Books Archives - Yanke Academy

12/Apr/2022

The latest news: The Censor Librorum (the priest reviewing my book for the bishop) has recommended the bishop grant my work a nihil obstat and his imprimatur! I’m just waiting for the official letter.

All of you have a copy of the book that is in some stage of completion. There have been six printings so far and I have made improvements with each. Each iteration seemed worth sharing at the time—and I did—so if you received an earlier copy, it has been updated since. When I receive the bishop’s imprimatur, I will print the seventh and final copy with updates from the review.

Why am I reaching out now? The bishop’s office had a question on two of my reflections based on a misunderstanding of my intent. If they misunderstood… there’s a good chance others did too. I would like to clear up any misunderstanding.

On page 117, you may find the following reflection (depending on the printing you received):

After leaving the tomb, Your first visits were to an imperfect woman and an Apostle who denied You. Your mercy seeks us in our brokenness. For those I have hurt, help me seek reconciliation and healing.

The question I received was whether referring to Mary Magdalene as an “imperfect woman” was suggesting she was once a prostitute. The Church does not teach this. No. That was not my intent.

The mention of the “imperfect woman” isn’t meant to allude to anything in particular about the woman but my thought at the time was that our Lord didn’t immediately go see His mother. There was a “perfect woman” available but He didn’t go to her. He didn’t go first to the most holy among us. He reached out to sinners first. Whether Mary Magdalene has a past as a prostitute or not wasn’t my concern… just that she wasn’t His mother and, therefore, a fellow sinner. However, I can see where the confusion causes the concern so I have amended that reflection to be clearer in my intent.

New reflection:

After leaving the tomb, You didn’t seek out Your mother, the most holy among us. You came first to sinners. Your mercy seeks us in our brokenness. For those I have hurt, help me seek reconciliation and healing.

On page 141 of the latest version, I referenced two “Christ-killer” Apostles and reflected on despair vs salvation. It was thought that I was referring to Judas and Peter. Since Peter didn’t physically harm our Lord, that wasn’t my intent.

I’m not referring to Peter and Judas and certainly don’t mean to suggest culpability of the Jews as a people (referenced in the letter to me). The rest of the manuscript should make it clear I don’t see things that way. Our Lord died because I am a sinner. I don’t pin his suffering on anyone but me. This reflection is on how powerful a story it would have been had Judas repented and returned to our Lord. Our Lord knew Judas would despair of his salvation and take his life so it was not to be.

However, maybe our Lord still wanted to tell that redemption story.

We then hear the story of Saul who persecuted the early Christians… the body of Christ… the Church. St Stephen and other martyrs were killed for following Christ. Saul is complicit in their murders. When called, our Lord asks Saul why he persecutes Him. Saul’s redemption and renaming as Paul is a powerful story of redemption. Paul’s judgement at the hands of the other Apostles is a lesson in not judging who Christ has ordained. There’s an old saying… “every saint has a past and every sinner has a future” — Oscar Wilde. We are meant to judge the things of this world. What we can’t judge is the condition of someone else’s soul simply because they are a sinner… we are all sinners… we aren’t even good judges of ourselves. We simply reflect on our failings, seek our Lord in reconciliation, take up our crosses, and try again.

To avoid confusion, I rewrote the reflection the same way I explain it:

Judas walked with Christ and betrayed Him. Paul was called out from his persecution of the Church. The past and future are both God’s domain. I am not the one to judge myself nor anyone else.

I continue to receive encouraging and uplifting feedback from those who have spent time with the book in prayerful contemplation. It still makes a difference in my own meditations. When the final copy is available, I will let you know.

May God bless you.

Patrick Yanke

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04/Oct/2018

I don’t have to tell you how important this election is for the protection of human life in the womb—and for American culture as a whole. As great as our individual and collective efforts may be, they may not be enough. We need the big guns.

There is one group who could change the course of history with a word, but they continue a self-imposed silence… the bishops of the Catholic Church. Catholics are demographically ¼ of the voting population nationally and as much as ⅓ in several states… including New York and California. The silence of the bishops has allowed the culture of death to fester and grow for generations. Enough is enough! All that is required to defeat the lies of the world is to stand for truth… all truth. This failing to speak out has condemned generations in complicity with evil.

Below is the text of my last letter to the bishops before this election. I ask your help in spreading the message and encouraging clergy at all levels to take a stand for truth… before it’s too late.

——————————

Text:

Dear Bishops,

The Church teaches that the state is supreme in temporal matters. However when politics make religious proclamations (such as women have the right to end the life of their unborn babies or men must embrace the sin of homosexuality rather than simply loving the sinner) politics enters into the religious realm and claims supremacy over the human soul. Proclamations against candidates and issues that compete with religion, is not against politics but against counter-religion. Rebuttal has both temporal and eternal consequences for all.

The Democratic Party has been the champion of the culture of death for more than 45 years since Roe v Wade. During this time, the bishops have proclaimed a moral silence on this truth to avoid meddling in politics. Is it any wonder Western Civilization is crumbling in moral decay? When the Church is silent in the face of evil, evil advances. This was the first failing of Adam in the Garden of Eden. He was there by Eve’s side when she faced temptation. His failure to defend his bride with the light of truth led to the fall of man.

“The grave danger today is not religion in politics but politics in religion.” — Venerable Abp Fulton Sheen

Objection: “The Church advocates for the protection of human life in all stages, including for the poor and vulnerable, immigrants and refugees, and those suffering on the margins of society.” What is the best way go about each of these? There are ways that encourage the dignity of men and those that do not.

Do we help the poor with government handouts, meaningful employment, or individual charity? This should be a moral transaction. When individuals give of their own spirit, they express love for their fellow human beings and the receiver feels gratitude for the gift. When the government gets involved, it extorts taxes from citizens at the point of a gun to fund government “generosity.” The moral transaction falls apart as the citizen now feels resentment and the receiver feels entitled. Advocating for social welfare programs sponsored by government may not be the best way for the Church to protect the poor and vulnerable.
Do we help immigrants and refugees when we create conditions which encourage human trafficking? There isn’t a popular cry in this country to end lawful immigration. You will hear a cry from immigrants and natural citizens alike for lawful entry. The Church should never advocate for lawlessness… but many bishops have done so on the issue of immigration. If you or I decided to illegally enter Mexico, we would be arrested. That is their law. That is the law on our books as well for those who break our immigration laws. Look around the world and find that every country controls their lawful borders. Why are our borders the only ones not worthy of respect? See what is happening in Europe with unfettered refugee infusions. Lawlessness and violent crime are on the rise and the Christian culture is under attack. Would it not be better to protect vulnerable refugees within their own cultures rather than moving them around the world to undermine Western Civilizations built on the foundations of Catholic teaching?
Are those suffering on the margins of society best helped by government or the Church? These populations include those in the LGBT community who have gone right past seeking inclusion in society to demanding celebration of their perversions. There are many in the Church seeking normalization of sin (Fr James Martin comes to mind). Can the Church be holy and at the same time welcome unrepentant sin? Can our country be moral and also require the celebration of immorality? This is an area where the Church has been following secular culture rather than leading… and we are seeing the decay of culture in all western societies. Church leadership is needed to help those on the margins, not government programs.

On each of the issues above, we can have discussions about how best to accomplish the goals of caring for the poor, immigrants, and those on the margins of society. In fact, these are discussions of political policy. There can be no discussion on abortion and homosexual marriage—both are always wrong in all ways. We must stand against them in the truth of the teachings of the Church. Both are priorities of the Democratic Party codified in their platforms at all levels of government. The “seamless garment” advocating for the equal weighting of all issues of the human condition misses this greater truth and confuses the faithful. Catholics should stand together as one Faith in one Truth, but we are divided by lies and confusion. You have the ability and the duty to repair these rifts caused by politicians and a politically-motivated media.

Objection: “The Church does not intend to tell people for whom they should vote, or which party deserves our allegiance, but to propose that the message of the Gospel and promotion of the sanctity of human life should provide a moral roadmap for our nation and the world.”

I don’t want the Church involved in politics. She should absolutely not tell people for whom they should vote nor endorse any political party. However, when a political party stands for intrinsic evil as part of their mission outlined in their party platforms… it deserves condemnation from the bishops. That political party has stepped into your realm of authority. You are not talking politics—they are talking human life and dignity. Given the strength of the Catholic vote, such a condemnation should be electorally fatal. Any political party wanting power would have to cease supporting intrinsic evil in order to recover from such a sanction. Do you want to end State-sponsored abortion in this country? This is how you do it. Are there pro-life Democratic candidates for office? Yes… and their first vote will be to elect their leadership to control Congress. The Democratic Party platform will then be implemented. This is a problem larger than individual candidates.

I assume you watched the Supreme Court nomination process for Judge Brett Kavanaugh. The Democrats announced their opposition before he was even named. Why? They oppose President Trump’s picks for the Supreme Court because he has committed to appointing pro-life judges. All of the other noise aside… isn’t that an extreme pro-death position worthy of condemnation by the Church? The culture of death has been advanced through the courts because it can’t be advanced through the legislative process. Americans don’t support it. It has been imposed through dictatorial fiat and lies. It is a process diametrically opposed to democratic ideals. If the Democrats lose the courts, the culture of death will falter. They are fighting tooth and nail to prevent it. How hard are we fighting to restore respect for human life and dignity?

Our liberal Catholic neighbors don’t listen to us. They listen to the biased Press and the lying politicians. In the absence of truth coming from the bishops, they are acting on those lies. They have been taught to form their own consciences and the USCCB’s voting guide has been written vaguely enough to give cover to any position and rationale. Buried in the middle of your guide is the statement, “Abortion, the deliberate killing of a human being before birth, is never morally acceptable and must always be opposed.” This should be in the front of your guide as the first hurdle any candidate or party must cross before soliciting Catholic votes. Your readers should only go past page one for any political party not supporting abortion and other intrinsic evils. The Democratic Party is the greatest advocate for abortion outside of China and they should be opposed by Catholic voters according to your own guide. It’s time we preach this simple truth and protect human life.

This may seem like the wrong time to be on this message with the Church in crisis… but I believe these issues are related. I have only heard one homily applauded during Mass. In the Fall of 2016, a local priest gave a homily where he laid out the issues in my book and named the Democratic Party as the sponsors of these evils. The congregation stood up and applauded. Why? We know the truth. It shouldn’t be so Earth-shaking to hear it… but it is. The Church’s moral authority has been hurt by silence. The lies and coverups are only another manifestation of this silence. The faithful long for truth (especially the painful truths) from the Church. Where else can we turn? The Church failing to stand for truth (all truth) is a scandal of its own.

Unless bishops speak out forcefully, ½ of American Catholics will continue to support the sponsors of the culture of death with the blessing of their consciences… to the eternal peril of their souls.

The Supreme Court is changing… and that is good. How bad will it be for the Church, though, to not be seen as relevant as Donald Trump in standing for human life in America? In my mind, it isn’t enough that abortion is narrowly defeated in its next Supreme Court challenge. The challenges will simply continue until the court is sympathetic again. The sponsors of the culture of death must know that the Church will stand against them as long as they promote abortion and other intrinsic evils. They must know this will doom any campaign. This is a lasting testimony to them and any other party seeking power. That is a pro-life legacy for generations.

We don’t need councils and synods. We need bishops with courage to stand and proclaim the truth—even if alone. I encourage you to speak out while there is still time and will pray for you and your brother bishops.

Sincerely and respectfully,

Patrick Yanke
Speaker and Author

Encl: Flyers for Parish Bulletins: General Flyer & Party Comparison Flyer

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26/Sep/2018

Text:

Dear Cardinal DiNardo,

I appreciate your response to my letter and the book I sent you on August 9th. I would like to have a dialogue with you on the substance of your letter, if you don’t mind. There are a couple of areas where I think more conversation is beneficial to our efforts for the life and dignity of human persons.

I agree the Church advocates tirelessly to defend the unborn and to promote the sanctity of marriage and the safeguarding of religious liberty. I also agree that a great deal of this tireless effort is undermined by the soft advocacy given by the Church to the Democratic Party. This soft advocacy takes the form of Social Justice teachings which neglect the greater truths and letter-writing campaigns for issues such as immigration reform, healthcare reform, and climate change… generally portrayed by the Press as Democratic Party priorities. Aligning on these issues is aligning with their agenda. We are scandalized in our pro-life efforts as our own Church favors those who champion the culture of death. As your quote from Pope Benedict XVI stated, we can not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice. Just so, we also can’t play on both sides of the field.

“The Church advocates for the protection of human life in all its stages, including for the poor and vulnerable, immigrants and refugees, and those suffering on the margins of society.” What is the best way go about each of these? There are ways that encourage the dignity of men and those which subvert it.

Do we help the poor with government handouts, meaningful employment, or individual charity? This should be a moral transaction. When individuals give of their own spirit, they express love for their fellow human beings and the receiver feels gratitude for the gift. When the government gets involved, it extorts taxes from citizens at the point of a gun to fund government “generosity.” The moral transaction falls apart as the citizen now feels resentment and the receiver feels entitled. Advocating for social welfare programs sponsored by government may not be the best way for the Church to protect the poor and vulnerable.
Do we help immigrants and refugees when we create conditions which encourage human trafficking? There isn’t a popular cry in this country to end lawful immigration. You will hear a cry from immigrants and natural citizens alike for lawful entry. The Church should never advocate for lawlessness… but many bishops have done so on the issue of immigration. If you or I decided to illegally enter Mexico, we would be arrested. That is their law. That is the law on our books as well for those who break our immigration laws. Look around the world and find that every country controls their lawful borders. Why are our borders the only ones not worthy of respect? See what is happening in Europe with unfettered refugee infusions. Lawlessness and violent crime are on the rise and the Christian culture is under attack. Would it not be better to protect vulnerable refugees within their own cultures rather than moving them around the world to undermine Western Civilizations built on the foundations of Catholic teaching?
Are those suffering on the margins of society best helped by government or the Church? These populations include those in the LGBT community who have gone right past seeking inclusion in society to demanding celebration of their perversions. There are many in the Church seeking normalization of sin (Fr James Martin comes to mind). Can the Church be holy and at the same time welcome unrepentant sin? Can our country be moral and also require the celebration of immorality? This is an area where the Church has been following secular culture rather than leading… and we are seeing the decay of culture in all western societies. Church leadership is needed to help those on the margins, not government programs.

On each of the issues above, we can have discussions about how best to accomplish the goal of caring for the poor, immigrants, and those on the margins of society. There can be no discussion on abortion and homosexual marriage—both are always wrong in all ways. We must stand against them in the truth of the teachings of the Church. Both are priorities of the Democratic Party codified in their platforms at all levels of government. The “seamless garment” advocating for the equal weighting of all issues of the human condition misses this greater truth and confuses the faithful. Catholics should be able to stand together as one Faith in one Truth, but we are divided by lies and confusion. You have the ability and the duty to repair these rifts.

“The Church does not intend to tell people for whom they should vote, or which party deserves our allegiance, but to propose that the message of the Gospel and promotion of the sanctity of human life should provide a moral roadmap for our nation and the world.”

If you read the letter and book I sent to you, you would see that I don’t want the Church involved in politics. I agree She should absolutely not tell people for whom they should vote nor endorse any political party. However, when a political party stands for intrinsic evil as part of their mission outlined in their party platforms… it deserves condemnation from the bishops. That political party has stepped into your realm of authority. You are not talking politics—they are talking human life and dignity. Given the strength of the Catholic vote, such a condemnation should be electorally fatal. Any political party wanting power would have to cease supporting intrinsic evil in order to recover from such a sanction. Do you want to end State-sponsored abortion in this country? This is how you do it.

I assume you’ve been watching the Supreme Court nomination process for Judge Brett Kavanaugh. The Democrats announced their opposition before he was even named. Why? They oppose President Trump’s picks for the Supreme Court because he has committed to appointing pro-life judges. All of the other noise aside… isn’t that an extreme pro-death position worthy of condemnation by the Church? The culture of death has been advanced through the courts because it can’t be advanced through the legislative process. Americans don’t support it. It has to be imposed. It is a process diametrically opposed to democratic ideals. If the Democrats lose the courts, the culture of death will falter. They are fighting tooth and nail to prevent it.

Our liberal Catholic neighbors don’t listen to us. They listen to the biased Press and the lying politicians. In the absence of truth coming from the bishops, they are acting on those lies. They have been taught to believe that they should form their own consciences and the USCCB’s voting guide has been written vaguely enough to give cover to any position and rationale. Buried in the middle of your guide is the statement, “Abortion, the deliberate killing of a human being before birth, is never morally acceptable and must always be opposed.” In my opinion, this should be in the front of your guide as the first hurdle any candidate or party must cross before soliciting Catholic votes. Your readers should only go past page one for any political party not supporting abortion and other intrinsic evils. The Democratic Party is the greatest advocate for abortion outside of China and they should be opposed by Catholic voters according to your own guide. Teach it!

Unless the bishops speak out forcefully and together, ½ of American Catholics will continue to support the sponsors of the culture of death with the blessings of their consciences… to the eternal peril of their souls.

The Supreme Court is changing… and that is good. How bad will it be for the Church, though, to not be seen as relevant as Donald Trump in standing for human life in America? In my mind, it isn’t enough that abortion be narrowly defeated in its next Supreme Court challenge. The challenges will simply continue until the court is sympathetic again. The sponsors of the culture of death must know that the Church will stand against them as long as they promote abortion and other intrinsic evils. They must know this will doom any campaign. This is a lasting message to them and any other party seeking power. That is a pro-life legacy for generations.

I encourage you to speak out while there is still time and will pray for you and your brother bishops.

Sincerely and respectfully,

Patrick Yanke

Letter from Cardinal DiNardo – USCCB President

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11/Aug/2018

Every year, we march to end abortion. Yet, when it comes time to vote in November, the sponsors of abortion can count on about half of the Christian vote. It’s time we stand as one against evil in public policy by rejecting the advocates of those policies. We have to educate our brothers in the pews and it has to come from the pulpit.

My book is targeted toward Catholics because we are the single largest Christian voting bloc in America… but all Christians stand together in defense of human life. Our doctrinal debates don’t extend to the sanctity of life created in the image and likeness of God. Catholics represent as much as 25% of the electorate overall and as much as ⅓ in CA and NY. No politician should be able to advocate for intrinsic evil and expect Catholic votes—no politician can be elected without Catholic acquiescence in a national or state election. All Christian denominations standing together against these evils will send a resounding message to give up this demonic support or never win another election.

The Church must speak as one about real and threatening evil. An election is a hiring process. Why should Christians tolerate those working against human life in public office? President Trump will likely leave a 7-2 pro-life Supreme Court—he has done well with his appointments so far. If the Democrats regain control of the House, he will likely face impeachment for political differences. If they take the Senate, there will be no more pro-life judges. Our Christian votes will decide whether life will be affirmed in our laws as it is in our founding documents.

Most responses I receive from dissenting bishops and priests regarding my efforts quote the need to maintain the Church’s tax-exempt status. How free are we when the Church considers Herself subject to the rules of government? The Church isn’t tax-exempt because of 501c3. She was tax-exempt before churches were added to the code in 1954. The Church is tax-exempt because she pre-dates the government and our Founding Fathers did not want to have government control of churches. It’s that simple. The 501c3 code is a primary example of the way government takes control… government says it is merely codifying an existing relationship and nothing will change. However, once codified, the government holds the threat to rescind the code. What should exist after the rescission is what existed for 200+ years before that… churches are still tax-exempt. That is not what the government says will happen, though, so the Church complies.

Please spread the word. Encourage Pastors, Elders, Deacons, Priests, and Bishops to speak the truth because it is the truth. Marching in the streets won’t end abortion. Ceasing to vote for the only major political party that has abortion as one of their top priorities in their party platforms will end state-sponsored abortion.

Once again this election cycle, I have sent a copy of my book to every cardinal, archbishop, and bishop in charge of a diocese in America. One person is easily ignored. A movement is hard to ignore.

Resources:

Letter to the Bishops
Church Bulletin Flyer

Party Comparison Flyer

Defeating the Culture of Death