Patty West must have been a Community Organizer before she became County Supervisor

"Come To The Quiet" Men's Retreats At Portiuncula Hermitage

Become a Monastic

without having to leave your

Day Job!

Dr. Tom Ringenberg during personal prayer time at the
Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

Dear Christian Brothers,

Having just experienced one of the most peaceful and fulfilling weekends of my Christian life, I feel led to write you and encourage you to take a fresh breath of the clean air at the Portiuncula Retreat in Jerusalem Ohio. Surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation in the hills of Appalachia, I was refreshed in God’s peace.

The initial reaction to a weekend of silence, fasting and prayer was mixed as I revel in the world’s flash of media and the madness of twenty-four hour news. I feared boredom and the lack of external stimulus. But God is good, and He provided plenty for me. Walks in the woods and fields, silent prayer and meditation, communal prayer with my Brothers in Christ, prayers of intercession, and theological discussion on the travel to and from Jerusalem, stimulated my spirit far more than my flesh has ever been stimulated.

It is my hope that Portiuncula will become a haven for those who need a fresh touch of God. I will return soon to restore my soul with peace. Join me in supporting the Portiuncula project by attending a retreat weekend of fasting, prayer, brotherhood and silence in the Franciscan Tradition.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Tom Ringenberg
Centerville, IN

T

Pond at Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

July 9-11
July 16-18
August 13-15
August 20-22
August 27-29
September 17-19
September 24-26

T

Mother Teresa: Abortion Destroys Peace

Thirty-eitht years after the U.S. Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion on demand, people from across America plan to gather in the nation's capital in January to show their opposition to the ruling. The annual March for Life is expected to draw tens of thousands of people of all ages, faiths, and nationalities.

Given the enormity of the situation, I couldn't help but imagine waking up in the morning to the newspapers headlines:

"Nine American cities completely wiped out! No one left alive in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Philadelphia, Detroit, St. Louis or Atlanta."

After witnessing America's reaction to 9/11 and its aftermath., it's hard to imagine how angry American's would be if these headlines were true. Men, women and children would be lining up to join the armed forces to strike back at the enemy. But the sad fact is that these headlines are true. As of 1996, 32 million innocent American citizens had been slaughtered, the equivalent of nine major U.S. cities! Who is this enemy, China, Afghanistan, or Iraq? It's inconceivable to imagine the massive firepower it must have taken to inflict such destruction. Was it from atomic bombs, biological warfare or perhaps nerve agents? It was none of these. It was abortion.

Mother Teresa said, "If we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people that killing is wrong? After all, any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people love, but to use whatever violence necessary to get what they want."

Sure, everyone's concerned for the children of India and Africa, where thousands of children are dying of hunger and disease every day. Many people are concerned with the violence in our streets and classrooms as well. These are valid concerns, but all too often these same people aren't the least bit concerned by those being killed by the deliberate decisions of their own mothers. This is the greatest destroyer of peace today - abortion - which brings people to such blindness.

Does abortion destroy peace and cause blindness toward the sick, the hungry and the naked? Of course it does! When life is regarded so lightly and its disposal becomes so trivial, so clinical, so easy. After all, why should people or nations regard human life as noble or dignified if abortion flourishes? Why agonize over indiscriminate deaths in Bosnia, the Sudan, Iraq, or Afghanistan, when babies are being killed far more efficiently and out of sight of TV cameras?

Just imagine, the populations of all those major cities combined - all dead....who is left to cry?

T

Can You Afford Just $5.00 A Month To Help Feed The Poor?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In troubled times, Christ calls us to pray, to trust in his perfect will, and to cooperate with his grace.

Ultimately, Christ calls us to hope. He calls us to remember that for Christians, peace does not rest on who wins an election or on the value of our stock portfolios, but in a loving God who “in everything...works for good.”

Of course, God doesn't just call us to hope. He gives us reasons to hope and signs of the good things to come. I truly believe one of those reasons, one of those signs, is the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center located in the foothills of Appalachia.

As of 2009, local unemployment was 12.9% when the nation was at 8.50% (17.2% of the residents live below the poverty level). Only 53.19% of the residents are considered religious, meaning they affiliate with a religion.


But the Portiuncula Retreat Center can't do God's work all alone. To help those in need, we need your help! And that is why I'm writing you today: To invite you to join me in helping our brothers and sisters through these troubled economic times.

We are united in the Roman Catholic tradition and obedient to the Magisterium of the Church and the Bishop of Steubenville, we are committed to our Lord and Savior in the Scriptures, the Eucharist, the Sacraments of the Church and in our Brothers and Sisters.

With God's grace and your help, I believe the Portiuncula will lead our brothers and sisters out of these troubled times. That is why I invite you to share the work of the Portiuncula Hermitage.

First, allow us to pray for you.

Prayer is the lifeblood of the Portiuncula Hermitage, and our Franciscan family would be honored to include you in our prayers before the Exposition our Eucharistic Lord and at Mass. Please e-mail your prayer intentions to: hermitage@parallax.ws

In turn, please pray for the Portiuncula Hermitage, that it might continue to help those in most need of God's mercy.

Finally, I would be grateful if you supported the work of the Portiuncula with a generous financial contribution.

Today, I want to beg you 'in the name of Jesus' to become a partner in the Portiuncula's mission by simply donating $5.00 $10.00 or $15.00 a month.

PORTIUNCULA FRANCISCAN HERMITAGE/RETREAT CENTER

ON LINE DONATION

Or mail your Alms to:

Portiuncula Hermitage
% 508 South 16th Street
Richmond, IN 47374

Please, become a part of the Portiuncula Hermitage's work today. Don't let this chance to turn our culture of poverty around pass you by.

Pax Et Bonum!

T

Mike Pence and the Winning Back of America

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

By Ed Lasky

As the political landscape shifts, one Congressman in particular is helping lead us forward to win back America: Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana.

What are the talents that leaders need in this environment to rally the troops and lead us to victory in November and beyond?

Principles that have been long held not just us but by the leaders themselves: politicians who do not flip flop but hold fast to their ideals. They are dependable. Their values harmonically resonate with most Americans because they reflect and express the American creed. They are an expression of what makes us Americans. Rep. Pence's fidelity to these values demonstrates his fealty to us. They are conservative values that hewn closely to the visions of our founding fathers. They are the values held dear by members and sympathizers of the Tea Party movement.

Mike Pence -- like Ronald Reagan -- is a son of the heartland has those values. While incumbents and establishment insiders try to figure out how to adapt and appeal to the tea party movement, Mike Pence was very early recognized by them as someone who had already earned their allegiance by years of devotion to those principles. He has not changed his bedrock values; the rest of the nation has come back to them. He expresses those values quite well as the keynote speaker at the recent Taxpayer March on Washington. After 18 months of Democratic steamrolling over our principles , the shredding of the Constitution, and the turning of the people's house into a house of ill-repute (via bribes and deals behind closed doors) , Pence called it like it is when he characterized Nancy Pelosi as "the least Democratic Speaker in U.S. History" . Telling it like it is -- that is what we should want in our leaders.

We need leaders who are a fount of ideas: people who are prepared to face the many challenges before us with policy proposals -- and not airy platitudes that are hot air nonsense read off a teleprompter (Yes We Can; We are the ones we are waiting for) that resemble haiku as written by a freshmen. We need someone who has experience with policies that work. Never before have Americans been more primed to learning about policy proposals. This is partly due to a revulsion towards the radical changes imposed upon us (hook and crook, and a lot of the latter) -- by the troika of Obama, Pelosi, and Reid and their Democratic partners.

Town hall meetings are just one manifestation of the deep concern people have towards policy. They hunger for new policy because the old ones often failed and the ones put in place by Democrats threaten our future. People are interested in charter schools and vouchers, cutting back public employee unions, the deficit time bomb, immigration reform.

Democrats denigrate Republicans as the "Party of No", as paleoconservatives, as antediluvian dummies. Of course, these slurs are wrong historically and currently but liberal partisans are wont to throw insult as often as they throw dollars away.

Supply-side tax cuts as a way to boost growth? A Republican idea. Enterprise zones? Republican. Vouchers and school choice? A Republican idea. Tearing down monopolies is a legacy of the Republican Theodore Roosevelt and has been modernized by the Republican quest to eliminate the one last vestige of monopoly power in America: the provision of "government" services (when was the last time you looked upon government workers as serving you?). Welfare reform to restore a sense of self-esteem to our less advantaged? A Republican idea (Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin; Bill Clinton was forced into such reform by a Republican Congress).

The list can be continued to the present day. The GOP has health care plans and budget proposals to slash the deficit-but the media smothered coverage of them. The GOP needs to push past the cover-up and bring the truth to the light of day.

As Peter Berkowitz wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal, "Republicans squandered their hard-won reputation as the party of ideas. It's time to reclaim it".

Mike Pence has been in the forefront of devising new policies for many years. Even before entering politics, he was president of a think tank. After entering politics, he has led the way on immigration reform (focusing on securing our borders and following and enforcing our laws as well as providing a way for honest immigrants to meet our labor needs), free speech (battling Democratic plans to impose the Fairness Doctrine on us -- that would be the death knell for talk radio and independent voices. He battled the health care plan water boarded down our throats by Democrats (see his Wall Street Journal op-ed, "This Law Will Not Stand"), the budget (as he was in the forefront opposing the disastrous "stimulus" bill and has tried to prevent yet another bailout -- this time of spendthrift European nations who have avoided the tough choices need to bring this fiscal affairs in order). He wants to stop "the freight train of big government " (a ringing phrase coined by him) before we are crushed by it. The big spending that is endemic in D.C. and has become a pandemic across state governments -he wants to end the waste of our money and restore fiscal sanity to the asylum that Democrats now run-into the ground.

Pence is a talented writer; he knows how to explain and expound his ideas (just peruse his Wall Street Journal columns, for example). I predict a book by him -- such as Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney have written -- to be published that charts his agenda to climb the bestseller lists because it is our agenda, too.

Mike Pence is a man open to new ideas -- if they bring good things to Americans. He has a real world example of how pro-growth policies and limited (but well-run) government works in his own home state. Indiana's Republican Governor, Mitch Daniels, has put in place the very type of policies that Pence has championed for years. The result has been an economic miracle in the so-called Rust Belt that has garnered acclaim across America. We need these types of policies writ large across America. Mike Pence can propel them forward.

These leaders cannot come out of the blue. We have an example of that in The Oval Office now. We will need a leader who knows the ways of the world, the people to reach out towards, the networks of power to plug into and channel, the levers to pull. Time is of the essence. While there may be a sour mood in the nation regarding incumbents, this is not the time to cast a ballot against them all. The problems we face need to be addressed now. In other words, we need someone who knows the way of Washington but has not been captured by them.

Mike Pence has, in barely a decade, become an influential leader among his fellow Republicans. He was chairman of the Republican Study Committee and is now the co-chairman of the House Republican Conference. He is third highest ranking Republican in the House leadership. His fellow Republicans hold him in high regard; he has -- and will continue -- to power his ideas and plans to fruition by being able to channel his fellow members' votes in the direction the nation so desperately needs now. He is the one national figure that can bridge the establishment world of party powers and the energized movement of millions of Americans towards the Tea Party. The tent can be bog when it is held aloft by standard bearers such as Mike Pence.

We need people in charge who can inspire America. As the Obama-induced malaise spreads across America, we need someone who can boost our spirits and restore our confidence. In our media age, we need someone who is telegenic, fast on his feet, and who has shown skill in using both old and new media not just as message machines but as morale boosters. He has to be media savvy-with or without a prompter leading the way.

Mike Pence has the very skills -- the ability to connect and inspire people -- that Ronald Reagan had during his life. Not surprisingly, both shared a background in media and the public stage before entering the political world. Ronald Reagan had experience in radio and film, and his ability to tap the energy of the crowds was honed by giving hundreds of speeches across America. Mike Pence, who was inspired by Ronald Reagan, learned the ropes by hosting both a statewide talk radio program in Indiana as well as a television program covering the issues of the day. Pence is a favorite of talk radio hosts to this day -- and for good reason. But he has not stopped there in his drive to be a tribune for the people.

He has been a pioneer in using You Tube to reach over the heads of a biased media outlets and into the hearts of Americans across the land (see -- and make a favorite -- the Mike Pence channel on You Tube, podcasts, the web-all our tools that a man determined to fix our government has brought to bear over the last few years. He has been ahead of the curve.

But he needs our help.

We need to step up to the plate and help fuel the engine and prime the pump. How can we do this?

Talk to our friends and family, spread the good news, send emails with links to his website and You Tube Channel, cut and paste his columns and broadcast them far and wide. We can also, candidly, support his campaigns -- as I have been doing for years. I consider it one of the best investments I can make to ensure a bright future for my children and to restore America to its rightful place in the world. I hope you join me and many thousands of Americans in helping Mike Pence help us.

Ed Lasky is news editor of American Thinker.

Sister Briege McKenna - A Nun With The Gift Of Healing

The Obama Bow - You Embarrass Me, Sir!

Mike Pence: GAO confirms it is Time to Defund Planned Parenthood

Pence: “The time has come to deny any and all federal

funding to Planned Parenthood by passing the
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act.”

Washington, DC – U.S. Congressman Mike Pence

today issued the following statement regarding
the release of a new Government Accountability
Office (GAO) report revealing that the Planned
Parenthood Federation of America received
$657.1 million in taxpayer dollars from Fiscal
Year 2002 to Fiscal Year 2009. The largest
source of these funds ($342.1 million) was the
Title X family planning program.



“It is morally wrong to end an unborn human
life by abortion. But it is also morally wrong
to take the taxpayer dollars of millions of
pro-life Americans and use those funds to
promote abortion.

“This report confirms that the largest
abortion provider in America is being
bankrolled by American taxpayers. In these
tough economic times, there is simply no
reason why taxpayer money should go to fund
the activities of abortion providers and
equip them with the resources they need to
end innocent human life.

“We must stop providing taxpayer dollars to
abortion providers through Title X. We must
put an end to Americans unwillingly providing
financial support to the abortion industry.
The time has come to deny any and all federal
funding to Planned Parenthood by passing the
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act.”

Background:

The Title X Family Planning program was
enacted in 1970 as Title X of the Public Health
Service Act. Title X is the only federal grant
program that provides individuals with
comprehensive family planning and related
preventive health services.

Congressman Pence introduced The Title X
Abortion Provider Prohibition Act (H.R. 614),
a bill prohibiting the distribution of
Title X family planning money to entities
that use abortion as a method of family
planning. The bi-partisan bill has
93 co-sponsors.

Originally, family planning services were
not allowed to include abortions and
currently federal dollars are not used
directly for abortions. However, over the
years, the subsidy of abortion providers
under the umbrella of family planning has
been gradually accepted.

Current law prohibits the use of Title X
family planning funds “in programs where
abortion is a method of family planning;”
and current regulations require some
form of separation between federally-funded
family planning services and abortions.
However, the current regulations do not
contain a descriptive standard of what
constitutes “separation.” They only require
the level of separation to be more
than “mere bookkeeping.”

When Title X money goes to clinics that
provide both abortions and family planning
services, even though the money cannot
directly fund abortions, it is being used to
offset operational costs with federal funds,
freeing up money to promote and provide
abortions.

Rep. Pence, Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) and 29
other Members requested the GAO study,
which can be accessed at
http://gao.gov/products/GAO-10-533R.

Searching For Jesus? It's Easy!

Please help us duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel
found on the campus of the Franciscan University of Steubenville

What if the Portiuncula Hermitage earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or what if a percentage of every purchase you made on-line went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Although this may not sound like a lot of money, if only 1000 of our supporters use GoodSearch.com just 5 times per day for the year, the Portiuncula Hermitage would receive over $18,000 towards its mission of spreading God's love!

It's easy. Just download the GoodSearch – Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center toolbar at:

Website owners can also help by adding a customizable badge to their homepage or blog.

So please, make a commitment to browsing the Internet with GoodSearch.com with the Portiuncula Hermitage as your designated charity. Set it as your homepage, or bookmark it so using it becomes a habit.

As well, you can earn money for the Portiuncula Hermitage by doing your online shopping through GoodShop.com. It is a new online shopping mall which will donate up to 37 percent of each purchase to the Portiuncula Hermitage. Hundreds of popular stores, including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop.com and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting our valuable mission.

By simply surfing the web with GoodSearch.com and shopping with GoodShop.com you can raise much-needed funds for the Portiuncula Hermitage!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS PRAYER REQUEST TO
EVERYONE IN YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS BOOK!

Pax Et Bonum!


T

Mike Pence discusses Oil Spill with Chris Matthews

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

MIKE PENCE: CAP AND TRADE WON'T CAP THAT WELL!

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

Burkhard Family Homestead Begging For Stones

Monroe County, Ohio Catholics are being asked to collect all their field stones and drop them off at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery on Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road so that we can duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel like the one above located at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

Francis set to begging for stones with which to restore the church of San Damiano. He called to the passers-by: "Whoever gives me one stone will have one reward; two stones, two rewards; three stones, a treble reward!"

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
CHAPTER VII

Please round up all your field stones and dump them into the woods next to the Immaculate Conception Cemetery on Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road in the direction of the Portiuncula Hermitage, the white house towards Woodsfield (pictured below). These stones will be used to build the Portiuncula Chapel.

Pictured above is the original Burkhard homestead (circa 1803). The original Burkhard family built and lived in a log cabin located approximately 50 yards behind the current house. Shortly after the end of the Civil War, an unattended fire destoyed the original log cabin. As adults, several of the Burkhard children moved away from Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road to Burkhart Station, Ohio, while other family members went on to Zanesville, Ohio. My Great-Great-Great Grandfather

John Burkhard b: 1856 d: May 5, 1892 divided off five acres from the original property and donated it to the Catholic Church on the premise that no one would ever have to pay to be buried there. It became known as the Immaculate Conception Cemetery. A gentleman named Johan Noll was one of the first settler to be buried there (born in Bavaria in 1796).

T

OBAMA: WHAT IF...

WHAT IF( Courtesy of my friend Espi):

If George W. Bush had been the first President to need
a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a
press conference, would you have laughed and said
this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and
is really controlled by smarter men behind the
scenes?

If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands
of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would
you have approved?

If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's
holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a
majority stake in GM, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the
Special Olympics, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of
inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when
Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and
historically significant gift, would you have
approved?

If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England
an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you
have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and
tacky?

If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi
Arabia , would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made
reference to the non-existent "Austrian language,"
would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?

If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of
advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current
in their income taxes, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush would have flown all the way to
Denmark to make a five minute speech about how the
Olympics would benefit him walking out his front door
in Texas, would you have thought he was a self
important, conceded, egotistical prick.

If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to
refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican
ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo),
and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you
have winced in embarrassment?

If George W. Bush had mis-spelled the word "advice" would
you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle
and potatoe as proof of what a dunce he is?

If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go
plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded
he's a hypocrite?

If George W. Bush's administration had okayed Air Force One
flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in
downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you
have wondered whether they actually get what happened
on 9-11?

If George W Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims
throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made
homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into
a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and
incompetence?

If George W. Bush had created the position of 32 Czars who
report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate on
much of what is happening in America , would you
have approved.

If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major
corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority
to do so, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt,
which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in
one year, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again
within 10 years, would you have approved?

So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so
brilliant and impressive? Can't think of anything? Don't
worry. He's done all this in 10 months -- so you'll have three
years and two months to come up with an answer.

Mike Pence Asks Obama, "Who's Side Are You On?"

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

Rep. Mike Pence Has a Question for the President

By Doug Powers • June 10, 2010 04:22 PM

**Written by guest-blogger Doug Powers

In light of the fact that all problems are solved in the United States and our debt and spending are under control, President Obama yesterday pledged $400 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinian territories. The money was pledged during a meeting between Obama and Mahmoud Abbas.

Obama said he would not meet with the CEO of BP because “he’s going to say all the right things to me, I’m not interested in words, I’m interested in actions,” so it’s nice to see him have such confidence in Abbas to be honest and forthright in his ultimately successful attempt to get his hands on hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars.

Cassy Fiano calls it a “terrorist stimulus package,” and if it is, the only reason for optimism is the hope that a terrorist stimulus will work as well as the stimulus package. If Sheriff Biden is in charge of making sure the aid works as intended, Abbas is screwed.

But remember, the $400 million is just a “down payment”:

The Obama administration’s promise of aid includes money to increase access to clean drinking water, create jobs and build schools and affordable housing. State Department officials called the projects “a down payment” on the U.S. commitment to improving life in Gaza.

Last year, U.S. officials pledged a total of $900 million for Gaza and the West Bank, but acknowledged the difficulty of distributing the funds, especially because Hamas controls Gaza and is considered a terrorist organization. The aid announced Wednesday may be distributed through organizations performing relief work, State Department officials said.

Sure. This aid will be different… it won’t be handed to the guys in the “Hamas” shirts, but rather to the nice folks wearing the “samaH” shirts (inability to recognize a t-shirt turned inside-out is a time-honored skill that’s been handed down through generations of United Nations aid distributors).

Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana isn’t happy with any of this, and asks Obama what I’d consider the rhetorical question of the week: “Whose side are you on?” (h/t Cubachi):

Here are some things the media doesn’t report about Gaza. It ain’t all misery and Israeli-induced dispair.

According to exit polling on election day 2008, 78% of Jewish voters went for the US presidential candidate with a background that suggested he would empathize with the Muslim point of view (and I’m putting that so mildly that it borders on beyond sarcasm). I’m not Jewish, so if three-quarters of American Jewish folks don’t mind, maybe I shouldn’t be as concerned as I am. We’ll see what the numbers look like after the 2012 election.

**Written by guest-blogger Doug Powers

Pence Slams Pelosi: 'Least Democratic Speaker in U.S. History'

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

VIDEO: Pence Slams Pelosi: ‘Least Democratic Speaker in U.S. History’

by Jason Mattera

06/11/2010

When asked to compare Nancy Pelosi to previous House speakers, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) didn’t hold back. In an exclusive interview with HUMAN EVENTS, Pence excoriated her as the “least democratic speaker in the history of the House of Representatives,” arguing that she’s blocked a “free and open debate” in Congress.

---

Mr. Mattera is the editor of HUMAN EVENTS and the author of Obama Zombies: How the Liberal Machine Brainwashed My Generation (Simon & Schuster).

Jerusalem, Ohio: Begging for Stones!

Jerusalem, Ohio Catholics are being asked to collect all their field stones and drop them off at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery on Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road so that we can duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel located at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

Francis set to begging for stones with which to restore the church of San Damiano. He called to the passers-by: "Whoever gives me one stone will have one reward; two stones, two rewards; three stones, a treble reward!"

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
CHAPTER VII

Please note : We are begging our Christian brothers and sisters in Monroe County, Ohio to round up all their field stones and dump them into the woods next to the Immaculate Conception Cemetery on Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road (in the direction of the large white house towards Woodsfield). These stones will be used to erect the Portiuncula Chapel.


T

New Obama Law Will Jail 500,000 Americans

by Shera Crossan in Foreign and Domestic Intelligence,

Foreign Ministry reports circulating in the Kremlin today are warning that an already explosive situation in the United States is about to get a whole lot worse as a new law put forth by President Obama is said capable of seeing up to 500,000 American citizens jailed for the crime of opposing their government.

Sparking the concern of Russian diplomats over the growing totalitarian bent of the Obama government is the planned reintroduction of what these reports call one of the most draconian laws ever introduced in a free society that is titled “The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act”.

First introduced in the US Congress in 2007 by Democratic Representative Jane Harmon, this new law passed the US House of Representatives by a secretive voice vote, but failed to pass the US Senate, after which it was believed dead until this past week when it was embraced by Obama who became the first American President to name his own citizens as a threat to his Nations security.

In what is called the National Security Strategy document, that is required of US Presidents by their Congress, that embraces the dictatorial ideals of the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act”, Obama has ordered his Federal police and intelligence forces to begin targeting Americans opposed to him and his radical socialist polices.

Seeking Out Secluded Spots

The Pond at the Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

St. Francis began to frequent secluded spots where he could mourn for his sins, and there as he poured out his whole soul with groans beyond utterance, he was eventually found worthy to be heard by God, after long and importunate prayer.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
Chapter I

T

Can You Afford Just $5.00 A Month?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It's times like these that tempt Catholics to throw in the towel and give up on the culture of despair.

Greed and corruption have wreaked havoc on our nation's economy. Euthanasia just received Washington State's stamp of approval. And all the pro-life victories of the past decade are now in jeopardy. It's the perfect storm for despair. But despair is the last thing we should do.

In troubled times, Christ calls us to pray, to trust in his perfect will, and to cooperate with his grace.

Ultimately, Christ calls us to hope. He calls us to remember that for Christians, peace does not rest on who wins an election or on the value of our stock portfolios, but in a loving God who “in everything...works for good.”

Of course, God doesn't just call us to hope. He gives us reasons to hope and signs of the good things to come.

I truly believe one of those reasons, one of those signs, is the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center.

While many other Catholic institutions have sold out to the culture of death, the Portiuncula, along with a few others, has fought steadfastly for a culture of life. It has faithfully stood alongside the Church, forming men and women capable of true leadership and committed to bringing Christ to the culture.

But the Portiuncula Retreat Center can't be built alone. To build, we need your help! And that is why I'm writing you today: To invite you to join me in helping our culture through these troubled times by helping build the Portiuncula Retreat Center.

United in the Roman Catholic tradition and obedient to the Magisterium of the Church and the Bishop of Steubenville, we are committed to our Lord and Savior in the Scriptures, the Eucharist, the Sacraments of the Church and in our Brothers and Sisters.

With God's grace and your help, I believe past Portiuncula retreatants and those soon to follow in their footsteps will lead our culture and our country out of these troubled times.

That is why I invite you to share the work of these Catholics and the Portiuncula Hermitage that is forming them.

First, allow them to pray for you.

Prayer is the lifeblood of the Portiuncula Hermitage, and the Franciscan family would be honored to include you in their prayers. Please e-mail your most pressing intentions to: hermitage@parallax.ws

Everyone at the Portiuncula will pray for your intentions before the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and at Mass.

In turn, please pray for the Portiuncula, that it might continue to form leaders who can be salt and light to our world.

Finally, I would be grateful if you supported the work of building the Portiuncula Chapel with a generous financial contribution.

Your support of the Portiuncula will make it possible for the sons and daughters of the Church to grow in faith during their retreats, and become the courageous Catholic leaders the world desperately needs.

Today, I want to ask you to become a partner in the Portiuncula's mission to build the Portiuncula Retreat Center by simply donating $5.00 $10.00 or $15.00 a month.

PORTIUNCULA FRANCISCAN HERMITAGE/RETREAT CENTER

ON LINE DONATION

Or mail your Alms to:

Portiuncula Hermitage
% 508 South 16th Street
Richmond, IN 47374

Please, become a part of the Portiuncula Hermitage's work today. Don't let this chance to turn the culture around pass you by.

Pax Et Bonum!

T

"Come To The Quiet" Men's Retreats At Portiuncula Hermitage

Dr. Tom Ringenberg during personal prayer time at the
Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

Dear Christian Brothers,

Having just experienced one of the most peaceful and fulfilling weekends of my Christian life, I feel led to write you and encourage you to take a fresh breath of the clean air at the Portiuncula Retreat in Jerusalem Ohio. Surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation in the hills of Appalachia, I was refreshed in God’s peace.

The initial reaction to a weekend of silence, fasting and prayer was mixed as I revel in the world’s flash of media and the madness of twenty-four hour news. I feared boredom and the lack of external stimulus. But God is good, and He provided plenty for me. Walks in the woods and fields, silent prayer and meditation, communal prayer with my Brothers in Christ, prayers of intercession, and theological discussion on the travel to and from Jerusalem, stimulated my spirit far more than my flesh has ever been stimulated.

It is my hope that Portiuncula will become a haven for those who need a fresh touch of God. I will return soon to restore my soul with peace. Join me in supporting the Portiuncula project by attending a retreat weekend of fasting, prayer, brotherhood and silence in the Franciscan Tradition.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Tom Ringenberg
Centerville, IN

T

Pond at Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio


June 18-20
July 9-11
July 16-18
August 13-15
August 20-22
August 27-29
September 17-19
September 24-26

T

We Con The World!

Franciscan University of Steubenville Offers Free Admission to Popular Summer Conference Talks

Father Mike Scanlan, TOR,
Chancellor
Franciscan University of Steubenville

STEUBENVILLE, OH—Ohio Valley residents can attend at no cost one evening session at each of the Catholic Summer Conferences for adults to be held this month at Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Each session features dynamic praise and worship music, a keynote address, and prayer.

The following sessions at the June conferences are free and open to the public (adults only, please).

At the Catholic Men's Conference, Saturday, June 5, 7:00 p.m., John Beaulieu, Franciscan University director of Youth and Young Adult Outreach, will speak on Christian men being "Forged by Fire," followed by Eucharistic Adoration (men only).

At the Catholic Charismatic Conference, Saturday, June 12, 7:00 p.m., Father Dominic Foster, TOR, will lead a Holy Hour followed by a Healing Service hosted by Franciscan University Chancellor Father Michael Scanlan, TOR, and Dr. William Mitchell, a Veterans Health Administration physician.

At the Priests, Deacons, and Seminarians Conference, Thursday, June 24, 7:00 p.m., Franciscan University theology professor Dr. Scott Hahn will give the keynote talk, "A Father and a Priest: The Mystery of Spiritual Paternity."

For more information, call the Franciscan University Christian Outreach Office at 1-800-437-8368.