Because of this courageous decision, Palin will be the most pro-life vice-presidential candidate the country has ever seen. The pro-life community and Catholics like Father Frank Pavone, President of Priests for Life, and Father Raymond DeSouza, the well known Canadian priest and writer, were ecstatic about the character of the candidate and the symbolism it represented.

Because of the Palin’s courageous actions in the face of the challenge of giving birth to a child known in advance to have special needs, the family faced a vicious swirl of rumors on the Internet: who was the “real mother” of the baby; did the unborn child receive proper pre-natal care; were Governor Palin and her husband trying to protect their teenage daughter from being revealed as an unwed mother? It would have been bad enough if the usual array of leftist crack pots had participated in this sort of tin-foil madness. However, when established names like Alan Colmes and Andrew Sullivan joined the fray, it was more than a little revealing of the far left’s true agenda: humiliate, belittle and demean those who believe in traditional religious values. The revelation that the oldest daughter was actually pregnant should have embarrassed them into silence, but instead they descended into more madness: had the Palins strong-armed their daughter into keeping her baby; had they failed to provide her with adequate sex education? These are the same people who have tagged the Church as the mortal enemy of human progress.

I recall a talk by Jonah Goldberg, author of Liberal Fascism and editor-at-large of the National Review, in which he said there are many things that unite conservatives, one being respect for traditional religions. It is apparent that too many in the mainstream media have no such respect. Yet, Catholicism has had the unique quality of growing and thriving even while under attack. One might even say that the Church had her best days when she faced the greatest persecution.

By the end of the fall a political and theological donnybrook could take place as Governor Palin is hailed while Senator Joe Biden is repeatedly asked why he is unable to receive Communion in some dioceses due to his “pro-choice” stance. Some in the mainstream media, but especially those in the burgeoning left-wing political blogosphere will proclaim that the Catholic Church is “too powerful” and “out of touch” with life in 2008. There are sure to be outrageous statements made by the political left. However, they will not be facing Catholics of the 1960s and 1970s, who longed to be accepted into the mainstream. Instead, they will face Catholics who are increasingly proud of the Church’s 2,000-year-old teachings and traditions — and outspoken in their defense. Because of this new trend, more and more of the faithful, especially the young, are embracing Catholic culture over the latest whims of the secular culture. Still, there are prices to be paid for this return to Church orthodoxy.

In a sense one could say it has already begun. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, the host city of the Democratic Party’s Convention, was not invited to their convention, something of a political first. His strong statements for life did not sit comfortably with the convention’s organizers. Some on the Catholic left will attempt the tired argument that the abortion issue is part of the “seamless garment” of many important social issues, all carrying the same weight. However, recent statements from Pope Benedict and a number of bishops have reminded the faithful that the sanctity of life is central to our faith and they are engaging all men and women of goodwill. Who will win the argument over the humanity of the unborn when ultrasounds and other modern technology have made the occupants of wombs so visible? The abortion issue is a loser for Catholic politicians who support it.

Though Senator Biden says he doesn’t support partial birth abortion, he has supported abortion in the first two trimesters and has been given kudos by Planned Parenthood for his votes against parental notification for minors to have an abortion. Any abortion controversy on the Obama-Biden ticket will only help amplify controversial statements made by Senator Barack Obama. He was the lone voice on the Illinois State Senate Floor (when he was a State Senator in Illinois) who publicly spoke out against a bill that would allow children born from botched abortions to receive medical attention. In addition, Senator Obama has also stated that he wouldn’t want his two girls “punished” with a child, should one of them have an unplanned pregnancy. You can expect that if any Catholic religious or lay person of note should bring this up, we will be in for a verbal barrage from the mainstream media and political blogosphere claiming that the Catholic Church is “meddling in politics.”

This resentment and worse is already being voiced in California where those who believe in traditional values — like the Knights of Columbus — have come under attack and faced economic boycotts following their donations to those trying to uphold the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman in California. The Knights gave one million dollars and were immediately greeted with statements like this one from those advocating gay marriage: “Right-wing organizations … will stop at nothing to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.” Equality California Executive Director Geoffrey Kors went on to say, “They want to target same-sex couples to be treated differently under the California Constitution, a document that was created to ensure our equality. We need your help to stop them.” A few short years ago, who would have thought that a religious group trying to help voters uphold the sanctity of marriage would be targeted for their beliefs, accused of bigotry and opposing human rights?

Surveys have shown that those in the mainstream media are five times more likely to be agnostics or atheists as compared to the general population. There has been such a favorable mainstream media build up for Senator Obama that should defeat seem a possibility by, let’s say, late October, there could be a meltdown in the media. And should they deem the Catholic Church responsible, you will hear from the political talking heads that the Church has exhibited “too much influence.” ”Too much influence” will simply mean that some of its members actually were bold enough to state what the Church believes in the public square. Some in the mainstream media have the same philosophy about religion that I do about eating Brussels sprouts. I don’t mind if someone enjoys them as long as I don’t have to hear, smell, see, or touch them.

A recent poll by the Zogby Polling Organization showed that young Catholics (age 30 and younger) are the most pro-life demographic of any Catholic age group while conventional wisdom in the media has it that every young person is an Obama supporter. This is a small part of the larger story of the laity embracing more orthodoxy in the Church — a story I tell in my book, The Tide is Turning Toward Catholicism – and it wouldn’t be the first time the media was wrong about the mood of the country.

When Senator Obama toured Europe in the summer, it was hailed as a presidential warm-up tour. In late July, I wrote that it would be a turning point in the campaign, for in the Heartland the “Victory Tour” would be viewed as anything but triumphant. In places like Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania — where Senator Obama needs to do well after a very shaky performance in the Democratic primaries — live large Catholic populations who are far more conservative than their co-religionists in the Northeast and West. No matter how Senator Obama’s camp tries to spin the fact that Senator Biden was from a blue-collar background, much like the folks from these three keys states, the fact that he is pro-choice is not going to cut it with many Catholics — especially the young.

Add to the mix the drama surrounding Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s assertion that the Church doesn’t know when life begins — and neither did she. (Even the 17-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin has demonstrated she knows when life begins.) Never before had the nation’s Catholic bishops responded so quickly to a politician who seemed to be coming up with her own theology. It highlighted the wisdom of Jesus giving us the teaching authority of the Church: the Magesterium led by every pope since Peter (Matthew 16:16-20, Matthew 28:18-20). We have all heard of churches that can’t discipline some rebellious members for distorting their teachings. What good are teachings if they can’t be defended? You can’t run a country, business, sports team, or theater group without a leader. The same goes for a church. Speaker Pelosi’s rebuke by the Church’s leadership will long be remembered by the increasing band of militant secularists who wish to remove faith entirely from the political discussion.

The concept of Catholics adhering to their faith will not sit well with some who may take it out on the Church. In the past this has always made the Church stronger and there is no reason to believe that won’t be the case this time. The Church has been in the crosshairs on many occasions and she always grew stronger because of it. The pro-life message has always been a benchmark for Catholicism. With this in mind, it would appear that on the evening of November 4, 2008, whether they like it or not, many will come to terms with this concept.

Listening to Senator Obama I was reminded of my days as a teacher. Every high school teacher or college professor has a few students they can recall who wrote excellent papers or gave spell-binding speeches that really said very little.  So it was with Senator Obama.  When Pastor Rick Warren asked Senator Obama when life begins, he said, “…that is above my pay grade.” Senator McCain, simply said, “Life begins at conception.”

It was like that much of the evening.

I imagine many, like me, were watching the Olympics that evening. I only saw the forum when CNN repeated it at midnight once the Olympic coverage was over. It was vintage Senator Obama, though Senator McCain outshined him. Senator Obama’s delivery made it appear to many that he could hold his own against Senator McCain in appealling to an Evangelical audience.

As some of you are aware, I noted in my book The Tide is Turning Toward Catholicism that the mega-church era has peaked and is on its way down. I have written that I believe few if any mega-churches will be in their current form in the year 2020. After watching the Civil Forum at the Saddleback Church, I am tempted to move up the date of my projection. As I have said on numerous occasions, Pastor Rick Warren is a truly amazing man who has helped many, especially in the Third World. He reverse-tithes the profits from his 25 million-seller book, The Purpose Driven Life, which means he has given away 90% of the profits, a truly admirable gesture.

However, being a leader of a church and just sitting there while a presidential candidate says that the answer to when life begins is beyond his pay grade, is truly an abdication of leadership. What are Christians suppose to take away from this? Was Senator Obama’s answer in keeping with Christian tradition? It would appear that since the pastor of one of America’s largest mega-churches never asked for a clarification or never explained to the contrary, supporters of Senator Obama are left to think he must have spoken correctly. 

Compare Pastor Rick Warren, one of Evangelicalism’s most beloved pastors with a Catholic bishop loved by orthodox-minded Catholics. I just can’t imagine the recently transferred Archbishop Burke, formerly of St. Louis or Archbishop Naumann of Kansas City listening to Senator Obama’s response and not doing something about it. Pastor Rick Warren said he didn’t want Senator McCain or Senator Obama demonized. They are both great men, said Pastor Warren. However, the Spiritual Works of Mercy tell us we must admonish the sinner. It doesn’t mean that they have to be demonized, just challenged.

The whole mega-church model of marketing and telling people what they want to hear comes apart at the seams when a church leader can’t defend or at least “call out” a presidential candidates who says knowing when life begins is above his pay grade.  Senator Obama also said he would not have selected Justice Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court because he was too inexperienced. Again the irony cried out for a response from Pastor Rick Warren. None was given. To be sure, the Catholic Church has been let down by some in leadership positions in the Church who also completely abdicated their responsibilities. We are well aware of who they were and what they did and didn’t do. However, it is in performances like we saw Saturday night that we see the mega-church plan for what it is: a movement that wants people to feel good and not be threatened by liturgy, rules, or the hard words of Jesus. Too many mega-churches seem more into Stephen Covey or Oprah Winfrey and their slogan may be “location, location, location,” instead of “repent and believe the Gospel.” Saturday night was very illuminating in more ways than one.

In the 1970s, many Catholic politicians, who now support abortion, raised their voices to vehemently oppose the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, Senator Edward Kennedy being chief among them. However, as the 1970s wore on and the 1980s dawned, more and more Catholic politicians were embracing abortion, something that has been opposed by the Church since its earliest days. In 1984, Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, a Catholic who was pro-choice on the abortion issue, was nominated by former Vice President Walter "Fritz" Mondale to be his presidential running mate. 

This was all too much for Cardinal John O'Connor. He not only rebuked her stance but those of other Catholics who supported abortion, most noticeably his state's Governor Mario Cuomo. The stance by Cardinal O'Connor angered many liberal Catholics, but gave hope to the pro-life community that the issue of life was being taken seriously by the Church. Indeed, the Catholic Church was the only Christian Church to have always been against abortion. It wasn't until the late 1970s that the more conservative-oriented churches like the Southern Baptist Church took a stand for life. Dr. R Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said, "The early Evangelical response to the abortion issue was woefully inadequate."

The issue continued to percolate through the 1990s in various locations across the nation. However, there hadn't been another Catholic on the ticket until Senator John Kerry won the Democratic Party's nomination in 2004. Senator Kerry had to change his campaign appearances because he was not allowed to receive the Eucharist in several Catholic dioceses, by order of the local bishop. While this angered some, it did appear to be working as it became apparent that the pro-life issue was important to many people, not just Catholics. In many locations Catholics were not voting for a candidate strictly because they weren't pro-life. Many political observers said that the bishops who supported these measures seemed to have tapped into something because it was making a difference and support for abortion was going down, not up. The best example of this is the recent polling data that shows that young people under 30 are more pro-life than their parents' and grandparents' generations.

The 2008 presidential race saw another prominent Catholic politician take a tumble from front-runner status with the abortion issue a contributing factor. The political hero of 9-11, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, was in the lead in the Republican race for months. However, as the primaries neared, much was made over his liberal social agenda including his pro-abortion stance. On the campaign trail, discussion and writing turned to whether he would be given the sacraments and what his standing was with the Church. Though it may have been poor planning in concentrating on the later primaries in bigger states that indeed caused him to drop out, his pro-abortion views and the controversy they caused, especially in the more conservative GOP, certainly helped end his race after a poor showing in the Florida primary.

These political developments weren't happening in a vacuum. Modern advances in medicine helped many to understand that an unborn child was not just a mass of tissue, but a living human being looking forward to life outside the womb. Three- and four-dimensional ultra sounds were capturing the unborn and several television programs actually showed twins who appeared to be playing together in the womb. All of this gave more weight to the Church's teachings that abortion is wrong. This teaching has been around since the earliest days of the Church when local churches implored women to give them their unwanted newborns.

Some politicians around the world and in the United States took sharp issue with the Church for putting so much emphasis on abortion. Some liberals were upset that the Church didn't threaten Catholic politicians who supported the death penalty with the same ban on the Eucharist that some bishops were implementing on pro-abortion elected officials. However, while the Church during the last 30 years has spoken out against the death penalty, it has not been on the same level as abortion. Presumably those being executed are guilty of heinous crimes while the unborn are guilty of nothing.

Many well meaning Catholics might have thought that denying the sacraments to those who don't uphold the key teachings of the Church would backfire. However, just the opposite has happened. In dioceses where bishops have taken strict measures, interest in vocations and participation by the laity has increased. Perhaps it helps reinforce a belief that the Church is serious about what she teaches. In history, whenever the Church was regarded as being serious about her mission, there has been a flowering and growth of Catholicism. In the past, whenever the Church denied the sacraments to a person or a group, it made a powerful impact on the community as a whole.

It really isn't rocket science; we see it across the spectrum of athletics, the arts, business and parenting. When leaders take their missions seriously, they are treated as such; when they look weak and unsure of themselves, everyone suffers. Thankfully many in the Church seem to be embracing the growing orthodoxy and the issue of life which is such a vital issue among those embracing the 2,000 year old tradition of the Church's teaching authority. Indeed, the tide is turning.

Dave Hartline:  Father Apostoli can you give the readers an update on the progress of Archbishop Fulton Sheen's cause for sainthood?

Father Andrew Apostoli:  The diocesan phase investigating Archbishop Sheen's Cause for Sainthood began in 2002 and that was started by Bishop Daniel Jenky CSC of Peoria, the boyhood home of Archbishop Sheen. The diocesan phase of the cause is drawing to a close. Through our interviews with witnesses who knew the Archbishop, we are hopeful that we can present testimonies that demonstrate that the Archbishop lived a life of heroic Christian virtue, which is necessary for sainthood. We also believe we have two significant healings that can be attributed to the intercession of Archbishop Sheen. One healing took place in Champaign, Illinois, and the other in Pittsburgh, PA. Both were quite extraordinary. One involved a woman who nearly died from a major tear in her pulmonary artery that occurred during a very delicate operation. Doctors felt there was no hope for the woman to survive, but she did. The other case involved a newborn infant who was diagnosed with three life-threatening conditions, one of which was the worst form of a blood disease called sepsis. There seemed to be little hope and yet the infant miraculously recovered to the point that the child shows no signs of his illnesses. The doctors have been amazed.

Dave Hartline:  Father, please explain to the readers who are similar in age to myself (born in the 1960s) and have only seen Bishop Sheen on reruns on ETWN what it was like to see him on television in his heyday. What was the public's reaction?

Father Apostoli:  NBC purposely put him on TV opposite Milton Berle. The TV networks had an obligation to show one hour of religious programming each week. Since Milton Berle was so popular (he was actually called "Mr. Television," at the time) no one expected Bishop Sheen's program to do very well. However, after his first show he received some twenty-eight thousand letters. Within six months the number of Bishop Sheen's viewers increased to the point that he beat Milton Berle in the first half hour of the time slot. It was amazing that, percentage-wise, more Jewish people watched the Bishop than Catholics or Protestants. 

I believe this point helps to explain how Bishop Sheen was chiefly responsible for helping many Protestants and Jewish people to understand what the Catholic Church was really about. On a radio interview program, a Protestant man shared with me that his family always watched Milton Berle and never Bishop Sheen. One evening, however, when the TV reception that showed Milton Berle was so bad his family looked purely out of curiosity to see what Bishop Sheen was like. He told me that from then on they only watched Bishop Sheen. Another person told me that whenever her grandmother, who was a Protestant, watched Bishop Sheen's TV program, she always wore one of her best dresses. She felt like she was in church.

Dave Hartline:  Bishop Sheen had a special devotion to St Therese, the Little Flower. You wrote the forward to a book entitled: "Archbishop Fulton Sheen's St Therese" A Treasured Love Story." It has just been released. Could you elaborate on this?

Father  Apostoli:  Yes, I was happy to write the forward to this beautiful new book since I knew how much St Therese meant to Archbishop Sheen. I think there were many young men and women who were greatly influenced by the writings and example of St Therese. You must remember that she died at the age of 24. This type of devotion and dedication for someone so young had a great impact on people, among them Archbishop Sheen. This book is special because it was the fruit of Archbishop Sheen's preaching about St Therese in which case you have a saintly person writing about a canonized one. 

Dave Hartline:  Tell us about why Archbishop Sheen spent an hour in Eucharistic Adoration every day.

Father Andrew Apostoli:  While still in the seminary, Fulton Sheen heard about the bold faith of a young Chinese girl who during a time of persecution of the Church in China gave her life for the Eucharist. This young girl made reparation in honor of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in a small church in China where the Eucharist had been desecrated by anti-Catholic soldiers. The little girl came back several nights in a row to sneak into the Church. There she spent about an hour in prayer and reparation for the Eucharist that had been desecrated. Each night she licked up a consecrated Host (remember in those days the laity did not receive the Blessed Sacrament with their hands). One night one of the soldiers saw her entering the church, and as she was receiving the last consecrated Host, the guard shot and killed her. Before his ordination Fulton Sheen said that, if this young girl could give her life in reparation for the Eucharist, he could spend at least one hour of each day in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. We know he kept to this. For example, once while visiting missionaries in a remote village in Africa, he arrived late at night and his first request was to be brought to their chapel so he could spend his hour.

Dave Hartline:  Archbishop Sheen's final years were not lived without suffering were they? 

Father Andrew Apostoli :  You are right; they certainly were not lived in comfort. Some claimed that when Archbishop Sheen was young he was somewhat vain. Later in life the Archbishop admitted that vanity was his main fault. But he also said that if he had to do it again he would have done some things differently. However, at the end of his life he certainly was not vain or living in ease. His health suffered greatly, especially in the last year of his life when he underwent three major operations. But most of his trials at the end were related to others. During the last 10-15 years of his life, some began to say that Archbishop Sheen was passé, that his ideas were no longer relevant. Well, I don't know how anyone can say that the truth is passé. What I believe he really faced was resistance from some who wanted to change the authentic teachings of the Church.

The Lord also brought individuals to him who told of experiences which he probably wished he didn't have to know. For example the one time ardent Communist Bella Dodd was a convert of Archbishop Sheen. She told him that while she was a Communist Joseph Stalin told her and other Communists that the Catholic Church was the greatest enemy of Communism. He wanted to undermine the Church by recruiting men into the priesthood who had no vocations and who would cause havoc by confusion and bad example. Bella Dodd told the Archbishop that she had personally recruited into the priesthood between 800 and 1200 men who had no vocations. Knowledge such as this was not easy for Archbishop Sheen. Yet it caused him to pray even harder. 

There is also the story of a man (actually a leper) who was greatly deformed and who hid from the public as much as possible. Archbishop Sheen noticed him on the streets of New York City. In addition to paying for plastic surgery to help the man physically, Archbishop Sheen had lunch with him twice a week to get to know the man better and see how he was coming along. These are the types of stories that people need to know about Archbishop Sheen.

Dave Hartline:  I find it very revealing that so many young people, who weren't even born in the 1950s and 1960s, are watching Bishop Sheen on EWTN and buying his books. Of course that is the thesis of my book, The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism, that is young people are embracing the traditions and devotions of the faith with great joy.

Father Andrew Apostoli:  Yes, Dave your book chronicles what we have all been seeing. Isn't it interesting that the young people are embracing Archbishop Sheen and Mother Angelica who appeal to the roots and core of our faith.

Dave Hartline:  Father, do you see any connection between the work of Archbishop Sheen in the 1950s and the work of Mother Angelica in the 1980s and 1990s? 

Father Andrew Apostoli:  That is a great question. Archbishop Sheen pioneered the role of mass communications for Catholic audiences. It not only helped Catholics, but those of other faiths to better understand Catholicism. Mother Angelica knew the power that television and radio were having on our culture and felt she had to help the Church even though she never thought of herself as someone who was gifted in front of the camera. However, her naturalness appealed to audiences just like Archbishop Sheen did. Two different approaches, the same goal. God always raises up men and women at the right time to accomplish His purposes. The question is: will we listen to His call? Thankfully, Archbishop Sheen and Mother Angelica both responded to God's call for all those who would become disciples through the media.

After several Church Councils, Pope Damasus declared the Canon of the Bible complete in 382 AD. While some of the Old Testament books were taken out of the Bible by some Protestant leaders after the Reformation, the Protestant New Testament is the same Bible that the Councils and Pope Damasus agreed on through the intercession of the Holy Spirit. So every time a Protestant refers to his New Testament as "God's Word" or "Scripture," he is unwittingly assenting to the authority of the Church. However, the Church believes that Scripture and Sacred Tradition together form the deposit of apostolic faith. St. Paul tells us the importance of tradition in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 and 1 Timothy 3:15. If we didn't believe in tradition, how would we have the Bible? The contents of the Bible were passed down orally before they were written.

The Church has never forbid Catholics from reading the Bible, but in the Middle Ages few could read or write and, before the invention of the printing press, each copy had to be made by hand. Therefore, few people owned Bibles. Ultimately, the printing press and education changed all of that. In 1920, Pope Benedict XV proclaimed that every Catholic should have a Bible. Lately many Catholics are turning to Bible studies as well as purchasing Study Bibles such as the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible or the Navarre Bible. This growing embrace of the study of Scripture by lay Catholics is chronicled in my book, The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism. The rise of the new apologetics, led by the likes of Dr Scott Hahn, has brought long-ignored Bible passages to the forefront, helping explain 2,000 years of Church teaching. It is not that Catholics and Protestants were unaware of these verses, but, with the help of the new apologetics movement and the Internet, the Church's interpretation of them was made more widely known. Cradle Catholic apologists like Patrick Madrid worked in cooperation with converts such as Dave Armstrong, Dr. Ray Guarendi, Dr. Scott Hahn, Mark Shea, and Tim Staples to help Catholics and non-Catholics understand the Church's teachings. During the last ten years, Catholic Bible Study and the sale of Catholic book dealing with the understanding of Scripture have skyrocketed.

Whether it is the Eucharist, Confession, Mary, or the role of the pope, the aforementioned apologists, among others, have given Catholic teaching greater exposure. Could Christ have been any clearer on the importance of the Eucharist in John 6:22-69? The same clarity could be claimed for Saint Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 11:23-30. These two passages have helped many Catholics and non-Catholics appreciate this great Sacrament. The unmistakable words of Jesus, and His first words after the Resurrection, addressed the Sacrament of Reconciliation in John 20:19-23.

The role of the pope, the successor to Saint Peter, has been brilliantly explained by these new apologists. Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom and told him he had the power to loose and bind. Whatever he bound on earth would also be bound in heaven and whatever he loosed on earth would also be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:16-19). Keys were very significant in ancient Jewish culture for they signified ownership which had to be passed down. The keys would be passed down as they were in Isaiah 22:15-25. Early Christians would have understood precisely the meaning of this verse. The writings of Pope Clement (the fourth pope) and others made clear the importance of the Holy Father even in the earliest days of the Church.

As we can see, our faith is built upon Scripture and Tradition. It could not have lasted for 2,000 years if it was not the Church Christ established. There are over 34,000 Protestant denominations and non-denominational churches just in the United States. However, in the whole world there is but one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. With the study of the Scriptures, we see why. Indeed the tide is turning!

In my book, The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism, I note that many have come into the Church as a result of the Blessed Mother.  Her life is an inspiration to many converts who felt the only time they heard her name mentioned in Evangelical circles was at Christmas.  During the 1980s, and with some help from Pope John Paul II, she would receive lots of attention in the Catholic Church and beyond.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II survived an assassination attempt by Mehmet Ali Agca.  The date was May 13, the 64^th anniversary of the start of the many apparitions at Fatima.  The Holy Father believed it was because of Mary's intercession that his life was spared.  On May 13, 1982, Pope John Paul II arrived in Fatima and placed the bullet, which almost killed him, in the crown of Mary's statue that adorned the vast Portuguese site.  Some weeks after the failed attempt on the Holy Father's life, another miraculous appearance of the Virgin Mary was said to have started in Medjugorje, which was at that time in Yugoslavia.  While the Church has not yet ruled on the validity of Medjugorje, it became the focal point for many parish prayer groups as well as drawing many groups to travel to Medjugorje.  During this period, countless Marian centers opened up across the US and the world.  Once again, the Blessed Mother was back in the spotlight.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II released the Third Secret of Fatima on the May anniversary of the beginning of the Apparition.  For years, rumors had circulated that the third secret contained dire warnings of impending doom.  However, when it was released, many, including the Holy Father, felt that the Third Secret of Fatima foretold the attempt of John Paul's life in 1981.  In his mind, Pope John Paul II began to piece together the attempt on his life with the third secret.  For many historical observers of the 20^th Century, the Apparitions of Fatima began to make political sense with the collapse of Communism starting in 1989.  Its rise and fall was predicted by the three peasant children of Fatima.  In the early 20^th century, the thinking of many political observers was that, if Communism were to take hold, it would do so among the industrialized nations of the west like the United Kingdom, Germany or even the United States, not Russia.  These children had little formal education and yet they spoke of the improbable coming of these events.  Most reasonable observers concluded they had to be telling the truth and the role of Mary had to be understood and believed by Christians.

Some fundamentalists and Evangelicals have a hard time with the role of Mary.  Some, like popular Evangelical television personality John Ankerburg, state that it is Satan who is deceiving Catholics with Marian apparitions.  However, the evidence is to the contrary.  If, as a result, people are repenting and returning to God, how could Satan be against Satan (Matthew 12:25-26)?  Jesus gave this answer some 20 centuries ago and it still applies today.

During the last three decades, we have seen the fruits of Our Lady bringing more and more souls to her Son.  Countless converts cite her as one of the reasons they entered the Church.  Millions have seen the wisdom of the angel's words in Luke 1:26-28.  In addition, because of the apologetics movement established by converts like Dr. Scott Hahn, many have begun to truly grasp the scriptural passages surrounding Mary.

Dr. Hahn and others have pointed out the significance of Luke 1:28, "Hail, full of grace the Lord is with you."  One has to understand that an angel was addressing a human being with these words.  Where else has that happened in Scripture?  However, it is the Greek meaning of the word this is so significant.  Kecharitomene (Full of Grace ) is rarely used in Greek and nowhere else in the Bible.  It is an exclamation of great significance.  In Revelation 12, Mary is the woman clothed in the sun who will bear the Son of God.  She will fulfill the promise of Genesis 3:15 that the woman will crush the serpent's head.  Because she bore the Messiah, Satan's hold on us would be crushed.  Because of all of this, many began to speak of Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant.  There are some interesting parallels in Scripture.  When we look at 2 Samuel chapter 6, we see the wonderful return of the Ark of the Covenant.  It had been taken by the Philistines but returned, and it remained for three months in the Judean hill country.  David's exclamation on seeing it is echoed by the words that Elizabeth said when she saw Mary in the Judean hill country.  The Ark of the Covenant rested in the Judean hill country for three months, so did Mary.  There are no coincidences in Scripture. 

We need to rejoice in God's grace in giving us Mary.  To thank her for saying yes to God and bearing our Redeemer, we need to inform all of our Christian brothers and sisters of her tremendous role in bringing about our salvation.

Some say that Vatican II itself was the ultimate empowering agent for the Catholic laity.  While that may be true, it has been those Catholic men and women who have supported the Church's teachings and adhered to orthodoxy that have helped the Church grow and prosper.  By the 1980s, many Catholics, especially those born in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, had come of age lacking the basic understandings of much of their faith.  As the group born in the 1950s began having children, they craved a better understanding of their faith for themselves and their children.

Bible and Catechism studies were needed to help explain the faith, but establishing these programs in parishes was often derailed by opposition.  As the 1980s and 1990s wore on, Catholic lay people began to become involved in other means of understanding and spreading the faith.  In 1996, Catholic radio had a paltry 30 stations compared to nearly 2,000 Protestant, mainly Evangelical, stations.  However, because of more Catholic lay involvement over the last decade, more that 200 Catholic radio stations can now be found on the air. 

EWTN is a giant in Catholic mass media.  It is hard to imagine where Catholic teaching and learning would be without the faith and perseverance of Mother Angelica.  Without the hundreds and thousands of lay employees and volunteers at EWTN and other Catholic apostolates, one can hardly imagine where the Church would be.  Shows like Mother Angelica Live and Marcus Grodi's The Journey Home would not be possible.  Who knows how these shows have affected the countless millions who have stayed faithful to the Church or have come home to the Faith?

A shining example of Catholic lay involvement is the Internet and specifically the Catholic blogosphere.  While Catholicism has been playing catch-up in radio and television, that is not the case with the Internet and the blogosphere.  Catholic laity are in the forefront of evangelizing and defending the Faith.  While there are thousands of Catholic websites that zealously defend the Church, there are but a handful of heterodox or liberal Catholic websites questioning the Church's teachings.  Pope John Paul II's call for a springtime evangelization of the Church has been answered.  Indeed the tide is turning!

The newly ordained and those discerning a vocation are embracing the teachings and traditions of the 2,000 year-old Church. Many have commented that seminaries have a much more orthodox look and feel than was evident even ten or twenty years ago. The numbers of ordinations and seminarians from dioceses whose shepherds have upheld the teachings and traditions of the Church speak for themselves. For example, in 2005 the Diocese of Rochester, New York, one of America's more heterodox or liberal dioceses, had six men preparing for the priesthood in the seminary. However, the orthodox Archdiocese of Omaha and the Diocese of Lincoln, which combined are only half the size of Rochester, had sixty four men studying in the seminary. What a difference firm teachings make.

Many have lamented at the lack of nuns or those young women contemplating a vocation. While some orders haven't added more than a handful of sisters in years, others are bursting at the seams. Yet, in those newer orders (or older orders where orthodoxy is embraced), they too have seen numbers jump. One particular order, the Sisters of Mary of the Eucharist, located near Ann Arbor, Michigan, has simply run out of room in their convent as more and more young women enter. 

As indicated earlier in the quote from Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, young people discerning a vocation want some certainty. They have seen all the uncertainty that the world offers. In the Church they see a 2,000 year-old body established by Christ with clear teaching and clear succession (Matthew 16:16-19.) The Church offers hope to a world that is being increasingly narcissistic. The call to a religious vocation is not limited to the young. Many men and women in middle age and even older are entering into the priesthood and religious life. The world didn't answer their hunger so they are taking that hunger and feeding the world with the truth of the Church that was established by Christ (Matthew 16:16-19.) In their young lives, those newly ordained or those who have recently entered religious life have read about and even seen other churches come and go. They are following the advice of St Paul who told the early faithful about the Church being the "pillar and foundation of truth." Increasingly, they understand the words of Christ: the best way to build your foundation is on a rock. Indeed, the tide is turning.

In my book The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism, I note that while many in the media, even some Catholics, are focused on those who have left the Church, few have noticed the significance of so many prominent members of other faiths who have come home to Rome.  It should be noted that many who left the Catholic Faith, usually for a non-denominational mega church, often can't give a theological reason.  They can only say that they enjoy the liveliness and entertainment that a mega church often provides.  It is most encouraging that Catholicism is getting the crème of the crop from other churches.  Entry into the Church for these converts is usually made after a long, difficult journey to come to terms with something that they never thought possible.  For some, like Scott Hahn and Father Dwight Longenecker, the Faith they once mocked is the Faith they have changed their lives and alienated family and friends to join, a decision not taken lightly. 

Often, it is an attempt to better understand Catholicism in order to disprove it that leads to conversion, when they simply could not come up with anything to dispute the key tenets of Catholicism: Scripture and Tradition, the Sacraments, Apostolic Tradition and the role of Mary.  They found themselves falling into the trap that the eminent Pharisee Gamaliel warned about in Acts 5:33-39. They might be fighting against God.

Many of the former converts, some of whom were admitted anti-Catholics, have now become prominent defenders of the faith.  Dr. Scott Hahn is a mainstay at Franciscan University and is often seen on EWTN.  As a matter of fact there are so many converts and reverts coming home to the Church that one of the most popular shows on EWTN is The Journey Home, hosted by Marcus Grodi.  Besides clergy and scholars there are hundreds of thousands who have entered the Church in recent years. This past Easter, it was announced that over 100,000 people came into the Church, just in the United States.  While bloggers and Catholic apologists Mark Shea and Jimmy Akin came into the Church some time ago, Aimee Milburn and Gerald Augustinus along with twin brothers David Bennett and Jonathan Bennett have chronicled their recent journeys into the Church via their blogs.  It is a truly remarkable story that often gets little media attention.  If the converts keep coming, the Tiber is going to get mighty crowded.  Indeed, the tide is turning!

Some skeptics doubt the thesis of my book, The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism. However, since that Denver World Youth gathering, there has been sign after sign that the tide is turning. Subsequent world youth days, which took place in Manila, Paris, Rome, Toronto and Cologne, have been tremendous successes. Yet, it is behind the scenes at youth gatherings and classrooms — observing the interaction among the youths themselves — where much of the evidence can be seen. Many young people in the Church have personally witnessed the destructive aspects of a culture that preaches everything is OK. Young people want answers and the "anything goes" attitude they witness around them or the touchy-feely approach of some 1970s-style youth ministers aren't cutting it. Therefore, young people embraced the leadership of Pope John Paul II as they now embrace Pope Benedict XVI.

While some "doubting Thomases'" might have become believers after Pope John Paul II's funeral, when over one third of the record crowd of five to seven million were under the age of 25, other skeptics still either don't buy into the fact that many young people also like Pope Benedict XVI or just throw up their hands in disbelief. Again, in a culture devoid of moral absolutes and certainty, the Church stands tall amidst the morass. Witness World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne, Germany. The refrain from the mainstream media was familiar: Pope Benedict is not Pope John Paul II, and few will come. Over one million young people came. They still come to Rome and other locations that the Holy Father visits.

In the last few years of Pope John Paul II's pontificate, some in the mainstream media dismissed the large crowds coming to Rome as a "cult of personality." These same skeptics, even some Catholic clergy voiced the opinion that the crowds would tail off now that an older, "more doctrinaire" German was pope. The same people who rarely said anything kind about Pope John Paul II when he was alive are now saying Pope Benedict can't possibly draw the crowds that the previous Holy Father did. Yet the crowds keep coming. The first two years of Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate have seen record crowds. Even with increased travel security and the world economy being far from perfect, record crowds of the faithful, many of them disproportionately young are coming to see the man who spoke out against the "dictatorship of relativity" that is so infecting their youth culture.

Young people see some of their friends leave the faith for others faiths, and often for no faith at all. They see so many lives lived without focus or adherence to ancient teachings and traditions. Therefore, the many who remain faithful to the Church want to experience and learn more about the 2,000 years of Church teachings, the scriptures, traditions, sacraments, devotions and signs and symbols of the faith. Often young people in the Church love Marian devotions and Eucharistic Adoration. Whenever a large youth event is organized, many priests are needed for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I have personally witnessed youths waiting for over an hour to go to Confession without any prodding from organizers. It was said that while there were hundreds and thousands of priests hearing confessions during Denver's World Youth Day, some priests literally passed out from exhaustion after hearing confessions for hours on end.

Young people are listening and following the advice of chastity speakers like Jason Evert as well as Catholic campus groups like FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) who strongly adhere to the Church's teachings. The tide is turning toward Catholicism because young people are listening to those who adhere to the Church's teachings. They see enough frivolity on television and the world around them; they want something that has endured the test of time.  Perhaps the reason I could write a book titled The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism is best summed up in the words of Nikki Shasserre, spokeswoman for the Catholic campus group FOCUS. I asked her if she could respond to a comment from those I had spoken to from an earlier generation who said, "We want to change the Church." She replied that her generation had seen the consequences of that mindset. "We want the Church to change us." Indeed the tide is turning!