Surf's Up: Is a Catholic Revival in the Work?

I enjoy talking to people who call about one of our programs. And yes, it helps when people that call actually order the programs ... because that helps me to relax, and believe (for a little while at least) that I'm obeying God's will in this endeavor. (See blog post, "Trust and Obey.") The stories are piling up, so I thought I'd share a few with you.

Actually, on an early post (EWTN Apologetics) I shared a few stories. But here are some more.

"The Church Has It All Wrong!" but He's Still Watching EWTN

Frank (I'm changing all the names) has written twice now to tell me in long letters that Dr. Ray's confusion, which Ray mentions at the beginning of Why Be Catholic? (Frank's watched the presentation on EWTN), is the result of listening to different church leaders instead of just reading the Bible. Frank writes:

If Dr. Guarendi would just go farther back and study the Bible, and stop listening to all those different churches, he wouldn't be so confused.

Frank not only distrusts the Roman Catholic Church, but also every other church he's ever attended. It's interesting that Frank continues to watch EWTN. The long letters he writes, I suspect, is the result of God knocking on his door. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Called to the Priesthood...Still Searching
On Friday, Bob, a Congregational Minister from Georgia called. He's been watching Dr. Ray and Fr. Fete's What Catholics Really Believe series on EWTN. We had a wonderful discussion. He says (and I'm paraphrasing what I remember from these conversations):

I believe I was called to the priesthood when I was 5-years old. I'm not even sure why I fell away from Catholicism, but I did. Got married, divorced, stayed single for a long time because I believed what the Church taught about marriage and I didn't want to commit adultery. But eventually I remarried and recently was asked to pastor this church here in Georgia. But, you know I just don't feel fulfilled. I long for The Eucharist. I'm not there yet, and I want to be.

Pray for Bob. He says he watches EWTN and is fed a great deal by Fr. Benedict Groeschel and Fr. John Corapi, and now Fr., ooops,....Dr. Ray Guarendi.

Dr. Ray in Slovakia (?)
Several weeks ago, we received an Internet order for a copy of Why Be Catholic? from Slovakia. As is usually the case, the buyer (and I'll use his real name here, Michael King) didn't click on the Global Priority shipping button which would have added the international postage. When we asked for that by e-mail, Michael asked if we couldn't send the DVD by some slow boat to save the cost, as their little "ministry" is always hard up for cash. We paid for the Global Priority shipping and a few days ago I received an international letter package from Michael thanking me for our generosity. Enclosed were several newsletters from his ministry. Michael, his wife, and children were Protestant missionaries from Germany, to various places on the globe for over 40 years. Thirteen years ago (c. 1994) they began traveling through Europe with their children and living out of a trailer, home schooling their children in the morning, and then, in the afternoon and evenings, singing on street corners handing out Gospel tracks, and ministering one-one-one with individuals that would stop and talk to them. They performed concerts in churches, and regularly arrange for humanitarian aid (food, clothing and plumbing supplies) to be shipped in from Germany to the poorer Eastern Block countries that they minister in. Soon, two other families joined them. They stay in a country for about a year before moving on to another, doing their best to minister with their gifts to the poorest areas of Eastern Europe. Then, in 2000, all three families converted to Catholicism. But their ministry remains very much the same. You can read about their fascinating ministry at www.redletterkids.com. The Internet Service they use is probably free and thus you'll have to wade through some pop-up ads. But the extra "work" is worth it, for here you'll catch a glimpse of an evangelization ministry that is a model for all of us. And the DVD we sent them? Why Be Catholic? is being used as part of a Friday evening English Club that Michael's extended family puts on. People come to practice their English and listen to Dr. Ray tell them about Catholicism; and we've given them limited permission to convert the DVD into PAL and give it to individuals that are serious about investigating the Church. I tell you, St. Paul has noting on these missionaries.

A Daughter Comes Home

Closer to home I had a chance to talk to Glen, who came into the Catholic Church 6 years ago and is now a coordinator for his parish's RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) class. He ordered a copy of What Catholics Really Believe for use in their RCIA class. As we were talking I told him about the Common Ground project. In shorthand, here's what he told me:

I have an adult daughter that is a Christian, but after I became Catholic she would not talk to me about Catholicism at all. It was real hard on our relationship. Then he happened to see Common Ground. It totally changed her perspective on the Church, and she started going to St. Anastasia, Fr. John's church, where she is now in RCIA. And on top of that , her husband is in RCIA as well, and she's convinced her sister to do the same her husband. So, I've not only seen Common Ground, but I have a copy that I loan out to friends.

Mrs. Pope
In this next story I have to use her real last name (changed her first name) and you'll see why. Patricia Pope (in her 60s I would guess) called from a little town in the Panhandle of TX (that's a sunset over the Panhandle, by the way). In recent years she has reluctantly got involved with prison ministry. She teaches a catechism class at the local men's prison every Friday. I don't know what Patricia looks like but I imagine this little gray-haired lady teaching Sunday School with a class of over-sized, muscle-busting, hardened criminals. At the front of the class, Mrs. Pope stands unwavering with a bloodied ruler in her right hand, a Bible in her left, and the Catechism text displayed on an overhead. Look out guys, judgment is coming sooner than you think. So, pray for this Pope as "she" teaches Catholicism to those in prison. (St. Paul has to love this woman! God bless her!)

But more interesting is how she got her last name. She married a Baptist. Pope was his name. And with a name like that, and marrying a Catholic girl, he couldn't stay Baptist for long. Yes, he converted, and has now spends his "spare time" with the rest of the saints in heaven.

Mrs. Pope ordered Dr. Ray's DVD Why Be Catholic? from us a while back and used it with the men at the prison. She said

That Dr. Ray ... his style is really needed because the Evangelicals at the prison are always hassling the Catholics and the Catholics haven't known what to say in response. But Dr. Ray as a way of talking, and the men were rapt with attention.

I bet they were -- or she rapped their knuckles -- I suspect.

So, on the night she called, she had just caught the second episode of What Catholics Really Believe on EWTN and was excited. She ordered a Study Guide and will download one as well so she can be sure to make copies for all the men in her class. Nothing like a captive audience. (Groan!)

Now this from Pam...

That Guy Really is Smart!
I took a call from a southern-accented Baptist man who did not want to leave his name or order anything from us. He just wanted to ask "that psychologist" some questions. I asked if he wanted to ask me, since Dr. Ray was not available... : ) So, he asked the normal Baptist-type questions about Mary, saints, annulments, etc... and thanked me very much for my time and answers. Then he asks: "By the way, did that psychologist ever become Catholic?" I said, "Oh, yes." Then he said:

That guy really is smart! I really like listening to him. I have a college degree and I was in the Navy, so I'm no dummy. He's really good. I even turned up the volume all the way, I liked it so much.

To Dr. Ray, we are just so thankful for you -- that people who are seeking or in need of support for their faith have such a good source for encouragement and truth. God bless you, and our best to your whole family-I'll never forget my romp in the snow with your kids when I was there. It was the last good chance of the season to play in the snow, and I loved it!! : )

-- Pam Williams

As I mentioned several of these stories to fellow-producer and apologist Steve Ray he wrote back: "From the crest of one wave to the crest of another. Surf well my friend!"

Indeed. Surf's Up! (Sounds like a theme.)

EWTN Apologetics

In a recent communiqué to our customers I was describing how EWTN had been slow in making a decision about whether or not to air one of our television programs. It was not until another network picked up the project that EWTN backed away. The reasons were interesting but not theological. In fact, I was told that our program had passed the theological test that EWTN applies to such projects.

But in communicating to my customers about the delay at EWTN I wrote something that was interpreted by EWTN differently than I had intended it. So, I want to spend a few moments defending what I believe is EWTN's critical ministry.

Now, that probably sounds arrogant -- that I should feel the need to defend EWTN. But, for the sake of some quarters, it IS needed, although far be it from me to defend something that was clearly raised up by God against all odds.

As I travel the country and communicate with many involved in Catholic Communications, there is an on-going criticism of EWTN among those of us who are trying to evangelize the culture. There is a tendency to see EWTN as evangelizing the "choir" and a very old and sensitive one at that. The derogatory comments that I hear (and I will admit at times agree with) are not vicious, or malicious, or mean spirited. They are mostly about how some programming comes off as boring, staid or didactic.

I agree that there needs to be a parallel universe to EWTN—a network that uses the communication model of the culture—something that can be done I believe without compromising Catholic teaching. Sirius Radio 159, The Catholic Channel, is attempting to do that without ever feeling that they are competing with EWTN who can be found next door at Sirius 160.

What we need to remember, however, is that EWTN fulfills a instructional need that was missing in America for decades, and maybe longer. If the attitude that EWTN now exhibits about instructing adults in the faith, had been in the parish for the past 100 years, the Catholic Church would be a lot better off. Let me explain.

The Biggest Obstacle

It may come as a surprise to some American Catholic leaders that a significant reason more Christians are not Catholic in this country is the poor Christian example led by what appears to be a majority of adult Catholics. This is something that some Catholic converts I know, and I could invoke the names of many well known Catholic apologists, have repeated publicly and privately: "Catholics are the biggest obstacle to Catholicism."

That sound bite needs explanation. When I marginalize "Catholics" in that condemnation, I am not referring to Catholics who are on-fire with their faith, or who get shivers up their spine when they pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I am not talking about the Catholics that wear their faith on their sleeve and forehead, nor am I referring to those Catholics who read their Bible everyday and spend time regularly before the Blessed Sacrament praying for lost souls.

When I say, "Catholics are the biggest obstacle to Catholicism" I mean to invoke Catholics who are baptized and confirmed, and who may even get to Mass every Sunday, but their religion stops right there. Even without committing a grave sin short of ambivalence, I am referring to Catholics who are embarrassed to be Christian. They would never think twice about spending a regular time in prayer in the morning, or an examination of conscience at night. I refer to Catholics who daily demonstrate bigotry, who openly sin and are proud of it, who disregard the church's teachings on artificial contraception, and who avoid the confessional like a plague. These "Catholics" may go to Sunday Mass, but their lives during the week are strictly pagan, or agnostic in practice. EWTN is trying to change that.

Needed: ADULT Sunday School

Much of what I have seen in the lives of marginal Catholics is the result of how the Catholic religious education system failed to teach the faith -- a vibrant, committed faith -- to generations of American Catholics. How to do that is something that American Catholicism can learn from American Evangelicalism, by implementing an active adult religious education system that includes such Evangelical "innovations" such as adult Sunday School. But in parish after parish, there is an arrogance that Evangelicalism can't teach Catholicism a thing and so this very ineffective religious education system is still in place. Many priests have the same arrogant attitude toward EWTN. And so, Catholics are rote-fed the faith through Eighth Grade -- and after confirmation, formal religious education stops, despite efforts by the USCCB to change the culture and get parishes to focus on adults. Yet, focusing on adult catechesis is what EWTN has been doing for a long time.

I was once with a prominent Catholic convert who was talking with his bishop. The bishop remarked that the convert had obviously seen the shining witness of other Catholics in the community and that is what attracted the convert to the Catholic Church. We both bit our tongues, lips, and grit our teeth. Just the opposite was true. As many converts will attest, despite the presence of saintly Catholics scattered around us, we became Catholic in spite of the everyday Catholics we knew. EWTN is desperately trying to change that.

EWTN has focused on adult catechesis with an intense 24/7/366 effort, trying to overcome the lax instruction that has plagued America for several generations. In so doing, by keeping their charter singular, clear and pure, EWTN has tried to obliterate the major obstacle to becoming Catholic. I think it has been remarkably successful.

That success was never so evident as when one of our television programs was aired on EWTN early in May 2007. Now, while I think the program we produced was good, please don't see these comments as a pat on our back, but rather as a commendation of EWTN's ability to reach people that the church has been unable to reach beforehand.

Here are several examples from personal experience.

Maryalice, The Evangelist

After this particular program of ours aired we received a number of calls from people wanting to order the DVD. We expected that. What we didn't expect is that a significant percentage were people who were just learning their faith, or were Protestants who were just discovering Catholicism. I personally fielded six calls in three days from Protestants who were asking questions and admitted that they were discovering things about Catholicism they never realized. These were people that had been watching EWTN for sometime. Their inquiries were not the result of just one program, but a litany of many programs....many that I had thought were too boring to watch. This was remarkable evidence to me that when the Holy Spirit is involved, "boring" should not be in the lexicon. Father, forgive my arrogance!

When another of our programs aired, I took a call from Maryalice, an 83 year old widow who lives in the mountains of Texas, far from any cable hookups. Four months ago she put in a satellite dish and discovered EWTN. “It’s the most marvelous thing” she said. Although a Catholic all her life (albeit not always a practicing one) she thought she had been a good Christian, especially after returning to the church out of a longing for The Eucharist. Then, she was careful to go to Sunday Mass, and say the Rosary everyday. But since tuning into EWTN her life has taken on an evangelical fervor. She says,

I pray the Divine Chaplet with them and it sends shivers up my spine when I think about what Christ did for us...I’m learning so much. Before, I never felt motivated to share my faith, and now I’m sending care packages to my friends and relatives trying to get them back into the Church. I feel empowered, and I’m learning more everyday. It’s exciting.

This will be EWTN's legacy.

I have to add that Maryalice, despite her age, speaks with measured assurance. Her words are enthusiastic, articulate and poignant. For the first time in her life she’s excited about her faith. From EWTN's Religious Catalog orders DVDs, books, and pamphlets -- puts them in a box and mails them off to a close professor friend at Carnegie Mellon University who left the church in the 60's because women couldn’t be priests. With the package Maryalice will write: “This is a care package. I care about you and love you. I want to see you in heaven.”

Kathleen, I'm Not Crazy

This is the second lady in as many weeks I’ve talked to like this. The other lady, Kathleen, is in Ft. Lauderdale, and at age 71 discovered Catholicism about 1 year ago -- just came into the church this past Easter, and she can’t get enough of Catholicism...or EWTN. She says, like Maryalice, it’s on 24 hours a day...EWTN that is. While Maryalice’s speech is articulate, Kathleen's is giddy.

My daughter thinks I’ve lost my mind. I never used to laugh. Everything was so serious, like my daughter still is. She never smiles. I didn’t either. And then I became Catholic. I haven’t stopped laughing. I’m happy all the time. But I’m not crazy. It’s great!

And she laughs.

What was remarkable about both of these ladies is that their minds were young, agile and alert. They were fascinating to talk to, as I listened to their stories about how they came to be where they are...and how they made these "new" discoveries (Catholicism and EWTN), so late in life with the enthusiasm of a teenager. It was inspiring.

Thank you EWTN.

TBN to Air Common Ground in Prime Time

The Story...
is 14 months long, but it won't take that long to tell it

In March of 2006 I heard about Common Ground from Fr. John Riccardo. The next day Pam and I attended an early service at Kensington Community Church and were present when they showed part of the program to their congregation. I was excited. Here was a program that was produced by Protestants, but accurately explained what it was that Catholics really believed. I began negotiations right away to gain the distribution rights.

It took until November to get the parties to agree on terms, but we had an exclusive signed distribution agreement for 15 years. I took the masters, and I stopped by Fr. John's so he could blessed them.

In December I sent a preview screener to EWTN and asked for consideration.

In January I sent copies to a few Protestant and Catholic leaders and began getting back some endorsements.

In mid-February I attended NRB. the Orlando broadcasting convention for Evangelicals, and handed out Common Ground DVD screeners, making my most passioned pitch to the Isaac Hernandez the VP of Programming at the Trinity Broadcasting Network booth.

But as projects pile up I was unable to follow-up on those contacts for months.

Ten days ago, Wednesday, May 16, I asked you to pray that we could get Common Ground on national television.

Key Endorsement - Timothy George
Three days later, on Friday, I received an e-mail from Dr. Timothy George, a highly respected Evangelical theologian, Dean of the Beeson Divinity School at Samford University, and a Sr. Editor at the Evangelical journal Christianity Today. He sent me a ringing endorsement for Common Ground. He wrote:

Here is an honest conversation between two deeply committed men of faith, an Evangelical pastor and a Catholic priest, about their shared faith in Jesus Christ. I recommend this resource to all who are interested in Christian unity, in keeping with a prayer of Jesus himself that his disciples be one as he and the Father are one, so that the world may believe.

- Timothy George, Ph.D.,
Dean, Beeson Divinity School

Rev. Richard John Neuhaus
Dr. George's endorsement was big. It collaborated the endorsement from Catholic priest and journalist Rev. Richard John Neuhaus (First Things), and complimented endorsements from other Catholics and Protestants.

On Monday, of this week, I sent off another e-mail to Isaac at TBN, highlighting Dr. George's endorsement and reminding him that the project had been approved doctrinally by the Catholic Church as well. Over all the other networks, TBN was my goal -- it is the largest satellite delivered Protestant-Evangelical channel that is seen around the world -- and I had asked God to honor my plan, even over getting the program EWTN, who had been sitting on my request for months.

TBN Calls
TBN logoTwo hours later Isaac called. He told me that he had liked the program very much and had sent it to their President, Paul Crouch. Paul had just gotten back to him, and he also liked Common Ground so much that he requested Isaac to obtain the program ASAP so they could air it in prime time. (July 8, 11PM Eastern, 7PM Pacific)

By the end of the week we had completed negotiations. Yesterday, I signed the contract and sent it off.

Next week, I have to cut out about 20 minutes of the program to fit their time slot, but about 88 minutes of the original will see the air. The subsequent DVDs will be the full length (1 hr 48 min.). TBN is also giving Nineveh's Crossing a one-minute, non-profit information spot at the end of the program. I have 10 days to ship the program off to them.

Non-Exclusive
Finally, the contract is non-exclusive for 10 years, with unlimited airings. This allows us to approach other outlets for an even broader exposure to this wonderful program. If you are involved in television or radio broadcasting, and would like to air Common Ground in whole or part, please contact me. In the meantime, pray that I am able to make more contacts and help the whole Christian church be one as Jesus prayed so fervently to His Father, so that the world would know that it was God who sent His son as our Savior.

Author Dave Armstrong to write Common Ground Study Guide
Dave Armstrong, author of hundreds of articles that have attempted to dispel the misunderstandings about Catholic teachings to Protestants, has authored an extensive Study Guide and Workbook for Common Ground. Dave has also agreed to be Nineveh's Crossing's Christian apologetic advisor. He is the author of several books from Sophia Institute Press including The Catholic Verses, and A Biblical Defense of Catholicism, both of which will be soon available at Nineveh's Crossing.

Prayer Request
Please pray for us as we plan for a busy June and July. In June Dr. Ray Guarendi's What Catholics Really Believe 13-part series will air on EWTN beginning June 4 (6:30 PM ET) and soon after that, Common Ground will air on TBN (July 8, 11PM Easter, 7PM Pacific). We have a lot to prepare, including Study Guides, DVDs, and other resources to give to people. Your intercession is greatly appreciated.

Who Would You Pray With?

Imagine you are one of Jesus's many disciples in the Jerusalem Upper Room, some forty days after Jesus had been crucified, died and was buried. You saw all that. But since then, it's been reported that he came back to life, and has appeared to a number of people, including the Apostles. But he has not appeared to you. You don't know what to believe. So, you're hanging out, praying day and night, and sacred to death.

A few days earlier out near Bethany, the Apostles reported that while they were with Jesus he suddenly rose into the sky and disappeared into heaven. But you didn't see it, and so here you are with the 120...left alone...or so it would seem.

During that time, Peter said they needed to choose a successor for Judas, who had turned out to be a traitor and had killed himself. After some prayer the Apostles drew lots and Mathias was added to the eleven.

But there was, it seemed to you, a lot of uneasiness, confusion, and definitely wonderment about what to do next. Indeed, the disciples appeared to lack motivation. Perhaps they were waiting for what Jesus called the Comforter to come, whatever that was. And so, they were unsure, and so were you, about what would happen next.  (cf. John 16:12).

Imagine you’re there. You’ve found a corner in which to sit, pray and sleep. But you’re a little frightened. The horrific, bloody crucifixion of Jesus is still etched into your mind’s eye, even if you did keep your distance. At least twice a day now you walk past the bloodstained corner where the soldiers forced a man to help Jesus carry the cross. Jesus had been too weak to carry it. You never saw Simeon before that day, but now he’s in the room with the others, a few men gather around him talking quietly. 

You look across the room at a lady who forced her way past the guards and wiped Jesus’s face with her veil. She clutches it, still bloody, in her lap. Around her women gather, they finger the cloth as if it was sacred.

You’re alone. No friends or relatives of yours would come near this band of zealots and fanatics. Why you’re here, you’re not sure. But you’re drawn. Who can you talk to? Who can pray with you? Whom do you trust?

Then it occurs to you that there is one person in that room you have wanted to talk to above all others. Of everyone there, you realize there is one person that knew Jesus the best, and whose faith in what might or might not happen next is the most serene. Of course, you had seen the miracles, the healings especially were amazing. But this person, for decades, had seen and remembered far more than all the rest of the disciples combined. Here was a bastion of faith and grace that probably knew no bounds. But getting past the crowd would be a task, especially for one as shy as you.

You keep looking for a chance. You need someone to put an arm around you and pray for you. You need a smile. You long for hope.

Little by little you find your way to the far end of the room, where many are gathered. You push your way past Peter’s large frame, and peek past his cloak. The quiet face looks at you and smiles, beckoning you forward. You pull your cloak close, and sit on the floor at her feet. Speechless at first, you gather your courage and say:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed art thou among women. And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me... now, and at the hour of my death. O Blessed Mother, pray for me.

Vans, Boats & the U.S. Mail

Conference and boat season get underway at the same time. Not that we plan it that way. It has something to do with the Spring Equinox and Easter, even though it was snowing earlier this morning here in S.E. Michigan.

I go on the road in just over a week for a series of conferences at which Nineveh's Crossing will be exhibiting, and, at a few, I will be speaking. The 15-year old van we had was destined not to make it out of the state again, and Nineveh's Crossing was planning on hauling inventory and exhibit stuff to NC, MN, WI, MD, and points in between. So, on our way back from Florida last month (see an earlier post on this blog), circumstances conspired (Providentially) to commit to the purchase of a new van we had been thinking about for some months. We wanted to attend the conferences without an attending wrecker towing us in. So, here are pictures of the new van ready to go.

I am also posting this for our daughter, April, who lives in Iowa with husband Bob and son Noah. About 18-months ago I had asked April (our family muse and poet) for a name for a distribution company that would hawk Catholic media with a touch of entertainment. I had told her that I wanted the name (and products) to be accessible by non-Christians and non-Catholics. (Another company named after St. Joseph the world does not need.) She thought for no more than 5 seconds and said "Nineveh's Crossing!" So, April, here's what the van looks like. Your mother had said: "If you're going to buy a cargo van, at least put Nineveh's Crossing's name on the side." I always listen to the women in my life. (Oh, stop rolling your eyes. I do listen…sometimes.)

For decades I have wanted to sail to the South Pacific island where an ancestor had sailed as a missionary, was martyred and eaten. When my mother died 10 years ago, she left me enough money to buy the boat, although she did not do this consciously. (I waited until he was well on her way to heaven before I told her what the money she left was for.) John Williams (1796-1839) was the first Christian missionary to the South Pacific. There he started churches, and began inter-island trade in sailing ships he designed and built locally. Sent by the London Missionary Society he had many fruitful years before he was martyred (at eaten) at Dillon's Bay on the island of Erromango, which was part of New Hebrides and today is known as Vaunatu. There are chapels throughout the South Pacific in honor of his work, often with his wife by his side, and where he got to know author Robert Lewis Stephenson. After his death children in Britian raised money to build ships that would bring more missionaries and trade to the South Pacific. Seven ships were commissioned in the H.M.S., from soon after his death until the 1960s. The drawing to the left was the H.M.S. John Williams I.

We looked for eight years for a ship mom's money could afford, and that could ultimately take us to Erromango. When we found the Islander-Freeport 41 in San Diego, we named it "Family Ties", we trucked it to the Great Lakes and Detroit, and then spent the next 6 years fixing it up. Yesterday we commissioned her for her second year of sailing after a lot of hard work. (See picture at the right.) You can see pictures of last year's cruise with the grandkids in the Canadian North Channel at the links on Pam's Home Page.

I mention this here, because as I was waiting for the yard to put Family Ties into the water, we parked the Nineveh's Crossing van next to the J.W. Westcott II as she warmed up her engine for the 112th season of delivering mail to freighters that pass through the Detroit River. The Westcott home dock is several miles down river in the morning shadow of the Ambassador Bridge that links the U.S. to Canada. But for over 100-years the Westcott boats have wintered at the Gregory Boat Basin, Family Ties' home port. (The Basin's buildings in this picture was the WWI factory for the U.S Navy's feet of wooden subchasers.) You can see the NC Van next to the Westcott in these pictures. As I got out of our van, Westcott Captain Sam Buchanan asked me what Nineveh's Crossing was. I told him that I was a filmmaker and that a few years back I had discovered Catholicism and was so surprised by what I found that I decided to produce and sell documentary projects about it. He smiled and said his own family was Christian and then took me to the back of the freshly painted Westcott and showed me the "Jesus" fish plaque they had proudly fixed to the stern of the famous mail boat. (See the yellow circle in the picture. Sam is on the right, and his mate, Toby, is on the left.)

And famous it is. The J.W. Westcott II is the only boat with it's own Zip code, 48222. During the boating season, 24 hours a day, 7-days a week, the Westcott and its back-up boat, the Joseph J. Hogan, come along side the huge freighters underway, and pass everything from mail, to freight, to pizza to the working mariners. A great site with pictures of the Westcott operation and more of its history can be found at: http://www.boatnerd.com/westcott/mailboat.htm

Well, it will be some years before we're ready to take Family Ties to the South Pacific and make our way to Erromango -- but maybe I could get Sam to give me a lift in the J.W. Westcott II, and climb the ladder to an blue water freighter on its way there. (And it didn't get past me that the first two initials of the Westcott are J.W.!)

Statistical Evidence for the "Real Presence"

SHEER LOGIC

I came to Catholicism out of sheer logic and the beauty of an argument with no fallacious nooks or crannies. Strong faith is built on the strength of reason. (See John Paul II’s encyclical letter On the Relationship Between Faith and Reason). Where reason falters, faith crumbles. Like the wise and foolish men in Christ’s parable, you cannot build a sand castle of fallacious arguments; only brick and mortar on a solid rock will weather the storms. And so I have enjoyed the on-going discoveries of how Catholicism holds together and am amazed at little discoveries with big meanings.

While preparing a presentation for Catholic Home Schooling Conferences on the Fundamentals of Logic and Fallacies I was going through the requirements of a “good” argument.” In a good argument, which is a logical presentation of evidence in support of a position, the evidence must be Relevant, Acceptable, Sufficient, and offer a Rebuttal to the best counter arguments. Under the Sufficiency Principle the evidence must be sufficient in kind, number, and weight to convince a reasonable person of the argument’s validity. Under the “kind” category you have evidence that can be historical, statistical, logical, from an expert witness, and so forth.

I have also been using Dr. Ray Guarendi’s and Fr. Kevin Fete’s What Catholics Really Believe DVD series as a source for the presentation’s illustrations. The argument that Dr. Ray and Fr. Fete were pursuing was whether or not The Eucharist was the Real Presence of Christ or simply a symbolic presence? Many Protestants and all Evangelicals will claim that their communion elements of bread and wine (or juice) are only symbolic, and indeed those of us on the transubstantiation side of the argument would agree. You need a priest for transubstantiation.

But as I considered the Real Presence, I wondered what kind of Sufficiency evidence could be brought to bear that was statistical in nature and significant enough to be an emotional support for the argument. (Yes, I am a biased researcher.)

STATISTICAL EVIDENCE

Statistics look at probabilities, ratios, and comparisons that numerically evaluate one group against another. So, I began to create an elaborate spreadsheet that estimated the number of Christian worship services from 34 AD to the present (2007 AD), and of those that involved a communion service, what percent were celebrated with elements that became the Real Presence of Christ versus those that were only symbolic of Christ’s presence.

The calculations involved the logarithmic growth of the world population (from 200 million in 1 AD, to 6.6 billion in 2007), the ramping up of the Christian church (from 0 in 1 AD to 2 billion in 2007), average size of churches, the Protestant Reformation, and that more than just the Catholic Church celebrates the Real Presence. I also considered the change within Protestantism as it perceived the Real Presence, and in the last few hundred years the decrease in frequency of Evangelical communion services from weekly to one every three months.

I reasoned that if the Real Presence were an important aspect of worship to God, then even in spite of the Protestant Reformation, and the more recent decrease in the frequency of Evangelical communion services, there would still be a significant number of communion services where the Real Presence would be celebrated. Before I began my estimate, which can only be described as rough, I thought the number of Real Presence services would be in the 70-80% range.

The results startled me. Of all the communion services since the beginning of the Church I estimate that 99.2% celebrated the Real Presence and only eight-tenths of 1% were symbolic in nature. Today, because of the relative infrequency of communion celebrations in Evangelical churches the number Real Presence services has inched up to 99.6%.

For me that is a significant piece of evidence from the Sufficiency-Kind-Statistical category of a well-formed argument that the “Real Presence” is a force of Natural Law that has been well protected by the Providence of God.

(I will make my data, assumptions and error analysis available to any statistician or historical researchers for further study and refinement. What I’ve begun could be the focus of an interesting study that considered the more refined movements of people, churches, and beliefs about The Eucharist throughout Church history.)

Happy Conception-Day

Please note this was originally written in 2007. I'm older now.

In the Pro-Life movement, much is made about life beginning at conception. Most churches, especially mine, Roman Catholicism, make a big deal about life beginning at conception, as well. But in our social practice we don't follow through. And we need to.

Today is my Birthday, March 27. I am very happily 60. It's a good milestone. No sympathy cards please. My in-laws sent me 60 dollars as a gift. I thanked them, of course. But I told them I would have been happier with 80 dollars. Not because I wanted the extra money, but because I'd be 20 years closer to heaven.

Since becoming Catholic in 1998, I'm more aware of life beginning at conception. On March 25 we celebrate Christ's conception, with the Annunciation--when Gabriel came to St. Mary and told her that she was going to be a mother. We celebrate the day that Christ was conceived in Mary’s womb. The instigation for that celebration was the Council of Ephesus (431) when, in condemning the Nestorian heresy, declared that Christ possessed the fullness of human and divine character at conception, and declared Mary, “theotokos,” the God bearer and the Mother of God. It wasn't to elevate Mary, but to protect the declaration of the divinity of Christ at conception. And so, today we celebrate Christ's Conception-Day, on March 25.

That Christ was a full person at conception is a foundational element of the Church teaching that the unborn baby is indeed, also, a full person from the moment of conception. And to abort that baby is to commit murder.

As Catholics we also celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary. That Mary was conceived without sin is a point of contention with some non-Catholics, but the fact remains that her conception is celebrated on a specific day, which in Roman Catholicism is December 8.

In our modern culture today, with the pro-abortion crowd claiming that life does not begin until birth, it makes sense that pro-life advocates should reinforce their declaration about when life begins by celebrating Conception-Days. As far as I know my gestation period was normal in length, so I am going to celebrate June 27 as my Conception-Day. Our daughter, April, was born on March 21, but she came 4-weeks early, so we'll celebrate her Conception-Day on July 21. But as this idea matures in the hearts of parents, especially those that practice natural family planning, the actual date of conception may be known precisely. Write it down.

Which brings up the matter of sex, a topic that we should not shy away from so quickly. John Paul The Great, in his Theology of the Body, seemed to think that sex, especially for pro-creation was a good idea. Actually, there's probably not a pope that thought sex for pro-creation was a bad idea. Now, we don't have to get brazen or crude about it, but sex within marriage is a beautiful thing. And even though babies are conceived outside of marriage, their conception is a miracle, and miracles do not happen without God's blessing. While the act of adultery or fornication should never be celebrated, certainly the conception of a new life should be, because it is life, a life that demands all the dignity and respect of the most important persons alive.

So, I ask that we start celebrating Conception-Days. I ask that greeting card companies (both paper and electronic), encouraged by Pro-Life organizations, create and disseminate such greetings. I ask that parents start having Conception-Day parties for their children, which I envision will be great celebrations of love shown by their parents. Births, by the way, can happen with just the mother and the child present, in the same unfortunate way that there are many single moms out there raising children. Neither the birth nor the raising should be done alone, but they can be.

On the other hand, conceptions require that daddy be present, just the way a daddy should be present in raising the child. So, it is important that during Conception-Day parties, there needs to be a picture taken of Mom, Dad, and the Child. On birthdays you can take pictures of just the kid, but not on Conception-Days. We need to celebrate the family, and that includes mom and dad and children. Let's get fathers back in the picture, like they have to be in the first place. In fact, I think Dads should do the planning for such events, whether it be a special prayer and simple gift and picture at dinner, a full-fledged party, or a field trip to a museum or miniature golf. Dad does the work, but mom has to be there to celebrate.

So, Happy Conception-Day. Celebrate it. It's when a miracle occurred. It is when life began, for all of us.

Praise for "Common Ground" from Evangelical

As I descrbed in the previous post, I met Rev. Martin Lombardo (Jesus Cares Ministry) at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Orlando, FL on Sunday afternoon, February 18, 2007. He sat behind a table holding onto his walking stick, at modest booth in the back corner of the huge exhibit hall.

An Evangelical-Pentecostal retired businessman from Boston, now a missionary, who moved to Rome, for the past 12 years he has spent an hour a day on his knees praying in front of the Vatican for the unity of the Christian Church.

During his Roman tenure, where he still lives with Kathy his wife, Rev. Lombardo met with John Paul II and would occasionally get personal greetings from JPII’s secretary, even has he kneeled beneath the Pope's window, hands raised, praying in the Spirit for the Catholic Church.

After telling me about his ministry, I told him about the Common Ground DVD. He was most interested, and so I gave him a screener copy.

Within a few days of my return to Michigan Marti called and started to overflow about the Common Ground DVD. I asked if I could quote him, and she said "most definiately." Here's what he said.

This is a great tool for the Kingdom of God.

This DVD can bring peace to the body of Christ in a beautiful way.

Every Evangelical pastor needs to see this DVD.

I do not have the words to say how important this is.

If you can find someone to underwrite 300 copies, I will get it into the hands of 300 Evangelical pastors that I know. They need to have their hearts changed with the truth.

Tell Fr. John Riccardo that the man who prays in front of the Vatican everyday, sends his congratulations. If he keeps this same vision, God has great plans for him. He's anointed.

Stan, regardless of rejection, keep moving forward with this project. The unity of the body of Christ is one of the most primary concerns of God's heart.

This is one of the tools that are taking the walls down within the body of Christ. It is part of God's master plan. This DVD is important because it moves the dialogue between Christian denominations out of the Vatican and into the halls of common men. That dialgoue has to get out of the Vatican and the conference rooms and into men's hearts.

What you are doing I cannot...I do not have the words to say how important this is. Don't let the hard spots, or anything stop you.

And then the man that prays for the Vatican everyday, prayed for me.

Father in the name of Jesus I ask your blessings over Stan, his family, and his loved ones. I thank you for the miraculous call you've put on this brother's life. I thank you for the tools you've created and given to him. You who know the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end have known about this tool and the eternal business it is about. Lord I ask to continue to fill Stan with the power of your Spirit. God, may he have the boldness of Joshua. May Stan hear your every word -- for the Lord thy God is with you. May he wake up with great excitement every day. God, thank you that he was willing to spend time with people like me in the corner. Thank you that you have given him a vision. And thank you for desiring to show yourself in ways he never ever dreamed. Thank you that he is walking with you. Thank you for entrusting him with something so elegant that he knows will bring you honor. As he goes forward in your name, hand-in-hand with you, may he always remember that you called him. You prepared him for this time. And you will direct his footpaths. Glory to you O, Lord.

Yes, you guessed it. After that I was crying.

If anyone can underwrite 300 copies of Common Ground for Rev. Lombardo, please let me know. You can buy inidvidual copies of Common Ground HERE. We also sell WHOLESALE quanties to stores.

Common Ground at NRB

Pam and I drove from Michigan to Orlando, FL last week to attend the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. This is the annual gathering of Evangelical television and radio broadcasters and the ancillary suppliers and services that surround them.

Our interest was to get into the hands of the major TV outlets a screener copy of the Kensington-Nineveh's Crossing DVD Common Ground: What Protestants and Catholics Can Learn From Each Other. I wrote about this on this blog here.

I canvassed the exhibit area and met dozens of great people whose desire is to Evangelize the world. It's a goal that the Catholic Church has as well, but the only scheduled Catholic exhibitor, Priests for Life, didn't show.

At the back of the exhibit hall I found a modicum of Catholicism. Some inexpensive black and white copies of an article about Pope John Paul II, and pictures of a man kneeling before St. Peters in Vatican square, and a color image of the same man (and his wife) meeting John Paul II. Sitting behind the table was Rev. Martin Lombardo, an Evangelical-Pentecostal businessman from Boston, now a missionary, who moved to Rome after he retired from business, and has spent the past 12 years on his knees praying in front of the Vatican for the unity of the Church.

During his Roman tenure, where he still lives with Catherine his wife, Rev. Lombardo met with John Paul II and would occasionally get personal greetings from JPII’s secretary, even has he kneeled beneath the Pope's window, hands raised, praying in the spirit for the Catholic Church.

After telling me about his ministry, I told him about Common Ground. He was most interested, and so I gave him a screener copy. (see the next post for his reaction.)

I was also the messenger that revealed to him how the Catholic Church in Poland and the American Evangelical organization Campus Crusade for Christ, have been cooperating in the training and discipleship of priests (Karol Wotija had edited some of Campus Crusade's discipleship materials and used them to secretly train priests in mountain camps during the Communist rule in Poland) -- and how in 2006 at the request of, and under the umbrella of the Krakrow Archdiocese, there was a recent "Billy Graham style crusade" featuring Campus Crusade Evangelist Josh McDowell in which 4,000 came to make decisions to become Christians, or know Christ in a deeper way. Martin cried when he heard this. I should also say that Martin was one of the go-betweens to get Campus Crusade for Christ's Jesus Film in the hands of the Vatican, who later bought over 1,000,000 copies to distribute.

Over the next day and a half I was able to meet with the VP of Programming or Acquisition Director of 10 major Evangelical television outlets, including Trinity Broadcasting Network, NRB Network, LESEA Broadcasting, and Global Christian Network. I asked that they consider airing Common Ground, which I would make available to them for free, in exchange for an end credit that will drive viewers to our website to buy copies of the DVD or participate in dialogue.

I had been trying to get a copy of Common Ground to Pastor Rick Warren, of Saddleback Church in California, via my Writer-Producer Hollywood friend, Brian Bird. But Brian had been busy with his new partnership, Believe Pictures, with Michael Landon, Jr.and the release of their first of several films for Fox Faith. (Brian has had a long career writing and producing for broadcast television including a stint as Executive Producer-Writer for Touched By an Angel. ) Just as I was about to leave NRB I received an e-mail from Brian telling me to stick around, he was flying in for an evening meeting. The next morning he had breakfast with Pam and I. He gave me a screener copy of his latest film, The Last Sin Eater, and I gave him a couple of copies of Common Ground, one to share with Rick Warren.

On our way out of the restaurant, we passed a table at which were seated several of the principles of Metanoia Films, a new film company in Hollywood who are behind the award winning pro-life, mainstream film Bella, which won the audience prize at the Toronto Film Festival a few months back. I asked Brian if hew knew these guys -- he didn't -- so, I introduced Brian (a dedicated Evangelical filmmaker) to three very dedicated Catholic filmmakers: Leo Severino (producer), and Eduardo Verástegui (actor and producer), and Sean Wolfington (Executive Producer). Both Brian's new film company, Believe Pictures, and Metanoia are creating good films that are worthy of our attention. During our short conversation Sean asked Brian about the DVDs he was carrying, and Brian pitched Common Ground to Sean, and suddenly Sean and Leo wanted copies. So, Brian gave his to them, and later I retrieved the last two from our car's trunk. So, maybe Common Ground will soon be a major Hollywood movie. (Just kidding!)


As it turned out, Brian is good friends with another Hollywood Screenwriter and friend of mine, Douglas Lloyd McIntosh who recently moved back to St. Petersburg, FL to aid with his elderly mother. Pam and I were on our way to have lunch with Doug, so in the parking lot next to our car, Brian recorded an mpeg greeting to Doug on my tiny digital camera. A few hours later we were in St. Pete and I played the lilttle parking lot movie for Doug, who, like me, is continually amazed at technology. Doug, too has a couple new movies out, released through the Fox Faith effort, Love's Abiding Joy, and Love's Long Journey.

As if there wasn't e'nuff for us to do in Florida, we finally got to meet Canadian recording artist Lorraine Hartsook and her husband Larry. Nineveh's Crossing is selling all of Lorraine's CDs, and her Pro-Life DVD Bring That Child to Be. We had talked many times by phone and e-mail, but had never met. As it turns out, she was on a tour through the Southern U.S. and was going to be in Orlando when Pam and I were there. So, Lorraine and Larry came up to my nephew Bob's house where we enjoyed a beautiful dinner by Elizabeth, after which Lorraine sang a song for us she had just written and recorded in Nashville. Above, left to right: Bob, Elizabeth, Pam, Larry, & Lorraine.

Before we left Florida, Common Ground had one last stop. I spend every Friday morning on Sirius Radio 159: The Catholic Channel with Gus Lloyd talking about movies and my book The Moral Premise. But on that Wednesday, I went to Gus' home studio in Tampa to talk about the Common Ground DVD. Yes, Gus made us stand-up to do the interview. "It sounds better," he says. He's always talking about his wife, Michelle. She took a break from homescool teaching to let me get this picture in front of Gus' "studio" corner.



On our way back to Michigan we stopped in St. Clairsville, OH where we caught up with Tatiana Cameron, her husband-manager Matthew, cellist Janel Leppin and keyboardist-producer Denny Brochard (of Peter, Paul & Mary fame) who had just begun Tatiana's "I Thirst" Lenten tour. It was the first time Pam met Tatiana. Experiencing a Tatiana concert is a must for every Christian. Her voice is perfect and the music is astounding. Yes Nineveh's Crossing sells all of Tatiana's CD and her "I Thirst" DVD that includes a documentary about her life as a pop star in Croatia.

But we weren't done yet. The next morning Pam and I stopped by Dr. Ray Guarendi's house in North Canton, OH and recorded what will be his first Audio CD—Dr. Ray Hams it up Hammerin' his Hammond. You ain't heard nothin' folks. Look (listen) for it soon. In the meantime buy Dr. Ray's great DVDs and Books .... on our website, of course. Most people don't know that this well known Catholic clinical psychologist, radio host, author, TV guest, and Catholic apologist worked his way through college and graduate school playing in night-clubs. (And to some He gives Gifts.) He played Sunday Mass, too, until he confused the two gigs, and the church fired him for one too many jazz riffs at the end of a hymn.

And yes, we finally got home.

The Hidden Wholeness of Providence

There are three concepts that have recently helped me to relax, even in the midst of the work I pursue. My problem is articulated well by what Fr. John Hardon, S.J., the prolific writer and catechist said on his death bed:

"It's just that there's so much yet to be done."

I fear the judgment. It's a daily motivation. I am scared that I will hear God say to me (when my life is past) what he said to the servant who took the talent his master gave him, and later returned it whole but not multiplied:

Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 25).

There are other reasons I could end up in hell, but getting done what seems to have been placed before me has always been the compulsion.

The three concepts that have been of some help with mediating this obsession are:

1. The Hidden Wholeness
2. The Scandal of the Particular
3. The Importance of Emptiness

These ideas were part of a series of meditations given by Msgr. John Zenz, Episcopal Vicar for the Northwest Region of the Archdiocese of Detroit, at St. James parish in December 2006. Msgr. Zenz is a particularly brilliant and humble man, whose joy in Christ is evidenced by this ability to quote from memory the Gospel Reading during Mass. A talent multiplied I think as he seems to always be looking toward the light, like the picture to the right taken at a recent conference. (Which reminds me. There's a reason the Bible describes Jesus as sitting to God's "right" hand and not his "left." --- Bobby Hesley)

The Hidden Wholeness
(This paragraph revised 4/11/07)
I choose NOT to use the article "a" as in the popular book title A Hidden Wholeness by Quaker Christian Parker J. Palmer. Palmer cites Thomas Merton as using the "a" as well. When I Googled "Hidden Wholeness" this morning I was surprised by the number of times his book on "A Hidden Wholeness" appeared. As Mr. Palmer explained to me (in a 4/11/07 email) that he prefers the article "a" and cites Thomas Merton's essay "Hagia Sophia" -- choosing to follow Merton's lead:

There is in all visible things an invisible, fecundity, a dimmed light, a meek namelessness, a hidden wholeness. This mysterious Unity and Integrity is Wisdom, The Mother of all, Natura naturans (nature ding what nature does). (Thomas P. McDonnell, ed., A Thomas Merton Reader. New York: Doubleday, 1989. p. 506. Thanks (!) to Mr. Parker for the quote and citation.)

Using the article "the" as Msgr. Zens does, and which I prefer, I do not think I write about something significantly different. Perhaps Merton was trying to "soft-pedal" monotheistic theology by using the "a". Normally "a" suggests that there are "others" -- whereas "the" suggests "one and only." But in context, Merton does indeed intimidate a "one and only." His phrase:

...an invisible, fecundity, a dimmed light, a meek namelessness, a hidden wholeness. This mysterious Unity and Integrity...

bespeaks of ONE (Unity and Integrity), and not "a" as in "one of many." From Merton's poetic style, and indeed from any perspective that mankind can muster, God's integrity is so far beyond our conception that "a" may be appropriate -- as in "a-priori".

It might be better, however, to call what we're discussing "The Hidden Wholeness of Providence." It's not "a" wholeness of "self" that we're seeking but "THE" wholeness of "God." But it's really not seeking to be one with God, but rather being aware that the wholeness of who God (and the being of the universe) and we are is hidden from us. As Fr. Benedict Groschel might say:

"It's a mystery. Accept it. You ain't going to figure it out! Only God understands it; and he's not going to explain it to you. Because, if he did, you wouldn't understand a word he said. So relax."

The Hidden Wholeness reminds me that who I am and what I try to do everyday is part of a wholeness of God's designs that are hidden from me. I will never know, while here on Earth, what total purpose my life and activities have (like writing this blog). But I can trust that they are purposeful and helpful to some Providential End.

Scandal of the Particular
One of the most egregious collections of linguistic fallacies found in modern communication falls under the category of missing evidence. These are over generalizations of truth based on one (or fewer) event. I do it all the time. I enjoy an esoteric book and I think everyone will love it, even my relatives who generally don't like to read. This blog entry is another example. No one is going to read this (except my friend Alan Hartwick who I'm going to tell about it), but in my arrogance I have fallen prey to the scandal of the particular.

Importance of Emptiness

I am always trying to be whole. I want to feel satisfied, content, complete, whole. I want to find myself, be acknowledged, and generally feel important. I want my efforts at multiplying my talents to be lauded here on Earth as much as I hope God will bless me for my obedience when I get to heaven.

But the fact is, when it comes to the backdrop of eternity, I know nothing. And it is that lack of wholeness, that emptiness that I need to embrace as part of my wholeness. I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. But compared to what there is to know my brain, maximized to its capacity, will only brush the surface of practically nothing. It is this reality of knowing next to nothing that makes the atheist's omniscient claim "there is no God" so ludicrous. (The Hubble Telescope picture at the top of this post is a picture that shows galaxies from 1 to 10 billion light years from Earth. That means that to get there we'd have to travel at the speed of 334,800,000 miles-per-hour for 10,000,000,000 years.)

Will the omniscient ones among you please file out of the room to the left? We have an educational field-trip we want you to take. Yes, it will take a long time.

So, be satisfied man with what God has given you. Be content with where you are planted. Just don't be too satisfied or content. You have some talents to multiply or you'll end up in hell.

Gotta get back to work....on my own wholeness.