Subsidarity and Solidarity

St. Louis native Timothy Dolan, now Archbishop of New York, muses about the twin pillars of Catholic Social Teaching and politics in this post on his blog.

Brain Death Theory Revisited

The Brain Death Theory was originally proposed, without a single supporting scientific reference, in a 1968 report of  an ad hoc committee at the Harvard Medical School.  Validity of the theory has been seriously challenged over the ensuing years.  Additionally, more recent data , including data made possible by increasingly sophisticated methods for assessing function and awareness, has led leading investigators to the conclusion that "brain death" is not death.  Dr. Robert Truog, professor of medical ethics, anesthesia and pediatrics at Harvard has said in an article entitled, Brain Death: Too Flawed to Endure, Too Ingrained to Abandon, that "Despite continual commentary in the medical literature about the inconsistencies and incoherence of the concept of brain death, medical professionals have had to defend the concept in order not to jeopardize the benefits of organ transplantation."

By way of acknowledging that, not only the brain death theory, but also the 1993 cardiac death theory, is no longer medically supportable, authors of one of several organ transplant articles in the August 14, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine recommend abandoning the "dead donor rule" and substituting patient or surrogate consent for legal removal of vital organs.  In plain language, the legal system and culture would (or already does) condone killing by organ removal in the "right" circumstances.  In such a formulation, the "right" circumstances are said to justify the means.

It's beginning to sound like the unintended consequences of abandoning principle (as in Roe v. Wade?) can be dangerous!

Man Made in the Image of God

The last two installments of the Association of Hebrew Catholics Spring, 2011 lecture series, "Man Made in the Image of God", take place on Wednesday May 25^th and June 1^st in Boland Hall of the Cathedral Basilica from 7-9 PM. The lectures are of general interest to Catholics and presented free of charge by Credo Advisory Board Member Dr. Lawrence Feingold, Assistant Professor of Theology at Ave Maria University's Institute for Pastoral Theology.

This series discusses Christian Anthropology from the natural point of view. The next series to begin this fall takes the supernatural view of man. Each lecture in the series stands alone, but you can retrieve MP3 podcasts of past lectures here.

The lecture notes are being collected into a book series. The first three volumes have already been published by "The Miriam Press", the publishing arm of the AHC, and is local to St. Louis.

Weddings and Marriage

St. Louis' own Colleen Carroll Campbell wonders at the zillions spent by bridezillas who say Yes to the Dress, but "for now" to the groom in a Post-Dispatch article. What are they thinking?

Conclusion: Christian marriage preparation should begin at birth, not at the Pre-Cana meetings. A tall order.

Composer Kevin Allen to Conduct New Mass Setting

[caption id="attachment_391" align="alignright" width="234" caption="Kevin Allen"][/caption]

On Sunday, May 22^nd composer Kevin Allen will conduct his newly-composed Missa Rex Splendens at St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis. This new composition will be sung by the Oratory Choir with organ accompaniment. The Mass is based on the Gregorian Chant Mass VII of the same name.

Kevin Allen is highly regarded as a composer of opera, chamber and orchestral music. Mr. Allen has also developed a unique reputation as a composer of church music for the Roman Rite. His works, sacred and secular, have been performed in churches and concert halls throughout the United States and Europe.

Mr. Allen will be the featured guest on EWTN Live, Wednesday May 25^th at 7:00 PM, repeated on Thursday, May 26^th at midnight and 8 AM, and Sunday, May 29^th at 3 AM. (All times are Central Daylight.) EWTN in St. Louis is on the Charter network channel 152 and on AT&T U-verse channel 562.

There Be Dragons

[caption id="attachment_376" align="alignright" width="199" caption="Charlie Cox as Jose Maria Escriva"][/caption]

The most dangerous place on earth is the human soul. hic sunt dracones "here there be dragons".

There is a new independent film out written and directed by Roland Joffé, a British filmmaker known for directing films having strong moral and religious themes: The Mission, Captivity and The Killing Fields are all his. The Huffington Post called it "The Opus Dei Film That Isn't Really About Opus Dei".

The show closes in St. Louis on Thurday, May 19^th. You can find locations and times at Wherenberg Theaters here.

The Triumph of Humility

[caption id="attachment_319" align="alignleft" width="109" caption="St. Therese of Liseux as Jeanne d'Arc"][/caption]

“The Triumph of Humility” is the title of a play written by St. Therese for nuns in her convent in 1896, and it provided her with an opportunity to think about the struggle between good and evil.

“Level 5 Leadership: the Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve” is the title of an insightful article in the July-August, 2005 issue of the Harvard Business Review, and that article emphasized the humility factor found in the few unusually successful leaders. Remarkably disparate sources, but both focus on one of life’s most important counter-intuitive facts not commonly recognized, especially in secular literature.

Hitler, the War, and the Pope

Register Here.

Credo is honored to welcome Professor Ronald Rychlak, author of Hitler, the War, and the Pope to our June 12^th, 2011 Forum. The book was cited by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in its investigation of Eugenio Pacelli, now The Venerable Pope Pius XII, and has been praised as "the best and most careful of the recent works" on the subject of his actions during the war.

Professor Rychlak will trace the life and character of Ven. Pope Pius XII from the Second World War until after his death, highlighting the rescue activities he undertook during the war, credited with saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of Jews.