IHM Conference Notes - Fr. Angelus Shaughnessy - Will the Lord Find Our Faith Alive When He Comes Again?

Almost a decade ago I met Fr. Shaughnessy at the National Basilica in D.C. and in meeting my children he said, "...and you Catholic homeschool, right?"  At the time, we did not. But his words tended a growing seed in our hearts and minds.

He was inspiring again at the IHM National Catholic Homeschool & Parenting Conference where his talk topic was.... 

Will the Lord Find Our Faith Alive When He Comes Again?
What are we doing now to live our Catholic Faith in love? Don’t try to prove to me that there is a God! Show me by your actions that your belief in God makes a real difference in your life. Everybody is looking for authenticity and credibility in you!

Here are my notes, the nuggets I will take away with me from his talk, which you can order at LINK along with his other conference talk.

• 23% of baptized Catholics go to Church...Will God find the faith when He returns?
• Faith permeated with love is a living faith
• Everything has a 1st cause, you can prove God exists from reason alone
• Notice in the bible how often God uses the words "UNLESS"...to scare us out of hell or to scare the hell out of us!
• Happiness and joy are our duty, the infallible sign of a Christian
• We love God no more than the person we love the least/hate the most.
• God wanted UNITY - not thousands of Christian denominations
• God was clear about the Eucharist ("UNLESS", John 6)
• Go to confession at least once a month
• Sin is not the greatest evil...it is the denial of sin...to call evil good. (Pro-choice)
• Marxism, fascism, communism all had a goal to destroy the Catholic Church
• Honor the Virgin Mother of God

Fr. Angelus Shaughnessy A talented and capable athlete in his youth, Father Angelus turned down an offer to play professional baseball as a left-handed pitcher for the Cleveland Indians to enter the Capuchin Novitiate in Cumberland, Maryland. On July 14, 1953, Father solemnly professed his perpetual vows as a Capuchin Friar.
Father’s theological studies took him to Capuchin College in Washington, DC for four years where he received a Master’s Degree in Religious Education. On June 4, 1955, Father Angelus was ordained to the priesthood at the hands of Bishop John McNamara in the crypt of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
From 1956 until 1966, Father Angelus served as the Director of the Secular Franciscan Order at St. Augustine Church in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. In 1966, Father Angelus volunteered to work as a missionary in Papua New Guinea where he was spiritual director and teacher in the Pontifical Seminary of Madang for eleven years.
For three years, Father Angelus did pastoral work in the Mendi Diocese of the Southern Highlands. As a major part of his parochial ministry, Father and his parishioners built eleven permanent churches and three bush churches. While ministering to the needs of the people of Papua New Guinea, Father was privileged to baptize 1,227 men, women, and children. It was there also that Father’s fondness for swimming led to his mastery of walking in deep water for any distance – an unmatched record that was submitted to the Guinness Book of Records in London.
Father was reassigned to Western Pennsylvania in 1980. Under the auspices of St. Fidelis Retreat Center, he maintained a rigorous schedule of parish mission and renewals, preached and directed retreats, accepted parish help-outs, days of recollection and appointments for personal individual counseling. He continued this work for nine years out of St. Mary’s Friary, Export, PA and four years with St. Paulinus Church in Clairton, PA.
From 2001 – 2007, Father Angelus was stationed at EWTN in Birmingham, Alabama. There he served as Minister General to the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word. Father Angelus was happy to be a part of the apostolate of the Eternal Word Television Network where he was able to preach to 128 million households throughout the world.
At the present time, Father is the National Executive Director of the Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers.