LITTLE NOTES
2002 Little Notes
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Contents © 2002
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
JULY/AUGUST 2002 LITTLE NOTES
FROM THE MAY 23 TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: "Most clones die immediately, some die later because of gene malfunction, others die at birth, and very few make it to adulthood. Now we have hard data to argue that these adults are not normal. We've looked carefully at adult cloned mice and found that they have significantly shortened lifespan and have, for example, major pathological alterations in their livers. This holds true ... for cows, sheep, and goats."FR. RON BUCHMILLER, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Lakeside, wrote the following in his parish bulletin on the Feast of Corpus Christi, Sunday, June 2: "The New Instruction on the Eucharist calls for every reverence to be shown to the Eucharist. It calls for a sign of reverence before receiving the Eucharist. The American bishops have delineated this as a custom that would have the people come up in procession, bow the head rather than genuflect and to make a profession of faith in responding to the Body of Christ with an Amen. The procession should not be interrupted by a genuflection and definitely not by kneeling at the time of reception of the Eucharist. This is a safety matter as well as a desire to place the emphasis on reception of the Eucharist."
SCHOOL MAY BE OUT for the summer, but homosexuality at the University of San Diego isn't taking a vacation. On June 10, USD "Pride" president Melissa Espinal sent the following message to campus homosexuals:
"Hello Pride-rs:
"The summer has finally arrived and U.S.D. Pride has the opportunity to participate in the 2002 San Diego Pride Parade, July 27th. We have not participated in the parade for a few years, so come join us as we show San Diego that we are part of this community, too."
THE SAN DIEGO ZOO will hold a homosexual "Zoo Party" in conjunction with Balboa Park "gay pride" festivities on Sunday, July 28, from 4:00 to 11:00 p.m. Zoo marketing department spokesman Paul Garcia said in a June 10 telephone conversation that this is the 10th year the zoo has hosted such a party. When asked if homosexuals would be allowed to freely roam the zoo during those hours, he said "Yes" and confirmed that families with children would also be allowed into the zoo at that time. When asked if the zoo issues any kind of advance warning to families that such an event is taking place, he said that signs are put up outside the entrance and that visitors are free to register any complaints with the Guest Relations department.
A picket is being planned to warn families about the event. For more information, call (619) 440-3386.
BEHIND THE STORY. The May 30 San Diego Union-Tribune reported an altercation between the Hispanic community in Pauma Valley and the diocese of San Diego. Reporter John Gastaldo wrote that on May 18, 30 families (nearly 200 people) met at the Centro Guadalupano Chapel to have their children baptized, only to be told that the ceremony would not take place. A visiting priest from Peru, Father Abel Quispe, had been performing services at the chapel without diocesan permission and was set to baptize the babies when the pastor of nearby Mission San Antonio de Pala, Father Paul Marconi, intervened. Faced with the unpleasant task of informing the crowd that the baptisms would not take place, Marconi was met with loud protests.
Marconi did not know if the families had been properly prepared to baptize their children, but he did know that Father Quispe was not authorized to perform the ceremony. In a subsequent story, the Union-Tribune reported that the diocese decided to close the chapel permanently -- a move announced to the congregation by Father Quispe himself before returning to Peru.
In an effort to contain any further bad publicity, diocesan spokeswoman Bernadeane Carr announced in a May 30 press release that the diocese was the recipient of a $2 million foundation gift for building a large multi-purpose facility for the Mexican community near Mission San Antonio de Pala where they can attend Mass and continue their cultural traditions. Carr also said that the Spanish-speaking Catholic population at the mission had increased so much in recent years that the Guadalupano Chapel was too small to meet the pastoral needs of the community. It noted that space restrictions prohibited any expansion at the Guadalupano Chapel, originally built as a multipurpose facility for Mexican fieldworkers in the 1970's. The new facility will be called the Juan Diego Center and approximately $1.5 million is still needed to build it.
Father Richard Perozich defended the diocese's decision: "It is the Union that doesn't have the facts. No priest can come into a diocese without the permission of the bishop and just start saying Mass, offering sacraments at a chapel, and looking for money for himself or his parish back in his own country. He caused a lot of problems here and was barred because of it. He is here without Bishop Brom's permission and has caused problems for the pastors by interfering, looking for money, and promising sacraments outside the church parishes. None of that was reported."
The story also made it seem that the chapel had just been closed -- something Mission San Antonio de Pala Pastor Father Paul Marconi points out happened in 2000. "This was a plain demonstration set up for the news media, and nothing more than that. The movement from the chapel happened a year and a half ago. It was nothing new or that had just happened."
Echoing Carr's statement, Father Marconi says that the services were moved to the Pala Mission out of necessity and not as discrimination against Mexican-Americans. "It's only about five miles away. We are planning to build a bigger facility. I've heard some story that 30 years ago they (the Mexican-Americans) were forbidden from having a feast day there or something like that, so whatever they are angry about is nothing new. The majority of Mexicans have been coming to Pala for a year and a half with no problems. Some of them say, 'We are being discriminated against because we are Mexican, which is just not true. They found that priest to say Mass for them, and that started more problems. The leaders knew that there would be no baptisms allowed, and they told those families to show up. They played upon their own people and called the media to create a story. They started waving Mexican flags for the news media."
The former pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary, Marconi explains the need to build a multi-purpose facility -- at least for the immediate future. "We are not building a church. There are a lot of people and we need something to house a lot of functions, so, unfortunately, we are not building a church."
When asked why the diocese said the four-acre site near the Guadalupano Chapel was too small for expansion, Marconi said, "Those are the bishop's words, not mine."
AMONG THE LOCAL BUSINESS BRIEFS in the June 12 North County Times was the following short announcement with huge implications to the preborn in our county: "Dr. Bruce Tarzy is retiring after 25 years at Palomar Pomerado Health. A reception will be held at noon today in Conference Room E at Pomerado Hospital, 15615 Pomerado Road in Poway."
Tarzy has killed babies in San Diego County for years and has been active in promoting and protecting abortion. He has been the object of prayer on his behalf and picketing at his office and his neighborhood.
DURING A JUNE 3 MEETING at Holy Trinity church in El Cajon attended by approximately 40 parish ministry leaders, pastor Brian Corcoran clarified the extent of "repairs" being planned for the parish's 100th anniversary celebration next year.
In response to a question from News Notes reporter Allyson Smith regarding the repairs, Fr. Corcoran said that any repairs would be in keeping with the directives of Vatican II and the "wonderful guidelines of the diocese" governing renovations.
Father Corcoran denied ever using the word "renovation" during homilies on February 24, as reported in the April, 2002 issue of News Notes, saying that he prefers to refer to any physical changes to the church as "structural renewal".
Bill McClurg of Holy Trinity's parish council said that the repairs are of such a nature that they will require an architect's services. Another female parishioner acknowledged that Holy Trinity "is one of the most beautiful churches in the diocese, and people would be very upset if it were changed."
SIXTEEN PRO-LIFERS picketed Planned Parenthood's 38th annual awards dinner May 14 at the Town and Country Hotel in Mission Valley. An estimated 1400 guests attended the event, where abortionist Katharine Sheehan, medical director of the local PP, was this year's Margaret Sanger award recipient. Pro-abortion Catholic ex-priest Daniel Maguire gave the keynote address.
According to Chula Vista pro-lifer Maggie Clitherow, protesters carried signs that said, "Dr. Sheehan: Baby Killer of the Year" and "Repent Fr. Maguire! You are an enemy of God, an enemy of life, an enemy of the Church." Phil Magnan [of Chula Vista-based LifeSource Ministries] did street preaching to dinner guests as they drove in the driveway or walked to the entrance of the hotel. Clitherow said that abortionist Fred Schnepper took photos of the picketers, saying "You should put a condom over your head" and other statements disrespectful to Jesus.
"Cars were pouring in steadily for a good 45 minutes, and they all had to go right past our signs and Phil's street preaching. He was very impressive; he thundered like one of the prophets. Several of the Planned Parenthood supporters gave us the bird; a couple of them yelled. Most just stared in stony silence, semi-stunned, but they were looking intently at those signs!
"One of our protesters spotted Jeff Marston among the attendees," continued Clitherow. "He is a pro-abort Republican on the Republican Central Committee who ran unsuccessfully for Assembly several years ago. He has a Bush/Cheney sticker on his car, and she yelled at him that he was disgracing the sticker."
LETTER SENT TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD on June 7:
This notice is being sent to you pursuant to the specific requirements of California Civil Code § 1782, which requires that we give you an opportunity to remedy the below-mentioned violations of law. If you do not correct or rectify these violations of law, we will proceed with litigation against you on behalf of California consumers. This notice is not to be deemed a waiver of any other rights that consumers may have against you for violating California's laws against unfair and misleading business practices.
"The following acts, which have occurred in the last three years, must be immediately corrected or rectified:
"A. For the last three years, your facility has represented itself to members of the public as lawfully licenced to practice medicine within San Diego County, and that only licensed personnel perform the procedures, diagnoses, and treatments that must be performed by those possessing valid healthcare provider licenses issued by the State of California. You have had unlicensed personnel performing invasive medical procedures on patients within the last three years. Your failure to advise patients as to the qualifications, or lack thereof, of your employees is misleading and harmful to California consumers.
"B. For the last three years, your facility has represented that to the public that it complies with all laws governing the practice of medicine within the State of California. In the last three years, your facilities have unlawfully failed to report the sexual abuse of minors by adult perpetrators as required by law. California Health & Safety Code § 123407, 123450. It is false and misleading for you to represent that you are engaging in the lawful practice of medicine or that you provide a safe and legal environment for the performance of reproductive health services.
"C. Your facilities have violated, time and again, California Health & Safety Code § 123405. For example, we know through the sworn testimony of more than one of your employees that you allow unlicensed personnel (non-physicians) to assist in the performance of surgical abortions. By the testimony of these witnesses, this has occurred hundreds of times in the last several years. Your conduct places women at great risk. You must immediately rectify this situation and provide us with proof of the same.
"If you do not provide proof of compliance with the provisions of the California Consumer Remedies Act within 30 days, you will be faced with litigation. The litigation will seek to enforce the rights of any California consumer who has suffered as a result of your unfair and misleading business practices.
"Thank you for your prompt and careful attention to this matter. Please confirm that you have stopped engaging in the above listed practices within the time frame provide by California Civil Code § 1782(b). If you do not, we will proceed with an action to recover monetary damages, injunctive relief, and for other relief. The relief will be sought against you, your principals, and any other persons advising or conspiring with you to violate the law.
Most Respectfully Yours:
United States Justice Foundation
Richard D. Ackerman,
Litigation Counsel"