Congrats New Mexico!
March 27, 2009 By 2 Comments

Congrats New Mexico!

Last week, Vanessa and I were in Santa Fe on vacation. A couple of the headline’s mention that all eyes were on Governor Bill Richardson as he decided whether or not to sign a bill that would end the death penalty in the state.

New Mexico House Bill 285 (PDF Icon full-text, pdf) was signed, making New Mexico a death-penalty-free state. Well, rather, there will be no future sentences of death. According to The New York Times, only one person has been executed in New Mexico since 1960. The two men currently on death row are not impacted by this law; although, if the political climate allowed for the penalty to abolished, there is a realistic chance of neither reaching the injection table.

Via Whispers in the Loggia, according to the St. Louis Beacon, the Catholic bishops of the State had a great deal to do with discussing the situation with the Governor and helping him discern his choice. Without much public fanfare, the bishops conversed with the Governor and allowed him to make the decision for himself. I think this is a great example of the role our bishops can play in the political sphere. It’s up to each politician to vote their conscience, but up to the bishops to help inform that conscience.

Filed Under: Church, Politics
March 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Bp. Aymond on Obama @ Notre Dame

From my ordinary, Bishop Gregory Aymond of Austin:


Statement regarding the University of Notre Dame

As was
announced recently, the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.,
is presenting President Barack Obama with an honorary degree and have
asked him to give the commencement address.

I, along with many other Catholics, express great disappointment and
sadness that a Catholic university would honor someone who is
pro-choice and who holds many values contrary to our Catholic belief.

In the midst of such a sad situation, as Catholics we must continue to
be pro-life and to proclaim with even greater strength the values of
Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

In my opinion, it is very clear that in this case the University of
Notre Dame does not live up to its Catholic identity in giving this
award and their leadership needs our prayerful support.

Filed Under: Austin, Church, College, Politics
March 9, 2009 By 1 Comment

Lenten Promises

By way of the Ohio State Catholic Campus Ministry:

Filed Under: Lenten
March 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Capital Metro’s Red Line

Capital Metro, the transit agency for Austin, is gearing up for a launch of the first rail-based mass transit solution in near a century at the end of this month. The line, running from the Austin Convention Center to Leander, will save the sanity of folks who normally drive U.S. 183.

I visited the Plaza Satillo station during an open house and it’s… nice. There really isn’t much to write home to mom about on this one if you’ve seen any other light rail station. The train itself is nice, room for six bikes, Wi-Fi enabled, a few “VIP” seats that form into a conference table (no, there’s no VIP ticket, first-come, first-serve). I do want to take a round-trip on it and see if I can get any work done while using the conference table. It’s like a coffee shop, except no coffee.

I hope people who will actually use the line are receptive to it. Living near Congress/Oltorf means I’ll never ride the Red Line (except whatever day I choose to kill a morning riding it and back and forth once), but I’m encouraged at this direction for mass transit in Austin.

Green Line (Manor-Elgin), here we come!

Filed Under: Austin, Transportation
March 1, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Pope Benedict XVI’s Prayer Intentions for March

Pope Benedict XVI’s General Intention for March is “That the role of women may be better appreciated and used to good advantage in every country in the world.”

His Mission Intention is “That bishops, priests, consecrated persons, and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the People’s Republic of China may, in light of the letter addressed to them by Pope Benedict XVI, commit themselves to being a sign and instrument of unity, communion, and peace.”

Filed Under: Pope Benedict XVI
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