Chastity

This piece is directed to young people, but it's such a concise explanation of chastity that it's good reading for any age group.
Here are a couple quotes:    

Sexual intercourse, despite what the media would indicate, is not an indoor sport. It is the ULTIMATE expression of love between a husband and wife. Sexual intercourse, despite what the media would indicate, is not merely a physical act.   

Because of the sacredness of marriage, because of the sacredness of our bodies, and because of the sacredness of our sexuality, any misuse of sex is tragic and detrimental to our spiritual lives. As Catholics we are called to be an example to others in the world.

This is essentially the message of the Generation Life missionaries, some of whom are now in the diocese of New York.

A related article is this one by John Garvey president of Catholic University of America in which he reiterates the reasons for his decision to institute single sex dorms on CUA's campus

Christians Most Persecuted Religious Group

That's what Zenit reports in this article.   According to participants at the International Conference on the Freedom of Religion and Discrimination Against Christians, there are two reasons for this:  "the loss of Christian roots and European secularism where secular authorities are increasingly marginalizing religion from public life; and Islamic radicalism, exacerbated by aggressive missionary work by representatives of different non-Christian sects, and distortions of Christian teaching."
The Obama administration is signalling that it is not much interested in protecting Christians around the world because the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom does not have the support of the Obama administration and will likely not exist past this week.  The article explains: 

The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission. Its Commissioners are appointed by the U.S. president and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF's principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress.

But despite its irreplaceable value, the organization may well be shut down on Dec. 16. Two continuing congressional resolutions had temporarily extended its life which had been threatened by budget cuts. But now a re-authorization bill has had a "hold" placed on it by Senate majority whip, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), according to CNS News.

As the Archbishop of Miami points out here, pro-life Catholics have most certainly "been played" by Obama, but I think that goes for all Catholics and Christian denominations as well.  Obama must be not only our most pro-abortion president, but also our most doggedly anti-Christian secular president.

Sister Valsa John

This article appeared several days ago in Zenit.  The murder of this nun didn't happen in some long ago time.  It was just last week in India that she was "hacked to death."  Maoist extremists have been targeted as possibly responsible or, alternatively, a 'mafia' that controls the coal mining interests. Rest in peace.