Saints, Sinners, Scholars and Scoundrels
Catholic Family News Conference 2012
Last weekend of April in Cleveland
Catholic Family News will hold its Fourteenth International Conference in 2012 in Cleveland. The theme is “Saints, Sinners, Scholars and Scoundrels”, a unique theme that guarantees a fascinating weekend.
Ten speakers will pick a person (or persons) from history, whether he or she be a saint or a scoundrel, present his or her life story, and explain how this person is of interest to Catholics today. We have amassed an impressive lineup as follows:
Father Albert, OP, from the traditional Dominicans in Avrillé, France will speak on Saint Maximilian Kolbe. Father Maximilian Kolbe is probably among the 100 most famous people of the twentieth century and this almost solely because of one single thing he did: give his life for a fellow prisoner at Auschwitz (the fact that it was at Auschwitz aided a lot in the publicity…). We will try to sketch a portrait of this fascinating figure to show where this stupendous act of charity that has edified the whole world came from, namely, his consecration to the Immaculate Virgin Mary which was, quite literally, the raison d’être of his whole existence. The saint is also linked to the other centre of horror of the horrific twentieth century: Nagasaki (the target, along with Hiroshima, of the atom bomb in august 1945) where Father Kolbe founded a community of friars in the 1930’s to evangelize Japan especially thorough devotion to the Immaculate. Our Lady seems to have wanted to give the world the same message through the life of this saint as she did by her own words at Fatima’s: our salvation lies in consecration to Her Immaculate Heart.
Andrew Childs, Ph.D., Professor of Music, will address “Tempest and Temperament: Ludwig van Beethoven, the Man behind the Myth”. A saint to those who rightly acknowledge his music as some of the greatest in history and a scoundrel to those who would accuse him of compositional anarchy and iconoclasm; what manner of man was Beethoven, and why does his ghost haunt audiences and composers to this day? Through a consideration of his life and works, a very real Beethoven will emerge both as a product of his times, and also as an artistically perfect temperamental reflection of the age of revolution and romanticism.
Peter Chojowski, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, will speak on “Martin Luther: One Monk Against Christendom”. For 450 years, the Catholic Church and the Catholic world has agreed with Emperor Charles V when he stated, “How can one monk stand against all of Christendom.” Now, however, we have heard from Benedict XVI himself that Luther was supposedly a deep religious thinker, a passionate lover of God who constantly sought the answer to the question, “How do I receive the grace of God?” This “search for the grace of God,” we are told lay “at the foundation of all his theological searching and inner struggle.” Which is the true Luther? A man who passionately struggled for truth and grace or an arch-heretic who spent his life trying to destroy Church, Papacy, Mass, and Priesthood. How can a “reforming saint” refer to the Church of God as the Harlot of Babylon? To find the true Luther is to uncover the true nature of the Protestant heresy and the present-day Modernist assault on the Mystical Bride of Christ.
Cornelia Ferreira’s topic is “Valiant Women in the Service of God”. In the history of salvation, God has called many women to His service. They may have been weak in the eyes of the world, but they were manly in their heroic renunciation of self and fidelity to God for the good of souls. Starting with Our Lady, whom the Holy Ghost calls the “Valiant Woman,” this talk will also consider the lives of valiant women of the Old Testament who foreshadowed Mary, and the Saints who followed in Her footsteps down to modern times. We will see how God singularly rewarded the latter’s zeal for His glory with extraordinary gifts, abilities and knowledge to aid His Church in times of need.
Thomas Gabriele returns to our CFN conference with the provocative topic: “The Pied Pipers of the New World Order and their War Against Christ the King.” Kissinger, Brzezinski, Rockefeller, Soros, Gorbachev and their partners in crime, for decades, have waged war against Our Lord’s Social Kingship. Endless war, population control and world government are just some of the focal points of their ideology. This conference examines what these power brokers have accomplished, what they have in store for the future, and the only true remedy for their diabolical plans, the Social Kingship of Christ. After giving a brief sketch of each of these men and their impact on our modern world, he will compare and contrast them with the great Father Denis Fahey and the teaching contained in the traditional Papal Encyclicals.
Father Nicholas Gruner will speak on Francisco Marto of Fatima: The Boy Who Consoled Our Lord. Francisco Marto was only nine-years-old when Our Lady first appeared to him, Jacinta and Lucia in 1917. When Lucy asked if they would all go to Heaven, Our Lady replied yes, but that Francisco “would have to say many Rosaries” first. Who was this little boy who died when he was almost 11? He was the first of the three Fatima seers to be taken to Heaven, and dedicated himself to “consoling Our Lord”? What can someone so young teach us? Father Gruner will open up to us the heroic sanctity of this young boy whose life was thoroughly transformed by Our Lady’s visits to Fatima.
Noted author Colleen Hammond will speak Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, Wife, Mother and Mystic. Blessed Anna Maria Taigi was born in Siena, Italy, on May 29, 1769. She touched the sick and they were cured; she warned others of their approaching end and they died holy deaths. She endured great austerities for the souls in Purgatory, and the souls, once set free, came to thank her... She suffered in body and soul... She realized that her role was to expiate the sins of others, that Jesus was associating her with His sacrifice, and that she was to be a victim in union with Him. Her decree of beatification speaks of her as “a prodigy unique”. We will learn more about this extraordinary woman whose body is incorrupt.
Michael Matt, Editor of The Remnant, will introduce us to François Athanase de Charette de la Contrie of the French Vendee. This French nobleman and military general had been something of a war hero on the wrong side of the American Revolutionary War before returning to France to raise his sword in defense of both Queen Antoinette and King Louis XVI against the bloodthirsty Parisian mob of 1789. Initially, he would have to be cajoled by peasants into recognizing the full extent of his duty. But once he did, the “little giant” would lead the Catholic and Royal Army of the Vendee into the teeth of the Freemasonic Revolution against the Catholic Church in France. In that sacred cause, “Monsieur Charette” purged himself of both personal vice and selfish inclination in order to go on to lead one of the most gloriously Catholic campaigns in history. Some say he was executed for treason. But traditional Catholics know very well that Charette was martyred for Christ the King, and is today a noble example of what’s expected of every man who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ in a world at total war against Him. François Charette was certainly a sinner, not quite a scholar, never a scoundrel, something of a saint, and absolutely died the holy death of a martyr.
Brian McCall, J.D, Professor of Law, will spotlight King Henry VIII, who could have become a saint but became a sinner. Dr. McCall will discuss the setting and the progress of the first phase of the loss of the faith in England. An appeal to authority and obedience and the legal revolution that paved the way for the radical Reformation that followed will be the core themes. Henry VIII and his legal revolution will be compared to the early stages of the Conciliar Revolution of Vatican II.
Catholic Family News Editor John Vennari will give an in-depth presentation on Therese Neumann, Mystic and Stigmatist. One of the most remarkable lives of the 20th Century was Therese Neumann of Konnersreuth (1898-1962). From 1923 onward, she lived on no food except the Blessed Sacrament; suffered the bleeding stigmata; saw visions of the Passion of Our Lord; made various prophecies; comforted countless souls. Our Lord predicted that “signs shall follow those who believe” (Mark 16:17), and Therese Neumann’s life testifies the reality of God and the Catholic Faith in an age of ever-increasing secularism that wishes to remove Our Lord and His Holy law from the hearts and minds of mind. Therese Neumann’s life is an intriguing and inspiring story.
The conference will be held in Cleveland on the weekend of April 27-29, 2012, which is the third weekend after Easter this year. Conference location is at the Cleveland Sheraton Airport Hotel, with a free shuttle service to and from the airport.
Those who attend our conferences always rave over the quality of the speeches, the fine Catholic vendors, and of course, the joy of spending a weekend with like-minded Catholics.
Mark your calendar now. Don’t miss it. Hope to see you there!
• Click here for Conference schedule
• Click here for Conference slideshow
• Click here for Pricing and Registration
• Click here for PDF file of Directions to conference