The Masons vs The Catholics

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

At the bottom of this commentary you’ll find links to some fantastic books explaining the history of the Freemasonic movement and why the Masons and the Church are eternal enemies.

From Father Boyle:

Despite the fact that in the new Code of Canon Law no mention is made of the excommunication formerly applied to Catholic members of Masonic groups, the Church still prohibits membership of this secretive and anti-Catholic organization whose principles are totally incompatible with the revealed Truths of the Catholic Faith. Eight popes have issued a serious condemnation of its tenets and practices beginning with Clement XII in 1738. His constitution was confirmed and renewed by Benedict XIV.

The same path was closely followed by Pius VII, and Leo XII assumed and ratified all the acts of his predecessors on this matter. It was in the same unambiguous sense that Pius VIII, Gregory XVI and Pius IX declared their opposition. The most interesting encyclical letter is that of Leo XIII.

In the 1970’s a spurious distinction not founded on facts was introduced—a not anti-Catholic Masonic lodge—a contradiction in terms no doubt but widely touted among bishops and priests.

In 1980, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith called this a false perspective and upheld the centuries old condemnation.

The declaration states:

…the Church’s negative position on Masonic associations …remains unchanged since their principles have always been regarded as irreconcilable with the Church’s doctrine. Hence joining them remains prohibited by the Church. Catholics enrolled in Masonic associations

… Read the rest

Who’s In Charge?

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

Several friends have posted pictures of their cats today and it reminded me of a funny anecdote. I have a cat at my office. She is very regal and pompous. She also kills whatever critters are about, which is nice because that’s why I adopted her.

Occasionally, my Wife is kind enough to stop by and clean the office. While She is sweeping or vacuuming, my cat, whose name is Catarina, (or just ‘Cat’ for short) , will find the highest perch she can and then stare down on my Wife, often without moving for several moments. The Wife says that it makes Her feel like a servant to have someone watching over Her every move like this.… Read the rest

A Coach’s Dream

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

I can’t believe I forgot to share this! #2 won several awards at the end of the season, and has since had a dozen (or more!), colleges after him to play football. (I’ll let him make his formal announcement). It’s not every kid who gets called, “A coach’s dream”. Plus, he’s maintained a 3.9 GPA despite all the worries certain academics had about his homeschool background. I’m proud of you Andrew!

… Read the rest

My Three Sopranos

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

One of the unexpected benefits of my Fed-funded sabbatical was learning to sing.  I discovered that one of the other guys  taking a break from real life was a classically trained baritone singer.   I thought that singing occasionally might be a great way to escape, so to speak, from the routines of the day and asked him if he’d be willing to spend some time working on it with me.  He was thrilled, and with some ideas from “Singing for Dummies”, we began a journey that would last about 18 months and change my life.

I had always sung in church, or at least, did what I thought was singing, but Scott helped me to overcome that disability.  Twice a week we met in the music room and worked on posture, breathing, expanding the chest, utilizing head voice…all the other things every novice studies on the path to singing (better).  I learned that singing was not just speaking more loudly and slurring words together, but an entirely different function of the body.  Eventually I was able to lead with some confidence our fledgling Catholic group in singing a few well-known hymns and chants at our weekly meetings.

But the real payoff came when I got home, and it wasn’t my conscription into the choir; one night I heard one of my boys singing Tantum Ergo or some other chant he’d heard at Church and stopped in my tracks while he effortlessly sung the notes an octave or two above how … Read the rest

Playing Well With Others

Posted on by Jeff Cassman

#2, age 17, is universally liked. He’s simply got one of those pleasing personalities and even temperament (unless he’s gotten less

than 8 hours of sleep). Even on the football field opponents who’ve been run over or knocked out of the game will return with a smile and thank him for the experience.  I heard a story related about him recently that I simply had to share.

Several years ago during my time at ClubFed our kids were forced into public school. Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the house where The Wife and the kids were staying temporarily and told her she’d go to jail and the kids would go into foster homes if she didn’t put them in school within 24 hours. So our children, who had known nothing of public school life, found themselves in the jungle that is public school culture.

For #1 and #2, that meant high school, and the boys suddenly found themselves in a demographic, social and ethnic mix unlike anything they’d ever experienced (and these were boys who’d navigated the subway in Mexico City and the back alleys in rural Guatemala without a problem).

Anyway, the story goes that #2 was in class waiting for the teacher to begin when another student, a young black man, arrived to class and, seeing a friend, said loudly, “What up, my nigger?”  There’s nothing particularly unusual about that greeting in my experience, except the teacher thought to take issue with it.

“Why is it acceptable for you … Read the rest