Three Kansas City Meetings

The First Meeting
Bishop Finn is inviting everyone to attend tomorrow night's Ecumenical Rally against the Cloning Amendment. Dr. Alan Keyes is a featured speaker, and he is one of the best I've ever heard--especially when he debated other candidates for President of the U.S. a few years ago.

If you are able, join me and many other Catholics, Christians, and other people of good will at the VisionAmerica Rally to pray and advocate for the defeat of the Amendment 2 ballot initiative.

On Nov. 7, voters will decide whether our Missouri Constitution will be amended to authorize a type of biological experimentation on frozen human embryos, and also clearly includes cloning to produce human embryos and destroy them for their stem cells. Adult stem cell research has been successful and is supported by the Church.

The rally will be held at 7 p.m., Sept. 11, at the First Baptist Church, 10500 E State Rte 350, Raytown, MO and is open to the public.

The Second Meeting
Right to Life of Kansas will host its annual convention, "Turning Back to God as Creator," in a few more weeks. The meetings will start at 8:30 AM, October 14, 2006, at St. Paul Catholic Church Activity Center in Olathe, KS. Speakers include Hugh Owen, Jim Sedlak, Fr. Phil Wolfe, FSSP, Elmer Feldkamp, and several representatives from local Kansas City groups that aid unwed mothers keep their babies.

The cost of banquet, lunch, and sessions is $25, and students need to pay only for the evening banquet ($15) where Fr. Wolfe is expected to give one of his dynamic talks. To make a reservation, call 1-800-833-6632, or mail your check with name, address, and phone number to Barbara Rew, 516 E. Grace Terr., Olathe, KS 66061.

The Third Meeting
The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars is meeting on September 22-24 at the Hilton Airport Hotel. Their convention, "Sacrosanctum Concilium and the Reform of the Liturgy," will feature such speakers as Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don (in absentia); Dr. James Hitchcock, Father Samuel Weber, OSB, Susan Treacy, Father Chrysoganus Waddell, OCSO; Denis McNamara and Duncan Stroik; Father Paul Mankowski; Kenneth Whitehead; Monsignor James Moroney; Helen Hull Hitchcock; Msgr. Stuart Swetland; and Russell Shaw. While I don't agree with all these speakers, it should be an interesting program that some of you might try to attend.

Of particular interest will be Archbishop Ranjith's address on "To the Heart of the Mystery," to be presented at 2:10 PM on Friday, September 22. It may be that his address will indicate the progress of the forthcoming papal exhortation that will finalize the proceedings of the synod of Bishops held in October 2005 on "The Eucharist, Source and Summit of the Church’s Life and Mission.”

In June, Archbishop Ranjith was interviewed by "La Croix" and I-MEDIA on liturgical issues, as is described in Chiesa. Archbishop Ranjith criticized the "many tendencies that have banished from view the authentic meaning of the liturgy.” He stated there is "a necessary correction, a reform of the reform. We must return to the liturgy in the spirit of the Council.”

To I-MEDIA, he said that every day, the Congregation for Divine Worship receives new complaints about serious liturgical abuses, and complaints that local bishops have failed to correct them. If the Church fails to curb these abuses, he said, "people will attend the Tridentine Mass, and our churches will be empty... We cannot conceal this. It is of our responsibility to be vigilant. Because, in the end, people will attend the Tridentine Mass and our churches will be emptied. The Tridentine Mass does not belong to Lefebvristes." He followed up on July 13 with additional comments that he said clarified his June 2006 remarks.

Ambrosius of The Cornell Society for a Good Time has more background information on Archbishop Ranjith who is favorable to the old Latin Mass and met in 2001 with Bishop Fellay of the SSPX.

The Kansas City convention program and registration is available here.