Abstinence Education Downplayed as Method of Combating America’s STD Epidemic

These folks, often in positions of incredible influence, are absolutely sure that human beings are nothing but animals and can do nothing at all to change their behavior.  They are absolutely at the mercy of the stimulus-response model that was ceated in the forlorn hope that social scientists could reduce human behavior to a mathematical formula: 
"If x, therefore y")

“The current priority is on teen-pregnancy prevention, which is only sexual-risk reduction at best. The purpose is no longer to provide teens the information and skills to avoid all sexual risk by waiting for sex [abstention, continence, chastity] — the purpose is merely to reduce the risk of pregnancy by encouraging teens to use contraception when they have sex.”

Real prevention wasn’t discussed at all by Bolan, [Mary Beth] Bonacci [ Real Love Incorporated ] noted. “The CDC’s main recommendations, aside from ‘open and honest discussion’ and ‘speaking out against shame and stigma,’ seem to revolve around testing and screening for diseases that are already present,” said Bonacci, “which isn’t prevention at all. It might lead to earlier treatment, but it won’t prevent infection, except perhaps in a future partner who may learn of the diagnosis and elect not to have sex with the infected individual. But, then, that goes back to that ‘abstinence’ thing.”

http://is.gd/9qy8gx Nat'l Catholic Register 

Abstinence Education Downplayed as Method of Combating America’s STD Epidemic (1103)

A key federal health official’s CNN commentary claims such diseases are ‘totally preventable,’ but omits any mention of chaste behavior as a solution.

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by CELESTE MCGOVERN 05/31/2013 Comments (2)

ATLANTA — Sexually transmitted disease is rampant in America: Across the country, at any given time, 110 million people are afflicted with chlamydia, genital herpes, genital warts, syphilis and other sometimes silent, sometimes painfully obvious, damaging diseases.
That means that one in two Americans will be infected by an STD at some point in their life.
But despite this evidence of a comprehensive failure in existing strategies to control the spread of STDs, the nation’s public-health establishment continues to give short shrift to promoting sexual abstinence before marriage and fidelity within marriage as a primary means of prevention.
According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released in February, there are 19.7 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections in America every year.
Half of the cases are among young people, aged 15 to 24. And one in four American teenagers is infected every year — worse odds than a game of Russian roulette.
The CDC estimates the total direct medical costs of this epidemic to be about $16 billion per year. But the life-altering costs of the diseases that cause pain, shame, declined school performance, increased poverty, infertility, difficult pregnancies, genital and cervical cancer and neonatal transmissions of infections are incalculable.
In a commentary for CNN in April, describing “How Sexually Active Young People Can Stay Safe,” Gail Bolan, the director of the CDC’s STD prevention division, said the health and economic toll of sex-related disease was “totally preventable. “
“With increased awareness, prevention, testing and treatment, we can bring this hidden epidemic into the spotlight and safeguard the health of young people, while saving the nation billions of dollars in the process,” she said.
Yet absent from the entire article was the idea of preventing disease by waiting to have sex until marriage and then faithful monogamy — the message of so-called “abstinence education.”

Funding Cut
And financially, too, abstinence education has been seriously set back under the Obama administration.
In April, the National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) issued an alert after President Obama advised the Department of Health and Human Services to redistribute a portion of Title V funding, which allocates $50 million to the states for abstinence education, to programs that focus on contraceptive use instead.
“Current federal sex-education policy has a staggering 16:1 disparity in funding against the sexual-risk avoidance — commonly known as abstinence education,” Valerie Huber, president of NAEA told the Register. “The current priority is on teen-pregnancy prevention, which is only sexual-risk reduction at best. The purpose is no longer to provide teens the information and skills to avoid all sexual risk by waiting for sex — the purpose is merely to reduce the risk of pregnancy by encouraging teens to use contraception when they have sex.” 
And they do so even though most teens are not sexually active, and two-thirds of those who are wish they had waited.
Regarding Bolan’s remarks on CNN, Huber said, “The CDC revealed that one in four teen girls has at least one STD. Of the four most prevalent STDs among teens, two of the four [HPV and chlamydia] can be easily transmissible — even with the use of a condom. This should cause pause among those interested in the optimal health for youth.”
“Authentic and fail-safe avoidance is only possible with sexual delay,” added Huber, who said that parents of all political persuasions prefer the abstinence-based approach.

Real Prevention Not Discussed
Catholic author and speaker Mary Beth Bonacci, whose organization Real Love Incorporated promotes an integrated understanding of sexuality, love and chastity among young people, also had trouble with Bolan’s remarks.
“Her article says that all STIs [sexually transmitted infections] are preventable, which is true,” said Bonacci. “But it fails to mention how they are prevented.”
Real prevention wasn’t discussed at all by Bolan, Bonacci noted. “The CDC’s main recommendations, aside from ‘open and honest discussion’ and ‘speaking out against shame and stigma,’ seem to revolve around testing and screening for diseases that are already present,” said Bonacci, “which isn’t prevention at all. It might lead to earlier treatment, but it won’t prevent infection, except perhaps in a future partner who may learn of the diagnosis and elect not to have sex with the infected individual. But, then, that goes back to that ‘abstinence’ thing.”
Although Bolan was not available to say why abstinence was not mentioned in the outline of CDC tactics to reduce infection, CDC spokesperson Nikki Mayes qualified her statements later to the Register.
“To effectively reduce the burden of STIs among our nation’s youth, we must use all of the prevention options at our fingertips — no single prevention strategy will completely protect you against all STI,” said Mayes. “Abstinence is the most reliable way to avoid infection with any STI. However, for those who are sexually active, mutual monogamy with an uninfected partner, reduced numbers of partners, condoms, STI testing and vaccination against HPV have all been proven effective to reduce the risk of infection.”
Mayes added that the current STD-prevention approach of the CDC was working, and she pointed to the “near-historic low” incidence of gonorrhea, “and we’re beginning to reverse a decade of increases in the nation’s syphilis rates.”
But back before the current philosophy of “sex education” and STD prevention took root, gonorrhea and syphilis were the only two STDs of significance in America.
Today, there are more than 25 infectious diseases of concern. And, while gonorrhea may be historically low now, in April, scientists were warning that new, antibiotic-resistant versions of the disease are making gains in the population and could make the disease “untreatable by 2015.”

Catholic Teaching
In this scenario and in the current epidemic of STDs, Catholic teaching on sexuality appears to make medical and scientific sense.
It teaches sexuality is a life-giving gift that unifies a husband and a wife and is not shame-based, but, rather, calls youth, as well as older individuals, to a higher sexual fulfillment in chastity and purity (married or not).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man’s belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman” (2337).
“When educating on the great questions of affectivity and sexuality,” Pope Benedict XVI explained in 2010, “we must avoid showing adolescents and young people ways that tend to devalue these fundamental dimensions of human existence. To this end, the Church calls for everyone to collaborate, especially those who work in schools, to educate the young to a lofty vision of human love and sexuality.”

Celeste McGovern writes from Scotland.

St. Thomas fundraising campaign raises more than $500 million for projects and an endowment

October 17, 2012
The Catholic Spirit

A tremendous achievement, Congratulations Tommies!

 

The University of St. Thomas has announced the completion of the most successful fundraising campaign of any private institution of higher education in Minnesota and its four neighboring states.
Gifts and pledges totaling $515,104,773 have been generated in the university’s “Opening Doors” capital campaign, Father Dennis Dease, the school’s president, told a dinner audience Oct. 17 in the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex.
“The campaign transformed our campus with stunning new facilities. But most significant was our single-largest goal, raising $142 million for financial aid that will open the doors to a St. Thomas education for future generations of students from all economic and cultural backgrounds,” Father Dease said.
The university’s board of trustees approved a $500 million goal and the campaign was announced publicly in October 2007.
“The 43,539 alumni and friends who made contributions were key to our success,” Father Dease said. “That is nearly twice as many donors as our previous campaign and a demonstration of the depth of feeling for St. Thomas on the part of a tremendous number of people. It was truly a community effort.”
The campaign benefited from three gifts of more than $50 million each — two of them made anonymously — and from two large challenge grants. An anonymous donor made one challenge grant in 2010 for $25 million, and St. Thomas trustees made a second challenge grant for $20 million earlier this year. When matched, the challenge grants collectively added $90 million to the campaign and pushed the total beyond the $500 million goal.

True to its roots

Opening Doors was launched with news of a $60 million gift from St. Thomas trustee Lee Anderson and his wife, Penny. The gift helped underwrite three major construction projects on the St. Paul campus: the 2012 Anderson Student Center, the 2010 Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex and the 2009 Anderson Parking Facility.
The campaign was co-chaired by two longtime St. Thomas trustees and their wives, John and Susan Morrison and Richard and Maureen Schulze.
“Creating that pool of scholarship and financial-aid resources for students of diverse backgrounds speaks to our deepest roots,” Father Dease said. “Archbishop Ireland founded St. Thomas, in large measure, to serve Minnesota’s growing immigrant community.”
Mark Dienhart, executive vice president and chief operating officer of St. Thomas and director of the campaign, thanked students, faculty and staff for their contributions.
“It’s inspiring that more than 3,300 students contributed to the campaign, and we know they don’t have money to spare,” Dienhart said. “Faculty and staff also pitched in and did so at record levels. Their participation rate jumped from 15 percent to 58 percent during the course of the campaign. That’s impressive.”

Access, excellence and Catholic identity

Opening Doors’ priorities addressed the campaign’s three themes: access, excellence and Catholic identity. St. Thomas raised nearly $254 million for financial aid and academic programs and another $176 million for construction and renovations. It also raised $52 million in other restricted gifts and $32 million for the Annual Fund.

Funds raised for construction projects include:

• $58.7 million for the Anderson Student Center.
• $52.9 million for the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Complex.
• $15 million for the Anderson Parking Facility.
• $4.6 million to expand Sitzmann Hall, home of the Center for Catholic Studies.
• $2.6 million to expand the Gainey Conference Center in Owatonna.
• $1.1 million to renovate the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Funds raised for financial aid and academic programs include:
• $142.5 million for financial aid ($106.5 million for undergraduates and $36 million for graduate students).
• $51.8 million for 19 endowed chairs and professorships.
• $35.1 million for deanships and strategic funds.
• $8.6 million for the School of Law.
• $5 million for the Norris Institute.
• $3.9 million for the Center for Ethical Business Cultures.
• $3.4 million for the Center for Catholic Studies.
• $2.5 million for the Terrence J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy.
• $1 million for the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning.

Serving future generations

The most visible signs of Opening Doors are the three new Anderson structures. Along with their construction came an enlarged lower quadrangle with a fountain and new plaza that links the quadrangle to the entrance of O’Shaughnessy Stadium.
The three facilities had been on St. Thomas’ wish list for years, the school said in an Oct. 17 press release. The student and athletic centers replaced outdated facilities designed for a much smaller student population. The parking structure has eased parking problems and was essential because the new student center was built on what had been a 400-space surface lot, the school said.
While those facilities will serve students for many generations, so will funds raised for scholarships and professorships. Opening Doors, for example, created 309 newly endowed scholarships, each valued at $50,000 or higher. The number of endowed chairs and professorships, meanwhile, will increase from 17 to 36.
The university honored the four Opening Doors co-chairs at the Oct. 17 dinner. John Morrison and Richard Schulze received the Archbishop John Ireland Award for contributions to higher education. Susan Morrison and Maureen Schulze received honorary doctor of humane letters degrees.

Catholic school realignment leaves winners, losers in St. Paul, Dakota County

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A plan by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to consolidate Catholic schools on St. Paul's West Side and in northern Dakota County keeps changing, with the latest twist leaving members of one parish proclaiming a "Christmas miracle" and members of another crying foul.

Holy Trinity in South St. Paul is the latest school to escape being absorbed into a new regional school that the archdiocese is planning to combat falling enrollment, financial stress and aging facilities at five parish schools. The decision was announced to parishioners at a recent Christmas event.

"I can't tell you how many people have described this as a Christmas miracle," said the Rev. John Echert, who appealed the decision to close the school on behalf of parents and church leaders. "That's how strongly they felt about this."

But the move has upset some members of St. Matthew's School on St. Paul's West Side who say the entire "realignment" plan has been convoluted and lacked a clear vision from the start.

The confusion has made it hard for members of St. Matthew's to see how they will fit into a regional school without losing their neighborhood ties.

"The whole realignment is a joke," said Brian Osborne, a longtime member of St. Matthew's. "They don't know what they are doing. How can a billion-dollar company be so dysfunctional?"

The initial plans that were announced had five schools - St. Joseph's, St. Michael's, St. Matthew's, Holy Trinity and St. John Vianney merging into two regional campuses.

St. Joseph's in West St. Paul quickly won an appeal to remain a parish school, and now with Holy Trinity staying open, the remaining three parish schools will form one regional campus at St. Michael's in West St. Paul.

Dennis McGrath, spokesman for the archdiocese, said that after the initial plans were announced, members of Holy Trinity and St. Joseph felt their schools were still "viable" on their own. Any appearance of confusion was unintended.

"Organizations change direction all the time, if there is reason for it," McGrath said. "We are not a dictatorship."

McGrath acknowledged the emotions involved in consolidating schools with long-standing community ties. Changing population demographics and enrollments make it necessary to consolidate schools such as St. Michael, St. Matthew and St. John Vianney.

"It makes sense and they will be a stronger school going forward," McGrath said, noting the age and repairs needed at locations such as St. Matthew. "It would be irresponsible to keep a school like that going."

There currently are 361 students at the three parish schools to be consolidated. If the students won't all fit at St. Michael's, the archdiocese will find a way to accommodate them, McGrath said.

The archdiocese said in October that the "common sense plan" was recommended by a task force made up of pastors, principals and stakeholders and came after six months of "intensive discussion."

But Glenn Burke, who served on the task force, said the discussion was heavy on local demographics, governance of the new regional school board and administrative costs. It lacked talk about facilities.

"As far as I was concerned, we missed the bigger issues about facilities and finance," he said. "I did not feel that we came to a good, solid decision and made a real recommendation to the archbishop."

He called the recommendation "premature."

"I didn't feel like there was a real good recommendation that came out of the committee to the archbishop," he said. "I understood Holy Trinity and St. John Vianney were going to be consolidated together - that was my feeling - but the question was which was the best facility?"

Burke said St. John Vianney in South St. Paul has fewer classrooms than Holy Trinity but is more up to date with a newer gymnasium and cafeteria and an expanded church lobby.

Holy Trinity has 133 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. St. John Vianney, a K-6 school, has 100 students.

Echert said the initial plan generated "a very passionate response" from Holy Trinity parents and parishioners, many of whom voiced their displeasure at a November meeting attended by the archdiocesan superintendent of schools.

"Over 80 percent of the parents signed a respectful statement to the archbishop which they presented him, indicating that they did not have confidence in the plan as it was proposed," Echert said.

Echert said that he requested that Archbishop John C. Nienstedt reconsider the decision and that the archbishop then directed a formal independent assessment of the Holy Trinity and St. John Vianney buildings.

Burke, who serves on Holy Trinity's school board and has a son enrolled at the school, said he understands the uncertainty that parents and parishioners at St. John Vianney and St. Matthew's are facing.

"We got the bad news a month and a half ago," he said. "It's tough."

Meanwhile, the archdiocese is planning a contest in the three parishes to name the new regional school, McGrath said.

Osborne worries that the regional school will wind up split between St. Michael's and St. John Vianney, leaving St. Matthew's as the only school being closed.

"There are too many unanswered questions," Osborne said. "Too many people just want to know what is going on."

2011 ENROLLMENT

Holy Trinity (South St. Paul) - 133

St. John Vianney (South St. Paul) - 100

St. Joseph's (West St. Paul) - 572

St. Matthew's (St. Paul) - 169

St. Michael's (West St. Paul) - 92

Pioneer Press

A catechetical training day for teachers in a Catholicschool and CCD program.

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This might be helpful for teachers and homeschoolers, and those of us whose catechetical education is lacking, or, so far in the past, that it is probably non-existant.

I Don’t Need your Catechism!

A couple of years ago, a pastor asked me to provide a catechetical training day for teachers in his Catholic school and CCD program. One of my first questions to him was what issues had developed that required my assistance. The Pastor voiced to me his concern over poor doctrinal formation he suspected the children were receiving. I asked him how he finally came to this point. He said, “I knew things were off when all I saw was glue, crayons, construction paper and scissors during an eighth grade religion class.” Right there and then I realized what I had to work with.

The inevitable day arrived. As the catechists walked into the parish center, we began with prayer and introductions. I typically begin with a short story reflecting on the catechetical formation for the day. This process helps to gauge the audience and determine when to run when they have had enough. Kidding aside, the first segment involved preparing them for the day, the aim of the instruction — its purpose and goals, their desires, and application for the classroom. A good strategy when teaching teachers is not to patronize them. They are teachers and know everything. I know; I am one of them. In reality, the heart of instruction here lies with an authentic witness of the living Gospel of Jesus Christ in a gradual loving way.

Knowing that many teachers resort to arts and crafts because of a genuine fear and ignorance in teaching the Catholic faith to students I began the training by asking the catechists for the one thing they would like to know about the faith, the one thing they still had questions on. After a subtle pause (pretty typical) hands were raised. The questions asked centered on sin, true presence of Christ in the Eucharist, confession, purgatory, Mass participation, is the Church biblical?, Mary, how to read the bible, other religions, etc. My next question to them was why they wanted to know about these particular doctrines. Their response was nothing short of amazing. They did not know how these particular teachings came to be! Keep in mind, these catechists are supposedly teaching children the Catholic faith. Right there and then I realized we needed to start at the very beginning: Do you believe in God the Father the almighty?

If the teachers do not have a sound understanding of how their live reflect the Gospel, let alone living within the Story of Salvation, then how are they going to impart the story to their students? Hence, the focal point of the problem we face in the catechetical field. Our catechists lack basic doctrinal formation. I charted a different course of action realizing that this group needed a systematic engaging approach to learn and apply Catholic doctrine in the classroom.

The result was a mini-RCIA course where I went through Salvation History and presented to them their role in light of Jesus Christ the Divine Teacher (Heb 11:6). In other words, they needed to see how the Church came to be, their role within the Church, and the graces given to us by Christ at Baptism to continue His work in the Church He founded. A basic outline of the curriculum for this training session looked something like this:

1. Introduction to God’s plan for salvation in our lives.
2. Creation and God’s love for us.
3. Original Sin and the fall from grace because of the first sin.
4. Proto-evangelium (First Gospel)
5. God’s covenants with his people i.e. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses
6. The role of our Blessed Mother as the “New Eve.”
7. Summary on Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture
8. Summary on Apologetics
9. Summary of the Seven Sacraments
10. Summary of the Ten Commandments
11. Summary of Mortal Sin and Venial Sin
12. The Incarnation
13. Liturgy and the Mass
14. The Church
15. Lives of the Saints
16. The Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Apostles Creed.

It was important the catechists saw the biblical basis for these doctrinal pillars. In addition, they needed to become conversant with how the Catechism references the teachings of the Church through the footnotes. A short primer on how to use the Catechism of the Catholic Church and view the references, cross-references, and article numbers to find a particular teaching gave the catechists a better grasp of the information.

This experience is common. A generation of uncatechized faithful over the past thirty-years has drifted throughout their Catholic life not knowing the graces they received through their Baptism. The recitation of our Baptismal promises appears as an afterthought to many. Since we are asked within the Rite of Baptism, “Do you reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises? Do you reject sin… and refuse to be mastered by sin?” it behooves us to ask the question to these teachers whether they truly understand what sin is in order to reject it.

When I posed this very question to one of the teachers in the training session, the response was a common one: “Why do we need to concentrate on sin, it is more important to focus on the works of Jesus?” Do you see where this particular catechist has quietly misaligned the purpose of Christ and His Church. Whether its ignorance, issues with the doctrine of sin, or a personal experience initiating this response, the opportunity to discuss the nature of sin was important, but difficult. Now, we must be careful when discussing the doctrine of sin from this pastoral perspective: we do not know what the person has gone through personally, where a certain sinful act may have caused negative, spiritual harm or drawn out a bad experience. It is vital that catechists or trainers of catechists be carefully aware of the audience they are instructing. However, we cannot shy away from addressing the dangers of sin itself.

Another teacher, noting her frustration in sitting through what was, in her opinion, a dreadful class said these magic words: “You can keep your catechism! How do you expect me to apply it in the classroom?”

This brave soul echoed the sentiments of others who had resisted on using the Catechism in the classroom. This “shot heard around the classroom,” reflected the genuine mentality of many teachers, viewing the Catechism as a useless tool probably because it did not provide pictures for the kids to “color” and “cut-out.” This comment troubled me because of an apparent ignorance towards the application or appreciation of the Catechism. There is legitimacy to the argument that it is not the teachers’ fault. From one perspective, this may be true; nonetheless, it does not negate the fact of what we are dealing with now. St. Augustine — the Father of Catechetics — describes catechizing the ignorant in this way:

The best method for instructing ignorant men in Christian doctrine, one that will bear much fruit is to ask questions in a friendly fashion after the explanation; from this questioning one can learn whether each one understood what he heard or whether the explanation needs repeating. In order that the learner grasp the matter, we must ascertain by questioning whether the one being catechized has understood, and in accordance with his response, we must either explain more clearly and fully or not dwell further on what is known to them etc. But if a man is very slow, he must be mercifully helped and the most necessary doctrines especially should be briefly imparted to him.

As the Catechist trainer in this situation, you cannot scold nor demean these individuals. In many ways, ignorance is rooted in their responses due to a lack of formation. Thus, a gentle but firm disposition serves us well in this type of situation because we do not want to lose them. Our hope rests in a genuine conversion for these teachers (1 Pt 3:15). The “you can keep your catechism” statement by the teacher mentioned earlier should not detract anyone from teaching the faith. My call for this person was to help her find God. An opportunity arose to present the Gospel, reveal the importance of Christ in our lives and provide her with an open opportunity to seek Him.

It is very important that the catechist reveal the relevance of doctrine in the lives of the faithful. Our faith is naturally explicit (1 Thess 2:13) because God has made Himself visible through His Church. Man naturally seeks what is visible and revealed. For instance, when we are able to observe and recognize a moral act the exercise of the doctrinal action takes effect on our senses. We are able to witness doctrine exercised. The liturgy – a public work – provides a visible reality of the existence of faith and the exercise of doctrine.

By the end of the day, the teachers who survived my training session realized in a small way the necessity of teaching doctrine to children. The success of the day came not by how much doctrine I could expose them to, it was helping them realize how little they knew about the faith and what to do about. Not only for their souls but also for the souls of the children they teach.

The religion instructor must be prepared to proclaim the truth of the Catholic Church. His/her responsibility is to aid the development of the person they are instructing by explaining Church teaching carefully and appropriately through a careful transmission rooted in Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The opening to nourishing a soul in Catholic doctrine must be convincing so the person applies these doctrines to everyday life. The need for the Catechism of the Catholic Church is more relevant than ever if we genuinely desire to impart the Catholic faith. Our duty and responsibility is to answer the questions our students have. Clarity of truth is primary in our instruction. And the Catechism gives us clarity of truth if we just use it. CatholicLane.com

Marlon De La Torre, MA, MEd. is the Director of Catechist Formation and Children's Catechesis for the Diocese of Fort Worth. Over the last fifteen years Marlon has served in multiple catechetical diocesan positions in Memphis and Kansas City. He is regular guest on the "Sonrise Morning Show" with Brian Patrick and Matt Swaim. His new book is Screwtape Teaches the Faith: A Guide for Catechists based on The Screwtape Letters and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. His EWTN discussion about the book with Fr. Mitch Pacwa is here.

Myths vs. truths about Catholic grade schools

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Bonita Jungels: As we look forward to a new school year, the St. John’s School Advisory Board recently discussed how to share the great news happening at our school.

We talked about the rumors that swirl around the community regarding Catholic schools and decided that we should dispel any myths that exist about St. John the Baptist Catholic School.

Myth: Teachers can be anyone plucked off the street.

Truth: All St. John’s school classroom teachers have teaching licenses. Three of our teachers have master’s degrees as well.

Myth: We can teach any curriculum we want.

Truth: St. John’s school follows the Minnesota state standards. We follow all of the same government regulations including testing that the public schools do. We use Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) testing to monitor student growth but do not give the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) or any other tests that do not benefit the students.

Myth: We are not accountable to anyone.

Truth: In addition to being accountable to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Schools, we are accredited by the Minnesota Nonpublic School Accrediting Association and participate in a review every year as well as a thorough review every seven years.

Myth: Catholic schools are still using chalkboards and clapping erasers; additionally, they do not even know that the Internet was invented.

Truth: We have new iMac computers in our lab and integrate technology throughout our curriculum.

Myth: Catholic schools are only for Catholic students.

Truth: About 10 percent of our school population is non-Catholic.

Myth: Catholic schools have big, combined, multi-age classes.

Truth: Our class sizes are small – typically between 14 and 20 students each.

Myth: We teach willy-nilly academics.

Truth: St. John’s school graduates have been Jordan High School valedictorians in the following recent years: 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Most (and sometimes all!) of our 6th grade graduates find themselves on the honor roll in the middle school.

Myth: We are still in the old school across the street.

Truth: We have a wonderful new facility built in 2005!

Myth: Students bring bag lunches every day.

Truth: We have an awesome hot lunch program serving homemade lunches as well as soup and salads.

Myth: We are a separate entity with no support from the public school system.

Truth: The public school system shares resources with us (thank you!) such as special education, title and band.

Myth: Catholic schools have a top down model with no input from parents.

Truth: Parents are involved at St. John’s school in many ways including daily volunteering, the Family Association and the School Advisory Board.

Myth: We do not offer any sports opportunities.

Truth: In fact, we have travelling basketball for boys and girls, and a girls volleyball program.

Myth: We are too small to offer much enrichment.

Truth: We are fortunate to have many resources that allow for field trips to cool places from Wagner’s Apple Orchard all the way to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Orchestra Hall.

Myth: Wearing uniforms is a bad thing.

Truth: Parents and students alike love uniforms. They love the simplicity of getting ready in the morning and the beauty of minimized competition in the wardrobe arena.

We hope that if you have any other questions about St. John’s school that you will contact our school office for more information. Have a great school year!

Bonita Jungels is the principal of St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Jordan, MN
Church Website

Jordan News

Cristo Rey High School Changing Lives in Minneapolis

Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis serves only low-income students with help from local businesses.

As the first graduates of Minneapolis' Cristo Rey Jesuit High School stood and prepared to turn their tassels, an unexpected guest joined them.

Ignoring calls for her to move or sit down, 62-year-old Maryan Abdi rose from her seat in the students-only section, pumping her fist in celebration.

"I was very happy and lost track of who they were asking about," Abdi said later through a Somali interpreter.

Minneapolis' Phillips neighborhood has long been a gateway for immigrant families, a place for them to call home in a foreign land.

Now, Cristo Rey, a private school tucked away two blocks off Lake Street, has provided an opportunity for many of their children and grandchildren: an affordable private school education.

Cristo Rey celebrated its first graduating class this weekend, sending off all 60 graduates to college or the military. More than half of the class members are the first members of their families to graduate from high school.

Abdi sneaked a seat behind the students to be near her granddaughter, Nasteho Ahmed, who will enroll at Augsburg College in the fall.

Whether the families hailed originally from Africa, Latin American, Asia or the United States, the cheers and tears of joy were universally understood.

"There was nothing but excitement, not just for my grandchild, but for all the children," Abdi said. "I saw that throughout the room."

Cristo Rey's goal of serving only low-income families is strictly enforced. For the initial class, 50 students didn't make it through the application process because their families earned too much money.

In Minneapolis, families pay $240 a month for 10 months to cover their part of the tuition bill.

Their children cover the remaining roughly 70 percent through Hire4Ed, a work-study program that allows them to work one day per week in school-sponsored jobs. The money they earn is paid directly to Cristo Rey from one of 75 participating businesses across the Twin Cities.

"This school is here because somebody loved, because somebody cared," said keynote speaker Immaculée Ilibagiza, a Tutsi Rwandan refugee and author who writes of her harrowing escape from genocide. "There will always be someone who's kind who will open the door for you."

Of the 60 Cristo Rey graduates, 56 will attend college, some as far away as California's Bay Area and Washington, D.C. The remaining four graduates plan to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps.

In fall 2007, the freshman class for the Twin Cities campus was more than 100 students strong. Many left on their own or couldn't manage the demands of one full day of work and four nine-hour school days.

Those who stuck with it clutched their coveted diploma covers Saturday, many of them walking away with higher aspirations than they had as freshmen.

"It won't stop here," advised student speaker Mariah Mendoza, who will attend Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. "We're going to continue to grow and show the world just how amazing we are."

The 268-student school has staff members and 60 juniors already looking forward to next June and the promise it holds for them and their families.

"The bar needs to be even higher," Cristo Rey Principal Jeb Myers said. "We've done a lot of good, but by no means are we resting." Star Tribune

Christo Rey High School's first graduating class: beating the odds

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Christo Rey's first graduating class: beating the odds

By Beth Hawkins | Published Tue, May 31 2011 8:49 am

Courtesy of Cristo ReyGraduating senior Kiara Machuca shown with her family.

Early Thursday morning, as a line of buses in south Minneapolis disgorged students outside, Kiara Machuca’s family sneaked behind the jumbo screen at the front of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School’s auditorium. They stood, neatly dressed and looking a little intimidated, through a prayer for tornado victims, reminders about a blood drive, deadlines for tests and for signing up for the school canoe trip.

Housekeeping dispensed with, Cristo Rey’s faculty got on with the first of the two main agenda items for the all-school assembly, the naming of the student of the month. After several rounds of applause for students earning honorable mentions, a recorded voice began extolling the still-unnamed winner’s many accomplishments.

After a pause, a photo appeared on the screen. Kiara jumped out of her seat on the auditorium’s left side and raced to the stage as her mother and father, Alicia and Esteban Machuca, led her brother and niece from their hiding place.

“Hi,” Kiara said, beaming as she crossed the stage to greet them. “I’m finally up here!”

Showing the effortless poise of a practiced public speaker, the senior told a funny story about her teachers tricking her into showing up with her hair nicely done, introduced her loved ones and repeated her delight at finally being scholar of the month.

No small feat
At Cristo Rey, this is no small feat. In addition to the academic accomplishment one would expect, it means perfect attendance and performing well at a paying job in the community. All 262 students work five days a month in positions the school helps them to secure with a host of Twin Cities employers.

Next week, Kiara and all 60 of her classmates will graduate from the 4-year-old private school, located just off Lake Street in South Minneapolis. The school’s first graduating class, virtually all are poor minorities.

Typically, barely half of students from similar backgrounds graduate from high school in Minnesota. Yet not only is every member of Cristo Rey’s first class graduating, 58 are headed for college and the other three have enlisted in the military.

Cristo Rey’s goal is for every student to graduate not just from high school but from college. So far, the other schools in the group have a 25-30 percent success rate.

Compare that to an overall graduation rate among all students who enter college of 40 percent. Within Cristo Rey’s demographic, just 10 percent leave with a degree.

The first Jesuit school in Minnesota, Cristo Rey tries to enroll kids who couldn’t otherwise afford a Catholic college-prep school. The idea behind the jobs isn’t so much to help the kids pay their tuition — which they do — as to teach poise and confidence and get them focused on the career possibilities open to those who finish college.

Light-filled, modern building
To that end, the atmosphere in the light-filled, modern building is more like that of a college campus than that of a typical high school. In the halls, groupings of upholstered chairs invite study groups. Bulletin boards display job openings and the photos of students being honored for different accomplishments.

Next year, Cristo Rey will have 305 students. The goal is eventually to serve 400-450 and to provide each with support and mentorship all the way through college.

The school’s first, Kiara’s class presented the school’s administration with some challenges. Through meetings with community groups and presentations in schools throughout the area, Cristo Rey recruited an inaugural freshman class of 97.

Ten more were enrolled over the next four years. More than 40 dropped out, however.

Next year, 57 of the 65 students who enrolled as ninth-graders are expected to graduate. What changed?

'Much more articulate about who we are'
“The biggest thing I attribute that to is we’ve been much more articulate about who we are,” said Principal Jeb Myers. During the application process, students and parents are told that attendance at Cristo Rey will mean hard, hard work.

“I’m not willing to say to 10 percent of our freshmen, ‘You I’m not going to worry about,’” said Myers. “We really focus on the students we can serve.”

When they apply, most students are scoring in the 25 percent to 75 percent range on standardized tests, with a significant majority on the lower end of the range. A few are as low as 5 percent and a very few have learning disabilities.

Many are new to the country and many come from families that haven’t been able to stay in one place for long.

Catching up academically won’t be the only thing on students’ schedules. In Cristo Rey’s Hire4Ed program, four students share a job. One takes Monday, another Tuesday, and so on. Each covers one Friday a month. To make up those hours, Cristo Rey’s school day and year are longer than most.

Other employers include General Mills, Hubbard Broadcasting, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, SuperValu, University of St. Thomas School of Law, Wells Fargo and Xcel Energy.

Emphasis on core subjects
Students are pushed hard in core subjects, and there are few electives. If families wonder why their kids aren’t getting, say tech ed or business, they are asked how they would feel if their son or daughter were instead to help maintain the Spanish-language portion of Best Buy’s website or negotiate trucking contracts with Somali drivers at a transportation company.

“We tell them, ‘Right now you have the skills to go to work and you can have fun doing it,’” said Myers.

The first Cristo Rey school was created in 1995 by then-Chicago Archbishop Joseph Cardinal Bernadine, who challenged the Jesuits to find a way to serve impoverished Latino immigrants. The first school was so successful that in 2001 a network was established. Today it boasts 24 schools nationwide.

Cristo Rey has a lot in common with many other so-called beat-the-odds schools. Most have a strong culture and a clearly articulated vision and take advantage of even the smallest, most symbolic opportunities to reinforce it.

For example, students must swipe their ID when they arrive in the morning. To get to the scanner, they have to first shake hands and make eye contact with staff.

Uniforms and Dale Carnegie skills
Tidy uniforms are a given, and everyone takes a Dale Carnegie class. Students who need help with job performance or who aren’t called back by an employer get tutoring in workplace decorum.

When a student slips, staff concentrate not on their infraction but on the end goal, said Myers: “Why are you here? What do you want to be when you are older?”

“We really try to [concentrate] on, ‘You made a mistake, now get back on track,’” he said.

After the assembly where Kiara’s award was passed out, Junior Dana Fernandez lead a tour for a group of corporate visitors who had come to watch another student, Andrea Narvaez-Zambrano, receive the Hire4Ed employee of the month award.

Courtesy of Cristo ReyAndrea Narvaez-Zambrano with WIPFLI co-workers, left to right: Laura Freas, Kristen Hartung and Christina Fasbender.

The three well-dressed women from WIPFLI, a CPA and business consulting firm, towered over Fernandez, who appeared wholly at ease describing the activities under way in each wing and fielding questions about her job at Lawson.

Prodded to look for networking opportunities
Because Cristo Rey’s kids lack the natural networking ties wealthier students take for granted, they are prodded to look for opportunities. One of Fernandez’s classmates parlayed his junior-year job into a stint caddying at the Minikahda Club, where he collected a stack of business cards he’s now busily working his way through.

Still, teachers have to work hard to keep kids’ eyes on the doors a college degree will open. Cristo Rey’s kids often come from families where the steady paycheck from even an entry-level job is so welcome and college so unknown that at first, staying in school for another four years doesn’t always seem like the obvious plan.

On June 10, Cristo Rey’s first graduation will begin with a Mass at which three more awards will be handed out. In addition to recognizing the students with the most outstanding academic and workplace records, staff will hand out a citizenship award to the best servant-leader.

Diplomas will be handed out the next day, Saturday, June 11, at 2 p.m. in the school’s gym. There may only be 60 grads, but 1,500 people are expected to attend. Not only is each student welcome to invite as many friends and family members as they wish, many of their corporate supervisors will be there.

Imaculee Ilibaqiza to speak at graduation
The students asked Rwandan genocide survivor Imaculee Ilibaqiza to speak; many heard her talk at the University of St. Thomas as freshmen.

Like everyone she’ll share the stage with, Kiara Machuca has a pretty good idea what will happen next. In the fall, she’s headed to Santa Clara University in California on a full scholarship.

In her junior year, Kiara worked for Ryan Companies. She did well on the job, according to her teachers, but was interested in the health-care industry and set her sights on working for Medtronic.

Using the job-hunting skills she’d learned at school, last summer she scored a position there on her own. Her supervisors were so impressed that they convinced her to apply to college in a city where she could keep working for the corporation.

While she’s in college, Kiara will continue to receive support from Cristo Rey. Because no one in her family has gone to a university, a teacher will step in. He or she will be in close contact, listening for signs that Kiara is finding ways to fit in and juggle her obligations.

In the end, Cristo Rey hopes she’ll be back, but in a wholly different role. MinnPost

Iowa parish to offer free kindergarten for parishioners

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[Clinton, IA, Diocese of Davenport] Prince of Peace Schools will offer tuition-free kindergarten for parishioners beginning next year, thanks to a Prince of Peace Parish effort to further support Catholic education and increase school enrollment.

The move is the first step toward what parish and school leaders hope will eventually be a tuition-free, Catholic-school education for parishioners from kindergarten to 12th grade.

“It’s a way for parishioners to see that Catholic education is a long-term investment for our parish,” Principal Nancy Peart said. “Keeping our families strongly invested in faith development is critically important.”

To enroll a kindergartener for free, parish families must sign a covenant to attend Mass on weekends and holy days of obligation, teach Catholicism as a family, get involved in a parish ministry, work toward giving 5 percent of their income to the parish, and cooperate with school teachers and staff. Father Ken Kuntz, pastor of the Clinton parish since July, said parishioners’ fulfillment of that agreement is “between them and God.”

The priest considered eliminating tuition for parishioners after noticing enrollment in Prince of Peace Academy and College Preparatory dropped from 244 in fall 2009 to 219 in fall 2010. “We have a wonderful school, but too many empty seats, in my opinion,” he said. “My concern was how can we get more kids into our school?”

For some parish families, one of the biggest obstacles is the expense of tuition, said Karen Witt, development director for Prince of Peace Academy and College Preparatory. In a summer 2010 survey, “cost” was the top reason parishioners with elementary and high school students cited as to why those students don’t attend Prince of Peace.

Witt noted financial aid can lessen that burden; tuition starts at $2,182 for a parish student in first through eighth grade next year and $3,231 for a parishioner in high school. But she said Prince of Peace’s new effort will remove remaining financial barriers. “It’s a wonderful blessing for families to have this opportunity.”

To make up for lost tuition income, the parish will increase its subsidy to Prince of Peace Schools. That annual subsidy is now about $500,000 — more than 50 percent of annual offertory income, Fr. Kuntz said.

He hopes Prince of Peace will be able to eliminate tuition for one grade per year for the next 13 years. “Our parish has 1,700 families,” he said. “If 70 percent of those people gave 5 percent of the median income in Clinton, we could have a tuition-free school now. We’re not promoting something that doesn’t have a chance of being effective. But it will take time.”

He also noted that 76 non-parishioners are currently enrolled in Prince of Peace Schools, suggesting some tuition income will continue to come in even if tuition is eliminated for parishioners.

At least one parish family has decided to send a student to Prince of Peace Academy thanks largely to the prospect of free tuition. Angela Broadrick said she and her husband, who is a police officer in Camanche, were debating whether to enroll their daughter Lucy in kindergarten at Camanche Elementary or Prince of Peace next year. When the couple heard of plans for free kindergarten for Catholics who sign a covenant with the parish, “that put us over the edge.”

“What a blessing,” said Broadrick, who also has a 1-year-old daughter, Annie. “The more help we can get, the better.”

Pam Deluhery said she would have sent her son, Billy, to kindergarten at Prince of Peace next year even without free tuition, but is grateful for the parishioner covenant. “I think it’s a wonderful way to get families active in our parish. If we can get more people coming to church on a regular basis and taking part in ministries, it can really strengthen us.”

Fr. Kuntz said Prince of Peace’s “leap of faith” reflects the results of a survey showing most parishioners believe supporting a Catholic school is an important part of the parish’s mission. “If parishioners are practicing stewardship, they shouldn’t have to pay tuition because we look at it as our mission to provide Catholic education — much as parishes did when they were founded in this country,” he said.

“Every year, we feel a strong parish commitment to the school, and this demonstrates that dedication again,” Peart said. “It’s delightful to have this sense of community with our parish.”

[All the Catholic Elementary and High Schools in Wichita, KS, are free for parishioners.]

Crucifixes Allowed in European Union Classrooms

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Vatican pleased by court decision, which effects 47 countries of Europe.


When do you suppose they will be allowed at St. Thomas???

A crucifix hangs in a school classroom in Rome in this 2009 file photo. A European human rights court ruled March 18 that crucifixes are acceptable in public schools. The decision effects the 47 countries of the European Union.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Crucifixes displayed publicly in Italy, including in classrooms, are a sign of Christianity’s key contribution to European culture and civilization, said Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

Christianity is a “founding element” of Western civilization, and “even if someone does not want to recognize it, it is an objective fact that the Christian presence is absolutely relevant, decisive,” the cardinal told reporters March 18.

Cardinal Ravasi spoke just a few hours before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of Italy in a case where a mother claimed crucifixes in Italian public-school classrooms violated her children’s freedom of conscience.

A lower chamber of the European court had ruled in 2009 that the classroom crucifixes violated the religious-freedom clauses of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the Vatican welcomed the Grand Chamber ruling, which recognizes that “human rights must not be placed in opposition to the religious foundations of European civilization.”

The decision is an affirmation of the respect owed to each country of the European Union for “the religious symbols of its cultural history and national identity” and for national decisions on how the symbols can and should be displayed, Father Lombardi said.

A lack of respect, he said, would lead to a situation in which, “in the name of religious liberty, paradoxically one would limit or even deny this freedom, ending up excluding every expression of it from the public sphere.”

Speaking to reporters at a news conference about a Vatican project to promote dialogue with atheists and other nonbelievers, Cardinal Ravasi had said that while a crucifix is a religious symbol to believers, it also is “a sign of civilization” in the West.

In every culture, he said, people find symbols that express their identity and, in losing those symbols, “we run the great risk of losing our identity.”

“Having white walls leads to a void, to cultural fragility. You may need to explain what a religious symbol means, but it isn’t right to have to take down your symbols simply to avoid offending someone,” the cardinal said.

Similarly, he said, “when you go to a Muslim city, you aren’t concerned when you see golden crescent moons” lit at night and dotting the skyline.

During his news conference, the cardinal presented the program for his office’s “Courtyard of the Gentiles” project, which aims to promote discussions between Christians and atheists or nonbelievers.

The first sessions will be held in Paris March 24-25, bringing Christian clergy, artists and activists together with nonbelievers from the world of politics, economics, law, literature and the arts.
Dialogue — whether with other Christians, with other religions or with atheists — isn’t about finding the “lowest common denominator,” Cardinal Ravasi said. He said it is about getting to know one another, learning from one another, working together to promote the common good and seeing how the other’s values may need more attention in your own life.

Of course, he said, the dialogue can take place only if both sides are willing to talk and to listen; the Courtyard of the Gentiles project involves nonbelievers or atheists who find the question of God interesting and who share the Catholic Church’s concern to promote the good of individuals and society.

The cardinal said the project tentatively is scheduled to hold sessions in other cities around the world, including in Quebec in 2012 and in Chicago and Washington in 2013.

Dialogue, if it is serious, is not simply an exchange of information, Cardinal Ravasi said. It is about presenting all of who one is and, therefore, it means witnessing: “We don’t dialogue to broadcast a theory, but to share a vision that has an impact on our lives.”
National Catholic Register

St. Thomas: Priest preferred, no longer required

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The next president of the University of St. Thomas won't have to be a priest to get the post.

The St. Paul university's governing board changed its bylaws last month to allow a Roman Catholic layperson serve as president.

It will still show priests "strong preference."

The move acknowledges the shrinking number of Catholic priests interested in and qualified for colleges' top jobs. Seton Hall University in New Jersey recently hired a layperson after its first search -- for priests only -- was unsuccessful.

About 60 percent of Catholic colleges are now led by lay people, said Michael Galligan-Stierle, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.

"The board felt that while it has a strong preference to continue to have a priest, it also wants to have the broadest pool possible," said Doug Hennes, St. Thomas vice president for university relations. The action also allows a brother or sister to become president.

Still, some alumni are concerned.

"I believe the action the board has taken is designed to separate it from the diocese," said Dick Houck, who graduated from St. Thomas in 1951.

He worries that picking a non-priest will "only take St. Thomas further away from the teachings of the church."

To respond to such concerns and to preserve Catholic identity on campus, many Catholic colleges and universities have hired Catholic mission and identity officers, Galligan-Stierle said.

The bylaws change doesn't hint at a coming retirement for the Rev. Dennis Dease, who has led the university for two decades, Hennes said.

"He has no immediate plans to retire," he said. "It's just good planning to look ahead."

Most of Minnesota's Catholic colleges and universities still have leaders with a "Father," "Brother" or "Sister" before their names. But the College of St. Benedict and the College of St. Scholastica are led by lay presidents. Star Tribune

I would doubt that they would hire a "local boy." What they want more than anything in the world is to be respected by Harvard. And that means hiring a layperson with Harvard (or equivalent) credentials. It helps with the fund-raising.

Who says young Catholics don't go to church? In Texas they do!

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Where can you find a Catholic chaplaincy at an institution of higher learning that's looking to expand its church to seat 1,400, because the current 850 seats just aren't enough?

South Bend, Indiana, perhaps? Well, no, actually: College Station, Texas, where the Catholic chaplaincy at Texas A&M, St. Mary's Catholic Center, is setting a new national standard for Catholic campus ministry.

Aggie Catholicism is something to behold. Daily Mass attendance averages 175; there were closer to 300 Catholic Aggies at Mass on a weekday afternoon when I visited a few years back. Sunday Masses draw between 4,000 and 5,000 worshippers. There are ten weekly time slots for confessions, which are also heard all day long on Monday. Eucharistic adoration, rosary groups, the Liturgy of the Hours, and the traditional First Friday devotion are staples of Aggie Catholicism's devotional life.

A rich retreat program is available, and each year some 1,250 students make or staff a retreat sponsored by St. Mary's. "Aggie Awakening," an adaptation of Cursillo for students, is one of the cornerstones of the campus ministry; other, specially designed programs include a silent retreat and a retreat titled "Genius of Women." In 2009-2010, 200 students participated in biweekly spiritual direction programs, and another 70 took part in the "Samuel Group," an exercise in Ignatian discernment that includes a commitment to curb what one campus minister describes as "unnecessary TV and Internet use." Two thousand A&M students, not all of them Catholics, have participated in introductory sessions exploring the theology of the body, and many have continued that exploration in follow-on study groups.

Then there is service. Aggie Catholics participate in domestic and international missions, work with Habitat for Humanity, take part in a ministry to prisoners, and are involved in various pro-life activities. In fact, the 40 Days for Life program is an outgrowth of the Catholic campus ministry at Texas A&M; the national office of 40 Days is staffed by Aggie grads. The campus ministry also works with a local Life Center that helps mothers and families in difficult situations.

All this energy has had a discernible effect on vocational formation and discernment. Since 2000, the campus ministry has averaged some nine students per year entering the seminary or religious novitiates; 132 Catholic Aggies have been ordained priests or made final religious vows in the past two decades. And then there is the vocation to marriage and family, which the campus ministry takes very seriously. Aggie Catholics are also a powerful witness to the rest of Aggieland: 175 new Catholics have entered the Church the past two years through St. Mary's RCIA program.

The Catholic renaissance at Texas A&M is staffed by two full-time priests, three part-time and semi-retired deacons, one part-time priest, three full-time lay campus ministers, three sisters from the Apostles of the Interior Life, three part-time campus ministers, and four part-time student interns. That probably strikes many campus ministers as a rather large staff. In fact, the people who lead St. Mary's are stretched -- and they began where many others are today.

Catholic campus ministry at Texas A&M is a striking example of "If you build it, they will come." The program is unapologetically orthodox. There is no fudging the demands of the faith. And yet they come, and come, and come, because Aggie Catholicism shows the campus a dynamic orthodoxy that is not a retreat into the past but a way of seizing the future and bending it in a more humane direction. The premise that informed Pope John Paul II's approach to students his entire life -- that young people want to be challenged to lead lives of heroic virtue, in which the search for love is the search for a pure and noble love -- is the premise that guides Catholic campus ministry at College Station.

Texas A&M is a special place, culturally; in many respects, it seems to have skipped the 1960s, such that its 21st-century life is in palpable continuity with its past. That's a deeply Catholic cultural instinct, which St. Mary's has seized to build a program that is a model for the entire country. George Weigel, Inside Catholic

Aggies? How come they call their students "Aggies?" Well, the official name of Texas A&M used to be "Texas Agriculture and Mining University," Texas' first public university, located in College Station, TX. That's why.

St. Mary's U tops in Nation for Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

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Forbes Magazine: MIT comes in 18th; 35% at SMUM get their degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. The national average is 10%.

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is the nation’s top-ranked college for minorities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs, according to a recent Forbes report.

Forbes ranked colleges and universities for helping racial or ethnic minorities succeed in STEM programs. Forbes compared the percentages of blacks, Hispanics and American Indians (groups typically underrepresented in STEM) to whites and Asians (groups typically well-represented in STEM). Forbes excluded from its analysis those schools with a student body that is almost entirely minority students.

Saint Mary’s University offers STEM programs in its traditional four-year bachelor of arts program at its Winona campus, as well as STEM programs within the bachelor of science completion programs for adult learners at its Twin Cities campus.

The Forbes report cited data from the Saint Mary’s undergraduate graduating class in 2008. Forbes said that class included about 10 percent underrepresented minority students, just above the national median for ranked colleges. “But of those minority students,” Forbes said, “35 percent received their degrees in STEM – well above the median among all colleges, which is 10 percent.”

Bob Conover, vice president for communication, noted that Saint Mary’s undergraduate STEM programs “combine a strong academic component with opportunities for hands-on research and student interaction with professors. I believe it’s this combination which helps us reach underrepresented populations.” Conover added that “as a Lasallian Catholic university, Saint Mary’s is student-centered and committed to preparing learners for success in an increasingly complex and multicultural world.” Winona 360

To read the complete Forbes article, with the top twenty colleges in the competition.

National Catholic Register Acquired by EWTN from the Legionaries of Christ; no cash exchanged

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The world’s largest Catholic media network is the fourth owner of the 83-year-old newspaper.

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by TIM DRAKE 01/19/2011 Comments (34)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Eighty-three years after its debut in Denver, and 15 years after its purchase by the Legionaries of Christ, the National Catholic Register is being acquired by the world’s largest religious media network, the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). The acquisition, finalized at the end of January, marks the third time in the newspaper’s history that a new owner has stepped forward to preserve and expand the newspaper’s service to the Church.

Under the terms of the transaction, no cash will be exchanged between the parties. EWTN will take over the ongoing operational expenses of the Register and will assume the paper’s future subscription liabilities.

“I am very pleased and excited that the Register will now be a part of the EWTN family,” said Michael Warsaw, the network’s president and chief executive officer. “All of us at EWTN have great respect for the Register and the role it has played throughout its history. It’s a tremendous legacy that deserves to not only be preserved, but also to grow and to flourish. I believe that EWTN will be able to provide the stability that the Register needs at this time as well as to give it a platform for its growth in the years ahead. We’re proud to be able to step in and carry on both the Register’s name and its tradition of faithful Catholic reporting on the issues of the day.”

The need for the providential intervention by EWTN was precipitated by what Legionary Father Owen Kearns, the Register’s publisher and editor in chief, described as a “perfect storm.” That storm, not dissimilar to what has hit most print publications, was intensified by rising publishing and mailing costs, and the negative impact on Register donations from the downturn in the economy, all of which overwhelmed the Legion’s ability to continue to subsidize the costs of producing the newspaper and managing its website.

As of Feb. 1, EWTN will take full control and ownership of the Register.

Recent management changes at the Register had resulted in cost reductions exceeding $1 million annually. Senior Register staff said that this, coupled with continued donor support, a new marketing and advertising team, and additional changes have resulted in a recovery that promises to be timely and beneficial to the change in ownership.

Due in part to the fallout from revelations regarding the congregation’s founder, the Legion of Christ did not have the resources to bring the previous turnaround efforts to fruition, said the Register spokesman.

EWTN and the Register began exploring the possibility of an acquisition in November. A meeting, which was held in early December, was described by the spokesman as “open and enthusiastic.” Details of the transfer were worked out after that.

The acquisition of the Register is the latest in EWTN’s efforts to expand their operation in the global Catholic digital and multimedia market. At the start of 2010, the Irondale, Ala.-based organization entered into a partnership with Catholic News Agency (CNA). CNA is a Denver-based independent Catholic news media outlet with bureaus in North and South America and Europe. Under that agreement, EWTN and CNA are sharing news resources and have created a joint news service found at EWTNNews.com. That arrangement was recently expanded to include a new original Spanish-language news service, EWTN Noticias, launched in January 2011.

EWTN Global Catholic Network provides multimedia services to more than 140 countries and territories. The network transmits nine separate television channels in several languages to audiences around the world. It also operates multiple radio services including a network of hundreds of AM and FM stations, a Sirius satellite radio channel, and a global shortwave radio service. EWTN’s main website draws more than 20 million unique visitors annually.

Register’s History

EWTN will become the Register’s fourth owner. The National Catholic Register grew out of the Archdiocese of Denver’s Register, which began in 1924 and whose first national edition appeared on Nov. 8, 1927. Under the leadership of Msgr. Matthew Smith, the Register System of Newspapers was developed, eventually producing 35 diocesan editions, reaching its highpoint in the 1950s with a combined national and diocesan circulation of more than 700,000.

In 1970, California businessman Patrick Frawley purchased the declining newspaper and later moved it to Los Angeles. Its emphasis shifted to in-depth commentary on religion and culture. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s it attracted young, promising writers such as George Weigel, who went on to author Pope John Paul II’s biography, William McGurn, who went on to The Wall Street Journal, Robert Moynihan, who publishes Inside the Vatican, Phil Lawler, director of Catholic Culture, and Greg Erlandson, publisher of Our Sunday Visitor.

In 1995, a group of investors, along with the Legionaries of Christ, saved the newspaper from imminent closure and moved it to Connecticut, where it remained until late last year.

“When the Legion took it over, they did things with resources and personnel that we couldn’t do,” said Fran Maier, the Register’s editor between 1979 and 1993, and now chancellor of the Archdiocese of Denver. “During its affiliation with the Legion, it played an important role in Catholic journalism.”

Under the Legion’s direction, the paper restored the emphasis on the news, made the print edition more colorful and greatly expanded it, adding numerous features such as the Vatican page and the family-friendly Culture of Life section.

When rising costs forced a reduction in frequency from weekly to biweekly, the Register expanded its Web presence with NCRegister.com, with daily breaking news, exclusive online content and free commentary by popular Catholic bloggers. In November, in a further effort to cut costs, the editorial offices were relocated from Connecticut to the Legionaries’ Center for Higher Studies in Thornwood, N.Y.

“The Register is a perfect addition to our teaching apostolate,” noted Warsaw. “We live in an age where there is so much distortion and misrepresentation of the Church’s teaching by forces who oppose her message, particularly in the secular news media. Being sure that the Church’s voice is heard clearly and accurately has always been the core of EWTN’s mission,” he said. “Continuing the tradition of the Register gives us another means to carry out our mission of service to the Church.”

“The service and the history of the paper are too important to simply abandon,” said Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, where the newspaper originated. “The Church needs more tools of faithful communication, not fewer.”

Archbishop Chaput said that he doesn’t feel that the Register’s basic mission of “reporting the news and analyzing trends that are important for Catholics, from a Catholic perspective,” will change. “The means of accomplishing that mission may change quite a lot over time, but the Register’s fidelity to the Church will not.”

Father Kearns described the acquisition by EWTN as “a natural and a happy fit.” “EWTN has earned a reputation of fidelity to the magisterium, which has always characterized the Register,” he said. “This represents a continuity of fidelity to the Church and support of the bishops. The Register’s mission is to equip its readers to engage the secular culture with competence and confidence, and EWTN intends to continue, strengthen and develop that mission.” National Catholic Register

Before W-K school there was Kosciusko (01/19/2011)

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Submitted photo Kosciusko school

February will be a big month at Washington-Koscuisko elementary school, affectionately called W-K. On February 4, the school will celebrate the birthday of Thaddeus Kosciusko, one of the men after whom the school is named. And then at the end of the month comes Presidents’ Day, when we honor George Washington, the other man the school’s name reflects, and whose birthday is February 22. Both men are heroes of the Revolutionary War.

When W-K was built on Mankato Ave. and opened in 1935, it replaced three schools — Washington, Kosciusko, and Sugar Loaf. Sugar Loaf started as a country school, and didn’t become part of the Winona school system until 1891. Washington was built as the fledgling town was growing, and by 1888 the schools were so crowded that night classes were being held, and the age of starting school was raised from 5 to 6. Even in 1937, there were more than 100 country schools open in Winona County.

The Fourth Ward schools became more and more crowded, so in 1889, the Polish Stock Company Hall was converted to a school. By 1891, that school was called the Mankato Ave. School, unlike the others in town not a U.S. president’s name, reflecting the school board’s hope that it would be a temporary building. (Jefferson, Madison and also a Jackson School were on the West End.)

After a lot of wrangling, in 1892 the school board knew they couldn’t accommodate the growing population in their present schools, so voted to build an East End school at Sanborn and California streets. (That is according to the 1913 History of Winona County, but that was either a misprint, or the name of the street was changed later to Chatfield.) The school cost $25,000 to build, including the lot, and was dedicated in 1894, after the city was redistricted.

It was about that time that the school board installed a telephone in each school. Perhaps the wires were burning up with talk of the argument over what the name of the new East End school should be. Finally, with Benard Stoltman and Joseph Winczewski as Fourth Ward representatives on the board, Kosciusko was chosen over Columbia.

The school population continued to grow, and the school board continued to talk about building more schools or adding on to existing schools. But some warned that when the Catholic parishes built their own elementary schools, as they were talking of doing, there wouldn’t be a need for a Kosciusko school if St. Stanislaus parish built a school. In fact, when the parishes did open their own schools around 1913, the public school population fell by 1,000 students.

Thaddeus Kosciusko

Kosciusko (pronounced Kos-chew-skoe, according to Paul Libera, quoted in a newspaper article in 1973) was born son of a nobleman in 1746 in Poland, where he attended at the King’s Corps of Cadets, with military studies as well as the liberal arts. He then studied for five years in Paris. When he returned home, there was no post for him in the greatly reduced Polish army, as the country had been divided up by the Russians, Prussians and Austrians. He left Poland in 1775, and in Paris heard about the American Revolution. He came to America, served as a volunteer in the new army, and in 1776 was named a Colonel of Engineers in the Continental Army. He went to work building forts to protect the army from the British. It was Kosciusko who designed West Point, at the behest of George Washington (Benedict Arnold tried to give the plans to the British). He then traveled south to join forces there, and for the first time encountered chattel slavery, which he grew to abhor (he gave his army salary to Thomas Jefferson, and instructed him to buy slaves with the money, free them and educate them. He freed his own serfs in Poland before his death.)

After seven years of distinguished service to the American Revolution, Kosciusko was promoted by Congress to the rank of brigadier general. He also received American citizenship. He returned to Poland to fight against the Russians, who had invaded. But the Polish army was woefully out manned, and Kosciusko surrendered to the Russians. He then fled Poland, and joined a group planning the ouster of Russia from Poland. But the cause failed, and Kosciusko was captured by the Russians and imprisoned. It wasn’t until 1796 that Kosciusko was freed. He declined to fight with the Napoleon-allied Polish Army, and rebuffed overtures from the Russians to build a Kingdom of Poland, a small and ineffectual plan that Kosciusko called a joke. He died in Switzerland in 1817 of typhoid. He is a national hero in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus and the United States. Winona Post

Top 10 enemies the pro-abortion Left fears

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Now that conservatives are gaining some power in Washington, the battle over abortion is being reignited. Pro-lifers could do very little to stop the pro-choice forces while so-called liberals controlled nearly every level of government. But times have changed. And that means those who fight for the unborn are even more dangerous to the pro-abortion Left. Here are a list of their top ten enemies.

It is important to note that this list is meant to be for today and not all time. It is a look at the current top ten enemies of the pro-abortion Left. There are other huge leaders in the history of the pro-life movement that won’t be found here. (For a list of 30 leaders in the first 30 years of pro-life movement go here.) Our list is a revelation of those most likely found right now on the dart boards of groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL.

Depending on your familiarity with the pro-lifers, the names may be enlightening. One thing that might surprise you about this top ten is that there are only three men included. Usually when the Pro-Abortion left argues their case to the American people, they present the battle as men versus women. The spin is that evil men are keeping women from their reproductive rights. But in reality the top enemies of the pro-choice groups are primarily women. And that is because, with some exceptions, women are the key leaders of the pro-life movement.

And now the top ten enemies the pro-abortion Left fears:

10. Jill Stanek

Jill Stanek is a leader in the pro-life movement today and a very popular speaker. However, she used to be a nurse at Christ Hospital in the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn. In 1999 Stanek realized her hospital was not only involved in abortion, but they were leaving babies that survived induced labor abortion in a utility room to die. In other words, these weren’t just abortions, the hospital was involved with infanticide.

Stanek first unsuccessfully worked to get things changed from the inside as a nurse, but eventually had to quit and try to use the courts and legislation. She helped get some laws in Illinois changed and later, President Bush would sign the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act into law. At the signing Bush publicly recognized Stanek for her contribution.

Stanek gained even more notoriety in 2008 as a leading pro-life voice against Barack Obama’s run for President. Stanek went public to reveal that Obama had voted against an Illinois Born-Alive act multiple times. Obama had basically supported infanticide and Stanek wasn’t going to let that go unnoticed. Of course this made her a top enemy of the Left.

Besides being a popular speaker, Jill now writes for World Net Daily and has her own blog which is the top ranking pro-life blog in the United States. She has become the internet voice of the pro-life movement. The Left recognized that on June 4, 2009 when Keith Olbermann named her the worst person in the world that day and called her readers “crazy people”. He even said that if this were “a just world” then Stanek would “be put in jail for the rest of (her) life”. . . .

For being the leading voice for Life on the internet, and central in some political battles, Jill Stanek finds herself as the tenth biggest enemy of the pro-abortion Left.

9. Father Frank Pavone

The role of the Roman Catholic Church in the battle over abortion cannot be overstated. The RCC was the first and remains the strongest advocate and defender of the unborn. Long before there was even such a thing as a social conservative, Catholics were speaking up for innocence in the womb. While there are countless liberal Catholics who are pro-choice (especially in politics), the Church itself remains staunchly pro-life. And in America, the Priest who leads the anti-abortion charge is Father Frank Pavone.

Frank Pavone is the national director of Priests for Life. Priests for Life exists to inform the clergy and the people of the RCC how to fight the culture of death. The organization speaks out strongly against both abortion and euthanasia. Priests for Life supplies literature for activism and is also known for providing pictures of aborted babies as a way to show just how horrid the practice of abortion is. They believe strongly that “America will not reject abortion until America sees abortion.”

Father Pavone was a major player in the Terry Schiavo case. He is also a member of Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family Institute which is one of the leading Protestant organizations against abortion. Father Pavone’s influence stretches wide. Even Norma McCorvey, “Jane Roe”, called Fr. Frank “the catalyst that brought me into the Catholic Church.”

Pavone believes strongly in Priests standing for life and not being afraid of politics. He vehemently attempts to convince Catholics to stop voting for pro-choice candidates. Also, if he can get Priests to be bold in promoting a culture of life then possibly the number of pro-choice Catholics will begin to decrease and that could really damage the pro-abortion Left.

The Catholic Church is the biggest fighter against abortion, Father Pavone is a leader on that issue, and therefore he will continue to be a top enemy of the pro-abortion Left.

8. Jay Sekulow

Jay Sekulow is one of the top dogs in the Christian Right. And Sekulow is, without a doubt, the head lawyer of the Christian Right. While Sekulow battles many issues that are related to Christianity and religious freedom, he has long been a major player on the issue of abortion. Considering the Christian Right is probably the most hated group to the Left, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Sekulow made this list.

Sekulow is an attorney but also a media figure for the right, hosting his own radio and television programs. He is both a frequent guest on many news programs and a major player in Supreme Court battles. Some of those court cases were vital battle grounds in the fight over the womb. And Sekulow is now the Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). The ACLJ was founded by Pat Robertson to be the Christian Right’s answer to the ACLU.

The pro-abortion Left has a lot of reasons to both hate and fear Jay Sekulow. Not only is he a smart legal mind that often beats them in court. Not only does he represent so much of what the Left despises. But Sekulow is a friend to Justice Antoni Scalia, and Sekulow is rumored to have been a key figure in getting Chief Justice John Roberts into the Supreme Court. . . .

The Left knows it faces more future losses in the abortions wars. And many of those losses will be connected to Jay Sekulow.

7. John Boehner

There are a lot of pro-life politicians that the pro-abortion organizations hate. But politicians are largely ineffective in pushing pro-life legislation (and sometimes they stab life advocates in the back i.e. Bart Stupak). So no politicians made the top ten list except John Boehner. Why?

Boehner is especially feared by the Left because of his new found power as Speaker of the House. Boehner is now third in power in all of American government. He is Republican, conservative, passionate, and pro-life. And to make matters worse for the abortionists, Boehner had declared the abortion industry is one of his targets.

Boehner recenently told Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life that he is determined to be the most “pro-life speaker in history”. This has the abortion industry so upset they are spending big money to go against him. NARAL just announced a new campaign to stop Boehner and his pro-life agenda.

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL, said that Boehner is set to the launch the “fiercest attacks” on abortion “in decades.”

“Americans did not give Boehner and his cronies a mandate to interfere in our personal, private decisions. We will turn the Boehner Bait and Switch into the Boehner Backlash, as the new speaker learns that his anti-choice agenda is out of step with our country’s values and priorities.” – Keenan

One of the top priorities of the Pro-Abortion Left is to stop Boehner from pushing pro-life legislation. They even created a website to gain support against him. It promotes taking an oath against Boehner’s agenda.

Boehner is clearly a primary target of the Pro-Abortion Left. They understand the laws of the land are going to be greatly shaped by what the Speaker pushes the next couple of years.

6. Dr. Charmaine Yoest

Dr. Charmaine Yoest is President and CEO of Americans United for Life (AUL). The AUL is the first national pro-life organization in America. They are mostly a team of legal strategists who have been involved with every case on abortion that has gone before the Supreme Court since Roe v. Wade. Their focus is helping the pro-life cause in court rooms, helping politicians with legislation, and educating the public. Their work is vital to the abortion battle in courts, congress, and living rooms. That makes them a top enemy of pro-Abortion group and that makes their leader, Charmaine Yoest, a top ten target.

The AUL is the right hand man for any pro-life politician. They provide them models of legislation and educate them on the issues. The are the brains behind the work of those in politics who want to protect the unborn. The AUL is also typically the #1 resource for those doing battle in the courts over abortion. And the AUL is often sought out by the press as a voice to represent the pro-life side of hot debates, and Yoest is the face of the organization.

Dr. Yoest worked in the Regan administration, worked in Universities, was VP of the Family Research Council, and was a major adviser to Mike Huckabee in his 2008 bid for President. She has spoken before congress and on countless news shows. AUL is the legal arm of the pro-life movement and Yoest is their leader and spokesman. This fact was seen clearly during the debate over both Kagan and Sotomayer as new Supreme Court justices. . . .

To put it simply, any time abortion groups are in a battle, if you look across the table at their opposition you will usually see Charmaine Yoest and AUL.

5. Marjorie Dannenfelsor

Last November the American people elected 72 new pro-life members of the House, new pro-life senators, and gave Boehner the largest pro-life majority in the House since Roe v. Wade. One of the groups who should get a lot of credit for those results is the Susan B. Anthony List. And their President and Chairman of the Board is Marjorie Dannenfelser.

Dannenfelser helped start the SBA-List as a way of getting pro-life leaders, especially women, into office. Dannenfelser got frustrated in the early 90s watching so many of the women going into politics being pro-choice. She made it her goal to change that situation. Now when you look at conservatives in politics, the most exciting names are usually women.

Under Dannenfelser’s leadership, the SBA-List has spent millions promoting pro-life candidates. Since 1996 they have outspent the pro-choice National Organization for Women in every election. The organization’s success rate has had its best results the last couple of years. When you think of names like Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, and Nikki Hailey; realize that SBA-List played a big role in their success. Politico even reported that Sarah Palin will only endorse candidates who support the Tea Party and have the support of the SBA-List.

The Left has attempted to silence Marjorie Dannenfelser on many occasions. She and her group have become the most effective organization in getting passionately pro-life people into office. In the political battle for abortion, Dannenfelser is extremely dangerous to the pro-choice power hold in Washington.

4. Lila Rose

For years Planned Parenthood has been presented as a positive and helpful place for women to go for reproductive health issues. The organization has been able to get government money and receives funding from regional offices of beloved groups like United Way and Susan G. Komen. However, pro-lifers have long believed the organization to be harmful to women, unethical, and maybe even involved in illegal activity. Yet it was hard to prove Planned Parenthood was shady until Lila Rose showed up.

Lila Rose is head of the pro-life activist group Live Action. Rose has gained notoriety in the abortion battle over the last year by releasing sting videos on their YouTube page. The young looking 20 year old was able to easily pass herself off at Planned Parenthoods in multiple states as a pregnant thirteen to fifteen year old. Rose would use hidden video cameras that often revealed counselors trying to help Rose cover up statutory rape and break parental consent laws.

Live Action’s videos have garnered Rose and her cause a lot of media attention. She is a master of utilizing new media and will most likely remain a major player in the abortion battle for years to come.

Rose’s work has been damning and damaging to Planned Parenthood. The organization has had to fire long time employees and defend itself against ongoing investigations in multiple states. Rose is not simply a pebble in the show of America’s largest abortion provider. She may just bring them down.

3. Crisis Pregnancy Centers

The number 3 enemy of the pro-abortion Left differs in that can’t be represented by a single person. In fact, it can’t even be represented by one single organization. Crisis Pregnancy Centers are pregnancy resource centers all over the world. They are run by many different groups, but the major ones are Care Net, Heartbeat International, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), and Birthright International.

CPCs are typically run by pro-life Christian volunteers. Their goal is to give free care to women with crisis or unplanned pregnancies and provide them alternatives to abortion. The centers often offer counseling, literature, free ultrasounds, adoption information, and many of them will help young mothers and dads with education and supplies for caring for their new babies. Some CPCs even offer counseling for women who have had abortions and are struggling with and regretting their decision.

Why does the pro-abortion Left hate a group that is actually helping women? The simple answer is money. Abortion is a lucrative industry. Clinics like Planned Parenthood make millions and millions of dollars convincing women to let them abort their babies. CPCs take a lot of that business away by showing women how they can have their babies and get help. There are over 4,000 CPCs in the United States but only around 750 abortion clinics. The abortion mills will do whatever they can to turn those numbers around.

A lot of money has been spent by groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL to try to shut down or silence CPCs. Leftist politicians in New York, California, Texas, Maryland, New Jersey and other states are constantly trying to pass laws censoring Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Many politicians receive campaign funds from abortion groups and then are encouraged to pursue ways to get rid of CPCs. One example can be seen here.

With all the money spent to attack CPCs, the organizations are clearly a major enemy of the pro-abortion Left.

2. Alveda King

It would be fair to consider Alveda King the number one enemy of pro-choicers. She is greatly feared for many reasons, most of them center around the fact that the woman is such a powerful symbol as the niece of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Left loves to portray the ‘anti-abortionists’ as white, angry, men. King can get angry at times I’m sure, but she destroys the image being pushed by the pro-abortion crowd. She is a strong black woman with a past that included having two abortions and being a staunch Democrat, even once holding office as a Congresswoman in Georgia’s 28th district from 1979 to 1981.

At some point in her life, King became a strong advocate for the unborn. She believes that it is babies in the womb who most need civil rights now. They deserve the right to life. And now King is one of the most well known pro-life advocates.

Alveda King makes the Left ring their hands in anger. They know she gives legitimacy to groups and people they despise. For example,the so-called liberals reacted with horror when King spoke at Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally last August. (Read the Huffington Post’s angry blog on the topic.)

Another reason the Left fears Alveda King is because she points out how the abortion industry specifically seems to target and harm the black community. King has worked with Priests for Life to point out:

“Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in America. 78% of their clinics are in minority communities. Blacks make up 12% of the population, but 35% of the abortions in America. Are we being targeted? Isn’t that genocide? We are the only minority in America that is on the decline in population. If the current trend continues, by 2038 the black vote will be insignificant.”

If Alveda King had remained a pro-choice Democrat she would be a hero and champion of the Left. But because of her work for the unborn, she remains a top enemy.

1. Abby Johnson

Many of those most hated by the abortion industry are despised because they are former members of the abortion industry. When people wake up to the horrors and dangers of abortion in America, they often become strong pro-life advocates and leaders. That makes them major targets of the Left. The last thing they want is people giving credibility to former pro-choice advocates.

In the past the pro-life movement has been blessed with many converts. Norma McCorvey, the original Roe in Roe v. Wade became an advocate for the unborn in 1995. Bernard Nathanson co-founded NARAL but completely changed his views around 1979. Today’s most feared convert to the abortion industry is also the number 1 overall enemy of the pro-abortion Left: Abby Johnson.

Lila Rose was featured on this list for revealing so much of the unethical and apparent illegal behavior of Planned Parenthood. But Abby Johnson is feared because she has revealed much about Planned Parenthood and will soon reveal much more, moreover she has the credentials to do it.

Johnson was a volunteer or employee for Planned Parenthood for eight years and even became the director of a clinic in Texas. On October 6, 2009 she suddenly quit her job. Why? In September of that year Johson was assisting in an ultrasound guided abortion on a 13 week old baby in the womb. It was the first time she ever saw an abortion take place from an ultrasound. She watched in horror as the little baby tried to avoid the probe inserted into the womb to destroy the baby. The unborn child died and Johnson fled the industry. She saw some people praying for life outside of the clinic and knew that is who she needed to turn to.

Almost immediately Planned Parenthood sought to put Johnson under a gag order to keep her from revealing damaging information. The full “restraining order of disclosure” only held until it was put before a judge in November of 2009 who recognized it as bogus. The next day Johnson was on Bill O’Reilly and has been a sought after speaker ever since. Her main argument is that Planned Parenthood has aggressively sought to promote abortions to raise profits, and she has been sharing her story to all who will listen.

On January 11th of this year, Johnson’s book revealing her Planned Parenthood experience will be released. The Left is quaking in fear and is hoping for dismal sales. And so at this very moment, Abby Johnson is the top enemy of the pro-abortion Left.

Hopefully all of these champions for life will continue to get the word out on the truths of abortion and the industry behind it. Even those who aren’t pro-life advocates should support the freedom of speech of these warriors for those without a voice. As the abortion battle heats up with this new congress, leaders like these need a chance to speak to the American people.

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Paul Cooper is a husband and father above all else. With a wife and 2 daughters he could use a dog, but sadly he only owns a cat – a female cat no less. Paul is also a pastor, blogger, and business owner. Find him on Twitter.

NewsReal Blog is the team blog of the David Horowitz Freedom Center.