I received a phone call this morning from a PR flack for a religious order of women—yes, apparently religious orders need PR flacks because, you know, their raison d’etre isn’t getting The Message out or anything, the original form of Public Relations—and so this PR flack wants Catholic World Report to write a story.
He asks me if I’m familiar with the order. I say No, I’m not, I only know the name. He goes into the canned spiel about their important work and then gets to what he evidently believes is the news hook that will compel me to write a story about the sisters’ amazing deeds (and incidentally give them independent media praise to include in their fundraising appeals.)
Not going to convince me
The order held a dinner recently to hand out awards to a couple of people they believe represent their values. The recipients? Katie Couric and Rudy Guiliani. Now I’m aware that Couric, after losing her first husband to cancer, has done a lot of work for cancer treatment and that Guiliani did a bang-up job as mayor of New York City during and after 9/11. But there is no way I’m going to be convinced that these two should be honored by a Catholic institution, never mind a religious order. Giuliani is a bald-faced adulterer, not to mention pro-gay and pro-abortion. Couric is just as pro-abortion and pro-gay. These honors are a scandal to the faithful and a slap in the face to the Word of God and the Church’s teachings.
This event must have been the award dinner. What a disappointment—Mother Cabrini, pray for them!
Thanks for standing up for the faith, Dom!
In that site’s “About The Foundation” it says: “Cabrini Mission Foundation fosters Mother Cabrini’s legacy and lifelong commitment to the dignity, nurturing and empowerment of all people.” Then how can they allow honorees to include anyone other than those who profess a pro-life commitment?
Dom,
Thanks for standing up for the Faith. You probably don’t remember the days when most every Catholic did this with out a second thought. Nowadays, it is unique to do, even for bishops, priests, let alone the laity. What a cesspool we are in!
“But there is no way I’m going to be convinced that these two should be honored by a Catholic institution, never mind a religious order.”
Agreed 100%. Thanks for this thread!
Ack! My guess is that the guy (if he was even Catholic himself) had no idea about the range of viewpoints within Catholic publications—he probably just had a list of them all and went down it, A-Z. He might have had better luck on his next phone call—Commonweal…