By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
A representative of one of the group’s that will now receive taxpayer money from U.S. citizens to fund overseas abortions has publicly stated that the breakdown of traditional families is not a crisis but a “triumph for human rights.”
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
A landmark study conducted in England finds that the “me first” attitude of adults is causing a variety of problems for children, including family breakdown, education issues, a growing gap between rich and poor, unkindness among teens and increasingly sexualized advertising directed at children.
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I had just gotten to baggage claim after arriving in Orange, CA. I turned on my cell phone to see that a voice message was waiting for me. The name and number said, "Michael Dubruiel." A smile came to my face as Mike has been a long time friend. Editor of two of my books, and acquisitions editor for another, Mike and I have spent many long hours on the phone together. Most recently, Mike was appointed Director of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham.
When I listened to the voice message, however, my smile instantly dissipated. It was Mike's wife's voice I heard, well-known author and blogger, Amy Welborn. I heard what she was saying and yet it couldn't register in my mind. I pressed the button and listened again, and then quickly called her. When I spoke to her in person, Amy confirmed what I feared I had heard: Mike was gone. He collapsed at the gym the morning before. Just barely 50 and with no apparent physical problems.
Amy's blog has it all there for you, including the last article he wrote for publication in the Birmingham diocesan paper. Something worth reading, to be sure. Amy's blog address is
www.amywelborn.wordpress.com.
I have experienced the death of loved ones twice now -- one tragically and unexpectedly, one planned for and anticipated. The surreal experience of it all -- the shock and disbelief, the numbing reality, the misery and sorrow -- are almost impossible to communicate. And yet, for those of us with faith, we know God is present with us, and somehow mysteriously interacting with us in the midst of it all.
I know you will pray for Amy, for the four children left behind, and for the repose of Mike's soul. He would be pleased, I know, if we kept our eyes on Jesus, lived each moment in the grace of the present moment, and did all we could to bring the Faith to others. Mike was/is an evangelizer. He lived it in word and deed. Let us do the same.
May you rest in peace, Mike. And God bless you, Amy and children. We are praying for you.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
A recent survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (NCPTUP) found that most young people think sending risqué photos of themselves is “a fun and flirtatious activity.” But when probed more deeply, 51 percent of teenage girls admit they sent the images because they felt “pressured by a guy.”
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
On January 27, 2009, a lawsuit was filed in Miami, Florida on behalf of Shanice Denise Osbourne, a 23 week-old infant who was allegedly murdered shortly after being born in July of 2006.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
The state of Maryland plans to join 15 other states across the country in introducing legislation that will recognize all human beings, born and unborn, as “persons” under the law.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has promised to do her best to secure equal benefits for same-sex couples employed in U.S. Foreign Affairs.
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By Susan Brinkmann
Staff Writer
The moral climate in America is hitting a new low in Texas these days. A new dating service is targeting the state's married people and encouraging them to commit adultery.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
One of the most thriving orders in the Catholic Church today, the Legionaries of Christ, has been given a heavy cross to carry since learning that in addition to allegations of having sexually abused young men, their founder, Rev. Marcial Maciel Degallado, also had an affair with a woman and fathered a child.
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By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
The Vatican Secretariat of State has demanded that former schismatic Bishop Richard Williamson recant his denials of the Holocaust before being received back into full communion with the Church.
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