and granting the military the unchecked power to arrest, detain, interrogate and even assassinate U.S. citizens with impunity.

It's being called the most traitorous act ever witnessed in the Senate, and the language of the bill is cleverly designed to make you think it doesn't apply to Americans, but toward the end of the bill it essentially says it can apply to Americans "if we want it to....

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The United States Senate, by an overwhelming margin of 93 to 7, has passed a defence bill that opens the door to military occupation of U.S. states, the suspension of Habeas Corpus, the nullification of Posse Comitatus, and creates a path for the complete suspension of the Bill of Rights. President Obama has promised to veto it. I predict he will break that promise. Let's just hope I'm wrong about that.

This has revealed to us something about the character of the U.S. Senate. A full 97% of United States Senators are traitors! They have betrayed the U.S. Constitution, and made war on the people of the United States. Every single U.S. Senator in office right now (minus the faithful 7) must be noted, and slated for political defeat whenever they come up for re-election, whether that be in 2012, 2014 or 2016. THAT'S IT! POLITICAL PARTY NO LONGER MATTERS. POLITICAL POSITIONS NO LONGER MATTER. THIS IS AN ACT OF WAR ON THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES AND IT MUST BE MET WITH IMMEDIATE POLITICAL RETALIATION. EVERY SINGLE U.S. SENATOR (minus the faithful 7 who voted against it, see list below) IS A TRAITOR AND A THREAT TO THE SAFETY AND FREEDOM OF OUR CHILDREN. THEY MUST BE STOPPED. THEY MUST PAY FOR THIS CRIME AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. I AM URGING MY READERS TO SPREAD THE WORD THAT 2012, 2014 AND 2016 BE A 'CLEAN THE SENATE' CAMPAIGN. BE SURE THAT NOT A SINGLE SENATOR IN OFFICE TODAY POLITICALLY SURVIVES THE NEXT ELECTION CYCLE. THIS IS A SCORCHED EARTH RESPONSE. THEY MUST ALL GO DOWN IN POLITICAL DEFEAT. Failure to do this will result in a total dictatorship in the United States, if not today than someday, and it won't matter what your political party or ideology is. We the people must make examples of them. If we fail to punish them for this, and punish them harshly, they will think they got away with it, and they will do more in the future.

Eventually, should the bill be signed into law, and it ever by implemented, they will be able to take you in the middle of the night, imprison you, and hold you indefinitely without even filing a single charge against you. The day will come when people who speak out against the government will just start to disappear and nobody will know what became of them.

Now to understand what is going on, we have to look at the big picture. This was all done under the guise of 'protecting the American people from terrorism,' but the real agenda is to protect the political and business elites from Americans. They know their time is up. The crash came in 2008-2009, and everything they've been doing since then is to artificially prop up the economy and postpone the inevitable. This is to buy time. Why? To save themselves! They are now restructuring our laws in such a way that they can turn the U.S. military against U.S. citizens so as to protect themselves from the inevitable chaos that will soon result when they can no longer artificially prop up the economy. When (not if) the crash comes, it will bring every American city into ruin. There will be riots, demonstrations, chaos and civil unrest. However, that's not what they're afraid of. What they are afraid of is the outrage that will be turned toward Washington DC and Wall Street when all that happens. They are terrified of what will happen when we the people finally figure out what they did to us. They are preparing to use our own military to defend themselves from us! That's the story behind the story here. IF OBAMA SIGNS THIS BILL HE SHOULD LOSE THE ELECTION TO ANYONE WHO RUNS AGAINST HIM. It won't matter who the GOP candidate is, because if you love freedom than he should win. I don't say this because I believe a GOP candidate is any defender of freedom. I do not believe that at all. Rather, I say this so that this new president will get a clear message from the voters that if you don't want to end up like the last guy, you better work toward getting rid of that law he signed. (That is if he signs it.) REGARDLESS IF OBAMA SIGNS THE BILL OR NOT, EVERY SINGLE U.S. SENATOR (minus the faithful 7) MUST GO!!! This is no longer about politics. This is about survival as a people. The time to start organizing is now. Figure out who your U.S. Senator is, and support his/her most viable opponent, regardless of who he/she is, because at this juncture, it really doesn't matter any more. We have just crossed over into the threshold of political survivalism. We may not be able to save the Republic, but we sure can send a loud and clear message to the U.S. Senate. THIS KIND OF LEGISLATION IS UNTHINKABLE AND WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!!!

The following is a list of the faithful seven, those who voted against the Defence Bill in favour of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These seven Senators are the only seven that deserve to retain their seats in the Senate. All others must go! If your Senator's name is not on the list, it's time to support his/her opposition, no matter who that is....

Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Mike Lee (R-UT)

Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Rand Paul (R-KY)
Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Ron Wyden (D-OR)

These are the ONLY Senators who deserve to stay in office. Everyone else must GO !!!!

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UPDATE 12/15/2011

As I predicted on this blog ten days ago, President Barack H. Obama has broken his promise to veto this bill and decided instead to sign the legislation. America is now firmly on its way toward dictatorship, and Barack Obama will forever go down in history as a main contributor toward that end. Obviously, this means Obama must be removed from office as well. So we should support his opponent in 2012, no matter who that is.

Rick Santorum Attacks Teachings of Pope and Bishops

2011-12-13T15:22:00.006-06:00

GOP Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum

(Iowa Caucuses) -- The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops are wrong by calling for comprehensive immigration reform that includes an earned path to legalization, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum said today.

The Pennsylvania Republican, who is seeking his party’s nomination for president, said in an interview with Des Moines Register political columnist Kathie Obradovich that the United States is a country of laws and it must enforce those laws.

“If we develop the program like the Catholic bishops suggested we would be creating a huge magnet for people to come in and break the law some more, we’d be inviting people to cross this border, come into this country and with the expectation that they will be able to stay here permanently,” said Santorum, who usually attends Latin Mass with his family at a Catholic church in suburban Washington, D.C.

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I guess it's time we have a frank talk on immigration, especially since a second-tier Catholic Republican candidate for president has thought it necessary to educate the pope and bishops on their teaching.

To be fair I think I should give Rick Santorum some brownie points here. First, he is a Traditional Catholic and regularly attends a Latin mass. That's a big plus! He is also consistent on the Church's reproductive teachings, as he has seven children. Add another big plus! He's been a Catholic a lot longer than Newt Gingrich - big plus - and his public policy on abortion and euthanasia is 100% consistent with the Church -- plus, plus & plus!!!

On the flip side he's done some pretty weird things. For starters he once endorsed and campaigned for the pro-abortion candidate Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) against the pro-life Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) in the GOP primary. Why? That one puzzles a lot of people. He's also a total Zionist, pledging his unwavering (and possibly unconditional) support for Israel. He has openly stated his eagerness to bomb Iran pre-emptively, which is particularly disturbing, and very VERY un-Catholic. Now this...

Santorum has decided to lecture the pope and the US Catholic bishops on immigration policy. Anyone can see why he's doing it. He wants to score some conservative Republican votes in Iowa, and he knows this is his last shot to knock out Newt Gingrich before his campaign effectively goes defunct. Gingrich supports a policy that is closer to the bishops' teaching on the matter.

Now please don't mistake this as an endorsement for Gingrich, because its not. Gingrich is a big government Republican who looks up to both Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt as his role models. Gingrich is also a total Zionist and doesn't even acknowledge the Palestinian right to exist as a people -- a position that flies in the face of what the pope has said. So Gingrich is a big part of the problem in Washington DC.

On the subject of immigration though, it's time to be frank, and The Catholic Knight has been very frank with my readers for the last couple years on this one. Look, I have a bitter pill for you to swallow and it's called "truth." You can either take the pill or kick me in the teeth, but the truth doesn't change regardless.

The truth is the United States has a huge demographics problem. Native-born Americans simply don't make enough babies. That's a fact, like it or lump it. Now granted, Santorum is a good Catholic in his personal life, and has produced seven children. He should get credit for that. In this respect he is certainly NOT part of America's demographic problem. Bully for him! We should look to him as an example here. However, that does not give him the right to criticise the pope and bishops on their teachings regarding immigration.

What are the teachings of the pope and bishops? This is one of the pope's instructions on the matter...

Venerable John Paul II, on the occasion of this same Day celebrated in 2001, emphasized that "[the universal common good] includes the whole family of peoples, beyond every nationalistic egoism. The right to emigrate must be considered in this context. The Church recognizes this right in every human person, in its dual aspect of the possibility to leave one’s country and the possibility to enter another country to look for better conditions of life" (Message for World Day of Migration 2001, 3; cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Mater et Magistra, 30; Paul VI, Encyclical Octogesima adveniens, 17). At the same time, States have the right to regulate migration flows and to defend their own frontiers, always guaranteeing the respect due to the dignity of each and every human person. Immigrants, moreover, have the duty to integrate into the host Country, respecting its laws and its national identity. "The challenge is to combine the welcome due to every human being, especially when in need, with a reckoning of what is necessary for both the local inhabitants and the new arrivals to live a dignified and peaceful life" (World Day of Peace 2001, 13).

From Castel Gandolfo, 27 September 2010

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

read full letter here

In regards to the U.S. Catholic bishops, the following resolution has been passed....

I. Persons have the right to find opportunities in their homeland.
34. All persons have the right to find in their own countries the economic, political, and social opportunities to live in dignity and achieve a full life through the use of their God-given gifts. In this context, work that provides a just, living wage is a basic human need.

II. Persons have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families.
35. The Church recognizes that all the goods of the earth belong to all people. ¹⁵ When persons cannot find employment in their country of origin to support themselves and their families, they have a right to find work elsewhere in order to survive. Sovereign nations should provide ways to accommodate this right.

III. Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders.
36. The Church recognizes the right of sovereign nations to control their territories but rejects such control when it is exerted merely for the purpose of acquiring additional wealth. More powerful economic nations, which have the ability to protect and feed their residents, have a stronger obligation to accommodate migration flows.

IV. Refugees and asylum seekers should be afforded protection.
37. Those who flee wars and persecution should be protected by the global community. This requires, at a minimum, that migrants have a right to claim refugee status without incarceration and to have their claims fully considered by a competent authority.

V. The human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should be respected.
38. Regardless of their legal status, migrants, like all persons, possess inherent human dignity that should be respected. Often they are subject to punitive laws and harsh treatment from enforcement officers from both receiving and transit countries. Government policies that respect the basic human rights of the undocumented are necessary.

39. The Church recognizes the right of a sovereign state to control its borders in furtherance of the common good. It also recognizes the right of human persons to migrate so that they can realize their God-given rights. These teachings complement each other. While the sovereign state may impose reasonable limits on immigration, the common good is not served when the basic human rights of the individual are violated. In the current condition of the world, in which global poverty and persecution are rampant, the presumption is that persons must migrate in order to support and protect themselves and that nations who are able to receive them should do so whenever possible. It is through this lens that we assess the current migration reality between the United States and Mexico.

Strangers No Longer Together on the Journey of Hope
A Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration from the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States
Issued by USCCB, January 22, 2003
read full statement here

Now to be balanced and rational, neither the pope nor the bishops have advocated a libertarian-style open border policy. On the contrary, both the pope and bishops have acknowledged a state's right to protect it's own borders and national sovereignty. That's why a comprehensive policy must be found in America that both seals the porous border with Mexico, and simultaneously creates a way for Mexican immigrants to enter the United States legally and be documented and tracked, while those already in the United States must apply for permanent residence visas or face deportation. Citizenship should not be an option for those who enter the United States illegally, unless of course they leave for a short time and return legally. In that case they can go to the back of the line just like everyone else.

Americans do not produce enough babies - period - and because of that we need immigrants to shore up the safety net and the economy. Americans do no produce enough children to do either. So if we don't take the Mexicans in, to counter our own lack of fertility, than we are going to end up taking in the African and Asian Muslims just like Europe did. I'm not willing to go down that road. So I say, until the day comes when they finally outlaw abortion and "the pill," bring in the Mexicans by the truckload, document them and assimilate them into American culture. Do the same with those who are already here, but put them at the back of the line, since they tried to cut in front by crossing the border illegally, and then deport only those that will not comply with this new and generous policy.

Rick Santorum is wrong to lecture the Catholic bishops on this. That of course does not make him ineligible for the presidency, as previous presidents and presidential candidates have done far worse, but he should be called out on this. Santorum is wrong. The pope and bishops are right. Period.

BREAKING: Newt Gingrich Denies Legitimacy of ISRAEL

2011-12-10T23:08:00.003-06:00

Newt Gingrich: "Remember there was no Israel as a state. It was part of the British Mandate. And I think that we’ve had an invented Israeli people, who are in fact Europeans, and were historically part of the European community. And they had a chance to go many places."

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Actually that's not what he said at all. It was quite the opposite really. Here is the video clip...

“Remember there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire. And I think that we’ve had an invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community. And they had a chance to go many places.” -- Newt Gingrich

So it's not the legitimacy of Israel Gingrich denies, but the legitimacy of Palestine. This is Zionism, plain and simple, and it's a double standard. The State of Israel was CREATED by a UN mandate. It is just as much an artificial state as Palestine, if not more so. Gingrich's position is also intellectually dishonest, and in my opinion, it is designed to gain Jewish votes while Obama is losing them.

Let's be intellectually honest about this. If the UN can mandate the State of Israel, than it can also mandate the State of Palestine, and if it cannot (or should not) mandate Palestine, than what do we say of the State of Israel?

Her Immaculate Heart Prevailed

2011-12-08T21:24:00.001-06:00

The Soviet Union Was Dissolved on December 8th, 1991
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: On this day, 20 years ago, the Soviet Union was dissolved. Just as she foretold to the three Fatima children, in the end, her Immaculate Heart would prevail. On the 8th of December in 1991, leaders from across the USSR came together and signed a treaty officially ending the 69 year-long regime. The ceremonial end of the USSR came with the resignation of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, and the lowering of the red Soviet flag from the Kremlin on December 25th, 1991. I believe this was just the first of her victories. I also believe we will likely see the completion of her victories very VERY soon!

Mother of the Americas

2011-12-08T18:00:00.005-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The year is 1521 AD. The capital city of the Aztec empire falls to Spanish imperial forces, who have just conquered the Mesoamerican culture of the New World. This marks the end of the most advanced civilization ever produced by the Native American peoples. From this time forward, all Native Americans would fall under submission to European power. Conquered and humiliated, the Aztec people become second-class citizens in Spanish America. European settlers have no problem perpetuating this status quo. Millions of Aztec people are now living as strangers on their own continental soil. They've lost their sovereignty, power, homeland and in some cases even their freedom. Pride is all they have left, and daily this is subjected to the status quo of second-class citizenship. The Aztec people have every reason to hate the Spaniards, and everything they brought with them to the Americas -- especially their religion. But less than 20 years later, virtually all of them simultaneously accept Jesus Christ and convert to Catholic Christianity by their own free will. The Spanish are left speechless, astonished by what just happened.

WHY?

Why would an entire civilization of people, who had been Pagans for thousands of years, and had every right to hate everything the Spanish settlers represented, suddenly and unexplainably embrace the Spaniards' religion as their own?

The answer is in a supernatural and miraculous visitation from heaven. In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a poor Christian Aztec named Juan Diego at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of Mexico City; she identified herself as the "Mother of the True God," instructed him to have the local bishop build a temple on the site, and as a sign she left an image of herself imprinted miraculously on his cloak (or 'tilma'). The tilma is a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of decay 470 years later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin.

The image appeared instantly and miraculously in front of many witnesses, some of them local dignitaries. The Lady instructed Juan to gather some roses from the site where she made her appearance to him. Since roses were out of season (it was December), this was to be a sign to the local bishop that the 'Lady from Heaven' had truly appeared to Juan Diego, and his story was true. He gathered the roses into his tilma and carried them to the local bishop who was meeting with some Spanish dignitaries at the time. As he dropped his garment to release the roses, the image of the Lady from Heaven miraculously and spontaneously appeared on the tilma. The bishop and his guests immediately fell to their knees in astonishment.

The Lady's only request was that a temple be erected on the hill where the apparition took place. The reason she gave for this was as follows: "I am the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth. I wish that a temple be erected here quickly, so I may therein exhibit and give all my love, compassion, help, and protection, because I am your merciful mother, to you, and to all the inhabitants on this land and all the rest who love me, invoke and confide in me; listen there to their lamentations, and remedy all their miseries, afflictions and sorrows." As the bishop agreed to grant the request, he sent Juan home to his uncle who had been sick with a terminal disease. During the course of the Marian apparitions to Juan, she had promised him that his uncle would be healed, but he had not seen him for a long time. So when he returned to his village, the bishop sent escorts to go with him and record everything they saw. When they got there, they found Juan's uncle well and joyously celebrating his healing. It was then Juan learned that on the very day the Lady promised Juan that his uncle would be healed, his uncle saw a vision of the Lady exactly as Juan had described to the bishop some time earlier. The two (Juan and his uncle) had not communicated during this whole time. Yet, their description of the Lady was exactly identical. The Lady told Juan's uncle that when he would go to see the bishop, to reveal to him what he had seen and to explain the miraculous manner in which he was healed, that she would properly be named the blessed Image, the ever-virgin Holy Mary of Guadalupe.

Now why should the Virgin Mary, appearing to an Indian in 16th century Mexico, and speaking to him in his native language of Nahuatl, call herself “Guadalupe”, a Spanish name?

It is believed that the Lady used the Aztec Nahuatl word of coatlaxopeuh which is pronounced "Gwad-a-lup-eh." Coa meaning serpent, tla being the noun ending which can be interpreted as "the", while xopeuh means to crush or stamp out. So the Lady may have called herself "the one who crushes the serpent." We must remember that the Aztecs worshipped the serpent-god Quetzalcoatl, and annually offered at least 20,000 men, women and children in human sacrifice to their Pagan gods. In 1487, in a 4-day long ceremony for the dedication of a new temple in Tenochtitlan, some 80,000 captives were killed in human sacrifice. Certainly in this case, the Lady 'crushed' the serpent, beacuse within a few years after her apparition to Juan Diego, nine million of these natives were converted to Christianity.

Modern infra-red studies of the image reveal unexplainable phenomena: The image was not painted, and the color did not penetrate the fibers as would paint. Weaving with such irregular fibers also produced a rough surface which would have distorted any simple surface painting, yet the image one sees is clear and undistorted.

Most remarkable about this image is the recent scientific research done on the Lady’s eyes. Magnified studies reveal the startling image of reflections, as if they were frozen onto the image the moment it appeared to the bishop and his guests nearly five-hundred years ago. One of the first doctors to study the eyes was Dr. Javier Torroella Bueno, MDS, a prestigious ophthalmologist. In what is the first report on the eyes of the image issued by a physician, he certifies the presence of the triple reflection (Samson-Purkinje effect) characteristic of all live human eyes and states that the resulting images are located exactly where they are supposed to be according to such effect, and also that the distortion of the images agree with the curvature of the cornea. In both eyes, the largest and most obvious reflection is of a "bearded man," probably the bishop's translator who interpreted the exchange between the Spanish speaking bishop and the native speaking Juan Diego.

A new and fascinating kind of analysis of the eyes started in 1979, when Dr. Jose Aste Tonsmann, Ph D, graduated from Cornell University, while working in IBM scanned at very high resolutions a very good photograph, taken from the original, of the face on the tilma. After filtering and processing the digitized images of the eyes to eliminate "noise" and enhance them, he made some astonishing discoveries: According to Dr. Tonsmann, from left to right we can see the Indian, Bishop Zumarraga, the translator, and Juan Diego showing the tilma.

The image of the Lady of Guadalupe has great symbolism. The Lady's image is surrounded by luminous light, standing on the moon, and the stars on her mantle reflect the description found in the Book of Revelation: "A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Revelation 12:1).

These are also symbols of divine victory over the pagan religion of the time. Sun rays were symbolic of the Aztec god Huitzilopochtle. Therefore, the Lady, standing before the rays, shows that she proclaims the true God who is greater than Huitzilopochtle and who eclipses his power.

She stands also on the moon. The moon represented night and darkness, and was associated with the god Tezcatlipoca. Here again, the Lady’s standing on the moon indicates divine triumph over evil.
Moreover, in Christian iconography, the crescent moon under the Lady’s feet also symbolizes perpetual virginity and is connected with the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception and the Blessed Assumption.

The stars on her mantle indicate that she comes from Heaven, her dress is also modeled after that of an Aztec queen. Interestingly, some research attests that the stars on the mantle appear exactly as they would have in the sky before dawn on the Morning of December 12, 1531, when the vision appeared.

The face of the Lady, with its complexion, dark hair, and dark eyes, reflects the physiognomy of a Native American. Her eyes are also cast downward, showing humility and compassion. In Aztec iconography, a god looked straight ahead with wide open eyes; the picture here then shows that the Lady does not claim to be God, but only His messenger and loving mother. The Lady is supported by an angel, another symbol of royalty among Native American cultures.

Her clothing also has special significance. The rose color of the Lady's dress has two interpretations, either as a symbol of the dawn of a new era, or as sign of martyrdom for the faith. A red dress is also interpreted as a symbol of virginity in eastern Christian iconography. The gold brooch under her neck represents sanctity. Finally the bow around her waist is another sign of virginity. However this bow has several other meanings in Native American culture: this bow was the nahui ollin, the flower of the sun, which was a symbol of plenitude, fecundity and new life. The high placement of the bow and the apparent swelling of the abdomen of the Lady have led many to conclude that she is pregnant in this image.

This image became a symbol of unity between European and Native American cultures in Central America. Both peoples could easily identify with it. As a result, virtually the entire Aztec empire (some nine million people in total), all of them Pagan, accepted Christ and converted to Catholic Christianity within a space of just a few years.

Today she remains the patron not only of Mexico, but of all the Americas, including Canada and the United States. She is the symbol of racial unity between the children of European settlers and American natives. She speaks to us only of the Lordship of her divine Son -- Jesus Christ -- and of his victory over the powers of hell. Through this image, the message is clear. The old ways of Pagan devotion to the false gods, must give way to true worship of the one true God. In this truth, all the American peoples (regardless of race and culture) will find unity and peace.

In today's modern world, she is also honored by Catholics on both American continents as the patron of our hemisphere and the protector of all children -- especially the unborn. In particular, this image of our Blessed Mother has been closely associated with the Pro-Life movement, because of the modern similarity of surgical and chemical abortion to the human sacrifice of ancient Aztec society. The Aztecs sacrificed human beings to their gods, particularly the serpent god Quetzalcoatl, in the hope of gaining favor and prosperity. While modern Americans no longer worship Aztec idols, many do still sacrifice their unborn children to the "gods" of prosperity and convenience. Instead of counting children as a blessing from the Lord, regardless of the circumstances in which they were conceived, modern American culture views them as a burden and an obstacle to material happiness. This attitude can only be spawned by Satan -- the Biblical serpent depicted in Genesis 3 and Revelation 12. The pregnant image of Our Lady reminds us of the blessings of the unborn and identifies the sin of abortion for what it really is -- human sacrifice. The image of Our Lady is the Mother of all the Americas, and she is calling us to remember her unborn Son -- Jesus Christ -- as we work to defend the unborn here in the New World.

U.S. Bishops Snookered By Obamacare

2011-12-06T22:37:00.001-06:00

President Obama Signed the Healthcare Bill on March 23, 2010

(EWTN News) — President Barack Obama has not kept his promises about conscience protections for abortion opponents, and those who trusted him to exclude abortion from the health-care bill seem to “have been played,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami said.

“His administration is running roughshod over conscience-protection provisions’ long part of the law that find their justification in the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion, a foundational human right,” the archbishop wrote in a Dec. 2 essay in the Miami Herald.

“It is one thing for an administration to support and promote an agenda; it is quite another to force those who disagree with it to violate their moral and religious principles.”

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: You were warned your excellency. You and your brother bishops were all warned. We Catholic bloggers told you this day would come. We yelled it from the top of our lungs. YOU CANNOT TRUST PROGRESSIVE LIBERALS!!! YOU CANNOT TRUST BARACK OBAMA!!! YOU CANNOT TRUST THE LIKES OF NANCY PELOSI!!! (My God! Is she still in the Church? Have you not excommunicated her yet!?! What does this woman have to do to be excommunicated???) WE WARNED YOU. YOU DID NOT LISTEN. WHERE IT NOT FOR YOUR SUPPORT, OBAMACARE WOULD HAVE NEVER PASSED. BUT YOU DID SUPPORT IT, AND YOU TRUSTED THOSE WHOM YOU KNEW WERE NOT TRUSTWORTHY. NOW WE MUST ALL PAY THE PRICE!!!

The first to pay will be Catholic healthcare workers. Doctors, nurses and technicians will become the first martyrs of your naivety. Next it will be you! I do hope your excellencies will lead us now by example in martyrdom. I do hope you would not permit your sheep to be fined and jailed before you. I do hope you have not left us, the laity, to fight for the faith in your place. You led us into this situation, and since you cannot now lead us out of it, we do hope you will at least lead us into martyrdom.

In HIS Majesty's Service,

The Catholic Knight

(PS - I work in healthcare. I am prepared to be martyred for this. If I'm lucky, I may only lose my job. If necessary however, I am prepared to face fines and a prison sentence for following my conscience. It's just too bad my kids will have to go into poverty should it come down to that. Maybe you could help them out when the time comes?)

Who is Santa Claus?

2011-12-06T00:00:00.001-06:00

Saint Nicholas

(St. Nicholas Center) - The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day, December 6th...

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: While some of my readers may object to this, please know I'm not telling you what to do on this matter. I'm simply conveying what my wife and I did. We chose not to tell our children about the Christmas myths concerning Santa Claus, the flying reindeer, the chimney, the elves or the toy shop at the North Pole. No, we keeps our stories of Christmas limited to the Nativity, and we told them about the REAL St. Nicholas.

One day, when my 7-year old son was playing outside, some older neighbour boys (pre-teen) began teasing him about Santa Claus, asking him very sarcastically if he had been a 'good boy this year,' and if Santa was going to bring him presents. My son, being a very conscientious young man, was careful not to let on that these myths meant nothing to him. Then he came into the house, closed the door behind him, laughed and shook his head saying 'Ha! They still believe in Santa Claus!'

We never told our kids that the Santa myths were not real. We never had to. We simply took them to department stores and let them sit on Santa's lap. We showed them the Christmas specials about Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, etc. Then one day the questions came. 'Mommy, Daddy, is Santa Claus real?' To which we simply answered 'Well, what do you think?' In every case, our kids said something to the extent of 'No, probably not' or 'I don't think so.' So that's where we left it. We neither confirmed nor denied. We simply let our own kids figure it out, with no help or hindrance from us. They came to their own conclusion at about age 4.

Now I have no objection to parents who want to tell their kids the Santa myths. If that's your family thing, than have at it. However, when the time comes to tell them the truth, I request you please stock up on the real information about the real Saint Nicholas, so when the time comes to burst their bubble, you'll be ready to re-inflate it with something more meaningful.

The Patron Saint of Dixieland

2011-11-30T00:00:00.081-06:00

Catholics make up a sizeable portion of the
modern Dixieland Nationalist Movement.

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Those who read this blog know I am a Southern Nationalist, a Son of Dixie, and unreconstructed to the core. Those who regularly read this blog also know I am descended from Cherokee Natives who fought for the South during Lincoln's War, as well as white men who lived in the South and fought for the South, and white men who lived in the North and refused to fight for the North. (They moved West instead.) Yes, I have good historical reason to be a Southern Nationalist, but heritage is not the sole reason. You see I was raised in California, before moving back to the Ozarks as an adult, and my Arkansan mother never instilled a deep love in me for the Confederacy. To her the South is just Dixie, and she never really was one for politics. My father, the Yankee in the family, privately tells me he too believes the South was right during the war, which is why his ancestors moved West, but he also tells me not to tell my mother or she'll never let him hear the end of it. I figure if he passes before she does, I'll probably tell her some years afterwards, just to watch her jaw drop. She'll swear I'm lying.

All that anecdotal stuff aside, I am not so much a Southern Nationalist because of my heritage, though that is part of it, but rather because of choice. I could go through a dozen reasons why the South was right during Lincoln's War that robbed her of her short-lived independence, but that is not the purpose of this blog entry. If you want to read my apologetic for Dixieland, just mash on the "Dixie" category below and read to your heart's content. This article is not about the past. It's about the future, and I've chosen today, the Feast of St. Andrew, to release this essay to the public.

The Martyrdom of St. Andrew
Brother of St. Peter
First Disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ

St. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter, both fisherman, but it was Andrew who was the first disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Andrew immediately recognised Jesus as the promised Messiah, and introduced him to his brother Peter as such. After the death and resurrection of Christ, the Church historian Eusebius quoted Origen as saying Andrew preached in Asia Minor and in Scythia, along the Black Sea as far as the Volga, Kiev and Novgorod. Hence he became a patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia. According to tradition, he founded the See of Byzantium in AD 38. St. Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras in Achaea (Greece), on the northern coast of the Peloponnese. He was crucified on an 'X' shape cross, in which he was tied as opposed to nailed. This 'X' shaped cross is called a 'saltire' or 'Cross of St. Andrew.' It is said that he preached the gospel for two days on this cross until his death by dehydration. His feast day is today, November 30, and he is the patron saint of Russia, Ukraine, Romania.

Flag of Scotland

Some time passed after his death, and a monk named Regulus was charged with watching over the remains of St. Andrew. He had a vision of an angel who told him to take the relics to the far west. Obeying the command, Regulus set sail for the west coast of Europe when he came to be shipwrecked on the shores of Scotland. He then evangelised the people there and named the city founded on the place of his shipwreck after St. Andrew. As a result St. Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland. Centuries later, the Scots would settle much of the American south-eastern states in what has since come to be known as Dixie or Dixieland. He is now the unofficial patron saint of Dixieland, and his saltire cross became the symbol of many Southern states and the old Confederacy.

Alabama State Flag

After all is said and done. After all the Civil War re-enactment canons are silenced. After all the real history comes out, in spite of Yankee revisionism, and the South is finally vindicated. It really doesn't mean a whole lot until you look at the future. Dixie is an occupied nation. It has been occupied for 145 years now, and like the Hebrews after the Babylonian exile, we have been occupied for so long that most of us have forgotten who we are. Not all of us have forgotten though, and thanks to the advent of the Internet, we are beginning to remember. Long gone are those terrible days of institutionalised slavery and segregation. Dixie has emerged as a free land for people of all races, colours and ethnicity. Even the modern secessionist movements, such as the 'League of the South' for example, have officially condemned racism in a public policy statement (see here), calling upon its members to act with Christian charity toward all men regardless of race, colour and ethnicity. Now when Southern secessionists are calling for racial harmony, in a Christian context, you know something has changed for the better!

Florida State Flag

Dixie is occupied by a federal regime that the states consent to, but only for one reason really -- THEY FEAR IT! That's right, I dare say that the ONLY reason why the Southern states of the former Confederacy remain within the United States of America is because they honestly FEAR what the federal government will do to them should they ever try to regain their independence. For if Washington DC ever issued a declaration, stating that democratic secession is perfectly legal, and states that want to secede may do so without fear of military attack from the federal government, than I guarantee the Southern states would peal off one by one, and likely reinstate the old Confederacy, or some modern variation of it.

Mississippi State Flag

Why wouldn't they? They certainly have good reason. When we look at the federal government's war against God in public schools and other public places, it only makes sense that a deeply Christian people would reject that. When we look at the federal government's war against babies, by mandating abortion-on-demand in all fifty states, it only makes sense that a deeply moral people would reject that. When we look at the federal government's current attempt to make homosexuality 'accepted' and 'normal,' it only makes sense that the family-centred South would reject it. When we look at the federal government's ungodly wars against Arabs and Muslims, it only makes sense that a deeply Christian people, who themselves were once conquered by the same government, would object to it. When we look at this unimaginable debt the federal government has amassed over the years, equalling approximately $200,000 per American family, it only makes since that such a fiscally conservative people would reject it. Sadly, it doesn't matter what the people of the South think about these things, for Washington DC has made it crystal clear that it doesn't care.

Originally the Confederate Naval Jack
This flag has become the symbol
of Dixieland Culture and Identity

There are those who say 'the South will rise again,' but I say it won't have to. You see, while I am a Southern nationalist, I am not a secessionist. Secession has been tried once already, with disastrous results. The U.S. Constitution makes no provision for secession, though the nation itself was founded on it in the Declaration of Independence. Besides, the character of Washington DC has already revealed itself. The U.S. federal government is an EMPIRE and it proved this in Lincoln's War. It has continued to prove this more and more with each passing decade. It is more of an empire than the British Empire ever was. It demands absolute allegiance, and will accept nothing less than total submission. Children are trained in public schools to revere former American presidents almost to the point of idolatry. The greatest of all these gods (er, I mean 'presidents'), so the children are taught, is none other than Abraham Lincoln himself -- America's first Caesar -- the man who suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus in the North, and waged war against what he deemed to be his own citizens in the South. For fifty years (1892-1942), America's school children were taught to salute the American flag in stiff-arm fascist style, (eventually imitated by the Nazis), as they pledged their allegiance to the government as an 'indivisible nation.' It was a direct assault on the concept of state secession. Yes, we the people of Dixie, are an occupied nation, like ancient Israel or modern day Scotland. We are the 'Bavaria' of North America. We are very much in America, but not necessarily of it. Nobody can deny that the character of the South is different from the rest of the Union.

Old St. Andrews Episcopal Church
Charleston, South Carolina
Antebellum Chapel Still Standing Today

Besides all that, the federal government has made its point clear, if not by law, than with the end of a bayonet, that secession is illegal in the United States of America. Even though these United States were founded on secession, it does not matter, because the federal government will not allow the same right to anyone else within U.S. territory. The federal government has become everything the British Empire once was, but worse, and just as that empire fell, so this one will too. History demands it. So that being said, Christians are called to obey the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. 'My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight.' - John 18:36. Jesus instructed his disciples to obey the Roman authorities, even though they occupied the Holy Land in the most cruel and corrupt way. As bad as Washington DC is, the Romans were far worse. If the early Christians were compelled by Christ to obey the Romans, than we too must be compelled by Christ to obey the U.S. federal government -- for as long as it lasts -- until it is gone (or defunct) and the way is made clear to rebuild as an independent Christian nation! Until then all we need do is rebuild our Southern culture, and refine our Southern language, because this is what will define our borders when the day of our independence finally comes. The word 'culture' is based on the Latin word cultus meaning 'religion.' It means what we define as 'culture' is the way in which a religion interacts with certain people in a particular region. It is the character of these people, defined by religion, and expressed by their religious experience in their environment. To revive a 'culture,' one must look back to the religion of the Old South which was dominated by high-church Episcopalianism (Anglicanism), especially in the inner cities of the Confederacy. Both President Jefferson Davis and General Robert E. Lee were high-church Episcopalians. Today, this type of religious tradition is best preserved in Protestantism among the more traditional Anglican jurisdictions. On the Catholic side it is best preserved by Anglo-Catholics both within and outside the Catholic Church's U.S. Ordinariate for Anglicans.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Orange, Virginia
On November 22,1863 General Robert E.Lee
and President Jefferson Davis attended mass here.

There will be no need to take up arms and fight Washington DC ever again. Because in time, perhaps after a brief period of open dictatorship, culminating in the outright persecution of Christians (even high ranking Vatican officials see this coming), Washington DC just won't put up a fight any more. It will collapse under the weight of its own colossal size and crushing national debt. Can there be any doubt that our federal government has incurred the wrath of God? How many babies does it have to kill before God says enough? How many children's prayers does it have to silence before God says enough? How many homosexual marriages have to be performed before God says enough? How many third-world nations do we have to destroy before God says enough? How much debt has to be amassed before God says enough? How many family-owned businesses have to be run into bankruptcy before God says enough? How many fomerly independent families have to be put into poverty before God says enough? How many Catholic charities have to be shut down, over gay adoptions, before God says enough? History is not on America's side. Nations such as ours have always fallen -- and fallen hard -- there is no reason to believe the same won't be true for us. The United States federal government will fall -- eventually -- and when it does, the Confederate States of Dixie will only need to pick up the pieces and start over where she left off in 1865. Secession is unnecessary and a waste of valuable resources, when we should be saving our energies to rebuild Dixie as an independent nation after the federal government collapses. And yes, it will collapse, just as sure as there will be a tomorrow, this federal government has signed its own death certificate. No government in the history of the world has done what ours has done, and lasted long enough to write its own history thereafter. I am convinced that some other world power will be writing America's history within several decades.

So what should a future Confederate States of Dixieland (CSD) look like?

The CSD should honour the place of Jesus Christ in our nation's culture and people's history.
The CSD should allow prayer in public schools and all public facilities.
The CSD should have no "Department of Education" and allow states to run their own education systems as they see fit, respecting of course the parental right to homeschool or use private and parochial education. State voucher programs should not be challenged by the CSD.
The CSD should allow states to outlaw abortion, and set their own regulatory statutes on matters related to birth control.
The CSD should not recognise homosexual marriages, and honour state constitutional amendments forbidding them.
The CSD should pursue a foreign policy of armed neutrality in all international conflicts not involving a direct confrontation with the CSD.
The CSD should require a balanced budget for the Confederate government by constitutional law.
The CSD should structure laws to favour small family-owned businesses and cooperative ownership of large businesses.

Well that certainly seems like a much more 'Catholic' and 'Christian' nation than what we currently have. You've got to admit, it's something to think about for the future. In the mean time let us look to the example of St. Andrew, who boldly and tirelessly preached the gospel from the saltire cross for two agonizing days. His is our example of patience and long suffering. His is our example of how to deal with the tyranny our people have faced for a century and a half. Our brothers and sisters in Scotland (and Northern Ireland) understand our plight. Our day of independence will come. Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord. Saint Andrew -- Ora Pro Nobis.

Happy St. Andrew's Day!
Deo Vindice.

Vatican Official Sees Persecution of Christians In America's Future

2011-11-29T22:33:00.000-06:00

Cardinal Raymond Burke

(LifeSiteNews.com) – One of the highest ranking cardinals in the Vatican has said that the United States is “well on the way” to the persecution of Christians.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, former Archbishop of St. Louis and now the head of the Vatican’s highest court, told Catholic News Agency that he could envision a time when the Catholic Church in the U.S., “even by announcing her own teaching,” is accused of “engaging in illegal activity, for instance, in its teaching on human sexuality.”

Asked if the cardinal could even see American Catholics being arrested for their faith he replied, “I can see it happening, yes.”...

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Why should this surprise us? The United States is already working to crush Christianity in the Middle East. Why not here at home too? We all know however, that the form of persecution the U.S. Federal government (and some state governments) will level against American Christians will be subtle and insidious. It works its way in the form of moral relativism and institutionalised political correctness. This is particularly evident in the debate over 'gay rights,' wherein churches are forced to change their teaching and policies to accommodate the state-sponsored homosexual orthodoxy. Already this has forced Catholic charities to shut down in three U.S. states -- California, Massachusetts and Illinois. This is just the beginning and the tip of the iceberg. The warnings of Cardinal Burke should not be taken lightly. He is a very wise and powerful man within the Vatican -- one of the Catholic Church's highest ranking officers, and potential candidate to the Chair of Peter (the papal throne). He has been right about many other things before. There is no reason to doubt him now.

In all likelihood, the rising economic and social crisis in the United States will eventually result in an 'unofficial' form of dictatorship, in which the president will eventually be given extraordinary powers to quell some unrest or perceived national security matter. Already the United States Congress is doing this very thing with the latest defence spending bill...

(CBS News) - The Senate on Tuesday voted to keep a controversial provision regarding military detainees in a Defense spending bill, setting up a showdown with President Obama.

The controversial language in question would require the military to detain terrorist suspects, including U.S. citizens, allowing for their indefinite detention....

read full story here

The legislation is designed to combat radical Islamic terrorists found in the U.S., however, we all know that the word 'radical' is a relative thing, and one doesn't have to be Islamic to be considered a 'terrorist.' The measure gives the president unprecedented powers not seen since the Civil War. (No president since Lincoln has suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus on U.S. soil.) It also allows the president to use the military against U.S. citizens. (We haven't seen that since the Civil War either.) The potential for abuse of this legislation is phenomenal. To his credit, President Obama has promised to veto it. Hopefully he keeps his word on this.

We have seen now what this Republican Congress is willing to do to our civil liberties and the U.S. Bill of Rights. These are the defenders of Christian America? These are the candidates produced by the TEA Party? My God! Something has run terribly amok!

This however is just the beginning, as we will see similar efforts by future congresses to do the exact same thing, and one of these days, the president (whoever the next one may be) will take them up on it. Such powers lead to dictatorship, and such dictatorship leads to absolute tyranny. This is the future that awaits the American Empire. This is the final product of the Civil War. The shadows of Lincoln are resurfacing in the most terrifying way. Combine these proposed extraordinary powers of the president with today's politically-correct orthodoxy, and you have the perfect storm, a combination for a catastrophe in civil rights, pure government persecution of any Christians that cling to orthodoxy. Yes my readers, Cardinal Burke is right, persecution is coming.

Now that I've scared the pee out of you, let me balance this article with the good news. Nations rise and nations fall. Empires have come and gone. In all of this, the Catholic Church remains. We will survive this time of trial and tribulation. We will endure. We will overcome. If not us, than certainly our children, but I predict our time of American tyranny will be short-lived, because the United States no longer has the resources to foot the bill of a dictator for very long. The end result will be the collapse of our federal government, sometime after it has been exposed for the anti-Christian tyranny that it has become. When that happens, we will likely see the breakup of the USA into multiple smaller nation-states. As Our Lady of Fatima warned 'entire nations will be annihilated,' but in the end her 'immaculate heart will prevail.' This last prediction forecasts not only the restoration of the natural law and a time of peace, but also the triumph of the Catholic Church within the Christian faith, for no other Church honours her Immaculate Heart more than the one head-quartered in Rome.

The Christmas Plan

2011-11-29T09:59:00.003-06:00

Written by Etienne Figueroa

With the change in liturgy and with the growing commercialism of Christmas, it's time for an official plan of attack. Follow these steps to win our Christmas back:

1. Take responsibility.

This may come off as a little unusual for a first step, but think about it for a moment: the only reason why stores put their Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving (and in growing numbers, before Halloween) is because they think it will make them more money. If we give them money for it, we are enabling their behavior. Before we can ask others to change, we must change ourselves.

2. Follow your family's old traditions.

If you don't know them, learn about them. Even if you don't understand them at first, there's most likely a reason why they have existed as long as they have.

3. Don't put your decorations up until the start of Advent.

Do I really need to explain this one?

4. Don't buy anything the day after Thanksgiving.

If emergencies happen or you want to pay off a bill, then okay, but nothing retail related. Buying on Black Friday will only breed crass consumerism, greed and un-Christian behavior. So, don't buy anything--it just encourages them.

5. Observe all of Advent.

One of the smartest things I've ever read about Advent and Christmas came from an article on AmericanCatholic.org (which was part of the inspiration for this list). In the article, it compared the season to a buffet, with Advent as the main course and Christmas as the dessert. It further stated that too often stores want us to skip the dinner and go right to desert, and as we all know, too much desert makes someone sick.

Advent is supposed to be a time of preparation for Christmas, and Christmas is not supposed to be for just one day. It is supposed to last from Christmas Day until the Epiphany (aka Baptism of the Lord).

So put up not just the lights and the tree, but also the Advent Wreath and Nativity Scene.

6. Attend Mass on at least ALL the Holy Days of Obligation.

This means Dec 8th, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Epiphany but can also include Dec 6th (St Nicholas Day) as well as Dec. 12 (Our Lady of Guadalupe). If you want to attend more often, you are greatly encouraged to do so.

7. If you are going to buy gifts, be sure said gifts are made in America or make something yourself.

This isn't so much Christmas related but it is a a way to bring jobs and revenue back to America. Economists say if we just buy 1% more American goods, we can create 200,000 jobs right here at home. And who knows? Perhaps if you make something yourself, you might discover a talent you didn't know you had.

8. For home cooks out there, consider making your goods with produce from a co-op and with Fair Trade ingredients.

This goes especially for any recipe that calls for chocolate and/or coffee. More information on Fair Trade can be found with this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_h99DDa39E

9. Arm yourself.

Tired of not hearing "Merry Christmas" at a store? Frustrated over the fact you can't find any religious themed Christmas cards? This can help you out with that.

Catholic Daughter's Court #2554 sells online little buttons that say "It's Okay to Say Merry Christmas to Me." ChristisChristmas.com sells paper Christmas cards or if you prefer online greetings, sign up for e-cards at catholicgreetings.org. And of course, it's easy to find car magnets for the Knights of Columbus "Keep Christ in Christmas" campaign.

10. Join Advent Conspiracy.

http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

The New English Paradigm

2011-11-28T09:26:00.003-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I received this note from a friend this morning by email...

Personally I think the new English translation of the mass is wonderful, but I have already heard some people complain about it. If you don't like it you can always worship at an Anglo-Ordinariate parish in Old English instead. I mean it's not like you're stuck with just one English translation of the mass. You do have a choice you know.

I happen to like the new English translation too, but I hadn't given this full consideration until reading this note. It seems that along with Advent 2011 comes the beginning of a new English paradigm in Catholic liturgy. The old 1970s English translation is gone, but English-speaking Catholics are not locked into one single English version of the mass. There are two! There is the new English translation of the Novus Ordo mass, and there is the classical English mass according to the Book of Divine Worship. Both are equally valid and approved by Rome. If some Catholics are terribly displeased with the new English translation of the Novus Ordo, or they are displeased with some other aspect of the general English celebration, there is always the Anglo-Ordinariate liturgy. All a regular Roman Catholic would need do is simply show up to an ordinariate parish for mass, as regular Roman Catholics can receive communion freely in any ordinariate parish. Such ordinariate parishes can be found at this website (here) in the United Kingdom, and at this website in the United States (link will be posted when available), or by simply using this map below. In the United States, all the parishes and groups in this map should be in full-communion with Rome sometime after the first of the new year (January 2012). You should call the local priest in advance for complete information. There is still no word yet on the Canadian ordinariate, however, one should call the pastors of these parishes anyway for complete information. I have heard rumour that some of these Canadian parishes may enter the U.S. ordinariate until the Canadian ordinariate is created. If this is true, it would bring them into full communion with Rome much sooner, simultaneously with the Americans...

View Emerging Anglo Catholic Ordinariates Worldwide in a larger map

ALLELUIA !!! The New English Mass Is Here !!!

2011-11-26T16:00:00.002-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The countdown is over, the new English mass is here!!! By now the last mass of the old "defective" English translation has been said in the United States, and it is permenantly suppressed -- gone forever! Tomorrow morning, we awake for mass with the new English translation, a better translation, one more faithful to the original Latin text. For the FIRST TIME in the United States, the Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo) mass will be said in English PROPERLY, according to how it was intended to be said, way back when it was first released in 1970. For the FIRST TIME EVER, Catholic Americans will hear the REAL WORDS of the mass -- properly translated. An entire generation has passed -- literally -- and for the FIRST TIME EVER the post-conciliar youth (everyone under the age of 45) will hear the English mass as it was intended to be heard. This is an historic day indeed. Enjoy it!

I cannot begin to stress enough the momentous occasion this is. It marks the beginning. By that I mean the beginning of the end for bland Modernist innovation. I also mean the beginning of the beginning for the restoration of tradition. Yes, it's going to be a long road to reform ahead, but from now on we will see nothing but progress toward that end, sometimes a little progress, sometimes a lot, but always progress. The Modernist experiment has failed, resulting in the loss of souls and the gutting of the Church. Those days are now beginning to die out. The new English translation of the mass is here. The U.S. Anglican ordinariate is soon coming (in just 34 days from today). The Extraordinary Form (Tridentine) mass is here to stay. The generation of the 1970s priesthood officially begins its retirement in this decade. The Vatican is to start a new commission on sacred music, art and architecture with the authority to enforce their directives. The whole Modernist house of cards is all beginning to fall. The historic Catholic Church is beginning to rise. THIS IS IT! IT HAS BEGUN !!! We will be the first to witness the reforms of Vatican II as they were originally intended!

That's not to say there won't be setbacks, scandals, and delays in the future. There will be. Overall however, the movement is in the direction of progress toward the traditional Church. As I said, the progress may be slow at times, and fast at other times, but always progress, always toward tradition.

It's over my readers! It's finally over. No the fight isn't over, but the unfair advantage is. I'm speaking of the unfair advantage the Modernists had over English-speaking parishes and dioceses, up until this evening. Now it's over. They are crippled now. What gave them the flexibility to innovate was the poor English translation of the Novus Ordo mass. That flexibility is gone now. Anything they do against the new translation, or the rubrics of the mass, will be seen as a gross violation and DISOBEDIENCE to the POPE !!! That's not to say it won't happen. (It probably will.) But their cover is blown. They no longer have anything to hide behind. It's the beginning of the end for them -- unless of course they reform their ways. If they reform, even reluctantly, than they come over to our side, and we gain new allies. Those who won't reform would do well to retire at the earliest opportunity.

From this night forward, the only place the old English translation of the mass can be heard is in a protestant or schismatic sect. My understanding is that some Protestants are quite fond of it.

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has now given the English-speaking Church everything we need to reform ourselves. In time we will. This is inevitable. That however, doesn't mean he's finished. There is more reform coming, but I do not know when. Eventually, the Novus Ordo mass itself will be rewritten, so the second half of the liturgy will look more like the Tridentine mass, but you're guess is as good as mine as to when. For now expect big changes at your local parish unlike anything you've seen in 40 years! Slowly but surely, with relentless incrementalism, the Holy Father (Pope Benedict XVI) is turning this great ship around. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad!!! DEO GRATIAS.

650 Women Pledge to Veil For Mass

2011-11-26T14:43:00.002-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: About a year ago a poll was placed on this blog asking if women would consider wearing a veil to mass once the new liturgy starts in Advent of 2011. The reasons for this are spelled out HERE. Since then 650 women have pledged to do just that. Nearly 400 men pledged their support, and a couple hundred women said they would consider it. Great job ladies!!! If y'all are faithful in this, it will be more than enough to start a new trend.

Vatican Takes Control of Liturgical Art, Music and Architecture

2011-11-24T23:01:00.001-06:00

The Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove California
(Vatican Insider) - A team has been set up, to put a stop to garage style churches, boldly shaped structures that risk denaturing modern places for Catholic worship. Its task is also to promote singing that really helps the celebration of mass. The “Liturgical art and sacred music commission” will be established by the Congregation for Divine Worship over the coming weeks. This will not be just any office, but a true and proper team, whose task will be to collaborate with the commissions in charge of evaluating construction projects for churches of various dioceses. The team will also be responsible for the further study of music and singing that accompany the celebration of mass.

Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Benedict XVI, consider this work as “very urgent”. The reality is staring everyone in the eyes: in recent decades, churches have been substituted by buildings that resemble multi purpose halls. Too often, architects, even the more famous ones, do not use the Catholic liturgy as a starting point and thus end up producing avant-garde constructions that look like anything but a church. These buildings composed of cement cubes, glass boxes, crazy shapes and confused spaces, remind people of anything but the mystery and sacredness of a church. Tabernacles are semi hidden, leading faithful on a real treasure hunt and sacred images are almost inexistent. The new commission’s regulations will be written up over the next few days and will give precise instructions to dioceses. It will only be responsible for liturgical art, not for sacred art in general; and this also goes for liturgical music and singing too. The judicial powers of the Congregation for Divine Worship will have the power to act....

read full story here

St. Annes Catholic Church
London

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The most important line in this article was the last one in the above quote: "The judicial powers of the Congregation for Divine Worship will have the power to act." Based on this, it doesn't look like this is going to be a typical Vatican commission only making recomendations, but an actual department with some teeth. It comes not a moment too soon. In fact, I dare say it's a couple decades too late, but better late than never I suppose.

Catholic Chapel, Ronchamp France

This comes on the heels of the massive purchase of the Crystal Cathedral by the Diocese of Orange. For a worship space, it's even bland by Protestant standards. Oh sure the exterior is impressive, looking something like a glass spaceship from another planet. The interior stairs and gathering spaces are also somewhat interesting. The worship space however is too spacious, empty and distracting. How they will rearrange it to make it suitable for Catholic worship is beyond me. I have no idea.

The Los Angeles Cathedral

It isn't just the purchase of Protestant chapels that is problematic. I have to say the Crystal Cathedral is somewhat conservative compared to the monstrosity of a cathedral in Los Angeles. Here we have a case where the former cardinal archbishop of Los Angeles actually raised money for years to have that thing built. It so bad it almost makes the Crystal Cathedral look like a proper church! It isn't just the West Coast that is the problem. If it were we could excuse it for those nutty Californians and their crazy eccentricities. No, this is a problem that extends from coast to coast in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. It is what some have called the 'heresy of formlessness.' In almost every American city, with a population greater than a hundred-thousand, you will see them. Strange and bizarre structures, mimicking something out of a bad science-fiction novel, passing as a place of Catholic worship. Go inside one of these flightless spaceships and the interior is usually not much better. Sit through a mass there, and you are likely to hear everything from folk music to pop songs used in liturgy. The problem is widespread.

Catholic Chapel, Gore New Zealand

We can get nasty about it all we want, and play the blame game if we like, but in all likelihood such ridiculous nonsense in art, music and architecture is not the result of some evil conspiracy to rob the Church of her heritage. Rather, it is usually the result of poor spiritual formation coupled with the embrace of modernity. Most of the time, these things are done in ignorance. However, there comes a time when somebody has to say 'enough is enough!' Let us hope the Vatican has finally come to the realisation that such a time is now. My only question is this. Once the Vatican finally has a hold on standardising all new architecture, what will become of the old stuff, which is so obviously out of step with the Vatican? Might I suggest they eventually be sold? Surly there are some Modernistic Protestant sects out there that would love to get their hands on facilities such as these. If not them, than perhaps they would do well as mosques or Buddhist temples. Sooner or later however, with the exception of the large cathedrals, these Catholic parishes will eventually outgrow their 'chapels.' When that happens it would be the perfect opportunity to either sell or demolish and rebuild.

A Second Look At Ron Paul

2011-11-22T23:56:00.001-06:00

Barack Obama v. Ron Paul

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: This is not an endorsement. However, I am going to urge my readers in the United States to take a second look at Ron Paul. No, he's not perfect, but in comparison to the other GOP candidates, he may just be the least of all evils. In fact, he might just actually be a good.

Now my readers know I am a Distributist, and I certainly don't agree with Ron Paul's fiscal solutions across the board. However, when we consider just how badly this Union has been wrecked economically, his solutions may be a step in the right direction -- albeit just a step. I don't know if Congressman Paul has the capacity to understand that in order for small business to thrive, big business must be regulated. I don't know if he has the capacity to understand that healthcare is a right, and nobody should be forced into poverty to receive the medical care that God has mandated we provide to our neighbour. (Remember the Good Samaritan?) But Congressman Paul is a medical doctor, so I shouldn't put it past him. He has saved lives, and cared for the helpless, so anything is possible.

Ron Paul was born and raised a Lutheran, and at some point he became an Episcopalian. All of his five children were baptised Episcopalian. Congressman Paul eventually left the Episcopal Church, as did all his children. He now attends a Baptist church. When asked why, he cited it was a matter of principle. There were moral positions he took issue with in the Episcopal Church, and so he left, based on principle.

That's what it really comes down to doesn't it? Principle. You know, my father was the manager of a large department within a fairly important corporation that worked for the federal government. He had about 200 people working under him. Growing up, he always told me that when he had to choose between an honest worker who was less skilled, and a dishonest one who was more skilled, he always picked the honest worker. Why? Because he could train that honest worker to do anything he wanted, and get him up to the skill level he needed. But he couldn't train somebody to be honest.

Honesty. It's something I haven't seen in American politics for a very long time. Actually, I can't remember ever seeing it. Integrity? What's that!?! I don't think I've ever seen that in American politics. So it seems that every presidential candidate who might actually be a fairly honest man is crushed in the primaries. It looks like we might have another possibility here, but I really don't know if the Republican Party will even let him win. He challenges everything the American empire has represented for 150 years. I wouldn't be surprised if the GOP establishment would sabotage the election to let Obama win another four years, rather then let somebody like Ron Paul get into the Whitehouse.

It is Ron Paul's foreign policy that is of particular interest to me. I like it. It's very 'Catholic' if you don't mind me saying. He truly is a consistent man of peace. I can't say that for any other candidate on the GOP side. I also like his idea of ending the Federal Reserve, the money cartel that has allowed our congress and the president to bring this Union into bankruptcy. There are a lot of ideas he has that I like, far more than I dislike. I'm not into political idolatry. I don't worship at the altar of any candidate. I know Ron Paul cannot save this nation, any more than New Gingrich, Herman Cain, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry or Barack Obama for that matter. I'm not looking for a Messiah, just a man who won't take us to war with the Iranians at the behest of oil companies and zionists.

I'm not going to make an endorsement here. I did that in the last election cycle and probably jinxed my candidate. So there will be no endorsements from The Catholic Knight in the 2012 election. I'm just saying this candidate is worth a second look. As I went through his positions, I found them to be more in line with Catholic social teaching than any of the other GOP candidates. Granted, he is far from perfect or ideal, but it would seem he is better than most. As for his skill level and political shrewdness, I suppose he is lacking, but these things can be trained into a man. What cannot be trained is honesty, integrity and principle. These are three things Congressman Ron Paul seems to have already, and that puts him in a class of his own. You can't train a man in those things. Either he has them or he does not. I'll leave the rest up to my readers to decide.

Ron Paul's positions can be found from a fairly non-biased and neutral source here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Ron_Paul

Please review his candidacy and make your own decision.

The Pledge of Allegiance

2011-11-21T12:28:00.003-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Long before the Knights of Columbus added the venerable phrase "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, there was another curious element to the Pledge's recitation that has been conveniently (and quite intentionally) scrubbed from the history books.

Francis Bellamy (1855–1931), a socialist, was hired by a flag company in 1892 to write a 'pledge' to the American flag, which was to be used as part of a marketing campaign to sell more flags to America's public schools. The Pledge of Allegiance, as it came to be called, was accompanied by a peculiar salute, called the Bellamy salute, in which children were encouraged to raise their hands in a military salute style and then extend them outward at the phrase "to the flag" in a straight line toward the flag as the photos below demonstrate. Remember, these are AMERICAN school children saluting the AMERICAN flag. This practice was widespread and virtually universal in America's public school systems for fifty years...

Before the Nazis, and before the Italian fascists, American school children were performing this salute every weekday morning in classrooms all across America. In fact, it was imitated by many countries shortly thereafter, including our neighbour to the south -- Mexico -- which they still use today. European fascists also imitated Americans in the Bellamy salute, desiring to add to the pomp and pageantry of their nationalistic displays. It wasn't until 1942, after America's entry into World War II, that Congress retired the Bellamy salute by officially amending the US flag code to include the hand-over-heart gesture during the full recitation of the pledge. Keep in mind, this gesture demanded by the flag code was designed to get rid of something -- the Bellamy Salute -- which had become an embarrassment to the United States after its entry into World War II. The Bellamy Salute was then buried in history, omitted from official reference, and practically banned from the history books. The fact remains however, Americans invented the very gesture that later came to be strictly associated with 20th century European fascism. Of course when Americans did it, it did not carry the same meaning as with European fascists, but it was nevertheless a method used to indoctrinate American school children in the common practice of saluting a flag in a very militaristic way, which of course was designed to unify American school children after the horrors of the Civil War and Reconstruction. When it comes to Nazi-style gestures, we Americans have a distinct bragging right -- we did it first! Now you know THE REST of the story.

Now that I've shocked you a bit, I would like to change gears and talk about the Pledge of Allegiance itself. I'm not against pledges per se', as a pledge is nothing more than a promise based on honour. They are not the same as oaths as nothing is sworn. I took pledges when I joined the Knights of Columbus, and in every case it was just a promise based on my honour as a practical Catholic gentleman and nothing more. So the whole concept of a pledge doesn't bother me at all and that's not what I'm objecting to.

What I object to is not the pledge, but rather WHAT is being pledged, and TO WHAT OR WHOM it is being pledged. When we recite the Pledge of Allegiance, we are pledging just that -- our allegiance. We are pledging it to a flag, a system of government (the federal republic) and to the indivisibility of a political union. In a sense, we are promising to serve our flag and our government, in all things, to preserve its absolute unity without question. Am I the only one who sees a problem with this?

The problem that I see here is that the Pledge of Allegiance is at its very core un-American. Think about it for a moment. What was the United States of America founded on? Rather than summarize, I'll let the founders speak for themselves. Let's take a look at what America's founders said America was founded on...

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. - Declaration of Independence, Adopted in Congress, July 4, 1776

As you can see, America's founders made it very clear. The United States of America was founded on secession, the God-given right of any group of people to declare themselves independent and free when they have demonstrated they are capable of governing themselves and their larger imperial government no longer governs them fairly. It's a radical idea! but it is nevertheless the foundation of America, for if the founders were wrong, and established state governments do not have the right to declare themselves free, than we should fold this 'great experiment' and return our land to the Queen of England.

You see there is nothing more 'American' than asserting one's freedom as a people. For example, when the Southern states seceded from the United States federal government in 1860-1861, they were exercising their freedom as AMERICANS, because this was the very right the United States was founded on to begin with. The actions of the Federal government in response to this were reprehensible, and in every way a tyranny far worse than King George in 1776. The United States federal government had effectively become the very thing it hated -- the very thing the founders originally seceded from the British Empire over. It was probably the most tragic time in American history, but the miracle is that some 150 years later, many Americans still believe in the idea outline above in the Declaration of Independence.

So let me clarify this on a personal level. As an American I believe in the Declaration of Independence, and because I believe in the Declaration of Independence, I also believe established well-governed states have the God-given RIGHT to secede from larger imperial/federal governments. Therefore, I believe my home state of Missouri certainly has the right to secede from the United States of America, if indeed that is what the people want, and they demonstrate their ability to govern themselves reasonably. Since the State of Missouri has indeed demonstrated this for over 100 years now, I believe it most certainly can leave the United States at any time, depending entirely on the will of the people of Missouri. Yes, I believe that Missouri has the right to become its own country! That is probably the most 'American' thing I could ever say, and as an 'American' I stand by it, and assert it as nothing less than pure American patriotism!

Now that I've explained myself, let's revisit the Pledge of Allegiance. The text as it currently exists is as follows...

I pledge allegiance to the Flag

of the United States of America,

and to the Republic for which it stands:

one Nation under God, indivisible,

With Liberty and Justice for all.

I have underlined the parts I find objectionable. The United States federal government is indeed a republic, but it doesn't have to be, and Americans can be just as "free," with their civil rights protected, under some other form of Union governance. A republic is not synonymous with freedom and civil rights. Just ask our good friends over in the United KINGDOM, who still live under a queen in a parliamentary monarchy. Contrary to popular opinion, the queen is not just a figurehead. She actually does have some power, but like a good monarch, she exercises it very discretely, allowing the people to essentially govern themselves through a parliamentary system. There are also smaller forms of government that operate just as well as a republic if not better. There is of course the direct democracy system of town halls and caucuses. Who is to say that someday a new and better form of government might be created. I have a real problem pledging my allegiance to a particular system of government, which has not only proved to be unstable, but even tyrannical at times, when in fact there is nothing about being an 'American' that requires me to do so. As a Catholic Christian, the only system of government that I pledge my allegiance to is the absolute monarchy of Christ the King. Because of that, I submit to the federal republic, by obeying its laws, but only because my King tells me too. Indeed, if my King ever said otherwise, I would rebel, and become just as much an enemy of the republic as there ever was. Thankfully for all of us, the King of kings tells us to submit to the ruling authorities, and so I do. Does this make me un-American? I don't think so.

It is also erroneous to refer to the United States as 'one nation.' We are not. Let's go through some definitions here. A state is a local government. It can be a country when independent, or a province when under the authority of a higher government. In the case of America, there are 50 states. Each one has the potential to be an independent country, if indeed that is what the people therein want. (I couldn't be more 'American' in saying this.) Then you have the word 'nation' which is actually a much more abstract term. It refers to a large group of people (millions) who are united by language and culture. In the United States, there are in fact about nine to ten such groups of nations. In my home state of Missouri, I happen to live where two such nations intersect, the Heartland of the American Midwest, and Dixieland of the American Southeast. Both peoples are defined by language accent and culture, and they have many similarities, but they are not the same. I also used to live in the American Southwest, where I can attest to a very different nation of people, who are united by a different language (Spanglish) and culture (Mex-American). Now that in itself is not enough to separate our political ties, and we all remain under one political authority, but we are certainly NOT one nation. We are multiple nations of peoples, united under the one political authority of the United States federal government. This leads me to the final definition. What is this political authority that unites us called? It is called a UNION. That is what the United States is. It is a political and economic UNION, similar to the European Union, but much older and more defined. Every year the President of the United States delivers a 'State of the Union' address, not a 'State of the Nation' address, as the bungling nitwits in the mainstream media have frequently called it. If the words of the Pledge were changed to say "one union under God," instead of "one nation under God," I would have no objection to that line. This is because it would be factually correct and simultaneously respect our national divisions based on language and culture. Believe me, if it's un-American for me to say this, than the America I once knew, and grew up in, no longer exists.

The last word I have a problem with in the Pledge is of course 'indivisible' because this is nothing short of political propaganda designed to crush the will of any child who would dare dream of political independence. If the United States is truly 'indivisible' than indeed the Declaration of Independence is dead. The portion I cited above is worthless, and America has simply joined the league of other world empires that keeps its people prisoner by force. If this is the case, than I don't care if you call me 'un-American' because the word 'American' really doesn't mean anything any more.

Perhaps if the Pledge of Allegiance were re-written as follows, I might be able to recite it again...

I pledge allegiance to the Flag

of the United States of America,

one Union under God,

With Liberty and Justice for all.

I have no technical or moral issues with this version of the Pledge, but until it is rewritten as so, I am compelled to keep my lips still and my voice silent. I will stand for the American flag, and I will place my hand over my heart to show my affection and respect, but I can no longer say the words of the Pledge. Indeed I haven't said them in a very long time. My conscience forbids me from doing so, and I think it is reprehensible that our public schools still compel our children to recite this Pledge at all, especially in its current form.

LESS THAN SEVEN DAYS TO THE NEW MASS TRANSLATION

2011-11-20T12:57:00.000-06:00

DEO GRATIAS !!!!

Join The Advent Conspiracy

2011-11-20T12:43:00.000-06:00

A Catholic Take On Ron Paul

2011-11-18T10:55:00.000-06:00

REPOSTED FROM FEBRUARY 14, 2011...

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: In the 2008 presidential election I made the mistake of actively supporting certain presidential candidates on this blog. I don't regret having done that, as the cause was just considering what happened on election day. However, I wish to take a completely different direction with this blog for the 2012 presidential election. Rather than actively endorsing particular candidates, I will instead do reviews of candidates from a traditional Catholic perspective. In the end I will probably reveal who my personal vote will go to, but I will try not to tell my readers what to do.

In the 2008 presidential election Congressman Ron Paul surfaced as an iconic darkhorse candidate, defying all odds and stealing a sizable percentage of both Republican and Democratic voters in the primary season. All signs seem to indicate he will make another bid for the Whitehouse in the 2012 election. With that in mind, Catholics should know a thing or two about him.

CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL

Religion - Baptist
Party - Republican / Libertarian / Republican
Profession - Medical Doctor / Politician

POSITIONS:

Pro-Life
Pro-Traditional Marriage
Pro-States Rights (Subsidiarity)
Anti-Socialist (pro-free market)
Anti-Big Government
Anti-Globalism
Anti-Zionist

The details of Ron Paul's positions and voting record can be seen OnTheIssues.Org. At first glance his voting record is curious, almost appearing to contradict himself at times. However, when one understands his militant position on State's Rights (federalism or subsidiarity) it starts to make sense. Paul believes the overwhelming majority of social and moral issues must be handled on the state level where the government is closer to the people, and the people can assert more control over it. The intrusive power grabs of big government in Washington D.C. have exacerbated America's moral problems turning them into a full blown crisis. The problem with trying to fix these moral problems at a federal level is twofold. First, because Washington D.C. is so far removed from the American people it is out of touch with them, and virtually unaccountable to them. So trying to solve these problems at the federal level will result in no progress whatsoever. Second, concentrating power in Washington D.C. is what turned our moral problems into a crisis in the first place. Two wrongs don't make a right and the federal government is incapable (let alone incompetent) to even address them. Only the states can adequately deal with the moral and social issues before us. Granted some states will make the wrong choices, and they will learn their lessons the hard way, but they must be allowed to make these choices in the first place so they have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Other states will make the right choices, and they should be free to, so they can reap the rewards thereof.

The single issue that has given Evangelicals the greatest pause for concern over Ron Paul is the same issue that should give Catholics more enthusiasm for him. Ron Paul is an Anti-Zionist. By that I mean he does not support the notion of absolute Israeli supremacy over the Palestinians and does not believe Israel should get unconditional financial and military support from the United States. This does not mean he is anti-Israel per se.' Indeed, Ron Paul has supported Israel's right to defend itself from legitimate threats to it's safety. What distinguishes him from traditional Republican candidates is his assertion that Israel must follow the same moral code we would expect from all of our allies, and we need not support all of Israel's policies, especially when they are unjust toward Palestinian Christians and Muslims.

Overall, Congressman Ron Paul is an acceptable choice for President of the United States. He is far from perfect, and some of his views are less than ideal. I certainly don't agree with them all. Nevertheless, his libertarian ideology (while not ideal) does create a sound counterbalance to the authoritarian trajectory of our current federal government thanks to the actions of previous presidents. In a race between Ron Paul and Barrack Obama, Ron Paul gets my Catholic vote hands down.

How America Killed Christianity In the Middle East

2011-11-17T00:25:00.002-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: When the United States government attacked Iraq, we were told it was to make the world safe for democracy. Whether or not that is true remains to be seen, but it certainly hasn't made the Middle East safe for Christianity. As bad as Saddam Hussein was, there was relative peace in Iraq, and while I certainly will not defend that monster, I will say that after he was gone the plight of Christians in Iraq got exponentially worse. You cannot convince me that the Pentagon didn't know this would happen. You cannot convince me that President G.W. Bush wasn't informed. They knew this would likely happen, but the truth is, they didn't care. They had bigger fish to fry in their opinion, and the health and safety of Christians in the Middle East was of little concern to them.

While all this was going on in Iraq, the Bush administration was instructing the CIA to orchestrate the violent uprisings of radical Muslims all over the Middle East, to overthrow the regimes of dictators that had become no longer useful. After Bush was gone, President Barack Obama continued this operation. Under his administration we saw these plots come to fruition first in Egypt, then in Yemen, then in Saudi Arabia, and finally in Libya. The uprisings were successful in Egypt, replacing the dictator regime with radical Muslim groups. In Libya, not so successful, as the dictator fought back. In response, the United States (via NATO) launched a military bombing campaign to aid radical Muslims as they overthrew the Libyan dictator. This brought success, and now radical Muslims control Libya too. Again, the CIA is likely operating in Syria to effect the same type of revolution, and now the federal government (along with their agents in the national media) are beginning to beat the war drums against Iran again. Iran is the final domino to fall. It's the big one our government has been salivating over for a decade now. The United States of America has been orchestrating a decade long campaign against the players in the Middle East, and as a result, Christians are suffering and dying. What does our government have to say about this? Of course actions against Christians are condemned. These are the words of the U.S. government, but the actions say something completely different. In word the United States government finds this regrettable, in action these Christians are clearly expendable. Actions speak louder than words.

Why? Why would the United States government do this? That seems to be the mystery that nobody can get their heads fully around. The official story comes from the G.W. Bush administration goes something like this: In the past, the United States sought a policy of stability in the Middle East at the expense of liberty for those who live there. As a result we ended up with neither. So now the policy of the United States is to work toward liberty for those who live in the Middle East, in the hope that we might achieve some eventual stability.

Well, that sounds like a noble plan on the surface, and it certainly sells to a large audience of Americans. But is it true? Is this really the one and only reason why the United States would commit trillions of dollars and American lives to military campaigns in the Middle East? Or is there something more? Secondly, even if it is true, and we have no other motive than to bring "liberty" to Middle Eastern Arabs, is that really how Americans want their tax dollars spent? Is it really our "responsibility" in the world to ensure that every corner of the planet gets a crack at democracy? Is that what our Founding Fathers believed? Is that the purpose of the United States of America?

A review of the book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism tells a different story. Another book entitled Hubbert's Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage helps to put everything into better focus. It would appear the United States of America is trying to strategically position itself for a coming worldwide oil shortage that is going to plunge the entire industrialised world into the greatest economic depression ever. The intent, so it would seem, is to negotiate oil contracts with ALL the Arab nations possible, to deplete their oil supply first, as much as possible, so that when the "peak oil" economy hits, and production can no longer match consumption, and the price of gasoline shoots up to $10/gallon, the United States will be in perfect position to start extracting oil shale at a competitive price to the rest of the world market, thus putting us on course to become the "Saudi Arabia" of the 21st century. Right now, oil shale is too expensive to extract, but in a peak oil economy, the price will finally be competitive. In the process however, we need to have people in the Middle East who are so indebted to us, they will likely negotiate oil contracts with us, or with Europe at the very least. That's where the Shock Doctrine comes in. Certain large corporations in the United States have learned how to profit off disasters. Whether natural or man-made, these disasters bring in big money to these corporations and that helps the American economy. So to appease these big campaign donors, politicians are more than willing to assure that the need for a man-made disaster (war) is always present and ready to be executed at a moment's notice. Their accomplices in the national news media are more than willing to help them by selling a propaganda snow job to the American people. Whether it's the threat of WMD's, "liberating" people from an "evil dictator," or the threat of terrorism; the United States stands ready to jump into action. When it comes to the Middle East, the result will be big money for those companies that help rebuild, and even bigger profits later when oil contracts are negotiated with the new ruling party we helped to install. All of this setting us up for an eventual peak oil economy that will again make big money for American oil corporations.

What's that about Christians in the Middle East you say? "Ah yes, them, well they will be an unfortunate but necessary sacrifice." So it would seem, as far is the U.S. government is concerned.

Dixieland Heritage from a Southern Black Perspective

2011-11-16T12:55:00.006-06:00

See H.K. Edgerton's Website Here
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: There is always more than one side to a story. This is the story seldom told. I challenge every single Catholic to watch this video with an open mind. There are many blacks in the South who feel this way, certainly not all of them, but many of them. There is more to this than meets the eye, and yes, Americans have been victims of government propaganda on this. Some of my international readers have been snookered by American propaganda too. I've said this before, and I'll say it again. If the U.S. Federal government did today, what it did in 1861, than it would be condemned in the United Nations as an aggressor, and the president would be indicted on war crimes. It's time people learn the other side of the story.

Sons of Confederate Veterans

I will take it a step further. The Cross of St. Andrew is more than just historical. It is more than just heritage. It's about CULTURE. The word 'culture' is based on the Latin word 'cultus' which means 'religion.' That's what this is about when you really get down to it. You see, Dixieland is built on the culture of Southern agrarianism which is categorically different from Northern or Western agrarian culture. This is because the dominant religion in the Antebellum South was high-church Episcopalian (Anglican or 'Anglo-Catholicism'), which shared a lot of common features with Roman Catholicism, particularly in the area of family-run small business and limited government based on Subsidiarity. In fact, the Episcopalian culture of the Antebellum South was so close to Roman Catholics that many Southern Episcopalian parents sent their children to Catholic schools. By the time of the War of Southern Independence (1861 - 1865), both the South's president (Jefferson Davis) and supreme general (Robert E. Lee) were Episcopalians. Both had strong ties to Southern Catholics, and one (the president) was actually raised in a Catholic school. It wasn't until after the War, during and after the period of Reconstruction, that the religious demographic of the South moved toward the Baptists and Pentecostals. Nevertheless, that shell of an Episcopalian/Catholic culture still exists in the courtliness and mannerism of Southerners today.

The Dixie flag (Cross of St. Andrew) must be put forward as a symbol of culture, over and above everything else. It has become the symbol of a people, both white and black, united by faith and virtues, language and manners. It's more than history. It's more than heritage. It's more than states rights. It's so much more than politics. It is our symbol as a people. It is who we are.

Southern Black Civil War Veteran,
photo taken in reunion decades later.

It must also be put forward as a symbol of solidarity as well, between whites and blacks, in spite of those who have abused it over the last century. (Incidentally, those same abusers have done far worse with the American flag, but nobody holds the American flag responsible for this.) As H.K. Edgerton said in the video above; "the key to the room, where the table of brotherhood sits, is this flag!" So long as the American flag (and not Dixie's flag) has dominated the Southland, there has always been racial division, strife and tension. The only time in Southern history when whites and blacks worked together in total solidarity was during the War of Southern Independence. Dixie's "battle flag" was first stitched together during this time, when whites and blacks had to work together to survive, and indeed they did just that, and they fought together under this same banner. (In contrast, Northern Union armies racially segregated their soldiers, Southern armies did not.) Dixie's "battle flag" was a symbol of solidarity between whites and blacks during the War and after, even though it was repressed by the U.S. government during the Reconstruction period. It wasn't until the middle 20th century that some people started using it for racist purposes, and those very same people did far worse with the American flag.

The good news is we are actually winning! With each passing year, more and more people are learning the untold story of the South and her symbols. The propaganda of the U.S. Federal government is being exposed for the lie it is. Let's keep moving forward on this.

Please forward this blog entry to as many people as possible, around the world, especially to Catholics, many of whom are aware of the anti-Catholic history of the U.S. government, and are thus more likely to understand why such propaganda would be used against Southern people today. Please share this article using the 'share' icons below.

Relentless Incrementalism and Defiant Optimism

2011-11-16T12:00:00.007-06:00

Southern heritage defenders smile and wave to passers-by in Richmond, Virginia.

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I wish to apologise to my readers. I am human and I do sometimes make mistakes. While I believe the information I gave was 100% accurate, and my logical prognosis is essentially correct, I must admit that I have in recent months lost sight of a core value that made this blog what it is today. I lost sight of my view that this culture war will be won by relentless incrementalism and defiant optimism.

In some recent posts I lamented the loss of the Pro-Life 'Personhood Amendment' in Mississippi. I said this would result in the fall of America. I was right about that, and I stand by that prediction, but that is not necessarily a bad thing and it's not the end of the world. I said I had doubts about the Southern states ever being able to rise again because of it. Again, those doubts remain, but that doesn't mean it can't happen, and it doesn't mean Dixieland hasn't overcome larger challenges in the past. In another post I predicted the complete implosion of Western Civilization, and the need for Catholics to move closer to their parishes and monastic communities. Again, I stand by that, and I think we may see the wisdom in that sooner rather than later, as gas prices soar to record levels in the coming years due to emerging conflicts in the Middle East. Nevertheless, that is no reason to despair. Why? Because of this...

God is on our side. It doesn't matter what happens to our nation, or our civilisation, because in the end, he is going to preserve his people, and his people will eventually prosper no matter what. The fall of the Roman Empire demonstrated this beyond the shadow of a doubt.
Our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, is interceding for us. She has visited her people, the Church, and has given us a message of victory, that in the end her Immaculate Heart will prevail -- no matter what!
The Catholic Church is radically different today than what it was just five years ago. Since then we have seen the revival of the Traditional Latin Mass (Summorum Pontificum), the emergence of Anglo Catholicism (Anglicanorum Coetibus), and we are about to witness the complete revision (vast improvement) of the English translation of the Roman Missal. While it may not feel like it sometimes, all the ingredients are present for a massive liturgical renewal of the U.S. Catholic Church. All we need is TIME to reach the critical mass necessary. This pope has done some amazing work steering this massive ship (called the worldwide Catholic Church) between the two great pillars. Though the winds and the waves may buffet us, we are well on our way in that direction.
While the entire Western World finds itself in the midsts of economic and social upheaval, it is nothing short of a vindication. Deo Vindice! or 'God will vindicate!' It is a vindication not only of our Southern agrarian historical culture, and not only of our Southern political subsidiarity, but of the teachings of the Catholic Church as well, particularly in the area of economic Distributism. With every failure of our government, our economy, and our society, WE (Southern Catholics) are winning in the realm of ideas! As I've said in previous entries, many of the movers and shakers in today's Southern Movement are Catholics, and even those who are not Catholic share many of our views on economic Distributism. The rise of the South should not be viewed as a political movement (not yet anyway) but more as a cultural movement. So long as it is viewed that way, we will never be disappointed, because if it is cultural (not political yet) than there is no way their anti-heritage laws will be able to stick. Cultural movements almost always grow, and as they do, the prevailing government persecution is forced to subside. The flag of my government may be the Stars and Stripes, but the flag of my people is the St. Andrew's Cross of Dixie. As the smiling faces in the picture above depict, this is who we are. We are proud of it, we should be, there is nothing wrong with that, and we are growing. Deo Vindice! The trick for Catholics (particularly in the South) is to elevate the use of our Southern symbols above and beyond what is typically seen on pickup trucks and bumper stickers. Our symbols deserve better treatment than that. It's time to raise them on flag polls where they belong. We are Catholics, and this is the Christian Cross of St. Andrew, brother of St. Peter, and first disciple of our Lord. I've got half a mind to fly both the St. Andrew's Cross and the Vatican Flag outside my house, just to make a point. This is who I am. Now cope.
The rest of the United States (outside of Dixie) should not be for want of optimism either. For there is a strong hope in the TEA Party movement IF it can shed the influence of the Republican Party. The TEA Party began as a protest against the first federal bailout package put forward by the Republican G.W. Bush administration! Never forget that. "Don't Tread On Me!" was the motto of this movement, and now new flags have been created modelled after the Betsy Ross flag with the Roman numeral "II" in the centre. The message of that should be clear. We need to get back to the small government and limited corporations of our American forefathers. It is possible that the United States can be rebuilt on the ashes of a full collapse, even after a Southern secession, but to do it will require a firm understanding of where we came from and what we need to get back to. Not only was government limited in the early American Republic, but so where corporations, and by doing this, the Founding Fathers were able to keep a balance for some time, before the Civil War that changed everything. If the TEA Parties will go back to protesting the big corporations, along with the big government, they can shed the Republican influence and reclaim their identity.

Yes, as Americans and as Southerners, there can be found strong points of defiant optimism to cling to, especially if we stick to a cultural strategy of relentless incrementalism. There is no group however, that has more reason to be defiantly optimistic than faithful and traditionally-minded Catholics. Thanks to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, we have been given everything we need to transform the U.S. Catholic Church into something far more beautiful and influential than its ever been. We are growing too, especially in Dixieland, so let's keep growing and bringing people into the full knowledge of the Christian faith. In the mean time, let's also work to reclaim the Southern Cross of St. Andrew as just as much a Catholic symbol as it ever was Protestant, military or political. It was never intended to be a racist symbol, and let those who would use it as such default to something else. (Perhaps the Nazi Swastika is more appropriate for them.) The Southern cross is the symbol of who we are as a people, both white and black. We didn't choose slavery, it chose us, and we certainly didn't invent it either. The Christian Cross of St. Andrew, however, was invented during a time when blacks and whites came together in the South, and worked together, to fight a foreign aggressor. It is a symbol of our alliance, not our division, even if people have misused it as such. It is cultural, and it is very VERY Christian. Yes, I will fly it, and I will do it with a smile on my face. Those who don't like it can just learn to cope. Our ideas are winning, and our movement is growing, and that makes be very VERY happy, and it gives me HOPE !!!!

Pope Approves US Ordinariate for Anglicans

2011-11-15T15:12:00.003-06:00

Cardinal Donald Wuerl addresses the U.S. Bishop's Conference
on November 15, 2011

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has just approved the creation of a U.S. Ordinariate for Anglicans seeking to enter the Catholic Church. The ordinariate will be erected on January 1st, 2012. The name of the ordinariate and the ordinary will be released at that time. Cardinal Wuerl made the announcement today at the USCCB Conference, though the pope had actually made the approval on October 28, 2011 in the presence of Cardinal Levada. Cardinal Wuerl was authorised to make the announcement today at the bishops conference. The full text of Cardinal Wuerl's report can be viewed HERE. Another blogger has prepared a general Q&A for Roman Catholics here.

How To Prepare For The New Mass

2011-11-15T11:37:00.001-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: For about a year now, classes have been offered to Catholics to help them 'prepare' for the new English translation of the Roman Missal. Very few Catholics have attended these courses. Those few that have should consider themselves blessed. As for the rest of us, there is no need to panic.

The best advice I could possibly give you is to chill out, relax and take it all in. Everything is going to be fine. Just pick up a copy of the missal in your pew, and follow along. Yes, it will take you a few weeks to get used to things, but you will get used to them. Within a few months, you will hardly remember the old translation. Within six months you'll be reciting the responses by memory.

Something beautiful is happening here, and it's something really good! Not only will this new translation elevate the spirit of the liturgy during mass, but it will likewise elevate our vernacular culture. There is an old saying in Latin. Lex orandi, lex credendi. It means "the law of prayer is the law of faith." Our prayers literally effect our faith. How we pray effects how we believe. How we believe effects how we act. How we act effects our whole culture. These days our culture could use all the help it can get, and the improvement to our English liturgy will have some positive impact.

So don't panic. Relax. Everything is going to be okay. Come the first Sunday of Advent (in just eleven days), pick up a new missal in your pew and follow along. Try to think of this as a Christmas gift of sorts. Things were starting to get a little old and stale in the former English translation. Now Rome has renewed it. So Enjoy!

Now please pass this message on to other Catholics who may be a little worried and/or confused. You can use the 'share' icons below...

A Winning Team?

2011-11-12T21:57:00.005-06:00

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Loyal readers of this blog have heard me rant and rave about the coming social apocalypse facing this nation and the Western world in general. While I cannot know the days and times of these events, I do stand by these predictions IF people do not change en mass. Having said that I would like to remind my readers that I do not bow to the altars of political idols. I do not believe that there is any one politician, or any one political party, that can save the United States from its inevitable implosion. Only God himself can do that! And only God himself will do it if we, his children, open our hearts and minds to the full Gospel of his Son Jesus Christ. This has to happen to all of us, from coast to coast, and if it doesn't, than we are finished. Like I said, I don't know the day nor the hour, but America's end will come.

In recent months you my readers have heard me muse on my Southern heritage, a heritage I hold dear, and my hope that a new Southern nation (a Christian nation) might present an alternative "plan B" to the United States when the inevitable fall comes about. I still believe that such an alternative is possible though recent events in Mississippi, demonstrating the fundamental moral failure of voters, has caused me to understand that the restoration of Dixieland will be an uphill battle. In response, I have called on my readers to huddle closer to orthodox Catholic parishes and monasteries as we attempt to enclave to create authentic Catholic communities to weather the storm that is approaching. All of these suggestions I stand by, and encourage my readers to take seriously.

That being said, there is the short term to think of. In less than one year now, the United States of America will have a presidential election. It could potentially become the biggest election in recent history. We have to take this seriously, and we have to think about what this nation needs, and what candidates are viable. Yes, my readers, I too am an idealist, and I do wish for a better selection of candidates (and parties for that matter). However, like all of you, I am forced to deal with what is available.

That being said, I would like to call your attention not to one presidential candidate, but two. I am talking about Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich. While neither candidate alone may have what it takes to beat the Chicago political machine that is Barack Obama, the two of them together have a synergistic effect that is nothing short of political dynamite! Herman Cain would make a good political front man, contending with Barack Obama for the presidency, while Newt Gingrich would very much be the brains behind the operation. He's very smart, but not a good front man. "Cain/Gingrich" would be a winning ticket. This is not an endorsement on my part. It's just an observation. If you want Obama/Biden out of office in 2012, than Cain/Gingrich is just the combination you need to do it. That's all I'm going to say about this. It's up to you, the voters, to decide now.

How to Survive the Coming Dark Ages

2011-11-10T13:28:00.007-06:00

The likely future of the U.S. Capitol building - abandoned and in ruins.

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: In light of recent failures of the Pro-Life movement in the United States, as well as the cultural decline of Western Civilisation, coupled with the inevitable complete economic collapse that will soon follow. It has become painfully apparent to me that the collapse of the United States may be far worse than I previously imagined.

Not long ago I believed when the federal government collapses, under its own colossal weight and crushing national debt, state governments would pick up the banner where the federal government had fallen. I even believed it possible that new nations would rise from alliances between these state governments, the most enthusiastic of them being Dixieland, which I believed might be rebuilt on the common moral values between various conservative Christian denominations. After the recent 'Personhood' vote in Mississippi, however, I am seriously beginning to doubt that possibility. It would seem that Southern Christians are not as unified on their moral values as I previously thought. In what is supposed to be one of the most conservative states in the Old South, sixty percent of Mississippi voters opted to jettison the 'Personhood' amendment for fear that it might intrude on their sacred cows of in vitro fertilisation and morning-after pills. Choosing instead to flush the amendment, Mississippian voters (mostly conservative) stated they would rather continue the wholesale slaughter of pre-born human life than infringe upon their modern conveniences. This is nothing short of a catastrophic loss of moral decency and Christian virtue. It is a sign that the worst has happened. Even the once solid Christian South of the United States, the buckle of the Bible Belt, has completely lost its way. If the 'Personhood' amendment cannot pass in Mississippi, than it cannot pass anywhere in the United States.

So what comes next? Do we try to re-evangelise the South?

The answer is no. There isn't enough time. While evangelism should always be the personal goal of any Christian, we can no longer count on this as an effective method for saving our civilisation. The early Christians evangelised more than any others in history, and yet the Roman Empire still fell. St. Augustine of Hippo tells us that the reason for Rome's fall was that it was built on a flawed Pagan morality -- moral relativism -- and this eroded the very foundations of the empire. It could not be saved, no matter how many of its citizens were converted to the Christian faith. The Empire's foundation was built on sand. The only thing it could do was collapse. So likewise, we are discovering that the morality our modern Secular civilisation is built on is identical -- moral relativism -- and so likewise the fate of the once great United States shall be similar.

The only question that remains is 'how long do we have left?' Rome was not built in a day, nor did it fall in a day. It actually took about 100 years for the Roman Empire to completely collapse. In contrast, the Soviet Union was built almost overnight, and likewise it fell almost overnight. I suspect the fall of the United States will be somewhere in between. I think our demise began in September of 2008 with the economic collapse. Everything since then has been a downward spiral; economically, politically and socially. If the United States accepts that it is finished as a superpower, brings home all our troops from around the world, cuts out all of our national deficit, and begins restructuring our economy to encourage the growth of small business and manufacturing, it is possible the United States may survive another fifty years, leading us into a gentle decline and breakup into multiple nation-states. However, if none of these things happen (and they won't), than I believe we can expect a much more catastrophic economic collapse in the nearer future, resulting in a full scale political implosion on the national level. This of course will initially result in martial law and local occupation by federal troops, but that will be short lived, as there is no way this federal government can micromanage an entire continent with troops it cannot even pay or feed. Federal loyalty will soon give way to local loyalties, and that will be the end of it. Within a very short time after that (perhaps just a few years) there will be nothing left of the United States to speak of, other than some tattered flags (that nobody makes anymore) fluttering in the wind. State governments may try to stand in the gap, but they will soon be confronted with the realisation that they have no taxes to raise and thus no ability to do anything. Thus they will collapse shortly thereafter. Government will be reduced rather quickly to local city municipalities, which will be forced to charge outrageous taxes to assure their citizens of safety. Local police forces will become the backbone of citizen armies. Honourable ex-military veterans will become the knights of a new Dark Age.

What we cannot know for sure is exactly how our current civilisation will collapse, but what we can know is how it will be rebuilt, for we have an example in history. It will be rebuilt around the only legal structure that will remain standing after the fall of the states and the federal government. That legal system was the only system left standing after the fall of the Roman Empire. It is the Catholic Church's 'Code of Canon Law.'

So what can we do now to prepare and expedite this process when the day finally comes? While stocking up on food, water and necessities is always a good idea, that will not rebuild our civilisation or make the world a better place when the stuff finally hits the fan. What will save our world for us and our children is networking, and by that I mean intensive religious networking between those who share the EXACT SAME moral values. Similar values are not good enough. These values must be IDENTICAL, or the networked community will eventually fall apart.

The good news for faithful Catholics is this. When the stuff finally does hit the fan, and our civilisation crumbles, there will no longer be room for happy-clappy neo-liberal Modernism in the Catholic Church. Those priests that cannot wake up and smell reality will soon find themselves overwhelmed and unable to function. The only priests that will be able to cope are those with enough discipline (doctrinally and liturgically) to rebuild a civilisation! (Perhaps this is why we Traditionalists are being made to wander in the wilderness of Modernism now, to prepare us for the rebuilding that lies ahead.) When faithful traditional Catholics are finally released from their restraints, and allowed to rebuild without boundaries, the reformation of the Church will come quickly.

In the mean time, this is what we can (and probably should) do. Think of this as both a short-term and long-term goal. We need to physically move closer together. Right now we are too spread out. We need to find relatively strong and growing Catholic parishes. These parishes are the ones we must try to physically move closer to. The closer you physically are to your parish chapel, the better off you will be when the stuff hits the fan. Try to get within reasonable walking distance of your local parish chapel, but make sure it's a growing and thriving community first, with reasonably sound orthodoxy. The same goes for monasteries and convents. If you are anywhere within a few hours drive of one, and it is physically possible to do so economically and practically, you should move to within a few minutes drive of these locations. However, the same rule must apply. These monasteries and convents must be growing and thriving to be considered good candidates.

Physical walking distance is an absolute necessity, because in a complete and total civilisation collapse, gasoline may be too expensive to be practical. People will quickly be reduced to moped-scooters, bicycles, and good old fashioned horse power (I'm talking about the kind you feed). Thus average daily commutes will be reduced from 20 miles to 2 miles maximum. Catholics in rural areas will be highly dependent on monasteries and convents. If you live in a rural area, and there is no Catholic parish nearby, and you happen to have some land (or know another Catholic who does), consider donating it to a Traditional Catholic or Anglo-ordinariate Catholic community with a simple deal. "You supply us with the priest, and we will supply you with all the land you need, and a group of families to help." Thus, if you can't get close to a parish or monastery, than maybe you can get a parish or monastery close to you!

Parish and monasteries with nearby dense Catholic communities will be a necessity, because Canon Law may be the only thing left to govern us. If we are too spread apart, we cannot network, nor can we practically be governed. The idea here, by moving closer together, is to establish an enclave of law and order, in what is likely to become a continent of chaos and anarchy. In time these enclaves WILL grow, because people always prefer order to chaos, and as a result Americans WILL convert to the Catholic Christian faith en mass, because they will see that Catholics actually have their act together (legally) while the few Protestant sects that remain fumble around trying to put something together in a trial and error process. We Catholics have done all this before, during the Dark Ages, following the fall of the Roman Empire. That's where Canon Law comes from. So we actually have some experience with this. The Protestants have no experience in this department -- zero! Whatever enclaves they manage to set up will be quite a mess for some time, if they manage to survive at all.

So start doing your homework folks. I don't know how much time we have left, but it can't be too much longer. Maybe a decade, maybe two at the most, but the time is short -- very short. Find those parishes and religious communities that are worth a darn, then work on a plan to get yourselves closer to them, or else find a way to get them closer to you. If however, you are already blessed to live close enough to one of these parishes or monasteries, than it's your job to talk to your priest about helping distant parishioners move closer. Perhaps some kind of 'parishioner rescue-relocation network' can be created. Tick-Tock; the clock is running, so I guess we better get cracking!

The Pro-Life Movement Has Lost

2011-11-10T09:37:00.001-06:00

(Florida Independent) - Nearly 60 percent of Mississippi voters yesterday defeated the state’s controversial “fetal personhood” amendment, an initiative that would have defined life as beginning at the moment of conception. Though support for Amendment 26 was much stronger than in other states with similar personhood bills, concerns over the potential consequences of the bill trumped support in the end.
Even some ardent anti-abortion advocates expressed concerns that the bill would not only outlaw abortion, but could affect in vitro fertilization and birth control use, as well.
National Right to Life was firmly opposed to Amendment 26, arguing that, if passed, the bill would lead to dozens of lawsuits — all of which could end up strengthening Roe v. Wade. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour also expressed reservations about the measure, but ultimately voted in favor of it anyway.

read full story here

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: It pains me to report that if the 'Personhood Amendment' could not pass in conservative Mississippi, than there is nowhere in the United States where it will pass. Americans have made their choice, and I am deeply saddened to say that my fellow Southerners led the way. The excuses voters made for this decision are unconscionable when you get right down to what they are saying: "We the voters of Mississippi, refuse to acknowledge the personhood of a pre-born human being, because it might create some complications in some of the conveniences we hold dear, such as in vitro fertilisation and morning after pills. Therefore, we the voters of Mississippi have chosen to refuse to acknowledge the personhood of pre-born children and continue to allow their wholesale slaughter in our state for this reason."

If this is the attitude of the majority of voters in one of America's most conservative states, than indeed there is no hope for us whatsoever. I have serious reservations now if even the South could rise independently after the fall of the federal government. This vote has likely defined the conscience of America's new conservative base. It is a conscience that is malformed and selfish. If this is the best the South has to offer, than indeed there is no hope for America, or for Dixie, and it truly is "over" for Western Civilisation.

Do not expect the mercies of God anymore. Do not expect God I protect America from her foolishness anymore. Do not expect God to spare us from the full effect of natural disasters anymore. Do not expect God to preserve our nation, our culture, or our people anymore. As is evident by the most neoconservative vote in Mississippi, we have consigned ourselves to the complete and total chastisement of God. We have consigned our people and our very identity to cultural annihilation. Whatever America gets now in the way of natural disasters, economic collapse, terrorist attacks or senseless wars; we had it coming. I say this pointing the finger at myself as an American. For if tomorrow God decided to let a meteor strike my house, I would say as an American I deserve it. Why should I consider myself any different than my neighbours?