St. Padre Pio Chapel Opens

The St. Padre Pio Chapel in Gates, NY (suburb of Rochester) was dedicated Sunday, May 25 (Padre Pio's birthday).

An estimated 1,000 people showed up for the ceremonies, which included a Mass celebrated by Father Dan Condon, Chancellor of the Diocese of Rochester.

I did not make it to the ceremonies - they began in the morning while I was still singing and playing at Mass in my parish. My wife went (that's her above at the bottom right). A joyous occasion, with the requisite politicians all putting in an appearance. Lots of people speaking Italian!

I went over later with my wife, after the crowds had gone.

The chapel is lovely. It will be open daily for private devotions. I intend to get over there often.

(Please, anyone who posts, no snide comments about the diocese.)

Daughter Graduates College!

Bridget graduated from Wells College May 24.

Sisters Emily, Bridget and Clare. Emily still has two years to go.

The Good Looking One, Bridget and I have reason to smile.

More from Baba Dada

Birth is the beginning of death, death is the beginning of life, life is the beginning of beginning, and beginning begins to begin when you are ready to begin at the beginning.

Baba Dada speaks

The path to true wisdom begins with the aardvark.

- From The Wisdom of Baba Dada

Rock of Faith

The Rock of Faith group has now played twice - the next scheduled date is June 14.

We are in the process of picking a logo.

I also auditioned a song - Proclaim to the Nations - which other folks liked. We will be figuring out arrangements for the other instruments, and maybe it will debut this summer?

I'm already work on another song.

Ah, a creative outlet.

Yes, the group and our songs might offend some church music purists, but if what we do moves people and helps them to worship, so be it.

Summer is a comin' in

May 18. School's out (for me) June 13.

Daughter 3 will be back, but not sure how much she will be here. Daughter 2 is graduating and moving moving back, but looking for an apartment, so not clear how much we will see of her. Daughter 1 is moving back to Rochester, but she is already married and on her own. It will be nice to see her more regularly, though.

Anyway, looks like a quiet time at the Strong homestead.

Planned Parenthood: Exploiting Mother's Day

I received a news item from LifeNews.

It did not surprise me.

Allegedly, Planned Parenthood, the billion-dollar abortion provider, is trying to use Mother's Day to raise money.

Even though a big part of its business is helping to prevent women from becoming mothers.

According to LifeNews, Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, sent out a fund-raising request. In it she shared part of an editorial her daughter wrote saying she got her pro-choice views from her mother and grandmother, former Texas Gov. Ann Richards.

"It's true that I have had lots of rewarding moments in my career. So did my mother," Cecile wrote in the email LifeNews.com cites. "But knowing that my daughter is carrying on the legacy of fighting that my mother passed to me trumps 'em all."

Richards then reportedly went on to write: "This Mother's Day, I'm honoring that legacy with a Planned Parenthood Federation of America Mother's Day gift. Join me."

Richards allegedly said passing on her pro-choice beliefs to her daughter Hannah and her younger children Lily and Daniel is "the best gift any mother can give her children."

"My mom did that for me and my siblings. And I've worked to do that for [my children]," she wrote.

In the email, Richards also allegedly admitted that promoting abortion was more important to her mother than even promoting equal rights for African-Americans.

"In all of my mother's activism — from the civil rights movement to the ERA — nothing meant more to her," she said.

Abortion over civil rights and women's rights? Wow.

I guess that's how you become a billion-dollar business.

A Margaret Sanger Clerihew

Margret Sanger
Eugenicist haranguer
Thought with certain groups it would be good
To strongly “encourage” Planned Barrenhood.

Robert Frost clerihew

In those woods Robert Frost
really was lost.
But always looking for ways to make a dime,
he stopped to scribble a rhyme.