Thanks to Cyril Dowling for providing this jpg.

VM263 (2004-45)         November 5, 2004

Please see Graham's Corner for a letter by Fr. Benedict Groeschel commenting on the difficulties of recovering from a serious accident or illness and the importance of the Christian belief in life after death.

From: Michael OBrien

Dear friends and family,

In a previous email I sent the details of my art exhibit in Ottawa next weekend, but did not give a complete street address for the exhibition hall, which is attached to St Barnabas church in downtown Ottawa.

The address is 394 KENT STREET. For those of you who are traveling to the show and do not know the city well, Kent St. is a major north-south artery just west of Bank St. The simplest way to find it is to take the Bronson Avenue North exit off the Queensway (417), and go north on Bronson a block or two. At that point you will be traveling parallel to Kent. Turn east off Bronson as close to the Queensway as possible, and when you come to Kent, turn north onto it. St. Barnabas church is at the corner of Kent and James.

Please remember my exhibit and talk in your prayers.

gratefully in Christ our Saviour,   Michael O'Brien
From Augustine College:

Augustine College Visiting Artist Michael O'Brien
Exhibition Hall, St Barnabas Church

This year, from 12 to 14 November 2004, we welcome artist, novelist, and essayist Michael O'Brien, the author of A Cry of Stone and the series Children of the Last Days, which  includes Father Elijah and the trilogy Strangers and  Sojourners, Plague Journal, and Eclipse of the Sun.
        
Exhibition: Mr. O'Brien will open an exhibition of over  thirty paintings at the Church of St. Barnabas on FRIDAY 12 November at 7:00 pm. Prints for purchase will also be on hand.

Public Lecture: Come to Saint Barnabas on SATURDAY 13 November at 7:30 pm to hear Mr. O'Brien speak on "Art as Language of the Spirit."

Exhibition hours: 
FRIDAY, 12 November: Opening of show, 7 to 10 pm. Then p! ass over into the church at 8 pm for a choral concert of  Music for Remembrance, under the direction of Wesley Warren, returning  to the exhibition for a second look at the paintings. 
SATURDAY, 13 November: 10 to 6 pm  and evening talk at 7:30pm 
Sunday 14 November: 1 to 5 pm

From: Fr. Lindsay Harrison

I know nothing about the listed speaker but I send this advertisement simply in case the subject interests you.

The Dominicain University College on Empress Street is hosting a conference on Thursday and Friday, November 11- 12, 2004. The theme of the conference is "The Relevance of Just War Theory Today". The keynote speaker is Michael Shuck from Loyola University Chicago.

For information, the contact is eduardo.andujar@collegedominicain,ca. Their website is www.collegedominicain.ca.

From: Aidan Reid 

Dear Friends, 

Tomorrow is a very important day for Americans. They will go to the polls to elect a President for the next 4 years. This election is about much more than the US Presidency. It is about the direction of the world. 

Never before has there been such a stark contrast, to my knowledge, between two candidates in terms of ideology. There is little room left for nuances of position, and very few "issues" to counterbalance.  

John Kerry has promised that his very first action as President will be to reverse the Mexico City policy, which was initiated by Reagan and continued by Bush. In other words, John Kerry wants to spend billions of dollars promoting and funding abortion in the third world. 

Mr. Kerry has also been crystal clear that he will only appoint Supreme Court judges that are 100% pro-abortion. With up to 4 judges near retirement soon, this will ensure that unrestricted abortion (including partial-birth abortion, where the child is delivered feet first, afterwhich scissors are inserted into the base of the skull, and a vacuum sunctions the brain before the skull is crushed) continues unabated. (every day in the USA, 4000 children are killed by surgical abortion). 

People I know at the UN, tell me that they are waiting for John Kerry to be elected so that they can start cloning babies to perform experiments on them. This is something that Bush has strongly opposed but Kerry has promised to finance.  

Here's the bottom line: the world is at war, between those who believe in the sacredness and the sanctity of human life, and those who believe that the weakest humans are commodities to be used and discarded for convenience and profit. Each of these philosophies have put their man up to be the most powerful and influential leader in the world.  

Tomorrow, the world will learn its fate. Let's pray that Americans will continue their path towards a Culture of Life, and firmly reject those who would lead us on the path to ultimate destruction. 

Today, please put this to prayer. Offer your sufferings and trials that we may overcome this very close vote.  

Thank you.   Aidan Reid 

I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God's blessing and God's curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness to the choice you make. Choose life.    ... Deuteronomy 30, 19 

Aidan Reid  ... National Director of Public Affairs, Campaign Life Coalition (Ottawa) 

"I believe, when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties...they lead their country by a short route to chaos."   Thomas More 

Folks ... we always give all sides an opportunity to be heard here at VM . Any of our Brothers and sisters that want to be heard have this forum

So attached are two letters that I received {besides all of the “BCC” stuff} immediately after sending out Aidan’s letter last week

From: Linda Ganly click here

& From: Claude Cantin click here

And from Fr. Dan Cross:

From: Daniel Cross

Dear Jim,

Just a quick note of thanks.  I am watching the election and have been including it in the prayers of the faithful every day at Mass.  It seems that too few people understand the ramifications of this election  Thanks for your prayers.

With every good wish and kind regard I remain,

Fr. Daniel Cross, C.C. (an American)

Another email from linda ganly:

Extracts from "Full Disclosure"

Extracts from the book "Full Disclosure" by Dr Gary Glum, published in 1994, but obstructed from bookshop distribution by the US government ever since. In late July 2001, Dr Glum invited free distribution of the book through Internet at: http://www.drglum.com, but two months later that location is no longer active.

Dr Gary Glum is also well known as the author of the book "Calling of an Angel", which describes the life-long work of Rene Caisse to provide a North American (Ojibwa) herbal recipe that she called Essiac to thousands of terminally ill cancer patients during her life time, resulting in thousands of testified cures. To read more go to http://www.nw.com.au/%7Ekeane/.

I will call this Linda Ganly week and  ask you to check out her lighterside contribution as well.

From: Fr. Michael Winn

For the health and healing from cancer of the servant of God, Cynthia Lischynski.

For the repose of the soul of the servant of God, Maureen Whalen, who has fallen asleep, for the forgiveness of her offences, voluntary and involuntary, that God may place her soul where all the just repose, and that she may receive the fullness of God's mercy.

Father Michael

Hi Jim, Would you share this with the Virtual Ministry, please? (if that's the kind of thing you'll circulate). Merci mille fois.

Hello, You no doubt have heard about the disaster in my homeland, Grenada. I would like to invite you to participate in one of our fundraising efforts on November 14 and as well, ask you to display the attached poster at work for me and inform your relatives, colleagues and friends about this initiative. I have tickets for sale and can arrange to meet you at a mutually convenient time and location. Many thanks for the contributions and assistance that some of you have already provided. God bless you and yours.

Vanessa Modeste-Doherty  

From: Guy Dacquay

Thanks Jim...it worked!  I will look at this further from home.

By the way, the encyclical you referred me to (Rerum Novarum) is excellent and has helped me better discern my situation with PSAC...thanks very much! Clause 57 (cited below from the encyclical itself) is of particular interest as it says in a nut shell that work associations must respect and follow God's teaching.  Certain PSAC policies are currently in contravention of this...so, as I see it, a conscientious decision to not support the strike for this reason would appear to be a legitimate position.  I fully respect the views of all my brothers and colleagues who believe striking was the best option ...but there is so much more that needs to be thought of here!

Let me know your thoughts on this, if you wish to share them...

God Bless! Guy

______________

From RERUM NOVARUM:

"57. To sum up, then, We may lay it down as a general and lasting law that working men's associations should be so organized and governed as to furnish the best and most suitable means for attaining what is aimed at, that is to say, for helping each individual member to better his condition to the utmost in body, soul, and property. It is clear that they must pay special and chief attention to the duties of religion and morality, and that social betterment should have this chiefly in view; otherwise they would lose wholly their special character, and end by becoming little better than those societies which take no account whatever of religion. What advantage can it be to a working man to obtain by means of a society material well-being, if he endangers his soul for lack of spiritual food? "What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul?"(39)This, as our Lord teaches, is the mark or character that distinguishes the Christian from the heathen. "After all these things do the heathen seek ... Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His justice: and all these things shall be added unto you."(40)Let our associations, then, look first and before all things to God; let religious instruction have therein the foremost place, each one being carefully taught what is his duty to God, what he has to believe, what to hope for, and how he is to work out his salvation; and let all be warned and strengthened with special care against wrong principles and false teaching. Let the working man be urged and led to the worship of God, to the earnest practice of religion, and, among other things, to the keeping holy of Sundays and holy days. Let him learn to reverence and love holy Church, the common Mother of us all; and hence to obey the precepts of the Church, and to frequent the sacraments, since they are the means ordained by God for obtaining forgiveness of sin and fox leading a holy life."

I never participate in "chain letters" - even email, this is another of those "good" occasions that encourage us to pray, well I believe that we always do, and in case, you are in need of a reminder - here is one from Cathy Egan.

From: Cathy Egan

God still sits on the throne. Each and every one of us are going through tough times right now but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith.

This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of rewards. Let's continue to pray for one another.

The prayer:

Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and those I care deeply for, who are reading this right now.

Show them a new revelation of Your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace. Where there is need, I ask you to fulfill their needs. Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings.

In Jesus' precious name. Amen.

JAMES 1:17