[CS-FSLUG] TD: Hello everyone! Acceptance of the Statement of Faith . . .

[Michael Bradley, Jr.]

> On Sep 26, 2005, at 6:29 PM, Tim Young wrote:
> Welcome,

Thanks.


> I have been a missionary in a number of places where there are  
> "Catholics" who are such in name only. In Mexico, many remote  
> villages say they are Catholic because they had a missionary pass  
> through generations past, and told them they were Catholics. My  
> father has been a missionary in areas (India, Egypt) where the term  
> Christians, is used the same.


It's always frustrating to come across "in name only" Christians,  
whether the church or community they are loosely affiliated with is  
Catholic, Protestant or otherwise.  But sometimes there are  
circumstances beyond individuals' apathy or indifference that has led  
to that condition . . .

One of the things that not everyone realizes about Mexico is that  
Catholic Christians there underwent a terrible persecution by the  
Mexican government during the first part of the Twentieth Century. To  
this day, the government there is in many quarters intensely anti- 
Catholic.

Large numbers of priests, religious (i.e. nuns, monks, brothers,  
sisters), and laity suffered terribly for their loyalty to Christ and  
the Faith.  One long-term result of the restrictions and persecutions  
has been that whole communities throughout the country have not been  
able to receive pastoral attention from the shorthanded Catholic  
Church. And the result has often been spiritual "atrophy" and  
ignorance in the lives of the Catholic Christian faithful who live in  
the under-served areas.

There were certainly some Christian hero-saints that lived and died  
during that period. The life and martyrdom of Miguel Pro, a Jesuit  
priest who died for his Faith and is now considered an official  
Catholic saint-martyr, is particularly inspiring!


          EWTN.com:  Bob and Penny Lord give a popular (but accurate)  
half-hour
          spoken retelling of the life and martyrdom of Blessed  
Miguel Pro

          http://download.rbn.com/ewtn/g2ewtn/download/odaudio/ 
super11.ra


          EWTN.com:  a short biography of Bl. Miguel Pro

          http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/MIGUEPRO.HTM


          The following page provides links to valuable biographical  
data
          of Bl. Miguel Pro, including photographs of his martyrdom:

          http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/pro/pro_bio.html


          And here are links to a couple more short biographies of this
          modern-day Christian martyr:

          http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1991/9110prof.asp

          http://members.aol.com/blfrdamien/pro.htm






> [W]e can still share in the unity of Christ. Though, of course, for  
> the purposes of this email list, FOSS is a must. ;)

But, of course.   :-)


In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

Michael Bradley, Jr.