Mark Mallett is a loving husband and father, Catholic lay evangelist, author, singer and accomplished recording and performing artist.  He’s an anointed musician and gifted lyrical storyteller who, drawing from a deep well of personal vulnerability – love, loss, marriage, family, faith and life – has poured his heart and soul into his newest album – Vulnerable.

That’s my heart in your hand.
That’s my soul in the sand.
I’m trusting you to love me to the end.
I’m steppin’ out of my zone cuz I don’t want to be alone.
I’m telling you I’m so vulnerable.
I am vulnerable.  - Vulnerable

In Mark’s own words: “I decided to record this album, because it speaks of that place in the heart where we are most vulnerable: the place where we love and want to be loved. To love is to be vulnerable.”

One of the many brilliant facets of Mark’s artistry is his ability to write and compose his song that wonderfully becomes your song. I Love You Baby could be about the birth of your daughter. It’s the prayerful affirmation of a father’s unconditional love. It’s the song you hear as your little girl drives off on her own or on that day you give her hand away in marriage.

For me, so much more than a tender love song, Flyin’, inspired by the blue eyes of Mark’s beautiful bride, is the music and song that warmly envelops you and your beloved for that intimate ‘autumn’ dance when spoken words do not suffice.

These then are the songs of my heart… whether written when I was a teenager shortly before my sister unexpectedly passed away – Too Close to My Heart – or that freezing New Year’s Eve in the car outside a dance hall, one month after we buried my mom – And They Danced – or that day I sat down and could not think to write of anything but the blue in my bride’s eyes – Flyin’. And then there’s the stories I’ve heard along the journey of those who have shared their vulnerability with me…. If one of these stories is also yours, then I pray that as you listen, you too will hear Jesus say, See, See, you’ve never been far from Me.” – Mark Mallett

Here You Are

Mark is also releasing a compilation of new and previously recorded songs from his Divine Mercy Chaplet and Rosary CDs.  The title song, Here You Are, was spontaneously inspired and performed by Mark in Adoration of the Lord during one of his parish missions.

I personally experienced Here You Are at a recent mission with Mark Mallett and Fr. Seraphim Michalenko. Gentle weeping could be heard while many in attendance, including me, were drawn from our seats nearer to the Lord on bended knee as Here You Are prayerfully resonated in our heart through the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

It is my prayer, that through these songs, you will recognize Jesus living in you (2 Cor 13:5) and Jesus in the Eucharist. That you may cry out, whether in your home, car, prayer room, chapel or wherever you may be: Jesus, here You are!  - Mark Mallett

Visit www.markmallett.com to pre-order Vulnerable and Here You Are on or soon after May 15.

These albums have been a long time coming and they were well worth the wait.

Listen and be blessed.

+JMJ+

Copyright 2013 Brian K. Kravec

Alright, considering the treasure of nearly one hundred fifty contributors for CatholicMom.com, perhaps you didn’t even notice that I’ve been away since my last posting in January, Rosario Rodriguez – A Witness of the Greater Good.

Though I remained with you every Wednesday as the administrator of CatholicMom Facebook, I took my first leave of absence from writing in nearly three years to bring some very special endeavors to fruition in my public faith life, in our Parish and in our community.

The Queen of Peace

Queen of Peace

While I was away, in early February, our dear friend, Anne Fultz, was busy coordinating the Northern California screening tour of ‘Queen of Peace’, a contemporary documentary of the events in Medjugorje, produced by the inspired and inspiring young filmmaker, Christina Georgotas of Bambiina Productions.

I helped promote the tour and hosted a screening for our parish. Christina had TWELVE screening engagements in one week drawing as many as 400 people to one event, including Super Bowl Sunday! Queen of Peace is a powerful film – a source of extraordinary grace. Christina Georgotas is a vessel of pure joy!”

The Queen of Peace Tour is Returning to California this Fall

Dates are now available from Oct 16 – Nov 1, 2013. Christina will travel to share her powerful testimony with your group or parish for a special Queen of Peace film screening. Contact Anne Fultz at afultz1966@gmail.com or phone 209-484-2633 for scheduling and event details.

Living History

While I was away, our beloved Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, retired Thursday, February 28, becoming the first pope to abdicate since Gregory XII in 1415. His was a Pontificate that brought tremendous graces and blessings to the Church and to the world. His love for the Body of Christ and dedicated life of prayer will continue to bear much fruit now and in eternity.

Habemus Papam Franciscum

White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney March 13, 2013 signaling the selection of our new Pope. He is South American Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J. and he has chosen the name, Francis.

St. Francis and Pope Francis

Like St. Francis, Pope Francis is an advocate of the outcast and the poor. Pope, like Saint, is a lover of poverty, peace and justice.  Francis, like Francis is a humble, simple, servant of the poor, the weakest and the most needy.

Consider the mystical experience of St. Francis in an old, dilapidated chapel where he clearly heard God speak to him from the crucifix with these words:

“Francis, go and rebuild my Church, which you can see has fallen into ruin.”

Like St. Francis and the 265 pontiffs that preceded our new Vicar, Pope Francis is called and chosen to carry the Church on his shoulders.

The Church is defaced and made heavy by man himself – by our indifference, our dissent, our pride, our individualism – our sin.

The storms of the enemy– powers and principalities – constantly loom and threaten and pound the Rock with relentless rage but … the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. Mathew 16:18

Prayer for Pope Francis

O God, who in your providential design willed that your Church be built upon blessed Peter, whom you set over the other apostles, look with favor, we pray, on Francis, our Pope, and grant that he, whom you have made Peter’s successor, may be for your people a visible source and foundation of unity in Faith and of communion.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Confirmed in the Holy Spirit 

Being Confirmed by Bishop Armando Ochoa

While I was away from CatholicMom.com, our beautiful daughter was Confirmed in the Holy Spirit. I watched her approach the Bishop and I wept silently as I recalled, with exceptional clarity, the day she was cradled over the baptismal font when she was just five weeks old.

Beyond Scared Straight

I also fulfilled my first formal speaking engagement for Catholics@Work.

This was an incredible experience. I made the acquaintance of genuine “laborers” in the field of faith and evangelization including Catholic singer, recording artist and inspirational speaker, Diana Nagy.

I spoke of the integration of my Catholic faith, my domestic vocation as a husband and father and my profession as a Correctional Peace Officer. I spoke of my ‘personal Pentecost’ in the perimeter gun tower of a historically infamous state prison. I spoke of my efforts to save unborn babies at risk of being aborted by female inmates at a maximum-security women’s prison.

I spoke of my miraculous healing from chronic depression while praying the rosary on my first pilgrimage to Medjugorje. I spoke of my participation in the Crossroads Juvenile Diversionary Program that gained international recognition when it was filmed and broadcast by A&E television as the record-breaking premier episode of Beyond Scared Straight.  

Miracles of Medjugorje

Finally, while I was away, The Miracles of Medjugorje Healing Conference came to full bloom and was attended by nearly 700 pilgrims in Central California gathered from three states. Our guest speakers included witnesses of remarkable grace, healing and conversion, Fr. Michael Lightner and, as pictured from L-R, John Watkins Jr., John Abbate, Michael Crotty, Christine Watkins and Gretchen Harris. I’m the joy-filled conference coordinator on the far right!

As I said at the conclusion of the conference, extraordinary events like this don’t happen with just one man at the helm. Once again, I extend my gratitude to a multitude of generous ‘laborers’ – friends, volunteers and clergy – who gave of their time, talent and treasure to make this conference such a success.

Our own Lisa Hendey will interview the conference winners of the pilgrimage for two following their return from the International Youth Festival in Medjugorje in August.

It’s soooooo good to be back!

Jesus, I trust in you!

+JMJ+

Copyright 2013 Brian K. Kravec

Rosario Rodriguez

At the age of fourteen, Rosario Rodriguez was innocently unaware that she’d become one of many young women to be stalked by a serial rapist and murderer.  According to police, the suspect would choose and follow his victim for months near local high schools before he attacked. Rosario was abducted on her way to the bus stop and she was dragged into a wooded area.

The attacker attempted to rape Rosario as he firmly pressed his hand against her mouth. Rosario screamed the words of the Hail Mary as he fought to break her and silence her forever. In a 2011interview with Tony Rossi, host and producer of Christopher Closeup, Rosario recalled, “His eyes got really big. He looked afraid, jumped up and ran away. My first reaction was to turn around to see what he saw, but I saw nothing . . . We’ve always had guesses [that he saw] St. Michael or my guardian angel or our Lady because I was screaming the Hail Mary. But I believe he saw something divine.”

Rosario was the first and only victim to have escaped the clutches of this man with her life and without physical injury.

Rosario was raised in a loving family with a vibrant Catholic faith. For five years following the attack, Rosario sought healing in her personal relationship with the Lord through the Holy Mass and Eucharistic adoration.  Her faith and the Sacraments of the Church undoubtedly held Rosario back a step from the brink of total collapse. Admittedly, as time passed, the cross of her interior wounds – unforgiveness, crippling depression, anxiety, self-loathing, hatred and rage – became too heavy for Rosario to humanly bear on her own.

Jesus accepted the help of Simon of Cyrene to carry His Cross.

Understanding that God often fulfills His will in our lives in relationship with others, Rosario accepted both spiritual and psychological guidance from her parish priest and a Catholic therapist. With much intensive work and prayer, these two men of God helped Rosario carry her cross and led her to a place of peace, joy and healing through the virtue of forgiveness.

Unknown to all, Rosario’s personal journey to the top of Calvary was not ended. The first attack served only to pave Rosario’s path for another Via Dolorosa – a way of grief and suffering – that she would be forced to walk many years later, with a heavier cross, bringing her closer to death in a second act of unimaginable violence.

In 2009, at the age of 31, Rosario became the victim of a gang-related robbery on an otherwise peaceful Los Angeles street. A woman grabbed Rosario’s purse from around her arm and shot her point blank in the chest with a nine-millimeter gun.

The bullet tore Rosario’s esophagus and collapsed her lungs. According to the attending physicians, Rosario should have died instantly. Miraculously, not only did she survive, but the bullet missed Rosario’s heart by one centimeter and she was able to pursue the attacker and remember the license of the fleeing vehicle, which led to her capture and conviction.

Rosario’s three-year journey of healing and recovery following the robbery and attempted murder came with many heavy and painful crosses. One cross she refused to carry was the cross of unforgiveness toward the woman who shot her.

“I knew I didn’t ever want to live the way I lived before. I didn’t want to live shackled. I wanted the freedom of forgiveness. In December at one of the hearings… I looked at her and told her that I’ve forgiven her and that I pray she might come to know the incredible love, mercy and forgiveness of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Rosario Rodriguez has cheated violent death twice. In her body she still carries a bullet; in her soul, only forgiveness.” – Cheating Death and Loving God, Tony Rossi

Rossi’s statement of Rosario resounds of grace rarely grasped by one who has endured such evil. It is an all-too-rare gift to the world that someone who has risen from, not one but two life-threatening attacks, is willing to forgive and re-live the horror, in the telling, for the purpose of witnessing the necessity, the beauty and the healing power of faith, forgiveness and the mercy of God.

Consider the witness of Immaculee Ilibagiza, whose story of faith and forgiveness, Left To Tell, has been translated into fifteen languages. Consider the powerful witness of Blessed Pope John Paul II as he visited and forgave his would-be-assassin, Turkish terrorist, Mehmet Ali Agca.

“When we forgive evil, we do not excuse it, we do not tolerate it, we do not smother it. We look the evil full in the face, call it what it is, let it’s horror shock and stun and enrage us, and only then do we forgive it.” – Lewis B. Smedes

As Christians, we understand that God does not restrict our free will. We understand that God has not caused such wickedness to befall His children. The terror of Auschwitz, Rwanda, Columbine, Virginia Tech, 9/11, Tucson, Aurora and Newtown is incomprehensible but we know from the heart-piercing agony of Calvary on Good Friday – we must trust – that though God has allowed evil to occur, in His infinite love and mercy, He will always bring a greater good from it.

The world is searching for witnesses of the greater good. Humanity is desperately in need of these witnesses and God is raising them up. They are few but their testimony is strong and universally inspiring. Rosario understands worth in brokenness, joy in suffering and peace in forgiveness.

Rosario Rodriguez is poised to be that witness.

Visit www.rosariorodriguez.org

+JMJ+

Ÿ Email Rosario@RosarioRodriguez.org

Ÿ Watch Rosario’s Forgiveness Video

Ÿ Purchase Rosario’s Testimony on CD for $3

Ÿ Cheating Death and Loving God

 Copyright 2013 Brian K. Kravec

Christina Georgotas

Mary, the Mother of God, has been appearing daily to visionaries of Medjugorje, in the former Yugoslavia, since June 24, 1981. More than 45 million people have traveled to the little village of heaven on earth and discovered a true love of Jesus by means of repentance, conversion, miraculous healing and spectacular visible signs.

There are times that God does not confine the miracles of Medjugorje to geographic location.

Christina Georgotas, a gifted filmmaker and producer, had traveled no further than her mom’s laptop when she first personally encountered the Queen of Peace as she appeared to visionary, Mirjana Soldo, in a previously recorded apparition. The fruit of that encounter is the newest and most compelling documentary of the events in Medjugorje appropriately titled Queen of Peace.

I was introduced to Christina by our mutual friend, Christine Watkins, best-selling author of Full of Grace. I was blessed to meet Christina in person at the Medjugorje Peace Conference in Irvine, California. Now, it’s my pleasure to share this interview and present Christina Georgotas.

CM: Christina, thanks so much for this opportunity. Please introduce yourself to our CatholicMom family.

CG: Hello CatholicMom family! First, I want to thank Brian for this amazing opportunity to share Medjugorje with all of you, for his tireless hard work, and for always making me laugh.

My name is Christina Georgotas, and I am just one of millions of people who have been deeply touched by a pilgrimage site called Medjugorje, where it is said that The Virgin Mary has been appearing to six individuals for over 31 years. My background is in Reality TV production and development, but I recently finished a documentary called “Queen of Peace” about the extraordinary events taking place in that small village in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Through Medjugorje and by the grace of God, my life has been completely transformed and this film is my way of sharing the very important messages of Our Lady with others.

CM: It’s likely that our readers are familiar with a show that you developed and several others that you produced. Tell us about your successful work in mainstream television.

CG: I was very fortunate to have been given so many opportunities in the entertainment industry at such a young age. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I look back now and see God’s hand guiding me along every step of the way, because if it had not been for all of my experiences, I never would have been able to make “Queen of Peace”.

It wasn’t initially in my plans to go into the television industry. During my junior year of college, I did a study abroad internship program in London, where I sort of “fell into” an internship at a television production company. I learned so much from that internship and had so much fun that I decided to change my career track and make it my profession after I graduated. Back in New York that summer, I landed another internship at “Live! With Regis and Kelly” where I worked closely alongside producers of the show. It was during that summer that I also met Kelly Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos. In the fall of my senior year of college, they contacted me about working for them as their personal assistant, which was an amazing opportunity. I started working in that position in the spring, and after about a year, they promoted me to Creative Executive of their newly developed production company Milojo Productions when I was just 22 years old. In my first year as Creative Executive at Milojo, I pitched and sold a television show to TLC called “Homemade Millionaire” which aired in 2010 and was hosted by Kelly. The show was a competition-reality that gave women with new inventions or product ideas a chance to launch their business and win a spot on HSN. It was the first show that I was able to be involved with on both the production and development sides, which was a great learning experience for me. I also worked on TLC’s “Masters of Reception”, “Jersey Cheer” for Lifetime, and traveled around the south working on a show called “BBQ Pitmasters” for Discovery’s new network Destination America.

CM: Your life took a sharp, unexpected turn at a most unconventional crossroad – YouTube. What happened and how did this experience change the course of your personal and professional life?

CG: When I was in High School, I had fallen away from my faith, and I was living for many years without really believing that God exists. On October 12, 2008, that all changed very suddenly when I first saw a video of Medjugorje.

I was visiting my parent’s for the weekend and my mom wanted to show me a video that she found on youtube. It was a video of an apparition to Mirjana – one of the six Medjugorje visionaries, who not coincidentally, is the visionary who prays for nonbelievers. I didn’t really know about apparitions at that time, but I politely watched it anyway.

The video showed a blonde woman (Mirjana) surrounded by thousands of people, completely focused in prayer. She began to breathe a bit heavier and clasped her heart…then in an instant, she looked up and was in ecstasy. The look on her face was so filled with emotion! I can’t really explain or describe the feeling that overtook me, but in that moment it struck me in a very profound way that God really exists, and that she [Mirjana] was really speaking with The Virgin Mary. It impacted me so deeply that I began to cry uncontrollably. That video was really the catalyst that sparked a very profound change in my entire life.

From that moment, I wanted to know everything about Medjugorje, and I wanted very much to go there. That June 24^th (the first day Our Lady appeared in Medjugorje), my dad passed away very unexpectedly in Greece, and that event led my family and I to be able to visit Medjugorje for the first time one year later. It was during that trip that the idea was conceived in me to make a documentary to share Medjugorje with others, especially young people like myself who had fallen away from their faith. When I came back from my second trip to Medjugorje a few months after my first pilgrimage, I decided to leave my job and to make that thought a reality.

Queen of Peace

CM: Since your miraculous “re-awakening”, you have traveled to Medjugorje and dedicated your time, talent and treasure to producing and distributing Queen of Peace, which best-selling author, Wayne Weible, promotes as “A must see documentary” and journalist, Daniel Klimek, endorses as “a film of great depth, beauty, spiritual and intellectual prowess.”  What is your hope and what is your vision for Queen of Peace and all those who view it?

CG: I believe the film, Queen of Peace, has truly been guided by The Queen of Peace. Every step of the way from conception, to production, to final product would never have been possible without Our Lady. There are too many examples of doors that were opened to even list here! The film was finished about the same time that I finished St Louis De Montfort’s Total Consecration, so I consecrated both myself and the film completely to Our Lady and gave everything over to her.

My hope for the film is that it will reach a new audience who has never heard of Medjugorje before (I’m always surprised by how many people that is), or who might be struggling with their faith, as I once was. Our Lady is touching so many hearts and she is always bringing us to her Son. I went from not even believing in God, to wanting to give my life completely to Him in any way He desires of me, and I thank Our Lady of Medjugorje for that. I believe that same transformation can happen to anyone and I hope when people see the film and realize that this is truly happening – that Our Lady is truly here – they will also desire to follow her and her messages to change their lives and start down the path of holiness that we are all called to.

CM: Christina, I experienced a miraculous healing while on pilgrimage in Medjugorje. The joy of that spiritual anointing was renewed in my heart while watching Queen of Peace. I’m very excited that our parish will host a screening with you in February during your Nothern CA tour. I’ve also shared the film with friends who have never been to Medjugorje and they were genuinely inspired. Please share some responses you’ve received from those who’ve already viewed this grace-filled documentary.

CG: Thank you for those kind words! I have been receiving many touching and beautiful responses from people from around the world who have seen the film and have been deeply moved. The greatest responses I receive are about putting into practice the messages of our Blessed Mother. Recently I was in Iowa for a screening at Holy Family Church in Davenport, and after the screening, a woman approached me to talk about fasting and how to begin putting that into practice in her life. She saw the film, heard the request of Our Lady, and gave her “yes” to start to really live what the Queen of Peace is asking from all of us. That was so amazing to hear!

I often have people tell me they were brought to tears during the film.

I’ve had people give the DVD to family members who have always been closed or cynical about Medjugorje who have completely changed their view on it. I’ve received emails from families who are now going on their first pilgrimage to Medjugorje after seeing the film. Recently, an Iowa mom shared a letter with me that her adorable six-year old daughter, Gianna, wrote to the Blessed Mother after watching Queen of Peace.

If a person was moved, if their heart was opened, if it penetrated them on a spiritual level – that is what makes the film powerful. And that has nothing to do with me, it is something that happens in each individual’s own heart connecting with God.

CM: What’s next? Do you have any other projects “on the burner?”

CG: For right now, my main focus remains promoting “Queen of Peace” and bringing the messages of Medjugorje to new audiences, but there are a few other exciting projects that are in the works!

When I was at the Medjugorje Conference in Irvine, California, I was introduced to an amazing, talented, inspirational and beautiful musician named Tajci (Tatiana Cameron). By her late teens, Tajci was a huge popstar in Europe, selling platinum records, and achieving a level of fame that very few people ever experience. With that fame came loneliness and emptiness. But unlike so many celebrities today, who often turn to drugs and alcohol as a means of ‘escape’ – Tajci turned to God. And at the height of her career, she literally left all of her fame and fortune, and came anonymously to the United States to rediscover herself. She now travels around the country with her husband Matthew and their beautiful children sharing the love of God through her music. Together we are hoping to make a reality show that will not only entertain, but inspire and change lives. She is the positive role model that we desperately need in the entertainment industry and I’m very excited to be working with her and her family on this project.

CM: Thank you for the gift of this interview, Christina! Do you have any closing thoughts or comments you’d like to share with our readers?

CG: I thank all of you for letting me share a bit about Medjugorje and the film Queen of Peace. For anyone who sees the film, I hope you will use it as a tool to bring the messages of Our Lady to all the people in your life and that it will bear much fruit through you. But more importantly, I hope every person who sees it will open their hearts to live the messages that Our Lady gives us in Medjugorje, through conversion of heart, prayer, fasting, Eucharist, Bible reading, and Confession. More recently Our Lady has asked us especially to pray for priests. Thank you and God bless you!

The Queen of Peace Northern California Tour

Dates are still available from Feb 2-17. Christina will travel to share her powerful testimony with your group or parish for a special Queen of Peace screening in Central/Northern California. Contact Anne Fultz at afultz1966@gmail.com or phone 209-484-2633 for scheduling and event details.

Win a Pilgrimage for Two to Medjugorje

Everyone who attends St. Patrick’s Miracles of Medjugorje Healing Conference in Merced, CA, March 16, 2013, will be entered in a drawing that day to win a pilgrimage for two to Medjugorje valued at approximately $6000.

Visit www.stpatrickconference.com for registration and event details. Winner must be present.

Visit www.medjfilms.com to purchase your copy of Queen of Peace

Ÿ Watch Queen of Peace Trailer

Ÿ Miracles of Medjugorje Healing Conference – Central California

Ÿ Trinity Pilgrimage

+JMJ+

Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec

Veneration of the Martyrs of Mexico Relics will immediately follow the Mass through the night until 6am Sunday, Nov 18.

The six priest martyrs whose relics will be in the Diocese of Fresno — Fathers Pedro de Jesus Maldonado Lucero, Miguel de la Mora de la Mora, Jose Maria Robles Hurtado, Luis Batiz Sainz, Rodrigo Aguilar Alemán, and Mateo Correa Magallanes — all died for their faith at the hands of the Mexican government during the religious persecution in Mexico in the early 20th century.

“It is our hope that the pilgrimage of these relics will remind us all of the sacrifices made on behalf of religious liberty on this continent less than 100 years ago.” “It is a timely reminder that, from ancient Rome to 1920s Mexico to today, persecution does not stifle the faith, but emboldens it.” – Supreme Knight of Columbus Carl Anderson

Ruben Quezada is a leading expert on the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico in the 1920’s. Quezada is a national Catholic speaker, the Director of the Catholic Resource Center and St. Joseph Communications and the best-selling author of the official companion book For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada.

On Friday, November 16, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Ruben will present Cristiada, a powerful audio/visual presentation on the Cristero War and Mexico’s struggle for religious freedom. This presentation is offered in English at 6pm and in Spanish at 8pm.

The Diocese of Fresno and St. John’s Cathedral will host The Reliquary of the Knights of Columbus Mexican Martyrs, Sunday, November 18. Procession with the reliquary begins on “T” Street at 1:15pm. Mass will be celebrated by His Excellency, Bishop Armando X. Ochoa; D. D. at 1:30pm. Veneration of the relics will immediately follow until 4:30pm.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church
9317 Amistad St
Planada, CA 95365
(209) 382-0459

Friday, November 16, 6pm(English) & 8pm (Spanish)
Saturday, November 17, 6:30pm

St. John’s Cathedral
2814 Mariposa St.
Fresno, CA 93721
(559) 485-6210

Sunday, November 18, 1:30pm

History of the Knights of Columbus Mexican Martyrs

For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada

Copyright 2012 Brian Kravec

Life Without

I am a Roman Catholic. I’m also a prison guard who works face to face with offenders whose crimes range from petty theft, car jacking, kidnapping and drug dealing to murder and whose sentences range from ninety days to life without the possibility of parole.  I’ve always worked in maximum-security prisons though I’ve never walked on death row or witnessed a state execution. I am opposed to the death penalty.

The Death Penalty

I am one in an ever-growing civilization within the Culture of Life united with the Pope and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) who support political actions in America and around the world aimed at eliminating the death penalty.

“Ending the death penalty would be one important step away from the culture of death and toward building a culture of life.” A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death  – USCCB, 2005

We cannot teach that killing is wrong by killing …we believe human life is a gift from God and that it is not ours to take away.” – Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick – Holy Week Campaign to End the Death Penalty, 2005

Defending NOT Avenging

In the latter decade of his pontificate, Pope John Paul II advocated for the end of the death penalty with uncompromising fortitude and clarity. The current of this advocacy, which runs deeply and powerfully in the Church and society today, resulted in the modification of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2267, in 1997.

Catechism 2267

Assuming the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending [my emphasis] human lives against the unjust aggressor.

If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, [my emphasis] as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.

Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offense incapable of doing harm—without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself—the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically non-existent.”68

Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

“Modern society has the means of protecting itself, without definitively denying criminals the chance to reform. I renew the appeal I made most recently at Christmas [1998] for a consensus to end the death penalty, which is both cruel and unnecessary.” St. Louis, MO, January 1999

“Punishment cannot be reduced to mere retribution, much less take the form of social retaliation or a sort of institutional vengeance.” Jubilee Homily to Prisoners, Rome, July 2002

“…Nor can I fail to mention the unnecessary recourse to the death penalty . . . This model of society bears the stamp of the culture of death, and is therefore in opposition to the Gospel message.” World Day of the Sick, Washington, DC, February 2003

Pope Benedict XVI – No Justice Without Life

Pope Benedict XVI

“I greet the distinguished delegations from various countries taking part in the meeting promoted by the Community of Sant’Egidio on the theme: No Justice Without Life. I express my hope that your deliberations will encourage the political and legislative initiatives being promoted in a growing number of countries to eliminate the death penalty and to continue the substantive progress made in conforming penal law both to the human dignity of prisoners and the effective maintenance of public order.” Public audience, Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Stay for Life

In cases where the death penalty has been imposed, a stay of execution is often sought to defer the execution of the convicted person. This may occur if new evidence is discovered that will exonerate the convicted person or in attempts to have the sentence commuted to life imprisonment. (Wikipedia)

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, there have been 138 exonerations of death row inmates since 1973.

As a writer for CatholicMom, I remain strongly committed to being very short on personal opinion and resolute in the Truth, the fullness of which is preserved, protected, promulgated and unfolding in it’s splendor through Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

In accordance with the Gospel message, as a Catholic and as a resident of one of the 34 states in America that maintain the death penalty, if given the opportunity, I would be compelled, in good conscious, to vote for a permanent stay of all death penalty sentences in order that they would be replaced with the sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

At the end of the day, this old guard agrees with the Church, Blessed Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and I believe that for everyone concerned, life without is better than no life at all.

+JMJ+

Links4U

The Vatican, The Holy Father and the Death Penalty

A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death

The Death Penalty – Questions and Answers

Catholic Mobilizing Network

SafeCalifornia.org

In Tajci’s Words

I want to create a moving experience from which people will walk away inspired, uplifted and filled with renewed hope, joy, and love. I see this concert as a celebration of love and life. It is also a celebration of the mystery and truth of our Faith, which tells us that our souls are forever connected in God’s kingdom. The fact that this program is set in a sanctuary invites the grace of God to fill our grieving souls and as we open up our hearts, we will receive His healing. Music does that.

Tajci Inspired by the Eternal Life of Love 

My friend, Sue, recently passed away from cancer. She was young and so full of life, hope and faith. After twenty years of marriage, even in terminal illness, her husband, Mark, loved Sue with the vibrancy and the passion of a newly wed couple.

I watched Mark loving Sue in the way he looked at her, in the way he helped her to believe in the improbable, and in the way he was there for her when all hope was gone. It wasn’t a denial. They were realistic and critically aware of everything about Sue’s illness but they chose to love and laugh until the last moment.

Sue’s love lives on…

Mark and I were reunited a few months later just prior to a concert.  We were sitting in a pew during the sound check.  Another musician was plucking the notes to “Take Up Your Cross” on an acoustic guitar. The lone, slow and peaceful melody echoed through the church. Mark was frail, sad, and lost without his love… But he immersed himself into the music.  Watching him slip into the memories, his peace became palpable.

I sat next to him and quietly wept.  I was moved by the eternal love that will never come to an end. That night, I wrote a song for Mark, a few lines only… I knew I couldn’t sing more or my heart would spill over: “I’m sure you are in a company of angels, and you are dancing in His light. I can feel you smiling down at us, but I would love to have you here tonight.”

Tajci – Love Lives On

Friday, Nov 2 – 7PM
St. Patrick’s Parish
671 E. Yosemite Ave
Merced, CA 95340
209-383-3924

www.idobelieve.com

A free will offering accepted

Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec

Our Lady of Fatima Conference

“Mary is Speaking, Are You Listening?” is the theme for the 2012 SFA Our Lady of Fatima Conference in Chowchilla, CA, Saturday, September 29.

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared six times to three shepherd children near Fatima, Portugal..

“Appearing to the children, the Blessed Virgin told them that She had been sent by God with a message for every man, woman and child living in our century. Coming at a time when civilization was torn asunder by war and bloody violence, She promised that Heaven would grant peace to all the world if Her requests for prayer, reparation and consecration were heard and obeyed.

Among Her requests, the Blessed Mother emphasized the need to pray the Rosary daily, performing acts of sacrifice and the practice of reparation on the first Saturday of five consecutive months.

Conference Speakers from Milano to Madera

Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. is a founding member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and the vice-postulator for the cause for the canonization of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Fr. Apostoli is the author of numerous books. A frequent guest on the Eternal Word Television Network, Fr. Apostoli hosted the television special “Our Lady of Fatima and the First Saturday Devotion” seen on EWTN.

Fr. Robert Barcelos was ordained a priest on Friday, June 13, 2008.

The message of the Divine Mercy plays a very important role in his life, centering on the Eucharist. Fr. Robert consecrated his vocation to Our Lady of Fatima who continues to give Him strength as Her Son gives him nourishment.

Fr. Lou Guardiola entered religious life with the Fathers of Mercy in 1996. Fr. Lou preaches missions, retreats and 40 hours devotions. He has been a member of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima since 1967.

Maria Rita Scrimieri lives in Milano where she worked as a psychotherapist until 2005. Maria is a member of the Salesian Cooperators Association, a secular association founded by St. Giovanni Bosco. Maria will be speaking about Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa of Balasar, one of the great mystics of modern times. Her astounding life has many connections to the events of Fatima and she is known in Portugal as ‘ the fourth seer of Fatima ‘. She urged all to “ Do penance, sin no more, pray the Rosary, [and] receive the Eucharist ”. For the last thirteen years of her life she miraculously lived on the Holy Eucharist alone, a medically confirmed fact. She has been proposed by the Church as “ a model of purity and perseverance in the Faith for today’s youth ”.

Deacon Robert Elis was ordained a permanent deacon in 1986. He has been the National Coordinator for the World Apostolate of Fatima since November 2008.

Bishop Armando Ochoa, installed as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Fresno on February 1, 2012, will celebrate our closing Mass at St. Columba parish in Chowchilla.

Fr. Gustavo Lopez, O.S.J., was ordained a priest for the Oblates of St. Joseph on July 18, 2009 in the Church of St. Joachim in Madera, CA where he currently serves as associate pastor.

Deacon Ed Valdez , our Master of Ceremony, was ordained as Deacon in 2003 with the Diocese of Fresno and is currently serving at St. Anthony of Padua.

Please visit www.sfaolfconference.com for registration and event details.

“If My requests are granted … there will be peace” – Our Lady of Fatima 

+JMJ+

Video Link
 Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec

Miracles of Medjugorje Healing Conference

St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish in Merced, California is pleased to bring you the Miracles of Medjugorje Healing Conference being held Saturday, March 16, 2013.

More than 45 million people have made a pilgrimage of faith to the little village of Medjugorje in the former Yugoslavia since June 24, 1981.

Countless men, women and children have been drawn to this place of heaven on earth to discover or rediscover a true love of Jesus, through Mary, by means of faith, prayer, repentance, conversion, fasting, the Mass, miraculous healing and spectacular signs and wonders.

The Miracles of Medjugorje Healing Conference will bring together an array of nationally renowned inspirational Catholic speakers who will give powerful first-hand testimonies of how their lives were changed by the grace of Jesus through our Blessed Mother in Medjugorje.

Fr. Michael Lightner was a standout collegiate athlete destined for the NFL’s offensive line. He witnessed a miraculous healing of biblical proportion and was “sidelined” by the power of God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation in Medjugorje where he was called to play on God’s team.

Christine Watkins, MTS, LCSW, is a nationally known author and speaker. She tells the story of her miraculous healing and conversion from Jesus through Mary, which saved her from death, along with the stories of five others, in her Ave Maria Press best-seller, Full of Grace, featuring Michael Crotty and John Watkins Jr.

Michael Crotty, a gifted iconographer and addiction specialist, repeatedly risked his life to maintain a crack cocaine addiction. He was taken to Medjugorje by his father where the Blessed Mother appeared to him and guided him to healing and conversion.

John Watkins Jr. found himself in Medjugorje against his will and came home one week later a different man. Married to Christine Watkins, he holds the offices from Respect Life and Social Justice Coordinator in the Diocese of Oakland. An energetic, informative and engaging speaker, he emboldens his audience to live the Gospel with one’s whole heart.

Gretchen Harris, UCMVA’s “Female Vocalist of the Year”, is a Catholic singer/songwriter whose music expresses her love for God and Church. Songs from her six CDs can be heard on Catholic and Christian radio stations in the United States and many other countries, in addition to the worldwide radio outreach of EWTN.

St. Patrick’s Parish recognizes and gladly accepts that final authority regarding the apparitions and messages of Medjugorje rests always and finally with the Holy See.
Visit www.stpatrickconference.com or phone 209-383-3924 for registration and event details.

Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec

For Greater Glory

For Greater Glory is the epic story of the Cristero War, during which the Catholic Church of Mexico suffered unspeakable persecution and bloody martyrdom of historical proportion. The movie is a MUST-SEE, and the official companion book, written by Ruben Quezada, a MUST-READ, to more fully appreciate our religious freedom and understand the present battle that we, as an army for Christ, must bravely fight on our knees, in order to defend and preserve that precious liberty.

The Silence of the Bells

The church bells were silenced in Mexico during the Cristero War for nearly three years. The ringing of the bell, a symbol of liberty in American history, was foremost on my mind and heart this past Independence Day.

The United States Catholic Bishops had invited all Catholic churches and all Houses of Worship to ring their bells at noon (9AM Pacific) as a special sign of solidarity for religious liberty.

In the serenity of morning, from my own back yard, I could clearly hear the ringing of the bells of St. Patrick’s, my parish church. I prepared to attend the Holy Mass, which, during the Cristero War, was an act of public worship forbidden by the law of Mexico’s tyrannical president.

I offered my prayerful participation in this Mass in gratitude to God for my religious freedom. I prayed in union with our Bishops, the Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints and all people of faith at this fitting conclusion of the Fortnight for Freedom, that those same bells will ring freely next year, and in all future years, “for the sake of our children, our grandchildren and all who come after us.”  We must continue to pray.

America

Samuel Francis Smith wrote My Country, ‘Tis of Theemore than one hundred years ago. The lyrics of this patriotic hymn are as relevant a tribute and a prayer today as they were when they were written in 1831.

My country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From ev’ry mountainside Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our fathers’ God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom’s holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.

Viva Cristo Rey! Long Live Christ the King!

+JMJ+

Video Link

Links 4U
The Catholic Association
The Cristeros, The White Rose and the Fortnight For Freedom
St. Marello Bookstore

Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec

The campaign hat is a very distinct uniform accessory worn by law enforcement officers and members of the military.  The cumbersome, wide-brim hat is typically associated with the steely-eyed, unyielding training instructor of the United States Armed Forces.

With the exception of special ceremony, my hat has had a place on the closet shelf for the majority of my twenty-three year career as a Correctional Peace Officer.

Work 

The men and women of the Department of Corrections walk the “toughest beat in the state.”

Over the years, I’ve run into danger and chaos more times than I can remember. I’m very fortunate, considering where I’ve worked, that I utilized my firearm only once in the line of duty to suppress a potentially deadly riot involving nearly two hundred men. This says much of the incredible people with whom I’ve had the honor to work.

I’ve cleaned up my share of disturbing crime scenes. I’ve cried. I’ve fought for my own safety and the safety of others. I sustained two non-life threatening injuries requiring corrective surgery.  My family and I endured a long and painful seven-year depression undoubtedly due, in part, to emotional and psychological adversity, environmental hostility and the spiritually oppressive effects of a livelihood behind bars. I’ve also supervised and directly conversed with people of such historic criminal notoriety that they’ve been made the subject of books and full-length feature films.

Work and Faith

As a Catholic who has made a living working as a maximum-security prison guard, the integration of my faith and professional occupation has always been a challenge.

It wasn’t until recently, as I near the end of my career that I arrived at the Crossroads. I discovered a purposeful mission in prison. I discovered a reason to dust off my campaign hat and shine my badge. I discovered a means through which I exert some very tough love on some very impressionable young hearts in a place I’ve often referred to as the “belly of the beast.”

Project Crossroads

As one Crossroads advocate said “It’s one thing to act like a stone cold killer. It’s another thing to actually meet stone cold killers.”

The Project Crossroads Juvenile Diversionary Program brings at-risk females, between the ages of 10 and 18, in direct contact with volunteer inmates and staff for a very close look at the ice-cold reality of incarceration in a maximum-security prison.

Project Crossroads gained international recognition when it was filmed and broadcast by A & E Television as a record-breaking episode of Beyond Scared Straight.

Perspective

As harsh and uncharitable as this program may appear to those who have never been responsible for a dangerously at-risk child, Project Crossroads can be appreciated from a Christian perspective.

Consider the most incorrigible and obstinate person who refuses to acknowledge the love of God, the error of his ways, and the pain and suffering his actions have inflicted on those around him. Consider the compassion of Christ, who for love of the hardened soul, mystically intervenes and momentarily takes this living being to the pit of hell.

Just as this person is deterred by the horror of hell from living a life that would inevitably end in eternal fire, the at-risk youth of Crossroads are deterred by the frightening reality of prison from making any more bad choices and living a life that would inevitably end in incarceration.

Prison can be hell on earth and nobody wants to see his or her child go there.

Charity

My charitable intervention really begins at the end of each program and continues every day afterward. Project Crossroads is not funded to conduct individual follow-up.  I “follow-up” by prayerfully recalling the names, faces, tears and the brokenness of each young lady I’ve met at the Crossroads.

Some are motherless and some are fatherless. Some have both a mother and a father but would prefer to be elsewhere. Some live in fear. Some are neglected and abused. Gangs, alcohol, drugs and promiscuity seduce most of them. Some are hopeless and, at such a young age, believe they are a worthless failure. All of them succeed in making an indelible impression on my heart. I campaign for them on my knees.  I pray for their well-being and their healing.

I pray that our paths never intersect again within these prison walls.

+JMJ+

Project Crossroads
Valley State Prison for Women
Chowchilla, CA
559-665-6100

Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec

St. Raphael’s Ministries

20th San Francisco International Marian Conference
Jun 29- July 1, 2012

Crowne Plaza Hotel Conference Center
1221 Chess Dr., Foster City, CA 94044

Featured Speakers:

Fr. Michael Sears
Fr. Matthew Munoz
Mark Mallett
Sister Linda Koontz

For Registration:

Call or write St Raphael Ministries
PO Box 160 Half Moon Bay CA 94019
Local 650-726-5394
800-456-4197
Fax 510-897-6625

Click here for online registration

Holy Cross Ministries

The Holy Sprit Conference – “We Are One Body”
July 20-22, 2012

Radisson Hotel – Downtown Fresno

Featured Speakers:

Msgr. Patrick McCormick
Fr. John Hampsch
Fr. Christopher Crotty
Deacon Ed Valdez
Deacon Tom Ognibene

Annual Healing Retreat
Aug 24-26, 2012

Featured Retreat Master
Fr. Jerry Bevilacqua

St. Anthony Retreat Center
43816 Sierra Dr.
Three Rivers, CA

Contact Ben or Christy Villas (559) 271–1246 for Holy Spirit Conference and Annual Healing Retreat registration information.

Copyright 2012 Brian Kravec

In order to avoid a life on the shelf, there are some elements that you must add to your vessel by means of a child-like faith, daily prayer, humility, frequent sacramental Confession, the Mass and Holy Communion, fidelity to the teaching of the Church and a deep love for the Blessed Mother. These things are essential, along with your yes – your fiat – if you intend to be opened and poured out to anoint the Body of Christ.

As for my holy purpose – second to being the best husband and father I must be – I am blessed to write this column on CatholicMom.com. I also plan, promote and host “faith-raising” events through my local parish. I cherish the trust of Lisa Hendey and my pastor, Msgr. Patrick McCormick, and the loving support of my family that enables me to fulfill my purpose so freely. God has poured out abundant blessings and grace upon others by divinely blending the oil of my little yes with the aromatic fruit of genuinely inspiring Catholic artists, authors and speakers, among them, Mark Mallett.

Mark Mallett

Canadian, Mark Mallett, is not a manufactured entertainment “product”.  In fact, he walked away from an award-winning career in secular television journalism more than twelve years ago to follow Christ and be a fisher of men.  Matthew 4:19

Mark is a loving husband and father of eight beautiful children. He’s an extraordinary and soulful Catholic singer, songwriter, author and a truly gifted missionary and evangelist.  The power and brilliance of Mark’s message is found in the absence of his personal opinion and in the clear presentation of the teaching of the Church Fathers, Holy Scripture, the contemporary Popes and the approved apparitions and messages of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Spreading the Gospel of Life

“Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard, the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness” (Is 5:20) – Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae “The Gospel of Life”, n. 58

Evangelizing With Fortitude and Liberating With Truth

“Do not be afraid to throw open the doors of your heart to Jesus! To expose your past, your misery, your weakness, your poverty, wretchedness, and darkest moments.  The very first truth which sets us free is the truth about ourselves.” – Mark Mallett, The Final Confrontation 

Inspired by The Gospel of Life, Mark speaks boldly of disordered premarital sex, the evil of abortion, the sin of contraception and, cohabitation outside of marriage.

Mark speaks of shopping malls bursting at the seams on Sunday. He speaks of family entertainment media and retail outlets that are saturated with near-pornography.

He speaks of Satan, a liar and murderer, who wants nothing more and will settle for nothing less than our eternal damnation and separation from God in the unquenchable fires of a very real Hell.

A Voice For Our Times

Mark echoes the words of Blessed Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict the XVI and speaks with urgency of this present darkness.

Cardinal Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II)

“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel and the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of divine providence. It is a trial which the whole Church… must take up.”  August 13, 1976 

Pope John Paul II

“We are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the “culture of death” and the “culture of life.”  Evangelium Vitae “The Gospel of Life”, n. 28

Pope Benedict XVI to All the Bishops of the World

“The real problem at this moment of our history is that God is disappearing from the human horizon, and, with the dimming of the light which comes from God, humanity is losing its bearings, with increasingly evident destructive effects.”  March 10, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI, Easter Vigil Homily

“The darkness that poses a real threat to mankind, after all, is the fact that he can see and investigate tangible material things, but cannot see where the world is going or whence it comes, where our own life is going, what is good and what is evil. The darkness enshrouding God and obscuring values is the real threat to our existence and to the world in general. If God and moral values, the difference between good and evil, remain in darkness, then all other “lights”, that put such incredible technical feats within our reach, are not only progress but also dangers that put us and the world at risk.”  April 7th, 2012

Messenger of Mercy

Mark speaks of the power of God, who is Love, Who, as Perfect Love, heals our wounds, relieves our pain, and washes away our addictions, our destructive habits and every stain of every sin in the ocean of His mercy.

“What is so remarkable in this culture of death is that Jesus comes to us once again, not to condemn, but to offer us eternal life, to show us a way out of darkness into the light. That way is His mercy.” – Mark Mallett, The Final Confrontation

[Let] the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. – Diary of St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul, n.1146

Herald of Hope

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1324 

The only hope for humanity is Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is truly and really present among us in the Holy Eucharist – the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.

Mark Mallett, following in the footsteps of John the Baptist, is a herald of our only Hope. He is a herald of the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Eucharistic reign of Jesus Christ in the heart of every man, woman and child on the face of the earth. His is a tender and courageous voice singing out “Behold, the Lamb of God” as he leads us toward an Encounter with Jesus in the Real Presence.

“And they shall make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in the midst of them“
Exodus 25:8

+JMJ+

Links4U 

www.markmallett.com

Mark’s Music

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s book – The Final Confrontation

Embracing Hope.TV

Psalm 91

Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec 

It gives me great joy to share this powerful testimony with our CatholicMom family.

A True Story

I was a single mom going out with a girlfriend on a carefree-kid-free night. What began as an innocent night on the town ended up as an irresponsible, uncharacteristic and morally careless encounter with a man I had just met that evening.

The thrill of the encounter, the faux romance and immediate physical gratification passed in an instant. Contrary to the fruit of a sacramental union between a husband and wife as God intends, I felt empty, abandoned, worthless and ashamed. I drove home alone and in tears.

For several weeks I tried to live my life as though nothing had happened.  Providentially, I was preparing to attend a three-day Catholic women’s retreat known as Cursillo. Any enthusiasm I may have had about attending the retreat was overshadowed by a dark thought lurking in the back of my mind for several days. I suspected I was pregnant.

At first I dismissed the thought as paranoid. I rationalized that pregnancy was impossible because I had to be treated for infertility before conceiving my third child. Nevertheless, I forced myself to purchase a pregnancy test kit. The results were positive.

My heart sank into deep and unfamiliar despair. I tried to deny the truth even though I recognized all the physical signs of pregnancy. I felt I had nowhere to turn so I attended the Cursillo. It was during this retreat that God helped me understand how special I am to Him. I never felt more loved at any other time in my life. In spiritual intimacy, as only God can, He assured me that everything would be all right.

The quiet promise that God whispered in my heart remained to be realized when I returned home from the retreat.  Everything wasn’t all right. I had to face the harsh reality that I was pregnant. The terror of an uncertain future knocked me completely off balance.

What would my children think about my pregnancy?

How would they react?

How could I answer their questions?

My children weren’t my only concern. I was engaged to be married.

I started to panic. I began to lie. I thought it would be easier if I concealed the truth from everyone. I thought my pregnancy would be more socially acceptable if I told my fiancé that he was the father of my child. I was certain this was not true. Desperate and confused, I agreed to marry him the following month.

The day arrived quickly.  God knew I wasn’t ready to make this commitment. I knew in my heart that I could not – should not – marry a man that loved me based on the lie that I was pregnant with his child. I didn’t sign a certificate of marriage on that day or any other day. Our engagement and our relationship eventually came to a very sad end.

Time passed. Fear consumed me and the peace of God’s promise eluded me again.  A horrible thought occurred to me as I agonized over what I should do next.  I thought I could have an abortion and then tell everyone that I had a miscarriage.

I started thumbing through the phone book and found an enormous ad under “A” for abortion on the very first page.  It read in big, bold letters: “Abortions to 24 weeks. Unplanned pregnancy ended while you sleep.” There was also a photo of a young, attractive woman with a bright, confident smile on her face. I now believe that the photo was intended to give me a false sense of peace and empowerment regarding the decision I was about to make to end my child’s life.

I phoned the clinic and explained that I was four months pregnant.

“No problem,” they said, “you won’t feel a thing.” The clinic also accepted credit cards for my convenience.

I scheduled the appointment. I convinced myself that my life would soon be back to normal after the abortion.  I only succeeded in convincing myself of another lie.

I recently completed my full initiation into the Catholic Church. I learned through the course of instruction that “direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 2271).

With this in mind, I struggled intensely to rationalize my decision to have an abortion. I lied to myself again. I told myself that it would be acceptable to have the abortion as long as I hadn’t yet felt the baby move. The stronger inner voice of Truth reminded me that life begins at the moment of conception.

In the midst of my interior tug-of-war, I began to see the brilliant light of God’s truth exposing the darkness of abortion as the evil it really is. This wasn’t merely a relative question of right or wrong or a person’s right to choose.

This was a matter of life or death.

I realized I needed to come forward with the truth. Telling the truth meant admitting that I had intentionally deceived my family, my fiancé and my friends. Telling the truth after so many lies was frightening and difficult. The fear of being scrutinized, judged and rejected was overwhelming. Being truthful was the first step to regaining the freedom I sacrificed when I turned away from God’s grace, began to lie and came so close to killing my innocent child.

I told everyone about my infidelity. It was indescribably painful to witness the initial expression of shock on the faces of those who love and care for me. I accepted responsibility for hurting many people with my lies and my lack of trust in their willingness and ability to love and support me.

I asked for their forgiveness. God showered me with that precious gift in the fountain of their tears.

My parents’ plea for the life of the child opened my heart completely to the realization of God’s will and the fulfillment of His promise. I canceled my abortion appointment and announced my intention to place my child for adoption. Making this decision was like suddenly receiving the gift of sight after a lifetime of blindness. I focused my new vision on His beacon of truth.

I prayed more deeply for greater trust in God. I began to listen to God more intently. I allowed Him to put the pieces of my life back together. I hadn’t totally cleared the storm, but I was confident that I was heading in the right direction.

I also prayed that God would help me find the best possible parents for my child. It wasn’t a coincidence that my physician knew a very special Catholic couple that carried a cross of infertility through twenty-seven years of marriage. I agreed to meet with them.

The formal interview lasted nearly three hours. We exchanged many personal questions and answers in an atmosphere of trust and peace.  They assured me that they would love my baby as their very own child.

I invited them to each prenatal visit. We were able to witness the inconceivable miracle of the baby’s development. We heard the strong, rhythmic heart beat and we could count all the fingers and toes.

We also learned that the baby was a boy. At that moment, I knew, looking in the eyes of the parents-to-be, that they loved him even before he was born.

As I recovered in my room following his healthy delivery, I received the most beautiful birth announcement from the adoptive mother and father. My eyes were filled with tears of pure joy and my heart overflowed in thanksgiving to God. It wasn’t until after this precious child was born that I understood and so deeply appreciated what God had accomplished through me.

I cannot now, so many years later, without trembling and regret, recollect that I ever considered ending his life as he rested so vulnerably and so safely in the sanctuary of my womb.

Choose Life

Life begins at the moment of conception.

Tragically, every child conceived is not born.

Every child born is not conceived in a union of love between a husband and a wife and joyfully welcomed into the world and a family to grow and thrive.

Life is a gift from God and God alone is the only author of each life from conception to natural death.

There is only one right choice for your future and the future of your child.

I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live (Deuteronomy, 30:19).

+JMJ+

Links 4U

Video Link

National Council For Adoption

Priests For Life

Rachel’s Vineyard – Healing the pain of abortion

Sign the Life at Conception Act Petition

Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec

The CatholicMom family joined them in prayerful support as they personally journeyed to bring a nearly four-year adoption process to a happy ending and a new beginning.

In March, shortly after the birth of their second child, Mark and Lauren were called to Honduras to complete the adoption.

Mark remained more than three weeks and joyfully returned to Ohio with their newest, oldest son, Mario (Jovel) Jesus Loboda!

I hope Mario’s journey is a source of affirmation and encouragement for all adoptive parents that with patience, perseverance and trust, all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

+JMJ+

Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec

Pooh’s normal place is somewhere in our child’s bedroom, I think. But the golden bear with the rumbly tumbly has been sitting on the edge of our entrance hall table since the beginning of Lent. He doesn’t make a sound. He appears to be engaged in a large red book titled All About Honey that he’s holding firmly between his feet. If he had a sleeve, you couldn’t say that he was wearing his emotions on it. His snout is virtually expressionless, yet he pulls at the heart strings of everyone whose attention he merits by his little presence.

Before now, I wouldn’t have thought that an animated cartoon character could teach us anything about works of mercy. But that was before Pooh.

Of all the spiritual exercises and assorted austerities practiced during Lent, I believe our eight-year-old daughter is nose-to-nose with the best of us. She has a profound understanding of the simple meaning of alms giving and it’s not costing her a single penny! It’s all summed up in the out-of-place little ceramic bear with a slot in his back and a rubber cap on his bottom. The handwritten sign with the four big hearts that’s scotch taped to the table beneath Pooh’s feet reads “Put extra change for the poor. Thank you.”

Kid’s do the greatest things! They really can teach us how to be better grown-ups.

As for Pooh, well, he’s getting heavier every day.

+JMJ+

Originally published on Catholic Exchange, March 15, 2006

Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec

Join Canadian singer/songwriter, author and Catholic evangelist, Mark Mallett, for an Encounter with Jesus, at St. Patrick’s Parish in Merced, CA, Monday, April 16 from 7-9PM.

All of life’s worries and business can take it’s toll. Let Mark’s soul-soothing music, life-changing message, Eucharistic adoration and the healing power of Christ restore and rejuvenate your spirit. A free-will offering will be taken.

About Mark Mallet

Singing and playing guitar since the age of nine, Mark Mallett is a Canadian singer/songwriter & Catholic evangelist. Since leaving his career as a successful television journalist in 2000, Mark has been touring extensively throughout North America and abroad giving parish missions & concerts, and speaking and ministering at retreats, conferences and Catholic schools.

He had the privilege of singing at the Vatican and presenting his music to Pope Benedict XVI. Mark has appeared on EWTN’s Life on the Rock as well as on a number of other television and radio broadcasts.

http://www.markmallett.com/Songs.html (song clips)

http://vimeo.com/1838302 (video clips)

Lent begins Ash Wednesday, February 22. It’s not too soon to chart your course.

I recommend beginning each day with a Morning Offering prayer. I didn’t understand the importance of the Morning Offering until 1997. It was explained to me during a wonderful visit with Joey Lomangino who founded the Workers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

More than fifty years ago, during a vacation trip to Europe, Joey attended Mass celebrated by St. Padre Pio at San Giovanni Rotundo in Foggia, Italy. St. Pio affirmed his own belief of the Marian apparitions of San Sebastian de Garabandal and personally encouraged Joey to make a pilgrimage to the tiny mountain hamlet where our Blessed Mother allegedly appeared from 1961-1965. You can click here to read Joey’s amazing story.

Joey told me that Our Lady of Garabandal requested that we incorporate specific spiritual devotions in our daily life including The Morning Offering, Daily Mass and Communion, Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary and Scapular and Devotion to St. Michael.
The value of your day is inestimable to God. The Morning Offering gift-wraps each breath and heartbeat along with your labor, your joy, your hardship and your devotions of faith and unites them with the most powerful prayer on earth being offered around the world – the Holy Mass – and returns them to God for the intentions of the Pope, in reparation for sin, the relief and release of souls in purgatory and for the fulfillment of His Divine Will.

When you awake each morning, before your feet hit the floor, bless yourself with the Sign of the Cross in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Give your entire day to God without reservation. Click here to find the perfect morning offering prayer for you and don’t waste a single minute of these forty days of Lent.

+JMJ+ 

Links 4U 

The Allegiance Prayer of the Lay Apostles

The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec

I’m my wife’s husband and my daughter’s dad. I’m one of more than thirty thousand correctional peace officers in one of thirty-three maximum-security prisons on the west coast who pound out a living working nose to nose with hundreds of incarcerated persons on a daily basis.

I’m a trusted planner and promoter of large-scale faith building events in my parish community. I’m one of only a handful of men among more than one hundred privileged contributors who write for Lisa Hendey, author and founder of CathoilcMom.com, one of the most popular Catholic sites on the World Wide Web. I consider myself extraordinarily blessed with the enduring love of family and more genuine friends than I truly deserve.

But, anyone who really knows me will laugh with me because we all know that at the end of my best days, everything that I am, along with two shiny quarters, usually won’t even buy me a bag of chips!

What Happened

That’s exactly how I felt a few weeks ago when I was reclined in the dentist office under the intense light of my trusted and pleasantly inquisitive hygienist who’s searching for a place for her family to grow in faith. I did my best in between the picks and the scrapes to tell her a little about the beauty and fullness of the Catholic Church. She sent me off with my beautiful, clean smile and I walked out feeling as though I just didn’t put myself out deeply enough to cast the net and bring her in the boat. After all, we are fishers of men. Matthew 4:18-22

What I Did

Last year, thanks to a great friend with a profound understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Christ, our parish was evangelized by means of The Dynamic Catholic Parish Book Program. About one thousand copies of Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly and Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor by Allen Hunt were distributed freely to anyone who wanted a copy.

I rushed home to find my last extra copy of Rediscover Catholicism along with Kelly’s CD, The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality, both available through Dynamic Catholic.com. I loosely wrapped the book and CD in some tissue paper and delivered them on my way to work with a Christmas card the very same day.

What I Discovered 

I spent the next morning searching for a means to help me be a more effective on-the-spot evangelist. I discovered Catholics Come Home. National corporate advertising executive and entrepreneur, Tom Peterson, founded Catholics Come Home, Inc. in response to Blessed Pope John Paul II’s call for a New Evangelization utilizing modern media as a means of achieving it.

The Catholics Come Home team is comprised of and endorsed by a who’s who of Catholic apologetics and evangelization including John Cardinal Foley, Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., Matthew Kelly, Patrick Madrid, Dr. Scott Hahn, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, Bishop Jaime Soto, Dr. Aurelie Hagstrom, Teresa Tomeo, Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR and many others.

Evangelization is Our Business 

Lori Miller, CatholicMom columnist, recently reminded us that our baptism is a share in the life of Christ as Priest, Prophet and King. “As Christians, we are called to take on these roles.  We are the body of Christ.  We are the children of God.  When we live these roles, we bring Christ’s light to this dark world.  We are the candles while he is the flame.”

Catholics Come Home helps ordinary Catholics like you and me be Priest, Prophet, King and candle to those who are Catholic and seeking a deeper faith, those who are not Catholic but are seeking the fullness of the Truth and those who used to be Catholic who are seeking the Way Home.

Evangelize 

One click on the shop tab of Catholics Come Home opens up a categorized gold mine of affordable hand-out/take-away evangelization and apologetic resources from Dynamic Catholic, Light House Catholic Media and the most highly recommended books and CDs of the most inspirational authors and evangelists of the Catholic Church. There’s something for everybody.

My favorite resource is the Catholics Come Home.org Evangelization cards. They’re designed as a business card for easy distribution and serve as take-away “key” for the recipient to unlock and privately explore the treasures of the Catholic Church without pressure or obligation on the interactive Catholics Come Home.org Web site. You can write your personal contact information on the back of the card for one-on-one follow-up.

With the help of your family at Catholics Come Home, pointing the way to our Home in Rome has never been easier.

+JMJ+

EPIC – National :60 from Catholics Come Home on Vimeo.

Copyright 2012 Brian K. Kravec

The First Date

The seeds of love were planted at first site before their first date. There wasn’t a doubt in Mark’s mind or heart that he would spend the rest of his life with the beautiful young woman sharing a booth at a local Denny’s in rural Ohio. Lauren sat across from Mark and excitedly declared her love for another young man to whom she desired to devote her entire life. Technically, it wasn’t a marriage proposal but Mark’s immediate response wasn’t anything a girl would expect to hear after telling the man of her dreams, while on their first date, that her heart also belonged to Jovel, an orphan, whom she met in Honduras, Central America. Mark exclaimed “I’m in” which eight months later blossomed into a sacramental “I do.”

The Honeymoon

Prior to meeting Mark, as a twenty-three year old graduate from The Ohio State University, Lauren dedicated nine months of service in Honduras as a Mercy Corps missionary through the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Much of Lauren’s personal time was spent at La Casa Corazon de la Misiercordia (Heart House of Mercy) orphanage. It was at La Casa that Lauren became acquainted with Jovel, an adorable, highly energetic and clingy four year old boy. Jovel is HIV positive which is very likely the reason he was abandoned as a two month old baby. Now ten years old, he’s never had a family member come to visit him or inquire about him at the orphanage. Millions of children, like Jovel, are directly and indirectly orphaned as the result of being infected with HIV or by the death of a mother and father due to HIV/AIDS related illness.

Though Honduras is not an ultimate dream destination for young newlyweds, Lauren and Mark Loboda charted their course to The Heart House of Mercy in Central America. It was in this honeymoon meeting, as Mark embraced Jovel for the very first time, that The Orphan’s Prayer was conceived.

The Orphan’s Prayer is Born

After returning several times to volunteer at the Honduran orphanage, Mark and Lauren began the formal adoption process. They also responded to God’s call to develop and launch a ministry with a mission to promote adoption and fostering, find loving homes for children who are orphaned and supply humanitarian aid to orphanages in Honduras, Ghana and Rwanda.

Heart House of Mercy, Honduras

The government of Honduras requires that spouses seeking to adopt be married a minimum of three years. Mark and Lauren have recently celebrated their third wedding anniversary and are in the final stages of bringing Jovel home into their growing family. There are currently a total of 40 children living at the Heart House of Mercy with Jovel and they are in need of your prayers and generosity.

Children’s Home of Hope in Ghana, West Africa

Elvis Morris Dunkoh started helping orphans when he was a sixteen year old orphan. He founded Children’s Home of Hope in 2007 and has cared for 17 HIV negative children whose parents have died of HIV/AIDS. These children need parents and a safe and loving home where they can grow and thrive. Are you interested in adopting?

Home for Youth in Rwanda, East Africa

Fr. Jean Bosco Gakirage, a Comboni missionary priest, returned to his homeland of Rwanda in search of any surviving family members immediately following the horrific 1994 holocaust. He discovered 14 children living in his parent’s former home. They told their uncle, “We would rather starve and die together than to let our friends die alone on the street.” Fr. Jean Bosco has struggled to meet the needs of the older children for more than 17 years.

Thanks to the work of The Orphan’s Prayer with Fr. Jean Bosco, three students who were orphaned as babies and toddlers during the Rwandan holocaust were sponsored to come to the USA to attend local high schools. They arrived in August of 2011 and are living with their new foster families.

However, the other children need your help. They need parents who can foster them in the United States as they come here to improve their education and quality of life.  Are you interested in being a foster parent?

You Can Help

The Orphan’s Prayer is a 501(c) 3. Your donations help to fund food, clothing, shelter, medicine, education, adoption fees and airline tickets. You can also purchase faith-expressive jewelry, bracelets, rosaries and fair trade coffee to benefit orphans and their families.

Together we can answer The Orphan’s Prayer.

The Orphan’s Prayer

501(c) 3

P.O. Box 1150

Hudson, Ohio 44236

Phone: (330) 653-9596

Email: TheOrphansPrayer@gmail.com

www.TheOrphansPrayer.org 

+JMJ+

Copyright 2011 Brian K. Kravec