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St. Monica  Patron Saint of Married Women and Model for Christian Mothers   Born: 333                           Died: 387   Children: Augustine, Navigius, Perpetua Feast Days: May 4, August 27 Patroness of Married Women        Our knowledge of Monica comes almost entirely from the writings of her much-loved son, the great Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine of Hippo. His relationship with his mother was a close one, especially during Monica's last years. In Book IX of St. Augustine's Confessions he gives us many details of...

It is nice to make connections which show us how the Church was always alive throughout the centuries before our own time. Today is the feast of St. Pope Sixtus III, whom you will remember as having been involved with the “Liberian Basilica�, more commonly known as St. Mary Major in Rome.Pope Sixtus has an entry in the Roman Martyrology: 6. Romae via Tiburtina iuxta Sanctum Laurentium, depositio sancti Xysti papae Tertii, qui inter Antiochenum patriarchatum et Alexandrinum dissensiones composuit atque in Urbe beatae Mariae basilicam plebi Dei dedit in Exquiliis. … At Rome in the Via Tiburtina near (the...

Former APS deputy superintendent's new job in doubtUpdated: Jul 25, 2011 8:51 AM EDT By Christopher King ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) - The former deputy superintendent of Atlanta's public schools will find out Monday whether she gets to keep her new job. The Desoto Independent School District, in a suburb of Dallas, TX, is scheduled to vote on whether to keep Kathy Augustine as its new school chief. The board selected Augustine as superintendent last spring. Her job is now in doubt following revelations that she is a key figure in the investigation stemming from allegations of widespread cheating in Atlanta...

Let us see then what Manichæus teaches me; and particularly let us examine that treatise which he calls the Fundamental Epistle, in which almost all that you believe is contained. For in that unhappy time when we read it we were in your opinion enlightened. The epistle begins thus "Manichæus, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the providence of God the Father. These are wholesome words from the perennial and living fountain." Now, if you please, patiently give heed to my inquiry. I do not believe Manichæus to be an apostle of Christ. Do not, I beg of you, be...

In this post I take Physicist Stephen Barr to task for his misquoting Saint Augustine's position on the dating of God's creation -- e.g., old or young earth" The problem with Dr. Barr’s summation is that he has failed to take into account that people’s views on matters change over time. For instance, R.C. Sproul (evangelical scholar, professor, and President of Ligonier Ministries) mentioned that through most of his teaching career he accepted the old-age position. However, late in his career he changed his position to that of the young earth creationists. For most of my teaching career, I considered...

Twice a year (Labor Day and Memorial Day) I enjoy a picnic provided by one of my former seminary professors, along with many of his former students, mostly from classes that came years after me. During that last one, I toasted my old teacher in gratitude for the fact that he had always maintained, in my defense, that one can still believe in the Bound Powers theory, in spite of the language used in Vatican II. He smirked, and asked the younger priests there if they had ever heard of the Bound Powers theory; and no one raised his hand....

Augustine: young earth creationist--theistic evolutionists take Church Father out of context --snip-- Augustine was not vague about the age of the earth, the historicity of Adam and Eve as our first ancestors, or the events in the Garden of Eden and the worldwide flood later in Genesis. However, his doctrine of creation was complex...

St. Augustine of Hippo Rome, Italy, Sep 4, 2009 / 10:08 am (CNA).- In a letter he sent Thursday to Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity,  Pope Benedict XVI has underscored that the teachings of St. Augustine are a path seeking unity with the Orthodox. The message from the Pope was sent to Cardinal Kasper as the 11th Inter-Christian Symposium gathered in Rome. The meeting was organized by the Franciscan Institute of Spirituality of the Pontifical University Antonianum and the Aristotle Orthodox Theological Faculty of Thessalonica.In his message, the Holy Father expressed his gratitude...

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Aug 30, 2009 / 11:14 am (CNA).- At Sunday’s Angelus prayer in the courtyard of Castel Gandolfo’s apostolic palace, Pope Benedict XVI recalled the previous week’s liturgical memorial of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine of Hippo and model and patron of Christian mothers. “Much is recounted about her in her son’s autobiography ‘The Confessions,’ a masterpiece among the most read works of all time,” Pope Benedict said. “There, we understand that St. Augustine imbibed the name of Jesus with maternal milk and was educated in the Christian religion by his mother, the principles of which...

Just War According to Catholic Teaching Written by Luiz Sérgio Solimeo    Thursday, April 10 2003 The Church teaches that military action is justified as a means of re-establishing order. After the brutal September 11 attacks, the United States must once again wage a war in a foreign land.As always, the problem of the legitimacy of using military action for revenge as a means of re-establishing justice comes to the fore. Thus, it is in the interest of our readers to bring to their attention the traditional Catholic doctrine on the subject.Saint Augustine (354-430)The great Saint Augustine provided the...

From the Bishop of the Diocese of Baker, Oregon, in the most recent issue (Sept. 5, 2008) of The Catholic Sentinel: I certainly commend the public official for going to Saint Augustine, a great theologian and philosopher, for views on morality but Augustine’s views need to be read and adopted in context. It is highly disingenuous, deceptive and intellectually dishonest to take this ecclesial sound bite from 1,500 years ago and treat it as if it is the last definitive word on the subject. This is particularly true since Augustine himself “vigorously condemned the practice of induced abortion” despite the...

Now that Nancy Pelosi's spokesman issues a statement in response to the slew of statements about her misrepresenting Church teaching on abortion.Father Z posts the statement and responds Madame Speaker, you can't reduce the Church's teaching to a 1500 year old sound bite which you don't understand. Maureen at Aliens in This World takes a look at the Latin of what St. Augustine said and gives us a translation and some analysis. Democrats constantly complain about what they say being taken out of context, but that is what is done with the passage Pelosi's spokesman gave.With St. Augustine's feast day...

Speaker Pelosi is deep in it now. I am still looking for a link, but Amy reports that Brendan Daly, Nancy Pelosi’s spokesman issued a statement about her remarks on Meet The Press: “The Speaker is the mother of five children and seven grandchildren and fully appreciates the sanctity of family. She was raised in a devout Catholic family who often disagreed with her pro-choice views. “After she was elected to Congress, and the choice issue became more public as she would have to vote on it, she studied the matter more closely. Her views on when life begins were...

Hello and welcome to another broadcast of the White Horse Inn as we are continuing our series "Christless Christianity," and at the heart of Christless Christianity throughout the centuries has been a heresy known as Pelagianism. I know we've talked about it on the program, sort of assuming that people were familiar with it. In this program we want to actually focus on the historical heresy that is identified with a fifth century monk who came from somewhere in Britain, probably Ireland, a lay monk arriving in Rome and he attracted a following for his austere and ascetic piety. At...

The Harmony of the Gospels, Book I Chapter 26. Of the Fact that Idolatry Has Been Subverted by the Name of Christ, and by the Faith of Christians According to the Prophecies. 40. For truly what is thus effected by Christians is not a thing which belongs only to Christian times, but one which was predicted very long ago. Those very Jews who have remained enemies to the name of Christ, and regarding whose destined perfidy these prophetic writings have not been silent, do themselves possess and peruse the prophet who says: "O Lord my God, and my refuge in...

I’ve been following with great interest the texts of Pope Benedict’s reflections during his Wednesday morning General Audiences; and it has led to some reflections which many might consider erudite, if not downright snobbish. Nevertheless . . . Popes have routinely used the weekly General Audience to focus on some kind of thematic series. John Paul II, having been pope some twenty years, ran through several themes: the Epistles of St. Paul, the theology of the body, etc. Pope Benedict’s first “flight” of General Audience themes has been a series on the Fathers of the Church, which is still ongoing....

If you happened to be in a crowded room at The Beacon Drive-In one Wednesday in late August, you would have heard a man in a suit reference Genesis Chapter 50, the book of Isaiah, and using two fish and five loaves of bread to feed thousands of people. It wasn't a sermon. It was former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a 2008 presidential contender, during a stump speech in front of a room full of Republicans. Using biblical references on the campaign trail isn't unusual, especially in the conservative core of South Carolina. Often, they can be heard when candidates...

Limbo as a concept is exiting Catholic theology. But as a word, limbo will never leave our everyday language. We and our ancestors have been using the word in a variety of ways for almost 700 years. The present position of limbo in Catholic theology is of much interest not only to Catholics, but also to the national press.Limbo was the subject of a major article in The New York Times (Dec. 28, 2005) by Ian Fisher. It was discussed in a full-page essay in Time magazine (Jan. 9, 2006). And really we should not wonder why Time’s essayist, David...

On August 26, 410, the unthinkable happened. After 900 years of impenetrable security, Rome was sacked by the Gothic army led by Alaric. St. Jerome, the translator of the Latin Vulgate, was in Palestine at the time, and wrote, "If Rome can perish, what can be safe?" Rome did not perish immediately. It would be another 66 years before the Germans deposed the last Emperor. But the shock waves of the invasion reached the city of Hippo about 450 miles southwest of Rome on the coast of North Africa where Augustine was the bishop. He was 55 years old and...

3. AUGUSTINE replied: What amazing folly, to disbelieve what Matthew records of Christ, while you believe Manichaeus! If Matthew is not to be believed because he was not present when Christ said, "I came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill," was Manichaeus present, was he even born, when Christ appeared among men? According, then, to your rule, you should not believe anything that Manichaeus says of Christ. On the other hand, we refuse to believe what Manichaeus says of Christ; not because he was not present as a witness of Christ's words and actions, but...

RENO, Nev. (AP) - The brother of the late state Controller Kathy Augustine appealed to the public Tuesday to come forward with any information that may help answer questions about her death and her husband's attempted suicide. "There have been many rumors and suspicions raised about the circumstances of Kathy's death," Philip Alfano told reporters at a news conference. "While our family hopes and prays she died of natural causes, we are extremely grateful an investigation has been launched," he said. "Our family requests that anyone with any information that could assist investigators with this task, please come forward." Alfano,...

The husband of state Controller Kathy Augustine apparently tried to kill himself Friday morning, as suspicions surfaced about the circumstances surrounding his wife's unexpected death. Chaz Higgs, 42, slit his wrists about 10:30 a.m. in the Las Vegas home he had shared with Augustine, according to Las Vegas police. Paramedics took him to University Medical Center, which had discharged him by evening. Final autopsy results have not been released, but Reno Police Deputy Chief Jim Johns confirmed Friday that preliminary autopsy indications were that "there wasn't evidence of long-term heart disease." Reno police and the state Division of Investigation were...

In the ancient world books were rare. If you had a book, you were probably wealthy. If you got your hands on a book, you had to remember what you read because you might not ever see that particular book again. There would be public readings of books so that more people could hear them. People had to read aloud, actually, to help their memory. The more senses you could involve, the easier it was to remember the material. This holds true today! But, in the ancient world, everyone who read, read aloud. There is a famous moment recounted by...

Nevada's State Controller Kathy Augustine has died after suffering a massive heart attack. Augustine died Tuesday afternoon surrounded by her family at a hospital in Reno. Augustine, who was 50, had been on a respirator, in critical condition since her heart attack on Saturday. Her husband, Chaz Higgs, found her and administered CPR. Higgs says his wife had no signs or symptoms of heart problems, but says the stress of running for State Treasurer and maintaining a busy schedule took a toll on his wife. Augustine was the only state constitutional officer to be impeached while in office. The Nevada...

A two-fer this week; first, a picture of the strong Augustine eruption that happened Sunday. The linked page goes to the page with numerous IMPRESSIVE pictures of this year's activity. Part 2: "The River Wild" was on TV this weekend. I searched and found that the two rivers it was filmed on were in Montana. One of the rivers is the Kootenai River, featuring Kootenai Falls. According to the caption for this picture, Kootenai Falls at this stage is "runnable".

The level of seismicity remains high at present and ash emission is continuing. An explosive event occured at 11:17 AKST (20:17 UTC)that lasted approximately 5.5 minutes. The reported height of this cloud varied, from greater than 50,000 ft above sea level on the basis of pilot reports, to 25,000 ft from the National Weather Service radar. An AVO observation flight is in the air and at 12:20 AST (21:20 UTC) reported that the cloud is moving SW. Please see the following link for more information about ash cloud heights and trajectories: http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/augustine.php

Though this picture isn't from the Web site below, the first picture I found of this waterfall is from the Web site below. The second link is Amazing Planet's picture of Chamarel Falls. Amazing Planet has a lot of great nature photography, and I may borrow a couple more from there in the future. Amazing Planet Chamarel Falls, Mauritius In other news, the link below is to the USGS site for Augustine volcano (Alaska). They have a Webcam located on Augustine Island itself. Every now and then (it refreshes every 30 minutes), you can get a glimpse of the...

ALASKA VOLCANO OBSERVATORY INFORMATION RELEASE Tuesday, January 17, 2006 8:00 AM AKST (1700 UTC) AUGUSTINE VOLCANO (CAVW#1103-01-) 59.3633°N 153.4333°W, Summit Elevation 4134 ft (1260 m) Current Level of Concern Color Code: RED A strong seismic signal began at approximately 7:58 AST, marking an the onset of an explosive eruption of Augustine. We are changing the level of concern color code from ORANGE to RED. AVO is monitoring the situation closely and will issue further updates as new information and analyses become available.

Introduction John Cassian was a zealous monk whose theology (unfortunately, one might say) has been massively influential on the church’s understanding of the whole of the gospel since the fifth century. His particular theology (commonly known as semi-Pelagianism), which was developed largely in response to Augustine’s doctrines of predestination, grace, and free will, has been adopted by many Christians—academics, clergy and lay people alike—throughout the centuries.Two major influences were at work in Cassian’s life and teachings. First, Greek neo-platonic philosophical theology shaped his understanding of anthropology in a way that prevented him from being able to engage Augustine on the...

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – Alaska Airlines announced it has canceled 28 flights scheduled to operate this afternoon through Saturday morning as a result of the Mt. Augustine volcano eruption. The airline has canceled flights as a safety precaution related to the possibility of volcanic ash existing at altitude. Starting at 3 p.m. Alaska time today, the airline will not operate scheduled flights between Anchorage, Alaska, and the following cities: Chicago; Juneau and Kodiak, Alaska; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle. In addition, the airline will not operate scheduled flights between Fairbanks and Seattle. Alaska Airlines expects to resume these...

UPDATE: The National Weather Service reports that Augustine Volcano erupted again around 11:30 a.m. today. HOMER - An explosive eruption of Augustine Volcano just before 9 a.m. Friday morning reportedly sent ash eight to ten miles into the sky, following closely on a somewhat smaller eruption earlier in the day. More eruptions are possible today, scientists said. Ash from the explosions was drifting slowly toward the southern Kenai Peninsula. Flights were not being diverted as of mid-morning, according to aviation officials. But airliners flying into Alaska from the east were being spaced farther apart so that they could safely change...

AUGUSTINE VOLCANO (CAVW#1103-01-) 59.3633°N 153.4333°W, Summit Elevation 4134 ft (1260 m) Current Level of Concern Color Code: ORANGE The level of Concern Color Code for Augustine Volcano is now RED At 4:44 a.m. (AST) this morning, AVO began recording seismic signals interpreted as explosions at the summit of Augustine Volcano that likely mark the onset of an eruption. The current activity may be emitting ash, steam, and volcanic gases. If the volcano follows a pattern similar to the 1976 and 1986 eruptions, we would expect a further intensification of seismic activity prior to a larger explosive event. It is also...

AUGUSTINE VOLCANO (CAVW#1103-01-) 59.3633°N 153.4333°W, Summit Elevation 4134 ft (1260 m) Current Level of Concern Color Code: ORANGE The level of Concern Color Code for Augustine Volcano is now ORANGE. Over the past six hours, earthquake activity beneath Augustine has increased markedly. AVO considers this activity indicative of a heightened possibility of an explosive eruption within hours to days. AVO is monitoring the situation closely and will issue further updates as new information and analyses become available. Onsite staffing at AVO has now expanded to 24 hour operations. Further information on Augustine Volcano and related hazards and response plans can...

Pope Benedict XVI may try to "save eros," in the first encyclical of his papacy, Chicago's Cardinal Francis George told the Chicago Sun-Times. George expects the new pope will try to explain that erotic love, eros, and unconditional love, agape, are both inherently good in God's eyes in his encyclical titled "Deus, Caritas Est," Latin for "God is Love." An encyclical is a pope's most authoritative document, a pastoral letter circulated to the universal church. Letter talks about Christ The cardinal has not yet seen Benedict XVI's encyclical, which is expected to be released by the Vatican within days, but...

WARNING: Chances of a tsunami set off by Augustine called small, but real. HOMER -- With Augustine Volcano rumbling, scientists and government officials have finally agreed on what series of events will be necessary to evacuate the Homer Spit and other low-lying coastal areas in lower Cook Inlet. Disputes over the likelihood of a tsunami from an Augustine eruption -- even doubt over whether such a wave reported in 1883 ever occurred -- had a half-dozen public agencies and scientific groups at loggerheads last winter. But those differences got hammered out in meetings this week, as tremors on Augustine have...

I posted this as the Geology Picture of the Week, but I felt that it's "newsworthy" enough for the Activism side. Geology Picture of the Week, December 18-24, 2005: Augustine Volcano Erupts (Alaska)

Here's a couple pictures of Augustine from ground level or air. I seem to remember that the late Kraffts (famous and somewhat reckless volcano photographers) did some nuee ardente photography on the slopes of Augustine. However, they were unsatisfied with the results, so later on they went to Mount Unzen in Japan, and a larger-than-expected nuee ardente incinerated them. If you play with fire... 1986 Eruption A nuee ardente heads downslope On a quieter day

Homer, Alaska - Scientists from the Alaska Volcano Observatory are keeping a close eye on a sleeping giant tonight. That's because the Augustine volcano 60 miles outside of Homer appears to be re-awakening. In Homer, geologists set out a new instrument to monitor the volcano. That instrument is a television camera which is now providing live images you can see on the webcam, images of Augustine. KTUU recorded this image a few hours ago while it was still light out. As you can see, the volcano looks quiet. There is no steam emanating from the summit. But tonight no one...

AUGUSTINE VOLCANO (CAVW#1103-01-) 59.3633°N 153.4333°W, Summit Elevation 4134 ft (1260 m) Current Level of Concern Color Code: YELLOW Previous Level of Concern Color Code: GREEN AVO has detected important changes in earthquake activity and ground deformation at Augustine Volcano in southern Cook Inlet. These data are consistent with renewed volcanic unrest. AVO is therefore raising the level-of-concern color code from green to YELLOW and will continue to monitor activity closely. There is no indication that an eruption is imminent or certain. Beginning in May 2005, there has been a slow increase in the number of earthquakes located under Augustine Volcano....

"It is Augustine who gave us the Reformation." So wrote B. B. Warfield in his assessment of the influence of Augustine on church history. It is not only that Luther was an Augustinian monk, or that Calvin quoted Augustine more than any other theologian that provoked Warfield's remark. Rather, it was that the Reformation witnessed the ultimate triumph of Augustine's doctrine of grace over the legacy of the Pelagian view of man. Humanism, in all its subtle forms, recapitulates the unvarnished Pelagianism against which Augustine struggled. Though Pelagius was condemned as a heretic by Rome, and its modified form, Semi-Pelagianism...

ROME, MAY 2, 2005 (Zenit.org).- ZENIT is reprinting this message that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Benedict XVI) sent to a meeting of the ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation in August 2002. The group was meeting in Rimini, Italy. * * * "The Feeling of Things, the Contemplation of Beauty" By Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger Every year, in the Liturgy of the Hours for the Season of Lent, I am struck anew by a paradox in Vespers for Monday of the Second Week of the Psalter. Here, side by side, are two antiphons, one for the Season of Lent, the other for...

In that book, Joseph Ratzinger describes how he prefers Augustine to Thomas Aquinas, "whose crystal-clear logic seemed to me to be too closed in on itself, too impersonal and ready-made." Anyone familiar with Augustine and Aquinas would at least pause to reflect on this remark from a man characterized in the press as an inquisitor, rottweiler, enforcer. Augustine is the more mystical personality, closer in some ways to the "new age" impulses of our times. In the writings of Augustine, arguably the most complex mind Christianity has produced, the exercise of deep faith carries with it the possibility of what...

Pelagius: To Demetriasby Deacon Geoffrey Ó Riada Introduction A Brief Life of Pelagius The Letter to Demetrias History and Text Content and Analysis Conclusion Endnotes Bibliography Introduction Few churchmen have been so maligned as Pelagius in the Christian West. For nearly 1,500 years, all that anyone has known of the British monk's theology has come from what his opponents said about him — and when one's opponents are as eminent as Augustine and Jerome, the chance of getting a fair hearing is not great. Consequently, it has been easy to lay all manner of pernicious heresies at Pelagius's doorstep. Only...

CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Senate on Saturday convicted the state controller of using state equipment for her 2002 re-election campaign, but dismissed two other counts that could have led to her removal from office. Senators voted to issue a censure -- an official reprimand -- against Kathy Augustine after convicting the two-term Republican on a 14-7 vote -- the minimum two-thirds majority needed. Augustine, the first state official impeached in Nevada history, was in tears after the other counts were dropped.

On Plato, the Early Church, and Modern Science: An Eclectic Meditation By Jean F. Drew God, purposing to make the universe most nearly like the every way perfect and fairest of intelligible beings, created one visible living being, containing within itself all living beings of the same natural order. Thus does Plato (d. 347 B.C.) succinctly describe how all that exists is ultimately a single, living organism. At Timaeus20, he goes on to say: “There exists: first, the unchanging form, uncreated and indestructible, admitting no modification and entering no combination … second, that which bears the same name as the...

The Purpose of the Sword A review of Just War Against Terror: The Burden of American Power in a Violent World, by Jean Bethke Elshtain All Christian writing on war leads back through Aquinas and Augustine to Paul's famous remark in Romans (13, 4) that all power is from God, that the Emperor "beareth not the sword in vain." We can reach pretty much the same conclusion in Aristotle who tells us that coercion is added to the law when it (the law) is not in public being observed by those with disordered souls (1180a22). Augustine saw no problem...

St. Augustine, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church (354-430), wrote the City of God, where he describes the fight between the sons of light and the sons of darkness as the axis of History. His thinking established the foundation for Christendom and Christian Civilization. Comments of Prof. Plinio: Reading the works of St. Augustine is one of the greatest pleasures a man can have. The Confessions is a wonderful and highly edifying book from many points of view. In it, St. Augustine describes the moral abysses of pride and sensuality into which he had fallen and narrates how he...

On August 24, 410 A.D., the Visigoths, led by Alaric, sacked Rome. For the people of late antiquity, August 24 was even more traumatic than September 11 was for us. Rome, the capital of the greatest empire the world had ever known, was plundered by barbarians, people Rome regarded as uncouth and inferior. In North Africa, these events prompted a Christian bishop to start writing about the lessons Christians should take away from the destruction of Rome. The result was a book that is every bit as relevant for our day as it was for his: The City of God...

Augustine's account of his early life of wrongdoing would not shock very many in America today. His sins in the fourth century are the same grave transgressions suffered by far too many of us in the 21st century. Sic faciunt omnes — concupiscence of the flesh, renunciation of the Catholic Faith and the embracing of modernism (heresy). [1] What would shock many in America today would be the transformation he made from sinfulness to Sainthood, and not without a tributary of tearful petitions from his holy mother, Monica, to God, the Father of Mercy. As a beloved Son who imitated...

The Life of St. Morgan of Wales AKA Pelagius   Early Life and Education St. Morgan of Wales is more commonly known by his Latin name Pelagius Britto -- indicating his association with the sea and Celtic British origins. He was born around 360 A.D. in South Wales in Bangor-is-y-coed or Caerlleon-ar-wsyg near the Severn estuary. He came from a Christian romanized Celtic background, the son of a decurion. Morgan received a Latin education and was taught Holy Scriptures, inheriting the Celtic tradition which had links with the Church of Gaul and the Eastern Church. An emphasis was placed on...