The Catholic Spectator

  1. The Todd Duncan Story (Written by Lisa Spellman)

    November 5, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    A recent graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Todd Duncan has been a practicing Catholic all his life. College is a time when some young people drift away from their faith, but it had the opposite effect on Todd, and in an unexpected way. It all began freshman year, when Todd realized that his Protestant friends had a much better grasp than he did on matters of faith, the Bible, and even theology. God’s grace led Todd to true fellowship, to the St. Irenaeus Center, and to a profound love of the Catholic Church.

    (Read more…)

  2. Time to Say Goodbye

    September 24, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    Dear Readers, RochesterCatholic has been on-line for about 5 years now. This current edition of the site is in its second year and is certainly the most well known. It has been a big part of my life, especially over the last two years.

    After many hours of prayer, reflection, and discussion, I have made the decision to put RochesterCatholic on hold for the foreseeable future, perhaps permanently. The primary reason for this is that I no longer have the time to maintain the site according to my personal standards. The business that my wife and I started last year is taking off and it requires the better part of my day to keep things running smoothly. This is a good thing but, as they say, there are only 24 hours in a day.

    I truly believe that the internet has become a powerful weapon in exposing the corruption of the Faith in the Diocese of Rochester. People are no longer in the dark about what is going on at other parishes and St. Bernard’s School of “Theology”. The internet is pulling back the curtain and many of the nefarious activities of the diocese have now been exposed.

    The good thing about this is that there is a growing base of knowledgeable Catholics in this area. Fewer and fewer of them are falling for the “spirit of Vatican II” nonsense. They are realizing more and more that the Diocese of Rochester is severely out of sync with traditional Catholicism. The fact that we have no ordinations scheduled for the next 4 years says it all.

    I am gratified to know that there are now a number of local Catholic websites that have sprung up over the last few years. These sites are more than capable of carrying on the battle to restore normalcy to this troubled diocese. I wish them well and I will be praying for their continued success.

    I would like to mention that the Rosaries for Rochester campaign will continue. I will continue to maintain the publication of the site so that the Rosary counter can be used by the many participants in this campaign. I know that these prayers will be answered and Catholicism will be restored in our community. That is why I can “retire” from blogging full of hope and confidence.

    There will be one more column published by Lisa Spellman in the near future. She has been working on her latest conversion story and I look forward to publishing it. Lisa has done a magnificent job with these stories and I’m sure she has been blessed for her efforts. Thank you Lisa.

    I want to thank all of my faithful readers for being so supportive over the years. I am also forever grateful for the many, many friends I have made through this website. I will be forever enriched by these relationships and I thank God for bringing them into my life.

    As I have a strong personal devotion to the message of Fatima, it is only appropriate that I end my last column with the words of the the Blessed Mother:

    “Tell everybody that God gives His graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Tell them to ask graces from her, and that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be venerated together with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the Lord has confided the peace of the world to her… In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph, Russia will be converted and there will be peace.”

    God bless you all.

  3. Local Walk for Life

    September 20, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    Birthright of Rochester is hosting its 12th annual Walk for Life on Sunday, October 18th between 1-3 pm.

    This two-mile stroll on the beautiful St John Fisher College campus is a wonderful event that people of all ages can participate in. Strollers, wagons, and wheelchairs are welcome.

    (Read more…)

  4. Hiatus

    September 18, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    RochesterCatholic is on hiatus. Check back in several days for updates.

  5. A Deeply Flawed Process

    September 12, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    The Irondequoit Pastoral Planning Group’s (IPPG) Finance Committee meeting minutes from June 10, 2009, have the following statement:

    4. Discussed the status of the Facilities Committee/findings/report. The current replacement value is $42 million based on insurance estimates to replace very facility on 5 campuses. The question was raised, “Did each parish look at things the same way?”. It was decided that the facilities group would either reconvene or discuss via e-mail to insure that things we’re looked at the same way and that there is validity to the numbers presented. It was noted that replacement cost was used rather than repair cost due to timing issues and how long a repair will last. The bottom line is that we need a fair process.

    (Read more…)

  6. Evangelization Anyone?

    September 11, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    The Irondequoit Pastoral Planning Group (IPPG) has granted a stay of execution for St. Thomas the Apostle until November 1. In the meantime, the council will be working on an alternate plan that will be presented for the IPPG’s consideration.

    I have a very simple proposal for the IPPG. Stop spending all your time figuring out how to shutter churches. Form an evangelization team comprised of members who are passionate about their faith. Focus on getting lapsed Catholics to return to the Church. Use an orthodox program that actually works, like Catholics Come Home. Stand back and watch as the 9 year 38% decline in Irondequoit Mass attendance reverses itself. Then, disband the IPPG.

  7. Pro-life protest on Sunday

    September 11, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    On Sunday, September 13, pro-abort Caroline Kennedy is coming to town as part of a fundraiser for pro-abort Congresswoman Louise Slaughter. There will be a peaceful protest by pro-lifers in front of the Riverside convention Center at 123 East Main St. beginning at 4 pm. Please call 218-4051 for more information.

  8. The Numbers Just Don’t Add Up

    September 8, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    The IPPG Cluster Fact Sheet of June 17, 2009 contains the following data from the Finance Committee:

    Priority #1 & #2 Projects (Next 5 Years): CTK-$311,000, SC-$90,000, SMM-$5,000, SS-$0, STA-$323,000

    (Read more…)

  9. Still Waiting for Reports

    September 6, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    The deadline for the requested minutes of Annual Parish Meetings at St. Thomas has come and gone. This raises the concern that these meetings may never have been conducted as required by NYS law.

    (Read more…)

  10. The Old Covenant Is Not Sufficient

    September 5, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    The latest edition of the Catholic Courier has an article about a recent presentation at St. Bernard’s Institute called Bearing Witness. Bearing Witness is a program of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL) that focuses on anti-Semitism and the Holocaust. Bearing Witness is particularly designed for Catholic school educators. The print edition of the article contains some information that is not reported in the on-line edition. This is an excerpt from the print edition:

    In his August 24 workshop[, Father Dennis McManus (Georgetown University)…explained the document (Nostra Aetate), which he said laid out four points that tried to address the religious basis of anti-Semitism.

    The first was that the Church rejects the idea of the collective guilt of the Jews for the death of Jesus, he said. The second point was that the Church accepts the validity of God’s covenant with the Jews.

    (Read more…)

  11. Some Nuns Prefer Seashells

    September 4, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    The Apostolic Visitation of nuns in the U.S. has created quite a firestorm of activity. The Leadership Council of Women Religious is under particular scrutiny.

    (Read more…)

  12. Too Bad the Mosque Has Moved?

    September 4, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    I have another one for my St. Thomas readers. I found the following gem in the June 17. 2009 IPPG Finance Committee Report (p. 7):

    We also need to consider marketability and in this area this proposal (to close St. Thomas and St Salome) suffers. St. Thomas could probably only be sold to another church looking for that grandeur and ornateness. But there is plenty of room for parking and other activities. Too bad the Turkish Mosque has already moved.

    Expressing regret that they can’t shut down a Catholic church so that a mosque can move in? These are truly beautiful people.

    Aren’t we supposed to be going out and baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? That’s the religion I choose to follow.

  13. Cart Before the Horse?

    September 4, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    I found another interesting little tidbit in the Irondequoit Pastoral Planning Committee’s (IPPG) documentation.

    You may recall that the IPPG’s Implementation Committee’s (IMP) meeting minutes of April 22 contained the following information (in Item 12):

    After much discussion, the groups agreed that the scenario which had the most promise for a growing Catholic Irondequoit Community, unfortunately had to be with the closing of two churches: St. Thomas and St. Salome.

    (Read more…)

  14. Fair and Balanced?

    September 4, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    I have received updated information on the composition of the Irondequoit Pastoral Planning Group’s Implementation Committee (IMP). The IMP is the group that came up with the recommendation to close St. Thomas and St. Salome.

    Apart from the pastors and diocesan liaison Deb Housel, the number of affiliated parishioners on the committee is as follows:

    Christ the King: 3 members

    St. Margaret Mary: 3 members

    St. Cecelia: 2 members

    St. Thomas: 1 member

    St. Salome: 1 member

    Fair and balanced? You decide.

  15. Cardinal Criticizes Pro-Lifers

    September 4, 2009 by Eugene Michael

    Why are so many of our Church officials so deferential to pr-abort Democratic politicians? It really is a travesty.

    Here are some selected excerpts from a LifesiteNews story about Senator Kennedy’s funeral:

    In an entry on his blog last night, Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley defended his participation in the grandiose funeral for Senator Ted Kennedy. “There are those who objected, in some cases vociferously, to the Church’s providing a Catholic funeral for the Senator. In the strongest terms I disagree with that position,” he wrote.

    (Read more…)