Prayerful event to coincide with local appearance by anti-Catholic ‘comedian’

One of the most anti-Catholic personalities in the world today, Bill Maher, will be performing at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis on Saturday, Aug. 16, at 8 p.m. A self-proclaimed “politically astute comedian,” Maher’s shows on television and stage — and soon to be at movie theaters — are notorious for their vulgar vitriol directed at all religion, most especially the Roman Catholic Church.

To counteract Maher’s offensive brand of comedy, local Catholic laity are organizing a March of Reparation, along with a Mass for the Defense of the Church, for Aug. 16. Catholics are being asked to turn out in large numbers to pray the rosary, sing hymns and make other acts of public prayer and reparation. It is especially hoped that large numbers of Catholics will be present outside the theater before and after the show.

The exact time and location of the Solemn High Votive Mass for the Defense of the Church will be announced soon. The celebrant, Fr. Dennis Duvelius, will be joined at the altar by Fr. Gerard Saguto and Fr. David Phillipson.

Anyone not familiar with Maher’s statements on the Catholic Church would likely be shocked by much of what he has said, repeatedly, throughout his career. A lengthy list of his quotes — almost all of which are too obscene to be printed here — has been documented by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. Here is one of the few “clean” attacks he made on April 11, 2008, on the HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher:

“I’d like to tip off law enforcement to an even larger child-abusing religious cult. Its leader also has a compound. And this guy not only operates outside the bounds of the law, but he used to be a Nazi and he wears funny hats. That’s right. The pope is coming to America this week, and, ladies, he’s single! ... If you have a few hundred followers and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader. If you have a billion, they call you ‘pope’” (source: transcript provided by Real Time with Bill Maher).

All Catholics on earth are considered to be members of the Church Militant, engaged in battle with the world, the flesh and the devil. The March of Reparation is a concrete, visible way to defend our Faith and stand up for all that we believe.

Organizers are asking participants in the March of Reparation to set a good example for others by displaying Christian modesty in their attire: no shorts, tight clothing, short skirts or other immodest clothing.