THIS IS NOTRE DAME'S TRUE COLORS

I am so tired of Notre Dame. The Notre Dame 88, in which I am one of them,  had to sit in handcuffs and watch Obama lie to the students and American people about the Concience clause and now Obama attacks our First Amendment but Notre Dame won't take away Obama's Honorary Degree and they want to take off of their Board a very brave Bishop defending his faith supposedly the faith of this Catholic college??.    Judy Parran (ND 88)

Notre Dame Faculty Cabal Calls on Bishop Jenky to Step Down from Board

Posted by John Jansen (April 23, 2012 at 4:42 pm)

 In response to the stunningly powerful homily recwently given by Bishop Daniel Jenky CSC in which he excoriated President Obama’s “radical, pro-abortion and extreme secularist agenda,” some faculty members of the University of Notre Dame are calling on him to step down from the University’s Board of Fellows.

Why?

Because in his homily, Bishop Jenky said the following:

Remember that in past history other governments have tried to force Christians to huddle and hide only within the confines of their churches like the first disciples locked up in the Upper Room.  In the late 19th century, Bismarck waged his “Kulturkampf,” a Culture War, against the Roman Catholic Church, closing down every Catholic school and hospital, convent and monastery in Imperial Germany.

Clemenceau, nicknamed “the priest eater,” tried the same thing in France in the first decade of the 20th Century.

Hitler and Stalin, at their better moments, would just barely tolerate some churches remaining open, but would not tolerate any competition with the state in education, social services, and health care.

In clear violation of our First Amendment rights, Barack Obama – with his radical, pro abortion and extreme secularist agenda, now seems intent on following a similar path.
Now things have come to such a pass in America that this is a battle that we could lose, but before the awesome judgement seat of Almighty God this is not a war where any believing Catholic may remain neutral.

This fall, every practicing Catholic must vote, and must vote their Catholic consciences, or by the following fall our Catholic schools, our Catholic hospitals, our Catholic Newman Centers, all our public ministries — only excepting our church buildings – could easily be shut down. Because no Catholic institution, under any circumstance, can ever cooperate with the instrinsic evil of killing innocent human life in the womb.

No Catholic ministry – and yes, Mr. President, for Catholics our schools and hospitals are ministries – can remain faithful to the Lordship of the Risen Christ and to his glorious Gospel of Life if they are forced to pay for abortions.

Clarifying Remarks Fail to Satisfy Notre Dame Faculty Cabal

 

In response to some complaints about Bishop Jenky’s homily, Patricia Gibson, chancellor of the Peoria Diocese, issued some clarifying remarks last week:

 

“Based upon the current government’s threatened infringement upon the Church’s religious exercise of its ministry, Bishop Jenky offered historical context and comparisons as a means to prevent a repetition of historical attacks upon the Catholic Church and other religions,” said Patricia Gibson, chancellor of the Peoria Diocese.

“Bishop Jenky gave several examples of times in history in which religious groups were persecuted because of what they believed,” Gibson said. “We certainly have not reached the same level of persecution. However, history teaches us to be cautious once we start down the path of limiting religious liberty.”

In her remarks, Gibson reiterates the bleeding obvious: Bishop Jenky never said that the current situation in the United States is as bad as Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia, but nonetheless, you’d be a fool to think that once a government starts curtailing religious freedom that it will soon stop.

Still, the Notre Dame faculty cabal wants Jenky out. Their letter reads as follows:
Dear Father Jenkins and Mr Notebaert,

As you will be aware, the Most Reverend Daniel Jenky, a member of Notre Dame’s Board of Fellows, has been widely quoted for a homily in which he described President Obama as “seem[ing] intent on following a similar path” to Hitler and Stalin. Bishop Jenky’s comments demonstrate ignorance of history, insensitivity to victims of genocide, and absence of judgment. We accept that Bishop Jenky’s comments are protected by the First Amendment, but we find it profoundly offensive that a member of our beloved university’s highest authority, the Board of Fellows, should compare the President’s actions with those whose genocidal policies murdered tens of millions of people, including the specific targeting of Catholics, Jews, and other minorities for their faith. We request that you issue a statement on behalf of the University that will definitively distance Notre Dame from Bishop Jenky’s incendiary statement. Further, we feel that it would be in the best interest of Notre Dame if Bishop Jenky resigned from the University’s Board of Fellows if he is unwilling to renounce loudly and publicly this destructive analogy.

Misplaced Outrage

 

This may well be the best example of misplaced outrage you’ll come across today.
Who is the one demonstrating “absence of judgment” and making “incendiary statements” — the president, whose HHS Mandate is a naked assault on fundamental religious freedom, or the bishop who, in the course of exercising his duty to guide and instruct the Catholics in his diocese, speaks out in opposition?


Heard enough?

NOTRE DAME, PART 3

George Offerman

The arrests were the centerpiece of the weekend

Many pro life organizations came for the speech, and the media was already in place, due to the arrests. I had clarification of this because there were relatives of mine who happen to be in Denmark for this weekend, and saw me getting arrested on the news over there. I had several friends record the news over the weekend, and they covered many differing news outlets, and the arrests were shown for nearly four days. Many remarked how the most vivid image of the arrests was Fr. Weslin and him being carried off by the Notre Dame police. It was very shocking to the sensibilities of the faithful, and it was this event more than anything else during the weekend that triggered the response it got.

There were many pro life groups extremely critical of the arrests and of Randall Terry, and wanted to distance themselves from this event. However, it became such a magnet for bringing legalized child killing front and center, these same groups then jumped at the chance to get involved and are taking credit for the publicity this event received that they had little to do with creating. This was done while still condemning the tactics used by Randall Terry and the Insurrecta Nex team and many of these same groups who then called Randall Terry a ‘show hog’ for garnering the majority of the attention with the arrests, are now saying they were the main reason for the extensive coverage this event received.

What these groups don’t seem to understand is that arrests take the center stage due to the unjust nature of them. Signs, although important, do not garner attention from the media because signs are used in many locations, and frankly, are not newsworthy. When people are willing to put comfort, convenience and their good names on the line for a cause, others want to know about it. And despite the fact the pro life media resents the mainstream media, the mainstream media knows what is news, and know how to exploit a story for their benefit. The mainstream media, through their actions, made the arrests the centerpiece, because they know their audience, and know this is newsworthy. Randall Terry was not a ‘show hog’ and didn’t coerce any of the MSM to follow the story, the MSM did this all on their own because they know what is newsworthy, and the arrests met that criteria. The plane and the 2 mile long sign holding chain did not.

The aftermath of the arrests

Long after the speech and commencements and after the cameras were all shut off and packed away, 88 peoples’ lives were changed in a significant and an inconvenient fashion. We were now left in limbo by Notre Dame not letting go of the charges, and not attempting to persuade the prosecutor to drop the charges. We were chastised by many in the pro life movement, who accused us of seeking attention, and the purists and legalists were all defending the nebulous ‘trespassing’ charges, while ignoring the fact pro Obama supporters freely were walking around as we were being arrested. The alumni association, the Sycamore Trust, also discovered that two very controversial groups represented by the homosexual contingency were let go and not prosecuted for the exact same reasons we were arrested.

Notre Dame outright lied about this, as well as released public statements about our motives and intentions ‘to bring about chaos and possible violence’ as their reason to continue their pursuit of charges. We, as defendants, had to remain silent as we were openly slandered by Fr. Jenkins and Notre Dame, as commenting would have jeopardized our cases. Too many of the prolifers jumped on this bandwagon, and soon the ‘what you know that ain’t so’ crowd took control of the dialogue in condemning what we did. What was and still is true about us was we went on with peaceful intent to pray the rosary on a Catholic Campus to protest an abominable act that needed to be rectified. Most were grandparents and others who had never done anything like this before, and they have been misaligned by the university, many in the pro life movement, and most of the MSM.

Thank God for many of the worker bees and the few pro life organizations that had the integrity to back us up. Lifesitenews.com immediately jumped on this by starting a petition to have the charges dropped, and received over 17,000 signatures. Many of the ND alumni also came to our aid and began to publicly denounce ND and stopped donating to the school. Tom Dixon and the Thomas More Society represented us pro bono to negotiate for us. Overall, we did get the support from those who understood the need to protest this very unjust event, and did not get hung up on the ‘legalese’ of this, which many used as an excuse to do little to nothing. Shame on them.

Peace be with you

The vast majority of the ND 88 I had contact with stated they were there out of conviction, and many were willing to go to jail if necessary. The one thing our critics will never understand about this is the level of conviction each had when going on campus and the peace of mind most reportedly had before, during and after the arrests. There is no need to explain to the critics why we did what we did. We followed the orders of the Master, and if that is not clear by now, then it never will be. I know that I was at peace about going to jail, even up to one year if necessary. This life will be over soon enough, and there will never be another chance to do what is true and what is asked of all of us by our Savior. I am grateful, in the words of Fr. Weslin that I was ‘found worthy in the Master’s eyes’ to participate in this unjust event. That’s good enough for me.

As this chapter wraps up, those I continue to keep in contact with see what we did as the right and holy thing to do. There will be more battles that will require even more of us, and Notre Dame was simply a warm up exercise. We are constantly being called by the Master to reach beyond what we think we are capable of, and our only job is to respond in the positive: “Here I am lord, send me Lord”. What is next is more important than what was, and as far as I’m concerned, the ND 88 is finished. We may have a reunion some day, but we already lost one of our members, and some of the 88 have already declared they have no interest in attending any reunion.

Our prayer is that our efforts were not in vain, that they conveyed meaning, and started a process in which the Christian community was given a clear wake up call to get off the couches and kitchens across this great nation, and do something about the legalized child killing fields that are so prevalent. We will soon see if the ND 88 had this effect, and if so, real change will sweep this country and we will right a very evil wrong in our history, and thereby save ourselves and this country from judgment.

NOTRE DAME, PART 2

George Offerman

Why me Lord? Pick on someone else.

My wife had been back and forth from South Bend, assisting the Insurrecta Nex team and was in charge of media relations while I was back in Virginia holding down the fort. Randall called me shortly after his arrest and informed me that things were beginning to heat up at Notre Dame, and he and the team came up with another strategy to put more pressure on Fr. Jenkins, Obama, and Notre Dame to rescind the invitation to speak. It appeared with the initial arrests, that Fr. Jenkins was making a very clear statement that he intended to make this even happen; despite the fact it violated clear tenets of the Catholic faith, as well as the fact that Bishop D’Arcy had asked Notre Dame to rescind the invitation. If Fr. Jenkins was going to dig in his heels, so would we.

Randall Terry’s strategy was to send waves of people onto the campus with nothing other than rosaries to pray, and with very clear instructions to be peaceful and nonviolent. Because this strategy had not been used before, Randall was unsure whether arrests would happen, but one would have to be prepared to be arrested and to possibly sit in jail for at least a weekend. Since Randall knew I was coming back with my wife to south Bend for the weekend, he had asked me if I would be willing to be arrested. I told him I would think about it, but inside I dismissed this as foolishness and at that moment, had absolutely no intention of doing nothing other than protesting outside the gates. What I did not understand at the time was that someone with greater authority than me, had other plans.

The servant is no greater than the master.

God speaks to us in our own unique ways. God speaks to me in two ways I have readily identified: quietly when I am willing to listen, and with a 2 x 4 when I’m not. This was one of those 2 x 4 ‘moments’ and I have to admit that I put up a real good fight. The conviction came over me in such a way that the best I can say is that “I can’t not do it”. I could find no valid reason to not proceed on, and kept running into scripture verses that mandated me to act on what I knew was the truth. If Jesus found it good enough to get arrested under false charges, who am I to make any statement about how ‘unfair’ it is?

This process took several days, and my mind was not at peace until I made the decision to proceed onto south Bend, and participate in this protest to its fullest extent. However, I did not inform Randall of my decision, thinking he would encourage me to stay in jail for the weekend, if being arrested was the final outcome. It was then decided we would set out for South Bend on May 13 and I would be joining the first wave of prayer warriors to enter the campus on May 15th. Prior to going to our lodging, I asked my wife to drive by St. Joseph’s county jail to see what my possible ‘weekend home’ looked like. Even at this time, I was still hoping we would be left alone to pray and would not end up in jail, but also remembering rather clearly that I was willing to do the Lord’s bidding on this matter.

Arrested for praying.

That morning, there was a large gathering at the Francis Street house which served as the residential headquarters for this event. There were about 30 + people willing to enter the campus and risking arrests. The previous Friday, Dr. Alan Keyes and 17 others had entered the campus pushing baby carriages with dolls, and were arrested fairly quickly, and it was likely our fate would be the same. After getting into formation, we walked the 3 blocks to one of the main entrances to the campus, and could see the campus police waiting for us. There were also a myriad of pro Obama protestors waiting as well. After a quick prayer in front of the gate we proceeded in. We did not get much further than about 50 yards in when the police confronted us and ordered us to leave. (However, the pro Obama counter protestors were left alone) Dr. Keyes was the first arrested then the rest of us were eventually taken into custody. Fr. Norman Weslin was one of the last to be arrested on that day, and decided to go limp. It took 5 officers to get him to a separate van, and once they had Fr. Weslin squared away, we were off to St. Joseph’s county jail. In all, 22 of us were arrested that Friday, and 10 of us stayed in Jail overnight.

There were two other waves of arrests that weekend, 19 on Saturday which included Norma McCorvey and Fr Weslin again, and 27 arrests on Sunday, the day of the commencement speech. In total, 94 people had been arrested over the course of 3 weekends with the bulk being the weekend of the speech. The international media was all over the arrests, and many of the people arrested were approached by all sorts of media wanting to know their stories. The arrests and tactics used by the Insurrecta Nex team, coupled with the support of Dr. Monica Miller and CPLS and others made this event an international news item.

There is no question president Obama had to address the issue of abortion, knowing multiple numbers of Americans were getting arrested for speaking up for the life issue. There was no doubt that we were making a difference, despite the fact our first objective failed, in getting Obama cancelled. It raised the bar for the dialogue that Fr. Jenkins claimed to want to do by inviting Obama in the first place. Without the arrests, this event would have been lightly protested and there would have been minimal coverage of this event, as it is the case for the majority of presidential commencement speeches. However, we did not get the support of most of the pro-life movement, and many of the accusations by these groups were just starting.


To be continued

COURAGE

George Offerman

I have had several readers comment on what they perceive as my ‘courage’ concerning my exploits in the pro life movement. Sure, it is flattering to be thought of as courageous, but it also gives the opportunity to ponder this word courage and what it entails. I don’t see myself as particularly courageous, as I know exactly what I’m thinking and feeling when I do these things. I just feel extremely driven to do them, due mainly to strong convictions about my belief systems, and the fact that I really believe the Gospel tells us as believers, that we do not have the luxury of watching those around us go to hell without a fight from us. If we do not speak up we are derelict in duty, and we are actually Anti Christian because we then excuse and justify our non action as ‘the right thing to do’.

As I have written in past postings, conviction is cultivated through vast amounts of praying and fasting. Jesus started his ministry with a 40 day fast and prayer session, and we have clear records of what he was able to do. Intensive praying and fasting, when done properly, will access the ‘deep thoughts’ of God, and they come across as life changing convictions. That is why I warn people about this, because entering the spiritual realm, whether good or evil, brings about major changes in life. One cannot go to the ‘foot of the cross’ in intensive praying and fasting, and not expect to be told to ‘pick up your cross daily and follow me”. Jesus clearly warned us that we are to expect persecution, mockery and other derogatory words and behaviors targeted at us, and from the amount of work I have done, I can personally confirm Jesus statement as being exact and accurate.

The problem is that most people look at this through negative lenses, and become fixated on what appears to be rejection through worldly eyes, instead of understanding or accepting the fact that ANY worthwhile cause will bring about dissention within any group. Yes, there are nasty things that happen, but real joy cannot be experienced until one is willing to pay the price for what is right, and then goes about doing it. It doesn’t mean that one cannot be afraid while acting on what is right, it means that despite the fear, one does what is right anyway.

I had my father as a role model, in both matters of faith, as well as pro life. I watched someone with guts do things that I thought were crazy until I began to pray and fast in earnest, and then I began to understand what ‘drove’ him. Then I moved into the action phase, and began to get even more understandings and insights into the Gospel, and realized how ‘alive’ our faith really is. The best way I can describe this strong conviction to people who have not yet developed it is that “I cannot not do it’. To not act on what I know is way harder than working through the fear and doing what I need to do.

Since my arrest at Notre Dame is a matter of public record, I feel free to discuss it. I have told most people who ask me about it, I was fairly scared walking up to the campus, and remember saying to myself “I hope we don’t get arrested today”. But I also remember being prepared to do and go with whatever was going to happen. Praying at Notre Dame was the right thing to do, and for those who did (and do) not understand and let their fear get the best of them made many comments pertaining to my ‘foolishness’ and attempted to justify their non action as being superior to what I did. To me that is fine, because I was not motivated by the promise of accolades, speaking gigs, or fame. I did it because the spirit convicted me to do it, and I was not going to sleep well until I acted on what I knew what was right. (Virtually all of the now known ND 88 has said about the same thing).

Notre Dame brought out a crisis of consciousness, not only for Obama, but for the Church and believers in general. There were 88 people willing to risk imprisonment, humiliation and significant risk, but it exposed the ‘nakedness and impoverishment’ of the pro life movement in general, as it greatly overshadowed the efforts of all the other groups combined, who did major fund raisers and sold their efforts as ‘effectively creating tension’. By most of these groups either distancing themselves, or outright condemning us as ‘show hogs’, the pro life movement missed a golden opportunity to build upon momentum created by these arrests. But in truth, it exposed them for what they really are: and that is a group who seems more interested in safety, comfort and convenience, and playing ‘nice’ with the enemy instead of getting the job done in the most effective non violent way possible.

For some, these may seem to be strong words, and they are. I also know firsthand what it is like to have handcuffs put on, and to be charged with ‘trumped up’ charges, and spending time in jail for political reasons. I know firsthand the pressure in dealing with a court system and a University that is giving us the run around. I know firsthand the inconvenience of driving all night to get to South Bend for a 15 second appearance in front of a judge, only to turn around and make the long drive back in near total exhaustion. I know firsthand the possible negative ramifications of a conviction and jail time would do to my career and livelihood. I know firsthand of friends I have lost, religious leaders, many so called pro lifers and even some priests who will not talk or associate with me. But I know firsthand the peace and joy of picking up the cross and following my master, knowing with 100% CERTAINTY that I followed his will, and that no matter what happens, only good will come of it. That, no one can take away, nor minimize with any word or deed, and I know firsthand that this will follow me into eternity.

So, for those who worry about having courage and then doing something, I am here to tell you that do something, and courage will come. It seems the vast majority of the time our worst fears never come to fruition, but we let them paralyze us. It seems that if God sees us reach out in faith, He will not abandon, nor disappoint us. In my own life it seems to be that when I’m willing to pay the price and then act, I normally don’t pay the price. When I allow fear to take over and do nothing is when many of my fears are realized. As I stated before, I am not concerned about the outcome of Notre Dame because it is out of my hands (It is also out of Fr. Jenkins hands, but he does not realize it). I just know that I did what I was supposed to do, and the God who knows all and sees all and who asked me to go will not let me down. That I am certain of.

FR. JENKINS MISINFORMATION

George Offerman

Nearly a full year later, Notre Dame finally comments on the status of the now famous ‘Notre Dame 88’ and attempts to take a stand, that somehow, these protestors meant to bring about violence on campus, and that there was a viable threat to the well being of the campus and those who were on it. It is really unfortunate that Fr. Jenkins has decided to paint himself into this corner, and time and the facts will ultimately show how Fr. Jenkins has distorted the facts of this case, as much as he has distorted the teachings of the Catholic Church in matters of faith and morals, especially concerning the issue of legalized child killing.

Fr. Jenkins claims that the ND88 were ‘unruly and lead by individuals who threatened peace and order’ and thus, deserve the possibility of up to one year in jail and the $5,000 fine. As one of the ND88 myself, I am very aware of what went on that weekend, why I was there, and why the majority of those, who ultimately became known as the ND 88 were there. I am also very aware of what our goals were as well as what we were instructed to do by the man who coordinated this effort, Randall Terry. It seems to me that Fr. Jenkins is feeling the heat, and his very convoluted and contradictory position his actions have demonstrated is beginning to catch up with him.

To begin with, Randall Terry did not, has not and will not condone violence, destruction of property or any form of behavior that would be seen as personally threatening to others, and Mr. Terry continues to advocate for NON VIOLENT MEANS of protest. Yes, Fr. Jenkins was correct in alluding to the term’ circus’ to describe the atmosphere of this commencement, but circus is nowhere near a position of rioting, violence or destruction of property that he wants to allege by his statements. The majority of the ND 88 are grandmothers and grandfathers, along with a priest and many young people who believed in the cause of upholding Catholic teachings, and went onto the campus in the spirit of prayerfulness. (Not what I would consider any threat). All the videos of the event confirm this to be true, and we did not get but 50-100 yards past the main gate before being arrested.

Fr. Jenkins is also making the claim that the ND 88 are being treated in the same fashion as all protestors have in the past. This claim has already been demonstrated to be false, as an investigation by the South Bend Tribune and the Sycamore Trust, a Notre Dame Alumni watchdog group has confirmed. Two groups of protestors, the pro gay soulforce and catholic worker anti ROTC were arrested on campus in March of 2007 for trespassing, and were processed and let go. The Sycamore Trust has proven through their investigation that both of these groups also violated the supposed criteria that Fr. Jenkins claims is the ‘litmus test’ for those who may disagree, or protest Notre Dame:

"We require that any campus demonstration ... be peaceful and orderly," be approved by the university, and be organized by a student, staff, or faculty member. However, "those who were arrested last spring met none of these criteria and, in particular, were led by individuals who threatened peace and order by promising upheaval on our campus."

Evidently, there are differing standards according to what purposes the protestors bring to the conversation. Any way one wants to look at this, the ND 88 will have their day and say, and it will not bode well for Fr. Jenkins and co, as they will be exposed for the frauds that they are. There are too many of the faithful out there that are tired of the ‘double speak’ that both the Church and the Society at large engage in on a regular basis. Truth is truth, and this will play out in the end. Many in the ranks of the ND 88 are willing to go where the spirit leads, and in the end Fr. Jenkins is only a bit player in this (much like Pilate was in the crucifixion) this fight is way bigger than Fr. Jenkins, and he is currently, and will continue to be on the wrong side of history (but hopefully not on the wrong side of eternity).

Randall Terry spearheaded the protests, but the rest of us went due to deep convictions that the administration, lead by Fr. Jenkins was in grave error of church teachings by inviting the most pro baby killer in the history of our nation to preside over the commencement of what should be the most orthodox university in this country. There was never a threat of violence, or of disturbing the peace or any of Fr. Jenkins trumped up charges. We were there to uphold the faith that Fr. Jenkins supposedly pledged his life to uphold. Fr. Jenkins created and fomented this scandal, not the 88 of us who stood with our lady in this travesty.

Frankly, I am not personally concerned over what the court of man decides pertaining to my fate. I can and will live with whatever the consequences of my actions are. It is the court of God that I am concerned with, and it is his judgment and condemnation that puts fear in my heart. There is no question for me that we 88 made the moral and faithful decision in standing up for the babies despite the outcome and consequences of the day. Regardless of the consequences in this world of time, these actions have eternal implications that will live on forever. So will Fr. Jenkins actions. Fr. Jenkins will have his day in front of the Supreme Judge, and will have to answer for his actions, and on that day, he will not have an office to hide in, or a board of directors to deflect the heat. I hope he is prepared.

RIGHT TO LIFE MARCH, FR. JENKINS AND THE ND 88

George Offerman

It seems that Fr. Jenkins is going to go through with his ‘schizophrenic’ plan to simultaneously show his ‘pro life’ side by showing up at the Right to Life march, and continue to press charges against the ND 88 for the crime of… praying the Rosary on a Catholic campus. Here are some plans of people who happen to agree that Fr. Jenkins is demonstrating some cognitive dissonance in his rather interesting behaviors.

First, Lifesitenews.com (not to be confused with life news and Steven Ertelt) has co-sponsored a petition to free the ND 88 along with Human Life International (HLI) and the Thomas More Society, which is helping to fund the defense lead by Mr. Thomas Dixon. Press release follows:







January 13, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Wednesday, a petition to "Free the Notre Dame 88" was launched. The petition is co-sponsored by Human Life International (HLI), the Thomas More Society and LifeSiteNews.com. It is addressed to University of Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins, and urges him publicly to ask that the charges against the 88 pro-lifers who were arrested on the Notre Dame campus in May of last year be dropped.

"During the Obama scandal controversy, Fr. Jenkins repeatedly assured us that he and Notre Dame are 100% pro-life. Yet, now he is refusing even this tiniest of olive branches to these 88 pro-lifers," said HLI President and Notre Dame Alumnus Fr. Thomas Euteneuer. "Asking that the charges be dropped will cost Fr. Jenkins absolutely nothing, but it could save the ND88 from a protracted trial process, and possible jail time. As long as this situation persists with Notre Dame’s cooperation, how can Fr. Jenkins possibly expect us to take him seriously?"

Members of the ND88 traveled to South Bend in May to protest the university's honoring of Obama (whom pro-lifers have called "the most pro-abortion President in U.S. history") at its commencement. In many cases their "protest" took the form of walking onto campus and praying and/or carrying pro-life signs. For this "crime" they were handcuffed, arrested, and thrown in prison.

At the same time, witnesses report that pro-Obama demonstrators were allowed to roam free throughout the campus.

Now the ND88 are facing charges of trespassing, with a maximum sentence of up to a year in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.

"Notre Dame seriously tarnished its image as a pro-life institution when it honored President Obama earlier this year," said Tom Brejcha, Chief Counsel for the Thomas More Society, which is representing the ND88. "However, it is not too late for the university to restore its pro-life reputation. The first step in that direction would be to stop the persecution of these pro-life heroes by asking that the charges be dropped."

While Fr. Jenkins has responded to concerned pro-lifers by claiming that Notre Dame does not have the power to ask that the charges be dropped, Brejcha called such claims "flatly wrong."

"They always have the power to ask," he said, adding that Notre Dame's asking, "would have great weight with the prosecutor."

Brejcha said, however, that despite repeated requests Fr. Jenkins has continued to refuse to do so.

"It is important for pro-lifers to let Fr. Jenkins know that we have not forgotten what happened on his campus last May," said Brejcha. "We have not forgotten, and we will not forget as long as the ND88 are being forced to pay such a steep price simply for being pro-life."

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jan/10011304.html



Dr Monica Miller, one of the ND 88, has sent out a request for those who would like to show visual support for the ND 88 when Fr. Jenkins shows up. She also gives an update on the situation of the judge who had conflicts of interest in this case, in which the judge recused herself. Good news.


From Monica Migliorino Miller, Ph.D. Director of CPLS
www.prolifesociety.com

A Strategy and a Victory

FIRST THE STRATEGY: Free the ND 88!
Signs and Banners in support of the ND 88
Need to be visible at the March for Life!

Let's not forget that 88 pro-lifers, including your CPLS director, Norma McCorvey, Alan Keyes, Randall Terry, Jack Ames, Fr. Norm Weslin, Joan Andrews Bell and Sister Lois Marie-- with dozens of other wonderful, beautiful committed pro-lifers and lovers of God's truth were arrested on the campus of the University of Notre Dame last year, protesting the abomination of pro-abortion President Obama's commencement speech at a Catholic University.

Fr. Jenkins, President of ND-- WHO ALLOWED THIS SCANDAL TO OCCUR-- WILL BE AT THIS YEAR'S MARCH FOR LIFE!

PLEASE CARRY A SIGN, CARRY A BANNER THAT SAYS: "FREE THE ND 88"

WE INTEND TO HAVE PROFESSIONAL SIGNS MADE AND DISTRIBUTED AT THE MARCH-- BUT YOU COULD JUST AS EASILY MAKE A SIGN OF YOUR OWN! MARCH NEAR THE NOTRE DAME CONTINGENT AND LET THEM SEE IT!

Will you carry such a sign and show your solidarity with those who very well may go to trial in 2010 and even go to jail for their witness to the truth? Please pass this memo on to other groups. Pass this memo on to other pro-lifers. LET'S MAKE THIS A SERIOUS SHOW OF SUPPORT!

AND NOW THE VICTORY:
On December 3, 2009, attorneys for the ND 88, Tom Dixon and Tom Brejcha, of the Thomas More Law Society, had hearings before Judge Manier. Many weeks ago our attorneys asked this judge, assigned to our case, to recuse herself, and she repeatedly refused to do so.

The pro-life attorneys were permitted to take their pleadings to the Appellate Court. We wanted this judge removed from our case because her rulings from an earlier case in St. Joseph County, that dealt with free speech rights at the abortuary in South Bend, were so afoul of the appropriate legal standards as to create evidence of her bias in the current cases. Also Judge Manier has ties to Notre Dame-- as her husband is on staff at the university-- which certainly should be seen as a conflict of interest.

On January 6th-- Feast of the Epiphany-- Judge Manier finally and unilaterally--without the Appellate Court having to force her--decided to recuse herself! So she's off the ND 88 case.

This is a great victory for the ND 88! We've started out the New Year with a great blessing. Much thanks goes to the hard-working and dedicated attorneys who have taken up the cause of the ND 88!

Now we must pray very hard that the case will go to a judge who will understand what we did, make fair rulings and DISMISS the charges against us.

SEE YOU AT THE MARCH!


Show support for the ND 88 by going to the lifesitenews site and signing the petition to free the ND 88. Also contact Dr. Miller for further instructions, and getting signs protesting Fr. Jenkin’s appearance at the march.