From the Catholic League:

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responds to the statement released today by U.S. bishops [clickhere] calling for a religious freedom campaign:

This is the most comprehensive and cogent defense of religious liberty ever drafted by the bishops in the United States. Erudite and wide-ranging, it is a clarion call to the Catholic community, and beyond, to get serious about religious rights, both at home and abroad.

Internationally, the declaration calls attention to the “assassinations, bombings of churches, torching of orphanages,” and other acts of violence against Christians. At home, it spells out the threats to religious liberty at all levels of government.

At the federal level, the Obama administration’s redefinition of what constitutes a religion is alarming, and its determination to force Catholic non-profits to fund abortion-inducing drugs is equally ominous.

State immigration laws such as those in Alabama that make it illegal for priests to minister to illegal aliens are obscene. Just as draconian are attempts to limit the authority of bishops by having the legislature determine the locus of decision-making; this was tried in Connecticut.

Cities like Boston and San Francisco have punished Catholic foster care and adoptive services because Catholic agencies don’t approve of gay marriage. New York City is no better when it seeks to deprive poor inner-city minorities of using empty public schools on Sundays for services.

Perhaps most profoundly, the bishops reaffirmed Catholic teaching on unjust laws. “An unjust law cannot be obeyed,” they said. This was a clear signal to those at all levels of government that Catholics are prepared to exercise civil disobedience, if necessary. Don’t push us.

The bishops have chosen a two-week period from June 21 to July 4 as a time to rally Catholics to participate in this religious liberty campaign. They have the unreserved support of the Catholic League.

On Good Friday nearly 100 faithful gathered in front of Planned Parenthood in Madison, WI to pray the Stations of the Cross. Madison Catholics have been faithfully praying this devotion in grave circumstances, and they have already witnessed the close of a strip club and the abandonment of plans for UW Clinics to offer late term abortions. The following article appeared on April 6, the same day the Stations were prayed:

From LifeNews:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker added to his pro-life list of accomplishments today by signing bills the pro-life movement supported, including measures to stop abortion funding in Obamacare and webcam abortions.

Walker, who faces a tough recall election battle launched by pro-abortion Democrats, signed Senate Bill 92, which prohibits any plan in Wisconsin’s prospective health insurance “exchange” created by Obamacare from covering abortion.

He also signed Senate Bill 306, which prohibits abortion businesses from using so-called telemed abortions — where a non-physician violates the FDA guidelines concerning a doctor visit before using the dangerous drug that has killed dozens of women worldwide and injured thousands in the United States alone. A non-doctor allow the woman to receive the abortion drug via a videoconferecne with a physician who is not present with her at the time to conduct an in-person examination.

Senate Bill 306 is authored by Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) and Rep. Michelle Litjens (R-Oshkosh) and contains two vital components. The first portion of the bill protect a woman who is being coerced into having an abortion.

The second part would protect a woman from being prescribed RU 486 abortion drugs without being seen in person by the prescribing physician — and that has the strong support of Wisconsin Right to Life.

Wisconsin Right to Life applauded passage of the pro-life measure and told LifeNews the Coercive and Web Cam Abortion Prevention Act was debated for two and one-half hours and passed by a margin of 60 to 33.

“The enactment of this measure into law will be a tremendous victory for women and babies,” said Susan Armacost, Legislative Director of Wisconsin Right to Life.

“For far too long, numbers of women have reported that they were coerced into having abortions.  SB 306 ensures that an assessment will be made to determine if a woman’s consent to an abortion is voluntary.  The bill requires that the abortionist speak to the woman in private to determine if she is being coerced.  If she is a potential or actual victim of domestic abuse, the abortionist must give her information on where she can receive help,” Armacost said.

“In addition, women will be further protected by requiring a physical exam and in person administration of chemical abortion-inducing drugs like RU 486.  This requirement would prohibit webcam abortions which are occurring in Iowa and Minnesota from being introduced into local communities in Wisconsin.  The Food and Drug Administration has reported over 2,200 adverse incidents since 2000 from use of abortion-inducing drugs, including the deaths of 14 women.   RU 486 abortions, administered after a woman has been diagnosed as being pregnant, are different from the morning after pill,” Armacost added.

“We are deeply appreciative to the State Assembly for their deep concern for the health and welfare of women and babies,” said Armacost.

Despite the importance of the legislation to pro-life advocates, Democrats in the state Senate stalled the bill after alleging it was supposedly an attack on women’s health care.

“Everyone knows this bill is about abortion,” said Sen. Tim Cullen, D-Janesville. “It’s catering to those special interest groups who want to overturn Roe V. Wade.”

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin opposed the bill and the abortion business got Democrats to object to the third and final reading of SB 306, after Republicans topped weakening amendments to the legislation.

The webcam abortion practice started with the Planned Parenthood of the Heartland affiliate using it in Iowa, a rural state where the abortion business has a difficult time getting an abortion practitioner to each of its clinics. As a result, it set up a process by which the abortion practitioner only visits with the woman considering using the mifepristone abortion pill via a videoconference, as opposed to an in-person visit the FDA suggests.

With the drug having killed dozens of women worldwide and injured more than 2,200 alone in the United States, according to April 2011 FDA figures, pro-life groups have been concerned about Planned Parenthood putting women’s health at risk.

Last year, Wisconsin Right to Life informed LifeNews that Planned Parenthood has begun using the extremely dangerous RU 486 web-cam abortion technique in Minnesota. According to Planned Parenthood Minnesota spokesperson Connie Lewis, the organization began doing webcamabortions at their Rochester facility — making it the first time the abortion business has expanded doing abortions beyond the twin cities area.

Wisconsin may be next for the webcam abortion process.

“We have known for some time about Planned Parenthood’s deadly plan to bring RU 486 web-cam abortions to cities and towns throughout the nation. First it was Iowa, then Minnesota.  Now it appears Planned Parenthood is set to begin expanding its abortion business here in Wisconsin,” says Susan Armacost, the legislative director of Wisconsin Right to Life.

“Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI) is already the state’s largest abortion provider but it is not content to limit the performance of abortions to its three abortions clinics in the state,” Amacost explained. “Now it appears it wants to offer dangerous RU 486 chemical abortions to women in towns and cities like Portage, Beaver Dam, Delavan and other Wisconsin locations where PPWI has not previously operated abortion clinics.”

“Since only a handful of doctors want to perform abortions, it would be difficult for PPWI to expand its surgical abortion operations.  But by providing RU 486 web-cam abortions, PPWI can expand its lucrative abortion business without even having a doctor physically present,” Armacost goes on to say. “Web-cam abortions were initiated by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and piloted in Iowa where 2,000 of these abortions took place, with the intention of exporting this technique to other states.  A woman enters a Planned Parenthood facility and discusses her abortion by web-cam with an abortionist in another city or perhaps even another state.   After the information exchange, the abortionist presses a button which opens a drawer at the woman’s location.  Her abortion drugs (RU 486 and prostaglandin, a labor-inducing drug) are in the drawer and the abortionist watches her take the medication via web-cam.  The woman is never examined by the physician.”

RU 486  and its companion drug are administered between the fifth and ninth weeks of pregnancy, after pregnancy has been confirmed and the process typically involves three trips to a doctor. About half of the women abort while at the doctor’s office, with another 26 percent having an abortion within the next 20 hours at any location at home or in public. The remainder either have an abortion in the coming weeks or none at all of the drug fails to work — making it so a surgical abortion is required.

Through April, the FDA reports 2,207 adverse events related to the use of RU 486, including 14 deaths, 612 hospitalizations, 58 ectopic pregnancies, 339 blood transfusions, and 256 cases of infections in the United States alone. A European drug manufacturer has publicly stated that 28 women have died worldwide after using RU 486/mifepristone.

From Glenn Beck:

For the past few weeks Glenn has been focused on raising awareness on the persecution of Catholics being carried out by the Obama administration. According to the new healthcare laws that were a cornerstone of the Obama administration, employers affiliated with the Catholic Church will have to include free birth control in their health insurance plans, a mandate that runs contrary to both Catholic doctrine as well as religious freedoms granted by the Constitution. Today he is going a step beyond raising awareness by providing action steps for what you can do.

On radio, Glenn kicked  ”We are all Catholics now” movement focused on organizing people to contact their Senators and ask them to vote for a Conscience Protection measure is planned to appear as an amendment to the Highway Transportation bill. The amendment is being offered by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO).

While it’s unknown exactly when the vote will occur, the plan is for it to happen this week.

So what can you do? Organize and follow the instructions below:

Call the Capitol and speak with your Senator. The numbers are: 202.224.3121; 202.225.3121; the toll free numbers for the Capitol Switchboard include: 1-866-220-0044 1-877-851-6437, 1-800-833-6354, 1-888-355-3588, 1-866-808-0065, 1-877-762-8762, 1-800-862-5530.

Call the switchboard, ask to be connected to a Senator from your specific state (it will take two calls, one for each Senator).

Whoever answers:

1. Tell them that you want to tell the Senator to vote for the Blunt conscience protection amendment.
2. Ask them if they know how the Senator will vote on that amendment
3. Tell them you want to be contacted back about how he voted (be sure to ask for accountability — they hate it, but it makes them call you back).
4. When you call, be sure to tell them “We are all Catholics now”. This key phrase will let them know you are part of a larger, organized movement working in support of religious freedom.

You can also take this opportunity to talk to your U. S. Representatives. Use the same switchboard number, and ask for your U. S. Congressman by name. Follow the same steps, but this time asking your Congressman to SIGN ONTO the Fortenberry Conscience Protection bill. Jeff Fortenberry (NE) is working on companion legislation in the House.

If you don’t know your U. S. Congressman, you can go tohttps://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml, enter their zip code, and your Representative will come up by name. You can then call and make the request, or you can simply email your representative after you enter your zip code.

Also, if you want to email your Senators, the contact page ishttp://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.

Don’t try to contact Senators or Reps that are not yours; it won’t work, and they won’t listen.

Tune into GBTV today for more on this from Glenn.

When someone asks you to pray for them, why not pray with “Padre Pio Power?” When I heard that the prayer below was the one Padre Pio would used when people asked him to pray for them, I needed no further encouragement for choosing this prayer in the same way. Padre Pio has tens of thousands of miracles associated with him, including the healing of Pope John Paul II’s best friend (click here).

Padre Pio’s Sacred Heart Prayer

O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (here name your request) Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory Be to the Father…Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.” Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (here name your request) Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory Be To the Father…Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.” Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of (here name your request) Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory Be to the Father…Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours…Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us. -St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Here is a PDF version of the prayer (click here)

“I will never leave a fallen comrade.” – Warrior Ethos

St. John Vianney understood the urgency to pray for those we know who have lost the gift of faith (or whose faith has become greatly diminished):

“I can’t stop praying for poor sinners who are on the road to hell. If they come to die in that state, they will be lost for all eternity. What a pity! We have to pray for sinners!  Praying for sinners is the most beautiful and useful of prayers because the just are on the way to heaven, the souls of purgatory are sure to enter there, but the poor sinners will be lost forever. All devotions are good but there is no better one than such prayer for sinners. What souls we can convert by our prayers. The one who saves a soul from hell saves this soul and his own as well. One can offer himself as a victim for 8-15 days for the conversion of sinners. One can suffer cold, heat, deprive oneself of looking at something, go visit someone who would appreciate it, make a novena, attend daily Mass for this intention in places where it is possible. Not only would one contribute to God’s glory by this holy practice of praying for sinners, but one would obtain an abundance of grace. I am only content when I’m praying for sinners. The good God has made me see how much he loves that I pray for poor sinners. … I don’t know if it were really a voice I heard or a dream, but, whatever it was, it woke me up and told me that to save a soul in the state of sin is more pleasing to God than all sacrifices. For that reason, I do all my resolutions for penance.”

These “poor sinners” have fallen behind enemy lines (the devil has them) … Don’t go in to retrieve them alone. Ask your comrades in the Communion of Saints to join you in a Holy Alliance to appeal to God’s mercy.

To pray with the Communion of Saints for friends and family who have lost their faith, it’s as easy as 1,2,3 …

1.  Choose a saint to pray with you for a deceased loved one:

Deceased Loved One: ______________________________________

Saint in Alliance:___________________________________________

2.  Pray by choosing one of these indulgenced prayers*:

Rosary: _____         Stations: _____       Scripture: _____    Adoration: _____

Are the conditions present for receiving a plenary indulgence**?

Plenary Indulgence: _____            Partial Indulgence: _____

3. After completing the prayer, now ask today’s ‘grateful’ deceased loved one (Holy Soul) and saint in alliance to join you, as you pray for a living loved one (e.g., a great way to ask God that a loved one receive the gift of faith).  Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Living Loved One:________________________________________

Living Loved One’s Intention: _______________________________

INDULGENCE CONDITIONS

*A plenary indulgence can be obtained any day of the year by doing any one of the following:

• Adoring the Blessed Sacrament for at least one half hour
• Devoutly reading Scripture for at least one half hour
• Devoutly performing the Stations of the Cross
• Reciting the Rosary with members of the family, or in a church, oratory, religious community or pious association.

**Requirements for obtaining a plenary indulgence:

• Do the work while in a state of grace,
• Receive Sacramental confession within 20 days of the work (several plenary indulgences may be earned per reception),
• Receive Eucharistic communion (one plenary indulgence may be earned per reception of Eucharist),
• Pray for the Pope’s intentions (Our Father and Hail Mary, or other appropriate prayer, is sufficient),
• Have no attachment to sin (even venial) – i.e., it is sufficient that the Christian makes an act of the will to love God and despise sin.

Requirements for a partial indulgence: The work must be done while in a state of grace and with the general intention of earning an indulgence.

________________________________________________

MY HOLY ALLIANCE

KEEP A RECORD OF YOUR HOLY ALLIANCE: This is your personal army who continues to pray with you (a great reason to take the time to research your family tree and learn about each of the saints you enlist in your army):

Enlisted Holy Souls                                        Enlisted Saints

1. ____________________                   1.   ____________________

2. ____________________                   2.  ____________________

3. ____________________                   3.  ____________________

4. ____________________                   4.  ____________________

etc.

________________________________________________

GLORY REPORTS

Please offer encouragement to others by entering “answered prayers” from using this “Stealth Evangelization” in the comment section below.

AMDG – Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam! (For the Greater Glory of God!)

“Prayer joined to sacrifice constitutes the most powerful force in human history.” -Pope John Paul II

Sign up here to join the campaign.

40 Days for Life is an internationally-coordinated 40-day peaceful pro-life campaign to end abortion. Our local, 24/7 40 Days for Life will be held from Wednesday, September 28, 2011, to Sunday, November 6, 2011 and will consist of three components…

I believe this is a respectful way to humbly ask the good bishop to reconsider his decision …

Go sign petition here:

During the second week of September 2011, Most Reverend Blase Cupich, Bishop of Spokane, WA. met with the priests of the diocese and ordered them not to appear at Planned Parenthood or other abortion facilities for any reason–even to pray for the lives of the babies about to be killed, for the souls of the women and men who would suffer lives of regret, or for the abortion industry workers.

Further, he instructed them not to promote 40 Days for Life in any way, including a prohibition against fliers, posters and bulletin announcements in the parishes.

This suppression of the priests’ (and seminarians’) ability to stand up for life where the killing is taking place, and promote and participate in the most effective and successful campaigns in the history of the pro-life movement, is unreasonable and makes the Spokane Catholic Diocese appear indifferent.

We are asking His Excellency to reverse his order to the priests and seminarians and allow them to peacefully pray in front of Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities and that he allow them to participate in and promote all aspects of 40 Days for Life.

WHY JOIN THIS PRAYER CAMPAIGN?

Jeffrey Kuhner of the Washington Times gives a stirring report on the current state of affairs in our beloved America:

“For the past 50 years, every major institution has been captured by the radical secular left. The media, Hollywood, TV, universities, public schools, theater, the arts, literature – they relentlessly promote the false gods of sexual hedonism and radical individualism.

Conservatives have ceded the culture to the enemy. Tens of millions of unborn babies have been slaughtered; illegitimacy rates have soared; divorce has skyrocketed; pornography is rampant; drug use has exploded; sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS have killed millions; birth control is a way of life; sex outside of wedlock has become the norm; countless children have been permanently damaged – their innocence lost forever – because of the proliferation of broken homes; and sodomy and homosexuality are celebrated openly. America has become the new Babylon.” (Jeffrey T. Kuhner, The Washington Times, 1-20-11).

Thomas Jefferson once said, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.”

2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Why is NOW the time to pray? The annual feast days of The Sacred Heart of Jesus and of The Immaculate Heart of Mary are “moveable” feast days and are normally held in June on a Friday and a Saturday: [These occur on the Friday after the octave of the Feast of Corpus Christi and on the Saturday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost, respectively.]  Because Easter this year was about as late as is possible, these two feast days were pushed out of June and into July (something extremely rare). This set up the following …

Incredible Triple Significance of July 1st, 2011: This particular annual feast of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is also the regular feast of The Most Precious Blood of Jesus, which is normally observed on July 1st each year. In addition, July 1, 2011, is the First Friday of July, thus the monthly day to make reparations to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. WOW!!!

Amazingly! The annual Feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary is also falling on the First Saturday of July: Saturday, July 2nd, 2011, is both the annual Feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary and the First Saturday of July. First Saturdays have traditionally been set aside to make reparations to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. WOW!!!

So many of us believe there is something distinctive about the days in which we are now living; that we are facing an end times “immortal combat.” Now we see these feasts to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary aligning in such an astonishing way.

This is why we are asking you to choose this time to join a prayer army willing to pray any one or all of the following:

1) Sacred Heart Novena from June 22 to June 30.

2) First Nine Fridays Devotion, July to March

3) First Five Saturdays Devotion, July to November

Prayer Intention: “Strengthen our bishops and convert our hearts to You” (remember family and friends here).

About the prayer intention: Beyond praying for our continued conversion and the conversion of our loved ones, the main intention is to ask God to strengthen the bishops of the United States. The church in the United States and, therefore our country,has suffered for several decades with a weak leadership (see here). The novena begins on June 22, the feast day of Saint John Fisher and Saint Thomas More, who were both executed for placing papal authority ahead of secular interests. This has been precisely the problem with many of our bishops. What perfect saints to call upon as we begin this novena!

Precious Blood of Jesus, save us!

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

Begins Holy Thursday!  Register here.

What: Dedication of the new Miracle of Life Rosary Garden, Total Consecration, Family Potluck Cookout (please bring a dish to pass). All with our beloved Bishop Morlino!

When: Tuesday, May 24, beginning at 5:00 PM

Where: Miracle of Life Rosary Garden at St. Mary of Pine Bluff

This is an open invitation to all Catholics who love Mary, our glorious Queen and immaculate Mother.

You are being invited to an incredible opportunity for us to be consecrated (or renew our consecration) to Jesus through Mary with Bishop Robert Morlino on Tuesday, May 24, 5:00 PM at St. Mary of Pine Bluff. The method of consecration set forth by St. Louis de Montfort consists of a 33-day period of prayerful preparation followed by an actual act of consecration itself.

Total Consecration to Mary, explains St. Louis de Montfort, “consists in surrendering oneself in the manner of a slave to Mary, and to Jesus through her, and then performing all our actions with Mary, in Mary, through Mary, and for Mary” (The Secret of Mary, No. 28). It is also known as “True Devotion to Mary,” “Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary,” and “Holy Slavery.”

What To Do

1. You may want to read The Secret of Mary to understand what it is all about. For a more detailed and in-depth understanding, read True Devotion to Mary.
2. From the listing of Marian feast days, choose a consecration date that is meaningful to you. We are choosing May 24, The Feast of Our Lady, Help Of Christians.
3. Begin the 33-day preparation on the appropriate date. We are beginning on Holy Thursday, April 21.
4. Make the Act of Consecration on the feast day you have selected.

Ad Jesum per Mariam,

Fr. Heilman

My brothers! … A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of Men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight!

~Aragorn’s call to stand against the forces of evil, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

My dear friends in Christ,

Please email me – rheilman@yahoo.com – if you wish to join the Church Militant Boot Camp 2011. This Boot Camp begins the First Sunday of Lent, March 13 and goes until Holy Thursday, April 21.  It requires no group meetings; spiritual direction is entirely through the internet.  Your RSVP will put you on an email list for this boot camp.  You will receive instructional e-mails in advance of the camp and alerts directing you to each new teaching when it begins.

This is a clarion call to raise an army willing to “fight for the souls” of our loved ones. All around us we see one soul after another losing their precious gift of faith. Most of us feel helpless to do anything about it. Our ancestors knew exactly what to do, but the modern Christian has lost the ancient art of “fighting for souls.”

A boot camp trains soldiers for combat by instilling discipline and an unbreakable bond. When training is complete, soldiers act as a sacrificing, corporate body, and less as self-concerned individuals. You will learn what it means to be God Strong, under His power of grace, and how absolutely essential it is to move in concert; in alliance with the Communion of Saints.

During this 40 Day Church Militant Boot Camp you will learn the following:

• The fundamentals of a quality Interior Life?
• What it means to be commissioned as an officer in the Church Militant?
• How to become, not just Army Strong, but God Strong in the power of His grace.
• How to build your own personal army of intercessors by praying for the Holy Souls and invoking the saints. After 40 days, your army will be 80 times its original strength.
• The value of the Warrior Ethos: “I will never leave a fallen comrade.” Many of our living loved ones are captivated by the world and have lost the gift of faith, and our deceased loved ones wait with longing for our prayers to help them reach heaven.

This is no ordinary army and, therefore, this will be no ordinary training. What is more, we must bear in mind that this is no ordinary adversary we face. St. Paul writes, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph 6:10-12).

Ad Jesum per Mariam,

Fr. Rick Heilman