Chairman’s Thoughts

Join the Cleveland Catholic Forum & Lawyers for Life for lunch with Fr. Frank Pavone from Priests for Life. Fr. Pavone will be talking on the issue of Building A Culture of Life.

When
Wednesday, August 20th At 12:00 Noon

Where
Sammy’s Metropolitan Ballroom
925 Euclid Ave.
Huntington Bank Building
Suite 2100
Cleveland, OH 44115

Cost
Tickets are $20.
Click Here To Order Your Tickets To
“Building A Culture of Life” With Fr. Frank Pavone.

About the Speaker
Fr. Frank Pavone is one of the most prominent pro-life leaders in the nation. He serves as the National Director of Priests for Life. He has traveled to all of the 50 states and to five continents, preaching and teaching the building of a culture of life. In 1999, Fr. Pavone was named among the Top 100 Catholics of the Century. He serves on Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family Institute. The National Right to Life Committee awarded him their highest honor, the Proudly Pro-life Award. The Franciscan University of Steubenville bestowed on him an honorary doctorate, in recognition of his pro-life work. He is a leader of the people and countless lives have been saved due to his work.

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Join the Cleveland Catholic Forum, St. Mary’s Seminary & Bioethics for Life for a presentation of the Pope Benedict XVI’s message to America by Vatican-insider Dr. Robert Moynihan.

When
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
7 PM - Talk
8 PM - Refreshments & Book Signing

Where
The Center for Pastoral Leadership
28700 Euclid Ave.
Wickliffe, OH 44092

Cost
Free Admission

About the Speaker
Dr. Robert Moynihan has interviewed and met with Pope Benedict XVI over 25 times, and is the publisher of the esteemed Inside the Vatican magazine. His new hit book “Let God’s Light Shine Forth: The Spiritual Vision of Pope Benedict XVI” is quickly gaining wide acclaim.

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Hi Friends,

The Cleveland Catholic Forum’s July 3rd Holy Hour will be cancelled due to Independce Day.  Please pray for our great nation.

 Thank you,

 Joe Soltis

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The rights of Christians are under attack again! Consider what has happened just in the last week:

• In New Jersey, East Brunswick High School officials told football coach Marcus Borden he cannot kneel and bow his head while members of his team have a student-led pre-game prayer.
• In Wisconsin’s Tomah Area School District, a teacher refused to give a student identified only as A.T. a grade on an art project because his work included “John 3:16″ as well as “A sign of love.” However, Buddha, Hindu and sorcerers are considered “approved” forms of art by the school.
• In Mt. Vernon, Ohio, school leaders told teacher John Freshwater he must put his Bible out of sight when students are in his room. Mr. Freshwater has refused to do so. He has had a Bible on his desk for the past 18 years.

Our religious freedoms are slowly being taken away, mainly because Christians have not taken a stand! People of faith are being forced to remain silent while other religions are accepted in the name of “tolerance.”

This is wrong.  This is un-American.  All of this has happened at the same time that Pope Benedict XVI was in our nation asking us to reweaken to Christ our Hope.  When you hear of injustices such as this - be firm, stand strong and let your voice be known.

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The Cleveland Catholic Forum recently had an event entitled “The God of Washington: Religion, Liberty & The Founder of Our Country.”   The keynote of the event was theologian, author of 26 books, and former U.S. Ambassador, Michael Novak.  He talked about his latest book, Washington’s God, Liberty, Religion & The Founder of our Country.

The Cleveland Catholic Forum hosted this event for two basic reasons:
First, we love God, and second, we love our country

Looking back, I remember when I was a young boy, my Mom and Dad would point to the American Flag and I would look up to it with awe as they told me that the flag symbolized the sacrifices of generations that created and built a nation. Today, that nation offers more freedom, hope and love for God and neighbor than any nation before in history.

I see in daily life, talking with family, friends, coworkers, and volunteer organizations, and in the heart and soul of America, that Love for God and neighbor is still the rock-solid foundation and deep felt belief of this blessed nation.

So much of our national identity and values come from God, our Creator, and it was instilled in our nation by the will of God through his instruments - our founding fathers.  John Adams, a patriot, founder of our nation, and U.S. President stated that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

I ask if the American people want God to be the foundation of our society?  If the founding fathers – the very ones who wrote the Constitution that governs our land - want God to be the foundation of our society?  If having God in the public discourse is so important for so great a nation?  Then, why are we constantly being told by a powerful and vocal minority of elites that our nation has no room for God in public life?

Removing God from public discourse is wrong.  The excessive separation of church and state that we see today is not what the founders intended.  Not only do the American people want God to play a leading role in their nation, but the historical facts and opinions of our founders, the Declaration of Independence, and the United States Constitution all push for and allow for faith to play a huge role in government, society and free thought.

So my friends, I encourage you to pray for the United States of America, and to bring God into your daily life.

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You may not be aware of the situation in Berkeley, California. Here is the situation. The Berkeley City Council has told the Marine Recruiting Office to get out of Berkeley.

Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina has put together a video that shows you explicitly what the City Council members of Berkeley said about our Marines and the effort to force the recruiters to leave the city. They include comments from the Mayor who says that the Marines “don’t belong here in Berkeley.”

These people aren’t just against the war, they are against our soldiers who are fighting and dying in that war.

Contact the Mayor of Berkeley and tell him your thoughts:

Mr. Tom Bates, Mayor
Berkeley Mayor
2180 Milvia Street
Berkeley, CA  94704
Primary Phone: 510-981-6900
Fax: 510-981-6901
E-Mail: Mr. Tom Bates, Berkeley Mayor

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After John McCain’s 3rd straight primary victory, as well as victories by Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, and Rudy Giuliani’s non-stop failure to win a primary or caucus, Rudy Giuliani is set to announce that he is withdrawing from the race to win the Republican Party Nomination.

Many pundits are shocked by his fall from grace with the American public.  They ask, “How could a 9/11 hero, who was such a good manager of New York City fall from front-runner to defeated in just two short months?”

The answer is simple:
1) A Republican Party nominee must be truly pro-life.  Every year the nation as a whole becomes more and more pro-life.  Almost every major poll has backed this fact up for years.  The Republican Party has always been solidly pro-life and that is not going to change.  If a person can look at a 3D ultrasound and not see that that infant deserves the dignity and protection of their own life – you have to question the wisdom of that person.

2) The Republican Party nominee must be a friend of the family and a friend of traditional marriage.  Rudy Giuliani was not.

3) The American people want a President that has lived a virtuous life where he or she  treats their family with love, fidelity and respect.  If a person has made a mistake,; American people who are decent and forgiving, are willing to forgive someone for their personal sins – if they publicly repent.  Sadly, Rudy has made mistakes in his personal life, but he never repented, at least to the knowledge of the American people.

There is a moral lesson that all of us can take from the failure of the presidential candidacy of Rudy Giuliani.  In our personal lives, it is very important that we always strive to live our lives in perfect service to others, starting with our family and then with the community.  If we make a mistake, we should repent from the bottom of our hearts, and then move on.

Often we find when looking at our own lives and looking and the lives of those in public service, that if we just live our lives the way God asks us to, we will find greater success in our lives here on earth.

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Join the Cleveland Catholic Forum and theologian, author, and former U.S. ambassador, Michael Novak, on Tuesday, February 19, at St. Bernadette Church in Westlake. Join us at 7pm for Rosary and Mass. An 8pm talk by Michael Novak concerning religion, liberty and the Father of our Country, George Washington, will follow.

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This presentation of a religious Washington, faithful to God’s will, brings him into the center of today’s debates about the role of faith in government and will challenge everything we thought we knew about the inner life of the founder of the greatest nation in history. This speech will reawaken you to the religious rights and duties of the American citizen.

After his talk, Michael Novak will answer questions from those attending. He will also be signing his latest book, God of Washington, which will be available for purchase. Proceeds will go to the Cleveland Catholic Forum.

When:
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
7 PM Rosary & Mass
8 PM Talk Followed by Questions & Answers
8:45 PM Book Signing & Refreshments

Where:
St. Bernadette Church
2256 Clague Rd.
Westlake, OH 44070

All people of all faiths are welcome. This event is free to attend.

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During our last Cleveland Catholic Forum event, “Cleveland Church Clustering: Building Faith Communities Beyond Parish Boundaries,”  I gave a brief talk prior to Bishop Roger Gries keynote address, that highlighted a simple fact: 

As good Christians we often focus on the flaws of the Catholic Church and look for ways to improve them.  However, every now and then, it is important to remember the tremendous amount of good that the Church does.

So here are some facts about the Catholic Church and what it is:

A Church that feeds and clothes millions of people every day

A Church that provides medical care to those that can’t afford it or find it

A Church that provides hope to the oppressed

A Church that stands up for the rights of the innocent – the unborn, the elderly, the orphan, the refugee

A Church that unifies the family

A Church that schools our children and gives back to the community

A Church that teaches forgiveness, love and patience

A Church that can provide the moral leadership that can help to bring down tyrants and free nations

A Church that lifts the sinner to sainthood

A Church that betters our own lives

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