The Vice President Visits A Jesuit Volunteer Corp Fundraising Event

Laura Magnotta met Vice President Joe Biden last week. Laura, a Scranton native working with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Washington, D.C., was at a fundraiser at the Franciscan Monastery.

"There were rumblings once we got there that the VP, Joe Biden, might be in attendance, but no one was sure,"

Laura wrote to her friends, including Johnny Mesko, a JVC volunteer in Cleveland, in an e-mail.

"The vice president's son, Hunter, was in the JVC in Portland, so there was speculation he might attend the event. "

At around 6:30, the Secret Service showed up confirming that yes, indeed, the VP was coming. We didn't know when though," Laura noted, adding,

"So it was my turn to be the greeter, and I turned around from hanging someone's coat up and I saw him - Joe Biden."

Link (here) to the Jesuit Volunteer Corp. website highlighting the event and (here) to the full original piece in the Scranton Times-Tribune.

Vice President Joseph Biden on Abortion (here) , (here) and (here)

Director Of Homeland Security Is A Santa Clara University Graduate

Eight alumni of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities currently serve in appointed positions to U.S. President Barack Obama's administration and fifty four alumni are current members of the 111th U.S. Congress. Members of the Obama administration from AJCU institutions include Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon E. Panetta (Santa Clara University, 1960, BA) and Department of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates

(Georgetown University, 1974, PhD).

From the Department of Education are Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs Gabriella Gomez (Loyola Marymount University, 1995, BA) Under Secretary Martha Kanter (University of San Francisco, 1989, EdD), Senior Advisor to the Secretary Bob Shireman (University of San Francisco, 1986, MPA) and Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Julius Lloyd Horwich (Georgetown University 1986, BSFS).

Other departments with Jesuit alumni are the Department of Homeland Security with Secretary Janet A. Napolitano (Santa Clara University, 1979, BA) and the Department of Labor with Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Jane Oates (Boston College, 1975, BA).

111th U.S. Congress

Ten percent of the 111th U.S. Congress are Jesuit college and university alumni/ae. Among the 535 Members of the 111th U.S. Congress, 54 of them are alumni/ae of Jesuit institutions.

There are thirteen Jesuit alumni/ae in the Senate and forty one in the House of Representatives. Among the top leadership, both the Majority and Minority Leaders in the House of Representatives, Congressmen Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and John Boehner (R-OH) respectively, the Senate Assistant Majority Leader, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), and the Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Special Assistant to the Speaker, Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), are all Jesuit alumni.

Of these 54 alumni/ae, 35 received graduate or professional degrees from Jesuit universities. There are 16 Jesuit institutions represented by alumni/ae in the U.S. Congress. Georgetown University has the most alumni/ae with a total of eighteen, followed by Boston College with eight, and the College of the Holy Cross and Fordham University with four each.

Of note, Anh "Joseph" Cao, a graduate of Fordham University and Loyola University New Orleans, is the first Vietnamese-American member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

"With the many challenges facing our nation, we are happy that our Jesuit college and university alumni/ae are leading the Congressional response to them," said AJCU President Fr. Charles Currie, S.J. "Our graduates, who have dedicated their lives to the highest levels of public service, have been educated at institutions that place great value on academic excellence, competent leadership and compassionate service. We are proud of our Jesuit alumni/ae who continue to represent us with distinction and inspire us with their commitment to lead and serve."

Link (here) to the full list.

Georgetown's Chai Feldblum Reverses Course On Radical Opinion

In 2006, Georgetown University law professor Ms. Chai Feldblum signed a statement, “Beyond Same-Sex Marriage,” that was the most radical, irresponsible assault on marriage and the family ever written. It maintained that every conceivable “partnership” and “relationship” should be on a par with marriage, and even went so far as to say that

“Queer couples who decide to jointly create and raise a child with another queer person or couple, in two households,”

should be given governmental and private recognition. In other words, gay men and lesbians who do not even live under the same roof should be able to adopt a child and then be given exactly the same kinds of governmental benefits afforded normal marital unions. Feldblum, however, sensing that her nomination is in trouble, announced just days ago that she wants her name taken off the anti-marriage and anti-family document.

Link (here) to the Catholic League's full release

Liberals Honoring A Liberal At Georgetown University

Law Alum Podesta Honored for Public Service

John Podesta (L'76) received the 2009 Robert F. Drinan, S.J., Law Alumni Public Service Award at an Oct. 1 celebration of those who best exemplify the school's commitment to civic engagement and public service -- the Law Center's alumni, faculty, students and staff.

Podesta, the president and chief executive officer of the Center for American Progress, also serves on the Law Center faculty as a distinguished visitor from practice and has held numerous positions in government including White House chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton (F'68). Most recently, he served as a co-chair of the transition team for President Barack Obama.

The Drinan award, created in 1996, honors law alumni whose careers enhance human dignity and advance justice. The award was named for the late Rev. Robert Drinan (L'49, L'51), who in his 86 years of life built an inspiring career in public service through his roles of priest, U.S. congressman, Georgetown law professor, author, scholar and human rights activist. Drinan died in 2007.
"Both men share a commitment to conscience, to dedication, to working for justice, to law," said Georgetown President John J. DeGioia, who presented Podesta with the award. "They saw that success was not in serving the most powerful, but rather in championing those most in need."
In his brief remarks, Podesta noted that the commitment to public interest is part of what sets a Georgetown law education apart from the rest.

"At Georgetown, we work hard to master not only the nuances of the law, we study how to use the law to reach the higher goal of justice," he said. "In search of that goal, we embrace the unique relationship between centuries of legal tradition and centuries of Jesuitical search for higher truths and true service."

Link (here)

Read John Podesta's comments on Fr. Drinan and his reflection on receiving the award (here)

John Podesta on abortion:

I think that the Catholic Church is on fair ground when it tries to put his position on the abortion question to the American people. Where I part company with some of the tactics that have been employed by certain catholic bishops is on the denial of communion to those catholic elected officials who are trying in good conscience to balance their faith with their elected office. I think a vast majority of Catholics disagree with that judgment. Communion should not be used as a political weapon..

Link (here)

America Magazine Blogger: Cries Racism!

The grounds of the U.S. Capitol were the site of a conservative rally on Saturday that drew tens of thousands of protesters to Washington, D.C. The immediate occasion for the protest is the health care reform effort, but it quickly became obvious that some of the protesters’ complaints were of more antique vintage. What united them all was their animus towards the President and, sadly, it is time to ask how much of a factor racism is playing in these Tea Party protests.

Link (here) to the myopic opinion / editorial piece by Micheal Sean Winters in the In All Things blog.

Dear Fr. James Martin, S.J. ,

Can we please get a second opinion that does not sling the racism word around so cavalierly? The Taliban are racists, not my 70 year old Catholic retired firefighter uncle who participated in the Tea Party / Washington event. Oh, and the word "fetish" really should not be used at all, in any America piece.

Thanks

Joseph Fromm

Some more info on the "Big Message" event in Washington

Freedom Works
Michele Malkin's, "The Tea Party Grows"
Glenn Beck
Rush Limbaugh
Photo credit

Blogger Note:

Micheal Sean Winters issues a retraction (here) over his racism post. It is good to see a more civil discussion at America. America is not the Daily Kos, The Huffington Post nor MoveOn.org. It represents the 500 year holy history of the Society of Jesus. Winters forgets that his paper in which he inks is built on Jesus Christ and His Company, not his radical left wing temper tantrums.

Though the main celebrant was former president of Boston College Rev. Donald Monan, a Jesuit and longtime Kennedy family friend. Link (here)

Fr James Martin, S.J. On Ted Kennedy

Senator Kennedy was not perfect. But that did not stop him from doing a world of good for the poor and marginalized in this country and around the world.

Those photos of Chappaquiddick, the testimony from that rape trial, and his support for abortion

must be placed alongside 46 years of dedicated work for this country. And, by his own admission, the Gospels were directly related to a great many of his legislative accomplishments. In that same interview mentioned above, his biographer said, “I once asked him why someone as well off as him was so interested in the poor and the sick, and he said it was his mother's Catholic teaching: the Sermon on the Mount and the passage from Luke that to those who much is given, much is expected.”

Link (here) to Jesuit Fr. James Martin, S.J. and his full piece at the blog portion of America.

More on Sen. Ted Kennedy

His infamous "Waitress Sandwiches" at the La Brasserie (here)
His Hyannisport meeting with Jesuits on abortion (here)
Ted Kennedy and Fr. Robert Drinan, S.J. (here)

Photo of Mary Jo Kopechne's funeral at St. Vincent's Church Plymouth, PA (here)

Fr. James Martin, S.J. on Ted Kennedy from the latest issue of Time Magazine.

"He is a complicated figure," says the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and the culture editor of the Catholic magazine America. "Catholics on the right are critical because of his stance on abortion. Catholics on the left celebrate his achievements on immigration, fighting poverty and other legislation that is a virtual mirror of the Church's social teaching."

Link (here)

We could all use a little refresher on purgatory (here) and (here)

It's A Chicago Thing!

“The numerous stories we hear of people suffering so much because they’re unable to get access to health care makes this such a need,” said Jesuit Father John Baumann. “We’re hoping that thousands and thousands will call in to show support for health care reform and that the reform will cover everyone.”

Father Baumann in 1972 founded PICO National Network, a community–organizing initiative that started in Chicago.

Link (here)

Democrat Congressman To Host Townhall At Wheeling Jesuit

Some town hall meetings are getting heated, as people get a chance to weigh in on the president's proposed health care reform. Wheeling Jesuit University is bumping up security for a town hall meeting with Rep. Alan Mollohan (D) at the Troy Theater this Friday."We don't want this to be a police thing here. We want people to feel comfortable. So we're going to have a law enforcement presence, just maybe not in this room," said Steve Habursky, campus security director.

Link (here)

Here is a list of questionable items in the proposed bill.

Page 16: States that if you have insurance at the time of the bill becoming law and change, you will be required to take a similar plan. If that is not available, you will be required to take the gov option!
Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!
Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed!
Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals process)
Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.
Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.
Page 59: The federal government will have direct, real-time access to all individual bank accounts for electronic funds transfer.
Page 65: Taxpayers will subsidize all union retiree and community organizer health plans (example: SEIU, UAW and ACORN)
Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.
Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)
Page 91: Government mandates linguistic infrastructure for services; translation: illegal aliens
Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.
Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.
Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.
Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.
Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.
Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.
Page 149: Any employer with a payroll of $400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays an 8% tax on payroll <>BR • Page 150: Any employer with a payroll of $250K-400K or more, who does not offer the public option, pays a 2 to 6% tax on payroll
Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t' have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.
Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).
Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.
Page 203: "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." (Yes, it really says that.)
Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected."
Page 241: Doctors: no matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)
Page 253: Government sets value of doctors' time, their professional judgment, etc.
Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries.
Page 268: Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.
Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!
Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.
Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.
Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and investing in healthcare companies!
Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.
Page 321: Hospital expansion hinges on "community" input: in other words, yet another payoff for ACORN.
Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures: i.e., rationing.
Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.
Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.
Page 379: More bureaucracy: Telehealth Advisory Committee (healthcare by phone).
Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia?
Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.
Page 425: Government provides approved list of end-of-life resources, guiding you in death.
Page 427: Government mandates program that orders end-of-life treatment; government dictates how your life ends.
Page 429: Advance Care Planning Consult will be used to dictate treatment as patient's health deteriorates. This can include an ORDER for end-of-life plans. An ORDER from the GOVERNMENT.
Page 430: Government will decide what level of treatments you may have at end-of-life.
Page 469: Community-based Home Medical Services: more payoffs for ACORN.
Page 472: Payments to Community-based organizations: more payoffs for ACORN.
Page 489: Government will cover marriage and family therapy. Government intervenes in your marriage.
Page 494: Government will cover mental health services: defining, creating and rationing those services.

.

Jesuit Approach To Terrorism? For Fordham Grad

Obama's detractors describe the new approach to counter-terrorism as the Jesuit approach. Will it succeed? Obama and Brennan want to give the new policy a try, writes security expert B Raman

John O Brennan, a former career intelligence officer of the Central Intelligence Agency, who now functions as President Barack Obama's [ Images ] Assistant for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, has in two interactions on August 5 and 6, unveiled the first details of what will be the counter-terrorism doctrine of the Obama Administration.

The first interaction on August 5, was with a select group of Washington-based journalists. The second on August 6 was in the form of a presentation before the Centre For Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC.

The new policy as outlined by him will be a mix of hard and soft power, the professional and political options and treating terrorism as a threat and at the same time as a phenomenon, which requires a multi-dimensional approach. He was critical of attempts to make the entire foreign policy hostage to counter-terrorism. It will no more be a war on terror as projected by the previous administration of George W Bush [ Images ]. Instead, it will be a campaign against terrorism.

The Washington Post on August 6 quoted him as saying during his interaction with the media: "It (counter-terrorism) needs to be much more than a kinetic effort, an intelligence, law enforcement effort. It has to be much more comprehensive. This is not a 'war on terror'. We cannot let the terror prism guide how we're going to interact and be involved in different parts of the world."

Link (here)

Pelosi, Waterboarding And Speaking At USF

From David Brooks at the New York Times

An excerpt.

My second blast of ire is directed at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It’s quite possible that Pelosi was briefed on waterboarding in 2002 and it’s certain she was on Feb. 4, 2003. She first denied that fact and now has invented a series of ever more complicated evasions. The California Democrat Jane Harman heard the briefing and was so alarmed she wrote a letter in protest, but Pelosi was silent.

Why can’t she just tell the obvious truth? She was influenced by the climate of the time. In retrospect, she wishes she had raised her voice in protest. Meanwhile, the 80 percent of the people who want to prosecute Justice Department lawyers have gone strangely silent as far as Pelosi is concerned.

My lesson of the day is that partisanship trumps everything.

Link (here)

The following is an excerpt from a letter written by USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J., explaining his association with Nancy Pelosi:

I am, by nature, an inclusive person who seeks to extend a conversation rather than cut it off, build bridges rather than walls across differences and engage divergent opinions rather than condemn them.

I realize that my pastoral strategy may not be universally endorsed, but it is the product of careful thought, prayerful reflection, and some experience. From my friendship with Ms. Pelosi, I know that she is a serious Catholic, an active member of her parish here in San Francisco, and a regular communicant. Though Speaker Pelosi’s record on abortion and embryonic stem cell research is at odds with official Church teaching,

her efforts to end the war in Iraq, as well as her support for HIV-AIDS patients, universal health care, aid to dependent children, increased higher education financial assistance for needy students, just and compassionate immigration laws, tax structures that do not unduly burden persons of low and moderate income, reordering budget priorities to be more responsive to the needs of the poor, higher Congressional ethical standards, environmental preservation, and day care for children of the working poor reflect concerns of Catholic social thought. Fr. Kenneth Weare, a pastor in the San Francisco Archdiocese, made a pointed observation in Catholic San Francisco, noting that Pelosi “is by far much more in line with the greater body of Catholic moral teaching than [President] Bush ever was.”

Link (here)

Photo link (here) Nancy Pelosi at the 2007 University of San Francisco graduation.

Georgetown President: Free Political Ad?

“President Obama was last here in this hall in the fall of 2006, just a few short months before he embarked upon one of the most extraordinary campaigns in the history of our republic,” said Georgetown President DeGioia. “Through that process, he captured the imagination and passion of our young people like no candidate in our lifetimes.”

Link (here)

Vice-President Joseph Biden Is A Hero?

Georgetown Law School to Honor Pro-Abortion Catholic Biden

---

On Wednesday, April 22, Georgetown University Law Center will host an event honoring Vice President Joseph Biden with the “Legal Momentum Hero Award,” in direct violation of the U.S. bishops’ 2004 policy against such honors to pro-abortion politicians.

More than 40 U.S. bishops have publicly decried the University of Notre Dame’s plan to honor President Barack Obama next month, citing a 2004 statement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

“Even as Notre Dame publicly snubs the Catholic bishops, Georgetown appears to be saying, ‘Me, too!,’” said Patrick Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society. “Just last week, Georgetown covered the name of Jesus Christ at the request of the White House. Scandal after scandal at Georgetown, including the stunning 2007 law school policy that offers paid internships for students to work at organizations that advocate for abortion rights, has severely compromised its integrity as a Catholic institution.”

Georgetown University Law Center is affiliated with Georgetown University, a Catholic and Jesuit institution.

Vice President Joseph Biden, a professed Roman Catholic, has since the 2008 presidential campaign come under sharp criticism from pro-life advocates, including his hometown Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton, Pa., for supporting the legal abortion.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Biden "strongly support[s] Roe v. Wade.” Biden was the co-sponsor of the oppressive Freedom of Choice Act in the 102nd and 103rd congresses. He also voted for federal funding of Planned Parenthood and embryonic stem cell research, and against parental notification for minors seeking out-of-state abortions, a ban on abortions at military facilities, and a ban on human cloning.

Link (here)

The only torture you may ever have to endure is reading this factually incorrect, misleading, unreasonable and biased blog post (here). For a refutation of the blowhard's bellowing go (here)

Former Jesuit, Bashes Bishops In Jesuit Magazine

More Light, Less Heat

The column by John F. Kavanaugh, S.J., on the recent controversy over President Barack Obama’s scheduled appearance at the commencement ceremony at the University of Notre Dame (“Outrages,” 4/13 online edition) is a fine contribution to the dismal story of Catholic attacks on

Obama, is the first president in quite a while who seems genuinely committed to seeking the common good.

Beyond the particular issue, what is most disquieting is the latent venom in so many Catholics, just waiting to be called into action by some poisonous standard-bearer. Of course the issue of abortion is a serious one; but it is a complex issue, not one best dealt with in haste or by over-simplification.

It is a great pity that the American bishops do not choose to lead by recognizing the complexity of the issue on which they are called to teach,

and then teaching in a way that produces more light and less heat.

In the resultant moral vacuum, it is no surprise that demagogues can whip up the masses on matters whose complexity they have not explored. And I wonder how many of them have reflected on the fact that this man they apparently hate is breaking his back trying to save their jobs, their pensions and perhaps their way of life.

Paul Lakeland

Fairfield, Conn.

Link (here)

Photo is of Paul Lakeland

Standfast On Principle

OBAMA NIXES “JESUS” AT GEORGETOWN

April 16, 2009

When President Barack Obama spoke at Georgetown University on April 14, the White House requested that all religious symbols and signage that might appear as a backdrop to where the president was to speak be covered up. Georgetown acceded to the request and made sure that the symbol “IHS,” a monogram of the name Jesus Christ, was not in sight.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue spoke to this issue today:

“The cowardice of Georgetown to stand fast on principle tells us more than we need to know about what is going on there, but the bigger story is the audacity of the Obama administration to ask a religious school to neuter itself before the president speaks there. No bishop who might speak at the White House would ever request that a crucifix be displayed behind him. Moreover, the same church and state fanatics who go nuts every time a polling place is set up in the basement of a Catholic school have been noticeably silent over this incident.

“Obama will be speaking at Notre Dame, and receiving an honorary award, on May 17. Will his advance team ask Notre Dame to scrub the campus clean of religious symbols? Or just the ones that might appear behind the podium? Obama is in enough trouble with Catholics—over his pro-abortion executive orders and appointees, his position on embryonic stem cell research and his war on the conscience rights of healthcare workers—that it seems almost suicidal for his administration to push the envelope one more time. This is getting old fast.”

Link (here)

"IHS" And Every Knee Shall Bend, Except?

Georgetown Says It Covered Over Name of Jesus to Comply With White House Request
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
By Edwin Mora

Photo of Gaston Hall stage that shows symbol "IHS" that was covered up during President Obama's speech to accommodate a White House request. (Wikimedia photo)

(CNSNews.com) - Georgetown University says it covered over the monogram “IHS”--symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ—because it was inscribed on a pediment on the stage where President Obama spoke at the university on Tuesday and the White House had asked Georgetown to cover up all signs and symbols there.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the “IHS” monogram that had previously adorned the stage at Georgetown’s Gaston Hall was still covered up--when the pediment where it had appeared was photographed by CNSNews.com.

President Obama is greeted by Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia as he arrives to deliver remarks on the economy, April 14, 2009, at Georgetown University. Georgetown had covered the symbol "IHS" on the pediment above and behind the two men. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

“In coordinating the logistical arrangements for yesterday’s event, Georgetown honored the White House staff’s request to cover all of the Georgetown University signage and symbols behind Gaston Hall stage,” Julie Green Bataille, associate vice president for communications at Georgetown, told CNSNews.com.

“The White House wanted a simple backdrop of flags and pipe and drape for the speech, consistent with what they’ve done for other policy speeches,” she added. “Frankly, the pipe and drape wasn’t high enough by itself to fully cover the IHS and cross above the GU seal and it seemed most respectful to have them covered so as not to be seen out of context.”

Pediment in Gaston Hall with "IHS" covered as photographed by CNSNews.com, April 15, 2009. (Photo by Penny Starr,CNSNews.com)

On Wednesday, CNSNews.com inspected the pediment embedded in the wall at the back of the stage in Gaston Hall, where Obama delivered his speech. The letters “IHS” were not to be found. They appeared to be shrouded with a triangle of black-painted plywood.

Pictures of the wooden pediment prior to Obama’s speech show the letters “IHS" in gold. Many photos posted on the Internet of other events at Gaston Hall show the letters clearly.

The White House did not respond to a request from CNSNews.com to comment on the covering up of Jesus’ name at Gaston Hall.

President Obama speaking at Gaston Hall at Georgetown on April 14 with the "IHS" covered up on the pediment behind him. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Georgetown, which is run by the Jesuit order, is one of the most prestigious Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States.

Roman Catholics traditionally use “IHS” as an abbreviation for Jesus’ name. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “St. Ignatius of Loyola adopted the monogram in his seal as general of the Society of Jesus (1541) and thus became the emblem of his institute.” The Society of Jesus is the formal name for the Jesuits.

Gaston Hall stage as it looked on the afternoon of April 15 with "IHS" still shrouded. (Photo by Penny Starr, CNSNews.com)

Although the monogram was covered over on the wooden pediment at the back of the Gaston Hall stage where it would have been directly above and behind President Obama as he spoke, the letters “IHS” are posted elsewhere around the hall approximately 26 times on shields representing different parts of the United States and the world.

Obama did not mention the name of Jesus during his address. However, he did mention Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.

“There is a parable at the end of the Sermon on the Mount that tells a story of two men…‘the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house…it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock,’” Obama said.

“We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand,” he added. “We must build our house upon a rock.”

Link (here)

Alum and Impeached President Bill Clinton To Speak At Georgetown

President Bill Clinton and Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Microfinance Pioneer Muhammad Yunus to Keynote Georgetown Global Forum

Second Annual Global Forum to Examine Development in the Midst of Economic Downturn NEW YORK, April 14 Link (here) What: 2009 Georgetown Global Forum: "Profit, Policy & Philanthropy - The Keys to Global Development" Leaders from key sectors will share successful strategies for addressing some of the world's most pressing challenges, including poverty, access to education and global health. Taking place just weeks after G20 leaders committed significant resources to the developing world, this timely Forum will serve as a laboratory for examining new methods of development for a sustainable future. This second annual Forum will host participants engaged in wide-ranging development programs to share insights, debate productive approaches, and collaborate on meaningful programs designed to alleviate suffering and assist developing societies, especially in the current economic downturn. Click here for the schedule: http://www.georgetownglobalforum.com/program/. The Forum will also be streamed live online. Click here for more information: http://www.georgetownglobalforum.com/livefeed/.

The Big Left-Wing Catholic Media Smokescreen

An excerpt of David Gibson's blog post at dotcommonwheel.

The kind of opportunities we as a church would miss if the “bar Obama” voices were to prevail. But they keep on keeping on. Randall Terry et al planned to lead protests at Georgetown:

“The University has deliberately poked its finger in the eye of the Bishops and faithful Catholics who have condemned President Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame. But far worse – they have cast aside the unborn who will perish under President Obama’s policies. They have put prestige ahead of life. Georgetown’s attitude seems to be: Germany’s leaders built great roads in the 1930s, they helped save the banks, and they rebuilt the economy. Let’s focus on their economy – not that whole genocide thing.”

Just finished listening–really good speech. (And I didn’t see any goose-stepping storm troopers, but they’re probably being feted at the cafeteria.) Yes, the bar was low, as far as basic speechifying. But even 12 weeks after the inauguration it’s still so astonishing to hear a president speaking so honestly about the problems and challenges and stressing the difficulties ahead, and the responsibilities each of us has.

Link (here) but get your respirator out!

Torturous Reading At America Magazine

Accounting for Torture
'What are our moral obligations as disciples of a tortured God?'
Maryann Cusimano Love | MARCH 30, 2009

What does it mean to worship a tortured God? Many do not think of the crucifixion in the context of torture, but Christ was in fact tortured—in what would today be considered violations of the Geneva Conventions and Conventions on Torture. God became not just any human, but a person who was methodically tortured, stripped of his clothing, beaten by guards and forced into stress positions by the wood of the cross. Many of the methods used to torture Jesus were also used by U.S. forces at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and military bases in Guantanamo and Afghanistan.

Read the rest (here) from America Magazine

For a "Bona Fide" Ignatian reflection read from the hand of St. Ignatius

OF THE MYSTERIES DONE FROM THE SUPPER TO THE GARDEN, INCLUSIVE

OF THE MYSTERIES DONE FROM THE GARDEN TO THE HOUSE OF ANNAS, INCLUSIVE

OF THE MYSTERIES DONE FROM THE HOUSE OF ANNAS TO THE HOUSE OF CAIPHAS, INCLUSIVE

OF THE MYSTERIES DONE FROM THE HOUSE OF CAIPHAS TO THAT OF PILATE, INCLUSIVE

OF THE MYSTERIES DONE FROM THE HOUSE OF PILATE TO THAT OF HEROD

OF THE MYSTERIES DONE FROM THE HOUSE OF HEROD TO THAT OF PILATE

OF THE MYSTERIES DONE FROM THE HOUSE OF PILATE TO THE CROSS, INCLUSIVE

OF THE MYSTERIES ON THE CROSS

OF THE MYSTERIES FROM THE CROSS TO THE SEPULCHRE, INCLUSIVE

.