On Saturday, October 8, EWTN will air the global award- winning documentary film “The Call to Fatima” at 8pm (ET). EWTN will replay the movie on October 9 and 13.

You won’t want to miss this amazing film, which was inspired by the book Calls, written by Sr. Lucy, the last surviving visionary of the 1917 apparition.

“The Call to Fatima” covers the miracle at Fatima from the first visits of the angel and our Blessed Mother to the children through the events that followed throughout the century, even including the death and funeral of Sr. Lucy herself.

Fans in New York City may want to visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday, October 13. After the Angelus at 11:30am, one of the bishops will address the crowd, followed by the film’s producer, Thomas McCormack. Mass will be held at noon.

Anyone wishing to purchase a copy of the film can order from www.thecalltofatima.com. Both DVD and VHS copies are available. If you mention the Catholic League, the producers will donate $10 to the league for every purchase.

The Catholic League was bombarded with complaints on the morning of November 4. Those who contacted the league were upset by “Secrets and Flies,” the November 3 episode of the CBS program CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. “Secrets and Flies” revolves around the murder of Christina, a single mother. After an autopsy reveals that Christina was a virgin, it is learned that she adopted a fertilized embryo from Project Sunflower, an organization devoted to finding surrogate mothers for abandoned embryos.

Here’s what Catholic League president Bill Donohue had to say:

“A talented writer could easily spin an interesting who-done-it from this plot, but CSI chose to advance a pro-abortion rights agenda by portraying those who are opposed to abortion as religious nuts not to be taken seriously. The murder victim, who gave life to a baby who would otherwise be left to die, is described as a ‘prude’ for being chaste. A remark is made about her being ‘our Virgin Mary.’

“According to the CSI website, the doctor in charge of Project Sunflower is ‘a very unlikable woman.’ The pro-abortion rights forensic investigators sneer at her work and beliefs, informing us that a pope once decreed that a baby isn’t a human until quickening. (Of course, it is not explained that the Church has always considered abortion to be illicit, regardless of the status of the baby. Never mind the fact that we have learned a few new things about biology in a few hundred years.)

“It is a rare Hollywood big-wig who doesn’t embrace the right to abortion. Clearly, those in charge at CSI don’t buck convention. ‘Secrets and Flies’ speaks volumes about the way CBS executives view those who hold pro-life convictions.

“Americans who respect human life in all of its stages have become the target of public ridicule. Enough is enough. Let CBS know how you feel by visiting the station’s website and submitting your feedback at http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form.shtml.”

Dirt Rag is a magazine devoted to mountain biking. Its online version is www.dirtragmag.com. The content, generally geared toward young males, focuses on athletics and is unobjectionable. However, we were alerted to a couple of products sold by the magazine that give us pause.

T-shirts bearing the Sacred Heart and the words “Dirt Rag” are available. So too are pint glasses with the same image. While most of us would be hard pressed to explain the link between bike riding and a devotion to Jesus, the merchandising team at Dirt Rag are content to offer the flimsiest of explanations: the sales pitch for the shirt urges readers to “display your divine love of mountain biking with our new Sacred Heart shirt.” The pint glass is described as “sacred and strong, enduring and ever-lasting, our new sacred heart pint glass fuses the imagery of the Sacred Heart with the pastime of adventurous mortals.”

As there is nothing inherently troublesome about mountain biking, pints of beer or casual clothing, these items aren’t extremely offensive. However, they do underscore the willingness of many artistic and pop-culture outlets to misappropriate Catholic imagery to make a buck. It’s much easier to cheapen someone else’s beliefs than to come up with something truly creative.

Kenneth Woodward published an article on the First Things website today called “Imus and Me,” which will be of interest to readers of the Catalyst and “Chatterbox.” We recommend making a visit to www.FirstThings.com, not only for this piece, but also for the countless fine articles printed in the magazine and on its website.

On Monday October 22 at 7:30 pm, The King’s College will host a debate between Dinesh D’Souza and Christopher Hitchens. The subject will be “Is Christianity the Problem.”

The debate will be held at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, 64th Street and Central Park West, in New York City. For more information, visit The King’s College website at http://www.tkc.edu/advancement/media/newsrelease.asp?id=55.

According to USA Today, the latest FBI data shows that in 2006, there was an increase in the number of hate crimes motivated by bias against religion. While hate crime against people of faith in general shot up 19% from 2005, the increase in hate crimes against Catholics increased by approximately 33%. (The increase for crimes against Muslims and Jews was 22% and 14%, respectively.)

Anyone wishing to read the full report may do so by visiting the FBI’s website athttp://www.fbi.gov/page2/nov07/hatecrime111907.html

Several groups are waging campaigns to salvage Christmas from the denizens of multiculturalism who seek to downplay the birth of Jesus as just another day in the “holiday season.” The low-priced items described below are a great way to let others know you wish them a very Merry Christmas..

The Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court John Paul II, are offering car magnets and pins reading “It’s OK to say Merry Christmas to Me!” Proceeds from these items will be donated to charity. To reach the Catholic Daughters, call 845-893-6368 or email cdjpii@aol.com.

Parishioners at Our Lady of Victories in Harrington Park, NJ are not only offering Christmas bumper stickers, but they came up with the novel idea of “calling cards.” Customers bothered by a retailer’s decision not to recognize Christmas in their “holiday” advertising can leave behind a card stating “In response to the secularization of Christmas; we choose to support Christmas friendly vendors. See you next year? Merry Christmas!” Contact the members of OLV at 201-244-5130 or 201-895-4456.

Operation: Just Say Merry Christmas has designed rubber wristbands that boldly let others know what words they can say to acknowledge the true meaning of this Holy Season. Visit OperationJustSayMerryChristmas.com or dial 513-608-7608.

Lastly, a coalition called the Pilot Program to Keep Christ in Christmas is offering car magnets depicting a silhouette of the Nativity scene and the words “Keep Christ in Christmas.” Log on to www.kcnativitysets.com or leave a message at 847-380-2404.

Merry Christmas!

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented on today’s edition of the ABC show, “The View”:

“Two angry ex-Catholics, Rosie O’Donnell and Joy Behar, teamed up with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a self-described ‘Christian,’ to mock the Catholic Church once again on a show run by a Jew, Barbara Walters. Walters professed ignorance today about all matters Catholic, but as it turned out, she was not the only ignoramus on the panel: none of the women had a clue about the subjects that were discussed. It was quite a spectacle. Though there never has been any Catholic doctrinal teaching on Limbo, O’Donnell, Behar and Hasselbeck presented it as if there were.

“Speaking of Limbo (which is never mentioned in the Catholic Catechism), O’Donnell made the point that ‘The Jews don’t understand this.’ The inanities went on like this for quite a while, with Hasselbeck ridiculing her own child’s baptism and Behar adding that baptism is ‘a nice little sponge bath.’ Behar also took a slap at the Church’s teaching on birth control.

“No other religion is ever mocked on this show. That’s because the panelists are respectful of Jews, fear Muslims and hate Catholics.

“On April 19, I wrote to Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks and President, Disney-ABC Television Group, about reining in Rosie O’Donnell. While O’Donnell may be the worst, Behar is an unrepentant bigot and Hasselbeck is increasingly coarse. But none of these women would ever be allowed to get away with their non-stop Catholic Bashfest without the guiding hand of Walters. Walters co-owns and co-produces the show, and is therefore ultimately responsible.”

Contact information:http://www.disneyabctv.com/web/MediaContacts/contact_form_2.aspx