Apostle to the Irish: The Real Saint Patrick

The following is a reading from "The Confession of Saint Patrick, Bishop." Discover the real Saint Patrick as he describes in his own words his missionary role in fifth century Ireland.

Summer School 2008: The Crusades

The Rockford Institute's summer program sounds superb and timely:

Summer School 2008: The Crusades

The story of the Crusades is one of idealism and courage but also of greed and treachery, of chivalrous Christian knights, cynical Norman warlords, and self-seeking Venetian merchants. Within the gaudy pageant, there are more than enough heroes and plenty of villains, but the current attack on the Crusades as nothing more than European imperialism and looting expeditions is a reflection of multiculturalism, whose true name is Western self-hatred. If you like great stories of high adventure, appreciate brilliant writing and profound theology, then you will not want to miss this Summer School.

TRI’S ELEVENTH ANNUAL SUMMER SCHOOL
THE CRUSADES
JULY 8-13, 2008 • ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS

The Curriculum

The story of the Crusades is one of piety and fortitude, but there are villains enough, as well. For all the chivalrous Christian knights such as Louis IX and Richard Lionheart, there were plenty of Venetian merchants who saw the Crusades as a great opportunity to make a buck. Nonetheless, our own age’s condemnation of the Crusades has far less to do with telling the whole story than it does with hatred of Western civilization and the Faith on which she is founded. A proper understanding of the Crusades is essential to, among other things, a proper understanding of our current conflict with Islam.

The Rockford Institute’s 2008 Summer School will recount thrilling tales of high adventure and terrifying ones of Islamic tyranny. The course will explain the theological arguments reasoned by Pope Urban II and St. Bernard of Clairvaux that launched the Crusades, and consider the public piety of the age, many expressions of which were inspired by the Crusades and remain in practice to this day. The course will also explore the writings of the contemporary chroniclers and the lives of the principal figures. We will look at the crusading orders, the motives that inspired men to take the Cross, the Crusades against heresy, and the complex and often difficult relationship between the Byzantine East and the Latin West. All this and more. This course is for anyone who has ever stood by unable to respond when told that the Crusades are something for which Christians should apologize.

Readings from

Fulcher of Chartres
Bernard of Clairvaux
Jean de Joinville
Anna Komnena
Geoffrey de Villehardoiun

The Faculty

Fr. Hugh Barbour, O.Praem.—Prior and seminary lecturer at Saint Michael’s Abbey, Trabuco Canyon, California; Ph.D. in philosophy from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

Mr. Christopher Check—Executive Vice President of The Rockford Institute; B.A. in English Literature from Rice University; former captain in the United Sates Marine Corps (field artillery).

Dr. Thomas Fleming—President of The Rockford Institute and editor of Chronicles; author of The Politics of Human Nature and The Morality of Everyday Life; Ph.D. in classics from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Mr. Brendan McGuire—Visiting lecturer in Medieval History at Christendom College; M.A. and Ph.D (candidate) in Medieval History from Saint Louis University.

Dr. James Patrick—Chancellor of the College of Saint Thomas More in Fort Worth; Th.D in theology from Trinity College, University of Toronto.

For information on scholarships for full-time undergraduate and graduate students, contact Christopher Check at (815) 964-5811.

Details

The Summer School is aimed at students from undergraduates to retirees. Bright high-school students accompanied by their parents are accepted on a case by case basis.

Out-of-town students stay at Cliffbreakers River Suites Hotel, Rockford’s premier hotel, overlooking the Rock River (www.cliffbreakers.com).

Air travel to Rockford can be arranged through Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Van Galder Airport Express (www.vangalderbus.com) provides regular, motor-coach transportation to Rockford from the Bus-Shuttle Center at O’Hare. The Cliffbreakers van shuttles students from the Van Galder terminal to Cliffbreakers. Ask your travel agent about air service directly to Chicago/Rockford International Airport.

Lectures and discussions take place in The Rockford Institute’s lecture hall. Coffee and pastries are provided each morning; a midday break allows time for lunch at a variety of nearby establishments. Dinners are held at locally owned restaurants.

Transportation for students without cars is provided to and from Cliffbreakers each day, as well as to dinner. Please inform us if you will be driving and would be willing to help with carpooling.

Students should arrive in Rockford no later than 3:00 P.M. on Tuesday, July 8. Out-of-town students must first check in at Cliffbreakers. The opening lecture and buffet will commence at 5:30 P.M. at the Institute. The Summer School will close with a cookout at the home of Dr. Fleming on the evening of Saturday, July 12. The registration fee for out-of-town students includes lodging on Saturday night. Students needing bus transportation back to O’Hare airport on Sunday, July 15, should arrange a ride to the Van Galder terminal with Cliffbreakers.

If you wish to donate to our scholarship fund for full-time students, or wish to apply for a scholarship, or have any other questions, please contact: Christopher Check (815) 964-5811

Enrollment

Full Registration, Double Occupancy—$695.00
(Includes all lectures and events, five nights’ shared lodging with breakfast, daily dinner)

Full Registration, Single Occupancy—$795.00
(Includes all lectures and events, five nights’ private lodging with breakfast, daily dinner)

Commuter Registration, Lectures Only—$325.00
(Includes daytime lectures only, no meals or evening events)

Commuter Registration Plus Dinner—$425.00
(Includes all lectures and events, daily dinner)

N.B.: Registration is limited. • Previous Summer Schools have sold out. • Prices are per student. • Returning students may deduct $25.00. • Register before April 15, 2008, and deduct 50.00. • Prices do not include books.

Beautiful riverfront accommodations at Rockford’s premier hotel: Cliffbreakers
Riverside Resort (www.cliffbreakers.com).

To register, call (800) 383-0680 or click here to download and print a pdf registration form.

A Very Blessed Holy Week To All

The Donkey

by G. K. Chesterton

When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born;

With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil's walking parody
On all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.

Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.

Pope Expected to Hold Catholic Colleges Accountable on Pro-Abortion Speakers

From LifeNews.com

By Steven Ertelt

When he visits the United States next month, Pope Benedict XVI is expected to hold Catholic colleges accountable for inviting pro-abortion speakers to campus. The pontiff has requested an audience with more than 200 top officials from Catholic universities and he is expected to make it clear they need to follow Church teachings.

The Catholic college officials will gather at Catholic University of America where some say the Pope will remind them they shouldn't be giving a platform to politicians and others who back abortions.

For pro-life advocates who have complained about the rash of recent pro-abortion speakers on campus -- such as Hillary Clinton at St. Mary's University and St. Peter’s College hosting Barack Obama -- news of a possible rebuke from Pope Benedict is welcome.

Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, a leading watchdog in monitoring Catholic colleges and the speakers they bring, told the Washington Post he's excited about the prospects for a strong admonition from Benedict.

"This is something that's been simmering for so long that it's reached a boiling point," he said.

He added that several bishops and Vatican officials have indicated the speech will "raise a lot of eyebrows."

Rev. David M. O'Connell, Catholic University's president, told the newspaper, "One thing the pope will emphasize is the importance for all [Catholic] schools to realize that they aren't independent contractors, they are part of the church."

O'Connell said the Pope could address the need to hire Catholic staff for colleges and to reinstate teachings about absolute truth, such as the inviolability of the right to life.

Some of the recent concerns about pro-abortion speakers at Catholic Colleges include:

* University of St. Thomas (TX) President Robert Ivany had to cancel a scheduled speech by pro-abortion Latino leader Dolores Huerta.

* St. Mary's University, also in Texas, came under fire from pro-life advocates for hosting a rally for pro-abortion Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

* St. Louis University officials came under fire for not disciplining basketball coach Rick Majerus after the pro-abortion comments he made at a rally for Clinton

* Trinity University in Washington, D.C. got heat from Reilly's group for continuing to extol two of its pro-abortion alumnae, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

* St. Peter’s College, a Jesuit Catholic institution, allowed pro-abortion Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to hold a rally there.

World Leaders Condemn Death of Iraqi Archbishop

Mosul, Mar. 14 (CWNews.com) - As Archbishop Paulos Faraj Raho was buried on March 14, world leaders joined in condemning the kidnapping that led to the Chaldean prelate's death.

After seizing Archbishop Raho on February 29, in a bloody assault in which three of the prelate's companions were killed, the kidnappers informed authorities on March 13 that they had left the archbishop's body in a shallow grave outside Mosul.

Witnesses reported that there were no signs of bullet wounds on the archbishop's body, but there were indications that he had been dead for some time before his body was discovered. The kidnappers, who had demanded a large monetary payment and the fulfillment of certain political conditions for the archbishop's release, had spurned all requests to provide evidence that Archbishop Raho was still alive. The archbishop suffered from a heart condition for which he took daily medication.

Whether the Iraqi archbishop died of heart problems or was executed by his captors, world leader agreed that the kidnappers were morally responsible for his death. "I deplore the despicable act of violence committed against the Archbishop of Mosul," said US President George W. Bush. Pope Benedict XVI had already termed the death an "inhuman act of violence." British foreign secretary David Miliband added that the kidnapping was "a cowardly act."

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who had ordered an all-out hunt for the archbishop's kidnappers, vowed that "the perpetrators of this horrible crime will not escape the long arm of justice." The Iraqi leader blamed Al Qaida terrorists, who maintain a stronghold in Mosul.

The Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly presided at the Friday funeral for Archbishop Raho. Under heavy security, Christian mourners carried the archbishop's coffin to a grave outside Mosul.

The archbishop's death underlines the precarious conditions facing the Christian minority in Iraq. The kidnapping of Catholic clerics and bombing of churches have induced tens of thousands of Christian families to leave their homes-- in many cases leaving Iraq entirely.

Barack Hussein Obama's Spiritual Leader

There is a Latin maxim, "Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi," which expresses the idea that how one worships reflects what one believes, and ultimately how one lives. The Reverend Jeremiah Wright presided at the wedding of the Obama's, baptized their children, and has served as their pastor for twenty years -- plenty of time for a congregant to be aware of, and accept or reject, the kind of racism and hatred he preaches.

New Film Exposes the EU Coup d'Etat

The United Kingdom Independence Party has made a film entitled "Remote Control," exposing the coup d'etat being carried out by European leaders against the peoples of Europe and their democratic institutions. The following is an excerpt; the entire film can be seen here.