BALM TO MY SOUL- DR.MARCELLINO D'AMBROSIO

Yesterday I went to St.Patricks in Portland MI to hear Dr. D'Ambrosio speak on several different topics: The Culture of Death; Who Needs Confession; Getting More Out of the Mass.
He is so good it was balm to my soul! Check out his web sight: The Crossroads Initiative.
He studied under Cardinal Avery Dulles. I was talking to him and asked him if he knew Fr.Francis Martin because he was one of our professors when Linda and I received our Master's Degree at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Well it turns out that Fr.Martin was one of
Dr. D'Ambrosio's readers for his dissertation paper.

Actually Fr.Martin was my favorite teacher. He's a Biblical Scholar and knows so many languages.........he made scripture come a live! Linda and I had him for the Gospel of John and he would say you know when you meet him at the pearly gates he's not really going to care if you got an A! He's going to want to know if you lived it! When I went to Rome and Israel in 2000 he led the pilgrimage for Israel. I could listen to that man speak all day long!

Anyway back to the conference. It was so refreshing especially after the recent election! He basically said that from a moral standard Catholics can not vote for a pro abortion candidate when the other candidate is pro life. That to vote for such a candidate is wrong! I asked him about the guide that some of the bishops put out and he said that was only a committee of bishops and many other Bishops put out strong statements about the evil of abortion. As he said we can not compare the death penalty and war to abortion. To the 48 million babies killed in America since it's legalization and a billion babies in the world since the 70's. He added of course we need to care for the poor and the immigrants and avoid war but all of these items can be debated in the public square and their are different solutions. But there is no other solution to abortion! He also said that no party can win the election without the Catholic vote and if Catholics voted for life then both parties would have to be pro life to get their votes. If was just so refreshing to hear such clarity! The church has the answers! The truth will set us free!

I'm also working with the middle school youth group in Fowler. I took my niece Katie and she loved it! I gave my testimony and so did a couple of teenagers and then we separated the girls and boys and just talked. Katie said she feels so good talking about God! Catherine helps out as a leader and Anna came as well. God is doing good things in our parish and I'm so excited to be there!