Olympians Pray With State Clergy

This doesn’t surprise me it is Communist China after all.  full article

The Olympic Village in Beijing has rooms offering religious services for Buddhists, Catholics, Hindus, Muslims and Protestants. The facilities are staffed by religious officials approved and, in some cases, ordained by the Communist Party.

“All religious services are provided by professionals recommended by China’s religious associations,” said Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee.

I wonder about the statement that “The facilities are staffed by religious officials approved, and in some cases, ordained by the Communist party.”  I’m wondering if China has approved and allowed validly ordained priests loyal to Rome to celebrate mass or are only party appointed/ ordained priests available?   The next statement makes it sound like they are invalid, party appointed priests.   “All religious services are provided by professionals recommended by China’s religious associations…”  The whole thing makes me greatly appreciate that I can go to a mass celebrated by a validly ordained priest, and receive a valid Eucharist.  It is terrible that Catholic athletes are being denied a valid Eucharist but even worse, of course, is all the underground Chinese Catholics who have to live in such a situation, and who may have to risk their lives to receive the Eucharist.  I say may have to risk because I don’t know the penalty these days for priests or lay CAtholics who are caught celebrating mass.

Stick Jesus

Looks like an ordinary group photo right? Look closer at the crucifix.

Why do we mock ourselves? Im wondering if in the past 2000 years the average Catholic church would have ever had such a thing since it looks like a mockery. Oddly enough it looks like they have the tabernacle right in the middle under the cross not off to the side as is the norm these days. Photo from this website

I should also mention you never see a modern art Buddha or Shinto deity here.  If anyone knows of such a thing let me know because right now Im convinced only us Catholics in particular have distorted our religion so much.

200th Post

Just over one year ago I started this blog, and it is also the start of the weekend so to celebrate a little alleluia chorus.

Take Me to Your Leader

Poor Clares of Perpetual snowman making.

or

How many Poor Clares does it take to build a snowman?

Photo courtesy of here

Submit your own caption in the combox.

Our Lady of Imari Abbey

There are secluded monasteries and convents in Japan.  None of which have I ever been to due to the fact that they are in the middle of nowhere.  I have however seen the products they produce in religious shops and even the grocery store where I have found Trappist butter.

Here

is a link to Our Lady of Imari Abbey in Saga prefecture.  The site is in Japanese but easy to explore and the photos are self explanatory.

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

Since my religious calendar says that August 5 th is a feast day of the dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major I thought I would post a video I found on you tube and a couple of photos I took when I was there in May. The photos and video dont do the church justice though and you should just go and see for yourself

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_di_Santa_Maria_Maggiore

The Olympics and the End Times

In the final few days before the start of the 2008 Berlin Olympics (not a typo) China is of course getting a lot of attention. As my new hobby is speculation on the end times I would like to post something I posted on a Catholic forum. The first line is from a discussion about eclipses and the possibility that they may be signs and signals. Sounds nutty of course but the interesting thing is that there was a total solar eclipse over China and Russia on August 1 the start of the Hebrew month of Av, and for the next two or three years there will be solar eclipses on the first of Av as well. That is a lot of solar emphasis on Av for some reason a month the Jews associate with misery and mourning. No I dont wear a tinfoil hat I dont think I even own tinfoil. I guess if I wanted to prevent my mind from being read I would have to wrap my head in seaweed and azuki beans

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I wonder if there is any symbolism to the eclipse totality passing almost entirely over Russia and China.

I think there is something to it when we have the eclipse and the start of the Olympics not on the 9th of Av but close especially when cnn keeps saying in its reports how this Olympics is China`s coming of age party or coming out on to the world stage party. Every time I hear cnn say that though I am reminded of what one of the seers of Garabandal said about when the illumination would happen and her reply was that Mary said “when Communism comes again”

http://www.markmallett.com/blog/?p=710

And since this Olympics reminds me of the Berlin 1936 games I found this from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/olympics/
When you click on the explore the online exhibit the write up next to the photo of the runner is shockingly current.

Quote:

Minimizing its antisemitic agenda and plans for territorial expansion, the regime exploited the Games to impress many foreign spectators and journalists with an image of a peaceful, tolerant Germany. Having rejected a proposed boycott of the 1936 Olympics, the United States and other western democracies missed the opportunity to take a stand that contemporary observers claimed might have restrained Hitler and bolstered international resistance to Nazi tyranny.

Then on the next page you have this

Quote:

On May 13, 1931, the International Olympic Committee, headed by Count Henri Baillet-Latour of Belgium, awarded the 1936 Summer Olympics to Berlin. The choice signaled Germany’s return to the world community after defeat in World War I.

Ive been to the U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum and I insist that anyone who can make it there must go.

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So are the Olympics a signal of China`s entrance on the global stage? Maybe. Is this the time meant by Our Lady saying “when Communism comes again?” Maybe. We can only keep an eye on things and see. Also if the timing of eclipses combined with the dates of Jewish holidays sounds like it might be of interest to you I give you Mark Biltz. First his response to concerns about his hypothesis on the coming eclipses

click here

and to watch the roughly hour long video on his observations

click here

Fr Mitch Pacwa is a Jesuit?!

I often listen to the ewtn daily readings and homily and while all the priests are good at giving a homily in their own way I am particularly fond of Fr. Mitch`s history packed homilies.  Wanting to know more about him I googled his name and found out he is a Jesuit!  I am surprised because unfortunately it is more often that I hear about the Jesuits in terms of how lax and unorthodox some have become.  If all Jesuits these days were a lot more like Fr. Mitch things in the Catholic church and in the world could not help but be better too.  Actually if all the Jesuits in Japan were like him I think one would see the numbers of new Japanese Catholic converts rise dramatically.

Take Three Minutes to Relax

and enjoy this video of Adoro Te Devote.