10 Tips for Better New Year's Resolutions

1. Be honest. Know yourself. What is your strongest virtue? What is your worst vice? Therefore, tailor your resolution so it strengthens your good side and fights your bad one. A one-size fits all resolution is useless.

2. Be specific. Don't use generalities. They don't work. For example, if you need to be more humble, just saying "I am going to be more humble," is useless. You need to zero in on one situation where you need to practice humility and resolve to improve in that one situation.

3. Be simple. Don't make it complicated. Focus on something you can see and measure easily and that does not overwhelm you each time you try to obtain it. Otherwise, you will become distracted and your energy will be dispersed and misdirected.

4. Be reasonable. Don't try to do too much at once. You won't become a saint in one day. Remember: you have one MAJOR point upon which is hinged your entire fidelity to God and His Holy Laws. This is a called your primordial light. Find out and work on improving it. Everything else will improve if you improve on that one major point.

How to discover your primordial light

5. Be consistent. It's far better to do something small everyday to improve on that one key point in your soul than to make a big resolution that you cannot keep for more than a week or two. Slow and steady wins the race!

6. Be humble. Recognize that you cannot do any good action which has value in the supernatural order without God's grace and the intercessory help of the Blessed Mother. Beg God's grace through Our Lady's intercession constantly in all your thoughts, desires and actions

7. Be disinterested. Remember that God wants us to defend His rights and interests, and to share His thoughts and ways. And therefore, to focus on things, happening and events that are very close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary that are not necessarily linked to our own personal interests.

8. Write it down. It's important to write down your resolution so you can refer back to it often during the year. Also, by writing it down, you will be able to review it when the year is over, and to evaluate your progress since the time the resolution was made.

9. Public expressions of faith. Don't hide your faith. That's just what the devil wants. He knows when you express your faith publicly, others see you and are encouraged to follow your good example. Say grace openly and proudly before meals in a restaurant so people can see. You'll be surprised with the good reactions you will get.

10. Devotion to Our Lady. Have more devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Devotion to the Mother of God is a panacea. Saint Louis de Montfort said that devotion to Holy Mary is the easiest, safest, fastest, most secure, and surest path to Jesus and to our own salvation. If you can do nothing else, resolve to say the Rosary everyday. Saint Louis de Montfort wrote:

"If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins 'you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.' Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and will save your soul, if-- and mark well what I say-- if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins."

TFP Student Action -- 365 Days Defending Moral Values

Thank God, TFP Student Action has been more effective than ever upholding moral values in 2011. Young TFP volunteers really put their heart and soul into this noble fight, traveling thousands of miles, holding dozens of campaigns nationwide.
Highlights of the year include:

• A victory for traditional marriage in Maryland
• Facing 250 violent pro-homosexual students at Brown University
  (See the amazing video here)
• Rallying for the troops at Fort Benning
• Campaigning for the Mississippi Personhood Amendment
• Getting pro-abortion speakers canceled at two Catholic institutions: Siena College and Madonna University

Our activities were picked up by The Washington Post, The Brown Daily Herald, LifeSiteNews.com, TheHill.com, CitizenLink.com, and NPR, among others.

We enter the year 2012 full of confidence that God will help us to continue fighting the good fight under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Here are some more noteworthy acitivites:

January:
A Camp for Aspiring Heroes: Young men gather to celebrate the New Year at the annual TFP Winter Camp. The week was filled with prayers, challenging games and captivating talks.
Massive 38th March for Life Reflects Youthful Resolve to Stop Abortion: Over 300,000 people march against the sin of abortion.

February:
Good News: Madonna University Cancels Planned Parenthood Speaker: The event was canceled after good pro-life students and TFP Student Action spoke up.
CPAC Needs Moral Leadership: TFP Student Action volunteers man a well-visited booth and distribute thousands of leaflets urging CPAC participants to defend objective moral law and oppose the homosexual movement.
TFP to CPAC: Don’t Betray Principles: TFP publishes a statement calling conservative leaders to reject the homosexual agenda at CPAC.
EXPOSING Planned Parenthood: TFP Student Action volunteers protest in front of Planned Parenthood in tandem with Live Action’s efforts.

March:
Tour for Traditional Marriage in Maryland
New Tour for Traditional Marriage in Maryland: TFP Student Action members launch a state-wide tour to support traditional marriage, which is under attack.
TFP Rally Disrupted by Pro-Homosexual Blasphemers Yelling "God is Dead": Campaigns are held in Towson, Timonium and at the White Marsh Mall.
Opposing Same-Sex “Marriage” in Annapolis, Maryland: Campaign at Maryland State House.
Traditional Marriage Tour Stops in Baltimore: Despite the cold and dreary weather, TFP Student Action volunteers visit several locations around Maryland.
Victory for God’s Marriage in Maryland: The bill that would have legalized same-sex “marriage” in Maryland fails.
Tour for Traditional Marriage Wraps up with Great Success: In high spirits from the victory in Maryland, TFP Student Action volunteers visit Baltimore.

Traditional Marriage Caravan in Rhode Island and New Hampshire
Traditional Marriage Tour Reaches Rhode Island: Taking to the streets again, TFP Student Action goes to Rhode Island where a bill to legalize same-sex counterfeit "marriage" is being debated.
Defending Traditional Marriage in Providence: The campaign begins in front of the Rhode Island State House.
Voice of the Unborn in Boston: TFP Student Action members went to support around seventy-five pro-lifers who were protesting a Planned Parenthood Rally.
Pro-Homosexuals Attempt to Rip TFP Sign in Newport: Despite the peaceful nature of all our rallies, the pro-homosexual advocates are far from tolerant.
VIDEO: Pro-Homosexuals at Brown University Respond to Peaceful TFP Rally with Violence: About 250 frenzied pro-homosexual students gather to scream, spit, taunt, insult, and assault us.
Traditional Marriage Tour Rolls into New Hampshire: The campaign moves forward to New Hampshire.

April:
Radical Marxist Priest Ernesto Cardenal Speaks at Xavier University: Catholic students ask why and organize a protest.

May:
Notre Dame Finally Drops Charges Against Pro-Lifers: After almost two years of legal battle and 20,000 protests later the charges against the ND88 are dropped.
Video: Thousands March to Save Marriage in New York City: TFP Student Action joins a march for traditional marriage organized by State Sen. Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) and other pro-family leaders.

June:
Traditional Marriage Caravan in New York State
Tour for Traditional Marriage Reaches Syracuse: Back on the road again to defend traditional marriage in New York.
City Hall Hoists Rainbow Flag above Old Glory: Campaign for traditional marriage takes place while government officials raise a rainbow flag outside City Hall in Binghamton, New York.
VIDEO: Pro-Homosexual Advocate Destroys Traditional Marriage Banner in New York: In response to our peaceful protest a pro-homosexual advocate rips our banner up.
UPDATE: Man Who Destroyed TFP Marriage Banner ARRESTED: The individual who ripped our banner was arrested for illegal behavior.
Incredible Support for True Marriage in Rome: We receive a record number of honks in Rome, New York.
Traditional Marriage Tour Stops in Albany: Incredible support is received.

July:
Finding True Role Models at TFP Camp: Young men learn about the heroes of Christian civilization at the annual TFP Summer Camp in Louisiana.
Fighting Socialism and Abortion in Texas: Camp participants go on a state-wide tour defending the unborn and opposing socialism.
VIDEO: TV Report on TFP Student Action protest: Fox 25 in Oklahoma City interviews John Ritchie about TFP Student Action's protest against "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told," a blasphemous production at Oklahoma City University.
TFP statement issued: Stop the Debt Fire! Something is terribly wrong about a nation that must survive by borrowing against its future.

August:
Living the Spirit of Chivalry at TFP Camp: Young men learn about the heroes of Christian civilization at the TFP Summer Camp in Pennsylvania.
Statewide Tour for Traditional Marriage in Illinois: TFP volunteers go to Illinois for one week action-packed 18-stop tour.

September:
TFP Volunteers Debate Socialism at George Washington University: TFP volunteers distribute 10 Reasons to Reject Socialism on the busy campus located downtown Washington, D.C.
Pro-Homosexual Group Pressures PayPal to Cut Donation Service to TFP: A pro-homosexual group petitions Paypal to cut services to TFP for promoting moral values.

October:
Dakota Ary Vindicated After Wrongful Suspension for Opposing Homosexuality: After receiving over 7,500 protests from TFP Student Action, Dakota Ary’s school record is cleared.
Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C.: TFP members man a booth at the annual Values Voters Summit, showcasing TFP campaigns on college campuses which met with wide support.
TFP Student Action Joins Pro-Life Personhood Initiative in Mississippi: Doing our signature street campaigns in defense of the unborn we received a huge amount of support from the general public.

November:
Who Do the "Occupy Fort Benning" Protesters Really Represent? This year’s TFP Statement about the SOA Watch focuses on their link with the “occupy” movement.
Excommunicated Priest Leads SOA Watch “Occupy Fort Benning” Protest: As the leftist protest dwindles, support for troops grows.
Pro-Abortion Speaker CANCELED at Siena College: The talk was nixed less than 12-hours and 3000 protests, after TFP Student Action launched its online protest .

December:
Pro-Homosexual Clubs Found at 107 Catholic Colleges: Over 18,500 students and parents ask college officials not to endorse pro-homosexual clubs on Catholic campuses.

Subscribe to our weekly TFP newsletter for free

Yet Another Politically “Bright” Idea

Written by Gary Isbell

December 22, 2011

As we near the end of 2011, the controversy over the banning of incandescent light bulbs blazes on. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 brought together the government, fanatical environmentalists and big-business lobbyists to pass a law that will gradually outlaw the majority of household incandescent bulbs. Now, it appears that the ban has been postponed until next year. The reprieve was won not because bulb opponents have seen the light. Rather, Senate Democrats sacrificed the ban as part of a deal to pass a spending bill at literally the eleventh hour when it was introduced before midnight on December 14. Neatly buried in a massive 1,200-page $1 trillion omnibus-spending package, the provision does not overturn the ban but prevents the government from spending any money to enforce it. This is a temporary stay of execution for the 100-watt bulb, but only until next year. With this in mind, we cannot expect any new incandescent light bulb factories to open in the near future. General Electric just closed their last one in Virginia in September 2010. Without Congress blocking enforcement for funding again next year, we may well see the end of Thomas Edison’s invention once and for all. As with any poorly made plan, this too has resulted in problems such as massive layoffs in Ohio, Virginia and Kentucky in the light bulb manufacturing industry and obliges Americans to purchase more expensive bulbs with a long return on their investment. On top of this, the majority of these bulbs are made in China. Even the principal argument in favor of outlawing incandescent light bulbs — the environmental one — does not hold water. It seems that no one is talking much about toxins released when disposing of these new bulbs. Nor are they mentioning the fact that some big-business interests favor the new bulbs because they are a high profit margin item as opposed to low profit for the old bulbs. This results in additional revenues for stockholders, but not for all stakeholders such as factory workers. It becomes painfully evident that the incessant mantra about saving the environment and our natural resources is merely empty rhetoric behind which is an ideological agenda. If our government only examined the facts available to the public, our legislators would see that this great debate over the lowly light bulb makes no sense at all. In fact, the whole idea, for lack of better words, is a dim one.

Defense Department to Allow Muslim cadets to Wear Hijabs

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced today that the Department of Defense will begin allowing Muslim and Sikh students who wear an Islamic head scarf (hijab) or a turban to participate in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC).

“We welcome the fact that Muslim and Sikh students nationwide will now be able to participate fully in JROTC leadership activities while maintaining their religious beliefs and practices,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.

In October, the Washington-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization wrote to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta after a 14-year-old Muslim student at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tenn., was forced to transfer out of a JROTC class when her commanding officers told her she could not wear hijab while marching in the September homecoming parade.

Christmas Fights Back

Written by Gary Isbell

We hear about the famous War on Christmas that our secular society wages with great intensity. However, the latest news from the front is not encouraging for those who would worship around a holiday tree. According to a recent Rasmussen report, 88% of Americans will celebrate Christmas this year and 81% of that group will celebrate it as a religious holiday. From these statistics, we can clearly deduce that Christianity and Christmas have yet to disappear as of 2011. The ferocious onslaught of secular humanism rages as it pushes its agenda through the media, the political world and our schools. However, the effects of the birth of one solitary Infant 2011 years ago — the Infant Jesus — cannot be extinguished. On that marvelous day filled with grandeur and joy intertwined with the sufferings that Our Lady and Saint Joseph endured having been rejected throughout Bethlehem, Our Lord came to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament and bring redemption and salvation. He came to establish His Church, which would come to be the most efficient, salvific and maternal institution ever known to man through which multitudes of souls would be saved. She is the holy deposit of everything that is good, true and beautiful, and all of this started with the first step of an Infant that was discreet, humble and hidden along His path of suffering, struggle and triumph. This tiny Infant confronts a world that boasts of tolerance, coexistence, freedom of speech and religion but simultaneously declares war on Christmas and Christians alike. Despite this world’s banning of Christmas scenes in the public square, the proclaiming of “holiday trees” and use of the sterile greetings such as “Happy Holidays,” the spirit of Christmas cannot so easily be suppressed. The sublime example of a God who became Flesh and dwelt amongst us powerfully fights back. Despite everything, Christmas is still impregnated with the notion of the birth of Our Savior, where in that holy and silent night, we still sense the sweetness and perfections that emanated from the Divine Infant in the manger in Bethlehem. The irresistible power and majesty of this great event in history cannot help but cause awe and veneration for the glory of God and peace on earth, even for those men with tattered remnants of “good will.” We can see this in a performance of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus by the Opera Company of Philadelphia at Macy's in Philadelphia in 2010. This surprise performance not only delighted everyone there, but it was recorded and received nearly 8 million views on YouTube with almost 5 thousand comments. With such reactions, we cannot conclude that secular humanism has conquered the heart and soul of Western man. See the video by clicking here However, we cannot think that the fight is over. We must still fight back to restore Christmas and Christian civilization. Thus, we kneel before the manger of the Infant Jesus and give thanks for His coming and petition Him that He give us the grace to resist those who strive to take Christ from Christmas. We should continuously petition Saint Joseph, Our Lady and the Christ Child for their help while being ever mindful of Our Lady’s words at Fatima: “Finally, my Immaculate Heart will triumph!” We at the American TFP, pray that you are blessed with all the graces of the serenity of the first Christmas and an indomitable spirit to fight heroically for Our Lady and Her Divine Son.

Homosexual Practice and Religious Persecution

Written by Luiz Sérgio Solimeo

Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke stated that it is “critical at this time that Christians stand up for the natural moral law,” especially in defense of life and the family, in an interview with CNA/EWTN News on November 28, 2011.¹

The Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura warned about the possibility of religious persecution in the United States. Asked if he could envision U.S. Catholics even being arrested for preaching their faith, he replied: “I can see it happening, yes.” According to the high-ranking prelate, the Church could be accused of “engaging in illegal activity, for instance, in its teaching on human sexuality.”

However, the combative cardinal does not want Catholics to do nothing in face of this. He emphasizes that Christians must “stand strong, give a strong witness and insist on what is right and good for us both as individuals and society.”

Is Religion Opposed to “Human Rights”?
That persecution has already manifested itself in many ways, for example, by obliging several dioceses to give up child adoption services because they are unable to agree with adoption by same-sex couples — a betrayal of Catholic principles on the immorality of homosexual practice.

The Secretary of State has now given a specific doctrinal reason to justify religious persecution by claiming that the Church is an obstacle to the implementation of human rights! Indeed, if “human rights” are identified with the “rights of homosexuals,” by condemning homosexual practice the Church would be setting up obstacles to respecting “human rights.”

These concepts are found in the Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day, presented by the Secretary of State to the United Nations’ Human Rights Commission in Geneva on December 6, 2011.² The document affirms that “gay rights and human rights... are one and the same.”

For the Secretary of State, “obstacles standing in the way of protecting the human rights of LGBT people rest on deeply held personal, political, cultural, and religious beliefs.” The Remarks argue that alleging religious principles to reject the “rights” of homosexuals “is not unlike the justification offered for violent practices towards women like honor killings, widow burning, or female genital mutilation.” Thus, the Remarks say, “slavery… was once justified as sanctioned by God [all emphasis ours].”

The Secretary of State continues: “[N]o practice or tradition trumps the human rights that belong to all of us. And this holds true for inflicting violence on LGBT people, criminalizing their status or behavior, expelling them from their families and communities, or tacitly or explicitly accepting their killing.”

Therefore, religion is supposedly a factor of persecution and violence. Furthermore, when religion is seen as opposed to “human rights,” it begins to be looked at as inhuman and thus unnatural. Thus, the struggle on behalf of human rights presumably requires combating religion – any religion – regardless of is doctrines and practices.

A Religion Closed Up in Church
The Remarks by the Secretary of State distinguish between religious belief and practice: while there is freedom to believe in religious precepts, putting them into practice requires conformity with the new “human rights” theory, that is, the person must resign himself to accepting the legitimacy of homosexual behavior.

Indeed, the Remarks read,

“Universal human rights include freedom of expression and freedom of belief, even if our words or beliefs denigrate the humanity of others. Yet, while we are each free to believe whatever we choose, we cannot do whatever we choose, not in a world where we protect the human rights of all.”

Religion is thus reduced to mere interior beliefs without consequences in real life.

Now then, to the Catholic religion in particular, this distinction is an absurdity. The reason is that morals – that is, the set of principles that regulate human behavior before God and neighbor – are not dissociable from dogma. Indeed, it is in his practical life that man bears testimony to his faith and leads his life according to the Law of God. On the other hand, revealed morals is an explicitation of natural law, accessible to man through the light of reason, which also originates in God, the Creator of all things.

As a consequence, not only moral theology would no longer make any sense but also the moral philosophy and ethics found in every manual of philosophy beginning with the Greek and Roman pagans.

Can Homosexual Behavior Be Equated with Race?
At the same time, the Remarks liken LGBT people to “races” and “religious minorities.”

“Like being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.”

“Costs are incurred whenever any group is treated as lesser or the other, whether they are women, racial, or religious minorities, or the LGBT.”

However, a behavior such as the practice of homosexuality cannot be equated with a physical type or a cultural standard. While ethnic characteristics are inherited with the genetic patrimony and cultural features passed on with upbringing, individual behavior depends on the person’s free will. There is no such thing as a scientific proof of the existence of a homosexual gene that would lead people compulsively to act in a homosexual fashion. Nor is the anatomy or physiology of homosexuals different from those of other human beings.

The same God Who revealed truths on what we must believe also revealed truths on how we are to live. Footnotes 1. David Kerr, “Cardinal Burke reflects on his first year in the Sacred College,” http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal-burke-reflects-on-his-first-year-in-the-sacred-college/. [back] 2. Hillary Rodham Clinton, “Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day,” Dec. 6, 2011, http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/12/178368.htm. [back] 3. 1 John 2:16. [back] 4. Cf. Romans 8:21. [back]

The Liberty of the Children of God
We Catholics belong to a militant Church. Militant, because She is in this world and must face the “world” in the spiritual sense of the word, that is, “the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world.”³

By heeding Cardinal Burke’s appeal, we will bear a “strong witness” to our faith according to the laws of God and to the just laws of men in order to ensure the true liberty of the children of God.⁴

---

Scenes from the TFP Christmas Open House

Nearly 300 attended the annual TFP Christmas Open House held at the national headquarters of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania on December 18. Here are a few scenes from the event.

Video: Occupy Christmas

They call it "Occupy Christmas." We might also call it a Public Square Adoration...

Pueri Concinite: A Sublime Christmas Carol

Share this Christmas carol... Post it. Email it. Facebook it.


This marvelous Christmas carol was composed by Austrian musician Johann Von Herbeck (1831-1877). The live performance features Les Choristes in the Palais des Congrès de Paris with soloist Jean Baptiste Maunier. Doesn’t the style and calm cadence of this melody capture something of the Catholic Medieval spirit? What do you think?

Lyrics in Latin

Pueri concinite, nato regi psallite!
Voce pia dicite: "apparuit quem genuit Maria!"
Sunt impleta quem predixit Gabriel.
Eja ! Eja ! Virgo Deum genuit quem divina voluit clementia.
Hodie apparuit apparuit in Israel.
Ex Maria virgine natus est Rex.
Alleluia!

English Translation

Sing, children! Sing with the harp in a gentle voice of the King’s Birth.
He has appeared who was born of Mary.
All those things foretold by Gabriel and now fulfilled.
Rejoice! Rejoice! The maiden has borne God, who wills us His divine mercy.
He appears this day in Israel, born of the Virgin Mary; the King is born.
Alleluia!

Post, share, and email this your friends this Christmas.

Surprise Rendition of Handel’s Hallelujah Wows Shoppers

Unsuspecting shoppers at Macy’s were dazzled by a surprise rendition of Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus on October 30, 2010 in Philadelphia. When the 650 choristers, accompanied by the Wanamaker organ -- the largest organ in the world -- finished singing the Christmas classic, the mall erupted with applause.

The video has since swept over the Internet. You can see this video by using this link:

http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/politically-incorrect/restoring-our-culture/handel-hallelujah-chorus.html

The timeless beauty of good music left its mark. “We are all drawn a little bit closer to heaven when we hear this played and sung,” said one of the 7.5 million people who later saw footage of the event.

The video has 4,900 more comments.

Another added: “The Church at one time used to be in the center of the marketplace. The Church was central to the culture with various forms of art. So as you look at what took place at Macy’s, it is not a far cry from how the Church used to be accepted.”

One more: “There is a certain lack of beauty in much of today’s music, as well as a lack of dignity. By the way, have you noticed how little of today’s music is beautiful? It’s cool, funky, raw, radical, jazzy, upbeat -- but not beautiful.”

Pro-Homosexual Clubs Found at 107 Catholic Colleges: PROTEST NOW

Help Catholic students collect 100,000 Save Our Catholic Colleges protest petitions

Why are pro-homosexual clubs allowed to promote anti-Catholic behavior on Catholic campuses?

After examining the official web sites of 244 Catholic universities and colleges in America, TFP Student Action found that 107 – or 43% – recognize student clubs that favor the homosexual agenda. Many of these clubs promote same-sex “marriage,” open homosexuality in the military, and push for the mainstreaming of unnatural vice.

Here are a few examples:

Saint Norbert College’s Rainbow Alliance promotes anti-Catholic events such as Celebrate Bisexuality Day, National Coming Out Day, Transgender Day, and Gender Bender Dances.

The University of Notre Dame’s Core Council for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Questioning Students promotes a campus wide Day of Silence, and works to implement “educational programming on gay and lesbian issues.”

Georgetown University promotes a “Genderfunk Drag Ball” described in these terms: “No matter gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgender life, only you can say you’re born this way. Uncap the lipstick, break out the fishnets, draw on the 'stache, unleash the chest hair, and redefine gender in your own way… Challenge yourself, challenge the binary.”

This screen shot of Georgetown University's web site shows how the homosexual agenda is openly promoted at America's oldest Catholic university.

See the list of 107 Catholic universities with objectionable clubs

“Students are getting immoral messages from these clubs,” observed TFP Student Action Director John Ritchie. “A sort of dictatorship of tolerance is slowly squeezing out the truth, silencing Catholic teaching right on Catholic campuses. More and more Catholic college students are confronted with visible, active and well-funded pro-homosexual clubs that openly contradict natural law and undermine moral values. To see this happening at Catholic institutions of higher learning is particularly disturbing.”

“TFP Student Action is rushing to collect 100,000 petitions, urging the presidents of Catholic universities to uphold authentic Catholic doctrine,” Ritchie said. “It’s time to correct the scandal and disband these 107 pro-homosexual clubs.”

Over 17,200 students and concerned parents have already signed the protest petition.

1. Sign your peaceful Save Our Catholic Colleges e-protest now.
You don’t need to be a student to sign. Everyone can join.

2. Spread the word. Help this campaign snowball by inviting your friends to participate. Use email, facebook and others ways to share this message.

TFP Student Action has no intention to defame or disparage anyone with this campaign. We do not harbor personal hatred against any individual.

By intellectually opposing individuals or organizations promoting the homosexual agenda, our only intent is to defend marriage, the family, Catholic education, and the precious remnants of Christian civilization in society.

Related:

Relics of Pius IX Still Missing

Friday, December 9, 2011

The Italian website MESSAINLATINO reports that the relics of Blessed Pius IX are still missing after reports they were no longer on display for veneration by pilgrims who went to the Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls in Rome.

Since 1881, the mortal remains of Blessed Pope Pius IX (who proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception) rested in the Basilica of Saint Lawrence.

After his beatification in 2000, the body (miraculously incorrupt), was placed in a crystal case, under an specially built altar and exposed for the veneration of the faithful.

Since the last report, however, the Friars Minor Capuchin, who take care of the Basilica, have replied that the removal was due to a flood in October 2011.

However, the shrine has no sign explaining what happened so that pilgrims might know why they can no longer venerate the relics.

Some say the relics were damaged by the waters. The latest explanation is that the body has been taken for examination in light of a future canonization and will return on his feast on February 7. If the latter is the reason, then why was the flood given as an explanation for the disappearance?

Traditional Marriage rallies across America mark feast day of the Immaculate Conception

Groups of volunteers for TFP-America Needs Fatima ventured into the public square to announce a powerful and positive message for traditional marriage and against homosexual”marriage,” as a most special way to celebrate and honor Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception on December 8.

(Marriage rally in Littlestown, PA. There were rallies all over the country, from Hawaii to New York.)

And what better way to celebrate Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception?

Holy Mother Church defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which means that Our Lady never was touched by the slightest stain of sin, not even original sin.

Therefore, Our Lady is the most immaculate, most pure creature of God.

Yet many people today hate this dogma. Just the idea that a being could be utterly spotless from the first moment of her existence is abhorrent to them.

For example: Imagine a man who is consumed with impurity. He gives in to his impure inclinations and is ashamed of himself as a consequence.

Imagine this man considering Our Lady, who, being the personification of transcendental purity, did not have even the least appetite for lust. He feels hatred and scorn because her virtue smashes his pride.

Furthermore, by declaring Our Lady to be so free from pride, sensuality and the desire for anything evil, the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception affirmed that She was utterly Counter-Revolutionary. This only inflames some people’s hatred of the dogma all the more.

Three Reasons the Church’s Enemies Hate The Immaculate Conception

The following text is adapted from a lecture Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira gave on June 15, 1973. It has been translated and edited for publication without his revision. Note, in this text, he uses the words Revolution and Counter-Revolution as he defined them in his book Revolution and Counter-Revolution. In this sense, the Revolution is a centuries-old process, motivated by pride and sensuality, and therefore egalitarianism and liberalism, that dominates the modern world and seeks to destroy Christian civilization. Counter-Revolutionaries are those dedicated to defeating this process and defending the rights of God. –Ed.


One of the truly Counter-Revolutionary acts of Pope Pius IX’s pontificate was the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception.

There are three reasons the definition of this dogma was especially Counter-Revolutionary and therefore hateful to the enemies of the Church.

First Reason: An Anti-Egalitarian Dogma
This dogma teaches that Our Lady was immaculate at her conception, meaning that, at no moment, did she have even the slightest stain of Original Sin. Both she, and naturally Our Lord Jesus Christ, were exempt from that rigid law that subjugates all other descendants of Adam and Eve.

Thus, Our Lady was not subject to the miseries of fallen man. She did not have bad influences, inclinations and tendencies. In her, everything moved harmonically towards truth, goodness and therefore God. In this sense, Our Lady is an example of perfect liberty, meaning that everything her reason, illuminated by Faith, determined as good, her will desired entirely. She had no interior obstacles to impede her practice of virtue.

Being “full of grace” increased these effects. Thus, her will advanced with an unimaginable impetus towards everything that was true and good.

Declaring that a mere human creature had this extraordinary privilege makes this dogma fundamentally anti-egalitarian, because it points out an enormous inequality in the work of God. It demonstrates the total superiority of Our Lady over all other beings. Thus, its proclamation made Revolutionary egalitarian spirits boil with hatred.

Second Reason: The Unsullied Purity of Our Lady
However, there is a more profound reason why the Revolution hates this dogma.

The Revolution loves evil and is in harmony with those who are bad, and thus tries to find evil in everything. On the contrary, those who are irreproachable are a cause of intense hatred. Therefore, the idea that a being could be utterly spotless from the first moment of her existence is abhorrent to Revolutionaries.

For example: Imagine a man who is consumed with impurity. When besieged by impure inclinations, he is ashamed of his consent to them. This leaves him depressed and utterly devastated.

Imagine this man considering Our Lady, who, being the personification of transcendental purity, did not have even the least appetite for lust. He feels hatred and scorn because her virtue smashes his pride.

Furthermore, by declaring Our Lady to be so free from pride, sensuality and the desire for anything Revolutionary, the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception affirmed that she was utterly Counter-Revolutionary. This only inflamed the Revolutionary hatred of the dogma all the more.

Disputing the Doctrine: A Counter-Revolutionary Struggle

Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira commented on the Immaculate Conception.

For centuries, there were two opposing currents of thought about the Immaculate Conception in the Church. While it would be an exaggeration to suggest that everyone who fought against the doctrine was acting with Revolutionary intentions; it is a fact that all those who were acting with Revolutionary intentions fought against it. On the other hand, all those who favored its proclamation, at least on that point, expressed a Counter-Revolutionary attitude.

Thus, in some way the fight between the Revolution and Counter-Revolution was present in the fight between these two theological currents.

Third Reason: The Exercise of Papal Infallibility
There is still another reason this dogma is hateful to Revolutionaries: it was the first dogma proclaimed through Papal Infallibility.

At that time, the dogma of Papal Infallibility had not yet been defined and there was a current in the Church maintaining that the Pope was only infallible when presiding over a council. Nevertheless, Pius IX invoked Papal Infallibility when he defined the Immaculate Conception after merely consulting some theologians and bishops.

For liberal theologians, this seemed like circular reasoning. If his infallibility had not been defined, how could he use it? On the contrary, by using his infallibility, he affirmed that he had it.

This daring affirmation provoked an explosion of indignation among Revolutionaries, but enormous enthusiasm among Counter-Revolutionaries. In praise of the new dogma, children all over the world were baptized under the name: Conception, Concepcion or Concepta to consecrate them to the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady.

Pius IX: Bringing the Fight to the Enemy
It is not surprising that Pius IX so adamantly affirmed Papal Infallibility. Very different from those who succeeded him, he was ever ready to bring the fight to the enemy. He did this in Geneva, Switzerland, which then was the breeding ground of Calvinism, which is the most radical form of Protestantism.

When Swiss laws changed to allow a Catholic cathedral in Geneva, Pius IX ordered that a statue of the Immaculate Conception be placed in the middle of the city, to proclaim this dogma in the place where Calvinists, Lutherans and other Protestants denied it more than anywhere else. This is an example of Pius IX’s leadership in the fight against the Revolution.

It is therefore entirely proper that all Catholics entertain a special affection for the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which is so detested by the enemies of the Church today.

Why Have the Remains of Pius IX Vanished?

Some friends in Rome have told us of the mysterious case of the disappearance of the mortal remains of Blessed Pope Pius IX

Blessed Pius IX who was beatified by John Paul II is buried in the Basilica of San Lorenzo outside the walls. Those visiting on November 25 found they could not venerate the remains since there were not there. There was no sign or official commentary as to what happened.

According to some "rumors," the remains may have been removed because of a rain storm in Rome on October 20. The rain water did cause some flooding and might have been the cause of the removal.

The story was feature on several Italian blog sites including L'associazione Luci sull'Est.
It is hoped that some news will soon be available as to the whereabouts of the venerable relics of the blessed Pope.

Let us pray that Pope Pius IX's remains will be unharmed and returned for public veneration since he was so hated by the revolutionaries of the time that, when he died, they threatened to to throw his body into the Tiber.

The picture below shows the empty relic case and the way it was before.

Fishermen Saved from Death by Praying Rosary to Our Lady of Fatima

An incredible miracle worked by Our Lady of Fatima has the entire Portuguese nation in wonderment.

The basic details of the story are that six fishermen went out to sea to fish in a boat named after the Holy Virgin of Sameiro, which is a Portuguese devotion to Our Lady.

The boat sunk suddenly and the fisherman got into a small raft and were adrift for five days in a very rough sea. Each time they saw a boat, they set off a flare, but no other boat saw them. Back at home, people started to give up on their return.

One of the fishermen said they prayed a lot to beat despair that was setting in. He said they had one pair of Rosary beads in the boat that belongs to the fishermen who is still in the hospital recovering.

We prayed a lot to Our Lady of Fatima. I prayed out loud and others prayed in silence. I have no doubt it was a miracle. "

The fisherman were finally rescued by the Air Force, almost by “accident”. A helicopter pilot said he saw a small red dot in the water and wondered what is was. It was the raft with shipwrecked fishermen who were waiting and praying to be rescued.

See video, pictures and the original article from Portugal in Portuguese:

http://www.rtp.pt/noticias/index.php?t=Seis-pescadores-salvos-depois-de-quase-60-horas-a-deriva-no-mar.rtp&headline=20&visual=9&article=505801&tm=8

http://www.abola.pt/mundos/ver.aspx?id=302097

How Can the Leading Archbishop in the U.K. Supports Civil Unions?

The Archbishop of Westminster, leading cleric in England and Wales, said the following words at a recent press conference following the Bishops' meeting:

'We would want to emphasise that civil partnerships actually provide a structure in which people of the same sex who want a lifelong relationship [and] a lifelong partnership can find their place and protection and legal provision.

Full story here:

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2011/11/abp-nichols-civil-partnerships-provide.html

How to Do A Traditional Marriage Rally

By Lucas Pribble

In August, TFP Student Action’s St. Joseph Caravan came through Rockford, IL. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to participate in their campaign. Afterwards, I thought to myself, “Why can’t my friends and I do something similar?”

Then I received an email about the TFP’s new Traditional Marriage Captain campaign. It looked like a great opportunity to get people together and make a stand for the truth. After replying and filling out the form to sign up, I received a banner saying, “God’s Marriage = One Man and One Woman.” The package also contained a letter from Robert Ritchie explaining how to do the rally, along with some flyers listing 10 reasons to oppose same-sex “marriage.”

After making a few phone calls to some friends, I set up the rally for Sunday, November 20th.

As the rally day was approaching, we decided to make some “honk for Traditional Marriage” signs to use at the campaign, just as I had seen TFP Student Action use them in their street campaigns. We went to Staples and bought some posterboard and markers, and my mom and little brothers and sister made some large signs, with “honk for Traditional Marriage” on each one.

Besides the phone calls to friends, the rally was also announced at our local Knights of Columbus meeting. I also sent the information to a local pro-life leader, who kindly posted it on his blog. I wasn’t sure how many people to expect, but I figured that if we made the effort, Our Lady would do the rest!

The campaign was set up for 1:00PM. We chose the intersection of State and Alpine streets. The location couldn’t have been better - with lots of traffic and long-lasting stop lights.

On the day of the campaign, the weather was a crisp 40 degrees, but thankfully no rain. At 1:00pm sharp, we set up the banner on one of the corners of the intersection. Little by little, people starting arriving, mostly teenagers. All in all, we ended up with about 25 people! We started off by praying three Hail Marys together, asking Our Lady for Her protection and guidance.

It was a great campaign. At first we were worried that no one would honk, but honk people did! In the middle of the rally, we decided to pray the Glorious mysteries of the rosary, and it was hard to hear each other with so much honking! There were also many “thumbs up.” It was clear that, besides being on the side of God, we are also on the side of the majority of Americans in opposing same-sex “marriage.”

In spite of the honks, we also had some opposition. One passerby, obviously furious with the rally, demonstrated her opposition by throwing a full cup of soda at one of the young ladies in the rally. So much for tolerance I guess. Another woman in her car mocked us saying, “Look, no one is honking!” Providentially, right at that moment about eight cars started honking behind her!

We ended the campaign with the prayer to St. Michael. After the rally, we all resolved to do this again on a regular basis. The traditional marriage rally reminded me of the words of Our Lord in the gospel: “Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven.”

The Hat

In different epochs, the hat became a symbol of the dignity of the one wearing it; today, it still survives as a reminder of an ancient vision of courtesy


While not a surprising sight, the hat certainly awakens the dormant attention of people in today’s standardized settings. Their gazes linger, even in passing, at the sight of a hat as they are forced to take a position. Even if just for a moment, different social conceptions erupt in their minds and Ideologies flare up. Quick as a flash — even if this interior movement takes place most often in silence — mentalities are shaken by the stimulus of that vision. Ideologies and social conceptions leap forward, not only toward a worldview, but even towards a political position. Is the hat on the right or on the left of the political spectrum?

We are talking about a man or woman wearing a hat in the busy streets of our megacities. The hat survives as a sign of social distinction. It offers a vision of ancient courtesy that revolved around human dignity. When it comes to wearing a hat, maybe I should not say man or woman, but rather gentleman and lady.

Is it reasonable to think that the hat — even when one’s attention is not fixed on it — awakens so many movements in the soul? I invite the reader to do this test: Discreetly ask your friends and acquaintances about their impressions when they see someone wearing a hat, crossing Fifth Avenue or taking an evening stroll on Central Park. Listen to their opinions and discretely take notes. They will reveal that these considerations are not far from reality.

* * *

The first objection against wearing a hat in this second decade of the twenty-first century is so commonplace that I even hesitate to fence against it. Crusade Magazine readers — already knowledgeable of our counter-revolutionary positions — would easily answer it. However, it is worthwhile to analyze where this trite argument comes from, as it is often worn as a mask to disguise an unavowed but fierce opposition.

The hat is more than just a protection for the head from the weather.

In the beginning of mankind, the hat — so this objection goes — was worn to protect the head from the weather, but with progress that need has disappeared. In the city or countryside, modernity has found so much more effective ways to protect the upper body that the hat has lost its usefulness. Therefore, to wear it today is a display of cultural backwardness or an attachment to an irrational fashion. This is the objection of the so-called practically-minded about the practical and functional use of the hat today.

These persons do not want to bear in mind that the head is the noblest part of the body. In it reside the faculties that lead to intellectual cognition, and therefore that most influence one’s spiritual formation. The Creator placed the head at the top of the body, whence throughout the ages it has communicated its dignity to the hat that protects it like a king transmits his dignity to his closest servants.

Different epochs and countries gave the hat shapes, sizes, colors and decorations indicative of the dignity of the one who wears it. Thus, the hat became a symbol. As it exists today, the hat is an impoverished symbol but a still worthy heir to its former glory. It is supported by many people of good taste who will not allow it to disappear. Yes, the hat is merely an external accessory. But, as Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira observed, it is an “external accessory that reveals to our senses, a mysterious hidden essence of a symbolic nature that exists in it.”

The hat is an external accessory that reveals to our senses a mysterious and hidden essence, symbolic of what exists in it.

How does searching for these symbols help a person? The most penetrating observers of Winston Churchill said that “he saw in things and situations, timeless symbols that embody eternal and brilliant principles.” The same principles that gave him strength in the tragic hours of the struggle against Hitlerism, keeping him in that struggle when his reward was only “blood, sweat and tears.”

* * *

Just as a priest wears a biretta to express his mysterious power as mediator between God and men, so also a hat worn with dignity evokes gestures and attitudes that constitute a true social liturgy, necessary for human acts in a Christian society. In both the biretta and hat, a Catholic “should look beyond the mere practical aspects and look for something which people who worship mundane practicality will call ‘useless’ — he must look for the principles that give the meaning of life and prepare the soul for Heaven” (Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira).

Scene From an Exciting Traditional Marriage Rally: You Can Do One Too!

Here are some pictures from a traditional marriage rally carried out on Sunday, November 20, by young teenage Catholics in Rockford, Il. The public reception to the campaign was truly overwhelmingly favorable and encouraging.

If you would like a banner, like the one shown below, and do a rally like the one shown in these photos, please call Alexander McKay at 717-225-7147, ext. 228.

Photos From St. Louis Talk on Col. Ripley

Some scenes from the talk of Mr. Norman Fulkerson of the American TFP on his book, American Knight, a biography of Col. John Ripley.

The meeting was held last Sunday at St. Joe's Java in St. Charles.

Who Do the “Occupy Fort Benning” Protesters Represent? Unmasking the 0.99%

Over the weekend, the American TFP released the following statement:

For over twenty years, pacifist protesters have gathered at Fort Benning in mid-November to oppose the activities of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (formerly called the School of the Americas) and demand its closure. The protesters are even invited to break the law and trespass upon the military base as a symbolic act.

The annual event is organized by the School of the Americas Watch (SOA Watch). This year, the organization has admitted that they will be attracting a dwindling mix of protesters since many activists are “busy” in the Occupy Wall Street movement nationwide. These socialist advocates surprisingly claim to represent “99%” of the American people.

In fact, this year’s march is also being called Occupy Fort Benning. Like their comrades in the Occupy Wall Street movement, the activists say they speak in the name of the “99%.” We ask: Who do they really represent?

They Do Not Represent the American People
The American soldier represents 100% of Americans, not “the 99%” or “the 1%.” The American soldier does not use idle words, illegal actions, and Marxist jargon to do so. Rather, he defends the nation with his service, sacrifice and even his life. He represents the best of America and we should honor and be proud of our brave military heroes.

U.S. Army Rangers: The virtues of the American soldier deserve our admiration and esteem. God bless Fort Benning.

Not only does the American soldier wish to defend our nation, but he also extends an invitation to those in other countries, to learn from his experiences, and come to Fort Benning to better defend their countries against brutal Marxist movements.

To insinuate that a three or six-month course (where the curriculum is no secret) can turn South American soldiers into assassins is an insult to all these brave soldiers and their instructors. The whole school cannot be judged by deplorable acts of some of its graduates. It would be the equivalent of saying the Occupy Wall Street movement turns all its squatting occupants into criminals because of the increasing number of criminal opportunists who are appearing at “occupy” sites nationwide and committing crimes and sexual assaults that have led to a number of arrests.

By defending the whole nation, the American soldier represents 100% of all Americans. By dividing the nation, Occupy Fort Benning seeks to represent only those Americans sympathetic to its radical view.

The American soldier represents 100% of Americans, not “the 99%” or “the 1%.” The American soldier does not use idle words, illegal actions, and Marxist jargon to do so. Rather, he defends the nation with his service, sacrifice and even his life.

Thus We Must Ask: Who Do They Really Represent?
Looking at all the groups that usually attend the protest, we see scattered fringes of the religious, political and cultural left. The event is used as a platform to push ideas that range from communism to socialism, drug legalization to abortion, homosexual vice to women’s ordination, Liberation Theology to anarchy. Realistically, even the most optimistic observer is forced to admit that such views represent at best only 0.99% of Americans rather than 99%.

They Do Not Represent the Church
Although participants may appear in habits and collars, it would be wrong to conclude that these protesters represent the authentic position of the Catholic Church. The strident socialist tone of the arguments presented by the protesters remind us of the words of Pope Pius XI who warned, “No one can be at the same time a good Catholic and a true socialist.”

SOA Watch organizer Fr. Roy Bourgeois has been excommunicated by the Catholic Church and dismissed from the Maryknoll order for his persistent and scandalous opposition to Church teaching.

The praising of Marxist guerrillas and despots like Che Guevara and Fidel Castro who promoted violent revolution in Latin America obviously does not represent Church teaching. Indeed, while the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation

opens its doors to all democratically elected governments in the hemisphere, the protesters have the dubious distinction of favoring the oldest communist dictatorship in Latin America — the Castro dictatorship which has held sway for over fifty years and persecuted the Church.

The idea that protesters somehow represent Church teaching is refuted by the excommunication of Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois who has led the gathering for over two decades. His public support of women’s ordination and persistent dissent has set him at loggerheads with both the Vatican and his religious order.

Indeed, the Fathers and great saints of the Church consistently defend the mission of the soldier to establish order through just war. Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches, for example, that the military profession must have as its goal the defense of the public good, the poor and oppressed. Soldiers are therefore guardians of legitimate authority.

Yet again, in his role of upholding the Church’s teaching on just war, the soldier represents the full 100% while the Occupy Fort Benning activists represent at best a dissenting 0.99% element that does not reflect the teachings of the Fathers of the Church.

A Call to Gratitude
The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) calls upon the public to thank our heroes. Let us thank them for defending the 100%.

Indeed, we need to thank — not protest — these heroes who put their lives on the line — and represent us all. These heroes guarantee the peace. We live freely because they made the greatest of sacrifices — even that of life itself.

The American TFP calls upon the public to thank our heroes. The American soldier represents 100% of Americans. And defends the 100% with his service, his sacrifice, and even his life.

We cannot agree with those who protest against the soldier and see his role as one buttressing “structures of oppression and power.” We do not agree with those who unfairly label those who fight against Marxism as murderers and assassins. We cannot turn a blind eye to a ruthless enemy who breaks all rules and conventions as Marxists have always done.

While we censure any abuses, of course, we will not stand silent while systemic and widespread abuses come from Castro’s Cuba, the FARC guerrillas and other leftist movements that still cling to the outdated and iniquitous Marxist ideologies that so ravaged Latin America.

As Americans, let us be proud of these heroes who represent us all as they continue to fight and train others to defend their nations against those who threaten the peace.

May God protect them and their families in their daily battles around the world.


November 19, 2011
The American TFP

Meet Us in St. Louis: TFP Meeting on the Inspiring Story of Col. John Ripley

Come hear the talk:

"The Life of Colonel John W. Ripley

An Example for All Americans"

This American TFP Meeting will be held

on November 20, 2011 2:30 p.m. at

St. Joe’s Java

3920 South Old Highway 94

St. Charles, MO

636-447-6000

TFP Member and Author Mr. Norman J. Fulkerson will give a talk about the inspiring story of

Colonel John W. Ripley U.S.M.C.

This first cradle-to-grave biography of Colonel John W. Ripley provides readers with the complete story about a great man who is considered by Marines, such as General Carl Mundy, former Commandant of the Marine Corps, to be on the same level as legends Chesty Puller and Dan Daly.

2010 Gold Medal winner, Military Writers Society of America

Mr. Fulkerson will be available to sign copies of his book after the presentation.