Wow...He got out of Dodge!
Good for him!
Fr. Chris Coyne (not to be confused with Ron) is a very familiar character to Boston Catholics. He was communications director during Cardinal Law's tenure and he has some kind of show on BCTV - I've never tuned into BCTV -- I'm more of an EWTN kind of gal - but I think it's about religious architecture? I believe he also teaches at seminary.
Several years back, when Walter Cuenin was removed for pilfering and stealing (the only priest in Boston who, instead of being arrested, was given the opportunity to 'pay back' the money that didn't belong to him and was given an assignment (which, in effect, sexually demoralizes young Catholic students at a local Boston College), Fr. Chris Coyne was given the assignment at Our Lady Help of Christians. Parish "Voice of the Faithful" thugs tormented and tortured Fr. Coyne and after a terrible time there, he resigned.
I don't think we see eye-to-eye on some things but I very much liked him. He is an honorable and ethical man who really loves our Lord and His Church. He's got a ferocious sense of humor (one of the few Catholics in town who may be more sarcastic than I am!). He's compassionate, bright, pastoral in the true sense of the word. I'm glad for him. God Bless him.
UPDATE
Excellent round up on this and the (ad nauseum) inaccuracies from the Boston Globe from my colleagues at Boston Catholic Insider
The Tenth Crusade
Showing posts with label Boston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boston. Show all posts
Friday, January 14, 2011
Friday, February 19, 2010
Ray Neary on the Status of Pro-Life Work in Massachusetts
This is a very comprehensive look at the current status of pro-life work in Massachusetts. Among other things, Ray expresses the overall sentiments of pro-life Catholics on the necessity of Anne Fox's removal and the reasons why.
ProLife Massachusetts was formed in 2002 to fill the need for a group to monitor the Right To Life scene, and be able to respond both individually and collectively to problems at the proper pressure points.
Many prolifers felt that highly structured organizations can perform in a self-defeating fashion, frequently getting bogged down internally. They also often veer away from their expressed purpose. We felt we needed to operate under an aegis which clearly represents our mission: “To defend innocent human life from fertilization to natural death”. No donations would be accepted. We would accept only uncompromised loyalty to this ideal.
We have operated with a core of advisors but shun recruitment and time-consuming ancillary projects. We are convinced that much good has been accomplished by this approach in many areas of restoring dignity to innocent members of our human family. Pre-born humans legally deserve the same level of respect as we have been given.
This past year ProLife Massachusetts became associated with the American Life League (ALL), giving us a national connection. The issue surrounding Caritas Christi’s tangential (some would say direct) involvement with the abortion industry was the catalyst, because ALL was very strong in publicizing and challenging the linkage of the Archdiocese of Boston to an abortion organization. ALL President Judie Brown, as is her hallmark, was outspoken on the issue and very effective in exposing an intolerable scenario.
Carol McKinley, Phil Lawler, C.J. Doyle and John O’Gorman had been pursuing the issue, and they did outstanding work. The Cardinal Archbishop of Boston did not distinguish himself throughout, and there are still serious questions about the inner workings of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Boston.
The first year of the ascendancy of the most pro-abortion/pro-infanticide President the U.S. had ever seen certainly set us back initially, but as Barack Hussein Obama (aka Barry Soetoro) moved into his term we have been able to stall him somewhat. Polls had shown that around 54% of professed Catholics had voted for the man, and we would be intellectually, as well as spiritually, blind not to draw many conclusions from that figure.
Essentially it not only affirmed that the pivotal issue to Catholics in the voting booth is not adherence to defense of all innocent human life, but rather adherence to any one of a number of more personally beneficial issues. Nor did it exclude flimsy issues manufactured by the media, and based on emotions rather than any logical reasoning. It once again also laid bare the disconnect between Roman Catholic Magisterial teaching and the laity.
2.
For all of us in this society who have recognized the mandate to defend that basic right to life given by Our Creator and the first enumerated in the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence, we could be disheartened. But we differ from our opponents in this struggle because we are committed to the pursuit of truth, and that is both immutable and Godly. Thus, we will prevail in the end. Truth always does. That point in time, however, is the unanswerable question, but any student of the Good Book knows that point historically is the most elusive. So… we persevere!
The honor bestowed on Barack Obama by the University of Notre Dame still lingers with us in 2010, as the “ND 88” are still awaiting trial for trespassing. There has been no attempt at intervention by President Jenkins, who presents himself as a priest in the service of Yeshua, the Nazarene, whom we know as our Messiah. The “honor” was blasphemy, and all of us sent letters and e-mails, as well as signed petitions to right this wrong. Their hubris is pathological, and it leads one to question whether “Our Lady” to the current administrators is not Margaret Sanger. They are a shameless lot, ignoring the request of over 80 bishops to cancel the award. We should continue to thank these prelates for their courageous stand as shepherds combating heresy. We take note that Cardinal Sean O’Malley was not among them.
We are continuing, however, through Father Thomas Euteneuer, ND graduate and the President of Human Life International, to petition to have the charges dropped against the defendants who include Norma McCorvey, the original Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade. Fr. Tom, a few years ago, joined us in our monthly vigil against the abortions performed at the MetroWest Hospital in Framingham, so we feel close to him in all his efforts.
We will always have fond memories of the thrill Norma McCorvey expressed by standing on the Lexington Green when she visited the place where it all began. Now she is charged as a criminal for protesting the honoring of a man who expressed his belief that the Roe decision trumps the delivery of any medical aid to a member of the human family who has survived an abortion attempt. Just to think that Miss Norma came all the way from being the plaintiff to working afterwards in an abortion clinic - and then ending up as one of us. It is a great inspiration. It’s also proof of God’s Providence in this imperfect world.
This school year saw the Culture War once again very much in evidence on Beacon Hill. Planned Parenthood continues in its attempt to pursue its deadly aims, using the field of education and specifically the window of “Health Education” to poison the minds of our youth. They have introduced a bill to include Sex Education under “Health Ed” and, in turn, make the latter a part of the “core curriculum” of public schools, K through 12. The arrogance of making abortion appear healthful is only exceeded by their aim, aided by the media, to sanitize their name as though they were a medical institution.
3.
We testified in opposition and also in favor of H472 which changes students’ exposure to Sex Education from the current need to Opt-out to the reverse of that, namely to a situation with an Opt-in provision in the law. H472 would allow for Parental/Guardian review of materials and questioning of those school personnel involved, as well as requiring written permission from them prior to exposure to the content. It also includes a conscience clause for school personnel. The wording is very concise in addressing these points
Hundreds of visits have been made to State House offices, with little or no strong objections to the Opt-in change – but no legislative action. The Democrat majority wants the bill to languish and die in committee. They fear open debate and don’t even televise the committee hearings. A panel including Atty. Robert Joyce, Dr. Alice Slattery and Carol McKinley among others gave testimony to the Joint Committee on Education on this bill (with its previous number) with written testimony handed to them from Ann Corkery, Charles Coudert and others coming from a variety of disciplines and life situations. A cigar-store Indian might have had more animation than some of these legislators displayed. To the contrary, Rep. Betty Poirier, who is a very polished professional, has graciously been the legislative sponsor and has given testimony to the Joint Committee on the bill’s behalf.
The Massachusetts Citizens For Life (MCFL) wrote an article on H472 by doing an interview with Representative Poirier for MCFL News. But curiously they failed to mention anything about its authorship. With my name on H472 and after having served for 10 years on the MCFL Board of Directors, as well as being elected to three l-year terms as President of the organization, it certainly led to questions as to why the present leadership could overlook the genesis of this bill. Clearly it was not accidental.
The Boston Herald, however, two days before the most recent Joint Committee hearings called to do an interview after doing the research on its origins. They ran an article and picture on page 2 the day before the hearing which led to 3 talk show interviews about the bill and the clear parental civil rights violations involved. This time, legislative response was somewhat different, and gives us more hope that someday with proper amplification we can break through and restore the rights of parents to determine the fare their children are served in schools paid for by our tax dollars. The ultimate irony was that in the article, Diane Luby, the President of Planned Parenthood, admitted that the parents should be the prime educators of their children in sexual matters. Yet, they have testified against our Opt-in bill.
4.
The regal funeral service conducted for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy at the historic Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Mission Hill and the prominent involvement of Cardinal O’Malley still troubles those who have toiled for so long battling the barriers he had constructed against the Right To Life movement. Even to think that Barack Obama, the man who three times cast an infanticide vote, as well his outspoken promise to the abortion industry to enact the Freedom Of Choice Act (FOCA) which would strip from the law over 3 decades of protection enacted on behalf of the unborn, would speak from the altar is hardly believable. We are talking about the altar from which we heard and prayed with the saintly Father Edward McDonough, who often brought his spiritual qualities to the front of abortion facilities, asking for God’s graces to fuel our efforts in stopping this slaughter of the innocents. The beloved Father McDonough was such an inspiration, while the current President is more in the role of King Herod. Why Herod was allowed to speak from this hallowed altar is highly questionable – and inexcusable.
We need not put credence in the statements, letters and writings alleged to have been penned by the Senator to the Pope and in an autobiography. Others obviously were the authors of these words. Those of us who have witnessed the final weeks and days of relatives with the same type of malignant brain tumor, know the mental impairment which accompanies the final months, weeks and days of this earthly existence for them. Many of us prayed daily that before that stage came to him, EMK would right some of the wrong he was responsible for as a U.S. Senator during 47 years in Washington with regards to his abortion position. We were never told that he did.
No one can argue that the Senator, even without any evidence of repentance or attempt at restitution for his role in the American Holocaust, was entitled to a Mass of Christian Burial. But the praise, pomp and ceremony was uncalled for, given the abortion carnage we see in our society. It was a sell-out to the values of Mammon. We do believe in a merciful God, however, but One also who is just – and we leave the eternal judgment to Him, as is our calling.
Another lingering task ahead for ProLifers is the Health Care issue, with the inclusion of the funding of abortion very much still a part of the package. The following amendment was submitted to Sen. Kennedy’s office and then to Sen. Kirk, as well as to Sen. Kerry, Representative Stephen Lynch and to President Obama: “THIS BILL IS WORDED TO PROMOTE THE HEALTH OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS. NOTHING IN THE WORDING SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO INCLUDE COUNSELING FOR OR FUNDING OF ABORTION, EUTHANASIA, OR ASSISTED SUICIDE’. It is worded to be concise and to the point, but it has received only minimal acknowledgement and no action, needless to say.
5.
The Catholic News Service (CNS) unwittingly continues to reveal the inability of the U.S. Conference Of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to exact explicit language barring the funding of abortion in any “Health” bill. Abortion is simply not “Health Care”, as any unborn child would tell us if he or she could only voice it. CNS articles fail to take us behind the scenes or even quote the staffers and lobbyists who are really the ones fashioning a bill while the Obama/Pelosi/Reid triumvirate read their teleprompters and notes, trying to convince the public of the merits of their offerings. It became increasingly difficult to elucidate finer points in Letters to the Editor, and eventually they stopped acknowledging them or returning calls at the Boston Pilot. The Chancery does not answer letters, even if sent registered mail, but we will remain eternally vigilant without them. The “Catholic” in CNS is highly suspect, and The Pilot simply runs their releases verbatim.
On a very personal note, one day after a trip to Planned Parenthood in Boston to peacefully protest their child-killing at 1055 Commonwealth Avenue, I felt moved to extend it into a Novena For Life by following up for 8 more Tuesdays. My standing on the sidewalk with a full-front sign picturing a 19-week gestation child in utero always received at least a glance by clients and passers-by, but on balance it educates people - and the bottom line has to be that it can save lives.
On my 6th visit, I decided to stay a little longer when Eleanor McCullen and Mary O’Donnell, two living saints, had finished their stints after starting a lot earlier in the A.M. A while later, as I stood outside the 35-foot buffer zone, a man exited the building and quickly approached me in a rage, threatening my life while using the vilest language. Knowing I was outside the zone, still I took one step back and looked for a passerby with a cell phone. None wanted to get involved, but the individual, after repeated threats, eventually did return into 1055 Commonwealth Ave., and I eventually was able to get the Boston police. They entered the building to flush him out, and he must have been in hiding as they came out without anyone. He eventually though tried to flee out of PP and was apprehended by the officers after I identified him, was questioned, searched and written up by them on a side street.
In the pre-trial hearing he stood mute, and I related the happenings and it was then moved on to a trial. The defendant exercised his right to silence in the court room, and I was allowed by the judge to address the court with an impact statement which was accepted by the judge, later written up and is now on record in the Boston Municipal Court. The defendant is currently on probation, and we have accepted the court ruling. My thanks go for the support given by Bill Cotter, the Director of Operation Rescue, Boston and to attorneys from the law offices of Thomas E. Finnerty in Boston, who were very helpful in navigating the legal waters to bring it to a conclusion. There were multiple issues here including the question of Planned Parenthood’s culpability in harboring this law-breaker, and the fact that the buffer zone exclusion seems only to apply to prolife protesters, not those participating in the abortion business. No representative of Planned Parenthood appeared at the trial.
6.
The special election in Massachusetts on Jan. 19, 2010 with the election of Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate was truly a watershed event – one with worldwide implications. It served to clean up the long-tarnished image of this Commonwealth, so replete with beautiful history. What it should do once and for all is to destroy many myths about the socio/political structure of this state, many created to further power-grabbing ends.
People of this state are not “liberal”. The ruling establishment, by using their private vehicle known as the mass media, has promoted moral relativism, permissiveness and a counter-culture to which they have assigned this label. It’s an agenda and a far cry from its classical use, or even from the connotation of freedom. Christianity has not been the majority religious thinking for many decades. Secular Fundamentalism is really the religion which has held sway for these years through various channels and vehicles.
Organizationally, the Democratic Party is the strongest by far in a purely political sense, but they take their marching orders from The Boston Globe, which disseminates its views in a multitude of ways, from the electronic media to schools – and even Christian churches. The Roman Catholic Church, as a vehicle, is not an exception.
The largest political registration, as we all know is Unenrolled, and the Republican Party is miniscule, a throwback to the one controlled by the New England Yankees, who are no longer even clearly identifiable in it. The Bay State GOP has evolved into a party not much different from the Democrats, except they pull the purse strings a little tighter (or at least they say they do). The number of true conservatives has declined to a handful, and some of the GOP legislators flip-flopped by denying 170,000 of us who petitioned to have a vote on whether any two people of the same gender could be said to be “married”. The national platform of the Republicans, preserved since the Reagan years by the efforts of Phyllis Schlafly, is treated like it has leprosy by the Republican leadership in this state.
The Kennedy mystique had died tragically on November 22, 1963. The charisma of JFK was real, and his election as President genuinely changed people and the nation. The whole Camelot fable, though, was contrived as a way for the left-wing establishment to pursue their agenda, and through the media to fashion a real-life fairy tale. Edward M. Kennedy never wore that same mantle, and despite media-created “Liberal Lion” titles and statesman-type lavish praise, he was more a sad story of a missed opportunity where he could have left a legacy of real accomplishments. In person, he was very unimpressive and well-known for syntax which paralleled his wobbly gait. To students of the political scene, it should be clear that the tacit trade-off by the Boston Globe of Chappaquiddick silence for adherence to its editorial menu by the Senator was transparent. The persona attributed to the man was not based at all in reality, but rather bandied by elitists who had much to gain by perpetuating this fabrication. The election on Jan 19th shattered the myth.
7.
The Democratic Party candidate (not Democratic, unless someone has never heard of Superdelegates), who was reported to be of the Roman Catholic religion, could be described as both feticidal and infanticidal. Martha Coakley supports abortion of a child in utero at any stage of development, using any method, including the Partial Birth Abortion method. This is the procedure first described by Dr. Martin Haskell and once used in his Ohio abortion facility. State Sen. Scott Brown, her Republican opponent, could only be described as feticidal, as he expressed his support for the Roe v. Wade decision, which allows for over a million innocent, developing unborn humans to be dissected, scalded or homogenized annually. He did, however, express opposition to Partial Birth Abortion, which he knows has already been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Coakley during the campaign received her first massive infusion of campaign money from Emily’s List, NARAL, Planned Parenthood and the entire array of abortion supporters.
She willingly followed their directives and went as far as to state at one point, until quickly reeled in by the national Democrats up to the White House level, that she would vote for no “Health Care” bill unless it included our taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.
The Tea Party movement, which was gaining great national interest, tapped into the sentiments of the bulk of the Unenrolled as most of these tend to be Populist, and there was a simmering resentment as to where the country was heading, and especially the Health Care machinations. This sentiment was tailor-made for a Scott Brown, running as a Republican but identifying himself more as an Independent. The Tea Party movement itself could not take credit for his victory, but they were an organized populist group at the right place at the right time. They contributed nationally, helping to fund his well-crafted TV ads. Call it serendipity, providence or whatever, but mid-Jan. 2010 had every planet aligned. Only Martha Coakley’s handlers and sycophantic left wing ideologues could not perceive the voters disappointment with the status quo, and that a tectonic shift was about to take place.
Scott Brown politically ran a flawless campaign. His accent was on economic and security issues, and he dovetailed his positions into the very heated public sentiment on these. He seemed to be weighing every issue like a pharmacist with skill, whether that was by design or it was just pure luck. From his neat outdoorsy jacket, shirt-and-tie look and right down to the pick-up truck, which gave us familiar scenes around the state, he was genuine. His response to David Gergen’s reference to the Kennedy seat, that it belonged to the people came across as not rehearsed, but from the heart. We were also served up the real Martha Coakley, too, and she just does not have any verve – spewing only stilted, thin-lipped repetitive legalese. Barack Obama’s appearance with her at Northeastern University and his attempt at a humorous dig at her opponent’s pick-up truck fell flat, and once again he showed his lack of coattails or any real sense of humor. She was falling, and reality was setting in. Nothing could disguise her blandness.
8.
Indications that Scott Brown would pull off an upset were discernable in the closing days. Right To Life concerns about voting for a candidate such as Scott Brown had been answered by the Pope’s treatise, as Cardinal Ratzinger, which allowed Roman Catholics to weigh “proportionate reasons” in the process, and they clearly applied, calling for a vote for Scott Brown. Prolifers are voters, not stay-at-homes, so only a gaffe would not give him this demographic. As it turned out, Martha Coakley would make that major gaffe. Among other mistakes her statement that people with religious values such as Catholics should not work in emergency rooms, if they would not administer abortifacients was another clear indication of her aloofness, feeling of entitlement, and disdain for Judeo-Christian orthodoxy.
The Harvard/Boston Globe/Planned Parenthood axis, around which everything revolves in Massachusetts, over the last weekend had started to creak as negative ads against Scott Brown became more shrill. A message would go out to the world on Tuesday night.
A major question, however, was very much in the forefront during this campaign. Casting a vote for Scott Brown over Martha Coakley as our U.S. Senator until 2012 is one thing, but an organization using donations to tell untruths about a candidate, who will continue to support the legal destruction of over 1 million of our innocent brothers and sisters in each of these 3 years, is another very serious issue. We received multiple robocalls from Anne Fox, the current President of MCFL, stating that Scott Brown was “a prolife vote, which clearly anyone committed to Roe v. Wade is not. The calls and literature were all carefully worded to eliminate reference to his Roe support, which has always been MCFL’s first question to any candidate who sought the organization’s Political Action Committee support. The wording in each instance about Scott Brown was carefully honed to make him appear as one committed to prolife principles. He is not.
Long-time MCFL members were not only upset by the deception, but they felt it was tarnishing the organization’s image, as well as the integrity of the movement to restore legal protection to all members of our human family. We are well aware of the compromises which have to be made daily on the political stage, and that is acceptable if not on a moral plane. What we are adamantly opposed to are compromises of principle, and because of this stance we have always steadfastly claimed the moral high ground. The actions of the MCFL President has served to relinquish that claim.
John O’Gorman has distinguished himself by exposing hypocrisy with the Knights of Columbus by not expelling brother knights in political positions who claim to be loyal to the Catholic Church, and yet are consistent pro-abortion voters. Brother knights do a great deal of prolife work in the trenches, but the officers are not living up to the professed ideals by allowing a glaring double-standard to occur with regard to legislators in the ranks.
John, a former member of the Board of Directors of MCFL, has asked Anne Fox to resign because of purposefully deceptive statements made during and after the election. She has not responded.
9.
Among other constant assertions that he was prolife, she said in literature that “Brown will be a pro-life vote in the U.S. Senate.” Would that this was the truth, but it simply is false. His record and statements are very clear on his support for Roe v. Wade.
Several facts are indisputable here: The oft-repeated statements about Scott Brown being “a pro-life vote” in Washington are truncated to create another impression. He is a vote in the Senate to maintain a filibuster on the administration’s “Health Care” bill – but not what the implication was in the statement.
Several of us have heard Scott Brown personally express his support of Roe v. Wade, as well as his disdain for protesters outside of abortion facilities. In the Massachusetts Senate he voted in favor of the highly discriminatory 35-foot “Buffer zone”, which violates our 1st Amendment rights as well as putting our lives in jeopardy.
MCFL was also involved in double-speak in telling members that MCFL did not “endorse” Scott Brown. This dishonest approach which MCFL took sends the wrong message to aspirants for political office in a year when great gains could be made, given the currents running our way. The reputation of the entire Right To Life movement has been compromised, however, signaling a new model for political candidates.
This movement has for the most part been shunned by dilettantes and other-issue types because we have always asked for a commitment to integrity and credibility on right to life issues in pursuing our mission. While welcoming all to this effort, those virtues have been stressed, and we take pride in our own attention to them.
The Founding Father of MCFL, Dr. Joseph R. Stanton, who also founded a predecessor organization The Value Of Life Committee, was a magnet to many of us because of his character. He was passionately committed to this cause, and he was unrelenting and uncompromising in pursuing our mission. Dr. Stanton’s professional conduct conformed to the highest ethical standards, and he challenged all those within the medical field and without to be uncompromising in their own commitment to protect life all across the spectrum.
Scott Brown had the Right To Lifers’ vote by default when his opponent sold her soul right from the outset to the abortion industry. Just making Martha Coakley’s statements known would have been laudable. They were transparently evil and her campaign was soaked in the blood of innocents.
The election of Scott Brown to the seat occupied for 47 years by Edward Moore Kennedy could very well be attributed to the Providence of God, in this far-from-perfect existence. The entire national political scene took on a new look, and we must keep our loins girded through 2010, constantly shedding light to politicians about the daily slaughter of these innocents in our society. U.S. Senator Scott Brown is not excluded as MCFL gave him the wrong message.
10.
The current President of the Massachusetts Citizens For Life should step down, as requested, and allow for new leadership to assume the reins. MCFL, as all of us do, has a golden opportunity to work for the election of ideologically committed candidates to challenge the status quo. They have to subscribe to the MCFL mission statement which calls for “recognizing each human life as a continuum from conception to natural death”.
These words are clear, and they can not be watered down. Worse still, they can not be ignored in endorsing candidates and spending donors’ money for candidates who do not subscribe to this moral precept. Repeatedly selling to the membership as being prolife someone who supports Roe v. Wade, is a serious violation of trust.
A memorial to Dr. Joseph Stanton calls for new leadership and a return to his wisdom, dedication and the integrity which he brought into MCFL 37 years ago. Over 50 million of our progeny have been ruthlessly destroyed by that Roe v. Wade decision handed down in 1973, about which he would often say “was cut out of whole cloth”. The current blemish to the cause he fought for so passionately must be removed.
It should be obvious to all from our study of history that evil often reigns for many years, decades, and longer, but that truth will never be suppressed eternally. No, it is truth which will reign supreme. It could very well be that only future generations will see the end of this American Holocaust. But today’s generations will have to live by a purity of both purpose and words – or that goal will never be realized. And we know it will not be done by us alone. May God Be With Us!
R. T. Neary, Director of ProLife Massachusetts, PH: 508 359 4551
2010 - A Watershed Amid Warning Lights
By R. T. Neary, February 16, 2010
ProLife Massachusetts was formed in 2002 to fill the need for a group to monitor the Right To Life scene, and be able to respond both individually and collectively to problems at the proper pressure points.
Many prolifers felt that highly structured organizations can perform in a self-defeating fashion, frequently getting bogged down internally. They also often veer away from their expressed purpose. We felt we needed to operate under an aegis which clearly represents our mission: “To defend innocent human life from fertilization to natural death”. No donations would be accepted. We would accept only uncompromised loyalty to this ideal.
We have operated with a core of advisors but shun recruitment and time-consuming ancillary projects. We are convinced that much good has been accomplished by this approach in many areas of restoring dignity to innocent members of our human family. Pre-born humans legally deserve the same level of respect as we have been given.
This past year ProLife Massachusetts became associated with the American Life League (ALL), giving us a national connection. The issue surrounding Caritas Christi’s tangential (some would say direct) involvement with the abortion industry was the catalyst, because ALL was very strong in publicizing and challenging the linkage of the Archdiocese of Boston to an abortion organization. ALL President Judie Brown, as is her hallmark, was outspoken on the issue and very effective in exposing an intolerable scenario.
Carol McKinley, Phil Lawler, C.J. Doyle and John O’Gorman had been pursuing the issue, and they did outstanding work. The Cardinal Archbishop of Boston did not distinguish himself throughout, and there are still serious questions about the inner workings of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Boston.
The first year of the ascendancy of the most pro-abortion/pro-infanticide President the U.S. had ever seen certainly set us back initially, but as Barack Hussein Obama (aka Barry Soetoro) moved into his term we have been able to stall him somewhat. Polls had shown that around 54% of professed Catholics had voted for the man, and we would be intellectually, as well as spiritually, blind not to draw many conclusions from that figure.
Essentially it not only affirmed that the pivotal issue to Catholics in the voting booth is not adherence to defense of all innocent human life, but rather adherence to any one of a number of more personally beneficial issues. Nor did it exclude flimsy issues manufactured by the media, and based on emotions rather than any logical reasoning. It once again also laid bare the disconnect between Roman Catholic Magisterial teaching and the laity.
2.
For all of us in this society who have recognized the mandate to defend that basic right to life given by Our Creator and the first enumerated in the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence, we could be disheartened. But we differ from our opponents in this struggle because we are committed to the pursuit of truth, and that is both immutable and Godly. Thus, we will prevail in the end. Truth always does. That point in time, however, is the unanswerable question, but any student of the Good Book knows that point historically is the most elusive. So… we persevere!
The honor bestowed on Barack Obama by the University of Notre Dame still lingers with us in 2010, as the “ND 88” are still awaiting trial for trespassing. There has been no attempt at intervention by President Jenkins, who presents himself as a priest in the service of Yeshua, the Nazarene, whom we know as our Messiah. The “honor” was blasphemy, and all of us sent letters and e-mails, as well as signed petitions to right this wrong. Their hubris is pathological, and it leads one to question whether “Our Lady” to the current administrators is not Margaret Sanger. They are a shameless lot, ignoring the request of over 80 bishops to cancel the award. We should continue to thank these prelates for their courageous stand as shepherds combating heresy. We take note that Cardinal Sean O’Malley was not among them.
We are continuing, however, through Father Thomas Euteneuer, ND graduate and the President of Human Life International, to petition to have the charges dropped against the defendants who include Norma McCorvey, the original Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade. Fr. Tom, a few years ago, joined us in our monthly vigil against the abortions performed at the MetroWest Hospital in Framingham, so we feel close to him in all his efforts.
We will always have fond memories of the thrill Norma McCorvey expressed by standing on the Lexington Green when she visited the place where it all began. Now she is charged as a criminal for protesting the honoring of a man who expressed his belief that the Roe decision trumps the delivery of any medical aid to a member of the human family who has survived an abortion attempt. Just to think that Miss Norma came all the way from being the plaintiff to working afterwards in an abortion clinic - and then ending up as one of us. It is a great inspiration. It’s also proof of God’s Providence in this imperfect world.
This school year saw the Culture War once again very much in evidence on Beacon Hill. Planned Parenthood continues in its attempt to pursue its deadly aims, using the field of education and specifically the window of “Health Education” to poison the minds of our youth. They have introduced a bill to include Sex Education under “Health Ed” and, in turn, make the latter a part of the “core curriculum” of public schools, K through 12. The arrogance of making abortion appear healthful is only exceeded by their aim, aided by the media, to sanitize their name as though they were a medical institution.
3.
We testified in opposition and also in favor of H472 which changes students’ exposure to Sex Education from the current need to Opt-out to the reverse of that, namely to a situation with an Opt-in provision in the law. H472 would allow for Parental/Guardian review of materials and questioning of those school personnel involved, as well as requiring written permission from them prior to exposure to the content. It also includes a conscience clause for school personnel. The wording is very concise in addressing these points
Hundreds of visits have been made to State House offices, with little or no strong objections to the Opt-in change – but no legislative action. The Democrat majority wants the bill to languish and die in committee. They fear open debate and don’t even televise the committee hearings. A panel including Atty. Robert Joyce, Dr. Alice Slattery and Carol McKinley among others gave testimony to the Joint Committee on Education on this bill (with its previous number) with written testimony handed to them from Ann Corkery, Charles Coudert and others coming from a variety of disciplines and life situations. A cigar-store Indian might have had more animation than some of these legislators displayed. To the contrary, Rep. Betty Poirier, who is a very polished professional, has graciously been the legislative sponsor and has given testimony to the Joint Committee on the bill’s behalf.
The Massachusetts Citizens For Life (MCFL) wrote an article on H472 by doing an interview with Representative Poirier for MCFL News. But curiously they failed to mention anything about its authorship. With my name on H472 and after having served for 10 years on the MCFL Board of Directors, as well as being elected to three l-year terms as President of the organization, it certainly led to questions as to why the present leadership could overlook the genesis of this bill. Clearly it was not accidental.
The Boston Herald, however, two days before the most recent Joint Committee hearings called to do an interview after doing the research on its origins. They ran an article and picture on page 2 the day before the hearing which led to 3 talk show interviews about the bill and the clear parental civil rights violations involved. This time, legislative response was somewhat different, and gives us more hope that someday with proper amplification we can break through and restore the rights of parents to determine the fare their children are served in schools paid for by our tax dollars. The ultimate irony was that in the article, Diane Luby, the President of Planned Parenthood, admitted that the parents should be the prime educators of their children in sexual matters. Yet, they have testified against our Opt-in bill.
4.
The regal funeral service conducted for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy at the historic Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Mission Hill and the prominent involvement of Cardinal O’Malley still troubles those who have toiled for so long battling the barriers he had constructed against the Right To Life movement. Even to think that Barack Obama, the man who three times cast an infanticide vote, as well his outspoken promise to the abortion industry to enact the Freedom Of Choice Act (FOCA) which would strip from the law over 3 decades of protection enacted on behalf of the unborn, would speak from the altar is hardly believable. We are talking about the altar from which we heard and prayed with the saintly Father Edward McDonough, who often brought his spiritual qualities to the front of abortion facilities, asking for God’s graces to fuel our efforts in stopping this slaughter of the innocents. The beloved Father McDonough was such an inspiration, while the current President is more in the role of King Herod. Why Herod was allowed to speak from this hallowed altar is highly questionable – and inexcusable.
We need not put credence in the statements, letters and writings alleged to have been penned by the Senator to the Pope and in an autobiography. Others obviously were the authors of these words. Those of us who have witnessed the final weeks and days of relatives with the same type of malignant brain tumor, know the mental impairment which accompanies the final months, weeks and days of this earthly existence for them. Many of us prayed daily that before that stage came to him, EMK would right some of the wrong he was responsible for as a U.S. Senator during 47 years in Washington with regards to his abortion position. We were never told that he did.
No one can argue that the Senator, even without any evidence of repentance or attempt at restitution for his role in the American Holocaust, was entitled to a Mass of Christian Burial. But the praise, pomp and ceremony was uncalled for, given the abortion carnage we see in our society. It was a sell-out to the values of Mammon. We do believe in a merciful God, however, but One also who is just – and we leave the eternal judgment to Him, as is our calling.
Another lingering task ahead for ProLifers is the Health Care issue, with the inclusion of the funding of abortion very much still a part of the package. The following amendment was submitted to Sen. Kennedy’s office and then to Sen. Kirk, as well as to Sen. Kerry, Representative Stephen Lynch and to President Obama: “THIS BILL IS WORDED TO PROMOTE THE HEALTH OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS. NOTHING IN THE WORDING SHALL BE CONSTRUED TO INCLUDE COUNSELING FOR OR FUNDING OF ABORTION, EUTHANASIA, OR ASSISTED SUICIDE’. It is worded to be concise and to the point, but it has received only minimal acknowledgement and no action, needless to say.
5.
The Catholic News Service (CNS) unwittingly continues to reveal the inability of the U.S. Conference Of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to exact explicit language barring the funding of abortion in any “Health” bill. Abortion is simply not “Health Care”, as any unborn child would tell us if he or she could only voice it. CNS articles fail to take us behind the scenes or even quote the staffers and lobbyists who are really the ones fashioning a bill while the Obama/Pelosi/Reid triumvirate read their teleprompters and notes, trying to convince the public of the merits of their offerings. It became increasingly difficult to elucidate finer points in Letters to the Editor, and eventually they stopped acknowledging them or returning calls at the Boston Pilot. The Chancery does not answer letters, even if sent registered mail, but we will remain eternally vigilant without them. The “Catholic” in CNS is highly suspect, and The Pilot simply runs their releases verbatim.
On a very personal note, one day after a trip to Planned Parenthood in Boston to peacefully protest their child-killing at 1055 Commonwealth Avenue, I felt moved to extend it into a Novena For Life by following up for 8 more Tuesdays. My standing on the sidewalk with a full-front sign picturing a 19-week gestation child in utero always received at least a glance by clients and passers-by, but on balance it educates people - and the bottom line has to be that it can save lives.
On my 6th visit, I decided to stay a little longer when Eleanor McCullen and Mary O’Donnell, two living saints, had finished their stints after starting a lot earlier in the A.M. A while later, as I stood outside the 35-foot buffer zone, a man exited the building and quickly approached me in a rage, threatening my life while using the vilest language. Knowing I was outside the zone, still I took one step back and looked for a passerby with a cell phone. None wanted to get involved, but the individual, after repeated threats, eventually did return into 1055 Commonwealth Ave., and I eventually was able to get the Boston police. They entered the building to flush him out, and he must have been in hiding as they came out without anyone. He eventually though tried to flee out of PP and was apprehended by the officers after I identified him, was questioned, searched and written up by them on a side street.
In the pre-trial hearing he stood mute, and I related the happenings and it was then moved on to a trial. The defendant exercised his right to silence in the court room, and I was allowed by the judge to address the court with an impact statement which was accepted by the judge, later written up and is now on record in the Boston Municipal Court. The defendant is currently on probation, and we have accepted the court ruling. My thanks go for the support given by Bill Cotter, the Director of Operation Rescue, Boston and to attorneys from the law offices of Thomas E. Finnerty in Boston, who were very helpful in navigating the legal waters to bring it to a conclusion. There were multiple issues here including the question of Planned Parenthood’s culpability in harboring this law-breaker, and the fact that the buffer zone exclusion seems only to apply to prolife protesters, not those participating in the abortion business. No representative of Planned Parenthood appeared at the trial.
6.
The special election in Massachusetts on Jan. 19, 2010 with the election of Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate was truly a watershed event – one with worldwide implications. It served to clean up the long-tarnished image of this Commonwealth, so replete with beautiful history. What it should do once and for all is to destroy many myths about the socio/political structure of this state, many created to further power-grabbing ends.
People of this state are not “liberal”. The ruling establishment, by using their private vehicle known as the mass media, has promoted moral relativism, permissiveness and a counter-culture to which they have assigned this label. It’s an agenda and a far cry from its classical use, or even from the connotation of freedom. Christianity has not been the majority religious thinking for many decades. Secular Fundamentalism is really the religion which has held sway for these years through various channels and vehicles.
Organizationally, the Democratic Party is the strongest by far in a purely political sense, but they take their marching orders from The Boston Globe, which disseminates its views in a multitude of ways, from the electronic media to schools – and even Christian churches. The Roman Catholic Church, as a vehicle, is not an exception.
The largest political registration, as we all know is Unenrolled, and the Republican Party is miniscule, a throwback to the one controlled by the New England Yankees, who are no longer even clearly identifiable in it. The Bay State GOP has evolved into a party not much different from the Democrats, except they pull the purse strings a little tighter (or at least they say they do). The number of true conservatives has declined to a handful, and some of the GOP legislators flip-flopped by denying 170,000 of us who petitioned to have a vote on whether any two people of the same gender could be said to be “married”. The national platform of the Republicans, preserved since the Reagan years by the efforts of Phyllis Schlafly, is treated like it has leprosy by the Republican leadership in this state.
The Kennedy mystique had died tragically on November 22, 1963. The charisma of JFK was real, and his election as President genuinely changed people and the nation. The whole Camelot fable, though, was contrived as a way for the left-wing establishment to pursue their agenda, and through the media to fashion a real-life fairy tale. Edward M. Kennedy never wore that same mantle, and despite media-created “Liberal Lion” titles and statesman-type lavish praise, he was more a sad story of a missed opportunity where he could have left a legacy of real accomplishments. In person, he was very unimpressive and well-known for syntax which paralleled his wobbly gait. To students of the political scene, it should be clear that the tacit trade-off by the Boston Globe of Chappaquiddick silence for adherence to its editorial menu by the Senator was transparent. The persona attributed to the man was not based at all in reality, but rather bandied by elitists who had much to gain by perpetuating this fabrication. The election on Jan 19th shattered the myth.
7.
The Democratic Party candidate (not Democratic, unless someone has never heard of Superdelegates), who was reported to be of the Roman Catholic religion, could be described as both feticidal and infanticidal. Martha Coakley supports abortion of a child in utero at any stage of development, using any method, including the Partial Birth Abortion method. This is the procedure first described by Dr. Martin Haskell and once used in his Ohio abortion facility. State Sen. Scott Brown, her Republican opponent, could only be described as feticidal, as he expressed his support for the Roe v. Wade decision, which allows for over a million innocent, developing unborn humans to be dissected, scalded or homogenized annually. He did, however, express opposition to Partial Birth Abortion, which he knows has already been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Coakley during the campaign received her first massive infusion of campaign money from Emily’s List, NARAL, Planned Parenthood and the entire array of abortion supporters.
She willingly followed their directives and went as far as to state at one point, until quickly reeled in by the national Democrats up to the White House level, that she would vote for no “Health Care” bill unless it included our taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.
The Tea Party movement, which was gaining great national interest, tapped into the sentiments of the bulk of the Unenrolled as most of these tend to be Populist, and there was a simmering resentment as to where the country was heading, and especially the Health Care machinations. This sentiment was tailor-made for a Scott Brown, running as a Republican but identifying himself more as an Independent. The Tea Party movement itself could not take credit for his victory, but they were an organized populist group at the right place at the right time. They contributed nationally, helping to fund his well-crafted TV ads. Call it serendipity, providence or whatever, but mid-Jan. 2010 had every planet aligned. Only Martha Coakley’s handlers and sycophantic left wing ideologues could not perceive the voters disappointment with the status quo, and that a tectonic shift was about to take place.
Scott Brown politically ran a flawless campaign. His accent was on economic and security issues, and he dovetailed his positions into the very heated public sentiment on these. He seemed to be weighing every issue like a pharmacist with skill, whether that was by design or it was just pure luck. From his neat outdoorsy jacket, shirt-and-tie look and right down to the pick-up truck, which gave us familiar scenes around the state, he was genuine. His response to David Gergen’s reference to the Kennedy seat, that it belonged to the people came across as not rehearsed, but from the heart. We were also served up the real Martha Coakley, too, and she just does not have any verve – spewing only stilted, thin-lipped repetitive legalese. Barack Obama’s appearance with her at Northeastern University and his attempt at a humorous dig at her opponent’s pick-up truck fell flat, and once again he showed his lack of coattails or any real sense of humor. She was falling, and reality was setting in. Nothing could disguise her blandness.
8.
Indications that Scott Brown would pull off an upset were discernable in the closing days. Right To Life concerns about voting for a candidate such as Scott Brown had been answered by the Pope’s treatise, as Cardinal Ratzinger, which allowed Roman Catholics to weigh “proportionate reasons” in the process, and they clearly applied, calling for a vote for Scott Brown. Prolifers are voters, not stay-at-homes, so only a gaffe would not give him this demographic. As it turned out, Martha Coakley would make that major gaffe. Among other mistakes her statement that people with religious values such as Catholics should not work in emergency rooms, if they would not administer abortifacients was another clear indication of her aloofness, feeling of entitlement, and disdain for Judeo-Christian orthodoxy.
The Harvard/Boston Globe/Planned Parenthood axis, around which everything revolves in Massachusetts, over the last weekend had started to creak as negative ads against Scott Brown became more shrill. A message would go out to the world on Tuesday night.
A major question, however, was very much in the forefront during this campaign. Casting a vote for Scott Brown over Martha Coakley as our U.S. Senator until 2012 is one thing, but an organization using donations to tell untruths about a candidate, who will continue to support the legal destruction of over 1 million of our innocent brothers and sisters in each of these 3 years, is another very serious issue. We received multiple robocalls from Anne Fox, the current President of MCFL, stating that Scott Brown was “a prolife vote, which clearly anyone committed to Roe v. Wade is not. The calls and literature were all carefully worded to eliminate reference to his Roe support, which has always been MCFL’s first question to any candidate who sought the organization’s Political Action Committee support. The wording in each instance about Scott Brown was carefully honed to make him appear as one committed to prolife principles. He is not.
Long-time MCFL members were not only upset by the deception, but they felt it was tarnishing the organization’s image, as well as the integrity of the movement to restore legal protection to all members of our human family. We are well aware of the compromises which have to be made daily on the political stage, and that is acceptable if not on a moral plane. What we are adamantly opposed to are compromises of principle, and because of this stance we have always steadfastly claimed the moral high ground. The actions of the MCFL President has served to relinquish that claim.
John O’Gorman has distinguished himself by exposing hypocrisy with the Knights of Columbus by not expelling brother knights in political positions who claim to be loyal to the Catholic Church, and yet are consistent pro-abortion voters. Brother knights do a great deal of prolife work in the trenches, but the officers are not living up to the professed ideals by allowing a glaring double-standard to occur with regard to legislators in the ranks.
John, a former member of the Board of Directors of MCFL, has asked Anne Fox to resign because of purposefully deceptive statements made during and after the election. She has not responded.
9.
Among other constant assertions that he was prolife, she said in literature that “Brown will be a pro-life vote in the U.S. Senate.” Would that this was the truth, but it simply is false. His record and statements are very clear on his support for Roe v. Wade.
Several facts are indisputable here: The oft-repeated statements about Scott Brown being “a pro-life vote” in Washington are truncated to create another impression. He is a vote in the Senate to maintain a filibuster on the administration’s “Health Care” bill – but not what the implication was in the statement.
Several of us have heard Scott Brown personally express his support of Roe v. Wade, as well as his disdain for protesters outside of abortion facilities. In the Massachusetts Senate he voted in favor of the highly discriminatory 35-foot “Buffer zone”, which violates our 1st Amendment rights as well as putting our lives in jeopardy.
MCFL was also involved in double-speak in telling members that MCFL did not “endorse” Scott Brown. This dishonest approach which MCFL took sends the wrong message to aspirants for political office in a year when great gains could be made, given the currents running our way. The reputation of the entire Right To Life movement has been compromised, however, signaling a new model for political candidates.
This movement has for the most part been shunned by dilettantes and other-issue types because we have always asked for a commitment to integrity and credibility on right to life issues in pursuing our mission. While welcoming all to this effort, those virtues have been stressed, and we take pride in our own attention to them.
The Founding Father of MCFL, Dr. Joseph R. Stanton, who also founded a predecessor organization The Value Of Life Committee, was a magnet to many of us because of his character. He was passionately committed to this cause, and he was unrelenting and uncompromising in pursuing our mission. Dr. Stanton’s professional conduct conformed to the highest ethical standards, and he challenged all those within the medical field and without to be uncompromising in their own commitment to protect life all across the spectrum.
Scott Brown had the Right To Lifers’ vote by default when his opponent sold her soul right from the outset to the abortion industry. Just making Martha Coakley’s statements known would have been laudable. They were transparently evil and her campaign was soaked in the blood of innocents.
The election of Scott Brown to the seat occupied for 47 years by Edward Moore Kennedy could very well be attributed to the Providence of God, in this far-from-perfect existence. The entire national political scene took on a new look, and we must keep our loins girded through 2010, constantly shedding light to politicians about the daily slaughter of these innocents in our society. U.S. Senator Scott Brown is not excluded as MCFL gave him the wrong message.
10.
The current President of the Massachusetts Citizens For Life should step down, as requested, and allow for new leadership to assume the reins. MCFL, as all of us do, has a golden opportunity to work for the election of ideologically committed candidates to challenge the status quo. They have to subscribe to the MCFL mission statement which calls for “recognizing each human life as a continuum from conception to natural death”.
These words are clear, and they can not be watered down. Worse still, they can not be ignored in endorsing candidates and spending donors’ money for candidates who do not subscribe to this moral precept. Repeatedly selling to the membership as being prolife someone who supports Roe v. Wade, is a serious violation of trust.
A memorial to Dr. Joseph Stanton calls for new leadership and a return to his wisdom, dedication and the integrity which he brought into MCFL 37 years ago. Over 50 million of our progeny have been ruthlessly destroyed by that Roe v. Wade decision handed down in 1973, about which he would often say “was cut out of whole cloth”. The current blemish to the cause he fought for so passionately must be removed.
It should be obvious to all from our study of history that evil often reigns for many years, decades, and longer, but that truth will never be suppressed eternally. No, it is truth which will reign supreme. It could very well be that only future generations will see the end of this American Holocaust. But today’s generations will have to live by a purity of both purpose and words – or that goal will never be realized. And we know it will not be done by us alone. May God Be With Us!
R. T. Neary, Director of ProLife Massachusetts, PH: 508 359 4551
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Regina Cleri
I'm working on a disturbing lead about Cardinal O'Malley and the diocesan henchmen throwing six falsely accused priests, ages 71 to 88, out of Regina Cleri Nursing Home and cutting off their medical benefits. This much has been substantiated from several sources.
Reportedly, in one case, there was a struggle with the benefits and treatment plan of a critically ill cancer patient that threatened his reception of oxygen. It is not believed that the priest was actually deprived of oxygen during the struggle and eventually, the family was successful in keeping oxygen in his treatment plan.
Though staff has been contacted and verified some details, I'm trying to substantiate what is actually going on and I've heard enough to confirm that something sinister is taking place at Regina Cleri upon the orders which have to be approved by the Cardinal. Will post more details once I straighten out the substantive factual information. Several staff members and care givers are terribly upset.
Two patients have died before the Cardinal and his staff were able to move them due to the severity of their condition. Others are rumored to be headed to a lockdown facility where convicted sexually violent or pedophile priests are housed. The name "Wounded Brothers" mentioned as the possible facility.
As I've said, I'm in the process of substantiating and fine tuning the facts from several sources and I've written Terri Donilon of the diocese to respond to my questions.
Here's an obituary of one of the priests involved in the eviction :
The diocesan staff in charge of the accused since the outset of the scandal has recently been handed over to an individual named Mark Dunderdale. I sure hope these aren't his fresh ideas.
More later.
I've updated the situation here.
Reportedly, in one case, there was a struggle with the benefits and treatment plan of a critically ill cancer patient that threatened his reception of oxygen. It is not believed that the priest was actually deprived of oxygen during the struggle and eventually, the family was successful in keeping oxygen in his treatment plan.
Though staff has been contacted and verified some details, I'm trying to substantiate what is actually going on and I've heard enough to confirm that something sinister is taking place at Regina Cleri upon the orders which have to be approved by the Cardinal. Will post more details once I straighten out the substantive factual information. Several staff members and care givers are terribly upset.
Two patients have died before the Cardinal and his staff were able to move them due to the severity of their condition. Others are rumored to be headed to a lockdown facility where convicted sexually violent or pedophile priests are housed. The name "Wounded Brothers" mentioned as the possible facility.
As I've said, I'm in the process of substantiating and fine tuning the facts from several sources and I've written Terri Donilon of the diocese to respond to my questions.
Here's an obituary of one of the priests involved in the eviction :
It's true in every case that when the priest is judged innocent in his Canonical trial, the diocese prevents the priest from proclaiming their innocence. The lives and vocations of these priests are indeed shattered. As is their spirit.BOLDUC, Rev. Paul J. Dec. 29, formerly of Milton and Malden beloved brother of Lois M. Rooney and her husband Donald of Hampton, NH, Arthur J. Bolduc and his wife Nancy of Acton, ME. Uncle of Paul Rooney of Natick, Peter Rooney of Rowley, Patrick Rooney of Salisbury, Debra Gallagher of Methuen, Joseph Bolduc of Stoneham, and David Bolduc of Limerick, Maine. Fr. Bolduc was ordained in 1960 and served in St. Patrick Parish, Roxbury for 5 yrs, Immaculate Conception in Malden, for twelve years, St. Elizabeths Church in Milton for 10 years and served as Chaplain at Milton Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Childrens Hospital, Dana Farber Hospital, Joslin Diabetes Clinic and Brigham and Woman's Hospital, while he resided in St. Thomas Parish in Jamaica Plain and later in St. Anne in Readville. Visiting hours Sunday 2-6 in the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 5 Canton Ave, Milton. Funeral Mass in St. Elizabeth's Church, Milton on Monday at 11:00 o'clock. Interment Mt. Calvaire Cemetery, Somersworth, NH. Father Paul Bolduc served God since he was ordained in 1960. Fr. Bolduc's family has taken on the responsibility of informing the public of his innocence in the matter of one accusation against him in 2001. After two years of investigation by the Archdiocese Review Board he was declared innocent of all charges and was returned to his public ministry without restriction. The Decree was dated July 22, 2003 and was signed by the Most Reverend Richard G. Lennon, D.D. Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Boston. The one allegation that was made against him could not be substantiated. At the time, Father Bolduc was prevented from proclaiming his innocence to the public or his peers. Father Bolduc's reputation was shattered and his life was changed forever. He forged on, always mindful of his mission in life. Due to this ordeal his health suffered greatly and continued to decline as time went on. Father Bolduc's family wishes to thank all his friends for standing by him and for all the support they gave him in his time of need. He was a dedicated holy man who had a true calling to the priesthood and who gave of himself completely and unconditionally. His family would also like to thank the nurses and staff at Regina Cleary residence, Boston for the excellent care they gave him. Chapman, Cole & Gleason Milton 617 696 6612
The diocesan staff in charge of the accused since the outset of the scandal has recently been handed over to an individual named Mark Dunderdale. I sure hope these aren't his fresh ideas.
More later.
I've updated the situation here.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
The Phone is off the hook at the Archdiocese
We have plenty of Monday Morning Questions for the Quarterbacks
In taking an inventory of what it's like on the ground in the prolife community here in Boston, I would describe it as hopeful that the Cardinal can be taken at his word about the new arrangement. However, because the Cardinal and Caritas deliberately misrepresented what was happening in the arrangement until they actually got caught on the CeltiCare website with links to the abortionists they hired and their spokesperson admitted to NARAL being the Advisory Board for CeltiCare and that they had hired phone operators to answer the calls when they referred the women back to themselves to carry out and pay for the abortions, the overall consensus is disgust and a complete lack of trust that they are being forthright now about a situation they have been lying about all along.
I think a situation that uses the network of hospitals as a list of providers covered by the insurance plan could potentially allow prolife physicians to practice without violating their conscience. If we can trust the arrangement to be what they are trying to make it out to be on its face, it also opens the door for the poor to receive ethical and moral healthcare. It's a win/win situation that is very hopeful.
What we don't know is whether Caritas has withdrawn their promises and assurances they made to the Commonwealth to provide immoral services to the poor. It seems to me that while the corporation they created to take an ownership interest in the abortion arrangements has been stomped out, we don't know if the original contract that was awarded to Caritas is still in effect. We don't know if this is the same contract or similar contract with the same assurances, only they are now promising to send women forward to CeltiCare -- and NARAL is policing and monitoring this arrangement.
If this is the case they've rearranged the chairs on the Titanic.
After the secrecy and lies that have tainted this arrangement, we all believe it is critical to get our hands on the contract and the recommendation from the National Catholic Bioethics Center.
from the Globe article...
Washington Post
WBUR
In taking an inventory of what it's like on the ground in the prolife community here in Boston, I would describe it as hopeful that the Cardinal can be taken at his word about the new arrangement. However, because the Cardinal and Caritas deliberately misrepresented what was happening in the arrangement until they actually got caught on the CeltiCare website with links to the abortionists they hired and their spokesperson admitted to NARAL being the Advisory Board for CeltiCare and that they had hired phone operators to answer the calls when they referred the women back to themselves to carry out and pay for the abortions, the overall consensus is disgust and a complete lack of trust that they are being forthright now about a situation they have been lying about all along.
I think a situation that uses the network of hospitals as a list of providers covered by the insurance plan could potentially allow prolife physicians to practice without violating their conscience. If we can trust the arrangement to be what they are trying to make it out to be on its face, it also opens the door for the poor to receive ethical and moral healthcare. It's a win/win situation that is very hopeful.
What we don't know is whether Caritas has withdrawn their promises and assurances they made to the Commonwealth to provide immoral services to the poor. It seems to me that while the corporation they created to take an ownership interest in the abortion arrangements has been stomped out, we don't know if the original contract that was awarded to Caritas is still in effect. We don't know if this is the same contract or similar contract with the same assurances, only they are now promising to send women forward to CeltiCare -- and NARAL is policing and monitoring this arrangement.
If this is the case they've rearranged the chairs on the Titanic.
After the secrecy and lies that have tainted this arrangement, we all believe it is critical to get our hands on the contract and the recommendation from the National Catholic Bioethics Center.
from the Globe article...
On the other side of the abortion debate, Andrea Miller, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, said that she had been concerned about Caritas’s involvement in the joint venture because of the Catholic Church’s opposition to abortion, but that she remains concerned about whether Caritas’s role as a provider will make it more difficult for poor people to get services opposed by the church but supported by NARAL.
“The questions remains: Will the involvement of Caritas Christi health providers negatively affect women’s ability to get timely access to reproductive services, including birth control?’’ Miller said.
“We will continue to monitor the involvement of Caritas providers in any of the Commonwealth Care plans and hope that the [state regulators] will continue due diligence to ensure that referrals and services are provided in a manner that does not delay or deny access to reproductive health services.’’
Washington Post
O'Malley has been criticized for allowing Caritas Christi Health Care to partner with Centene Corp., which covers abortion services.
With the decision, Caritas will still provide health care to patients, including those covered by Centene - though it won't provide services that violate Catholic teachings.
WBUR
“By withdrawing from the joint venture and serving the poor as a provider in the Connector, upholding Catholic moral teaching at all times, (Caritas Christi is) able to carry forward the critical mission of Catholic health care,” Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley said in a statement.
The insurance plan, CeltiCare, will go ahead and enroll new members. Those members will be able to use Caritas hospitals."
“By withdrawing from the joint venture and serving the poor as a provider in the Connector, upholding Catholic moral teaching at all times, (Caritas Christi is) able to carry forward the critical mission of Catholic health care,” Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley said in a statement.
The insurance plan, CeltiCare, will go ahead and enroll new members. Those members will be able to use Caritas hospitals.
Most anti-abortion advocates hailed the eleventh-hour change, but some were skeptical of the move and said the Archdiocese still had to answer some questions.
“It appears that the reaction of the Archdiocese has less to do with fidelity to Catholic teaching and more to do with the fact that CeltiCare had become a toxic public relations for them,” C.J. Doyle, executive director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts said.
However, Doyle said there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the arrangement, like whether or not the Archdiocese received any financial benefit from the deal before it backed out. He said the Catholic Action League is planning to submit a Freedom of Information Act request to get that information.
The Archdiocese did not return calls for comment.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Bill Cotter of Boston Operation Rescue makes a statement on Caritas Abortions
THU, JUN 11 -- Baby saved from abortion (# 50) today at Boston's Planned Parenthood
Today's Boston Globe article on Caritas and cardinal's statement
Cardinal O'Malley's statement
on Caritas & CeltiCare
It should be self-evident that the archdiocese's statement does not refute the assertion that the arrangement is not a moral one. A key sentence in the statement is the following: Mr. Ralph de la Torre, President of Caritas Christi, stated that "when a patient seeks such a procedure, Caritas healthcare professionals will be clear that (a) the hospital does not perform them and (b) the patient must turn to his or her insurer for further guidance."
Why "must" a patient be directed to "her insurer for further guidance"?? Especially when the insurer is CeltiCare, which has contracted with Planned Parenthood to kill children? What "guidance" do you think they might offer?
Why wouldn't women be directed to the Archdiocese's Pregnancy Help?
Also unaddressed in the statement is the fact that the archdiocese sought this partnership with Centene / CeltiCare, and sought the contract with the state, which was awarded on the condition that the partnership commit to child killing! In exchange, the partners are paid fees by the state.
Caritas is not absolved because only its partner is directly involved with the killing. Not so, in partnerships each individual party completely liable for the harm brought about by either individual party, especially where there is prior intent. And even if money for an abortion is funneled from the state to Planned Parenthood with no cut for Caritas / CeltiCare, the fact that their contract with the state -- and thus revenue from the state -- can only exist because they agreed to play a role in abortion means that they are sharing in the financial gain produced by sin.
The Boston Archdiocese's Caritas Christi Health Care has a 49% interest in CeltiCare, which contracts with Planned Parenthood to provide abortions for referrals from Caritas Christi hospitals. Priests and laity of the Archdiocese of Boston occasionally picket, pray and counsel at Planned Parenthood abortion clinics in the Boston area (such as in the above picture). Will they be doing their activity when referrals from Caritas Christi hospitals come to or are in those clinics?
(Note, these warriors for life have save 50 children this year from being aborted!)
Today's Boston Globe article on Caritas and cardinal's statement
Cardinal O'Malley's statement
on Caritas & CeltiCare
It should be self-evident that the archdiocese's statement does not refute the assertion that the arrangement is not a moral one. A key sentence in the statement is the following: Mr. Ralph de la Torre, President of Caritas Christi, stated that "when a patient seeks such a procedure, Caritas healthcare professionals will be clear that (a) the hospital does not perform them and (b) the patient must turn to his or her insurer for further guidance."
Why "must" a patient be directed to "her insurer for further guidance"?? Especially when the insurer is CeltiCare, which has contracted with Planned Parenthood to kill children? What "guidance" do you think they might offer?
Why wouldn't women be directed to the Archdiocese's Pregnancy Help?
Also unaddressed in the statement is the fact that the archdiocese sought this partnership with Centene / CeltiCare, and sought the contract with the state, which was awarded on the condition that the partnership commit to child killing! In exchange, the partners are paid fees by the state.
Caritas is not absolved because only its partner is directly involved with the killing. Not so, in partnerships each individual party completely liable for the harm brought about by either individual party, especially where there is prior intent. And even if money for an abortion is funneled from the state to Planned Parenthood with no cut for Caritas / CeltiCare, the fact that their contract with the state -- and thus revenue from the state -- can only exist because they agreed to play a role in abortion means that they are sharing in the financial gain produced by sin.
The Boston Archdiocese's Caritas Christi Health Care has a 49% interest in CeltiCare, which contracts with Planned Parenthood to provide abortions for referrals from Caritas Christi hospitals. Priests and laity of the Archdiocese of Boston occasionally picket, pray and counsel at Planned Parenthood abortion clinics in the Boston area (such as in the above picture). Will they be doing their activity when referrals from Caritas Christi hospitals come to or are in those clinics?
(Note, these warriors for life have save 50 children this year from being aborted!)
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Um.....okay
Boston's 300,000 toilet nearing completion.
I'm sorry, but I'm not edified, are you?
Who are these for?
What are the circumstances that if you can't make it between destinations that you don't mosey into one of the hundreds of hotels or restaurants to use the facilities?
Are we actually telling the "tourists" that they're welcome to our glorious city but if they've planned their powder room activities wrong, they're unwelcome to use one in a hotel or restaurant?
At first, I thought - well, maybe this is for the homeless people. I guess then, you could somewhat justify it. Homeless people's appearance doesn't allow them to blend in a hotel lobby and strut unnoticed to the facilities, ergo hotels and restaurants find ways to discourage them. But, getting 300 of them off the streets and into housing would have been a better use of the money if this was a social justice project. Further, the toilets are "coin operated". The homeless don't have money to eat, it would be downright cruel to charge them to use a powder room.
What an imprudent use of three-hundred grand.
I'm sorry, but I'm not edified, are you?
Who are these for?
What are the circumstances that if you can't make it between destinations that you don't mosey into one of the hundreds of hotels or restaurants to use the facilities?
Are we actually telling the "tourists" that they're welcome to our glorious city but if they've planned their powder room activities wrong, they're unwelcome to use one in a hotel or restaurant?
At first, I thought - well, maybe this is for the homeless people. I guess then, you could somewhat justify it. Homeless people's appearance doesn't allow them to blend in a hotel lobby and strut unnoticed to the facilities, ergo hotels and restaurants find ways to discourage them. But, getting 300 of them off the streets and into housing would have been a better use of the money if this was a social justice project. Further, the toilets are "coin operated". The homeless don't have money to eat, it would be downright cruel to charge them to use a powder room.
What an imprudent use of three-hundred grand.
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.comIHS
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-----
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:
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.
*(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.
+
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)
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?)
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
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."
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
* (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.
*(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)
*(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")
*(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")
*(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 Activity Update
People in Action
Hauser People in the News
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 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.
In the interest of space, the E-News does not include titles for Hauser faculty, researchers or staff. For titles and bios, please click he re.
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
Harvard University
79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge , MA 02138
tel: (617) 496-5675
fax: (617) 495-0996
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 topOn 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.
In the interest of space, the E-News does not include titles for Hauser faculty, researchers or staff. For titles and bios, please click he re.
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>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.
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 OrganizationsHarvard University
79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge , MA 02138
tel: (617) 496-5675
fax: (617) 495-0996
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