Marriage Equality and Love That Only a Mother Can Provide

"His little face was lit up with joy, and he was cheering as his moms hugged him with the love that only a mother can provide." So, there is a love that ONLY a mother can provide? So says Governor O'Malley, the most prominent proponent of "marriage equality" in the state of Maryland.

One of the main claims on behalf of "marriage equality" is that sex does not matter at all with respect to child rearing. The proponents of gay "marriage" must assert this, of course, lest they cede any ground at all to those vile, bigoted, racists-by-analogy (albeit a demonstrably poor analogy), Biblethumping, Trajectory-of-History-denying heterosexists. For if sex matters in parenting, then the female contributes something that the male cannot and vice versa, and that alone suffices for heteronormative supremacy. Thus, "SSM" advocates must assert that parenthood is at its essential core androgynous.  Evidently Little Will was not the only who may not have understood the debates in Maryland's House.

But I suspect that the Governor knows that he would lose votes if he denied the uniqueness of a mother's love or said something like, "His little face was lit up with joy, and he was cheering as his moms hugged him with the love that can be provided by any of the five sexes." Nevertheless, what he said betrayed a heteronormativity that simply cannot be reconciled with the arguments for "marriage equality". My question then is this: what does it say about Maryland's vote for gay "marriage" that the man who is the most powerful supporter of "SSM" has clearly used heteronormative rhetoric to advance a cause which is just as clearly antithetical to the very notion of heteronormativity? Does the governor misunderstand the arguments for the issue he has chosen to trumpet ever so loudly? Well, then, how many other citizens of Maryland misunderstood these arguments when they voted yes on Question 6? Or does he know very well the necessary androgynous implications of "marriage equality" and has chosen to hide them because he thinks his constituency is all for equality but not quite ready yet for legally enforced androgyny? Hmm?

Bishop Peter Elliott on the Liturgical Reforms Envisioned by Benedict XVI

On Saturday and Sunday, September 29^th & 30^th, we were blessed with an animated public lecture and practical demonstration of principles by  the Bishop Peter Elliott on the Liturgical Reforms Envisioned by Benedict XVI, at Saint Mary of Victories Church.

Credo members have been interested in “good liturgy” for many years; we have a number of enthusiasts of what is now called the Extraordinary Form of the Liturgy, and Board Member Fred Haehnel is the president of the local Una Voce chapter. Advisory Board member  James Hitchcock is one of the founders of the Latin Liturgy Association, which promotes and fosters the use of Latin, and his wife Helen publishes the very fine Adormeus Bulletin, recommended by Bishop Elliott.

The complete text of the heavily-footnoted lecture is available by clicking here.

Click here for an MP3 of part one of  the lecture. In this part of the lecture, his Excellency addresses the vision of Pope Benedict XVI concerning the liturgy. He answers a couple of questions at the end. This part of the lecture lasts about 40 minutes.

Click here for an MP3 of part two of part two of the lecture. In this part of the lecture, his Excellency addresses the specific teachings of Pope Benedict XVI concerning the liturgy. He answers many questions at the end. This part of the lecture lasts about 55 minutes.

We were very fortunate to have him in St. Louis and we thank Fr. Harrison, Msgr. John F. McCarthy , and Archbishop Carlson for  making this visit possible.

Liturgist Bishop Peter Elliot in St. Louis September 29th & 30th

Updated!! Audio Recordings of Bishop Elliott's talk available for download. If we get his lecture notes, we will post a new article with the notes and the recordings all in one handy place.

Click here for part one of a lecture given by Bishop Peter Elliott, Auxiliary of the Diocese of Melbourne, Australia on September 29th, 2012 at St. Mary of Victories Church in St. Louis Missouri. In this part of the lecture, his Excellency addresses the vision of Pope Benedict XVI concerning the liturgy. He answers a couple of questions at the end. This part of the lecture lasts about 40 minutes.

Click here for part two of a lecture given by Bishop Peter Elliott, Auxiliary of the Diocese of Melbourne, Australia on September 29th, 2012 at St. Mary of Victories Church in St. Louis Missouri. In this part of the lecture, his Excellency addresses the specific teachings of Pope Benedict XVI concerning the liturgy. He answers many questions at the end. This part of the lecture lasts about 55 minutes.

The St. Louis Chapter of the Latin Liturgy Association is pleased to welcome liturgist Bishop Peter Elliot to St. Louis Saturday and Sunday, September 29^th & 30^th, 2012 for a public lecture and Holy Mass at Historic St. Mary of Victories Chapel downtown.  His Excellency is an international authority on liturgy, and on the Anglican Ordinariates now authorized by Pope Benedict XVI. The public is invited; free of charge.

Bishop Thomas John Paprocki Defends Paul Ryan Against Heresy Charges

In an address given at the Red Mass in Green Bay, Wisconsin on September 20^th, Credo's 2011 Christ the King Forum Speaker, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, defended Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan against heresy charges coming from various quarters in the Catholic press and academy. Instead of reading what other say about what his Excellency said, you can read the words themselves by clicking right here.

Thanks to Credo member Don Holdener for the contribution.

36th Annual St. Louis Respect Life Convention Sunday, October 28, 2012

Plan now to attend the 36^th annual St. Louis Respect Life Convention on Sunday, October 28^th at the St. Charles Convention Center for a day of inspirational and educational program including:

• Sunday Mass @ 9:30 AM
• Exhibits and Books
• Luncheon and Keynote Address @ 11:30 AM
• Workshops beginning at 2 PM

AHC Lecture Series: Sacraments: From the Old Covenant to the New

The Fall 2012 lecture series, “Sacraments: From the Old Covenant to the New”, sponsored by the Association of Hebrew Catholics (AHC) begins on Wednesday Sept 19. The lectures are held in the Rectory conference room across from the Cathedral Basilica, every Wednesday from 7-9 PM. The lectures are of general interest to Catholics and presented free of charge by Credo Advisory Board Member and AHC Director of Theology, Dr. Lawrence Feingold, Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, St. Louis.

While there is continuity from one lecture to the next, each lecture in the series can stand alone. You can view the schedule and titles of all lectures, as well as retrieve MP3 podcasts of past lectures here. Call the AHC at 314-535-4242 for additional information.

 

Faithful Citizenship: A Forum on Religion and Public Life

The first week of October will be busy for politically-aware Catholics in St. Louis. Two days following Credo's showing of Breaking the Spiral of Silence, and a month before the 2012 Presidential Election, Fontbonne is hosting an evening forum that features an intellectually stimulating conversation among four prominent scholars on the role of religion and public life, and the challenge of pursuing the common good in a pluralistic society.  Free and open to the public.

Thursday October 4^th, 2012 at 7:00pm

Fontbonne University
Dunham Student Activity Center (building #3 on the campus map)
6800 Wydown Blvd, St. Louis (map & directions)

The Corondelet Lecture at Fontbonne University is ...devoted to exploring how Catholic thought may engage a pluralistic world. It is an activity of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Endowed Chair in Catholic Thought at Fontbonne University and is co-sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis Province.