Will Notre Dame Repent?

The Cardinal Newman Society
For Immediate Release

April 29, 2009

First 300,000 Petition Signatures Delivered to Notre Dame Board Members, Fr. Jenkins

Copies Are Being Rushed to Rome, Papal Nuncio, USCCB and ND Bishop John D’Arcy

Manassas, Va. – Today, April 29, 2009, the first 300,000 names of individuals who signed the petition at NotreDameScandal.com — opposing the University of Notre Dame’s decision to honor President Barack Obama at commencement — are being delivered to Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the Board of Trustees and the Board of Fellows as they prepare for scheduled meetings on Friday, May 1, at Notre Dame.

As of this morning, more than 344,000 people have signed the petition, but because of the overwhelming numbers it took The Cardinal Newman Society more than 24 hours to prepare the data and print more than 64,000 sheets of paper, double sided, which were then bound in notebooks and sent via FedEx to Father Jenkins and individual members of the Notre Dame Board of Trustees and Board of Fellows.

Copies of the petitions are also being rushed by The Cardinal Newman Society, which sponsored the petition, to Archbishop Zenon Cardinal Grocholewski, Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education; Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Apostolic Nuncio (Vatican ambassador) to the United States; Francis Cardinal George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB); Bishop John D’Arcy, of Fort Wayne-South Bend, who presides over Notre Dame; and Bishop Robert McManus, Chairman of the USCCB Education Committee.

“Only the Notre Dame Trustees and Fellows have direct authority over Father Jenkins, so their meetings on Friday are our best hope for an end to this scandal,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society.

“It is critical for all of us to pray that the Trustees and Fellows charged with safeguarding Notre Dame’s Catholic identity will heed the 50 bishops and hundreds of thousands of faithful Catholics urging Notre Dame to withdraw its invitation to President Obama.”

The University of Notre Dame is governed by a 12-member Board of Fellows, including six Holy Cross priests, who are charged with ensuring “that the University maintains its essential character as a Catholic institution of higher learning.” The Fellows delegate most of their governing authority to the 38-member Board of Trustees, comprised mostly of lay people.

The university’s charter states: "The essential character of the University as a Catholic institution of higher learning shall at all times be maintained, it being the stated intention and desire of the present Fellows of the University that the University shall retain in perpetuity its identity as such an institution."

Not Happy With The Way Your Body Looks?

My Dear People,

Good News! A Holy Life = A Perfected Body

What is a "resurrected" body? It's a good question. We can say what it is not. It is not human flesh like ours. It does not corrupt. It cannot be impeded by walls or any physical object. It can consume food and drink. It can be touched and felt. It does have intellect and will. How do we know this? We know these things from the Resurrection accounts of the Bible.

Jesus did some amazing things in His Resurrected Body. He tells us that if we die with Him, we shall also rise with Him. So after our purification in Purgatory, we will receive a perfected and resurrected body like Jesus Christ. So if you are sick and tired of being sick and tired...GOOD NEWS! Live a good and holy life. Die in good graces with Our Lord. And you too will reign with Him in Heaven in a resurrected body as well.

May we have the courage to do the work that God has sent us to do, knowing that only in this way will we find true peace and joy.

Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark

Mom's Favorite Flower

"Oh, Dandelions Are The Best!"

Spring is coming on, and that got me thinking about dandelions and Mom.

Mom was very involved with the Drug Free Youth campaign. During her last three weeks battling lung cancer, however, Mom was in an incredible amount of pain and morphine became her friend.

A nurse gave her a hefty dose and was wheeling her away for another test. Mom said, "These days, morphine ranks right up there with mashed potatoes and dandelions."

Thinking she must be on a morphine high already, I said, "Mom, I get the mashed potatoes, but what's so great about dandelions?"

Mom said, "Oh, dandelions are the best! That's how you know you're loved, when your child brings you a handful of dandelions."

Mom never got many bouquets of roses in her lifetime, but she earned many bouquets of dandelions. When you get your first dandelion this spring, say a prayer for Mom, and most importantly, know that you are loved.

What is your favorite flower?

Divine Mercy Sunday

My Dear People,

Divine Mercy Sunday was instituted by Pope John Paul ll before He died. St. Faustina was given the special grace to see and hear Jesus during her lifetime. Faustina relays in her writings, that no sin is greater than Jesus' Divine Mercy. It was Our Lord's desire for the Sunday after Easter to be established as a universal day in the Church where everyone might benefit from the prayers and indulgences of Holy Mother Church.

When praying the Mercy Chaplet before the Blessed Sacrament, and receiving Holy Confession within a week of the Feast, one will receive full pardon and freedom from the temporal punishment due to our sins on that day. Please join us this Sunday afternoon for this great grace of the Church.

May we learn to see all of our blessings as abundant fits from God. Placed in our hands so that we may use them for the benefit of all God's people.

Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark

The Tomb is Empty

My Dear People,

The joy of Easter message rings loudly throughout the next eight days (Octave) of the Resurrection. Mary Magdalene and the other women rose early to go to the tomb with the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Fearing that the body had been taken, they ran to tell the other disciples.

Peter peers in first, and finds the tomb empty as well. They saw and believed. Our whole Christian Faith is based on these Easter testimonies. For without the Resurrection the Christian message would be very different. Rejoice in the Good News of Easter. Allow God's special Light to shine in you and your families.

May the celebration of Easter may help us become more grateful for the sacrifice Christ made for us; and more willing to make our own sacrifices to continue His work.

Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark

Soul Wow

Well worth the 50 seconds!

Easter Light

April 5, 2009

My Dear People,

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ is central to the faith life of every Christian. This is the holiest of all the liturgical weeks. Our Salvation and Redemption are sealed here. This is the beginning of our NEW life in Christ. If our hearts and minds have been purified during Lent, we are then ready to be filled with the new "Easter Light".

Holy Saturday is filled with images of LIGHT. From the entrance of the Easter Candle at the beginning of the Holy Mass, to the lighting of the whole Church at the Gloria, Light is central. The darkness of our sin has been replaced with New Life of Christ. Please take the time to attend Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday this year. Don't miss out on all of the graces given during the "Holy Triduum"

Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark