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Help, my son is not learning anything about traditional Catholic doctrine in his 6th Grade CCD class. For instance, he does not even know what the Immaculate Conception is. They talk about the Readings and the Gospel verse for Mass that day which is okay, but he needs to learn to the tenets of the Faith. It looks like I will have to do it, not that I mind at all. I contacted Tan Books based on EWTN's recommendation, and I ordered a book but have yet to hear back from them. Is there another good book source I can...

Washington’s Archbishop Donald Wuerl has published a letter in his diocesan newspaper, and sent a copy of the statement to all pastors for them to use, stating that his opposition to same-sex union is not rooted in anti-gay prejudices. “Our support for marriage is not meant to discriminate against any individual or family,” Archbishop Wuerl wrote. “The Catechism of the Catholic Church upholds the dignity of every person and condemns any form of unjust discrimination (2358).”The statement articulates the Church’s teaching on the traditional marriage but goes on to say: “For our parishioners who are homosexual, I recognize that the...

Washington D.C., Aug 28, 2009 / 06:19 am (CNA).- The Vatican has given a “recognitio” to a change in the U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults which clarifies Catholic teaching about the Jews’ covenant with God, the U.S. bishops said.The first version of the catechism, in its discussion of God’s covenant with the Jews, said “Thus the covenant that God made with the Jewish people through Moses remains eternally valid for them.”The revision reads “To the Jewish people, whom God first chose to hear his Word, ‘belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and...

“These Words” (The Sacrament of the Altar)Tonight we conclude our series on “The Six Chief Parts of Lenten Catechesis.” So far we’ve been following the Catechism in looking at the basics of the Christian faith and life: The Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and Confession. That brings us tonight to the Sacrament of the Altar. Everything we want to say about the Sacrament tonight we can find in the words with which Christ institutes this holy meal. Which words? These words: “Take eat; this is my body, which is given for you. This...

“Frequently Asked Questions about an Infrequently Used Practice” (Confession)Often when you go to a website or read a pamphlet about an organization, a company, a product, or a service, you will find a page called, “FAQs.” “FAQs” are “Frequently Asked Questions,” questions people usually have when they start to consider whatever it is that’s being talked about. The FAQ format is a helpful way to introduce a new or unfamiliar organization, product, etc. Tonight I’m going to use the FAQ format for this message, because tonight I’m going to introduce you to a church practice that may be new or...

“It Works” (The Sacrament of Holy Baptism)The Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer. Tonight, in our series on the Catechism, the basics of the Christian faith, we come to the sacraments. We begin, fittingly enough, with the sacrament with which we begin the Christian life, namely, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. I think all that I want to say about Holy Baptism tonight I can include under a heading of just two words: “It Works.” It works! It is effective. It actually does something--quite a lot, really. Holy Baptism works, and it works in your life. Tonight, then, we...

“A Prayer That Sums It All Up” (The Lord’s Prayer)Suppose you were commanded by God and invited by God to pray for all the needs you have and all the gifts he has to give you. Think of that! All of your needs, all of his gifts. And you have to put it all into a prayer. How long would it take you to pray for all those things? How many hours, how many thousands of words? Well, the answer is, about 30 seconds and 70 words. 30 seconds? 70 words? How can you possibly cover all of God’s gifts...

“To Know and Believe in God” (The Creed)The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, in a big national survey last year--the Pew Survey found that 92% of Americans say they “believe in God or a universal spirit.” 92%! Well, whoop-te-do. Big deal. That doesn’t really say much. Who is this God you believe in? Allah, the false god of the Muslims? Sorry, I bear witness that there is no god called Allah, and Mohammed is his false prophet. Is this “god” you believe in some depersonalized “universal spirit” or “higher power”? That won’t do you any good, either. Is...

“Aware of an Idol” (The Ten Commandments)As we noted, today we begin the season of Lent. In church history, and particularly in our Lutheran tradition, there are several major themes associated with Lent, which often form the basis for services within this season. For example, penitence, repentance, is certainly a Lenten theme, and especially is that so on this first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday. Another Lenten focus is the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, drawn from all four gospels or from just one gospel. Tracking the Passion narrative often is done over a series of midweek Lenten services--we...

The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas THE TENTH ARTICLE: "The Communion of Saints, the Forgiveness of Sins." As in our natural body the operation of one member works for the good of the entire body, so also is it with a spiritual body, such as is the Church. Because all the faithful are one body, the good of one member is communicated to another: "And every one members, one of another."[1] So, among the points of faith which the Apostles have handed down is that there is a common sharing of good in the Church. This is expressed in...

The Catechism of St. Thomas Aquinas The Apostles' Creed WHAT IS FAITH? The Nature and Effects of Faith.--The first thing that is necessary for every Christian is faith, without which no one is truly called a faithful Christian.[1] Faith brings about four good effects. The first is that through faith the soul is united to God, and by it there is between the soul and God a union akin to marriage. "I will espouse thee in faith."[2] When a man is baptized the first question that is asked him is: "Do you believe in God?"[3] This is because Baptism...

Choices are what send people to hell Saturday, September 6, 2008 As an ardent Roman Catholic, I am disappointed by the fact that 41 percent of the 35,000 respondents in the recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life do not believe in hell. I am even more disappointed, however, by the fact that the Religion News Service's article on this question, printed in the Aug. 29 Faith & Values section, "For Americans, belief in hell both ebbing, changing," relied exclusively on Dominican Sister Carmella Conway for the Catholic theological teaching on hell. While Sister Conway is...

PART ONETHE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION TWO THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CHAPTER ONEI BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ARTICLE I "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH" Paragraph 4. The Creator 279 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."116 Holy Scripture begins with these solemn words. The profession of faith takes them up when it confesses that God the Father almighty is "Creator of heaven and earth" (Apostles' Creed), "of all that is, seen and unseen" (Nicene Creed). We shall speak first of the Creator, then of creation and finally...

PART ONETHE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION TWO THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CHAPTER ONEI BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ARTICLE I "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH" Paragraph 4. The Creator 279 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."116 Holy Scripture begins with these solemn words. The profession of faith takes them up when it confesses that God the Father almighty is "Creator of heaven and earth" (Apostles' Creed), "of all that is, seen and unseen" (Nicene Creed). We shall speak first of the Creator, then of creation and finally...

PART ONETHE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION TWOTHE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CHAPTER ONE I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHERARTICLE I "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH" Paragraph 2. The FatherI. "IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT" 232 Christians are baptized "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"53 Before receiving the sacrament, they respond to a three-part question when asked to confess the Father, the Son and the Spirit: "I do." "The faith of all Christians rests...

PART ONE THE PROFESSION OF FAITH SECTION ONE"I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE" CHAPTER THREEMAN'S RESPONSE TO GOD 142 By his Revelation, "the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them, in order to invite and receive them into his own company."1 The adequate response to this invitation is faith. 143 By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God.2With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, "the obedience of faith".3 ARTICLE...

ARTICLE 3 SACRED SCRIPTUREI. CHRIST - THE UNIQUE WORD OF SACRED SCRIPTURE 101 In order to reveal himself to men, in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human words: "Indeed the words of God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human language, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself the flesh of human weakness, became like men."63 102 Through all the words of Sacred Scripture, God speaks only one single Word, his one Utterance in whom he expresses himself completely:64 You recall that one...

CHAPTER TWOTHE TRADITION OF PRAYER ARTICLE 2THE WAY OF PRAYER In the living tradition of prayer, each Church proposes to its faithful, according to its historic, social, and cultural context, a language for prayer: words, melodies, gestures, iconography. The Magisterium of the Church15 has the task of discerning the fidelity of these ways of praying to the tradition of apostolic faith; it is for pastors and catechists to explain their meaning, always in relation to Jesus Christ. Prayer to the Father There is no other way of Christian prayer than Christ. Whether our prayer is communal or personal, vocal or...

Lesson 6: Angels and Devils "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the ancients;  and the number of them was thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:  The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and benediction."   (Apocalypse 5:11-12) What is an angel?    An angel is a spirit, that is, a creature who does not have a body. Is an angel a real person?    Yes, because an angel has a mind and a...

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all in these days hath spoken to us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the world."  (Hebrews 1:1) What is the Bible?    A collection of writings which were inspired by God. "All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice, that the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work."    (2 Timothy 3:16-17) What does "inspired...

Lesson 1: Religion What is the purpose of these lessons?    To fill in what is missing in the lives of so many people - the knowledge and practice of true religion.     "The heart of the wise seeketh instruction:  and the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness."    (Proverbs 15:14). Why is religion the most important study?    Because God expects you to know what He has taught and what He wants you to do in this life.     "Let no man deceive himself:   if any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him become a...

It is not easy to be a Christian. To be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect, is a directive which should instill both awe and humility into its hearers. Likewise, commandments to love our neighbors and pray for our enemies are also tall orders, which, without the grace of God, would be almost impossible to obey. As difficult as Christian living is, it's harder still to be a Catholic. Though the Holy Church is a gift and a blessing from God and ultimately, a gateway to eternal life, its ways are never easy, nor were they promised to be....

Q. 1052. What is a sacramental? A. A sacramental is anything set apart or blessed by the Church to excite good thoughts and to increase devotion, and through these movements of the heart to remit venial sin. Q. 1053. How do the Sacramentals excite good thoughts and increase devotion? A. The Sacramentals excite good thoughts by recalling to our minds some special reason for doing good and avoiding evil; especially by reminding us of some holy person, event or thing through which blessings have come to us. They increase devotion by fixing our minds on particular virtues and by helping...

In Defense of Creedalism Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.We live in a non-creedal age. By and large conservative Christians dimin­ish the importance of creeds and confessions of faith. As a matter of fact, many non­-creedalists do not simply dismiss creeds as unimportant for maintaining biblical Christianity, they decry them as positively antithetical to it. Such a position is not simply “non-creedal,” but rather “anti-creedal.”Many factors are at work generating this anti-creedal sentiment today. Among these we may list the following:an increasing permeation of society with a relativistic, existential concern for the moment; a loss of a sense of the significance...

Question 12 of The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church now asks the following: "What is Apostolic Tradition?" Answer: "Apostolic Tradition is the transmission of the message of Christ, brought about from the very beginnings of Christianity by means of preaching, bearing witness, institutions, worship, and inspired writings. The Apostles transmitted all they received from Christ and learned from the Holy Spirit to their successors, the bishops, and through them to all generations until the end of the world." The notion of Sola Scriptura, or "Scripture alone", as the definitive source of all that is genuine, all that...

The first official catechism produced by the United States Catholic Bishops since the creation of the Baltimore Catechism, will be available this week. The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, available from USCCB Publishing, is an adaptation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1992. At that time, the Pope urged that local catechisms be developed to better address specific situations and cultural realities in different countries. This catechism reports to do just that. Unlike the Baltimore Catechism with its 421 questions and answers, the new catechism is aimed specifically at adults and...

Via Ignatius Insight: The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is now online on the Vatican website (hat tip: Pontifications). It is an excellent resource....The Compendium is far less intimidating for many readers because, of course, it is much shorter than the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The question and answer format is perfect for teaching and leading groups. And it is a very attractive volume, with reproductions of sacred art, commentary on the theological meaning of those pieces of art, and reproductions of numerous prayers (in both English and Latin). In addition to the Compendium, there...

Catholic News Service CHICAGO (CNS) -- Mary Zilligan Becker, a Chicago-area Catholic, does not view her chance encounter with a military chaplain stationed in Iraq as a mere coincidence. In January, Becker was asked by a friend without a computer to send an e-mail for her to a priest friend, Father John Hannigan, a chaplain with the U.S. Marine Corps. Father Hannigan, who was ordained in the Chicago Archdiocese in 1976, now has a 30,000-square-mile "parish" that reaches west from Baghdad and Fallujah to the borders of Syria and Jordan. He lives with soldiers, sailors, Marines and Seabees. At every...

Grand Rapids, Jun. 16, 2006 (CNA) - While the U.S. Catholic Bishops are currently meeting to discuss slight changes to the mass, delegates of the Christian Reformed Church in West Michigan are discussing how to resolve a historic condemnation of the Catholic mass, which appears in their Heidelberg Catechism. The Protestant catechism declares that the Catholic mass is “a condemnable idolatry” and, essentially, that it denies that Christ's crucifixion paid for humanity's sins once and for all. But delegates to the CRC Synod spent about three hours Wednesday attempting to tone down the 1563 Protestant doctrine, reported The Grand Rapids...

Interview With Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli ROME, JUNE 9, 2006 (Zenit.org).- New methods are needed to catechize believers in the truths of the Eucharist, says Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli. The monsignor, an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and member of the editorial commission of the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is author of "L'Eucaristia, dono incomparabile di Dio agli uomini" (The Eucharist, Incomparable Gift of God to People), published by Ediciones San Clemente. In this interview with ZENIT, Monsignor Martinelli explains how he has worked to meet an increasing need for catechesis. Q: What...

The Da Vinci Code is only a novel. It is not a source of serious information, but it does raise some serious questions. 1. Was Jesus Christ really married? Yes. Jesus was married to the Church. In the New Testament, Jesus is frequently referred to as the Bridegroom, and St. Paul tells us: “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. This is a tremendous mystery. I’m applying it to Christ and the Church.” (Ephesians 5:31-32) In fact, the Christian vocation is nothing less than an invitation...

The Da Vinci CatechismThe Da Vinci Code is only a novel. It is not a source of serious information, but it does raise some serious questions. 1. Was Jesus Christ really married?Yes. Jesus was married to the Church. In the New Testament, Jesus is frequently referred to as the Bridegroom, and St. Paul tells us: “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. This is a tremendous mystery. I’m applying it to Christ and the Church.” (Ephesians 5:31-32) In fact, the Christian vocation is nothing less than...

WASHINGTON, D.C., FEB. 7, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The new Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be available starting March 31, says the U.S. bishops' conference. The 200-page synthesis of the 1992 Catechism will be published exclusively by USCCB Publishing, the publishing office of the episcopate. USCCB Publishing will launch the Compendium in English and Spanish at the 2006 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. The paperback version will be available first with the hardcover to follow shortly after. The Compendium consists of 598 questions and answers, echoing to some degree the format of the popular Baltimore Catechism which was...

THIBODAUX, January 27, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Bishop of a Louisiana diocese has misrepresented the Catholic teaching on homosexuality in a statement about one of his priests appearing in a local newspaper report. In early January, Rev. Jim Morrison, announced in a letter to his parishioners that he was a celibate homosexual, saying that he no longer felt comfortable keeping his secret while advising others to be open. Morrison is a long-serving priest and is currently pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on the Nicholls State University campus in Thibodaux. Bishop Sam G. Jacobs of Houma-Thibodaux in a statement...

by Rich Leonardi Contributing Author Other Articles by Rich LeonardiContact this Author The Compendium’s Promise 10/26/05 This fall marks the release of the long-awaited Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, providing us an opportunity to take stock of the state of catechesis in the Church in America and to examine the potential of this new teaching tool. As its name suggests, the Compendium is based on the longer Catechism of the Catholic Church. Sales of the Catechism (CCC), first released in 1992, have been impressive, with at least 8 million sold worldwide. Catechetical elites wrongly claimed that the Catechism...

Pope Benedict XVI offered a rare glimpse into his past Saturday and gave a small lesson in Catholicism to children who attended his first youth rally at St. Peter's Square; an event that was reminiscent of the gatherings inspired by Pope John Paul II. Benedict recalled the sunny, "beautiful Sunday" in 1939 that he made his First Communion at the age of 9, telling an estimated 150,000 children and their parents he had begun a "lifelong friendship with Jesus" that he hoped the children would also enjoy. "So I went forward in my life, and thanks to God, the Lord...

Father Jeffrey T. Robideau, a priest of the Diocese of Lansing, Mich., has written a short 45-page book titled Homosexuality: A Look at Catholic Teaching. He has been gracious enough to allow me to print excerpts from his book, which is based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. First excerpt: Knowing that homosexuality is the desire for a perverted relationship with someone of the same sex, the Catechism states the ‘psychological genesis remains largely unexplained.’ We know that the problem lies in the thinking and in the heart as Scripture says in Mt 15:10. This leaves the question - Why and...

Every once in a while, a case comes along that makes me truly grateful to be a Catholic. Our Holy Mother Church has been looking out for us and trying to keep us out of trouble, even when we chafe at her constraints. But when I see the trouble people get themselves into, I am grateful for our Holy Mother’s foresight. That is how I felt when I read the California Supreme Court’s ruling on the April 22 case, K.M v. E.G. Perhaps you don’t remember a case by that name, but surely you remember the headlines: “California Establishes Lesbian...

When I personally think of the word “catechism” I immediately associate it with a sister asking me prepared questions about God. All of us have probably gone through this routine because, until the last 20-30 years not much changed in our church from the days of St. Josephat and that was 500 hundred years ago. The History Actually it is more or less the same in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1566, St Charles Borromeo, at the wish of the Council of Trent, published a Catholic Catechism. This was divided into four sections – faith, sacraments, the Commandments and prayer....

A Catechism for the Culture of the ImageThe new "Compendium" of Catholic doctrine includes fourteen masterpieces of painting from both the East and the West. And the pope has explained why. Timothy Verdon: "Benedict XVI has done justice to Christian art" by Sandro Magister ROMA, July 5, 2005 – There is an unexpected novelty in the new "Compendium" of the catechism of the Catholic Church presented by Benedict XVI on June 28. It features prominently, in full color, fourteen sacred images. As the pope has explained, the images are not there purely for the sake of illustration. They are an...

A long time ago in a church, far, far away, a vicar and his flock sang their final hymn to the theme tune of the Star Wars saga. Well, not that long ago, or far away, really. Last week, in fact, in West Yorkshire, a parish church held a special service to mark the release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It seems that in an increasingly secular Britain, vicars are turning to the Force to keep church attendance figures high, and to attract that crucial youth market. Reverend Paul Walker explained that the service was inspired...

Every Catholic on Earth is a sinner. From this writer up to and including the newly installed Pope Benedict XVI. That we have the church to steer us to our redeemer through the sacrament of penance and reconciliation to forgive our sins, is a precious gift of grace from God. It is this belief, along with many others, that unites us to what we call the one true church. During the last few weeks, we have seen numerous images of Catholics from around the world converging on Rome to worship God and to pray. People of different colors, dress and...

Catholic teachings for those who've drifted away The Catholic Church in the United States is on the way to having its first national catechism since the old Baltimore Catechism that children memorized for 80 years. But this new one is aimed at adults - specifically young adults who have left the church or are on the brink of falling away. "It was a labor of love," said Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh, who shepherded the text through four years, three drafts and more than 10,000 suggested amendments from fellow bishops. "We are trying to reach so many of those young...

Amchurch Bishops Come up with Another Phony Catechism From: Fr. Moderator Donald Wuerl, Newchurch Bishop of Pittsburgh Theological Bojanles Writes Amchurch "Catechism" Newvatican Previously Found Him So Ignorant of Canon Law That He Was Sent back to Remediation School If you thought that the New Order would stop after its Vatican II Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992 (well, that was the year of its first version at least), were you wrong! Although the Novus Ordinarians quote that travesty as if it were Holy Writ, the Vatican II catechism is so full of mistakes and "nuancing" of true Catholic...

WASHINGTON (November 8, 2004) — The U.S. bishops are slated to vote on an adult catechism during their annual Washington meeting, November 15-18, at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill. The publication, which will be known as the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, will be the nation’s first national catechism intended for adults and has been in preparation since June 2000. It was developed under the oversight of the Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism, chaired by Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans. This Committee was aided in its work by an Editorial Board...

(Kersten, The Heidelberg Catechism in 52 Sermons, Vol.2, Part 13) The Required Obedience to the Authorities God Has Set Over Us Lord's Day 39 Psalter No. 207 st. 4 Read Proverbs 31 Psalter No. 333 st. 1, 2, 3, 4 Psalter No. 40 st. 2, 3 Psalter No. 90 st. 6, 7 Beloved, No one can lengthen or shorten his life as determined by God's eternal counsel. Job says in the 14th chapter, "Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with Thee, Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass". God has determined the days...

(Kersten, The Heidelberg Catechism in 52 Sermons, Vol.2, Part 12) Keeping the Lord's Day Holy Lord's Day 38 Psalter No. 420 st. 1 Read Matthew 11:11-30 Psalter No. 348 st. 1, 2, 3 Psalter No. 227 st. 1 Psalter No. 250 st. 1 & 5 Beloved, In the passage of Scripture which was read to you, the Lord invites those who labor and are heavy laden, saying, "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest." The Lord did not mean those who labor physically, or those who are laden with external difficulties. This is very clear from the sharp...

St. John Leonardi St. John Leonardi was born in Tuscany, Italy in 1541, during the time of upheaval in the Church due to Martin Luther. He studied to be a pharmacist, then became a priest. As a young priest he devoted himself to teaching catechism to youths. In 1574, he founded the Order of the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca, a congregation of diocesan priests. He suffered many tribulations for this work, including exile. His contemporary, St. Philip Neri, was a great friend and spiritual guide, and helped him particularly in his time of exile. Gradually...

Can anyone point me in the direction of good books on the catechism, apologetics or the traditional faith that are intelligent, interesting and wouldn't be "off-puttting" to someone who has an interest in traditional Catholicism? I've read St. Joseph's Baltimore, but I'm wondering what else is out there or if anyone has any further recommendations. This person is very special to me and I would like her to understand the faith and why traditionalists practice the faith as they do. She's a baptized Catholic who is currently very interested in tradition. This is not to offend Novus Ordo attendees, but...

The world just learned that "Catholic" actress Brooke Shields is the proud mother of a new baby girl. For a long time infertility problems made it impossible for her and her husband to conceive, and after many failed attempts to conceive naturally she resorted to the technological solution: in vitro fertilization (IVF). Now she is pictured on the covers of glamorous magazines with a smiling beautiful baby girl, but some have questioned her decision to use IVF. I am one of them. Was this star wrong to have a "test tube" baby? Yes. Dead wrong. While recognizing the pain of...