Catholic Transcript Online

During his homily at the Mass pro eligendo Romano Pontifice (for the election of the Roman Pontiff) on April 18, 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger cautioned his fellow cardinals that John Paul II’s successor would have to deal with an emerging "dictatorship of relativism" throughout the Western world: the use of coercive state power to impose an agenda of dramatic moral deconstruction on all of society.

HARWINTON – Few of us ever think of ourselves as privileged. Until we’re not.

The last light to go out during storm Alfred was the LED digital clock on our DVD player. For half a second after the rest of the house was plunged into darkness on the evening of Oct. 29, the DVD clock glowed 8:32.

Dr. Haas responds:

Dr. Paul Byrne, a valiant pro-life physician, opposes current Catholic teaching on the moral legitimacy of determining death using cardiopulmonary or neurological criteria. He objects specifically to the use of neurological criteria for determining death prior to the extraction of vital organs for transplantation. Dr. Byrne insists that a body with a brain that is dead but with a heart which is kept beating artificially is a live person. However, this is the very question being debated. Are we dealing with a corpse or a living person?

The following is a response to a story in the May issue about a talk Dr. John Haas gave on April 3 at Holy Apostles College and Seminary:

John Haas, in his Connecticut presentation, quoted the Aug. 29, 2000, Address of Blessed John Paul II but ignored subsequent statements by Pope John Paul II in defense of life and a more recent statement by Pope Benedict XVI.

There are so many subjects that divide parents, and I think choosing to pay for an education is right near the top.

My husband and I made a last-minute decision about four years ago to send our daughter to a Catholic school. Even though she had been in formal daycare, she had been terrified at the kindergarten orientation at the local public school, so we had to reconsider our options, looking at all of the elements.

I can assure you, we haven’t looked back. Not only are there no regrets, but we are incredibly glad the situation presented itself.

During the waning days of the legislative session, the Connecticut House of Representatives blindly rejected an amendment that would have created a tax credit for corporations that donate to scholarship programs. This is the first school choice vote considered by the Connecticut General Assembly in 18 years.

The amendment, which was offered by Rep. Christopher Coutu (R-Norwich), failed mostly along party lines by a 98 to 44 vote (Republicans favored the proposal). The proposal was co-sponsored by almost 50 members of the House and Senate. Adding to the disappointment was the fact that some members of the House changed their votes at the last minute, voting against the measure when it appeared the proposal would fail.

In late February, Professor Marjorie Garber of Harvard came to the University of Notre Dame as the Provost’s Distinguished Lecturer for 2009-2010. Among other engagements, she spoke to a class on "Breaking the Code: Transvestism and Gay Identity," the subject of chapter six of her book, Vested Interests: Transvestism and Cultural Anxiety. Ralph McInerny, an Olympic-class punster who taught at Notre Dame for 54 years before his death on Jan. 29, might have appreciated the sly title of Professor Garber’s book; he almost certainly would have regarded her topic as an example of everything that had gone wrong at the university to which he had dedicated his professional life.

Christ's healing ministry directs the Christian's concern for the sick, particularly the vulnerable, and those who have little or no voice in decisions pertaining to their health care.

Cognizant that all of human-kind are created in the image of God, the human family must share in the healing ministry manifested by Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church, as the largest provider of nongovernmental health care and social services in this country, has responded to this Gospel imperative.