Podcasts about massachusetts citizens

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A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - Residents of Massachusetts and New York are being urged by pro-life leaders and Catholic bishops to raise their voices against upcoming legislation that would legalize assisted suicide. In New York, the “Medical Aid in Dying Act” would allow a terminally ill patient to request medication that would put an end to their life. The New York State Catholic Conference, which opposed the bill the past two legislative sessions, put out a call to action following the start of the 2024 legislative session on January 3. New Yorkers can write to their state legislators through the New York State Catholic Conference web page. The Massachusetts “End of Life Options Act” says that “a terminally ill patient may voluntarily make an oral request for medical aid in dying and a prescription for medication” if the patient is a “mentally capable adult,” a resident of Massachusetts, and has been determined by a physician to be terminally ill. Massachusetts Citizens for Life (MCFL) in an email Wednesday urged supporters to voice their opinions against the bill by submitting testimony to state representatives and senators. The bishops of Massachusetts, who have opposed the bill since it was first introduced in 2021, again raised their voices against the legislation ahead of the hearing last year. A statement put out by the conference called the bills “deeply troubling” and added that “the Catholic bishops of Massachusetts stand united in our strong opposition to physician assisted suicide.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256631/catholics-in-massachusetts-and-new-york-urged-to-oppose-assisted-suicide-bills The US Supreme Court announced Monday that it will review the case of an Oklahoma man on death row who may have been wrongfully convicted, a decision the Oklahoma City archbishop says could help further respect for “the dignity of life” for all people. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256628/oklahoma-archbishop-supreme-court-review-of-execution-could-further-cause-of-abolition The leader of the US bishops' domestic justice committee this week praised a pending congressional plan for an enhanced child tax credit for taxpayers, calling it “exactly the sort of policy” on which lawmakers should be focused. The federal child tax credit allows parents and guardians to claim their dependent children on their tax forms, granting a tax break of up to $2,000. Up to $1,600 of that credit may be “refundable,” meaning taxpayers can receive cash payments for the credit. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256625/bishops-praise-bipartisan-deal-on-enhanced-child-tax-credit-proposal Today, the Church celebrates the Conversion of Saint Paul. Paul was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin who persecuted Christians until his miraculous conversion, when God chose him to be one of the principal instruments of God in the conversion of the world. The feast commemorating his conversion is mentioned in several calendars and missals of the eighth and ninth centuries. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/conversion-of-st-paul-127

Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, shares her reaction to the Supreme Court's ruling.

In today's News: Religious liberty threatened in Virginia  Three Christian schools and a Christian network of pregnancy centers are suing Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring in order to prevent Virginia from implementing two pro-LGBT laws that force “people of faith to adopt a particular government ideology under threat of punishment.” The two laws purport to prevent “discrimination” against LGBT people but force Christian ministries to choose between violating their sincerely-held religious beliefs or paying hefty fines, as much as $100,000 per offense. Virginia Values, which Gov. Ralph Northam signed the day before Easter Sunday, compels churches, religious schools, and Christian ministries to hire employees who do not share their stated beliefs on marriage, sexuality and gender identity. A companion law requires ministries and others like them to pay for transgender surgery in employee health care plans, a procedure that violates these ministries’ convictions.  AMA supports abortion  The American Medical Association (AMA) is advocating openly for abortions. Yesterday, it joined Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and other pro-abortion groups in a petition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down President Donald Trump’s Protect Life Rule, The Hill reports. The Title X rule requires Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers to completely separate their abortion businesses from their taxpayer-funded services. That means housing their family planning services in separate buildings with separate staff from their abortion businesses and a denial of funds if they fail to do so. Planned Parenthood refused to comply and gave up about $60 million federal funding. The billion-dollar abortion chain also is suing to overturn the rule, and federal courts have issued conflicting rulings on the matter. Now, Planned Parenthood is turning to the Supreme Court for an answer, and the largest doctors’ association in the U.S. is supporting it.  Lawmakers push for abortion up to birth  Massachusetts lawmakers may try to push through a bill this fall that would legalize abortions through all nine months and allow young teens to get abortions without a parent’s knowledge or consent. The Roe Act has been stalled in the state legislature for 20 months, but abortion activists are demanding that lawmakers pass it in the wake of the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, according to the New Boston Post. The bill would eliminate most regulations and restrictions on abortion in Massachusetts. It would allow abortions through all nine months of pregnancy, even if there is no physical threat to the mother’s life and could put young sexual abuse victims at greater risk by eliminating the state parental consent requirement. Massachusetts Citizens for Life said the bill also allows for “passive infanticide” by eliminating a requirement to provide medical care to a baby who is born alive after an abortion. 

This week on the podcast, Faith Glavey Pawl of The University of St Thomas and David Franks of Massachusetts Citizens for Life and the Abigail Adams Institute join host Chris Altieri to discuss America in the grip of crisis after a Minneapolis policeman killed George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man they suspected of having tried to pay a grocery store bill with a counterfeit $20 note. 

City View with Mayor Tom Koch - Episode #2 1. The New South/West Middle School and future plans for the Quincy Public Schools, including the Squantum Elementary School 2. Mayor Koch receives the the John W McCormack Award from the Massachusetts Citizens for Life for his outstanding pro-life leadership and courage. 3. Signature City Events for a Celebrated and Diversified Community

In this episode, Leticia Velasquez interviews C. J. Williams, the outreach chair on the board of the Massachusetts Citizens for Life https://www.masscitizensforlife.org/

My first guest on the Tami Jackson Show* tonight will be Don Feder. Don Feder was a Boston Herald editorial writer and syndicated columnist from June 1983 to June 2002. For 19 years, his column appeared in the Herald, New England's second largest newspaper. Feder's column was syndicated by Creator's Syndicate in Los Angeles, and carried by more than 40 newspapers and e-magazines nationwide. His writings have appeared in USA TODAY, The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, National Review, American Enterprise, Readers Digest, Front Page Magazine, Insight, and Human Events. The author of two books – A Jewish Conservative Looks at Pagan America (1993) and Who's Afraid of the Religious Right? (1996), Feder has traveled extensively in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. He was in Belgrade two weeks after the bombing ended in 1999. Feder is the 1998 recipient of the International Communications Award of the Republic of China on Taiwan and the winner of the first-place prize in the Amy Foundation Writing Awards for 1993. The Amy Foundation recognizes writers who project Biblical truths in the secular media. Feder has addressed the annual conventions or meetings of the Rabbinical Council of America, Concerned Women for America, Toward Tradition, the Christian Coalition, Nation Right to Life Committee, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the College Republicans, the Council for National Policy, the Heritage Foundation, Family Research Council, the Interfaith Zionist Leadership Summit, the World Affairs Councils of Boston and Portland, Maine, World Congress of Families II (Geneva, 1999) III (Mexico City, 2004) and IV (Warsaw, 2007), as well as the Values Voter Summit, and recently, the 45th Assembly for Life in Massachusetts. Feder has lectured or debated at Harvard, Dartmouth, Princeton, Hillsdale College, Bates College, Carlton College, Grove City College, NYU, Regent University, UCLA, Hampshire College, The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Boston University and Boston College. He has appeared on network and syndicated radio and television shows, including “The O'Reilly Factor, “ “C-Span,” “Politically Incorrect,” “The 700 Club,” “Focus on the Family,” “Beverly LaHaye Live,” “Coral Ridge Ministries,” “Fox& Friends,” and Jerry Falwell's “Listen America.” His columns have been read on the air by Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura and Michael Savage. Feder is a 1969 graduate of the Boston University College of Liberal Arts and a 1972 graduate of the Boston University Law School. He is admitted to the practice of law in New York and Massachusetts. Don Feder is also World Congress of Families Communications Director, as well as the Communications Director of the documentary: “Demographic Winter: the decline of the human family.” Don't miss a minute as Don and I talk about his recent address to the 45th Assembly for Life organized by Massachusetts Citizens for Life, posted in the article, "The View from Sinai – A Jewish Perspective on Abortion," and about the mission of the World Congress of Families. ******************************** My second guest tonight will be Hannah Strege. Hannah Strege is the world's first Snowflake Baby! As written at the Whittier Daily News: In many ways, Hannah Strege is the typical teenager on the verge of adulthood. The 19-year-old is a college freshman who likes to listen to music, go shopping with her mom and out to the movies — preferably romantic comedies — with friends at the spur of the moment. But her entry into this world was anything but typical. Twenty years ago, she was the first frozen embryo to be adopted. Hannah's parents, John and Marlene Strege, had been through a long process of trying to have a child. They discussed treatment options with their physician. Since the advent of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) fertility clinics have been assisting patients to achieve pregnancy through a treatment known as in vitro fertilization (IVF). Often, more embryos are created for the IVF treatment than are eventually used by the patient, thus creating a surplus of cryo-preserved embryos. Marlene asked her clinic if they had available embryos in frozen storage. Hannah with Dr. James Dobson Marlene and John had already determined that they were not comfortable with creating more embryos through IVF, especially if it meant using donated human eggs. But this idea of using embryos that were waiting in frozen storage was intriguing. Marlene decided to seek out advice from a life-long friend and experienced adoption attorney, Ron Stoddart and from several spiritual advisors, including Dr. James Dobson, to determine if using donated human embryos should be considered at all. Simply being assigned anonymously donated embryos from a fertility clinic was not the procedure John and Marlene wanted to follow. They worked with Mr. Stoddart to develop the first embryo adoption program in the world, now known as the Snowflakes® Embryo Adoption Program. The Streges and Stoddart decided to name the program Snowflakes because like a delicate snowflake each embryo is frozen, unique and a gift from God. The program was officially established in 1997 as a division of Nightlight® Christian Adoptions. Hannah was born in December 31, 1998, and this year is a freshman at BIOLA University. Listen as Hannah and I discuss her amazing story, the current situation with stem cell research and the larger battle for a culture of life in America! Follow Don Feder Facebook, Hannah Strege on Twitter at @h_strege, and me at @tamij AND tweet your questions/comments during the show ! *Sponsored by Rentacomputer, your premier source for Sound System rentals , by ROBAR® Guns, a True Custom firearms and firearms finishing shop located in Phoenix, AZ, and found online at RobarGuns.com, and by Dispatches, your site for the BEST conservative resources to fight and win the information war.

David is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, and Director of Development for that same. A trained theologian and poet, David is deeply Catholic and profoundly patriotic: people don’t talk like he does anymore. Getting to know him better in this edition was at once edifying and delightful.

David is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, and Director of Development for that same. A trained theologian and poet, David is deeply Catholic and profoundly patriotic: people don’t talk like he does anymore. Getting to know him better in this edition was at once edifying and delightful.

Today's topics: Theological Institute Certificate Programs and Mass. Citizens for Life Summary of today's show: The Certificate Programs of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization provide a graduate-level education in the Catholic faith in a format designed for every Catholic in the pew. Dr. David Franks joins Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor to discuss the new semester at TINE and the expanded opportunities to take the courses. They also discuss David's volunteer role at Massachusetts Citizens for Life and its upcoming annual banquet at which they will honor noted pro-life activist Lila Rose. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor Today's guest(s): Dr. David Franks of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization Links from today's show:

Summary of today's show: As we observe the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the 40th annual March for Life this week, Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams sit down with Dr. David Franks and Jaymie Stuart Wolfe to talk about Massachusetts Citizens for Life's annual Assembly for Life in Boston this Saturday, which will see former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson talk about her conversion from pro-choice to pro-life. They also talked with Marianne Luthin of the ProLife Office about the important work of bringing healing to post-abortion women through Project Rachel and the Holy Hours for Life organized in 150-plus parishes with the help of the Office for Deacons. Listen to the show: Watch the show via live video streaming or a recording later: Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, Dr. David Franks, Marianne Luthin Links from today's show: Today's topics: Assembly for Life, Project Rachel, and Holy Hours for Life 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed everyone to the show. Fr. Matt Williams and Scot talked about the upcoming March for Life and pilgrimage including live photoblogging from George Martell at and a live recording of The Good Catholic Life from Washington, DC. There's also a plan to provide live video from the March itself at . Fr. Matt said they have over 500 people going and each year the Catholic Media Secretariat has been able to provide more and more ways for those who stay behind to participate with the pilgrims. They discussed the logistics of bringing all the pilgrims to DC. Scot welcomed Dr. David Franks, who is the chairman of the Mass. Citizens for Life, and Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, who will be the emcee on Saturday for the Assembly for Life. Jaymie said she has laryngitis and will be struggling to talk. David said he is also taking three of his children along with the seminarians from St. John Seminary on Amtrak to Washington, DC. David said the seminary sends the seminarians as a crucial witness for life and to provide them with the exposure to the amazing experience. David said his young children, pre-teen and younger, are excited to be part of this massive witness to the most basic of freedoms. They have traveled to the March in the past as well. He said the children love the youthful energy from all the hundreds of thousands, especially where they don't see it in their everyday life for such a countercultural cause. Scot asked David when and how he has the conversation about abortion with his children and why we need to have a witness for the protection of human life. David said it is pervasive throughout his household and the way they raise their kids. The witness is always there in how they live their lives. He said the children go to Mass and see the crucifix and the bleeding Corpus of Our Lord and Savior. Life is filled with death and sacrifice and the greatest act of love is intertwined with death and sacrifice. They are exposed to the terms and when they are at the development stage where they ask questions, then they give them the answers appropriate for their developmental stage. Jaymie talked about talking to her eight kids about abortion. She said she and her and husband have grown in their appreciation and understanding of the Church's teachings on life and the children have grown with them in that. She explained how she phrased it in terms that the children can understand without being too graphic. Scot asked Fr. Matt what work is done to prepare the middle schoolers and high schoolers who go on the pilgrimage to understand abortion. Fr. Matt said they all know why they are going down to DC. They know that abortion was legalized 40 years ago and that we have a duty to be a witness for those who have no voice. He said they have three distinct tracks for middle school, high school, and young adults to help them process all that they will see and hear. They will hear multiple speakers and then experience the walk and they will flood their mind and senses. They will begin to process what it means to them. On Friday night, before the Blessed Sacrament, they will integrate everything for themselves. Scot asked about the 40th annual Assembly for Life at Fanueil Hall at 2pm on Sunday. David said that it's important for pro-lifers to be organized. MCFL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in the Commonwealth. He admitted that since the early 1990s there has been a massive drop-off in membership in all kinds of civic organizations. They're not sure why that is, but think it maybe connected to a rise in consumerism and more online connectedness. He said we need to be actively engaged in civi life if we're going to transform our culture. The Assembly is always held around January 22 at Fanueil Hall, which has been a cradle for freedom. We have a proud history in Massachusetts of civic ideals and principles of human rights and dignity. Jaymie said the event will be reflective because of the 40th anniversary. They will toll bells for deceased pro-lifers, say the Pledge of Allegiance, and then hear the story of Abby Johnson, a former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic who left are seeing the reality of what she was doing. She will tell her story, which shows how God reaches even into the pit of hell to save us. There will also be some musical performances. Dvid said Abby is a prayerful and thoughtful speaker with an insider's view to the culture of death. That is powerful because conversion is powerful to see. When we see conversion, we see how Christ has saved us. Jaymie said it's important to speak from the perspective of our eternal life. We're created for something greater. Sin and death lead away from Christ and it's important to hear the witness of someone who has turned away from the road and back toward Christ. She said Abby's been spending her life since her conversion helping rescue people who are trying to leave the abortion business. They often feel trapped by their choices and unable to leave. David said they hope that Abby's presence will draw in people who haven't heard of the Assembly before. A speaker of this calibre doesn't come along very often. He thinks she recognizes that if we can change Massachusetts, we can change America. With the defeat of Question 2, we have seen what the Holy Spirit can do. He encouraged listeners to join MCFL and come see what they can do to effect change. David said he focuses in his talk with people in favor of legalized abortion on the basic principles of human rights. The basic principle is I should be as free as I can be right to where I cause harm to another. In fact, abortion causes harm to the most powerless of human beings. Last week, Jaymie's column in the Pilot compared her laryngitis to the voicelessness of the unborn. When we deny personhood to anyone in any state or at any stage, we deny humanity. A human person is the end. We do not dispose of human beings for another end. There's something wrong with a law that degrades womanhood and turns a mother into a death chamber for her children. It's dehumanizing to women to cast them aside as sexually available and with pregnancy easily solved with cash or credit. David said the goal of MCFL is to restore the right to life of those who are powerless under the law. They seek to speak for the voiceless. They do this in various ways, but the basic work is to foment a dialogue in the culture: Why is it we say social justice, solidarity, and preferential option for the poor and think it's compatible with the slaughter of the most innocent human beings. 2nd segment: This week's benefactor card raffle winner is Kevin and Allison Gingras from Raynham They win the book by Neil Combs. If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit . For a one-time $30 donation, you'll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM's weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We'll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 3rd segment: Scot welcomed Marianne Luthin of the ProLife Office of the Archdiocese of Boston to the show. He said the archdiocese provides both education on the issues, but also direct help to men and women who have been affected by abortion. Marianne said Project Rachel is an outreach to men and women who have had past abortions. She said as the anniversary rolls around, women who've had abortions often are confronted by their choice, up to 40 years ago. Marianne said so many people don't know about Project Rachel and many of the women who reach out to them hear about it for the first time in the parish bulletin. She said the bulletin is their number one referral source. Even a pamphlet is hard to promote because they are afraid someone might see them take one. Marianne said they hold retreats throughout the year. Many of the women who go on the retreat say they've confessed their abortions, but find they can't forgive themselves. On the retreats they hear the stories of other women who've gone through the same thing. Marianne said everything about the retreats is confidential, including the location of the retreats. She said the upcoming retreats are Feb 2, March 16, April 6. To contact them, their phone number is 508-651-3100. Or email them at . She said the retreats are specifically for women who've undergone abortions themselves. She added that one of the reasons some men and women have left the Church has been due to participation in an abortion, and this is a way to bring people back to the Church, especially in this Year of Faith. Scot encouraged listeners to mention to their pastor that they'd like to see the bulletin announcement in their parish bulletin and that it should run as often as possible. Marianne said women have said women have told they needed to see it more than once to act on it. Scot said the ProLife Office is also working with the Office for Permanent Deacons to organize Holy Hours for Life in parishes. Marianne said they started five years ago. Part of the mission of deacons is to preach and this is a natural extension of that mission. The Holy Hours will take place in 150 parishes this year and has become a tradition throughout the archdiocese. Marianne commented on the 40th anniversary of the March for Life and how it has grown and become much younger in the age of participants. It has truly become a witness for life. Young people today are even more pro-life than their parents today. Marianne pointed out that technology has changed how we see abortion. When Roe v. Wade came down, they didn't even have ultrasounds. Scot noted that many parishes are having baby showers for life. Marianne said over 100 parishes are participating. It started with one woman who couldn't go to the March. Parishes collect goods for the use of women in crisis pregnancies.

Summary of today's show: On our weekly headline show, Scot Landry and Susan Abbott discuss the news with Fr. Roger Landry and Antonio Enrique, including last weekend's Catechetical Congress; appointment of a pastor for the Archdiocese's largest parish; religious freedom rally in Boston and a day of prayer and fasting; the Pope's trip to Cuba and Mexico; and asking inactive Catholics why they left. Listen to the show: Today's host(s): Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today's show: Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Catechetical congress; day of fasting for liberty; Pope in Cuba, Mexico; exit interviews for Catholics 1st segment: Scot thanked everyone for joining us on our Thursday news show. Scot said Susan looks more relaxed this week after last weekend's Catechetical Congress and preparing for her office's day of prayer. Susan said her office goes away three times per year for prayer. Filling in for Gregory Tracy today who was with the Cardinal on his trip to Cuba is Antonio Enrique. Susan said the Pilot did a great job reporting on the Catechetical Congress and had many nice photos. It was a wonderful day at Boston College High School last Saturday. They had an overflow crowd. They had prepared for 850 people and even more came. Bishop Richard Malone of Portland, Maine, celebrated the opening Mass, Fr. Bryan Hehir preached the homily, and the Black Catholic Choir provided the music. Susan said she read every evaluation and people were so pleased with the 27 English workshops, 12 Spanish, and 4 Portuguese. Scot said he noticed that half of the participants were Spanish-speaking. Susan said the Spanish community is growing and Pilar de la Torre works closely with the Spanish-speaking communities and has a very personal relationship with those 20 communities that Susan and her co-worker Susan Kay can't have with 290 parishes. Antonio, as a Spanish immigrant, said he thinks catechetics is a very important value for the Spanish-speaking community. Those immigrants tend to be very committed to their faith and are a very close-knit community. Scot said he also learned the the word catechesis comes from the word “echo” and what we're echoing is the teaching of Christ. Susan said it's the Greek root for echo. We're talking about a systematic echoing of the faith. Scot said he noticed catechesis and catechist being used a lot more today than when he was younger when it was called CCD or religious education. Susan said that comes from the publication of the revised General Catechetical Directory by the Vatican in 1997. Scot said a huge focus for the Holy Father in the upcoming Year of Faith is improving how we catechize. Fr. Roger said the holy Father is much aware of a catechetical illiteracy amount adults and young adults, so we have to give the world a gift of true knowledge. Pope Benedict has always stressed that our catechesis must not be just pedagogy, i.e. instruction in knowledge, but must also be mystagogy, i.e. leading people in a way of life. Catecheists must tech by example in the practice of the faith, not just by words. Pope BEnedict is doing this with his weekly general audiences in St. Peter's Square. At the end of the article, Susan said she hopes continue to grow the congress: “”I live for the day when we have to turn people away, when we have to hold this at…is it still called Gillette Stadium?” she asked.” Another story in the Pilot this week is the official appointment of Fr. Kevin J. Deeley as the new pastor of St. Michael's in North Andover. Over the past several weeks we have seen three priests assigned to the parish leaving for health reasons, retirement, and reassignment to a new parish. He is the brother of vicar general Msgr. Robert Deeley. Scot said St. Michael's is the biggest parish in the archdiocese. Fr. Kevin Deeley was is returning from service as a US military chaplain. Antonio said Fr. Deeley had recently been filling in as a temporary administrator at St. Raphael's in Medford while their pastor was in Rome on a sabbatical. The appointment is effective April 27. Another story in the Pilot covers the Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally at the State House in Boston. Scot was one of the speakers, as well as Massachusetts Citizens for Life Edwin Shanahan, Clarivel Marin de Dragas, and State Representative Jim Lyons of Andover. Antonio said the US bishops are drawing a line in the sand to protect our right to religious liberty and to protect our consciences from being forced to violate them. Antonio was recently at a meeting between Catholic press and the US bishops conference and they are seeing this as a very important moment in the history of our country. Scot said the bishops are trying to mobilize Catholic to be much more active in the public square. Fr. Roger said we're still in the first quarter, to use a sports analogy. We're getting organized and rallying our resources. We're somewhat on the defensive at the moment against those trying to curtail our rights. But the offensive aspect includes education from the US bishops religious freedom committee, which will be issuing a document on the history of religious freedom in America. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York has hinted at some of the content, referring recently to some of the great events in our history which were a direct outgrowth of religious faith. This education initiative will help Catholics to take the fight for their freedom and rights into the public square. Scot said the bishops are also also asking all people of faith to fast and pray for religious freedom tomorrow. Scot said Catholics need to get educated and speak up or those who are opposed to us will be the only voices in the public square. But we must also recognize the importance of times of quiet and fasting. Many of the big problems in the world have been solved by prayer and fasting. Susan said as we enter Holy Week, it's a perfect time for such an initiative. Scot said it's always complicated in an election when the US bishops ask us to be active in the public square. Cardinal Dolan was on Fox News' O'Reilly Factor the other night and was asked whether the bishops were asking Catholics not to vote for Obama, and the cardinal said the bishops don't tell Catholics who to vote for. Fr. Roger said the cardinal said if they asked the people to vote one way, they'd end up motivating some to vote the other way. Instead, they are helping people build a properly informed conscience and once they are properly formed, the obvious vote can become clear. They are certainly hoping to bring clarity to all the various issues and to show that some issues are more important than others. 2nd segment: Scot said the biggest stories this week are the Holy Father's apostolic visits to Cuba and Mexico. He said the Holy Father singled out Cardinal Sean to thank him for helping with the building of a seminary outside of Havana. Antonio said in Boston there is a group of friends of Caritas Cubana, the Catholic charitable organization in Cuba, which means a special connection. The Pilot sent a reporter and photographer to Cuba to accompany the Boston pilgrims for a special perspective on the trip, giving a personal view of the conditions in Cuba and how their charity was received. Scot said there were some wonderful photos accompanying the articles. Antonio said they hope to have some more stories in next week's paper as well. They had hoped to show the reality from the perspective of the reporter as she encountered it, the crumbling infrastructure, the lives of the people, and more. Susan said the articles put a human face on the realities of Cuba. Scot said the Holy Father's message had some political content but were also meant to stoke the fires of religious belief. Fr. Roger said the Holy Father focuses on curing us of the spiritual diseases of secularism and does that wherever he goes. In Mexico, despite the deep faith of the people, there is a trend among the elites to drive the people to live as if God doesn't exist. Similarly in Cuba, where they have had two generations of official atheism. The Holy Father said we have to recognize that the atheism in Communism has failed. Fr. Roger said he was struck by the image of one of the Masses which included a huge statue of Christ the King. In the mid-20th century when the Mexican government was trying to exterminate the Church, theory of Viva Cristo Rey, All Hail, Christ the King was the cry of the martyrs. Pope Benedict was using this image to show that the Christian faith cannot be killed off. Christ is always persisting in all those places. Scot said there's a move coming out in June about the Cristeros, the Mexican martyrs, called “For Greater Glory.” Scot noted that Fidel Castro requested a private meeting with Pope Benedict. Antonio said it's impressive to see how Fidel, who took the Church out of Cuba with his revolution, went to see the Pope and reading the reports of the visit, he was struck by the question Fidel asked the Pope about how the Mass has changed from his childhood. Fidel is realizing how much the Church has changed since he was a boy practicing his faith. It shows the person behind the public persona and perhaps he's reconsidering his life as he gets older. Scot noted that the Missionaries of Charity has a charism where one of the sisters prays for a particular priest every day. One Cuban sister was assigned to pray for Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger 25 years ago and they finally got to meet during this trip. Fr. Roger said this was a practice started by the Carmelites and Mother Teresa picked up many of the practices of the Carmelites. Fr. Roger said there was a Missionary of Charity in New Bedford who prayed for him every day. He said many cloistered nuns are co-workers in the ministry of the priests they pray for every day. Scot said many of the Pope's addresses can be found at the website of . Scot said in another story John Hancock Financial gave a gift of $1 million to Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy in Dorchester to be given over five years. Scot said the editorial in the Anchor refers to an article that was in America magazine in which a program of performing exit interviews of Catholics who abandoned the practice of the faith was discussed. Fr. Roger said they found a consistency in the reason why the people gave up. Some were on nonnegotiable issues, such as teachings that cannot be changed, but it's not just a rejection to he teachings. Sometimes people were looking for an explanation and a better way to understand it which wasn't provided. Some people said when they asked for a conversation, instead they got back flat statements. There were also negotiable issue the Church could do on: empty” homilies detached from daily life, uninspiring music, an insatiable focus on raising money, an inadequate response to the sexual abuse of minors, the sense that Church was simply a place to attend Mass lacking a true community spirit, an absence of consultation and transparency in Church administration, “arrogant” and “aloof” priests,, and so on. So the authors' hope was that the Church could address what could be fixed in order to encourage people to stay. Scot said there's a beauty in understanding where people are at and to help become formed, to gain understanding, to be enlightened. Susan said one of the saddest comments was that when they left the parish no one noticed, nobody called them, and nobody asked why. People wanted a community, wanted to be involved and couldn't find a way. Scot asked all listeners to make people know that we care when we see them at Mass each week.

Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today's guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today's show: Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today's topics: Chancellor steps down; HHS ruling and religious freedom; Proposed pastoral clusters; Mass. Citizens for Life on assisted suicide Summary of today's show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott are joined by Fr. Roger Landry and Antonio Enrique this week to discuss the headlines in The Pilot and The Anchor, including the resignation of Jim McDonough, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Boston for the past six years; the release of the proposed list of parish clusters as part of the continuing pastoral planning process; the US bishops react to the unprecedented attack on religious freedom via the Health and Human Services regulations related to Obamacare; the Mass. Citizens for Life annual assembly addressing assisted suicide proposals; and the retirement of a popular priest from our largest parish. 1st segment: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott discussed the birth of her eighth grandchild, Louise Sinead Cavanaugh, 8lbs 8oz. this past week. Scot said Rico and Ashley Ciricola had their first child, Isaac, this week. Rico works in the Pastoral Center and this is their first child. Scot said today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and for many years it was ordination day in the Archdiocese so for many priests ordained in the 50s and 60s, this is their anniversary. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan now welcome Antonio Enrique and Fr. Roger Landry. Scot said the top story is the resignation of Jim McDonough as chancellor for the archdiocese and John Straub will be succeeding Jim as interim chancellor. Antonio said Jim became chancellor six years ago. Last year, he renewed his five year commitment, but told the Pilot that it was not a good idea to leave his office vacant at the same time as the vicar general was changing. Six months after Msgr. Deeley came as vicar general, now is the right time. Scot said that even though John is interim chancellor, Msgr. Deeley said he expects John will be named permanent chancellor. They hope to use this interim status as a time for John to listen to the voices of the constituencies and perhaps in six months the title of interim will be dropped. Susan said the announcement was a surprise in the Pastoral Center. She said she loved how he said that at 61 years old he thinks he has another game in him and if he waits too long it will be cribbage. She was also touched by his interview with the Pilot. Scot said the chancellor is one of the top three leaders in the Archdiocese with the cardinal and the vicar general. The chancellor is the chief financial officer. During his tenure, he addressed the clergy pension funding and recommended the creation of an independent board to oversee its implementation. He also oversaw the move of the archdiocese's central administration from the former Brighton campus to the Pastoral Center in Braintree in 2008. He also was able to balance the central ministries' budget. John Straub said his focus will be on helping parishes realize the sorts of savings as they have found for central ministries as well as help with pastoral planning in parishes. Fr. Roger said in Fall River, the chancellor is a priest who is also a pastor as well as dealing with financial matters and canonical requests. Scot said Boston has had lay chancellors for about the past 25 years and John Straub, if he's appointed, will become the sixth lay chancellor. 3rd segment: Scot said over the past two weeks the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission has been charing throughout the archdiocese proposed groupings of two, three, or four parishes that would share one pastoral service team and one pastor. Scot said the aim is to get feedback on the groupings. Antonio said Msgr. Fay told the Pilot that this is the third phase of the consultation process and they emphasize that this is just a proposal, not a decision and it is definitely not mergers. In the next phase they will meet with all vicariates, parish staff, pastoral councils and finance councils. “The key point of all of this is what we are looking at is really managing the life of the parishes in very constructive ways to be able to strengthen evangelization in the diocese and to build up the Church mightily, and strongly for the future,” Msgr. Fay said. “The first phase was to lay out a proposal—and that is all it is— from the APCC,” Msgr. Fay said. He said the second phase took place in January as the APCC presented more detailed proposals on pastoral collaborative groupings at regional meetings through the archdiocese. “The purpose of phase two was to say, ‘Now that you understand the proposal, here is what we suggest the collaboratives might look like,” Msgr. Fay said. Scot and Susan emphasized that people shouldn't listen to anyone else about what the proposals are, but should read it for themselves (at the link above). 4th segment: Scot said there has been much coverage in the media about the actions taken by the Dept of Health and Human Services that would curtail Catholics' religious freedom and the reaction of the US bishops. Fr. Roger's editorial this week was dedicated to this topic. He said this is all part of the Obamacare bill that was passed last year that mandates that contraception and abortifacient morning-after pills and sterilization would have to be covered under mandatory preventative care by every private health care plan. The new regulations do not allow for a religious exemption for institutions that hire or serve people who are not part of their religious belief system. Most Catholic institutions would be forced to pay for these in violation of our conscience. Fr. Roger said this rule violates the law passed by Congress that put a condition on such regulations in that it had to prove a compelling need to violate consciences. Nearly every US bishop has voiced his disapproval. The reaction of Catholic leaders to the trampling of conscience has been swift and strong, not only by Catholic bishops but also by people like Sister Carol Keehan. president of the Catholic Health Association, and Father John Jenkins, president of Notre Dame, both of whom have defended President Obama and his initiatives in the past. Perhaps the most powerful response of all, however, come from Pope Benedict himself in a very strong January 19 address to a group of U.S. bishops making their ad limina visits in Rome. Just four years after citing President Washington and praising America on the White House Lawn for our country's promotion and defense of freedom, he lamented that “powerful new cultural currents”, opposed to core moral teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition and increasingly hostile to Christianity as such” were eroding our nation's respect for liberty. This culture is based on a “radical secularism,” an “extreme individualism” that is seeking to promote “notions of freedom detached from moral truth.” Of particular concern, he declared, are “certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion. … to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices. … to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.” Antonio said there are some very liberal voices at work in the administration that want to reshape how we believe as Catholics. We need to defend our religious rights and conscience rights. Scot said many believe that this is about the push to redefine marriage and normalize same-sex relationships, pushing religion out of the public square in order to advance this message. Scot said Cardinal Seán has read a letter to the faithful of this Archdiocese and read it on the air. (See the link above.) Fr. Roger said Cardinal Seán repeats that this letter forces our conscience. That is unprecedented in our nation. Fr. Roger said the agenda is to copy what the Church has done with school and social services and the like, then to force the Church out of the work unless she is going to compromise herself. This has already happened with adoption services. Scot said once you lose your rights, you don't get them back. Now is the time for all Catholics to stand up for their rights. Susan quoted Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan's column in the Pilot: The Amish do not carry health insurance. The government respects their principles. Christian Scientists want to heal by prayer alone, and the new health-care reform law respects that. Quakers and others object to killing even in wartime, and the government respects that principle for conscientious objectors. By its decision, 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. 5th segment: Scot said the Massachusetts Citizens for Life annual assembly strongly condemned physician-assisted suicide as proposed in Massachusetts. Wayne Cockfield was a guest on The Good Catholic Life last Friday before his address to the assembly. HE was quoted as saying: “Once people get used to killing, the pool of death always expands.” Antonio said we have examples of this from other countries, like the Netherlands, where the killing has grown beyond the original group. The law is supposed to teach and when it becomes deformed, the society forgets. In the Netherlands, it is now legal to kill children with deformities after birth. This would have been unthinkable before legalized euthanasia. Antonio notes that in Oregon where assisted suicide is now legal studies have shown that people are killing themselves, not because they are suffering unbearable pain, but to not be a burden on others. Scot said there is also a column in the Pilot by Drs. David and Angela Franks called “Love never abandons the suffering.” They ask whether we should be trying to eliminate suffering or the sufferer. Susan said there was a presentation at the Pastoral Center on assisted suicide by Fr. Michael Sheehan and Peter Cataldo this week and it was wonderful. Scot said an edited video of the workshop will be placed on very soon.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott**Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the official newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the official newspaper of the Boston archdiocese* [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com)* [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.com)**Today's topics:** An offensive state-funded website; pro-euthanasia billboard; local and worldwide reaction to Pope John Paul's beatification**A summary of today's show:** Scot and Susan discuss the news of the week with Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry, including an offensive, state-funded website telling teens abortion is no big deal; a new billboard in Boston advertising euthanasia; and local and worldwide reaction to the beatification of Pope John Paul II, including our hosts' and guests' personal recollections of the Pope.**1st segment:** Scot catches up with Susan. She said her parish this week confirmed 70 teens and 2 adults, giving the whole parish a spiritual high. Bishop Allue celebrated the confirmation. Scot recalls that in 1979, Susan's pastor Msgr. Helmick was in charge of the papal visit of Pope John Paul II to Boston along with Fr. James McCune. Scot has been going through the archives of the archdiocese, looking for photos of the papal visit.**2nd segment:** Scot and Susan welcome Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry to the show. On Wednesday, April 20, there was a story in the Boston Herald profiling a website called "Maria Talks" and then a column the next by Michael Graham about the site. The Pilot this week has a story on legislators who want to pull state-funding from the site. The site is partly funded by the state of Massachusetts and run by the AIDS Action Committee and is aimed to be sex education of teens. It includes graphic content on sexual activity and downplays the reality of abortion, saying it's easier than it sounds and that it's not a big deal. It also describes in great detail how to avoid telling parents about an abortion.Susan said that as a mother and a grandmother she is outraged. Massachusetts Citizens for Life sounded the alarm on this site. She recalls that while you may need parental permission to have ears pierced, there is state-funded information on how to get an abortion without parents. Susan said the information they provide is itself factually flawed.Scot said there is a bipartisan group of lawmakers asking Gov. Deval Patrick to take down the website. Fr. Landry said that while people are always telling pro-lifers not to force their morality on them, here they are forcing their immorality on us. Mis- and partial information is being peddled to young people. It's another sign for us to awaken from our slumber, They aren't just trying to force this immorality on our young people and they're trying to make us pay the bill for it. He hopes that we'll keep our vigilance up because this is just scratching the surface of the larger effort to advance the anti-life cause.NARAL Pro-Choice America calls the site "terrific". Gregory said this is abortion distortion: The normal rules of life somehow don't seem to apply when abortion is involved. Children can't bring aspirin to school, but they can get abortions without parental involvement.* [MariaTalks.com](http://mariatalks.com/index.php) **Warning: Graphic Content*** ["Site: No stigma in abortion" (Boston Herald, 4/20/11)](http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1332044)* ["Mass. lawmakers say sex ed website 'disgusting'" (Boston Globe/AP, 4/26/11)](http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/26/mass_lawmakers_say_sex_ed_web_site_disgusting/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Local+news)* ["Defunding solves a problem like Maria", Michael Graham (Boston Herald, 4/21/11)](http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view/2011_0421defunding_solves_problem_like_maria/)Another local story is a Boston billboard outside the Callahan tunnel in East Boston advertising euthanasia. The billboard is paid for by the Final Exit Network. Kris Mineau of the Mass. Family Institute said that the group is looking for low-hanging fruit to drum up support for a pro-suicide bill. Fr. Landry said that when people get to the stage of suffering when they start to think they just want to die, that's when people need more help to live, not a message that they should die. They should be told that they still have much to offer, dying with real dignity. Fr. Tad Pacholczyk of National Catholic Bioethic Center said: "All of us will ourselves invariably die, with 100 percent certainty. Acknowledging the impending arrival of death, and seeking to pass from this life at home surrounded by loved ones can be a great grace."Susan said you often hear people claim that there needs to be a quality of life, but that's the beginning of the slippery slope, if history teaches us anything. Also, she said, the last days of Pope John Paul II taught us much about suffering with dignity, teaching us to live with suffering and to die with dignity.* ["Boston billboard promotes euthanasia" (The Pilot, 4/22/11)](http://pilotcatholicnews.com/article.asp?ID=13248)**3rd segment:** Fr. Landry wrote an editorial in this week's Anchor on exactly why John Paul is being beatified. He framed it in terms of a conversation the pope had in 1995 with George Weigel as Weigel was about to write a biography of the pope. He said the only way to understand him was to understand him as first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ, that all the fruit he had borne as pope came from the source. A beatification is not an exaltation of a papacy, but an acknowledgement that John Paul lived as a virtuous disciple and that God worked a miracle through the intercession of the pope to show that John Paul can be a model we can follow to grow in the Christian life. Scot said George Weigel writes this week about the beatification and says he worries that we will lose sight of the Pope as a man. When a saint is made, he becomes removed from everyday life and untouchable, an ideal that we can't imagine being. But we are all called to holiness and sanctification. John Paul lived in a radical way, leaning on Christ for strength and guidance, and we're all capable of living this way.Fr. Landry said the Holy Father clarified the standard by which we are to live our lives. John Paul had encountered an attitude in the world that people approach life as a pass-fail course, where we just hope to just get by and into heaven through purgatory. Instead we should strive to get that A+ and doing all the best. The odds that someone striving to get an A will instead fail is much less than someone who sets his sights low and just hopes to get by. God wouldn't call us to anything unless He was willing to give us all that we need to achieve it. John Paul said we need to take prayer seriously, we need to take Mass as the source and summit of existence, we need to be cleansed through confession, to listen to the Word of God and let it take on our flesh, to share the gift of the Word with others, and we need to reach out for God's grace that is extended to us. This is the lesson he preached and lived in his example.* Fr. Roger Landry's editorial in The Anchor on the beatification (to be posted later)* George Weigel's column in The Pilot and The Anchor (to be posted later)* ["George Weigel slams critics of John Paul II's fast track to sainthood" (Catholic News Agency, 4/25/11)](http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/george-weigel-slams-critics-of-john-paul-iis-fast-track-to-sainthood/)**4th segment:** Both The Anchor and The Pilot have testimonies from local people on the life of Pope John Paul. Many people talk about meeting the Holy Father in Rome, sometimes encountering him in his private chapel for Mass. Fr. Roger had the privilege five times. He was always struck by the intensity of his prayer, how focused he was on Jesus when all other eyes were on him. He was a living sign that Jesus Christ is alive. The same Jesus who called Peter from fishing boat called Karol Wojtyla from his home in Wadowice, Poland. Fr. Landry had the experience of preaching the Gospel of Matthew 16:18 as he stood facing Pope John Paul in a private Mass from just four feet away.On his first trip to the United States, Pope John Paul came to Boston in 1979. Susan was a member of the papal choir at the Mass. The choir was directed by then-Fr. Strahan, who composed some settings for the Mass. On the day of the Mass, it poured rain and her red robes stained her clothes underneath. In The Pilot this week, former Boston mayor and former US Ambassador Ray Flynn to the Vatican first met John paul in 1969 when he was Cardinal Wojtyla. Flynn said the result of that meeting was a changing in his outlook on life and a desire to help the poorest and the voiceless. He said that in 1979, when he was a city councilman, he and his wife helped with people who were handicapped attending the papal Mass in the rain on Boston Common.The Pilot talked briefly with Cardinal Sean before he went to Rome for the beatification. He said, "His ministry has a huge impact on the Church and the world. He was always warm and gracious. He was interested in people and energized particularly by young people."Both [CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com) and EWTN will have extensive coverage, including the Vigil Mass on Saturday night at 8pm and then on Sunday morning. They will also have many other features on the life of Pope John Paul II. On Monday, the first memorial Mass using the prayers for John Paul led by the Vatican Secretariat of State, Cardinal Bertone.>On Saturday, April 30, at 8 pm, CatholicTV will air a special vigil from the Circus Maximus in Rome. Join pilgrims from around the world and see a video message from Pope Benedict XVI during this broadcast on the eve of the beatification.>>On Monday, May 2 at noon & 8 p.m., CatholicTV will broadcast a special Mass of Thanksgiving for Blessed John Paul from Saint Peter's Square. This Mass will presided over by the Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone.The beatification Mass will air live at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time and will be re-broadcast at noon. Scot said anyone who plans to get up at 1am to watch the royal wedding tomorrow better get up early on Sunday for the beatification Mass.**5th segment:** The beatification will occur on Divine Mercy Sunday. He died six years ago on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday. The Divine Mercy devotion was very important to him. When John Paul was in the clandestine seminary in Krakow during World War II, he worked a day job in a chemical factory. That was located across the street from the convent where St. Faustina received the messages of Divine Mercy from Jesus. As a young priest he also had a great dedication to hearing confessions, reportedly hearing each confession for up to an hour. He always said that in confession the whole Church is present for that one penitent sinner.  When he was a young archbishop, he promoted the cause in the face of criticism. And as Pope he wrote an encyclical on Divine Mercy and then made St. Faustina the first saint canonized in the new millennium. At that Mass he declared the first Sunday after Easter will be known as the feast of Divine Mercy.Fr. Roger told a story of being in St. Peter's Square on that day and being approached by a young man asking to hear his confession. More and more people lined up to the impromptu confessions and Fr. Roger heard confessions for more than 2 hours. From that time on, he has had a great devotion to the Divine Mercy.