First from Catholic Online, via LifeSiteNews, is the brief story of Deacon Paul Schenk, born a Reformed Jew, converted to Christianity, ordained an Epicopalian Minister, then converted to Roman Catholicism, within Christianity, and then last year ordained a transitional deacon on the way to this year's ordination into the Catholic priesthood. Oh, and by the way, this man is a real pro-life hero, having been the co-founder of Operation Rescue, and is also founder and chairman of the National Pro-Life Action Center in Washington, DC. Busy man! But not too busy to give all glory and honour to God, and to seek Him in the Catholic Church.
WASHINGTON, DC (LifeSiteNews.com) - Following a journey from Reform Judaism through the Episcopal Church, pro-life hero Deacon Paul Schenck, who was involved in founding Operation Rescue, is soon to be ordained a Catholic priest.
"I consider the most important pro-life battlefield to be religious indifference," he told LifeSiteNews. "I hope that as a Catholic priest, I'll help to awaken Catholics and all people of conscience from the slumber of indifference to authentic concern and effort to defend innocent lives."
Together with his brother Robert, Schenck was raised as a Reform Jew on Grand Island, New York. Both brothers converted to Christianity in 1974, when Paul was 16.
In addition to his involvement in founding Operation Rescue, Schenck has been arrested multiple times for his pro-life activities. He was also the lead plaintiff in the landmark case Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of Western New York in 1997.
This case found that the 15-foot "floating buffer zones" indiscriminately applied to all clients and vehicles entering abortion facility property were an unconstitutional violation of freedom of speech. The court ruled that such "zones would restrict the speech of those who simply line the sidewalk or curb in an effort to chant, shout, or hold signs peacefully." The same case found, however, that fixed buffer zones were constitutional.
Schenck is founder and chairman of the National Pro-Life Action Center in Washington, DC.
He became a minister of the Reformed Episcopal Church before converting to Catholicism in 2004 with his family.
"The pro-life movement drew me toward reunion with the Catholic Church," he told. "I saw that coherent moral theology, Christian unity and spiritual authority were essential to success."
He continued: "Most people believe in God, most of them believe God gave them their lives, and most believe taking an innocent life is morally wrong. But most are indifferent towards the victims of abortion."
"If most Catholics, most Christians and most believers of any type overcame their indifference and personally opposed killing innocents by abortion, the struggle for the right to life would be won."
As a transitional deacon in the diocese of Harrisburg, he has acted as director of the Respect Life Office, and conducts pro-life ministry in Annapolis and throughout the country.
"I'm blessed beyond expression by this generous and gratuitous privilege of being ordained a priest, an 'alter Christi' [another Christ]" he told LSN.
He will be ordained on June 12 at 10:00am in St. Joseph's Church at 2935 Kingston Road, York, Pennsylvania 17402.Second, over at Where the Rubber Meets the Road, a well meaning findamentalist commenter to Father Tim Moyle's thoughtful blog, claiming to be a reformed ex-Catholic had this to say after Father Tim returned from a fishing vacation with two of his Protestant minister buddies the other day.
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There are many ecumenists in the world who have been deceived by the devil into believing the RC system is actually a true church. Better read Loraine Boettner's book to find out the truth. I wonder where these two Protestant ministers you went fishing with stand. Do they believe the RCC is a true church or do they warn you, with love, about the false church and the false gospel? As they are ministers, one would think they know the truth about the RCC. But in these days of great deception and apostasy on every hand, many ministers you would think otherwise of, are badly deceived themselves and going about deceiving others. Tragic indeed. Who is left contending for the faith once delivered to the saints. (Jude)Loraine Boettner, who has been deceased for 20 years, and who we hope and pray is living eternally with Jesus, wrote a book in 1962, which he updated in 1966, and purported by many fundamentalist Christians, to be the anti-Catholic bible, called Roman Catholicism.
Though it is filled with factual errors, consistent with the agenda of its author, to save Catholics from the Whore of Babylon, the Roman Catholic Church, it has remained in circulation. Regrettably, many former Catholics "have seen the light" and adopted it holus bolus, since it works with their interpretation of sacred scripture.
However, it does not bear any similiarity in its alleged dissection of the Catholic faith to the truth, and has been refuted by too many Catholic apologists to name. A short list of appropriate apolagetics resources would include Karl Keating's web site, Catholic Answers, as well as his scholarly Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on "Romanism" by "Bible Christians" written in 1988, John Salza's 2005 book, The Biblical Basis for the Catholic Faith, as well as his web site, Scripture Catholic. Of course Messrs. Keating and Salza are both cradle Catholics, and so they might be refuted as indoctrinated into the Whore of Babylon by those fundamentalists who like to spew this stuff.
If so, then maybe a better example of Catholic Apologetics is the 1993 by Scott and Kimberley Hahn entitled Rome Sweet Home, about their journey to the Catholic Church from pretty serious fundamentalism.
Deacon Paul Schenck's journey of faith inspires me to live my faith and to grow in my faith. The commenter over at WTRHTR, not so much.
Lord, please save me from those who would save me from the Church that you founded here on earth. Continue to feed me with the Eucharistic meal of your body and blood, and fill me more and more with your Holy Spirit.
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