An 11 year old hangs himself over antigay bullying at school

HE WAS 11 for God's sake! 

Have your ever hear your child say someone was gay as a joke?

"An 11-year-old Massachusetts boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hung himself Monday after enduring bullying at school, including daily taunts of being gay, despite his mother's weekly pleas to the school to address the problem. This is at least the fourth suicide of a middle-school aged child linked to bullying this year. Carl, a junior at New Leadership Charter School in Springfield who did not identify as gay, would have turned 12 on April 17, the same day hundreds of thousands of students will participate in the 13th annual National Day of Silence by taking some form of a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) bullying and harassment at school. The other three known cases of suicide among middle-school students took place in Chatham, Evanston and Chicago, Ill., in the month of February."

Friday Five-Adoramus Te

Sophia posted this friday five:

1. How will you pray and worship today?
I should be doing the stations of the cross right now, with Pax Christi, across 42nd St. I've done this a number of time. It's a social justice thing with stops at major offenders, companies that do business with nations that use slave labor or other bad things, recruiting stations etc. I got up early enough, but the seder in NJ was so late and long last night...maybe I'll go back to bed. I may go to General across the street or Holy Apostles up the Street. later.

2. Share a powerful memory or memories of Good Friday past.
When I was in 7th and 8th grade at St. Rose School in Girard, Ohio, I sang in the girls choir. We really participated in all the Easter services, and they were still in latin, at least some of them were. It made me feel entitled.

3. How have you grown and experienced God's love during this past Lent?
I haven't. Too personal to talk about.

4. In whom do you see the face of the suffering Christ most clearly?
In the homeless I see on the street everyday and on the faces of the clients that come through my office.

5. Where do you find hope for resurrection?
Still checking...

The Popes Planner

from Religion Dispatches:

1. Pope Benedict wakes up and dons his gold lined robes and red Prada shoes.
2. He goes to 7 am Mass in a private chapel.
3. After Mass, he eats breakfast alone. (by this point in the day, it should be noted, President Barack Obama would already have been briefed by about a billion people on situations ranging from homeland security to the economy.)
4. He meets a few visitors in the morning (you may have heard about his recent five minute meeting with the US Speaker of the House).
5. He eats lunch.
6. Then, the Pope goes to his study for the rest of the day to read and write.

Sounds pretty nice. I'll bet there's a little couch for a nap in that study. Maybe he can take off his robes a put on some comfy clothes!

Friday Five Time Out Edition

Sally posted this Friday Five:

"Holy Week is almost upon us, I suspect that ordained or not, other revgal/pals calendars look a bit like mine, FULL, FULL, FULL.....

Jesus was great at teaching us to take time out, even in that last week, right up to Maunday Thursday he withdrew, John's gospel tells us he hid! He hid not because he was afraid, but because he knew that he needed physical, mental and spiritual strength to get through..."

So faced with a busy week:


1. What restores you physically?
Almost always a nap. I do swim, but have gotten away from it. I must get back because that really does it. I even like the smell of chlorine!

2. What strengthens you emotionally/ mentally?
Mindfulness meditation. It's like a nap for the mind. I learned it a number of years ago at the NY Open Center and started as a sceptic and left a true believer!

3. What encourages you spiritually?
The faith of all my Revgal sisters.

4. Share a favourite poem or piece of music from the coming week.
I'll post this later as I'm rushing off to work. Although this work of art above reminds me of the suffering of Holy Week

5.There may be many services for you to attend/ lead over the next week, which one are you most looking forward to and why? If there aren't do you have a favourite day in Holy week if so which one is it?
I'll probably go to the Good Friday Stations of the Cross across 42nd St, although I went last year and they aren't the same since 42nd St. got Disneyfied and lost all the porn parlors and xxx rated movie places!

Free Comic Book Day

For those of you with kids or those of you that are kids That's today!

Fabulous Blogger Award

Just a few disheveled shelves of many!

I Received this award from Auntie Knickers.Thank you for the award She says:
"Thanks -- you have the best links!
And that's one reason I've given you a Fabulous Blogger award at my place. Here are the rules: You must pass it on to 5 other Fabulous Bloggers in a post. (You might find their email addresses on their Profile page or, if not available, post as a "comment" to their latest post.) You must include the person who gave you the award, and link back to them. You must list 5 of your Fabulous Addictions in the post. You must copy and paste these rules in the post. Right click the Award icon and save it to your computer, then post with your own awards.
I hope awards don't scare you too!"
They kinda scare me. I got one once before and didn't accept it, but I will accept this one graciously, bow, bow, Thank Kew, Thank Kew.
I would like to pass on the award to the following links who are in my blogroll, I know this is cheating, AuntieKnickers, but I'm doing it anyway!
Seeking Authentic Voice
Because Mompriest has always been a faithful friend and guide.
Views From the Road
Because Barb has always been a friend and funny and we almost met once!
Joe.My.God
Because Joe gives me one gay man's opinon on what's happening and lot's of good ideas for my blog.
Wheelie Catholic
For a disabled person's (other than mine) point of view. And to make me angrier!
Closet Pastor
To follow the story and to root along!

Now I'm supposted to name my five addictions? Hmmm? What up with that?

1. Books. I live in 500 sq ft. apartment with another person and I can't stay away from bookstores, booksales, bookfairs-a fabulous one yesterday at LGBT Community Center. I got 5 new books I haven't read yet. The books are taking over the apartment. I have a full time job and I read fast but not that fast. 

. Arizona Stress Tea- Now that I'm addicted, I can't find it in NYC anymore. I started this addiction when I cut back on CocaCola and other caffeine drinks after 9/11. Sigh...

3. Naps. Nough said.

4. Little round custard buns that you can buy in Chinatown. This is temporary and will soon be replaced so rather that an addiction it's and enthusiasm.

5. Collecting lesbian themed fiction. I started in the 70's when I first arrived and 4th Ave. was lined with used bookstores. I had a copy of the groundbreaking "The Lesbian in Literature" published by the Daughters of Bilitis. I would spend my Saturdays and my little money searching for these gems. Over the years, more on the topic was written, but I have a collection from those days.

A 17 Year Old Hero from Vermont

Kate Clinton on Rush Linbaugh

She was on our cruise and is so funny!

Friday Five Signs of Hope

Fuzzy Tree Bud

Songbird posted this Friday Five:
"My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Song of Solomon 2:10-13

In the late, late winter, as the snow begins to recede here in Maine, we begin to look almost desperately for signs of spring, signs of hope that the weather has turned and a new day is on the horizon. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, Easter and Spring twine inextricably, the crocuses and daffodils peeking through the Earth as we await the risen Christ.

Share with us five signs of hope that you can see today or have experienced in the past."
1.I love spring and I also love looking for signs of new life everywhere I go.
2. Unfortunately I got out of the subway this morning in Brooklyn and it was snowing :-(
3. I have a picture taken with my iphone of a fuzzy tree bud on the next street from my office taken about a month ago.
4. I love the tiny green leaves that are popping up on the privet hedges. They seem to be the earliest in the New York area.
5.One of my favorite things is seeing the trees when the leaves are all out, but all tiny. Like a green haze in the sky...

This Was My Subway

But I Was Too Early!

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