Catholic College Invites Bill Ayers

“Social Justice” run amok.

Catholic News Agency reports that ’60’s radical Bill Ayers is scheduled to speak at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA near Berkeley on Jan. 28, 2009.  Ayers’ appearance is part of the college’s ‘Against The Grain’ series.

“Against the Grain” theme of the school’s innovative four-week session where students are challenged to think in new ways and explore social justice issues as part of the College’s Lasallian heritage.

Phyllis Schlafly says this about Ayers and education:

From his prestigious and safe university position, Ayers has been teaching teachers and students in rebellion against American capitalism and what he calls “imperialism” and “oppression.” The code words for the Ayers curriculum are “social justice,” a “transformative” vision, “critical pedagogy,” “liberation,” “capitalist injustices,” “critical race theory,” “queer theory,” and of course multiculturalism and feminism.

Contact

Michael McAlprin, Media Relations mdm5@stmarys-ca.edu 925-631-4222

St. Mary’s College

1928 Saint Mary’s Road
Moraga, CA 94556
(925) 631-4000

Portland Archdiocese and Sisters of the Road

NOVEMBER 15, 2008 (Portland, Ore)  The Portland Archdiocese’s CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN for HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (CCHD) held the annual TOBIN LECTURE at ALL SAINTS CHURCH.  The National Director of CCHD, Ralph McCloud, gave the keynote speech on poverty, ‘Hear the Cry of the Poor: Standing in Solidarity with the Poor in Our Community.’

THE UNBORN

Director McCloud said to listen to the voice of the unborn in his lecture.  He mentioned the unborn two or three times.

ELIMINATE POVERTY

Director McCloud says we are called to eliminate poverty. Sounds like Utopian Communism.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Among the facilitators and panelists at today’s event was SISTERS of the ROAD.

WHO IS “SISTERS OF THE ROAD?”

A social justice community organizing project influenced by, if not part of, the Catholic Worker Movement.

See also Sisters of the Road CAFE.

See also Catholic Worker Publication.

GEORGE SOROS FUNDS PRO-ABORTION CATHOLIC LEFT

Catholic League president Bill Donohue exposes the nexus between George Soros and two left-wing Catholic groups, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Catholics United:

“In 2003, after left-wing mogul George Soros blamed Jews for anti-Semitism, the Anti- Defamation League branded his comments ‘obscene.’ Two years later, I accused him of anti-Catholicism when his group, MoveOn.org, posted a picture of a smiling Pope Benedict XVI holding a gavel outside the U.S. Supreme Court, along with the following inscription: ‘God Already Has a Job…He does not need one on the Supreme Court.’

“Why is this relevant? Because this same bigot is connected to two apologists for abortion rights, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Catholics United. In 2006, Soros’ Open Society Institute gave Catholics in Alliance $100,000 (double the amount he gave in 2005), and in the same year Catholics in Alliance listed Catholics United on its 990 as an organization with which it has a formal relationship. John Podesta, who runs the Soros-funded organization, Center for American Progress, admits that he works closely with Catholics in Alliance and Catholics United. The Center for American Progress is also the sponsor of Faith and Public Life.

“Why would any Catholic organization take money from a man like George Soros? Because legitimate sources of revenue aren’t available? And why would Soros have any interest in funding Catholic groups? He doesn’t give the Catholic League any money, and if he offered, I would refuse it.

“The reason Soros funds the Catholic Left is the same reason he lavishly funds Catholics for Choice, the pro-abortion group that has twice been condemned as a fraud by Catholic bishops: they all service his agenda, namely, to make support for abortion rights a respectable Catholic position. On October 17, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput [click for article] accused Catholics in Alliance and Catholics United as doing a ‘disservice’ to the Catholic Church. He’s right. And now we know what really makes them tick.

Defunding ACORN: Catholic Campaign for Human Development

Thanks to radio talk shows like Hugh Hewitt and Rush Limbaugh, ACORN is getting the outing it deserves.  We at Fidelity and Action have been withholding donations to the Archdiocese because of ACORN.  Not only is ACORN involved in voter fraud and embezzlement, but also is pro-abortion.

Stephanie Block has written a good piece at Spero News . . .

‘Defunding ACORN is laudable but insufficient.’

Related stories:

‘CCHD End Funding To ACORN over financial irregularities.’

‘Catholic Campaign for Human Development:  Update’ - Stephanie Block.  2003.  The Wanderer.

What Is Eco-Spirituality? Eco-Justice?

We at Fidelity and Action stumbled upon the following job description at Catholic Jobs:

Program Coordinator for Eco-Spirituality Center

If the web page is no longer there, we saved a copy here: (click the link here, and on the new page click the image) eco-spirituality-catholic-job-listing-pdf

“THE WELL, a center for our sacred unity with God, Earth and one another.”

30 Groups Protest Ahmadinejad Interfaith Meeting

This is a follow-up to our post – Stop Ahmandinejad.

30 Groups Protest Ahmadinejad in New York

NETWORK lobby’s focus: “Material Justice”

Over at Catholic Culture there is a review of this organization and examples of NETWORK’s weakness for “material justice.”

Sr. Simone Campbell: “Amadinejad didn’t discuss Israel”

Sr. Simone Campbell, Director, NETWORK

Sister Campbell’s talk was dull.  All Saints Catholic Church in Portland is dull.  The architecture was dull.  The tiny crucifix (on a stand) was dull.

Why the heck does the Archdiocese of Portland need a social justice speaker in the first place?  I guess the United States Bishops are hen-pecked by the Catholic Feminists.  Women can’t be ordained.  I know!  Let’s throw out the Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Savior — because he’s a male symbol of the “patriarchy” they hate and fear — and replace it all with Social Justice blather!  That’ll fill the pews!

“LIVE YOUR SOCIAL JUSTICE!  I LIVED MY SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE PARKING LOT”—Sr. Simone

No, actually, Sister, that’s “charity.”

Sr. Simone Campbell of NETWORK “Touched” by Ahmadinejad

NETWORK is the progressive Catholic social justice political lobby of graying Left-Wing Catholic Feminists.  Be sure to visit their website and read its laundry list of issues they lose sleep over, like the federal budget and a fair minimum wage.

Its current director, Sr. Campbell, is in Portland to speak about – what else – social justice and the 2008 Election.

Sr. Campbell is pro-abortion based on her close alliance with Call To Action.

SEPT. 22, 2008, 7:30 pm ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC CHURCH, PORTLAND OR

Sr. Simone Campbell, a gifted and

faithful witness for justice and peace
and a national and international leader
for advocacy and reconciliation, will
be this year’s speaker for the Theresa
Willett Memorial Lecture at All Saints
Church. The lecture this Monday,
Sept. 22, will begin at 7:30pm. The
topic of Sister Simone’s remarks will
be:  Faith Alive: Catholic Social Teaching,
Spirituality & the 2008 Election. The
time with Sister Simone should assist all
of us in integrating our rich Catholic
Social Teaching with the decisions we
will soon make in the November
election.

SISTER SIMONE CAMPBELL was among a group of Americans who met Iranian dranged and dangerous President Ahmadinejad at Columbia University.

MY REFLECTIONS ON THE EXPERIENCE: Simone Campbell, SSS

• I know so little about Iranian culture, and I sense that the rest of our country is the same. I was amazed at the religious/theological context for the dialogue that was presented. After conversation with others who have more experience than I, it seems that the President got elected as a populist, but now he is having to move in academic circles. Learning has been respected in the Persian culture for thousands of years. Apparently academic disputation is highly valued in Iran. He is not adept at doing this and is a bit insecure about it.

• In discussion following, I learned that the major religious leaders are the true leaders of Iran, and the President is actually quite far down on the power list. However, the U.S. administration keeps dealing with him as if he held the title in the same way as in the U.S. I understand that this is being dismissive of the religious leaders. Therefore, while they might not agree with President Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric, they are not moving to curb him

• Of his comments—I think I was most touched by his comments about poverty and how where there is absolute poverty there is a denial of someone’s human rights.

• Some of the questions asked were so culturally contained in an effort to connect at the human level, e.g. his fears, failings in Iran, etc. I don’t know how we get around this, but it seems unrealistic to expect him (or anyone from another culture) to respond to our U.S. human expectations of “bonding.”

Special thanks to Oregon Catholic  Citizens for contributing this story.