Had to ditch Disqus from my comments section.

I've been having horrendous issues with Disqus all month. I have not been getting any email notifications when someone comments on my blog so I decided to delete Disqus and return to Blogger's original comment option. 

Now comments from 2018-2020 have disappeared from my blog, and I am really, really not happy about that, but I have to move on. Know that I did read them-even commented myself this morning before my frustration kicked in and I ditched Disqus for good.

Sorry for any inconvenience or annoyance this has caused to my readers- I feel the same trust me. 

God bless you all, 

Julie

On a personal note...

I hate when I neglect my blog and I feel like I've done that a lot this summer. And I almost never get personal on here, but I thought today I might take a break from my regular scheduled blogging and share a bit of my home life.  

To new readers, if you are interested in the story of how I became Catholic, you can read it HERE. This isn't a post about being Catholic, its just a peek into my summer life and family. :)

My household is made up myself, my two children, 1 cat, 4 guinea pigs, 22 Swedish ducks (we started with blues, then hatched blacks, splash, lavender and whites the following years- they come in quite the variety- compliments of Metzer Farms) and currently 2 geese. Our "zoo" was much larger with things like dogs, more cats, another goose, more ducks, fish, frogs, birds, squirrels, turtles and tortoises etc. They either passed on or finished their rehab time with us and been released back into the wild. I'm one of those crazy people who stops traffic to remove assorted domestic and wild animals from the road- I've gotten quite good at catching large and small snapping turtles because no one else seems willing to risk a digit to help the poor homely things. But that's another story entirely!  

We are soon to add another cat to the mix. Last week we had to put my grandmother into a nursing home.  Our family has been caring for her for several years now to keep her in her home as long as possible, but last week she fell and even the doctors agreed it was time.  She asked me for two things 1) a proper Catholic funeral when the time comes and 2) take care of her British Short-haired cat. 

So now we will once again be a 2 cat family. There have been lots of adjustments this summer for all of us and some big changes- like graduation and college plans. Where does the time go? One minute they are off to kindergarten and next college! 

Somehow this has become a crazy busy summer with one unplanned thing after another.  Typically, summer is rather slow and easy here, but not this year.  It's been full speed ahead constantly! Like right now I am in the process (along with my children) of painting several rooms in the house. This is a job I detest and I keep hoping my children will enjoy and become greatly skilled in- so far that hasn't happened. I hadn't planned on painting anything, yet here I am daily covered in paint from bare-feet to elbows. I am a terrible painter. 

It all started with my eldest's bedroom, then another bedroom and the bathroom, a hall way and now we are eyeing the kitchen too.

Aside from the dreaded painting- which means moving shuffling (I have zero upper body strength) furniture from one section of the house to another while trying to keep the cat from rubbing on the newly painted walls, we are kept very busy with our gardens, fruit trees and berry bushes (though the deer - a doe with twins! -made short work of most of the berry bushes).  

Spring looks like this...

End of summer looks like this...

and this...

Summer also looks like this...the aggressive family of water snakes who live in our pond...(they aren't small either!) 

...that our flock will catch and eat if the snakes dare to stay in range of the flock (ewww, I know- its even more disgusting than you are imagining trust me!) 

Our flock provides us with loads of entertainment (eating wiggling snakes not being one of them in my opinion- the children disagree) and delicious healthy eggs as well. 

And finally, when you live in southern Connecticut and your brother has a small family sized yacht there is also boating and crabbing to be done...

So you see, these and others are the reasons my blog has suffered neglect this summer. Once the paint dries, the furniture is back in place and the garden picked clean, I will, God willing, be back to regular blogging. 

:)

God bless! 


In Christ, 


Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 



My conversion story: http://connecticutcatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-i-came-home-to-rome-my-conversion.html

Shout out to Catholic bloggers

Just wanted to give a shout out to some great Catholic blogs (and a few non-Catholic ones too) that I love to read (and lurk on).

I know these are probably already very well known to most Catholic blog readers, but I hope if you don't yet already know these blogs/bloggers that you will check them out and be sure to drop them a comment. 

It's always nice to "meet" other Catholic bloggers out there.  So grab a cup of coffee (or if you're like me) tea and take a moment to visit these bloggers and see what they are sharing on their blogs today!  :) 

In no particular order...

1) The American Catholic (be sure to check out his Simcha Fisher/gorilla post) 

2) Humblepiety

3) Diary of an Accidental Hermit

4) Clan Donaldson 

5) Restore DC Catholicism

6) Shower of Roses

7)  The Tenth Crusade 

8) Team Whitaker 

9) Catholic Cuisine (if you diet, this is not the blog for you) ;) 

10) Mundabor's Blog

11) St. Corbinian's Bear

12) Vox Cantoris 

13) A Blog by Maria Johnson

14) The Eponymous Flower 

15) The Nun Blog

16) Creative Minority Report 

17) Traditional Catholic Priest

18) Whispers in the Loggia 

19) Battle Beads Blog 

20) Kneeling Catholic 

And I have to include a few non-Catholic blogs I enjoy visiting...

1) The Little People Project (this one reminds me of an oldie but a goodie My Milk Toof )

2) Lavender and Lovage

3) Rural Revolution


I could go on and on with many more (and I will), but I am saving some for another post on bloggers in the future.

Please share your blog or blogs you visit in the comments area. I am always interested in visiting new or new-to-me blogs. And let me know which of these blogs is new-to-you! 


God bless! 


In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 

Fr.Longenecker vs Michael Voris

Quote: "If the faith is in imminent peril, prelates ought to be accused by their subjects, even in public."-St. Thomas Aquinas

Today Fr. Longenecker THOUGHT he had a bone to pick with Church Militant’s Michael Voris of the widely popular “The Vortex” internet show “Where lies and falsehoods are trapped and exposed” as the motto goes. 

Please read Father Longnecker's post "Do we need Michael Voris" if you haven' already.

(Fr. Longnecker's post:http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2013/08/do-we-need-michael-voris.html)

I believe, he was wrong.

You see, Fr. Longenecker didn’t like it when Michael Voris mentioned what was happening in the “blogosphere” over the dire straits of “CatholicAnswers” – they want your money because they are (according to some very unhappy Catholics) over paying those who work for Catholic Answers with six figure pay checks.

Did Michael Voris start the mess?  No.  

Does Fr. Longenecker care? No.

You see the hornets’ nest erupted on Kathy Schiffer’s Patheo’sblog on August 19, 2013 when she blogged- no make that begged- Catholics to send their money to Catholic Answers to keep them afloat.  At such time, over one hundred UNHAPPY Catholics flooded her comments area with all the reasons they would NOT support Catholic Answers anymore.  

The biggest reasons stated by the unhappy Catholics were 1) Catholic Answers over pays its staff and 2) that Catholic Answers had disrespected (in assorted ways) Catholics who still like the Latin Mass.

Here is where I come into the picture.  

I read the comments (on Schiffer's blog) – for NINE DAYS and watched the arguing among Catholics back and forth over Catholic Answers worthiness to receive a dime from anyone anymore.  And then, I moved along in my daily blog reading to Creative Minority Reports (the date is now August 27, 2013- NINE days AFTER Schiffer stirred the hornets’ nest) where I saw yet another plea for money on behalf of the sinking Catholic Answers so I left a comment linking to the brawl on Kathy Schiffer’s Patheos Blog which started it all. 

Yes, that was me.  Note the date and time- days BEFORE Michael Voris said a single word.  The silence from Fr. Longenecker is only broken when Voris joins the discussion.  Bone to pick?  I think so.

Readers from Creative Minority Report then began showing up on Kathy Schiffer’s blog to join in the chaos on and after August 27, 2013- again days before Voris said a peep about anything. 

Does Fr. Longenecker care?  No.

On August 29, 2013 – TEN DAYS after the blogosphere erupted over Catholic Answers, Michael Voris mentions it briefly in one of his Vortex episodes, he says (in part):

“a war in the Catholic blogosphere has broken out over the news coming out of Catholic Answers that they are in dire financial straits and are laying off staff due to a steep drop in donations and other revenue.
Catholic Answers has done fine work in the area of apologetics and is to be commended for any souls they might have influenced to come to the Catholic Faith. Bravo!  But... a few weeks ago, it seems like they made a major miscalculation... or perhaps in blunder... highlighting something we have talked about here recently in the Vortex.  It seems they may have insulted a large portion of their own audience by doing... what appeared to many... of making fun of traditional Catholics in a Catholic Answers Live radio show heard from coast to coast.”

Please note, Voris is merely reporting what was said on Kathy Schiffer’s blog TEN DAYS EARLIER.  He COMPLIMENTED much of the work Catholic Answers has done over the years.  Voris points out that SOME people who used to support Catholic Answers are now refusing to give them a dime because those ex-supporters felt “insulted” by Catholic Answers.  This is what many people said in the comments on Kathy Schiffer’s blog.  Voris is reporting what was said, nothing more.

(link below)

Suddenly Fr. Longenecker is outraged that someone among the Catholic laity would DARE to question Catholic Answers!  Fr.Longenecker on his blog made it sound as if Voris had a personal bone to pick with Catholic Answers and was calling them out or trying to bring them down.  Nothing and I mean NOTHING could be further from the truth as you can see in the video for yourself.

Since when is REPORTING what is happening in the blogosphere off limits to the Catholic laity?  Can Fr. Longenecker answer that?

I would remind Father Longenecker of ... "The laity are given this special vocation: to make the Church present and fruitful in those places and circumstances where it is only through them that she can become the salt of the earth." -Lumen Gentium Ch.4

Now about the MONEY.

Fr. Longenecker takes Michael Voris to task for bringing up how much money Catholic Answers makes and how much its staff makes.  Well guess what Father?  That information was given out on Kathy Schiffer’s blog on August 27, 2013 at 4:33 pm, by a commenter going by the name: “A new era in the Church”  

Link to IRS Catholic Answers forms: https://bulk.resource.org/irs.gov/eo/2011_05_EO/95-3754404_990_201006.pdf

Michael Voris did his story on the 29^th of August, days after the information was already made public on Schiffer’s Patheos blog.

So WHY didn’t Fr. Longenecker take Schiffer or her readers to task over this? My guess?  Perhaps Voris' dedication to “trapping and exposing lies and falsehoods” in the Catholic Church where ever they may be found has stung Father at one time or another?

Only Father can truly answer that, perhaps he will one day.  But today, I want to set the record straight on who said what and when.

So to review… 

1)    Kathy Schiffer of Patheos begged Catholics to hand money over to Catholic Answers. (August 19, 2013)
2)    Unhappy Catholics protested the plea and spilled the beans on why they were not happy with Catholic Answers all week.
3)    Creative Minority Reports also sounded the plea for money for Catholic Answers. August 27, 2013.
4)    I posted a link on Creative Minority Reports to Schiffer’s blog on August 27^th to show what unhappy Catholics were saying.
5)    Michael Voris mentions the situation on this Vortex show TEN DAYS after the fact- August 29, 2013.
6)    Fr. Longenecker attempts to slap down Michael Voris with a post entitled “Do we need Michael Voris” on August 30, 2013.

I think the question Catholics are answering with a LOUD “NO” is that many no longer need or want Catholic Answers.  And they are making that loud and clear with their wallets.

Now for the second part of what I have to say…

WHY Father Longenecker, would a priest ask ANYONE if another human being is “needed” or not?

Did you not hear Pope Benedict when he said “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.”

Why would you think we wouldn’t “need” Michael Voris?

Let me tell you what we DON’T need Father; we DON’T need U.S. Bishops sticking their noses into U.S. politics and elections.  We don’t need 'nuns on the bus'.  We don’t need Bishops working on immigration reform.  We need Catholic priests TO BE PRIESTS.

Do you all know what that is anymore?  Have you forgotten what Christ sent you all out into the world to do?  It wasn’t immigration reform Father!  It was saving souls, preaching the Gospel, teaching and correcting the Faith to the laity.  THAT is what we need YOU the clergy to do.

So you can waste your time in politics, riding buses with nuns or even pointing your fingers at the laity like Michael Voris for LOVING our faith and TRYING to make a difference all you want, but one day, one day Father YOU (and all our “Fathers” in Christ) will have the finger of God pointed at you and then you will answer for why you weren’t doing what Christ commissioned you to do.

For more on this see: Dear Father, your children are starving…

Good thing even priests go to Confession.

And Father if you think I was too harsh with you I do apologize, sometimes even priests get me fired up when I feel an injustice was done to someone. And I do believe Father, that you've done an injustice to Michael Voris.

May God forgive us all and bless us – we need it.

In Christ,

Julie

LINKS:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathyschiffer/2013/08/youve-depended-on-catholic-answers-now-theyre-depending-on-you/

http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2013/08/catholic-answers-needs-help.html

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2013/08/do-we-need-michael-voris.html

Vortex text: http://www.churchmilitant.tv/scripts/vort-2013-08-29.pdf

http://www.catholic.com/

This Blogger says "Thanks"

I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you to all my readers. A special thank you to those who email me, whether we agree or disagree on theology or anything else, I really do enjoy the emails and opinions shared. Often times all we hear about the Internet is the bad stuff and the abuses that occur, but that isn't all there is to being online. Blogging for me has been nothing but positive. I enjoying reading other blogs and have a wonderful time writing for my own blog. It's an interesting way for people to cross each others paths in life and learn a bit about each other, even if it's just a snippet of a persons life and views. I want you to know that I seriously think about the views you share with me. And the questions and statements give me much to think about, not just in how to respond but also in reflecting about how people view life in general. What we have in common and the things we differ on. So please, keep the opinions and feedback (good or bad) coming. And let me know what you'd like to see more of or less of on this blog. May God bless you all.

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner