Demand for exorcists on the rise

Internet has led to an increased interest in Satanism and the occult, Church says

Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's official exorcist

A six-day conference on exorcism in Rome says that there is an increased interest in Satanism and the occult, the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph reported.

The conference is being held at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome, which is under the Vatican's authority.

Carlo Climati, a member of the university who specialises in the dangers posed to young people by Satanism, said easy access on the internet has fueled this issue.

"In just a few minutes you can contact Satanist groups and research occultism. The conference is not about how to become an exorcist," he said. "It's to share information about exorcism, Satanism and sects. It's to give help to families and priests. There is a particular risk for young people who are in difficulties or who are emotionally fragile."

This has led to more requests for exorcisms, though the number of genuine possessions remains fairly small, said father Gabriele Nanni, a former exorcist and a speaker at the conference.

Girl Talk

A Day of Conversation for young women

All young women throughout the Archdiocese of Vancouver are invited to the Immaculate Heart Early Childhood Education Centre Saturday April 2 for a A Day of Conversation on Religious Life.

This event is for those discerning their vocation. The conversation will be on religious life, prayer, community life, mission, and ministry.

Sister Veronica Tang, SIHM, said that about 22 young women attended the talk last year and they hope to see a similar turnout.

The day begins at 9 a.m. with breakfast. There is a break for lunch and the day will conclude at 4 p.m.

The Immaculate Heart Early Childhood Education Centre is located at 789 Alderson Ave, Coquitlam.

To register or for more information, contact Sister Tang at 604-936-3455 sihm@telus.net.

Pro-life laws lead to decrease in abortions in U.S., study

Difficulty accessing abortion leads to fewer abortions

The Washington Times reported Tuesday that a new U.S. study revealed data collected between 1985 and 2005 indicates that laws restricting but not outlawing abortion “have an impact on the childbearing decisions of women."

The report, "Analyzing the Effect of Anti-Abortion U.S. State Legislation in the Post-Casey Era" by Michael J. New, an assistant political science professor at the University of Alabama, looked at how state laws regarding informed-consent, Medicaid funding rules, and parental-notification for minors affected abortion rates in the U.S.

Poland commemorates Pope's beatification

Pope John Paul II is money and doesn't even know it

Poland is issuing gold and silver collector coins of Pope John Paul II to mark his beatification May 1.

Pope John Paul is the only Polish pope in the history of the Church.

He was born Karol Józef Wojtyła in Wadowice, Poland in 1920 and died in 2005 at the Vatican.

They were presented Wednesday at Poland's state mint and will be available in April.

There will be 500 gold coins worth 1,000 zlotys ($350) featuring a portrait of the pope on one side and Poland's national emblem of an eagle on the other. The collection will also have gold coins worth 100 zlotys ($35) and 25 zlotys ($8.75), as well as a silver 20 zloty ($7) coin.

Thank God for faithful priests

I see Father John Dietzen has died at age 83.  The B.C. Catholic for years, until the end of 1998, printed his column, answering questions involving the Catholic faith sent by readers.

Eternal rest grant to Father John Dietzen, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.  May he rest in peace.  Amen.  May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

Pope calls for end of violence in Libya

Benedict XVI makes plea for peace as fighting continues

The Washington Post reported yesterday that Pope Benedict XVI is urging diplomats to begin talks to suspend the use of arms by all sides in Libya.

This message came in light of the continued struggle in Libya between Moammar Gadhafi’s military and rebel forces, as well as the continued United Nations-sanctioned international air-strikes.

Rebels are currently fighting their way towards Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, on the Mediterranean coast.

Pope Benedict said that the “ever more dramatic news coming out of Libya” was increasing his “trepidation for the safety and security of the civilian population as well as (his) apprehension for how the situation, marked by the use of arms, is developing.”

The Lord of the Rings and the Annunciation

It is good to talk about J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings today, and not because it is Tolkien Reading Day according to the Tolkien Society, but because today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation.

wikipedia.org

Annunciation by Fra Angelico (wikipedia.org)

In the Lord of the Rings, which Tolkien calls "a fundamentally religious and Catholic work," the One Ring was destroyed on March 25, the day the Church celebrates the announcement of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of the Son of God, Jesus Christ!

On this day in Middle Earth, "the climactic attempt to destroy the ring, and in consequence the Dark Lord who had forged it, occurred on 'the twenty-fifth of March,'" writes Joseph Pearce, a Catholic author whose work focuses on Catholic English writers. Pearce calls the Feast of the Annunciation "the celebration of the absolute centre of all history as the moment when God himself became incarnate as man."


I agree with Pearce when he says: "It is, however, very comforting in the midst of these dark days that the most popular book of the 20th century and the most popular movie of the new century draw their power and their glory from the light of the Gospel."

Correction: Catholic After Hours

No Talk on March 27

The B.C. Catholic reported in its March 21 issue that the Catholic After Hours conversation series will continue every Sunday until April 10.  

However, there will not be a talk on March 27.

The two remaining talks will be April 3 with Dr. Christine Jones on relativism and sentimentalism, and April 10 with Pavel Reid, director of Catholic Family Services, on how to discuss morality with everyone.


Both talks will take place at the Blarney Stone Public House from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.


The Blarney Stone is located in Gastown at 216 Carrall Street.

Obama visit called "truly extrordinary"

U.S. President Barack Obama has visited the tomb of slain Archbishop Oscar Romero nearly 31 years to the day that a sniper shot the El Salvadoran archbishop who was saying Mass in the cathedral. This marks the first time a U.S. president has paid homage to the archbishop who is widely regarded throughout Latin America and whose case for beatification is undergoing study in Rome. View the YouTube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXijjCAw9R8

New Evangelization challenge for educators

Dr. John Stapleton of Corpus Christi and St. Mark's Colleges will share his thoughts this evening, March 23, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on how post secondary educators can respond to Pope Benedict's call to promote the New Evangelization in our secular world. The talk gets underway at 7:30 p.m. at Vancouver College's Kucher Centre for Performing Arts. Everyone is welcome.

The cure for poverty isn't cash

Canada is likely heading to the polls because the federal government isn't spending enough money to lift Canadians out of poverty, according to opposition parties. There’s nothing in the budget on affordable housing, says NDP Leader Jack Layton. There's nothing for childcare, says Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff.

The mythology continues that government is the best institution to get people out of poverty, and cash is the best weapon in its arsenal.


Similarly economists, unions, anti-poverty groups and pundits are still debating whether Premier Christy Clark's recently announced minimum wage hike will help rescue British Columbians from poverty.


If government spending and legislation is the key to getting people out of poverty, then there is no end in sight. In a recent letter to The Vancouver Sun, two anti-poverty groups recited a lengthy list of "recommendations for a bold child and family agenda." All involved more government intervention and more government spending.

Last week's blog entry The real cause of poverty pointed out that government and anti-poverty reports and studies consistently fail to identify the greatest contributor to poverty in Canada. In opposition criticism, in hundreds of pages of government reports, and in reams of recommendations from anti-poverty groups, you find utter silence when it comes to the leading cause of being poor: the absence of fathers in households.

All the research into the issue confirms that children who grow up without a dad are more likely to end up in poverty, crime, and substance abuse, and are far more predisposed to dropping out of school and to becoming victims of sexual abuse.

Tinkering with minimum wages and daycare programs is mere window dressing when it comes to getting to the root of poverty.

So why is there no father in the picture of so many children's lives? Let's face it, society hasn't exactly laid out a red carpet for fatherhood.

Can we really feign surprise when marriage -- the bond that holds families together more securely than anything else -- is socially downgraded, politically neutered, and financially strong-armed to the point where a married couple is the same as two men living together or serial monogamy, which are the same as hooking up or one-night stands.

With easy birth control, taxpayer-funded abortions, schools, media and entertainment equating everything to matrimony, and government constructing a system that rewards parents who place their kids in day care, it's no wonder single parenthood and poverty are flourishing.

The family is the foundation of society, and marriage is the cement. A government that truly wants to end poverty will build up that foundation instead of chipping away at it.

REAL Women intervene in safe injection site case

REAL Women of Canada has been granted leave to intervene before the Supreme Court of Canada in the Vancouver drug injection site case to be argued May 11.

The pro-family, pro-life women’s organization is the only group among nine interveners that will argue on behalf of the federal government’s position that Ottawa has the responsibility to control illegal drugs and that those laws should have a moral basis.

Preach on difficult subjects: Pope to priests

Priests must not preach “Christianity 'a la carte'” and should be willing to approach even uncomfortable aspects of the Gospel, Pope Benedict said in a meeting with priests this week.

St. Paul's advice to be humble and vigilant in preaching the faith, to make themselves completely available in service to Christ and the Church, and prayerful as they protect their “flocks” are all relevant characteristics of priests nearly 2,000 years later, said the Pope.

Senior priest to head St. Mark's, Corpus Christi Colleges

Msgr. Mark Hagemoen

Msgr. Mark Hagemoen will become the new principal and president of St. Mark's College and Corpus Christi College July 1. The board of directors of the two institutions made the announcement March 18.

Msgr. Hagemoen is the archdiocese's Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Services and its Moderator of the Curia.

"It is a tribute to the credentials Msgr. Hagemoen brings to his new position that the selection committee and board recognized they had the ideal candidate within our archdiocese," Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, said.

What a gift we have in confession

The highly readable Mark Shea has this offering, just in time for the Lent's confession season. Rediscovering the Riches of Reconciliation offers a moving reminder on what a gift we have in confession, and coming from a convert, it's especially inspiring.

Also on the topic, watch for Lenten reconciliation services coming to a parish near you.

Japanese choir at cathedral tonight

Seinan Gakuin students

Marianne phoned at lunch today to say she'd just heard the most wonderful student choir at Holy Rosary Cathedral's 12:10 p.m. Mass. They're the Seinan Gakuin Senior High School Choir from Fukuoka, Japan.

The bad news is that they're only singing today. The good news is that they're performing at the cathedral tonight at 7 p.m.

Said Marianne: "This might help many people to deal with their emotions in the face of the catastrophe in Japan. It will be a moving experience."

Church always on the scene

The Church always seems to be involved in world events, not only by praying and by providing relief and practical assistance, but also by behind-the-scenes negotiation or advice-giving.  The unrest in North Africa and the Middle East involves a few Christians, but the vast majority are Muslims, and the Church is still working to achieve more than just the safety of the Christian minorities.

Just a few weeks ago I thought that the people in these countries lived, for the most part, in peace because they were happy with their lives and their political situations.  Not so, it seems.  Discontent and unhappiness must have been simmering below the surface.

VC comes up short

Fighting Irish miss out on AAA provincial title

The Vancouver College Fighting Irish lost their match in the 2011 AAA provincial basketball finals against the R.C. Palmer Secondary Griffins.

The March 19 victory marks the first championship for Richmond's Griffins.

The Irish hoped that this would be their first provincial title since 1967, but they came up short with a final score of 71-63.

Join Archbishop for Mass and Rite of Election

On Sunday, March 20, at 2:30 p.m. at Holy Rosary Cathedral, all are invited to a special Mass with Archbishop Miller, concelebrated by Fr. Tom Rosica of Salt and Light Television, in which unbaptized adults from around the Archdiocese will be declared the “elect,” those chosen by God to receive the sacraments of initiation at Easter.

Salt and Light in Vancouver

S+L TV CEO Father Rosica to talk in Vancouver

Father Thomas Rosica, CSB

Father Thomas Rosica, CSB, CEO of Salt + Light Television, will be coming to Vancouver next week and is taking time out of his schedule to give two public talks.

The first talk will take place on Monday March 21 at St. Mark's College at noon in Plato's Cave, the school's café.

His topic at St. Mark's is "Plugged In: Is our Constant Connectivity Leading to Disconnect and Discontent?" It will feature Father Rosica speaking for 20 minutes and then answering questions posed by the audience.

The talk will discuss whether mass media trivializes religion and faith, and if digital dependency can hurt one's faith and even lead to atheism.

St. Mark's is located at 5935 Iona Dr. on the UBC campus.

World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto

Father Rosica will also be giving a talk at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Burnaby on Tuesday March 22 from 7 to 9 p.m.

The title of the talk is "World Youth Day 2011: An Insider's Perspective with Father Thomas Rosica."

Father Rosica was CEO and National Director of World Youth Day 2002. He will be giving the inside scoop on plans for WYD 2011 and share stories and insights of past World Youth Days.

St. Francis de Sales is located at 6656 Balmoral Street, Burnaby.