Sunday, May 31, 2009

Everyday Greatness

One of the books I'm currently reading is Everyday Greatness by Stephen R. Covey.

It's a group of short stories, based upon a theme. The stories are followed by inspirational quotations.

For instance, a few of the quotations on the meme of "luck"...

"I was once asked if there was such a thing as luck in trial law. "Yes", I replied, "but it only comes in the library at three o'clock in the morning". That holds true for me today. You still find me in the library looking for luck at three o'clock in the morning" Louis Nizer attorney and author at the age of 82.

"When I was 15, I had lucky underwear. When that failed, I had a lucky hairdo, and then a lucky race number and even lucky race days. After 15 years, I've found the secret to success is simple. It's hard work. Margaret Groos, marathon runner.

To reach the port of Heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it---but we must sail and not drift, nor lie at anchor. Oliver Wendall Homes.

Discipline, temptation, courage, attention, innovation, gratitude, change, friends, respect, empathy, vision ~ it's full of reminders and words of wisdom, great stories.

Highly recommend it!

Curious Globe Article on Jack Connors

Curious story in the Globe about Cardinal O'Malley's advisor Jack Connors. The Globe is making it appear as though Connors failed to disclose related party transactions and conflicts of interest and using undue influence inappropriately in trying to obtain contracts.

Huh.

I wonder...

...You don't suppose Connors in the Board of Governors of Caritas, do you?

Tiller Killed at Church

George Tiller, a Wichita doctor who was one of the few doctors in the nation to perform late-term abortions, was shot to death on Sunday as he attended church, city officials in Wichita said.


Occasionally, a cause to advance a common good attracts an individual who taps into the energy because they can utilize it to create a rollercoaster of drama and emotions. These individuals have been scarred by life in one way or another. They've run out of relatives, jobs, friends and enemies to get the rollercoaster going and so they find a cause. They're fired up, but any in-depth conversation with them and you realize their theology and philosphy about your cause and other things in life are way off the mark. The people who come around to tap into the stream manifests itself in a lot of ways. I've had these poor souls come onto my radar screen in all kinds of roles. This is what makes the Eric McFaddens so dangerous. They can snap at any moment and are unpredictable. We have them in our prolife community. A seasoned activist can recognize the dynamic when it shows up on the radar screen.

Nobody prolife would kill somebody else. It's the antithesis of our breed. It's unheard of, impossible. To compare the person who killed George Tiller to prolifers is like comparing a mother who kills her own children to your own mother. It is against our every human instinct to kill.

Taking the life of persons who kill other people gravely compounds a murder because you take away the possibility of a future conversion and repentance. This is why Catholics oppose a death sentence, except in very limited circumstances. Taking it upon ourselves to end the life of a person takes away that person's opportunity for salvation.

People working to advance the prolife cause, motivated by concerns about souls and salvation do not take the life of another person.

Fr. Pavone's statement:

“I am saddened to hear of the killing of George Tiller this morning. At this point, we do not know the motives of this act, or who is behind it, whether an angry post-abortive man or woman, or a misguided activist, or an enemy within the abortion industry, or a political enemy frustrated with the way Tiller has escaped prosecution. We should not jump to conclusions or rush to judgment.

“But whatever the motives, we at Priests for Life continue to insist on a culture in which violence is never seen as the solution to any problem. Every life has to be protected, without regard to their age or views or actions.”


***Update

More information about Tiller's killer from LifeNews.

In 1996, officials in Kansas apparently stopped his vehicle for not having a valid license plate, which he altered as an act of anti-governmental protest. His license plate apparently had slogans such as "Private Property, Immunity Declared at Law, Non-Commercial American."

According to the Kansas City Star, the FBI suspected Roeder of having ties with the Montana Freemen, a militia group, which had had standoffs with authorities.

The Star indicates that, after he was apprehended on an interstate highway in the prior incident, a search of his vehicle resulted in obtaining bombmaking material, including gunpowder and two six-volt lantern batteries.

In his home, authorities found a two-page bombmaking instruction manual.

Roeder has spent time in prison, including a 16-month stint after violating the terms of his parole related to the license plate incident.

Roeder's only ties to pro-life groups appear to be messages he left on the public forum at the Operation Rescue web site concerning Tiller.

In one, he wrote about monitoring Tiller's church, which is where he allegedly ultimately had a confrontation with the abortion practitioner at Reformation Lutheran Church and killed him.

"Bleass (sic) everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp," he wrote.

"Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller," he said.

Clearly off the edge, with ties to the Montana Freeman Militia Group.


Randy Trochmann edited MOM's journal, Taking Aim, which discussed the New World Order conspiracy and its encroachment on every aspect of daily life. The publication was widely read in militia circles, and its popularity solidified MOM's place in the vanguard of the movement. The group also published a catalog that stocked everything from caps and fatigue jackets to guides on improvising munitions and escaping from police custody. The abusive power of the government was explored in videotapes like "Surviving Martial Law" by John Trochmann, "Government Gone Mad " by conspiracy theorist Jeff Baker and "Pestilence," in which James Wickstrom, an outspoken anti-Semitic and former Posse Comitatus leader, asserted that the AIDS virus was a biological weapon released by the NWO powers to eliminate two billion people by the year 2000. The MOM catalog also offered more specific training materials, including weapons breakdown manuals; "Techniques for Harassment," a video presenting the latest refinements of that art; and "How to Disappear Completely," which provided would-be revolutionaries with the skills to craft new identities.



Roeder has no ties in the prolife community. Like I said yesterday, sometimes people addicted to emotional rollercoasters run out of relatives and friends and they find a crusade to help their emotions run amok.

My friend LCIB, in the comments section, brings up very valid points. Tiller was a maniacal killer of the worst kind. We don't have to be sad he's dead. In honesty, I think we can say that few, if any of us are thinking “Isn’t this terrible, George Tiller is dead”. Tiller wasn't a threat to our country's sovereignty. Don't think we have the makings for a military response.


I am still processing this - like many people. We can be relieved Tiller is dead. We can pray and have hope that lives will be saved now that this tyrant is dead, while still proclaim that we are not called to take the sword to the killers. We're not called to prematurely take a life and the possible opportunity of future repentance – even if it was on Tiller's death bed.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

St. Joan of Arc Feast Day

Today is the feast day of St. Joan of Arc. Some of her quotes are below.

Luckily, I've met many in my life who have her spirit and her courage.


"One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying."

“Act, and God will act”

"For everything you have missed, you have gained something else and for everything you gain, you lose something else"

"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back"


"Most sweet Lord, in honor of Your Holy Passion, I implore You, if You love me, to instruct me in what I am to say to these churchmen. "

"You say that you are my judge. I do not know if you are! But I tell you that you must take good care not to judge me wrongly, because you will put yourself in great danger. I warn you, so that if God punishes you for it, I would have done my duty by telling you!"

"Alas! Had I been in the Church prison, to which I submitted myself, and been guarded by the Clergy instead of my enemies, as I was promised, this misfortune would not have come to me! Ah! I appeal to God, the Great Judge, for the great injuries done to me!"

"If you come from God, I do not fear you ... if you come from the Devil, I fear you even less. "

"Bishop, I die because of you! "


God forgive us: we have burned a saint - Reported words of an English soldier after the execution.

A friend recently sent me something that said "Be the kind of person that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil says "oh crap, she's up!"

St. Joan of Arc, pray for us.

Obama's Abortion Reduction Plan

Compilation of Obama's "abortion reduction plan", put together by LifeNews.

Let us hope he never tries to take on reducing cigarette smoking and cancer.

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The following is a compilation of bill signings, speeches, appointments and other actions that President Barack Obama has engaged in that have promoted abortion before and during his presidency. While Obama has promised to reduce abortions and some of his supporters believe that will happen, this long list proves his only agenda is promoting more abortions.

Post-Election / Pre-Inauguration

November 5, 2008 - Obama selects pro-abortion Rep. Rahm Emanuel as his White House Chief of Staff. Emanuel has a 0% pro-life voting record according to National Right to Life.

November 19, 2008 - Obama picks pro-abortion former Sen. Tom Daschle as his Health and Human Services Secretary. Daschle has a long pro-abortion voting record according to National Right to Life.

November 20, 2008 - Obama chooses former NARAL legal director Dawn Johnsen to serve as a member of his Department of Justice Review Team. Later, he finalizes her appointment as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Legal Counsel in the Obama administration.

November 24, 2008 - Obama appoints Ellen Moran, the former director of the pro-abortion group Emily's List as his White House communications director. Emily's List only supported candidates who favored taxpayer funded abortions and opposed a partial-birth abortion ban.

November 24, 2008 - Obama puts former Emily's List board member Melody Barnes in place as his director of the Domestic Policy Council.

November 30, 2008 - Obama named pro-abortion Sen. Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State. Clinton has an unblemished pro-abortion voting record and has supported making unlimited abortions an international right.

December 10, 2008 - Obama selects pro-abortion former Clinton administration official Jeanne Lambrew to become the deputy director of the White House Office of Health Reform. Planned Parenthood is "excited" about the selection.

December 10, 2008 - Obama transition team publishes memo from dozens of pro-abortion groups listing their laundry list of pro-abortions actions they want him to take.

Pro-Abortion Presidential Record - 2009

January 5, 2009 - Obama picks pro-abortion Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as the chairman of the Democratic Party.

January 6, 2009 - Obama chooses Thomas Perrelli, the lawyer who represented Terri Schiavo’s husband Michael in his efforts to kill his disabled wife, as the third highest attorney in the Justice Department.

January 22, 2009 - Releases statement restating support for Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions and has resulted in at least 50 million abortions since 1973.

January 23, 2009 - Forces taxpayers to fund pro-abortion groups that either promote or perform abortions in other nations. Decison to overturn Mexico City Policy sends part of $457 million to pro-abortion organizations.

January 26, 2009 - Obama nominee for Deputy Secretary of State, James B. Steinberg, tells members of the Senate that taxpayers should be forced to fund abortions. Nominee erroneously says limits on abortion funding are unconstitutional.

January 29, 2009 - President Obama nominates pro-abortion David Ogden as Deputy Attorney General.

February 12, 2009 - Obama nominates pro-abortion Elena Kagan to serve as Solicitor General.

February 27, 2009 - Starts the process of overturning pro-life conscience protections President Bush put in place to make sure medical staff and centers are not forced to do abortions.

February 28, 2009 - Barack Obama nominates pro-abortion Kathleen Sebelius to become Secretary of Health and Human Services.

March 5, 2009 - The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit. Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, made the invitation list as did other pro-abortion groups.

March 9, 2009 - President Barack Obama signed an executive order forcing taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.

March 10, 2009 - Obama announces the creation of a new foreign policy position to focus on women's issues. He names Melanne Verveer, an abortion advocate, to occupy the post.

March 10, 2009 - Reverses an executive order to press for more research into ways of obtaining embryonic stem cells without harming human life. The order Obama scrapped would have promoted new forms of stem cell research.

March 11, 2009 - Obama signed an executive order establishing a new agency within his administration known as the White House Council on Women and Girls. Obama's director of public liaison at the White House, Tina Tchen, an abortion advocate, became director of it.

March 11, 2009 - Obama administration promotes an unlimited right to abortion at a United Nations meeting.

March 11, 2009 - Obama administration officials deny negative effects of abortion at United Nation's meeting.

March 17, 2009 - President Barack Obama makes his first judicial appointment and names pro-abortion federal Judge David Hamilton to serve on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

March 26 - President Obama announced $50 million for the UNFPA, the UN population agency that has been criticized for promoting abortion and working closely with Chinese population control officials who use forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations.

April 7 - The Vatican has rejected three Obama ambassador nominees because of their positions in favor of abortions.

April 7 - Obama has named pro-abortion law professor Harold Hongju Koh as the top lawyer for the State Department.

April 7 - Put more abortion advocates on his White House advisory council for faith-based issues.

April 8 - Obama nominee for assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, Ron Weich, is pro-abortion.

April 14 - Obama administration releases document that claims pro-life people may engage in violence or extremism.

April 17 - Obama administration releases the proposed guidelines that implement his decision to allow taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research that involves the destruction of human life.

April 23 - Refused to appeal a ruling requiring the FDA to allow 17-year-old girls to purchase the morning after pill without either a doctor visit or parental involvement beforehand.

April 27 - Obama's women's ambassador Melanne Verveer touted Obama's decision to send $50 million to the United Nation's Population Fund.

May 5 - Details emerge about a terrorism dictionary the administration of President Barack Obama put together in March. The Domestic Extremism Lexicon calls pro-life advocates violent and claims they employ racist overtones in engaging in criminal actions.

May 8 - President Obama releases a new budget that allows the Legal Services Corporation to use tax dollars to pay for pro-abortion litigation.

May 8 - President Obama's new budget calls for taxpayer funded abortions in the nation's capital.

May 8 - President Obama's budget eliminates all federal funding for abstinence-only education.

May 15 - Appointed pro-abortion New York City health commissioner Thomas Frieden as head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

May 17 - During his commencement speech at Notre Dame, Obama deceived listeners into thinking he wants a conscience clause, promoted embryonic stem cell research and misstated his pro-abortion record.

May 26 - Appoints appeals court Sonia Sonotmayor as a Supreme Court nominee. Sotomayor agrees that the courts should make policy, such as the Roe v. Wade case. Sotomayor is later opposed by pro-life groups and supported by pro-abortion groups and those who know her say she will support abortion on the high court.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Obama Nominates Ambassador to the Holy See

Miguel Diaz. Proabortion, graduate of Notre Dame and consultant for
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good network.

In any event, I'm having a hard time imaging the Vatican agreeing to an Ambassador whose has the hobby of translating doctrine incorrectly with the effect of Catholics being misled. If it's the one character trait you want to have in an Ambassador, it would be knowing whatever people say and whatever they mean to convey is carried to it's destination flawlessly.

We shall see.


This is a tough week at Chez Kmiec. The Supreme Court nomination slipped through his fingers when Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayer to fill the Souter vacancy.

CWN has a round-up of several of her opinions which on their face, paints a picture of a woman with a heart and soul that is aware of value of human life. I have not yet done any kind of vetting or processing of this nomination.

There are some concerns about her statements articulating that a person's own cultural experiences give perspectives that create convictions and our logic is a by product of those convictions.

To me, this is a no-brainer. I disagree that the color of your skin gives an advantage in decison making. I completely agree that when it comes to socioeconomics, diverse experiences and backgrounds bringing perspectives is a good thing.

More later...

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Michael Novak hammering at Vatican Newspaper

Novak fed up.

Why let a scandal like this rage?

Novak said that the paper ignored the fact that the US bishops had issued a public declaration that no politicians who oppose "fundamental moral principles" were to be honoured by any Catholic institution in the US. It has also failed to distinguish between the 40 percent of practising US Catholics who support the Church's teaching on abortion, and the US Church's barely practising members who support legal abortion. This failure to distinguish, Novak said, put L'Osservatore Romano into the same ranks as the mainstream liberal secular press.

The L'Osservatore Romano coverage also failed to note, he said, that Barack Obama has gone "farther than any president in American history in supporting abortion." This includes supporting legal infanticide, "euphemistically called 'partial-birth abortion,'" and opposing legislation that would protect children born alive after an attempted abortion. In this latter case, Novak pointed out, Obama is "virtually alone in U.S. politics" in his attempt to please the abortion lobby, since many other "pro-choice" politicians voted in favor of the measure.

The paper, he wrote, has also failed to grasp the subtleties of the euphemistic language, the "code" of "doublespeak," that has grown up in politics around the abortion issue in the US. While L'Osservatore Romano claimed that Obama promised at Notre Dame to put in place legal protections for doctors, Novak points to the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), for which Obama has promised his support. FOCA proposes to repeal all previous legislation that put any restrictions whatever on abortion. This would effectively force all medical practitioners in the US to participate in abortion.

FOCA, Novak wrote, would change the law so that "anyone who would stand in the way of abortion could be recognized as a criminal."

Novak concludes by asking, "Why on earth, then, does L'Osservatore Romano side with the abortionists, and against the besieged, struggling minority of churchgoing Catholics who find abortion abhorrent, and an intrinsic and unrationalizable evil?"

He laments, "We ask Rome for bread, and L'Osservatore Romano gives us stones."

Move it or Lose It

A reflection written by a friend...

“Move It Or Lose It”


Although I have enjoyed outdoor walking for years, I never thought I would join a gym. The term “workout” had absolutely no appeal to me. But over the past several years, I have come to enjoy a variety of classes and activities and probably feel better physically than when I was younger. Recently, I wasn’t able to do my usual routine for a couple of weeks and quickly began to feel the effects. I was actually more tired and grumpy and had less JOY. It made me realize that when I don’t MOVE my body, I LOSE the physical benefits — and much more.

In our SPIRITUAL LIFE it is also true that we need to “move it or lose it.” Our faith can be vibrant and life-giving. Yet if we slack off and forego our workouts it won’t be long before we experience the loss.

We can flex our spiritual muscles in many ways. God didn’t create us all the same. We have unique and individual gifts and we can use them to become closer to HIM and to share HIS LOVE with others.

Spiritual workouts are only complete when we apply what we are learning to our relationships. Exercising forgiveness, acceptance, peace, and compassion can build our spiritual muscles, but it requires effort and humility. Serving others can be uplifting-- or it can be challenging -- particularly when helping another person is inconvenient and we just don’t feel like it. St. Paul reminds us that “Faith without actions is dead.” (James 2:26)

However, for many of us the most challenging spiritual “activity” of all is to respond to the invitation, “BE STILL and know that I am God.(Psalm 46:10)

Although my mother, Irene Gay, was quadriplegic and unable to move physically, she worked her spiritual muscles everyday, spreading God’s love at the chronic care hospital where she spent the last ten years of her life. She was a faithful member of both the Catholic and Protestant communities and was very involved in hospital activities from her power wheelchair and portable respirator. She touched the lives of many people. When she passed away, we had cards printed to distribute at her funeral. The verse was from 2 Timothy 4:7 and seemed to be a statement of her purposeful life: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.”

Yes, Irene was a woman who could flex her spiritual muscles!

Lord,
Teach us new and creative ways to stretch and tone both our bodies and our spirits. Encourage us to “fight the good fight” as we exercise our spiritual gifts. Move us to “keep the faith” and experience the JOY of sharing it with others. Challenge us to “...run
the race which is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith...”
Amen.
(Hebrews 12:1b, 2)

Love it. Move it or lose it.

Many times in my life I stopped "exercising" my faith. It was there underneath all my busyness or something else was keeping me away. Like serving people when we sometimes don't feel like it - I had to muster up the drive to pray, serve and get closer to God when I didn't feel like it. Eventually, He saves me from the nothing I've become.


Kyrie Eleison!

UPDATE: Complaints from the peanut gallery on the video. I knew there would be a push back! I'd been listening to gregorian chant and went for a change. The images in the video I don't care for but the lyrics and music, I actually like.

ow can you see into my eyes like open doors
leading you down into my core
where I’ve become so numb, without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold
until you find it there and lead it back home

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
bid my blood to run
(I can’t wake up)
before I come undone
(Save me)
save me from the nothing I’ve become

now that I know what I’m without
you can't just leave me
breathe into me and make me real
bring me to life

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
bid my blood to run
(I can’t wake up)
before I come undone
(Save me)
save me from the nothing I’ve become

frozen inside without your touch without your love darling only you are the life among the dead

all this time I can't believe I couldn't see
kept in the dark but you were there in front of me
I’ve been sleeping a thousand years it seems
got to open my eyes to everything
without a thought without a voice without a soul
don't let me die here
there must be something more
bring me to life

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
bid my blood to run
(I can’t wake up)
before I come undone
(Save me)
save me from the nothing I’ve become

(Bring me to life)
I’ve been living a lie, there’s nothing inside
(Bring me to life)

A friend casually sent this video along -- which is absolutely one of my favorites of all time. From White Christmas...enjoy.

American Life League Coverage

Judie Brown at the American Life League has been fearlessly posting over the last several days about the Caritas abortion referrals.

PANDORA’S BOX HAS NOTHING ON CARITAS CHRISTI

The facts about this “Commonwealth Plan” are disturbing on a very basic level. The Massachusetts Commonwealth Care plan is the very type of "universal health-care insurance" that President Barack Obama wants to impose on the rest of the country. Indeed, proponents of national health-care insurance always point to the Massachusetts program as a model of a successful plan.

Second, in order to be an approved health-care provider eligible for payment under the Massachusetts plan, the law requires that the hospital must provide the full range of “reproductive services," such as abortion, sterilization, contraception and counseling that recommends such services. All of these things are directly contrary to the teaching of the Church. This is what we have to look forward to from Obama's proposed national plan.

Furthermore, Caritas Christi cannot participate in the approved plan without agreeing to provide the mandatory “reproductive health services” that are in direct violation to Catholic teaching.

In order to avoid the direct provision of immoral services, CC has entered into a partnership with Centene, under which Centene will do all the dirty work and CC will claim that it is not doing anything contrary to the teaching of the Church. While this might sound like a little bit of compromise for the sake of the common good, it is no such thing! Cooperation with evil is not a part of Catholic teaching. It never has been and it never will be.

As a matter of fact, in Massachusetts law, Caritas must provide counseling that includes immoral "reproductive services" and must arrange for patients to receive those immoral services from Centene, even to the point of transporting patients to abortion facilities. Both Caritas and Massachusetts regulators have publicly confirmed this fact as Massachusetts Citizens for Life pointed out.

Furthermore, it is indisputable that, even if Caritas Christi itself does not perform any immoral services, its partnership with Centene means that CC will be profiting from the immoral services rendered by Centene. One can easily come to the conclusion that the entire partnership deal with Centene is driven solely and exclusively by financial motives.

This certainly begs the question, how could a Catholic entity such as Caritas Christi become embroiled in such a fiasco? How many evils will a Catholic health care provider accept as part of a deal that most assuredly was made in Hell?



CARITAS CHRISTI’S DEAL WITH THE DEVIL – II

CJ Doyle quote:

• In response to an inquiry from the Catholic Action League, Brian Delaney, Director of Communications for CeltiCare, stated on May 11 that, “CeltiCare’s program has been approved by the Massachusetts Connector Authority. Under the contract, CeltiCare will be operational July 1, 2009, and will meet all the [s]tate’s requirements under the Commonwealth Care program, including providing family planning services as appropriate.” Assertions to the contrary by Cardinal O’Malley notwithstanding, this is the third time since February 26 that a representative of the Caritas/Centene partnership has affirmed that the Commonwealth Care contract will include abortion and contraception.


As we mentioned yesterday, American Life League is well aware of the healthcare plans being orchestrated by the Obama administration. We are equally aware of President Barack Obama’s track record of using Catholics to his advantage and their willingness, for whatever reason, to be used. Obama’s relatively short history of appointments of totally pro-abortion Catholics, the Notre Dame scandal and other such events lead us to suspect that if the Archdiocese of Boston remains silent and does not demand immediate dissolution of the “joint venture” agreement, the death knell for genuine Catholic health care will have been sounded.

The evil that has gone unaddressed by Cardinal O’Malley, and persists in the context of unanswered questions and the absence of policies based on Catholic doctrine, is scripted by the devil himself. Of that there is no doubt. American Life League cannot be silent while such a dastardly plan moves forward with nary a whimper.
I somehow had missed the highlighted citation from CJ Doyle's last press release. The deception of the Cardinal, Chancery officials is breathtaking.

Do visit ALL and continue to spread the word, forward it to your priests, Bishops, forward it to the Nuncio, Rome, encourage intervention as though children's lives depended upon it. Because they do.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Caritas Abortion Contract Update - May 26, 2009


Please pray for all involved. Especially those working behind the scenes on the defense of life and freedoms of Catholics.

Special petitions to Pope John Paul II, most appreciated.

-----Original Message-----
From:
cmmckinley@aol.com
To: cmmckinley@aol.com; archbishopsean@rcab.org; joefeitelberg@maltaboston.org; catholic.conscience.protections@gmail.com
Cc: Beirne_Lovely@rcab.org; tdonilon@vzw.blackberry.net; terrence_donilon@rcab.org; tad.grd.nsc@aya.yale.edu; DrJohnHaas@aol.com; CALMDOYLE@aol.com
Sent: Tue, 26 May 2009 8:36 am
Subject: Re: Caritas Update - May 27,2009


+

IHS

Gentlemen:

I beg your indulgence, but I neglected to mention:

On March 5th, the Cardinal said:

“I want to confirm for the Catholic community and the wider interested public that Caritas Christi Health Care has assured me that it will not be engaged in any procedures nor draw any benefits from any relationship which violate the Church’s moral teaching
..." *(7a)

It appears the Cardinal knew on March 5th that the contract violated Church's moral teachings, but was assured that Caritas Christi would not draw benefits from the violations.

Caritas h as been in financial trouble and it's purpose in bidding on the contract was to draw financial benefits, the business Caritas and the Archdiocese created to carry out the contract that violates Church teachings, Celtic Care Health Care plan of Massachusetts, Inc., is a registered as a&nb sp; "for-profit". Since Caritas is a substantial partner in the "for-profit" that violates the teachings of the Church, they indeed draw benefits from the violations.

In the interests of transparency, Caritas and the Cardinal need to release the opinion of the National Catholic Bioethics Center. If the NCBC has given approval to this deal, it means that they believe if their corporation develops financial difficulties, Fr.Tad and Dr. Haas can=2 0become the minority partner in a for-profit corporation that performs embryonic stem cell research. If the NCBC declined to approve this deal, the Cardinal not only proceeded knowing that it was unethical and children would be harmed, he released statements undermining the credibility of Catholics warning the faithful in the public square.

In the interest of full disclosure, Catholics have a right to know what transpired. Please release the opinion.

In Christ, Carol McKinley




-----Original Message-----
From: cmmckinley@aol.com To: archbishopsean@rcab.org; joefeitelberg@maltaboston.org; catholic.conscience.protections@gmail.com
Cc: Beirne_Lovely@rcab.org; td onilon@vzw.blackberry.net; terrence_donilon@rcab.org; tad.grd.nsc@aya.yale.edu; DrJohnHaas@aol.com; CALMDOYLE@aol.com
Sent: Tue, 26 May 200 9 1:56 am
Subject: Caritas Update - May 27,2009

May 27, 2009

+
IHS

Dear Joe,

I wanted to memorialize our conversation on Friday evening, May 23rd.


You responded to my last email by calling Bill Cousins on Friday and asking him to assure me that "Caritas" will not be making referrals for abortions" I phoned you later Friday evening to have a followup conversation. I must confess, there still seems to be a great deal of confusion.

Hopefully I can clear up the confusion in a more simplified manner in this email.

"Caritas will not be making referrals for abortions"

When you and the Cardinal are using the word "Caritas" in this context, I believe you mean to convey that the Cardinal and Caritas have created another business to carry out the abortions. In this business structure, the name "Caritas" is a substantial partner in the abortion business but the name "Caritas" will be on the back burner.

The confusion is arising because pro-lifers are speaking about the various people involved in this venture, the souls, the living people, not the name of the businesses that will execute the services that are binding in the contract.

Pro-lifers have been deeply concerned because in the arrangement, the medical staff inside of the Caritas buildings, who are face-to-face with the patients, wil l now be compelled to hand out pro-abortion information. And, Catholics will no longer be free to to describe the spiritual problems with the unethical medical services, in accord with the teachings of the Church.

"Amo ng the written assurances are a pledge that medical staff operating under the Centene-Caritas insurance plan, known as Commonwealth Family Health Plan, will inform women of their healthcare options, including abortion." *(1)

Theologically speaking, these are sins of commission and omission.

In fact, some of the things this contract requires will impose a sentence of automatic excommunication. Before the contract, Catholic employees inside of the buildings of Caritas were able advise the patients that abortion is murder and such a grave offense it severs your relationship with God and His Church. With the contract "Caritas" has signed, Catholic employees inside of the buildings of Caritas are no longer free to advise women coming in requesting an abortion, because "Caritas" has not only promised that the Catholic staff will be compelled to violate their conscience, "Caritas" with the consent of the Cardinal is working out the details of how they will per mit state to monitor Catholic employees. *(1) *(2) *(3) *(8) *(9)

“How compliance will be monitored is just being worked out now,” Massachusetts hea lth authority spokesman Powers said March 16. *(11)

This will have a terrible impact upon evangelization,20conversion and the salvation of souls. It divests Catholics of the freedom to practice medicine.

You and the Cardinal seem concerned about the name of the business in all this. But, the real problem here Joe, is that Caritas bid on a contract that includes performing abortion services and other moral evils upon people. That's not something a Catholic Corporation can do for several reasons. First and foremost, abortion is murder. It is a business arrangement that invol ves murder and somebody is going to have to carry those killings out, somewhere and somehow. Catholic Cardinal's can't involve themselves in contracts like this one because all the people involved are injured physically and spiritually. *(2), *(3) *(9) *(10)

On February 27, 2008, "Caritas" said they would "contract with providers" to perform the moral evils. *(9) When you contract with somebody you tell them to do something and then you give them money. That is what a contract is. In this case, Caritas bid on a contract that involves contraception, sterilizations, in-vitro fertilization and other services including abortion. In this case, when " Caritas" said it would make "contracts with providers", it means they will invite people who commit murders to do business with them and then they will send the women their direction and pay them money to do it.


You also told Bill:

  • "the contract ha d not yet been signed"
  • the Cardinal will not sign the contract unless the contract excludes Caritas making abortion referrals".

This is consistent with your previous email to Bill. *(4)

Howe ver, according to the public records at the Secretary of State's Office, a contract has already been signed.

When the Cardinal and Caritas originally set the structure up, Caritas was the majority shareholder in "Centene-Caritas" structure. *(5)

Since that time, "Caritas" has entered a joint venture called CeltiCare, formal name is Celtic Health Care Plan of Massachusetts, Inc. *(6)

I reviewed the Articles of Organization at the Massachusett's Secretary of State's Office which were filed on May 5, 2009 for Celtic Care Health Care Plan of Massachusetts, Inc., and it appears that four people from Caritas Christi Health Care have been appointed to the Board of Directors of Celtic Health Care Plan of Massachusetts, Inc. While shareholders are not part of the public record, the By-Laws of a corporation flush out the rights each partner gets in appointing officers and directors. Therefore, Caritas is a partner and substantial shareholder in this corporation. Article V of the Orga nization documents discloses the contract between CeltiCare and its shareholders, including Caritas, has indeed been signed.

If I understand the situation as it currently stands, when you say "Caritas will not be doing abortions or referring women for them", you don't mean Caritas isn't involved in the abortions business or the women won't be referred by a business Caritas is involved in or the abortions won't happen as a result of the contract "Caritas" has entered, you mean the abortion services "Caritas"has promised to perform on women will be done under a different business name. On face value, a soundbyte can be created that inoculates Caritas from what is happening on the ground inside of the hospitals to the people, "Caritas will not be doing abortion referrals". (Is the Bioethics Center giving an opinion on the spiritual obligations of a Cardinal hiring people to perform services that are obstacles to the salvation of those souls?)

This latest development is bewildering and disconcerting. The concerns of Catholics in the Cardinal's consent for Caritas to involve itself in abortion business have been met with obfuscation and secrecy. The Cardinal gave the impression that the deal was on hold until the National Catholic Bioethics Center would examine it, give us the moral rationale and opine whether it was indeed sound and could stand up to proper moral standards. The Cardinal gave the impression that once he obtained the opinion from the National Catholic Bioethics Center, he would open the arrangement to public scrutiny and the deal would not be consummated before the scandal was addressed. *(7a) *(7b) *(7c)

This will have a devastating impact on the Cardinals reputation, credibility and trust. The Cardinal=2 0ceded control of the Catholic operation to Martha Coakey *(12) and then keeping the names of the Caritas Board of Directors secretive, contradicting Caritas and the Commonwealth about the fact that women would be referred for abortions, the secrecy surrounding the details of the arrangement, calling people who were trying to let pro-lifers know that women were indeed going to be referred for abortions under this contract and that Catholic conscience protections would be obliterated under it "people who are doing a great disservice to the Church", giving the impression the deal was on hold and he would publicly release the opinion of the National Catholic Bioethics Center who examined the arrangement - the Archdiocese of Boston is in a grave situation.

In your email to our friend Bill, you said:

"Be assured that with my 1950s HC (Holy Cross) background I will never support a development which would injure our Church. Having said this I will also tell you that while at HC I learned to use the full power of judgment to find new wa ys to improve things while living within the Church’s standards."

Perhaps you were relying upon Rev. Bryan Hehir, who was the Cardinal's representative and liaison to the Caritas Board to guide the full power of you r judgment. Rev. Hehir is deeply involved with a pocket of Catholic dissent operating out of the JFK School of Government - Mary Jo Bane and Marshall Ganz. (Ganz was a protege of Cesar Chavez and an integral player in the Obama campaign, with expertise in "mobilizing".) *(13) I'm afraid you may have been the recipient of some bum advice.

I hope this clarifies the confusion.


In Christ, Carol McKinley




*(1) The Connector Authority board, which oversees the Commonwealth Care program, voted unanimously in favor of the joint venture propose d by Centene Corp., a St. Louis-based health organization, and Caritas Christi Health Care Network.
The vote followed several closed-door sessions in which officials from Centene and Caritas , the minority partner in the joint venture, assured regulators that women will have "ready access" to family planning and reproductive services, an issue that sparked concerns from abortion foes and reproductive rights activists.
Among the written assurances are a pledge that medical staff operating under the Centene-Caritas insurance plan, known as Commonwealth Family Health Plan, will inform women of their healthcare options, including abortion. The insurers will also provide a toll-free customer service line, available around the clock, to inform women about where they can get contraception, sterilization, and other family planning services not offered in the immediate setting. In an emergency, a service representative will arrange transportation to the nearest appropriate facility, officials said.
The regulators promised to watch closely. "We will certainly monitor their performance ," said Jon Kingsdale, the authority's executive director. "We will not allow them to start up or continue if they are not in compliance."
As a measure of the underlying tensions, four board members emphasized the need for 0Aoversight.
"I remain somewhat concerned abou t implementation," said Nonnie Burnes, state comm issioner of insurance and a former Planned Parenthood board member. "I am willing to support this as long as we have some way to monitor this" in doctor's offices and other healthcare facilities (Boston Globe 03.13.2009 Massachusetts Regulators Approve Joint Caritas-Centene Healthcare Venture)


*(2) On Thursday, Sandy McBride, the director of corporate communications for Centene Coproration, e-mailed the Globe a statement declaring, "Commonwealth Family Health Plan will contract with providers, both in and out of the Caritas network, to ensure access to all services required by the Authority, including confidential family planning services." Commonwealth Family Health Plan is the proposed joint venture between Caritas and Centene; "the Authority" is the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority Board.(03.04.2009 "Archdiocese criticized on Caritas, abortion")

*(3) Andrea Miller NARAL
We are not privy to the details of the Centene-Caritas bid, but it does appear that the Connector has obtained affirmation from Centene-Caritas that low-income women and men of the Commonwealth will be “insulated” from the influence of Caritas in this system such that this join t venture will improve – not impede – access to basic care, including the reproductive and sexual health care required by law,and that clear, affirmative disclosures will be made. But, we know that it’s in the real world where the rubber meets the road, so we will be diligent in monitoring the roll out and implementation of this plan - and we appreciate that the Connector Board members have pledged to be a partner in ensuring full disclosure and timely provision of medical care. (prochoicemass press releast 03.12.2009)

*(4) From: Joe Feitelberg [mailto:jhfeit@comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 11:32 AM
To:
Subject: RE: from boston globe

XXX-Thank you for sending this along.
0A
Here are a few missing pieces:
· The Globe wrote this early on before all today’s facts were available
· There has been no execution of the Connector agreement at this time. There is a clear intent to try and be part of this resource which principally serves the poor
· In the Centene-Caritas proposed plan Caritas would be the majority, not the “minority” shareholder
· Cardinal Sean has this under ethical review by the Church’s highest talent20base
· Caritas now has had an outstanding Management team in place for one year which has a skill set that was missing
· FINALLY—none of us should let innuendo or inadequate information stampede us into assumed incompetency
Be assured that with my 1950s HC (Holy Cross) background I will never support a development which would injure our Church. Having said this I will also tell you that while at HC I learned to use the full power of judgment to find new ways to improve things while living within the Church’s standards.
See you in June,
Joe
Joe Feitelberg


* (5) "Commonwealth Family Health Plan, Inc. (CFHP) is pleased to announce that it has submitted a response to the Request for Proposal is sued by the Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Connector Authority (Connector Authority) to provide health insurance for Massachusetts residents enrolled in the Commonwealth Care Program. CFHP is a partnership between20Celtic Group, a subsidiary of Centene Corporation, and Caritas Christi Health Care. The partnership was created to offer a new form of local managed care that is tailored to the needs of Massachusetts’ progressive healthcare system(03.04.2009 "Archdiocese criticized on Caritas, abortion")

About CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts

*(6) CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts, Inc. is a managed care organization that will provide health insurance to Massachusetts residents enrolled in the Commonwealth Care Program. A partnership between Celtic Insurance Company and Caritas Christi Health Care, CeltiCare offers a new form of local managed care that is tailored to the needs of Massachusetts progressive healthcare system.Effective July 1, 2009, the plan will contract with the Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Connector Authority (Authority) to serve low-income, working adults
who are not eligible for Medicaid.

*(7a) “I want to co nfirm for the Catholic community and the wider interested public that Caritas Christi Health Care has assured me that it will not be engaged in any procedures nor draw any benefits from any relationship which violate the Church’s moral teaching as found in the Ethical and Religious Directives. Caritas Christi has been consistently faithful to these standards in the past and will continue to do so in the future.” (Boston Pilot 03.05.2009 "Cardinal O'Malley Releases Statement on Caritas Christi Proposed Management")

*(7b)"While I appreciate the opportunity given to Caritas Christi to serve the poor through this agreement, I wish to reaffirm that this agreement can only be realized if the moral obligations for Catholic hospitals as articulated in the Ethical and Religious Directives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops are fulfilled at all times and in all cases. In order to assure me that this agreement will provide for the integrity of the Catholic identity and practices of Caritas Christi Health Care System, I have asked the National Catholic Bioethics Center to review the agreement and to assure me that it is faithful to Catholic principles." (Cardinal's Blog 03.12.2009)

*(7c)
"There has been a significant amount of public dialogue concerning my statement yesterday about the propose d arrangement involving Caritas Christi Health Care with the Commonwealth Care Program.
To be perfectly clear, Caritas Christi will never do anything to promote abortions, to direct any patients to providers of abortion or in any way to participate in actions that are contrary to Catholic moral teaching and anyone who suggests otherwise is doing a great disservice to the Catholic Church. We are committed to the Gospel of Life and no arrangement will be entered into unless it is completely in accord with Church teaching.
Recognizing the complexity of the proposed arrangement, I will ask the National Catholic Bioethics Center to review the arrangement and to provide me their opinion." (Cardinal's blog 03.07.2009)

*(8) While state regulators presented th e proposed Caritas-Centene bid last week as a "joint venture," Caritas characterized its participation yesterday as a "minority investment." It also said the venture, to be called Commonwealth Family Health Plan, has filed for licensing by the state Department of Insurance. (Boston Globe 03.04.2009 Caritas Draws Fire on Abortion)

*(9) At least one board member expressed concerns about the proposed Caritas-linked venture, called Commonwealth Family Health Pla n, because Caritas, a six-hospital network affiliated with the Boston Archdiocese, does not perform abortions.
"How will our female members be provided these reproductive services?" said member Nancy Turnbull, an associate dean at the Harvard School of Public Health. "Those are not services Caritas provides." In response, Caritas and Centene issued a joint statement late yesterday that said the new venture "will contract with providers, both in and out of the Caritas network, to ensure access to all services required by the authority, including confidential family planning services."
A spokeswoman for the companies declined to elaborate. (Boston Globe 02.27.2009 "Caritas Bids to Join State Network of Health Insurers")

*(10)Connector Authority spokesman Dick Powers, asked about the issue by the Globe, today said "Health plans must provide covered services. Covered services specifically include abortion services." (03.04.2009 "Archdiocese criticized on Caritas, abortion")

*(11)
“How compliance will be monitored is just being worked out now,” Massachusetts health authority spokesman Powers said March 16. (National Catholic Register 04.05.2009 "Did Catholic Hospit al System Compromise Ethics")

In March of 2008, Martha Coakley urged the Archdiocese to cede control of operations of Caritas Christi.

*(12) The report, based on a four-month study, also urges the archdiocese to cede control of the operation of Caritas Christi Health Care System so that an independent board with expertise in healthcare management can run it. The board now answers to Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley - Caritas Christi officials said they are already working on Coakley's top recommendation, creating an independent and professional board to run the system.
. The new board will have 15 members, each serving a maximum of nine years, and a chair serving for a maximum of three years. The cardinal will appoint three members.(Boston Globe 03.07.2008 "AG urges change of course for Caritas")

(13)
April 2006
E-Newsletter

This edition of the Hauser Center E-News highlights activities and events from February-March 2006.

Activity Update

People in Action

Hauser People in the News
Activity Update
Religion, Politics and Public Life Faculty Seminar Series
On March 13th, the Program on Religion and Public Life (PRPL) held its second seminar in the Religion, Politics and Public Life Faculty Seminar Series. A dynamic presentation from the featured presenter Mark Noll, titled Evangelicals: Theology and Politics: Domestic and Inter national Implications was followed by an energetic and stimulating group discussion. Prof. Noll is the Mc Manis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College, and a Senior Advisor to the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals (ISAE.) To view a seminar transcript, click here. This (by invitation only) faculty seminar series is co-convened by J. Bryan Hehir and Mary Jo Bane and is a primary activity of the Program on Religion and Public Life.

Joint Catholic Church Civic Asset Mapping Project
This newly-launched project is a joint initiative between the Program on Religion and Public Life at the Hauser Center and the University of Pennsylvanias Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society (PRRUCS). The project aims to explore how Catholic institutions deploy their human, financial and physical plant assets has a bearing on how the nation's nonprofit sector as a whole meets civic needs and creates public value. The projects first conference, Catholics in the Public Square, was held April 5th, at Saint Joseph's University, in Philadelphia and featured panels and discussions moderated by John DiIulio with Mary Jo Bane, Mark =0 A Moore, and Father J. Bryan Hehir, among other distinguished speakers. To view reports and papers from the conference, click here. For information please email Anne Mathew.
On February 2nd, Stephanie Bell-Rose, member of the Hauser Center Advisory Board and managing director and president of The Goldman Sachs Foundation, presented a roundtable at the Kennedy School of Government, and organized by the Hauser Center, on trends and practices in philanthropy.

Also on February 2nd, Marion Fremont-Smith presented and discussed her award-winning book, Governing Nonprofit Organizations: Federal and State Law and Regulation at the Harvard Square Coop bookstore.

Peter Dobkin Hall participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by Contribute Magazine on February 9th of New York City's philanthropic culture with a group of area nonprofit leaders. His participation was later featured in the inaugural issue of Contribute: The People and Ideas of Giving.

On February 10th, Marshall Ganz gave a talk to students enrolled in the community development program at Southern New Hampshire University. The talk, entitled Practicing Democracy: Leadership, Community, Power, focused on the practice of organizing - the knowledge of how to combine around common interests and mobilize resources to act20on common interests.

Several Hauser people took part in the annual International Bridge Builders Conference that took place February 27-March 3 at the Kennedy School of Government. Marshall Ganz led a discussion on youth, the arts, and organizing -- focusing on the work of Peruvian artist/organizer Rafael Virhuez in one of Lima's poorest barrios. Dave Brown facilitated a workshop on "Building Partnerships across Sectors. And Tiziana Dearing delivered the workshop The Fundraising Workshop, on fundraising strategies.

On March 1st, Elizabeth Keating and Jim Honan presented the panel Transparency and Accountability - Current Challenges and Opportunities at the National Business Officers Association Annual Symposium, on current issues and challenges to financial transparency and accountability.

Also on March 1st, Xavier de Souza Briggs gave a public address on his book, The Geography of Opportunity: Race and Housing Choice in Metropolitan America at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, organized by the student group HousingGSD.

Marion Fremont-Smith and Peter Dobkin Hall participated in a roundtable on governance hosted by the staff of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on March 3rd in Washington, DC. Fremont-Smith participated in the panel on Proposals on Governance and Transparency, addressing general issues of nonprofit governance in terms of law, regulation, and self-policing mechanisms; Hall participated in the panel on Red Cross governance, which focused more specifically on the Red Cross problems and how they might be addressed.

Hauser Center provided sponsorship for the 7th annual student-run Social Enterprise Conference at the Harvard Business School that took place on March 5th. At the conference Chris Letts facilitated the panel The Next Generation of Venture Philanthropy, and Elizabeth Keating facilitated the panel Creating a High-Performance Culture in Social Enterprise.

On March 10th Hauser Center provided sponsorship for the panel on Reintegration of former child soldiers at the student-run conference Children on the Frontlines: A Crisis in International Security.

Marshall Ganz was a featured speaker at the annual Toxics Action Citizens conference, Environmental Action 2006 that took place on March 18th. Ganz spoke about the20importance of social movements in shaping public policy and developing political strategy on the basis of moral claims, committed leadership, and the organizational capacity to engage large numbers of people in collective action.

Xavier de Souza Briggs presented work from his study, Democracy as Problem-Solving: Civic Capacity in Comparative Perspective, at the Planning Africa 2006 conference in Cape Town, South Africa from March 22nd 24th. The work looks at cross-sector effort--by civil society, market, and government players--to tackle urgent local problems, such as restructuring the job economy when industries become obsolete, managing population growth without ignoring sustainability, and investing in children.

Marshall Ganz and his research team kicked-off the Leadership Development Project with the Sierra Club on March 25th-26th with a two-day workshop in San Francisco. The purpose of the workshop was to begin training a team of trainers to lead future leadership development workshops with focus groups from the Sierra Club.

From March 29th -31st, Mark Moore and Gordon Bloom attended the third annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, Leveraging assets, growing social capital markets: Sustainable routes to wealth and well-being, at Oxford University. At the forum, Bloom chaired the panel Mobilising Underutilized Assets to Realise Social and Environmental Value: Next Generation Models.

From March 30th -April 2nd Peter Dobkin Hall participated in the Philanthropy in History: German and American Perspectives conference sponsored by the German Historical Institute in Washington, DC. At the conference Hall presented the paper, Philanthropy, the Welfare State, and the Transformation of American Public and Private Institutions since 1945.

Hauser Center Associate Prabha Kotiswaran is organizing a Workshop on Law and Social Movements, in India June 26-27, which will bring together activists, lawyers and academics from various disciplines in order to deepen the extant theorizing on the relationship between social movements and the law.

Activity Update
Religion, Politics and Public Life Faculty Seminar Series
On March 13th, the Program on Religion and Public Life (PRPL) held its second seminar in the Religion, Politics and Public Life Faculty Seminar Series. A dynamic presentation from the featured presenter Mark Noll, titled Evangelicals: Theology and Politics: Domestic and Inter national Implications was followed by an energetic and stimulating group discussion. Prof. Noll is the Mc Manis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College, and a Senior Advisor to the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals (ISAE.) To view a seminar transcript, click here. This (by invitation only) faculty seminar series is co-convened by J. Bryan Hehir and Mary Jo Bane and is a primary activity of the Program on Religion and Public Life.

Joint Catholic Church Civic Asset Mapping Project
This newly-launched project is a joint initiative between the Program on Religion and Public Life at the Hauser Center and the University of Pennsylvanias Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society (PRRUCS). The project aims to explore how Catholic institutions deploy their human, financial and physical plant assets has a bearing on how the nation's nonprofit sector as a whole meets civic needs and creates public value. The projects first conference, Catholics in the Public Square, was held April 5th, at Saint Joseph's University, in Philadelphia and featured panels and discussions moderated by John DiIulio with Mary Jo Bane, Mark Moore, and Father J. Bryan Hehir, among other distinguished speakers. To view reports and papers from the conference, click here. For information please email Anne Mathew.
Back to top

On February 2nd, Stephanie Bell-Rose, member of the Hauser Center Advisory Board and managing director and president of The Goldman Sachs Foundation, presented a roundtable at the Kennedy School of Government, and organized by the Hauser Center, on trends and practices in philanthropy.

Also on February 2nd, Marion Fremont-Smith presented and discussed her award-winning book, Governing Nonprofit Organizations: Federal and State Law and Regulation at the Harvard Square Coop bookstore.

Peter Dobkin Hall participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by Contribute Magazine on February 9th of New York City's philanthropic culture with a group of area nonprofit leaders. His participation was later featured in the inaugural issue of Contribute: The People and Ideas of Giving.

On February 10th, Marshall Ganz gave a talk to students enrolled in the community development program at Southern New Hampshire University. The talk, entitled Practicing Democracy: Leadership, Community, Power, focused on the practice of organizing - the knowledge of how to combine around common interests and mobilize resources to act20on common interests.

Several Hauser people took part in the annual International Bridge Builders Conference that took place February 27-March 3 at the Kennedy School of Government. Marshall Ganz led a discussion on youth, the arts, and organizing -- focusing on the work of Peruvian artist/organizer Rafael Virhuez in one of Lima's poorest barrios. Dave Brown facilitated a workshop on "Building Partnerships across Sectors. And Tiziana Dearing delivered the workshop The Fundraising Workshop, on fundraising strategies.

On March 1st, Elizabeth Keating and Jim Honan presented the panel Transparency and Accountability - Current Challenges and Opportunities at the National Business Officers Association Annual Symposium, on current issues and challenges to financial transparency and accountability.

Also on March 1st, Xavier de Souza Briggs gave a public address on his book, The Geography of Opportunity: Race and Housing Choice in Metropolitan America at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, organized by the student group HousingGSD.

Marion Fremont-Smith and Peter Dobkin Hall participated in a roundtable on governance hosted by the staff of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on March 3rd in Washington, DC. Fremont-Smith participated in the panel on Proposals on Governance and Transparency, addressing general issues of nonprofit governance in terms of law, regulation, and self-policing mechanisms; Hall participated in the panel on Red Cross governance, which focused more specifically on the Red Cross problems and how they might be addressed.

Hauser Center provided sponsorship for the 7th annual student-run Social Enterprise Conference at the Harvard Business School that took place on March 5th. At the conference Chris Letts facilitated the panel The Next Generation of Venture Philanthropy, and Elizabeth Keating facilitated the panel Creating a High-Performance Culture in Social Enterprise.

On March 10th Hauser Center provided sponsorship for the panel on Reintegration of former child soldiers at the student-run conference Children on the Frontlines: A Crisis in International Security.

Marshall Ganz was a featured speaker at the annual Toxics Action Citizens conference, Environmental Action 2006 that took place on March 18th. Ganz spoke about the20importance of social movements in shaping public policy and developing political strategy on the basis of moral claims, committed leadership, and the organizational capacity to engage large numbers of people in collective action.

Xavier de Souza Briggs presented work from his study, Democracy as Problem-Solving: Civic Capacity in Comparative Perspective, at the Planning Africa 2006 conference in Cape Town, South Africa from March 22nd 24th. The work looks at cross-sector effort--by civil society, market, and government players--to tackle urgent local problems, such as restructuring the job economy when industries become obsolete, managing population growth without ignoring sustainability, and investing in children.

Marshall Ganz and his research team kicked-off the Leadership Development Project with the Sierra Club on March 25th-26th with a two-day workshop in San Francisco. The purpose of the workshop was to begin training a team of trainers to lead future leadership development workshops with focus groups from the Sierra Club.

From March 29th -31st, Mark Moore and Gordon Bloom attended the third annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, Leveraging assets, growing social capital markets: Sustainable routes to wealth and well-being, at Oxford University. At the forum, Bloom chaired the panel Mobilising Underutilized Assets to Realise Social and Environmental Value: Next Generation Models.

From March 30th -April 2nd Peter Dobkin Hall participated in the Philanthropy in History: German and American Perspectives conference sponsored by the German Historical Institute in Washington, DC. At the conference Hall presented the paper, Philanthropy, the Welfare State, and the Transformation of American Public and Private Institutions since 1945.

Hauser Center Associate Prabha Kotiswaran is organizing a Workshop on Law and Social Movements, in India June 26-27, which will bring together activists, lawyers and academics from various disciplines in order to deepen the extant theorizing on the relationship between social movements and the law.
Back to top< /b>

In mid-April, the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston released a full disclosure of its finances to the public. The report was the first of its kind for Boston, and appears to be the first of its kind by any Catholic diocese or archdiocese in the United States. Jack McCarthy chaired the independent commission, assembled by Boston Cardinal Sean OMalley in early 2006, that worked with the Archdiocese and its financial staff in pulling the report together. This work combined Jacks decades of experience in financial accounting and auditing for nonprofit organizations with his understanding of the functioning of the Catholic Church as a nonprofit in Boston. It is also consistent with the Hauser Centers interest in both the governance and accountability of religious denominations and organizations as nonprofit institutions. Jack will have an opportunity to speak in several large cities around the country regarding how to guide a diocese through the process of full financial disclosure, and to codify a methodology. The report and Jacks work in it received extensive media coverage, including The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, The New York Times, Washington Post and WGBH Boston. For an article about the disclosure click here.
This edition of the Hauser Center E-News highlights activities and events from February-March 2006.
The Hauser Center E-News provides bi-monthly updates of Hauser Center events, activities, people and publications. Past issues of the E-News can be found here. The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations is a University-wide research center based at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government (KSG). The Center is not a degree granting institution. Please email Laura Ax with E-News questions and feedback.
The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations
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