Thank you for opening e-link. We know just how busy everyone is these days. We are either working too hard or working hard to find work. Either way, participating in the volunteer opportunities and events highlighted in e-link demonstrates the fact that we are willing to go the extra mile. I think God smiles when we go out of our way to help reestablish a culture of life and dignity. Please keep all those who are unemployed and looking for work in your prayers.


Don't forget, join Linda, Deacon Jim, and Kent on "Setting Things Right" on Catholic Radio of San Diego every Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on KCEO Radio, AM 1000 or listen live on: www.catholicradioofsandiego.com.

Call the show with any questions you may have: 760-931-1604. All past shows are available in an mp3 format on the web site in the archives section.

As always, we remind current members and inform new members that past e-link bulletins and this current bulletin can be viewed at www.osmelink.org.

God Bless

Kent, Linda, Deacon Jim, and Maria




Friday, October 28, 2011, e-link Bulletin #98

Table of Contents

Remarks - Message from Jennifer Roback Morse, "No standing: what marriage radicals really think of 'the people.' Is it same-sex marriage rights they want, or a revolution in the American legal system?"



Key Upcoming Culture-of-Life Gatherings/Projects (please join us)

1. Unleashed 2011, a one-day conference for those who minister to men
who struggle with sexual addiction and for men who struggle with
sexual addiction, on Saturday, November 12, 2011, 8:00 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., at Journey Community Church, 8363 Center Drive, La Mesa,
CA, 91942

2. Join Life Perspectives at "Life Walk 2011" on Saturday, October 29,
2011 - Saturday, October 29, 2011 - Staring at 10:30 a.m. at De Anza
Cove (Mission Bay Park) 300 East Mission Dr., San Diego CA, 92109

3. The St. Gregory Familily Cancer Support Ministry invites you to attend,
“Preventing Cancer through Nutrition – Dispelling Myths and
Establishing Facts” a Presentation by Emily Cena, PhD, RD,
Nutritionist and St. Gregory Parishioner on Monday, November 14,
2011, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall, 11451 Blue
Cypress Drive in Scripps Ranch

4. Join Catholics for the Common Good in a seminar designed to equip
Catholics to "Rebuild a Marriage Culture" - this seminar will be held
at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, 3888 Paducah Drive, on Monday,
November 14, 2011, at 7:00 p.m.

5. Closing celebration for the 40 Days for Life will be held at St. Gregory
Parish, 11451 Blue Cypress Drive, San Diego (Scripps Ranch), on Friday
November 4, at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall - Founder of 40 Days for
Life, Shawn Carney, will be keynote speaker - more to come

6. Serving the Poor through the Power of Film, a lecture given by
Gerard Thomas Straubon on how media can play a role in education and
motivation, is scheduled for Thursday, November 17, from 7:00 p.m. to
9:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on 13541 Stoney Creek
Road, San Diego, CA 92129 - all are welcome

7. Alternative Gift Fair to be held at St. Brigid Parish in Pacific Beach,
4735 Cass Street, San Diego, 92109 after all Masses on November 12
and 13, 2011. Shop Fair Trade till you drop!



Short Reports on Office for Social Ministry Related Issues/Events

1. Culture of Life Family Services 2011 Gala Draws Huge Crowd and Raises
more than $370,000 which will be used to serve those in need: mothers,
fathers, and their children



Web and e-mail-based Resources

- New internet project announced by Pope Benedict and Andrea Bocelli will
attempt to connect faithful Catholics worldwide around issues of faith and
society. Watch the incredible kick-off video, then stay tuned! It's all
going to be on www.aleteia.org



Local and Regional Events/Gatherings/Projects

1. Attend the San Diego Friends of Fair Trade monthly meeting on Wednesday,
January 12, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. at the Open Door Book Store in Pacific
Beach

2. "Get Acquainted with Detention Ministry" monthly information/training
sessions are offered by Deacon Walsh at the Pastoral Center - The next
training will be held sometime in November - call for dates and times,
registration is required

3. North County prayer witness at the Carlsbad Planned Parenthood Clinic
scheduled for every third Monday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to
10:30 a.m.

4. Prayerful witness for life at two locations in San Diego County - every
Saturday and Wednesday at 7340 Miramar Road, just east of the Pyramid
Building, adjacent to Carroll Road, and the second Saturday of every
month at 15546 Pomerado Road in Poway

5. St. Dismas Guild sponsors two weekly hours of prayer for the unborn
in front of the North County Women's Medical Clinic on Craven Way

6. St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Carlsbad also supports the St. Dismas
Guild prayer ministry in front of the North County Women's Medical
Clinic on Craven Way

7. St. John the Evangelist Parish in Encinitas Pro-Life Mass and Rosary held
on the first Monday of each month

8. Prayer Vigil at Planned Parenthood - First and Grape Street, San Diego –
Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

9. Most Precious Blood Parish in Chula Vista Rosary Prayer Vigils held every
Wednesday at 8:45 a.m.

10. Prayer partners are needed at 1079 Third Ave., suite 3, in Chula
Vista - abortions are performed at this facility - Meet each Wednesday
from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

11. Join neighbors and friends to pray in front of the new Planned
Parenthood facility in El Cajon on Fridays and Saturdays

12. The Goretti Group is offering a chastity prayer gathering and a speaker
training monthly along with a Mass to celebrate chastity



Article/Statement for October 28, 2011

- "Why Conservatives Should Oppose the Death Penalty"
by Richrd A. Vigueri and L. Brent Bozell III

"No standing: what marriage radicals really think of 'the people'
Is it same-sex marriage rights they want, or a revolution in the American legal system?"

Jennifer Roback Morse






Last week’s (month's) hearing in the California Supreme Court on whether the proponents of Prop 8 have standing to defend the measure in court seemed to go well for the defenders of natural marriage. But another issue lies beneath the surface of the court arguments. The issue is what kind of people are the marriage redefiners: Ted Olsen, Rob Reiner, and the American Foundation for Equal Rights?

Is their bid to deny Prop 8 proponents legal standing just the next step in the unfolding of the civil rights movement, as they seem to perceive themselves? I think the evidence from the courtroom shows beyond doubt that we are dealing with something else entirely. These people are bent on obtaining a particular outcome, no matter what the cost to the rest of the legal system. Advocates of minimum government, especially libertarians, should be more than wary about hanging around this type of person: they should avoid them absolutely, and call them out wherever possible.

Proposition 8 is the ballot initiative defining marriage as the union of one man and one women in the California Constitution. In 2008, California voters approved Prop 8, with 51 per cent of the vote, approximately the margin of victory that elected Obama. Since then, celebrity lawyers Ted Olsen and David Boies have brought a suit in the federal courts to argue that Proposition 8 violates the US Constitution.

Please note the high stakes here. If the courts decide that the US Constitution requires the redefinition of marriage that will be the end of the line for debate on the subject in the US. We will have genderless marriage throughout the US, overturning the constitutions of the majority of states.

So, the point at issue in last week’s hearing before the California Supreme Court was whether the proponents of Prop 8 (that is, the group of people who put Prop 8 on the ballot and who are legally responsible for it) have standing to defend the measure in court.

Before I went to San Francisco to cover the Prop 8 trial, I hoped that the marriage redefiners would try to distinguish their case. That is, would they try to come up with some argument that distinguishes the proponents of Prop 8 from proponents of other potential ballot initiatives? If they make no attempt to do that, we might conclude that they don’t care whether they destroy the initiative process. They just want what they want, and they don’t care about collateral damage.

I am sorry, but not surprised, to report that attorney Ted Olsen made no serious effort to create a legal argument that would apply to Prop 8 and not to other ballot measures. As I sat in the jam-packed courtroom, I sensed that the justices were appalled by his cavalier attitude toward the voters. One by one, the justices poked holes in Olsen’s theory.

Justice Carol Corrigan observed that Olsen’s theory would give the Attorney General the right to “pocket veto” any voter initiative. Justice Joyce Kennard noted that to agree with Olsen is to nullify the power of the people. Justice Kathryn Werdegar noted that “we” (meaning the Supreme Court of California) have always given ballot proponents standing in court.

In addition, Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye noted that this case was the first case in history in which the proponents were the sole defenders of a measure. In past cases, the proponents have stood “shoulder to shoulder” with the Attorney General. She asked what would happen to the state’s interest in a law, if the Attorney General refused to defend it. “Does the state’s interest evaporate?”

Even the newest member of the California Supreme Court, the notoriously liberal advocate of marriage redefinition, Justice Goodwin Liu, balked at the breathtaking claims advanced by Ted Olsen. “Doesn’t it blinker reality,” he asked, to assert that ballot proponents are no different from any other citizen who voted for Prop 8?

But the ultimate challenge to Olsen’s theory came from Justice Ming Chin: “Would you really have us hearing only one side of this case today?” In effect, Olsen’s answer was, yes, he would have the court hearing only one side of the case: his own side.

This exchange should be a wake-up call to everyone, especially for minimum government libertarians. The behavior of the marriage redefiners in this case illustrates that they are not just another group of citizens with a different opinion. These are people who want what they want without regard to the cost to our overall political and social system. These are not reformers: these are radicals.

Consider this: Ted Olsen and company could have made all their arguments about the unconstitutionality of man-woman marriage without ever broaching the question of “standing”. They did not need to open this particular legal can of worms. Evidently, they are willing to have the court hear only one side of the case, as Justice Chin observed. Justice Chin was visibly appalled by the idea, but Olsen and friends appeared to have no problem with it.

David Horowitz, America’s premier convert to conservatism from radicalism, offers trenchant observations about the radical mentality. In his wonderful little pamphlet, “Obama’s rules for revolution,” he quotes the famous radical strategist Saul Alinsky:

“’Power comes out of the barrel of a gun’ is an absurd rallying cry when the other side has all the guns. Lenin was a pragmatist; when he returned to what was then Petrograd from exile, he said that the Bolsheviks stood for getting power through the ballot but would reconsider after they got the guns.”

Modern American “progressives” used to love the slogan “power to the people” when they thought they could control the people. Now that they are trying to shove something down the throats of the people, the progressives are ready to throw “the people” under the bus, along with the initiative process. Today’s “progressives” are perfectly willing to gut the people’s power of initiative, just to give same sex couples the right to marry.

Interestingly enough, very few such couples actually take advantage of this right in jurisdictions where it is permitted. This suggests that the “freedom to marry” isn’t the only issue at stake here, and maybe isn’t even the main issue. David Horowitz again: “The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.”

It would take me too far afield to show in this one article why I am convinced that redefining marriage will amount to a massive transfer of power from civil society to the state. Suffice to say for now, that unmooring the concept of parenthood from biology and handing it over to the state, which the redefinition of marriage will surely do, moves parenthood from a natural pre-political reality to a completely artificial creation of the state.

That is not my argument here. My argument here is that the marriage redefiners showed us their cards in the California Supreme Court last week. These are scorched earth people, take no prisoners people. Shame on us if we don’t play our cards accordingly.

Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D. is the Founding President of the Ruth Institute, a project of the National Organization for Marriage.

Key Upcoming Culture-of-Life Gatherings/Projects

Number 1:

Unleashed 2011, The Room of Grace, Calling Imperfect Men into the Light of Sexual Integrity - a one-day conference for those who minister to men who struggle with sexual addiction and for men who struggle with sexual addiction, on Saturday, November 12, 2011, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Journey Community Church, 8363 Center Drive, La Mesa, CA, 91942

(Please share this information with those you know who struggle with compulsive sexual behaviors.)

As you probably know, the use of internet porn and other sexual acting out have crippled the body of Christ and kept Christian men from experiencing the fullness of life in Christ. Presented by Unleashed San Diego, LifeSpring Counseling Center, and area churches, Unleashed V is a conference bringing God's victory to men battling for sexual integrity.

Conference and workshop speakers include counseling team Aaron J. Reinicke, MFC, and Melinda Reinicke, Ph.D., Andrew Last, IMFT, Tony and Rosa Martinez, Cory Anderson, IMFT, Scott Rosenberger, plus special speaker, John Lynch, Author and Pastor.

The conference costs $49 at the door, $39 with early registration, $30 for early registration with a group of 10 or more men.

Teen boys with a registered paid father are $15.

Visit the following web site for more information and to register:

http://www.unleashedsandiego.com

Most men caught in sexual struggles have proven over and over that they are powerless to break its bonds. They have turned and sworn to never return, but do. Is freedom possible? Attend Unleashed V for an answer to this question and more!

Want to learn more about sexual addiction? Listen to the August 24th "Setting Things Right" archived show from Catholic Radio of San Diego, where Aaron and Melinda Reinicke, Tony and Rosa Martinez, and hosts, Kent Peters, Linda Arreola, and Deacon Jim Walsh cover the issue in detail.

http://www.kceoradio.com/marketwrap/CRSD/STR-Wensday/STR%20082411.mp3

You will also able to listen to the October 26th show aired earlier this week on the same topic with guests: Tony and Rosa Martinez, Greg and Jenelle Romero, and Paul Santero. Just check the archives section in a couple of days to find the link to that MP3 sound file.

http://catholicradioofsandiego.com/contents/en-us/d17.html
 

Number 2:

Please Note... "Life Walk 2011" will take place tomorrow, Saturday, October 29. Same-day registration will be allowed, but same-day registrants will need to provide their own water and lunch.

There is still time to register for "Life Walk 2011" - Join hundreds of fellow parishioners at a day of celebration for LIFE - Support the great work of a powerful life-giving educational organization - Life Perspectives

Life Walk 2011

http://www.lifeperspectives.com/

When:
Saturday, October 29, 2011 - Staring at 10:30 a.m.

Location:
De Anza Cove (Mission Bay Park)
300 East Mission Dr., San Diego CA, 92109




EMBRACE the dignity of every human being

ENABLE a safe place for healing

EMPOWER the next generation to live out a Culture of Life



Life Walk is a fundraiser to support Life Perspectives' educational outreach.
Over the years Life Perspectives has developed interactive programs and curriculum that give youth and adults the opportunity to embrace the value of their life and the lives of others.




Life Walk 2011 directly funds LP's Outreach & Educational Resources...

AbortionChangesYou.com
An online community for men and women touched by abortion and for people who want to be a safe place for them

Whole Life Curriculum
Helping students cultivate a worldview embracing Purity, Social Justice and the Dignity

For Questions on Life Walk 2011, Please Contact Sara Velarde
Office: 619.698.5433
Email: sara@lifeperspectives.com

In Case of Rain:
The Life Walk will continue, rain or shine!
Just bring an umbrella and your pledge form to the event, or mail your pledge form and walk on your own.

Corporate Sponsors:
A-1 Self Storage
Chick-Fil-A at Sports Arena
Fieldstone Foundation
Issa Family Foundation
Sunrise Bobcat & Hauling Services

Community Partners:
El Camino Christian Fellowship
Journey Community Church
Mission San Diego De Alcala
Church of the Nativity
Oceanview Church
San Rafael Catholic Church
St. Brigid Knights of Columbus #3487
St. Gregory the Great Knights of Columbus
St. Mark Knights of Columbus
St. Timothy Knights of Columbus






Number 3:

The St. Gregory Family Cancer Support Ministry Invites You to: “Preventing Cancer through Nutrition – Dispelling Myths and Establishing Facts,” a Presentation by Emily Cena, PhD, RD, Nutritionist and St. Gregory Parishioner on Monday, November 14, 2011, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall, 11451 Blue Cypress Drive in Scripps Ranch
 

There are differing viewpoints about what should or shouldn’t be consumed in a lifestyle designed to reduce the risk of cancer. Talk about cancer has dramatically increased in the past two decades, and many new questions about cancer and nutrition have surfaced.

 

Are antioxidants the key to success?

Do vitamins play a role in avoiding cancer?

Should I be taking supplements or counting on food to lessen my chances of getting cancer?

Does coffee increase or reduce the risk of cancer?

Does eating organic really make a difference?

Does it matter what my children eat in their early years?

With so many different kinds of cancer, won’t differing strategies end up conflicting with each other?

Does it really matter what we eat, or is most cancer based on genetics?

Are red meat and dairy products known to increase the risk of cancer?

Emily Cena will share up-to-date information from the field of nutrition on the role nutrition plays in reducing the risk of cancer. Designed for both those with general questions about cancer and those in remission, the presentation will be based on the best research available today, and adequate time will be given to answering questions from participants. Printed resources, including links to the best web sites, will be provided. Please join us for this informative presentation, where we will cut through the confusion, and where possible, get to the facts on nutrition and its role in reducing the risk of cancer.

This presentation is free of charge. Healthy refreshments will be served.

For more information contact Kent Peters - 858-490-8323

Number 4:

Join Catholics for the Common Good in a seminar designed to equip Catholics to rebuild a marriage culture - this seminar will be held at the Diocesan Pastoral Center on Monday, November 14, 2011, at 7:00 p.m.









Catholics for the Common Good Institute Presents:

"With this Ring - Bearing and Sharing the Reality of Marriage for our Families’ Future, Witnessing to the Truth, and Engaging in the Dialogue"

Redefining marriage distorts the culture’s understanding of love, marriage, parenthood, and family.

The Culture Says:

-Marriage is a committed relationship of two adults for their benefit.

-The interests of children have nothing to do with marriage.

-The state can define marriage.

Reality Dictates:

- Marriage unites a man and a woman to each other and any children who come from their relationship.

-Marriage protects the rights of children to know and be cared for by their married mothers and fathers.

-Marriage provides the foundation of the family, which is the first cell of society.

-Marriage serves the common good.

Join us and learn how to engage in a dialogue with your family and friends about the Reality of Marriage. Featured speaker Bill May, CCG Chairman and nationally recognized speaker, will illustrate the positive approach and its application in every situation.

Specifically designed for you to be able to explore and explain the truth in conversations with your friends and family, Mr. May offers a comprehensive Review and Question & Answer session after his presentation.

You will have the opportunity to join a Faith & Action Circle and delve into teachings of Blessed John Paul II which in turn will help you bear and share, with love, God’s plan for creation and the dignity of the human person.

Monday, November 14, 2011
7:00-9:00 p.m.
Diocesan Pastoral Center
3888 Paducah Drive
San Diego, CA 92117 (Near Balboa Ave. and I-5)
Admission is free.

For more information or to RSVP: sd.leader@ccgaction.org or (858) 437-4001
or visit Catholics for the Common Good’s Facebook page and invite friends to join you!

Number 5:

Closing celebration for the "40 Days for Life" will be held at St. Gregory Parish, 11451 Blue Cypress Drive, San Diego (Scripps Ranch), on Friday November 4, at 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall - Founder of 40 Days for Life, Shawn Carney, will be keynote speaker! More information to come.



 

The 40 Days for Life Closing event is still being planned. For up-to-date information on additional speakers and event activities, visit any one of the three local 40 Days for Life Web sites: San Diego, San Marcos, or El Cajon.

http://40daysforlife.com/sandiego/

http://40daysforlife.com/sanmarcos/

http://40daysforlife.com/elcajon/





Number 6:

"Serving the Poor through the Power of Film," a multi-media presentation given by Gerard Thomas Straubon on how media can play a role in education and motivation on issues of poverty, is scheduled for Thursday, November 17, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on 13541 Stoney Creek Road, San Diego, CA 92129 - all are welcome




Gerard Thomas Straub had a longtime distinguished career as a Hollywood network (ABC, NBC & CBS) television producer including such hits as General Hospital & The Doctors. Gerard is now an award winning documentary filmmaker and author of six books. The National Catholic Reporter said: “Gerry Straub is a storyteller with a camera...he takes us to see what much of the world would rather ignore.” Gerry has also taught television writing and directing at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church will also recognize during this event those dedicated leaders in the parish community who have been serving in various social justice ministries. It hopes to continue the legacy of service in this community.

Offered by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Office for Social Ministry


 

Number 7:

Alternative Gift Fair to be held at St. Brigid Parish in Pacific Beach, 4735 Cass Street, San Diego, 92109 after all Masses on November 12 and 13, 2011. Shop Fair Trade till you drop!

Interested in giving gifts that give hope?

The RCIA group at St. Brigid Parish in Pacific Beach will hold a "Work of Human Hands Sale" after all Masses on November 12-13. A partnership between Catholic Relief Services and SERRV, this is a project for artisans around the world to benefit from purchases and earn a fair price for their work.


The Gift Fair will offer Fair Trade Chocolate, as well as feature high quality, unique handcrafts. Shop beginning Saturday evening, 6:30-7:15 pm, and again Sunday from 8:15am until sold out (or after last Mass, whichever comes first). Shop early - Last year sold out by noon! St. Brigid Parish Hall, 4735 Cass St, San Diego, 92104.

For more information, email LeeHulburt@gmail.com.Saturday, October 29, 2011 - Staring at 10:30 a.m.
 

Short Reports on OSM-Related Issues/Events

COLFS 2011 Gala Draws Big Crowd
By Carol Deeb

Excitement was in the air on October 15, 2011, as the largest gathering of pro-life supporters in the history of Culture of Life Family Services descended upon the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa. The second annual gala attracted more than 634 attendees and raised approximately $370,000 to save the lives of preborn babies by supporting their mothers from pregnancy through post-natal medical care.

Dr. George Delgado, medical director at COLFS, proclaimed the event as “educational, motivating and inspiring” for the pro-life community. With former professional baseball player Terrence Kennedy as master of ceremonies for the evening, speakers for the aptly themed “Pro-Life is Good” gala included California state senator Joel Anderson and Dr. Anthony Levatino, OB/GYN and former abortionist.

Dr. Levatino spoke about performing 1,200 abortions in his career, with a specialty in second-trimester abortions. The tragic death of his young daughter placed him on a long journey of conversion to pro-life speaker. He emphasized that the majority of abortion-intent mothers who see their babies on an ultrasound screen opt not to abort, with an even higher percentage of fathers choosing life after viewing a sonogram.

In addition to a call for donations of $100 to pay for an ultrasound for a crisis pregnancy patient, the special appeal for the evening was to fund an obstetrician for the COLFS medical group and to raise enough money to open the practice on Saturdays, which is the most popular day of the week for ending babies’ lives.

As the live auction gripped the attention of the enthusiastic crowd, friendly bidding wars took place for items such as a beautiful handmade chest and dinner with Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and his wife, Tiffany. Mr. Rivers personally appeared to support his dinner auction item—of which two were sold for $17,000 each—and his autographed memorabilia.

(Photo at right: Chargers quarterback Philip and wife Tiffany enjoy a night charged with enthusiasm at the 2nd Annual COLFS Gala. Picture Credit: Lorna Holt Photography)

Elaborating about his involvement with the event, Philip Rivers explains, "It was great to be a part of the COLFS Gala. The passion for life and preserving it from conception to natural death was vibrant and evident from all who attended. COLFS is great organization."
Other popular auction items were dinner for up to 10 guests with Bishop Salvatore Cordileone and a children’s baseball clinic with five-time major league all-star Mike Sweeney. In addition, individual pledges as high as $50,000 proved that San Diego pro-life supporters of the COLFS ministry are willing to sacrifice to prevent the loss of innocent lives.

The evening ended with the presentation of the Sue Lopez Memorial Pro-Life Person of the Year award. Honorary Chairpersons Terrence “Terry” and Barbara Caster, owners of A-1 Storage, were proud to name Deacon Ken and Marie Finn as the recipients of the award. In addition to co-founding COLFS and providing spiritual counseling, they work tirelessly promoting the truths of the faith and pro-life to the greater San Diego community and beyond. Terry Caster echoed the sentiment of many who attended, “Barbara and I are honored to be a part of the COLFS 2011 Gala and Auction. We are pleased to be in support of this outstanding organization and will continue to share about COLFS with our friends and pray for its growth and positive impact for life.”

COLFS will continue to update its supporters and area Catholics about upcoming events throughout the year. Executive Director Scott Maxwell emphasizes, “We are so blessed to have the support of many in San Diego and to have pro-life family practice doctors who hold true to the belief that life starts at conception and does not end until natural death!”

Contact Scott Maxwell at (619) 807-9605 with donations or questions about COLFS.

Web and e-mail-based Resources

It's all going to be on http://www.aleteia.org/

“The evening event, which featured a mini-concert by tenor Andrea Bocelli and a speech by Pope Benedict, also marked the official announcement of a new internet project established by Jesus Colina, who recently resigned as head of the Legionaries of Christ's Zenit news service."

The new platform, Aleteia.org, is designed to be a multimedia "community" where people can ask questions about Catholic faith and practices and receive answers they can be sure are in line with official church teaching.

"The internet is where people go for answers today, even about God, religion and faith," Colina told the assembly, announcing that the website would be launched Oct. 31.

He said the site would involve journalists and theologians from around the world and would link to "the best sites" for Catholic teaching and information.

Catholics "need to create networks on the net -- not get more hits than one another," he said.”

See it here: http://www.aleteia.org/

Aleteia is the first community based on questions and answers about the Catholic faith, life and society. On Aleteia, ask questions, get answers, and join the discussion now. Be prepared for the launch the 10.31.11! Become fan on Facebook, spread the word!
 

http://www.aleteia.org/

New Local/Regional Events and Gatherings

If you are planning an event that falls within the mission of social ministry, send the particulars four to five weeks in advance to the Office for Social Ministry via e-mail, osmelink@diocese-sdiego.org. The OSM reserves the right to publish or not to publish any proposed event information. We hope this will assist your local efforts to rebuild a culture of life.

 

1. Attend the San Diego "Friends of Fair Trade" monthly meeting

San Diego Friends of Fair Trade is a coalition of non-profit organizations and congregations attempting to advance the cause of fair trade. They work to insure that all individuals who toil, both at home and around the world, to provide consumers with commodities are paid a living wage, one that can sustain a life with dignity.

The next SD Friends of Fair Trade meeting will be on Wednesday, January 12, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. at the Open Door Book Store on 4761 Cass St., Pacific Beach (No chapter meeting in July) - For more information, please contact Carolyn Lief at fairtradesandiego@gmail.com. To sign up for the Fair Trade San Diego newsletter, send a request to fairtradesandiego@gmail.com

2. Get Acquainted with Detention Ministry in the Diocese of San Diego

Join Deacon Jim Walsh each month for an Information and Training Seminar on detention ministry and restorative justice at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, 3888 Paducah Drive, San Diego, 92117

Visit the OSM Restorative Justice Web site for the November dates and times:

Sorry, no walk-ins. Contact Deacon Jim Walsh for reservations or questions: 858-490-8375 or e-mail Deacon Jim at jwalsh@diocese-sdiego.org


3. North-County prayer witness at the Carlsbad Planned Parenthood Clinic

North County parishioners meet the third Monday of every month from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to peacefully pray the rosary in front of the Carlsbad Planned Parenthood Clinic. The clinic is located at 1820 Marron Rd. (in the shopping center just west of Plaza Camino Real Mall). For more information, contact Jahna White of St. Margaret Parish at 760-586-6356.
 

4. Prayerful witness for life at two locations (7340 Miramar Road in San Diego and 15546 Pomerado Road in Poway) in San Diego County

Helpers of God’s Precious Infants weekly rosary prayer vigil from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. every Saturday and Wednesday at 7340 Miramar Road, directly above Metro Flooring in the complex with the Pyramid Building, adjacent to Carroll Road. Prayer warriors also needed as early as 7:30 a.m.

Call Roger Lopez at 619-276-7525 for more information.

Second Saturday of the month: 20 decades of the Rosary are prayed in procession past 4 clinics following the 7:30 a.m. Mass, 15546 Pomerado Road, Poway. For more information, call 858-748-2109.

5. St. Dismas Guild sponsors two weekly hours of prayer for the unborn in North County

Join members of St. Dismas Guild for a rosary picket at North County Women's Medical Clinic, 120 S. Craven Way, San Marcos, (across from Cal State San Marcos), Tuesdays, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

The Guild also sponsors prayer (the rosary) in front of PayLess at Mission Avenue and Escondido Blvd., 347 W. Mission, on Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. For information on these prayer vigils, call 760-751-8541.

6. St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Carlsbad has a tri-weekly prayer ministry in front of the North County Women's Medical Clinic on Craven Way - San Marcos on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays

Please join the St. Elizabeth Seton "Life Matters" Culture of Life prayer vigils at 10:00 a.m. to Noon every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday morning at "North County Women's Medical Clinic": 120 Craven Road, San Marcos -

Those interested can carpool from St. Elizabeth Seton's upper parking lot at 9:30 a.m. Those who do not want to carpool, please feel free to meet us at the Abortion Center at 10:00 a.m. or at any time between 10:00 a.m. and Noon. These vigils are not confrontational. We give witness by being present in prayer and entrust our message to the Blessed Mother. Contact Gene: ejzoval@yahoo.com or 760-804-9656 for more information.

7. St. John the Evangelist Parish in Encinitas Pro-Life Mass and Rosary held on the first Monday of each month

The first Monday of every month is designated Pro-Life Monday at St. John the Evangelist Church, 1001 Encinitas Blvd, Encinitas. The 8:00 a.m. Mass will be followed by a Rosary for Life.

8. Prayer Vigil at Planned Parenthood - First and Grape Street, San Diego – Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Prayer vigil contacts: Luis Mendoza 619-259-3906 or Roger Lopez 619-276-7525. Rosary processions the first Saturday of every month from Our Lady of the Rosary, Date & State St., after the 7:30 a.m. Mass.

9. Most Precious Blood Parish Rosary Prayer Vigils held on Wednesdays each week

The Pro-Life Prayer Group from Most Precious Blood sponsors a Rosary Prayer Vigil in front of "A Woman's Choice" Clinic abortion facility at 1550 Broadway, Chula Vista, every Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. For more information, please call Shirley Henry at 619-420-7096 or Luis Mendoza at 619-259-3906.
 

10. Prayer partners are needed at the office of Feliciano Rios M.D., 1079 Third Ave., suite 3, in Chula Vista - Dr. Rios performs abortions at his medical facility - Meet each Wednesday from 8:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

Please contact Luis Mendoza, a Missionary of The Gospel of Life Lay Associate, at 619-259-3906, with questions or to share interest in this prayer ministry.

11. Pray in front of the Planned Parenthood facility located at 1685 East Main, just off the Greenfield Drive exit in El Cajon - join friends and neighbors

According to the PP website, chemical (RU-486) abortions only are done at this location - not surgical abortions. They do refer women for abortions to their surgical center on First Ave. Join the group each Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Contact: hansenpat@msn.com


12. The Goretti Group offers chastity prayer and speaker training monthly

Every First Friday of the month, the Goretti Group will celebrate a St. Maria Goretti Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary, 1654 State Street, at 6:15 p.m.

Every Second Monday of the month: ChasteMasters Meeting at Our Lady of the Rosary, Giovanni Room, 7:00 p.m. Please join us in prayer, a roundtable discussion, and providing feedback as chastity speakers refine their talks.

For more info please visit: www.thegorettigroup.org or call David at: 619-733-8439

Watch for OSM e-link bulletin #99 around Friday, December 2, 2011

Article/Statement for October 28, 2011

Why Conservatives Should Oppose the Death Penalty

Richrd A. Viguerie and L. Brent Bozell III



[Catholics Richard A. Viguerie (on left) and L. Brent Bozell III (on right) are long-time supporters of conservative causes. The following article, from the October 5, 2010 edition of the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, was written in conjunction with the September 23 execution of Teresa Lewis, the first woman executed in Virginia in almost a century.]

We lifelong conservatives and Tea Party supporters recently urged the death sentence for Teresa Lewis in Virginia be commuted to life in prison without parole instead.

We are among a growing number of conservatives who have questions and reservations about the death penalty, believe it is no longer a necessary form of punishment based on either Lockean or biblical principles, or oppose it outright.

Around the country death sentences are dropping, and support for the death penalty is waning. This trend is not limited to bleeding-heart liberals and criminal coddlers.

We urge our fellow conservatives to at least consider some issues when contemplating the death penalty.

The Old Testament required the death penalty for certain sins and a litany of offenses. In John 8 of the New Testament, the Pharisees confronted Jesus about a woman ready to be stoned for adultery. Jesus, sensing a trap they laid on a conflict between the Old Testament and Roman law, said: “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”

We believe John 8 of the New Testament shows that Jesus did not consider the death penalty mandatory punishment for sins, and certainly not unless the process complied with God's law. Deuteronomy 17:6 requires more than one witness to convict.
We also believe conservative Lockean principles do not compel the death penalty.

John Locke's Second Treatise on Government offers a justification of the State's taking the life of someone who is guilty of a heinous crime. Locke, on whose principles conservatism is built, believed the death penalty was a justifiable punishment for two reasons: protecting society (self-preservation) and deterrence.

Locke described the social compact of society as much like the notion: Do unto others as you'd have done to you. Some people commit acts so despicable they no longer merit the protections of that social compact. They may be so dangerous that they are a threat to us.

Therefore, like we may kill a wild animal that threatens us, the death penalty was an acceptable form of punishment even under Locke's view of limited government power.

We now, however, have maximum security prisons that were incapable of being built in Locke's time. Society may protect itself without putting a human to death as it would a wild animal. Since we believe each person has a soul, and is capable of achieving salvation, life in prison is now an alternative to the death penalty.

Under Locke's other reason, deterrence, punishment should be severe enough to discourage criminal acts. We certainly agree. However, some data show the death penalty does not act as deterrence.

In fact, the data seem to indicate murder and other heinous crimes may be lower in jurisdictions that do not have the death penalty. That's not proof, of course, but we believe death penalty proponents bear the burden of proof that the ultimate punishment is in fact a deterrence.

From our conservative perspective, there are other reasons we oppose the death penalty. It is an expensive government program with the power to kill people. Conservatives don't trust the government is always capable, competent, or fair with far lighter tasks.

When it comes to life and death, mistakes are made, or perhaps worse, bad decisions are made. States have wrongly convicted people based on false confessions and inaccurate eyewitness identification. In some of these cases, the real perpetrator was identified decades after the crime occurred. Since DNA evidence is not available in the majority of murder cases, other wrongful convictions based on similar types of evidence may never come to light.

We know our opinion is not held by all conservatives. Surely, however, there are many questions about the death penalty's accuracy, fairness, and financial efficiency that should be addressed.

We urge those who ascribe to the Old Testament to consider whether the Virginia death penalty system reflects God's law. We also ask Christians to contemplate the meaning of John 8.