Thursday, August 08, 2019

Random thoughts on a hot and humid Thursday


  • Rocky has a friend who works at the DC Basilica. He says that the morale among the staff is terrible.  He was so happy when he got that job and now he's thinking about quitting. 

  • I've said this before but it should be obvious to everyone by now that lionizing new converts is not a good thing. Protestant preachers who convert should get a job and grow in the Faith before becoming insta-Catholic apologists, if ever.  



  • Rocky is a Third Degree Knight of Columbus. He was listening to Supreme Knight, Carl Anderson's  speech at the KoC annual meeting which was broadcast on EWTN and he was not happy. The Knights are going to give money for relief of migrants at the border. Rocky just sighed and asked why that money couldn't rain down on US homeless shelters or to the Little Sisters of the Poor nursing homes instead. 


  • Before you give to any Catholic non-profit check their Form 990. This is the form that non-profits must file with the IRS. I have used Foundation Center, Guidestar   and  Charity Navigator . If they don't have one think long and hard before you proceed. Think about the longevity of the organization, pay attention to outside news about the organization and demand to know how the head of the organization lives, especially if they talk about living modestly but post photos of themselves traveling all over the US and Europe. Last year I received an anonymous letter from someone warning me not to donate to Opus Bono Sacredotti. The letter alleged that the founders were living rather high on the hog instead of helping elderly conservative or traditional-minded priests who had been cast out of their dioceses by liberal bishops. I called the Michigan Attorney General's office and  asked them about OBS and if an investigation was going on and I also called the organization. I wasn't happy with the answers I heard and Opus Bono was off my list, forever. Considering what's been in the news and the what's going on with co-founder, Fr. Perrone  I'm relieved.  


  • The word "awesome" is too often used but this was an awesome moment of serendipity. 




Dust to Dust was not responding to Fr. Hilderbrand. This just happened to the next thing on my timeline.