Posted on 08/15/2014 3:55:36 PM PDT by NKP_Vet
Gary Sinise – actor, director, bass player, patriot, philanthropist and convert to Catholicism – was a surprise guest at the Knights of Columbus’ annual convention in Orlando earlier this month.
The person who was most surprised about being there may have been Gary Sinise himself. He confessed that “he and his family weren’t part of any religion” until his wife returned to her mother’s abandoned Catholic roots in 2000 and he subsequently slow-walked his way to Confirmation in 2010.
He recounted his initial shock and eventual support of his wife’s decision in an interview several years ago. He’d been filming in North Carolina when his wife, Moira, and three kids came for a visit, at the same time a hurricane was heading ashore. Figuring that flights would be grounded, he rented a car and drove them toward Charlotte through gale force winds, pounding rain and all-to-close lightning strikes. At one point Moira turned to him and announced that when she returned to Chicago, she was going back to the Catholic Church and the kids were going to attend Catholic schools. He was stunned and none too happy about the decision. The only knowledge he had of Catholic schools were the awful stories two friends had told him, friends who were also “guilt-ridden.” So he said something like “No! Are you crazy?”
But Moira did as she planned, enrolling in RCIA and enrolling the children in Catholic school. Two years later, at the Easter Vigil, she entered the Church. In the meantime, the school turned out to be the opposite of what he expected. He discovered that it was a great environment and became a big supporter. It was another 10 years before he crossed the Tiber, but it was 10 years filled with charitable activities.
Shortly after 9/11, he was “invited as a celebrity” to entertain the first responders and that led to his learning about heroes like Father Mychal Judge, a chaplain for the NY Fire Department who died while aiding victims of the attacks on the Twin Towers.
In 2003, Sinise co-founded “Operation Iraqi Children,” which over nine years supported the great work of American troops by gathering and donating supply school supplies and clothing to the children whose schools had been rebuilt by the troops. Donations included 358,763 School Supply Kits, thousands of boxes of stuffed animals, shoes and sports equipment, hundreds of boxes of shoes, clothes, supplies, food and hygiene items and toys.
It was during the 50 USO tours and 119 USO concerts for troops performed by Sinise’s band, the Lt.Dan Band, that he became passionate about helping America’s wounded veterans. His foundation embarked on the Restoring Independence and Supporting Empowerment (RISE) program. The goal is to build “smart homes” for the service members who were most seriously wounded.
In partnership with the Knights of Columbus, a former Army infantryman who lost both legs and one arm in a roadside explosion in Afghanistan, was able to move into a new high-tech home with his wife.
Sinise expressed gratitude for the Knights’ collaboration and for their years of “incredibly generous and voluminous charitable work and mission.”
““I’m aware you believe it, but millions do not”
There’s a lot more Christians that do believe Christ founded the Catholic Church than ones that don’t believe it. So you lose.”
Truth isn’t based on popular vote.
“August 16, 2014 at 12:11:57 AM EDT · 40 of 41
Salvation to aMorePerfectUnion
Are you reading — really reading the numerous answers to your posts?They are in error.”
Agreed - including yours. Keep those prayers going!
I guess I didn’t phrase that correctly.
Your statements are in error, in my opinion — and many others; opinions. I hope you will read them now.
“Your statements are in error, in my opinion — and many others; opinions. I hope you will read them now.”
You are wrong and they are wrong.
In the middle east agents of the devil are loping off heads burying Christian women and children alive after raping them while our indifferent government looks on with all but creepy bemusement and you choose to use your time on Saturday to join in on the attack.
Well (shaking my head)they hated Christ first.
May God bless you and draw you nearer to his sacred heart.
The Bible is correct. So sorry you do not believe it.
Good bye.
The Bible is correct. The interpretation your post advocates is not.
“In the middle east agents of the devil are loping off heads burying Christian women and children alive after raping them while our indifferent government looks on with all but creepy bemusement and you choose to use your time on Saturday to join in on the attack.”
I use my time to wish that everyone knows Christ. I find it odd in light of the quote above that He is not important in your worldview.
Bttt.
5.56mm
Great actor, love his movies and great work he does with wounded warriors and Vets.
I didn’t know this until I read an article in our Diocesan newspaper this morning! He took instructions in secret and surprised his wife and children one Christmas Eve. He told them they were going out for a special dinner, but stopped by the rectory to see their Parish priest on the way. The priest Baptized and Confirmed him that night, to the surprise and delight of his family!
Catholic “convert”. Doesn’t mention a thing about Christ...
Eternal life is found only in Him, regardless of denomination. Let’s hope he came to Christ.
I agree and most if not all Catholics would probably also agree that "Eternal Life is found only in Him"
Let's hope we all come to Christ.
I want you, dear brother / sister in Christ to draw nearer to Him with me and indeed we all need hope in that we may come to our Dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and move nearer to Him each minute of our earthly lives so Please help me out because I am baffled.
In your very first post on this thread, you seem to insinuate that Gary in converting to Catholicism did not come to Christ and requires hope that he did indeed come to Christ despite converting to Catholicism. It also seems to me from your brief post that you exclude Catholics from your "regardless of denomination" qualifier. If you thought that Catholics could believe that "Eternal Life is found only in Him" why would you post anything at all?
Perhaps I read your post as more contentious then you intended it to be but now you seem to confirm my suspicions as you continue your attack and claim that you know my heart better than I do. How is it that you can conclude that "He is not important"(Ouch) or at least as important or even more so in "my worldview" than in anyone else's? Are your powers of clairvoyance sufficient to read my mind, over the internet even? Perhaps we should all be worshiping you and your more perfect union;)
I may be wrong and your snide comment was not actually meant to separate you and others from your dear Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ and if so (which is often) I apologize, especially for remotely equivocating your little two line post to the horrific brutality that is happening in the middle east and will go back to hacking at the enormous beam in my eye endeavoring to make it ever smaller. Please Pray for me.
Indeed my hope is that you and everyone else are much closer to Christ than I am and that we may even, triumphantly march together through those pearly gates after the beasts come to lop off our heads and we run out of ammo:)
May God Bless and protect each of us especially you, Gary and both your families on our journey towards Christ.
Great post. Really like our FR homepage, too.
Oops
your FR homepage, too.
“Truth isn’t based on popular vote”
Well you got something right. Now why not tell that to all the protestant faiths that are caving on homosexual “marriage”, women ordaination, and have caved on abortion.
Catholic Church is based on the Word of God. Not a show of hands, like so many protestants base their doctrine on.
“In your very first post on this thread, you seem to insinuate that Gary in converting to Catholicism did not come to Christ and requires hope that he did indeed come to Christ despite converting to Catholicism. It also seems to me from your brief post that you exclude Catholics from your “regardless of denomination” qualifier. If you thought that Catholics could believe that “Eternal Life is found only in Him” why would you post anything at all?”
The article doesn’t even mention Christ - the only source of eternal life. Instead, it focuses exclusively (excluding Christ) on his conversion to Catholicism. They are different.
If the article was about someone converting to any denomination and didn’t mention Christ, I would post the same thing.
“Perhaps I read your post as more contentious then you intended it to be but now you seem to confirm my suspicions as you continue your attack and claim that you know my heart better than I do.”
It was not an attack on you. I quoted your words and observed how peculiar they were.
“Indeed my hope is that you and everyone else are much closer to Christ than I am and that we may even, triumphantly march together through those pearly gates after the beasts come to lop off our heads and we run out of ammo:)”
My hope is that we all know Christ, regardless of denomination. He is all that counts for eternal life.
“Well you got something right. Now why not tell that to all the protestant faiths that are caving on homosexual “marriage”, women ordaination, and have caved on abortion.
We agree on those issues. Some Catholics disagree and some Protestants disagree. I doubt we can change the minds of either.
“Catholic Church is based on the Word of God. Not a show of hands, like so many protestants base their doctrine on.
Which denomination do you have in mind that votes on doctrine?
PS-
This...
“May God Bless and protect each of us especially you, Gary and both your families on our journey towards Christ.”
Thank you and back at you too.
I do not intend to sow further discord but we all have much bigger fish to fry or it's us they will again soon(if that haven't gotten to it already) be boiling in oil. We Christians must be unified in our efforts to bring as many people to Christ as quickly as possible and not arguing about the means with which we bring them.
It should be blindingly apparent to everyone at least those here at FR, that the greatest evil of our time is being unleashed even as we speak and countless individuals are being persecuted solely for their religious beliefs. Even the non-Suni Muslims fall to the same gruesome fate as our Christian brothers and sisters. I imagine also that many of those that burden under the evil yoke of these terror clans must be held captive prisoners of their own personal fear of a horrific death as well. God have Mercy on them.
When we let these atrocities stand anywhere around the world the men that commit them continue to wreak havoc and heartache while they gain strength and numbers until they can reach our doorstep. I am not saying anything new but coexistence with evil is impossible.
The warning signs are clear enough. I humbly implore everyone to take aim at the evil that is brewing just over the horizon and not at your Christian brothers and sisters that share the same love for our brother Jesus Christ.
The Devil means us all great harm and he loves two for one deals. May we all try to keep in mind what Jesus said to His apostles when they caught other men driving out demons in His name.
Blessings to you and Good night.
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