Who will be the next Pope? Image from flickr by Sergey Gabdurakhmanov
Have you ever wondered when the next Pope will be elected? Of course we know that either of two things must happen in order for the next Pope to be elected:
1. the current Pope must have passed away
2. the current Pope must resign
That's what Canon Law states.
But we can never predict the moment of either occurring. Actually, we can predict when the current Pope will die anyway.
Impossible, you say! Read this pope prophesy...
Those of the younger generation may not of course remember half of the following.
1981 & 2005 - Two Interesting Years
Interesting Year 1981
1. Prince Charles got married.
2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe .
3. Australia lost the Ashes.
4. The Pope died.
Interesting Year 2005
1. Prince Charles got married.
2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe .
3. Australia lost the Ashes.
4. The Pope died.
Lesson to be learned: The next time Charles gets married, someone should warn the Pope.
Besides daily prayer, one of the best ways to edify your faith is to read and study the Bible. Here's a new guide that is installed on your PC and it delivers your Daily Bible Guide and it's free.
Click on the image below, register and install the software and your set...
If you think this will help another soul who is searching for God, share this post.
Liberal Nuns Donation Drive image from PinkMoose on Flickr
If nuns advertise sinful activities, does it make them liberal nuns?
Read on and decide...
A man is driving down a deserted stretch of highway when he notices a sign out of the corner of his eye...
It reads:
SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
10 MILES
He thinks this is a figment of his imagination and drives on without second thought.
Soon he sees another sign which reads:
SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
5 MILES
Suddenly he begins to realize that these signs are for real and drives past a third sign saying:
SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION
> NEXT RIGHT
His curiosity gets the best of him and he pulls into the drive. On the far side of the parking lot is a stone building with a small sign next to the door reading:
SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS
He climbs the steps and rings the bell. The door is answered by a nun in a long black habit who asks,
'What may we do for you! my son?'
He answers, 'I saw your signs along the highway and was interested in possibly doing business....'
'Very well my son. Please follow me.'
He is led through many winding passages and is soon quite disoriented.
The nun stops at a closed door and tells the man, 'Please knock on this door.'
He does so and another nun in a long habit, holding a tin cup answers the door.
This nun instructs, 'Please place $100 in the cup then go through the large wooden door at the end of the hallway.'
He puts $100 in the cup, eagerly trots down the hall and slips through the door pulling it shut behind him.
The door locks, and he finds himself back in the parking lot facing another sign:
GO IN PEACE.
YOU HAVE JUST BEEN SCREWED BY
THE SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS.
SERVES YOU RIGHT, YOU SINNER
If you're a Catholic parent, have you ever wondered how to raise good kids?
If you have, you may have searched Google or Amazon or your neighborhood bookstore for a title. You would have picked one up and you would have read some baffling advise from the author who has a PhD in Child Psychiatry. That's the problem with the modern science (or pseudo science some people say it is) called psychiatry.
After reading such books you'll end up believing that your parents should never been allowed to have kids, because they brought you up bad, according to the modern author's philosophy.
Actually you can always pick up a good Catholic book written by a real parent. In fact, Mrs. Mary Reed Newland, a mother of 7 children wrote such a book that was republished in 2004 by Sophia Institute Press.
The book, titled "How to Raise Good Catholic Children" was originally published fifty years ago. So you can imagine how solid her advise would be in this 336 page book, that is not adulterated by modern wimpy advise.
Here's what one modern reader says...
Every Catholic family should have a copy of this book in their family library!
This morning as I was having breakfast at 8:00 am at home, the neighborhood was quiet. The only sounds I could hear were the neighbor's puddle yelping and a crow announcing its presence. Not a sound from a human or any human created devices.
As I was letting that silence soak in, I couldn't help remember how chaotic the situation must have been on Monday, 4 September 1967, in Que-Son Valley in then South Vietnam.
On that day, I was two months short of 5. My parents used to rear chickens in those days to reduce our food bills. As usual, during the morning of that day, I was probably playing with the chickens and stepping on their poo while 500 miles to the north of my hometown (Kuantan, Malaysia), US Marines were fighting the North Vietnamese Army and stepping on booby traps and mines. Among them was Father Capodanno, administering Last Rights to the dying and patching up the wounded.
That was also the day that Lt. Vincent Robert Capodanno was martyred - after obtaining 3 Purple Hearts - all in ONE day!
I first heard about Servant of God, Lt. Fr. Vincent Capodanno while doing some research on Hero Priests in 2010. I was preparing to present a vocation camp for the Confirmation Class of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Puchong, Malaysia. I wanted to showcase to these kids that priests can also be heroes, despite the media portraying all Catholic priests as sexual predators preying on children.
I created a video to highlight priests who are worth emulating that you can watch here...
My apologies to the Capodanno family for misspelling the family name.
For Christmas 2011, I bought the book titled, The Grunt Padre: Father Vincent Robert Capodanno, Vietnam, 1966-1967, for my 19-year old son, Jared. In this age, when kids have role models in small 50 Cent denominations or sound like M&M, something is seriously wrong. I hope this chronicle of Father Vincent's life will inspire him to serve and sacrifice too.
Wouldn't somebody with such a story like this inspire you more...
During those early hours, Chaplain Capodanno received word of the battle taking place. He sat in on the morning briefing at the 3rd Battalion's Combat Operations Center. He took notes and listened to the radio reports coming in. As the elements of Company "M" and "K" prepared to load the helicopters. "Fr.Vince" requested to go with them. His Marines needed him. "It's not going to be easy" he stated. As Company "M" approached the small village of Chau Lam, the North Vietnamese opened up on the 2nd Platoon, which was caught on a small knoll, out in the open. The fighting was fierce, hand to hand at times, and the platoon was in danger of being overrun. Father Capodanno went among the wounded and dying, giving last rites and taking care of his Marines. Wounded once in the face and suffering another wound that almost severed his hand, Father Capodanno moved to help a wounded corpsman only yards from an enemy machinegun. Father Capodanno died taking care of one of his men.
For some inexplicable reason I hold Fr. Capodanno as my own hero priest. I'm not sure if it's because I wanted to be a priest when I was in my early tweens and teens, or because I was an Army Reserve Second Lieutenant or is it because he was the saint who was closest to me in time and space. I'm in the midst of reading this book and I was thrilled to read that the Grunt Padre participated in Operation Rio Blanco from Nov. 20 -27, 1966. 20th November 1966 was my 4th birthday. There's a running joke in my family that dates associated with my sister, Jackie, are jinxed - so I was amused that on her 1st birthday, May 11, 1966, Fr. Capodanno received both the National Defense Service Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal.
I write this on the 45th anniversary (it's the 4th of September in Malaysia) of Fr. Vincent's departure into eternal life and I hope that if you are looking for a hero to emulate or a role model for today's youth, present them with this gripping book. If you think this book will help your parish priest or even your Bishop, get him a copy.
My name is Ray Lowry and I was the last Catholic priest to see Vince alive and the first to see him dead. On 6 Dec. 1966 Vince and I changed jobs; I went out to 1/7 on the Batangan Peninsula and Vince replaced me at 1st Med. Within weeks of arriving in Vietnam I had heard stories about Vince and he indeed "became a legend in his own time". His CO at 1/7, Lt.Col. Buzz Lubka, told me that Fr. Capodanno "could walk on water." He was an inspiration to me and made me a better Chaplain for knowing him. I'll never forget the night he died but that is a story in itself. Fr. Mode has indeed captured the essence of the man. I still think of Vince daily. I am honored to have known him and to have shared my life with him as a Chaplain with the Marines in Vietnam. May God grant his noble soul eternal rest
I had the ultimate priveledge to work on part of the book prior to publication. This initial introduction to Father Vincent Capodanno was life changing. Even in death, the Father continues to give a message of love. Father Mode did a fantastic job in telling of Father Vince Capodannos heroism and love for his fellow human being. He gave the ultimate sacrifice of love for his "grunts". Being the wife of a Marine, I understand secondhand the bond of the Marine Brotherhood but to see it portrayed in Father Capodannos life story, it takes on new meaning. When you read it, you too will have a cause to change for the better. Fr. Capodanno is truly an inspiration! Donna Bragg
, for my 19-year old son, Jared. In this age, when kids have role models in small 50 Cent denominations or sound like M&M, something is seriously wrong. I hope this chronicle of Father Vincent's life will inspire him to serve and sacrifice too.
