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When members of the Roman Catholic Church first encounter Independent Catholicism—Catholicism outside the Roman church—they are often surprised to learn that there are several valid expressions of Catholicism in our world. Understandably, questions arise with respect to the history, teachings, and sacraments of Independent Catholicism.
The following Frequently Asked Questions have been formulated as a primer for better understanding Independent Catholicism. Though we present here a brief summary of an extensive body of literature, we certainly invite you to perform your own research of these questions and to follow your conscience with respect to the answers with which you feel most comfortable.
Is Independent Catholicism even Catholic?
Yes, definitely. There are several expressions of Catholicism, and many Catholic churches comprise the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" that is professed by all.
In the Western world, the largest and most well-known expression of Catholicism is the Roman Catholic Church. In Asia and Eastern Europe, however, the most well-known expression of Catholicism is the Orthodox Catholic Church, which possesses over 300 million adherents.
Search the internet: You'll find all sorts of Independent Catholic churches! Here in the U.S., there's the Ecumenical Catholic Church in English and in Spanish, the Catholic Apostolic Church in North America, the American National Catholic Church, the Communion of Synodal Catholic Churches, the Independent Catholic Christian Church, the Catholic Church of America, the American New Catholic Church, the American Catholic Church of the United States, the Orthodox Catholic Church of America, the Independent Old Catholic Church of America, the American Old Catholic Church, the Liberal Catholic Church, the Order of Corporate Union, the American Apostolic Old Catholic Church, the Apostolic Catholic Church in America, the Celtic Catholic Church, the Apostolic Celtic Church, the Reformed Catholic Church, the Old Catholic Church of the Americas, the Old Catholic Confederation, the Old Catholic Diocese of the Uniformed Services, the Old Catholic Church Province of the U.S., the Old Catholic Diocese of Napa, the Unified Old Catholic Church, and the Old Catholic Churches International, just to name a few! That's more diversity in the Body of Christ than many people ever imagined!
What do all Catholic churches have in common?
All Catholic churches, and indeed most Christian churches, profess faith in the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church."
Relating with one another as sister churches, these members of the universal Church believe that by baptism, we become members of the one Body of Christ and are nourished by the eucharist. The apostolic faith that has been handed down to us also teaches that there are other sacraments that we celebrate during important moments in life.
Like sisters in the same family, these churches share various similarities, and yet they are all different. As sister churches, most of our differences are administrative and disciplinary, but some of our differences are ecclesiological and theological. Differences are to be expected; not all sisters are the same.
Still, we are united by those bonds that we all hold dear: baptism, eucharist, and apostolic succession.
What does it mean to be one?
We often use a capital "C" when we refer to the universal Church (viz., the Body of Christ, which is composed of all sister churches), and with humility we use a lowercase "c" to refer to the many, particular churches to which we belong (unless used as a proper noun).
Despite any divisions that might exist, we recognize that all our sister churches belong to the one, universal Catholic Church. As such, despite our differences, we all form part of the People of God. Christ is the vine, and we are the branches (Jn 15:5). Christ is the head of the body, the Church (Col 1:18), of which we are all members (1Cor 12:12-27). We celebrate our unity (Gal 3:28), and we recognize our diversity (Rom 12:4-8).
What does it mean to be holy?
As individuals, we are simultaneously sinners and saints. We know that in our history, the same can be said of the institutions that are comprised of human beings. In the name of supposed good, our institutions have historically upheld narrow views, hosted inquisitions, waged crusades, advocated for slavery and the repression of various voices, and eliminated entire cultures. Despite this, we know that the work of redemption is somehow being carried out in us. Even though we sometimes stumble and get off track (Lk 15:13-17), we ultimately desire to keep turning toward that loving and compassionate mystery, which is God (Lk 15:20-24).
What does it mean to be catholic?
According to the Greek root of the word, to be "καθολιχοζ" is to be "whole" and "complete." In a cosmological sense, we interpret this as meaning "universal." We use the word "catholic" of our Church because we believe that it is completely and wholly that which God intends for God's Holy People.
No single branch (or church) within the universal Church can claim exclusive rights to the name "catholic," and no single branch can pretend to be the Vine, from which other branches have been "cut off" (Jn 15:5-6). Christ alone is the Vine; all authentic branches partake of the meaning and challenge of being part of the Vine, and all bear great fruit (Jn 15:7-8).
Humility demands that we continually reflect on the deep significance of Christ's words: "I have other sheep that are not of this flock. Them, too, I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd" (Jn 10:16).
What does it mean to be apostolic?
By word and deed, we cling to and stir into flame the faith handed down to us by the apostles (2Tim 1:6). These apostles planted various churches as they preached the gospel throughout the world. Though these churches have varied in expression throughout the ages, depending on the context in which they sprang up, they all trace their lineage to the apostles. Some of these local churches eventually yielded to Roman Catholic or Orthodox Catholic authority, while others continued to strive to live out the authentic message of Christ in their own way. By tracing their apostolic succession--their lineage back to the apostles--these churches confirm that they continue to pass on the gift of the Spirit that was received by validly consecrated ministers who, in turn, share the gift of that Spirit with other ministers.
How have divisions affected this one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church?
Despite St. Paul's vision that we are "all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28), a split within the Church occurred in 1054 A.D. Though the five patriarchs of the Church historically worked together to formulate doctrine, the Patriarch of Rome (now known as the pope) tampered with the Church's creed, thus changing the Church's Trinitarian theology. In what is now known as the East-West Schism, the Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated the Patriarch of Rome, and the Patriarch of Rome excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople, leading to the creation of the Orthodox Catholic Church (i.e., the church perceived to be orthodox and in communion with tradition and with the four patriarchs of the East) and the Roman Catholic Church (the church that aligned itself with the independently-acting Patriarch of Rome). Interestingly, no one thought of the nascent Roman Catholic Church as a new "church." Rather, beginning with that split, the universal Church now had two valid expressions of apostolic Catholicism.
After 1054, the next great divide within the Church occurred in 1517-1521, when a Catholic priest, Father Martin Luther, began raising questions about the sale of indulgences (viz., time out of purgatory, a concept that was made doctrine in 1274). Recall that indulgences were being used to finance the construction of the largest church in the world, St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. This difference in perspective on such issues as indulgences led to a division between "Roman Catholics" and "Reformers" (or "Protestants," as they would come to be called by adherents of the Roman church).
Three centuries later, another significant split would occur when the Patriarch of the West (now known as the pope) pushed for the declaration of his own infallibility (1870). More recently, divisions in the Church have occurred over such issues as contraception (1968) and the place of women within the Roman church (1994).
Despite these events, bishops who were validly consecrated through apostolic succession have continued to share the gift of the Spirit with others, and the ministry of the Body of Christ has continued. The Church is comprised of individuals who are at once saints and sinners. They are human beings who, like Peter, the Rock upon which the Church was built, have at times denied Christ (Mt 26:74-75), and/or who, like James and John, have sometimes jockeyed for positions of supposed power (Mt 20:20-28). Fortunately, the love of Christ continues to unite us all and lead us as the sinners-and-saints we are!
How can Independent Catholic churches claim to be apostolic churches?
The litmus test of any Catholic church is apostolic succession. Most Independent Catholic bishops are validly consecrated by other bishops possessing valid lines of succession from the apostles, including the lines of apostolic succession from the Roman Catholic Church, the Old Catholic Church, the Malankara/Syrian/Jacobite Churches, and various Orthodox Churches.
What is the Old Catholic Church and what is its place in Independent Catholicism?
The Old Catholic Church is the branch of the Church that resulted when a Roman Catholic bishop, Dominique-Marie Varlet, validly consecrated other bishops without the permission of the Vatican, beginning in 1724. It solidified nearly 165 years later various bishops questioned the pope's attribution of infallibility to himself in 1870.
Many people today are familiar with the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), which greatly reformed our views of the Church. Less people are familiar with the First Vatican Council of 1870, when Pope Pius IX convinced his brother bishops to approve for him a doctrine of "papal infallibility" (viz., that the pope, acting alone in matters of faith and morals, might be "infallible"). For many bishops, this Gnostic heresy compounded the problem caused by Pius IX when he declared in 1854--more than 1,800 years after the fact--that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without sin. Ironically, "papal infallibility" was intended to heal the division in the Roman church that resulted from the proclamation of this "dogma"; instead, it further divided an already divided church!
In the tradition of the Church, the statements of one man, regardless of who he was, were never to be held with the same esteem as the statements of an ecumenical council, when all the bishops met together to discuss matters of faith and morals. Those who could not accept this new teaching on "infallibility" called themselves Old Catholics, principally because they believed that they were being faithful to the traditional beliefs of the Church (viz., that the bishops were to act together in deciding matters of faith and morals).
The Old Catholic Church was officially formed in 1889, when the Old Catholic Congress produced the Declaration of Utrecht, a document explaining the issues that caused the bishops' separation from Rome. The Diocese of Utrecht possessed the right of electing and consecrating its own bishops without the pope's approval (first, through a privilege extended by Pope Eugene III in 1215, then confirmed by the Fourth Lateran Council in 1225, and later affirmed by Pope Leo X in 1520). The bishops and priests who signed the Declaration of Utrecht were now de facto independent from the Roman church. The Old Catholic Church quickly grew to 15 million members worldwide by 1900. In the U.S., "Old Catholics" have also been called "Independent Catholics."
While some critics have blamed Independent Catholics for "fracturing" the Church, others see them as faithfully attempting to unite the Church by laying aside false pretenses that demand rigid conformity to one man's beliefs or opinions. Regardless of one's views on this, the Old Catholic Church and the Independent Catholic tradition continued to share valid lines of apostolic succession from the Roman church and other Catholic churches.
I've never studied Church history so deeply. This is all new to me. So, how do we view the pope today?
We esteem the pope, and we give him the respect due him as the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, and the Patriarch of the West. In the college of bishops, he continues to be "first among equals."
It's simply the case that we understand history, and we view him as being on par with the other four traditional patriarchs of the Church (in Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople and Jerusalem). We understand that historically he was the first one of the five patriarchs to amass sufficient power and wealth to "support" his positions, create his own city-state, and enter into diplomatic relations with innumerable nations.
Regardless, we continue to believe in the age-old tradition of the Church, that there is greater wisdom in the collective action of bishops who work together to resolve issues of faith and morals, rather than allow one man, regardless of how informed he believes himself to be, to work alone in such matters.
We believe that sadly the doctrine of papal "infallibility" has reinforced the authoritarianism, the misuse of power, and the demand for blind "obedience" that can run contrary to the teachings of Christ. Though the notion was initially an effort to create unity within the Church, the doctrine of "infallibility" had the opposite effect, which is evident in such papal pronouncements as the supposed evil of contraceptives and the non-debatable matter of the ordination of women within the Roman church. In this sense, the words of one man (viz., the pope) have been more sectarian and divisive, than unitive and catholic.
What does Holy Family believe?
Squarely within this tradition of Independent Catholicism, Holy Family Catholic Church in Austin affirms traditional Catholic beliefs of faith and love, spirituality, community and prayer. We celebrate the seven sacraments and adhere to essential Catholic doctrine and practice, as expressed in the statements of the Second Vatican Council and the best of contemporary thought.
We proclaim the unconditional love and compassion of God, which embraces every human person regardless of his/her condition in life. We acknowledge the primacy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to speak in our day through the sensus fidelium ("sense of the faithful"), leading to a world of justice and peace.
As our parish mission suggests, we seek to be "Loving. Catholic. Inclusive. Doing It Jesus' Way!"
How is Holy Family different from Roman Catholic parishes?
We share many of the theological and moral teachings of the Roman church, with a few important differences:
Christ's law of love for God and neighbor (Lk 10:27) is our supreme command. For this reason, we do not judge, especially with respect to complex moral questions. Rather, we affirm the dignity of all human persons regardless of race, national origin, religious affiliation, gender, or sexual orientation. We strive for justice within the universal Church and the world. We work together to build community as faithful, clergy and bishops, united as family in loving concern for each other, working together to live the scriptural command of love in our daily lives, and bringing the love of Christ to others. In all, we recall the ancient wisdom of the Church as expressed in the words of St. Augustine: "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity."
A Post-Vatican II theology, ecclesiology and liturgy. We believe that the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the last ecumenical council of the Roman church, was a great source of wisdom and inspiration, at which the Holy Spirit was very active and present. We are heirs of the legacy of that ecumenical council, and we commit ourselves to the ongoing implementation of its teachings. Saint John XXIII, who convened the council, wisely observed that the Church is a garden and not a museum. We believe that the Spirit is very much alive and active among all the members of God's Holy People.
The nobility of the laity and the recognition of the priesthood of all believers. As the website of one Independent Catholic Church suggests, many people are familiar with the "oppressive structures and strictures" of the top-down hierarchy of the Roman church. In contrast, the ACCUS fosters a congregational or shared model of leadership, where all God's Holy People join together to discern the movement of the Holy Spirit. As the bishops at the Second Vatican Council affirmed, "Upon all the laity, therefore, rests the noble duty of working to extend the divine plan of salvation to all [persons] of each epoch and in every land. Consequently, may every opportunity be given [to the laity] so that, according to their abilities and the needs of the times, they may zealously participate in the saving work of the Church" (LG 33).
Support through difficult life decisions. We reject legalistic moral pronouncements, often dictated by those in power for the purpose of maintaining power and control. Difficult decisions in life are always harder to make alone; at such times, the compassionate support of a community of faith can be crucial. Yet such support can be difficult to find in the face of moral pronouncements regarding such issues as divorce and re-marriage, birth control, sexual orientation, and complex medical issues. One case in point is the divisive issue of contraception. In the Roman church, artificial means of birth control have been banned by celibate, male bishops, but, according to the Guttmacher Institute, are currently used by 98% of Roman Catholic women ages 15-44 who are sexually active. We believe that members of the laity are endowed with great wisdom and that the responsible limiting of the size of one's family is an issue of conscience to be decided by couples. We believe that artificial contraception, if used responsibly, can be a positive good, a means of increasing the frequency of the gift of sexual union, reducing the incidence of abortion for unwanted pregnancies, and limiting the spread of sexually-transmitted disease.
Our spirit of inclusivity includes the sacraments of the Church. We do not see it as our role to judge and exclude others from Christ's sacraments. We wage no "wafer wars," contemplating from whom we should keep the eucharist. We do not refuse the sacraments of the Church to people based on marital status, living condition or sexuality. We recognize that Christ sat down to eat with sinners (Mk 2:16), and that all are welcome at the table of the Lord. Finally, we recognize that imposing excessive requirements in order to receive the sacraments of the Church is a heresy, condemned by the early Church as semi-pelagianism.
Our spirit of inclusivity includes women, and we embrace the wonderful gifts of women. We are aware of the scriptural tradition of deaconesses in the Church (Rom 16:1), the role of women in ordained ministry in several contemporary Catholic churches, and of the women who have been ordained as priests within the Roman Catholic Church, even as late as 1970 with the ordination of Ludmila Javorova. Far from prohibiting conversation on the possibility of ordaining women for ministry in the Church, we recognize this as an injustice which unfairly diminishes women within our Church and our world. Instead, we openly welcome the movement of God in the ordained ministry of women.
Our spirit of inclusivity includes a non-celibate clergy. Like most Catholic and non-Catholic traditions, we recognize the invaluable gifts possessed by married clergy. We know that a celibate clergy is not a divine mandate, but a recent innovation in the Roman church. Our sisters and brothers of the Orthodox Catholic Church (which excommunicated the Roman church in 1054) have always allowed priests and bishops to be married. Likewise, following the longer and larger tradition of the Church, our clergy are not required to be celibate. Rather, we welcome clergy who are married, in domestic partnerships, divorced or widowed. Christ built his Church on the foundation of Peter, a married man (Mk 1:30). Such life states allow our clergy to be more attuned to the real issues of family life.
Our spirit of inclusivity includes sexual matters. Whereas Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) derided homosexuality as an objectively disordered inclination toward an intrinsic moral evil, we are open to the findings of contemporary psychology with respect to persons who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered. We affirm the dignity and worth of our LGBTQ members, recognizing in them unique gifts particular to our time. In states that allow same-sex marriage, we are honored to celebrate the Church's sacrament of marriage. We acknowledge that this idea can be especially challenging in cultures of high machismo, where many men may find themselves in roles where they feel they need to act contrary to their nature and/or where their identity as men is threatened by those more comfortable with varying sexual orientations.
Our spirit of inclusivity includes divorce and remarriage. We empathize with the pain of a failed marriage, and we recognize our divorced and remarried sisters and brothers as members of Christ's Body. Divorce is a traumatic experience for all, including spouses, children and extended family. Yet, in many circumstances, divorce is the best and most faithful response to a permanently broken relationship. For those whose marriages have failed and yet still feel the call to married life, the co-joining in intimate love with another person created in God's image and likeness is a way in which one can fulfill one's vocation. We join our sisters and brothers of the Orthodox Catholic Church in recognizing the tradition of divorce and remarriage that comes to us from the first thousand years of our common history with the Roman church. We counsel the remarried to reflect upon all they have experienced and to grow in all that will come, and we believe that their new union can best be nourished by the sacramental life of the Church.
Notwithstanding the list above, because we are an inclusive community, we would never want any of these differences to overshadow the fact that we are sisters and brothers with all God's Holy People in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church that we all together profess. Says St. Paul: "You are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28). Even recent polls indicate that the majority of Roman Catholics in the U.S. believe these principles that we openly profess. As sisters and brothers, we have more in common than that which will ever be able to divide us.
Are the sacraments shared by the clergy of Holy Family Catholic Church valid?
Of course, they are. They are administered by validly-consecrated bishops and validly-ordained priests and deacons. The pastoral manual of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin (page L-11 and more specifically L-17) cites the validity of baptisms performed in Old Catholic and Independent Catholic churches like Holy Family. The manual further states, "In each of these churches, the Church of God is built up and grows in stature and, although separated from us, these churches possess true sacraments, above all (by apostolic succession) the priesthood and Eucharist. This offers ecclesiological and sacramental grounds for allowing and even encouraging some sharing in liturgical worship (even Eucharistic) with these churches" (M-17).
More globally, Pope John Paul II mentioned Old Catholic and Independent Catholic churches in his 2000 encyclical letter Dominus Iesus, saying, "The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the [Roman] Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by Apostolic Succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches. Therefore, these separated Churches and communities as such...have by no means been deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church. Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the [Roman] Church."
In his Pastoral Companion: A Canon Law Handbook for [Roman] Catholic Ministry, Fr. John Huels similarly shares, "The principal condition is that these sacraments can be received only from validly ordained ministers. These are ministers who belong to 'churches that have preserved the substance of the Eucharistic teaching, the sacraments of orders, and apostolic succession.' This would include all Eastern non-Catholic churches, the Polish National Church, Old Catholic, and Old Roman Catholic."
Religious scholar William J. Whalan concurs: "We have no reason to doubt that the Old Catholic Orders are valid. The Apostolic Succession does not depend on obedience to the See of Peter, but rather on the objective line of succession from Apostolic sources, the proper matter and form, and the proper intention....Likewise Old Catholic bishops are bishops in Apostolic Succession [and]...the Old Catholics, like the Orthodox, possess a valid priesthood."
In his commentary on canon law, Fr. Thomas Doyle, a Roman Catholic Dominican priest, writes, "Catholics may receive the Eucharist, penance, or anointing from sacred ministers of non-Catholic denominations whose Holy Orders are considered valid by the Catholic Church. This includes all Eastern Orthodox priests, as well as priests of the Old Catholic or Polish National Church."
Thus, there is no reason to doubt that we share the same apostolic succession and Catholicity in essentials, even if we dissent concerning matters of conscience. If it is important to you, be assured that the Roman church and the Orthodox church recognize the validity of our sacraments (even if individual bishops and priests may beg to differ), and that all sacraments performed with good intention by validly-consecrated bishops and validly-ordained priests and deacons are valid in the eyes of God.
Is Holy Family stealing people from the Roman Catholic Church?
That's certainly not our intention! Instead, we're happy to minister to the six billion people in our world who don't feel at home in the Roman church.
Statistically, one in every three baptized Roman Catholics in the U.S. has left his/her church. In Mexico, more than 1,000 Mexicans have left the Roman church every day during the past ten years, resulting in an attrition of more than four million people from the Roman church in Mexico over ten years. Admittedly, Holy Family provides a spiritual home for many of our sisters and brothers, family members, and friends who no longer feel at home in what used to be their church.
The story is told that Roman Catholic Archbishop Patrick Flores of San Antonio once responded to a woman who lamented that her son had left the Roman church to minister in a non-Roman church. Flores asked her to choose what she thought was best for her son: "Remain Catholic by name and never live the faith? Be a drunkard? A criminal? A drug addict? Take advantage of others or abuse them? Or [is it best for him to be] where he is now, bringing others closer to God? God knows the heart. That's what counts most." The mother understood the archbishop's wise words and was at peace.
Why don't we use the new translation of the Roman Missal approved by the Vatican in 2011?
Holy Family continues to use the second edition of the Novus Ordo, which was used by the Roman church for forty years, until November 2011. Though we are not under the jurisdiction of the bishop of Rome, we do have several issues with the new translation of the Roman Missal. In an act of great collegiality, all the Roman Catholic bishops of the U.S. had approved one translation, only to have the bishop of Rome demand their conformity to another translation. This action subverted the authority of national conferences of bishops, with whom authority rests for such translations. It also resulted in a stilted and very awkward English translation and yet more division within the Body of Christ.
Do we follow the rules of the Roman Catholic Church?
Thankfully, no. We are not under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, and therefore we are not subject to the same rules and regulations.
During his life, Jesus rebelled against a slavish adherence to the 613 laws established by his own religious tradition. The Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church now contains three times more rules and regulations than the codex possessed by the Jews during Jesus' day! Very few of these laws are rooted in scripture, and some of them admittedly contradict the spirit of Jesus' teachings.
Jesus esteemed two commandments above all others: Love of God and love of neighbor (Lk 10:27). While canon law is subject to change, Jesus' command of love is immutable.
The story comes to mind of the young girl who asked her mother why she always cut the ends off her pork roast. Not knowing how to respond, the woman asked her mother, who taught her the practice, who in turn asked her own mother. As it turned out, the woman's grandmother cut the ends off her pork roast so that it would fit in her pan, and nearly three generations later, under very different circumstances, the practice of cutting the ends off the pork roast was carried on without a great deal of thought. One can easily think of examples of rules in various churches that have sprung up over the generations and which have been passed down to us today, despite the fact that they have lost much of their original meaning.
Why do some Roman Catholic bishops speak ill of Independent Catholic churches, like Holy Family?
While most Roman Catholic bishops see us all as sisters and brothers, others are admittedly threatened by what they perceive to be "the competition." Traditional wisdom suggests that fear of losing power corrupts those who posses it.
Sadly, the Roman Catholic bishop of Trenton recently lashed out at Independent Catholics, labeling them as dangerous, schismatic leaders and false prophets who mislead people from "the true practice of the faith under the pretense of legitimacy." Years earlier, the Roman Catholic bishop of San Bernardino similarly lashed out against Old Catholics, viewing them as an enemy bringing spiritual harm to Roman Catholics and suggesting that they are leading others to eternal damnation. In 30 pages of condemnation, the bishop didn't offer even a single scriptural reference to bolster his point of view. Such comments bring division to the Body of Christ and insult the mature, intelligent individuals who choose to worship in such welcoming communities. It also undermines decades of ecumenical dialogue through which we've come to acknowledge that, despite our diversity of paths, we all share a common spiritual journey. Closer to home, the Roman Catholic bishop of Austin disingenuously shared in 2012 that the sacraments shared by clergy at Holy Family might be "gravely illicit or invalid"—a claim that even a first-semester student of liturgical theology could refute!
This is sad, but we also recognize that these are three exceptions in a world of otherwise selfless leaders who share the loving compassion of Christ the Good Shepherd.
With whom can I share the questions I still have about Holy Family?
It depends on what answers you're looking for. If you're looking for "orthodox" Roman Catholic teaching, the words you use veritably hint of a close-mindedness that suggests you might do best to search for answers in other places. If you're looking for someone who can detail in 30 pages all the supposed "errors" contained in a work like this, countless persons who style themselves as "theologians" and/or as defenders of the "true faith" doubtless exist. If you feel more at home among their likes, seek them out.
If, on the other hand, you're looking for the perspective of an intelligent, well-read and critical mind, heavily steeped in the Roman tradition, but unafraid to consider the complexity of important life issues, you shouldn't at all hesitate to speak with our clergy.
Better yet, don't ever hesitate to invite our clergy and other members of the clergy from other Catholic churches, so that you can hear a variety of perspectives on the same issues!
In the meantime, we thank you for taking the time to learn about Holy Family Catholic Church in Austin, Texas!


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The Strategy Behind Storytelling: 5 Brands Leading the Charge
Given the role that CPG brands play in consumers' daily lives, storytelling is a powerful way to connect with shoppers and influence their purchase decisions. It should permeate every shopper communication, whether it's advertising, your website and social media, or your in-store signage. It's even a key part of why challenger brands are able to thrive in a market dominated by established brands. That's because stories do more than just convey facts or try to win a buy with discounts. Instead, they stir up emotion, humanizing brands even as they bolster engagement.
5 Brands Connecting Through Storytelling
While some of these brands are challengers, and some are major, established brands, they all have this in common: their brand story drives their marketing and is a key factor in why they're so successful.
Harry's Razors
Harry's was ultimately able to disrupt the shaving industry as a whole and grow 2x's as fast as the rest of its ecommerce peers. That's especially impressive when you consider that online shaving clubs are already seeing the fastest growth in the men's grooming category. Their rapid growth is due in part to effective storytelling. The online razor company filmed a short documentary, starring it's co-founders, to tell a story that positioned them as a relatable company, and in turn, differentiated their brand from other players in the shaving market.
Skin care, natural beauty products, and maintaining earth-friendly production would be more than enough for most companies to establish themselves in the category. But Burt's Bees goes above and beyond with its website's About page and their YouTube channel. The page is highly visual, and while their history is front and center, it quickly becomes apparent that the company truly loves nature, bees, and social, environmental, and ethical responsibility. Sustainability isn't just a buzzword, and Burt's Bees goes out of its way to ensure visitors can be well educated on the issues in addition to the role the company itself plays. That educational conversation extends out to their YouTube channel and other social media to fully engage followers.
This brand's story is rooted in a hands-on history, starting with a salon and growing to develop products available at retailers. Beauty, in general, and hair care, in particular, can be a minefield for shoppers with specific needs. DevaCurl has devoted itself to women with curly hair, and it goes the extra mile to understand, embrace, and celebrate that particular audience. The brand focuses on all kinds of curly hair without additional niche cues like ethnicity or high-fashion, but it spares no room for other types of hair whatsoever. It's a bold move, but by turning to Curl Ambassadors (their influencers), it gives the brand purpose and personality.
Lucas Candies
As a quiet chocolate shop in New York, the owners of Lucas Candies never imagined what sharing their history might do. The brand story stretches back more than 150 years, starting with Greek immigrants, yet that story had never been leveraged before. Everything from product packaging and descriptions to its website, brand messaging, and even its logo were redesigned to establish the brand and its timeless value. As a result, Lucas Candies received national attention when it was featured by Forbes, Cosmopolitan, and The Today Show.
Even large brands like Coca-Cola benefit from brand stories. After all, it doesn't rely on an environmental or social mission to maintain awareness, interest or sales. It's a standard in its category, too. But you merely need to observe the consistent theme in all of its advertising to understand its brand story: being a fun part of friendship and happiness. It thoroughly relies on the consistency of its colors, wordmarks, and even the shape of its glass bottles, so much so that it carries that carefree imagery across all of its channels.
How They Got It Right
Seeing that these brands are successful and understanding why their storytelling is successful are two different things. We've put together actionable tips based on these brands to help you improve your storytelling strategy.
Take a Personalized Approach
Harry's became the breakout challenger brand it is because it leveraged the down to earth humanness and likability of its founders. Instead of turning to actors or celebrities, the co-founders dove in head first, showing their real journey. This didn't just give the founders a face; it effectively humanized the entire brand. It's proof that you don't need to go over-the-top to garner attention and trust. Consider creating advertising that puts your team front and center.
Foster Communities
Your brand may resonate naturally with certain types of shoppers. Establishing a community based around elements of your brand story is a powerful way to establish communication with your audience and incorporate them into the story itself. Burt's Bees does this with activism and keen focus on how the honey they use is made, appealing to people who desire natural products and sustainability. DevaCurl does this by avoiding the allure of trying to reach everyone, devoting itself entirely to women with curly hair, and capturing authenticity through its influencers. Of course, there's no right way to develop a community — Coca-Cola has built a broad community by evoking friendship, fun, and happiness.
Live Your Brand Story
Consistency is important for advertising, and it's no less important in storytelling. Your brand story must be consistent across channels, from the in-store experience right through to your website and social media. While each brand on our list does this, a standout example is Lucas Candies. It was only by embracing and leveraging its storied history and traditions that it garnered the attention it deserved.
Leveraging your brand story isn't always easy, but storytelling is a tool that you can't afford to leave in the toolbox. Whether you're a challenger brand in your category or a longstanding leader, it opens up the heart of your brand to connect with shoppers effectively. We've presented five brands that use storytelling in a way that's worth emulating. These takeaways represent a great foundation for doing just that.
Case Study: Trader Joe's Discount Grocer's Success Story
Your Marketing Offer: The Do's and Don'ts from Real World Experience
Why Meeting Your Customer's Demands for Efficiency Takes a Multi-Channel Approach

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The floor plans of the 'studio cube' and the 'residential cube' both feature on the ground floor and on the first floor a central corridor with rooms on either side: two bedrooms, a music room, library with a fireplace, a bathroom, shower and a kitchen. The music room and the library both abut the studio and have pivoting walls which are black on the corridor side and grey on the side of the rooms. When they are open they separate the studio from the corridor and a space is created that is perpendicular to the corridor. When closed, they partially shut off the rooms. The front entrance is on the first floor. The corridor there leads to the studio which occupies the entire width and height of the atelier studio, with two windows several metres in height on the north. A concrete staircase in the studio accesses the ground floor and a steel staircase leads to a landing accessing a roof terrace with a southerly aspect. Under the elevated studio there is a shaded terrace beside a garden accessing the kitchen. The corridor on the ground floor leads to the (former) garage and storage space (converted into a shower room) at the front of the house.
Floorplan ground and first floor, 1929 and a chair, together with sketches for a garden bench (not executed) and a studio table (executed) which Van Doesburg all especially designed for the studio-house, design, 1930.
The studio, kitchen and music room contain fixed tables in grey concrete. The tables in the kitchen and music rooms have yellow tops. The colour researcher Mariël Polman, who studied the use of colour for the Foundation for the restoration in 2003, concluding that Nelly probably had the tabletops painted. It is not known if the table in the studio was to be given a colour, though annotations have been discovered for the table to be painted red on top and blue underneath, and yellow or grey and white. However, it is not clear whether these are Van Doesburg's own annotations. Other colour accents in the house are the tiled floors he designed for the bathroom, kitchen and library. They are compositions of white, grey, black and red, and of yellow, red and grey. The stained glass skylight in the library is coloured blue, orange and red. Otherwise the interior is primarily in shades of grey: the studio space has pale grey walls, a grey concrete floor and table, and a dark grey balustrade and panelling at the stairs.
Sleeping room with furniture by Van Doesburg, at the beginning of the 1930s, and the hall on the first floor, 2012, photo Hervé Abbadie.
"Without colour, architecture is without expression", Van Doesburg noted. Abraham Elzas, who made the construction drawings, wrote in De Stijl and De 8 en Opbouw concerning the colour schemes for the Van Doesburg studio-house: "(…) the cupboards and tables in 'varying colours', the walls in 'different shades of grey' and rendered exterior walls with 'mineral white paint'. Elzas associated the importance of the colours directly with the spatial and functional significance of Van Doesburg's design: "In this house Van Doesburg implements his often-expressed idea: to abandon the 'interior appointments?' of a house and achieve a organic totality such that 'appointments' and 'house' are one. He specified the repetitive functions (cupboards and tables) in a house by including them as monoliths in the construction. By painting these cupboards and tables in different colours, he sought to give them 'independent energy', in order that together they would reveal that clear, pure atmosphere Van Doesburg considered to be a characteristic of a 'visual interior'".
The studio, 2012, photos Hervé Abbadie.
Polman argues that the clear simplicity to which Elzas refers is supported by the colours Van Doesburg selected. Having studied the colours, she has identified four shades of grey containing white and black pigments with varying additions of ochre yellow, synthetic ultramarine and Prussian blue. In the studio, the grey shades can be clearly experienced. Polman's research reveals that most doors and the original steel window frames had been pale grey to start with. The black is from a later date. During the restoration in 2003 a balance was sought between Van Doesburg's intention, the first execution, its evolution in Nelly's day and the restoration history. The aim was not to create a conclusive picture and to avoid a biased interpretation. The recent 2014 restoration should also be seen in that perspective. In addition, the use of the house as a studio requires a practical approach, though it is not always straightforward to combine comfortable living with refurbishment in keeping with Van Doesburg's ideology.
On top: The music room and the library in open and closed situation, beginning of the 1930s. Below: Drawing of the skylight, Theo van Doesburg, and the executed skylight in the library, 2012, photo Hervé Abbadie.
The design of the studio-house constitutes a great contrast with the interior of L'Aubette on which he was working at that time. In Polman's view, L'Aubette exhibits a typically painterly approach with overwhelming colours resembling a Gesamtkunstwerk. On the other hand, the studio-house is mainly grey and white, with, here and there, a varicoloured floor and a colourful stained-glass window. It has taut, white external walls with discreet colour accents in red, yellow and blue for the doors and the garage. Polman wonders if the visitor, the artist, is aware or unaware of the fourth dimension in Van Doesburg's creation, as he himself envisaged. Is the artist involved in the oneness, in Van Doesburg's attempt to create a meeting place where art could come about, thrive and be discussed? Or, as Matthias Noell suggests in his recent study of the Van Doesburg studio-house, did Van Doesburg deploy the studio-house as a means of self-representation: from bohemian in the early twenties to engineer, and even laboratory technician at the end of his life when he designed the studio-house?
The studio, seen from above with the concrete built-in table, 1930s.


text:
class RemoveCodedFromResponseSet < ActiveRecord::Migration[5.0]
  def change
    remove_column :response_sets, :coded, :boolean
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Oakley College | International British School of Gran Canaria
Welcome to Oakley College
About Oakley
Results and achievements
Inspection and Annual Reports
The English National Curriculum
Healthy School Meals
After School Activities and Programs
Pastoral Care and Services
Languages and Language Skills
In the globalised world we live in languages from a core part of communication and cultural understanding. The ability to speak more than one language (bilingual) will give students a head start. Our students are bilingual in English and Spanish and have the opportunity to select French or German when they enter secondary at Y7.
Learning another language goes far beyond just being able to communicate in that language – you learn another way of thinking, a component of language skills. Our students develop an enriched, more complex personality and an enhanced capacity for further language learning. They also have a greater openness to new cultural experiences.
Work at Oakley
Work at Oakley!
Teachers' area


As part of an industry that too often pays little mind to the people who make the clothes we wear and the environment around us, we knew from day one we had to do better. That's why Alo stands for Air Land Ocean, and why we care just as much about how our clothes are made as we do about how they fit and feel.
We've always been 100% sweatshop free, and we have a platinum certification from WRAP, the world's largest watchdog organization for ensuring ethical manufacturing. That means fair pay, standard hours and clean, safe working conditions. We also have an Alo employee working at every factory to oversee best ethical practices. We're committed to not only practicing yoga, but also living it, and that means making sure that everyone who touches Alo is treated well.
It also means staying mindful of how our actions impact the environment. We just wouldn't feel right if we weren't taking the necessary steps to minimize our eco footprint every single day, like powering our headquarters and L.A. flagship with solar, keeping our warehouse paper free and our daily waste down to that of a household (thanks to our awesome office recycling program) and using the most earth-friendly, low-water dyes.
We're firm believers in setting intentions, in and outside of yoga, and creating positive change through conscious action. Together we can change the vibration of the world!
All About Alo (We Made a Video)!


When I started this blog I was so certain that I would write everyday. And as I've articulated numerous time, the goal is for me to help myself and give structure to my life in a way that allows for connection with other people and resources for my future. The daily post play into that, because they help my partners in accountability to see the comings and goings of my life and also help me to have a record for tracking emotional seasons if ever the need arises. Therefore, it is still my desire to write M-F at least.
In regard to the 24th and 25th, I am very proud of how I spent my days. I spent them trying to purchase a property. Lord knows whether we will succeed or not. And I spent them trying to do homework. So far, I have kept pace with the daily assignments, but have not gotten ahead nor begun to address the larger projects. It is my eager hope that I will succeed in making headway on larger projects this week and will also stay on top of daily assignments so that there is reason to hope to get ahead in all school related endeavors next week.


text:
Q: Cauchy problem $xu_x+yu_y=u+1$ if $u(x,x^2)=x^2$ (concern on the restrictions)
Solve  the Cauchy problem:
$$xu_x+yu_y=u+1,$$
if $u(x,x^2)=x^2$ for all $x\in \mathbb{R}.$

Attempt. Using the method of characteristics (as in What is the geometric interpretation of the solution to PDE $xu_x+yu_y=0$)
we reach $u(x,y)=x\,f(y/x)-1$ for some $C^1$ function $f$. Since $u(x,x^2)=x^2$, we have $\displaystyle xf(x)-1=x^2$, so $f(x)=x+\frac{1}{x}$ and:
$$u(x,y)=y+\frac{x^2}{y}-1.$$
which is the valid solution, since it satisfies the PDE (just plug it in) and $u(x,x^2)=x^2$.
My main concern is the following: I have seen answers that finish here. On the other hand, we have the restriction that $y$ should be non-zero. So

*

*how may we speak about the solution to the initial problem since we exclude the $y$-axis?

*Why the initial problem was not given as: $xu_x+yu_y=u+1$ for $y\neq 0$,
if $u(x,x^2)=x^2$ for all $x\in \mathbb{R}$, in order to avoid the above? (the arguments, as given, would then be enough).

*is it a general practice in such problems to be a bit "loose" at this point, regarding the
restrictions? (since i have seen solutions in such problems, that neither inserts restrictions on the initial problem, neither comment on the restrictions on the "solution", when they appear).

*All the above hold, unless the initial problem is equivalent to the following one:

Solve, wherever it can be solved, the Cauchy problem:
$$xu_x+yu_y=u+1,$$
if $u(x,x^2)=x^2$ for all $x\in \mathbb{R}.$

Thanks in advance for the help.

A: This is not an "initial value problem" in the sense that your data are not given on the $x$-axis. It is a Cauchy problem with data on the parabola $y=x^2$. All points on this parabola except for $(0,0)$ are non-characteristic points and then by Kovalevskaya's Theorem a solution exists in a neighborhood of each of them, and it is given by your formula. Observe that the neighborhood shrinks as you approach the origin. You cannot issue a characteristic from $(0,0)$. As for your second point, I would say that would be more appropriate since only under such assumption the method of characteristics can be applied.
Definitely, statements for this kind of problems are usually loose. Probably because it would be annoying to specify all the details,

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A good news story that like all other good news stories gets ignored by the usual suspects.
Quote bookmarked for future use. I'll be sure to watch for your praise of good news articles once a party not of your liking is in power.
LordEd wrote: Quote bookmarked for future use. I'll be sure to watch for your praise of good news articles once a party not of your liking is in power.
Everyone who has a case against Cactusflower rests their case.
Didn't know there was a contest....... not everyone has time to scour the internet just to post articles on a forum.
If this was a court of law, the "case" would be dependent upon the party being able to prove that they are capable of rational thought processes.
I have not seen anything that comes remotely close to that prerogative.
Please do this before you hurt someone or yourself. The community has resource for people in your position.
Just ask and we will work to get you the help you need.
what a bunch of bullies.
Because_They_Lie wrote: what a bunch of bullies.
There's a reason it's called the bickering room.
You are free to walk away at any time.
I didn't realize it was the bickering room, they do it in all rooms.
thanks for the permission weirdo.
Because_They_Lie wrote: I didn't realize it was the bickering room, they do it in all rooms.
Not that it's right, but some people are just begging for the ridicule.


LAPEER, Michigan – Maneuvering droids through obstacles, taking Human vs. Machine challenges and seeing student-built bots face off on the game field are just part of the fun in store at Robo-Con, happening 10 a.m.-7 p.m. July 19 at Lapeer Center for Innovation (Lapeer West), 170 Millville Road, Lapeer.
Along with free admission, families, teens and techies will also get to see a flying robot, also known as a quad copter, and soap box derby practice runs. Organizers say attendees may be exposed to "unintended educational effects." A talking, life-sized replica of the B9 "Lost in Space" robot and other selfie photo opportunities will be on site. "Geek costumes" are also encouraged.
Currently, The Chimeras Lapeer Robotics Team, which is hosting the event, is holding weekly prize drawings. To enter, "Like" the team's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chimeras-FRC-Team-1684/177786008913133, and leave a comment. Prizes will be picked up at Robo-Con.
For details, go to https://www.smore.com/zz2pa-robo-con-2014.


With the growing importance of the process of estate planning, the concept of estate planning has gained in importance as well. They are extremely crucial for the purpose of getting a grasp of the overall process of estate planning.
Estate planning information is extremely important as far as understanding the process of estate planning is concerned. The concept is necessary for those people who use estate planning services as well as those who provide them.


RRB Mumbai Recruitment Online applications will be invited by Railway Recruitment Board Mumbai (RRB Mumbai) from the eligible candidates for various posts at Indian Railways.
Aspirants can check the detailed notification showing the vacancy name & details, qualification details etc. from the Employment news / Rojgar Samachar. Except this an Indicative notification will also published in local and national news papers.
Through this post candidates can check all details about RRB Mumbai Recruitment such as its application form, how to apply, selection procedure etc.
RRB Mumbai Recruitment Application Form: How to apply?
The application form and format for various documents required such as for ST, SC, OBC etc. will be published in the Employment notification. In addition candidates can also download the application form and other documents from the official website of RRB Mumbai.
Before filling the application form candidates should read the detailed employment notification carefully.
They need to satisfy the eligibility and other conditions as specified in the form for that post in which they want to apply.
Applicants should make sure that the requisite fee is submitted through IPO or DD from a prescribed Bank.
Candidates should fill all the required details in the application form as per the prescribed format in their own hand writing.
The duly filled-in application form along with copies of required documents should be sent either through regular post or dropped in the specific box given at Railway Recruitment Board's office.
The payment of said fee can be made in the form of IPO or Demand Draft from a specified bank.
Railway Recruitment Board Mumbai will send call letters/admit cards to the eligible applicants under UPC for the examination. The call letters will comprise the details like exam schedule, venue, roll number etc. The board will send the admit card to the candidates before one month of the scheduled date.
The selection process is dependent on rules and regulations specified by Railway Board, Ministry of Railways which contains reservation of posts for some categories like SC/ST/ OBC and Ex Servicemen etc. Applicants need to appear in the written exam as scheduled by the board. Those who qualify the exam will be invited for Aptitude test / Type Test / Documents verification / Interviews (if required) etc.
The final selection is made as per merit, requirement and medical test result. The final selection list will be published in Employment news / Rojgar samachar and other local dailies. In addition an intimation letter will also send to the selected candidates informing them about their allotted Railways / Zone.


We assessed the nm23-H1 gene product expression and its relationship with lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 45 patients who were treated surgically were used in this study. Pathologists graded lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in each of the tissue samples. Expression of nm23-Hl gene product was determined using a specific monoclonal antibody.
Expression of nm23-H1 gene product was present in 17 (37.8%) cases. We found an inverse correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion, whereas no correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and blood vessel invasion. Overall survival rate was not different between nm23-H1 gene product positive and negative patients (p = 0.21). However, reduced expression of nm23-H1 gene product was associated with shorter overall survival in patients with involved lymph nodes (p < 0.05), but not in patients without involved lymph nodes (p = 0.87).
In patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, there appears to be an inverse relationship between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion. Furthermore, nm23-H1 gene product expression might be a prognostic marker in patients with involved lymph nodes. Our data does not demonstrate any correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and blood vessel invasion.
Expression of nm23-H1 gene product is thought to play a specific biological role in suppressing tumor metastasis [1,2]. A number of studies of human malignant tumors including breast [3–5], gastric [6,7], colorectal [8,9], hepatocellular , and ovarian  carcinomas have demonstrated a correlation between reduced expression of nm23 mRNA or its gene product and increased metastasis, resulting in poorer prognosis. With regard to lung cancer, however, previous studies have shown that nm23 gene product expression is unrelated to patient survival . The reasons for these conflicting results remain unclear. Although very little attention has been given to the role of nm23-H1 gene product in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, two studies report on the relationship between nm23-H1 expression and patient survival [13,14]. It is general knowledge that vessel invasion is the first and necessary step at the outset of the metastatic cascade. What remains to be seen, however, is whether nm23-H1 gene product expression is associated with lymphatic or blood vessel invasion in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The present study examines this question.
Forty-five randomly selected patients (39 men, 6 women) with primary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who were treated surgically at Miyazaki Medical College were included in this study. TNM staging was accomplished in all patients . Surgically resected tissue samples previously fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin were used in this study. Following the Guidelines for the Clinical and Pathologic Studies on Carcinoma of the Esophagus (Japanese Society for Esophageal Diseases, 1999), pathologists graded lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in each of the tissue samples. Briefly, lymphatic vessel invasion was graded according to the following: ly0: none; ly1: mild; ly2: moderate; and ly3: severe. Blood vessel invasion was also graded as follows: v0: none; v1: mild; v2: moderate; and v3: severe.
The specific monoclonal antibody against nm23-H1 gene product (Novocastra Laboratories, Newcastle, UK) was used to detect gene product expression. Before staining, serial 4 μm-thick sections were deparaffinized in three changes of lemosol and rehydrated through a descending series of ethanol. These sections were then immersed in 0.6% H2O2 in methanol for 20 minutes at room temperature to block endogenous peroxidase activity. After blocking nonspecific protein bindings by an overnight incubation with Block Ace (Dainippon Inc., Osaka, Japan), the sections were incubated with primary antibodies (1:200) at 4°C overnight. Subsequently, sections were incubated with the secondary antiserum (1:500) for 1 hour, followed by an incubation with peroxidase antiperoxidase (PAP) complex for 30 minutes at room temperature. The sections were visualized using a Diaminobenzidine/Metal Concentration (10X) and Stable Peroxide Substrate Buffer (1x) system (Pierce, Rockford, IL, USA). The sections were then washed with water and counterstained with hematoxylin. Immunohistochemical results were assessed semiquantitatively by two authors, taking into account the percentage of nm23-H1 protein positive cancer cells within the maximum cut-surface specimen of the tumor tissue. Patients with greater than 50% of cancer cells staining more intensely than stromal cells were considered positive for nm23-H1 gene product expression.
Data was analyzed using the X 2 test with Yates' correlation. Survival curves were plotted according to the Kaplan-Meier method, and the prognostic significance was evaluated by the generalized Wilcoxon test. A p value less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Expression of nm23-H1 gene product was present in 17 (37.8%) cases and appeared diffusely throughout the cytoplasm of the cancer cells (Fig. 1). In the majority of nm23-H1 gene product positive cancers, most of tumor cells contained a homologous cytoplasmic pattern for nm23-H1 gene product. Table 1 shows the relationship between nm23-H1 gene product expression and clinical characteristics. Expression of nm23-H1 gene product was not correlated with these clinical factors. Lymph node metastasis in positive nm23-H1 gene product cases was 9/17 (52.9%); in negative cases, 13/28 (46.4%). There was no significant correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymph node metastasis.
Positive staining for nm23-H1 gene product in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (original magnification × 100).
Lymphatic vessel invasion gradings included: 1 ly0, 18 ly1, 24 ly2, and 2 ly3. Since the ly0 and ly3 numbers were low, lymphatic vessel invasion was classified into two groups: ly0+ly1 and ly2+ly3. Lymph node metastasis in the ly0+ly1 and ly2+ly3 groups was 6/19 (31.6%) and 17/26 (65.4%), respectively. These numbers indicate a relationship between lymphatic vessel invasion and lymph node metastasis (p < 0.05).
Table 2 shows the relationship between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion, and blood vessel invasion. Expression of nm23-H1 gene product in the ly0+ly1 and ly2+ly3 groups was 12/19 (63.2%) and 5/26 (19.2%), respectively, while numbers for the nm23-H1 negative cases were 7/19 (36.8%) and 21/26 (80.8%), respectively, indicating an inverse relationship between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion (p < 0.01). Blood vessel invasion gradings included 14 v0, 27 v1, 4 v2, and no v3 cases. Of these numbers, expression of nm23-H1 gene product was present in 7 v0, 7 v1, and 3 v2 cases. In nm23-H1 gene product negative patients, there were 7 v0, 20 v1, and 1 v2 cases. As is apparent from these numbers, we found no correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and blood vessel invasion.
Relationship between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic and blood vessel invasion.
The number of patients who underwent pre- or post-operative radiotherapy in nm23-H1 positive and negative groups was 9/17 (52.9%) and 13/28 (53.6%), respectively, and there was no difference between these groups. In the present series, no correlation between 5-year survival rates and nm23-H1 gene product expression was found (22.9% vs. 23.8%, p = 0.21). However, in patients with involved lymph nodes, 5-year survival rates of nm23-H1 gene product positive and negative group was 16.7% and 7.7%, respectively. As shown Fig. 2, reduced expression of nm23-H1 gene product was associated with shorter overall survival in patients with involved lymph nodes (p < 0.05). In patients without involved lymph nodes, there was no significant difference in patients' survival between these groups (p = 0.87).
The survival of patients categorized according to nm23-H1 gene product expression in patients with involved lymph nodes (p = 0.027).
Our study revealed nm23-H1 gene product expression in 17 (37.8%) of 45 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Other researchers have reported similar findings in patients with this type of cancer. Patel et al.  demonstrated positive nm23 staining in 13 (29%) of 45 patients with T3-4N1M0 esophageal carcinoma, and Iizuka et al.  reported positive nm23 staining in 23 (46%) of 50 patients. Two possible explanations for the wide range of percentages in these studies include differences in the specificity of the antibody used or differences in the method for evaluating nm23-H1 gene product staining.
Earlier studies have reported a clear correlation between lymphatic vessel invasion and regional lymph node metastases in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma [16,17]. Our data also suggests an association between lymphatic vessel invasion and lymph node metastasis.
Although in certain other cancers [3,6,9,18], nm23-H1 gene product expression appears to be related to lymph node metastasis, our study of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma showed no correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymph node metastasis, findings compatible with those of Iizuka et al. . We did observe, however, an inverse correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion. These results suggest that expression of nm23-H1 gene product may not have implications for lymph node metastasis but may play a part in local invasion. However, our results and Iizuka et al.  also showed that reduced expression of nm23-H1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is associated with a shorter overall survival rate in patients with lymph node involvement, but not in patients without lymph node involvement. Moreover, lymphatic vessel invasion is the first and necessary step at the outset of the metastatic cascade. It has been demonstrated that lymphatic vessel invasion is an independent prognostic factor in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma . Thus, taken together, one must consider the possibility that, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, nm23-H1 gene product plays a role in the metastatic process following lymphatic spread. Further studies are required to determine the exact role of nm23-H1 gene product in the lymphatic spread of cancer cells in this type of carcinoma.
Furthermore, additional studies are needed to clarify the exact relationship between nm23-H1 gene product expression and blood vessel invasion. Among breast cancer studies, Dueñas et al.  reported a correlation between nm23-H1 expression and blood vessel invasion, while Royds et al.  found no such correlation. In colorectal cancer, Yamaguchi et al. and Royds et al. found no significant correlation between nm23-H1 expression and blood vessel invasion [10,21]. In gastric cancer, interestingly, Müller et al. reported a positive correlation between nm23-H1 expression and blood vessel invasion . Our present study on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma found no correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and blood vessel invasion. To the best of our knowledge, there are no previous studies on the relationship between nm23-H1 expression and distant metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma although Sarbia et al.  demonstrated a clear correlation between blood vessel invasion and distant metastases. Our data suggests that, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, nm23-H1 gene product expression may not be associated with distant metastasis.
Cohn et al.  suggested that, in colorectal cancer, allelic deletion of the nm23-H1 gene has been shown to have possible antimetastatic functions. Although we did not determine allelic deletion in the presence of nm23-H1 gene product expression in our study, the possibility remains that changes in the nm23-H1 locus have an antimetastatic function in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma as well. Metastasis is a cascade of linked sequential steps involving multiple host- tumor interactions. To form a metastatic focus, a tumor cell or group of cells is required to leave the primary tumor, invade local tissues and basement membranes, enter the circulation, avoid host immunological responses, attach to a distant vascular bed, extravasate into the interstitium of the target organ, and colonize to form a second tumor . Further studies are required to clarify the specific role of nm23-H1 gene product in this multi-step metastatic process.
In conclusion, we found an inverse correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion but found no correlation between nm23-H1 gene product and blood vessel invasion in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, nm23-H1 gene product expression might be a prognostic marker in patients with involved lymph nodes.
The authors wish to thank Mrs. Yasuko Tobayashi for her skillful technical assistance.


How do I get in touch with someone to ask a question about my order?
Please go to the customer service link for return information and the customer service toll free phone number.
What color palette should I get?
Perfect Pigment 1 is for Fair, Light, and Medium complexions that have pink or yellow undertones.
origins are well suited for Perfect Pigment 2.
Perfect Pigment 3 is for deep olive to caramel complexions.
Perfect Pigment 4 is for deep caramel to medium brown complexions.
Is it a a mineral makeup?
Yes. We use 100 percent natural minerals that come from the earth and other sources in nature.
Perfect Pigment does not contain talc, parabens, corn starch, or irritating ingredients.
Can Perfect Pigment give me complete coverage?
Yes, Perfect Pigment will cover a wide range of skin imperfections, including sun spots, rosacea, and acne.
on how to apply from the Booklet included in your kit.
Does Perfect Pigment work with problem, oily, and dry skin?
Yes, Christina Cosmetics' philosophy is to create only healthy skincare cosmetics. Perfect Pigment is dermatologist tested and used by a wide range of women with different skin conditions including acne, rosacea, sensitive skin, dry skin, and oily skin.
a clinical trial, zero had any signs of irritation or breakouts.
skin sensitivities, allergies, scars, blemishes, rosacea, wrinkles, and pigmentation issues.
The Perfect Pigment is a 2 month supply, depending upon how often you wear makeup.
No. We DO NOT do animal testing.
your own shampoo. Shape the bristles by pushing up the sleeve of the brush and allow to dry.
Most orders will arrive in 3 to 5 business days. Weekends and holidays may sometimes slow delivery times.


Vitamin D is found in many foods, including fish, eggs, fortified milk and cod liver oil. The sun also adds to the body's daily production of vitamin D, and as little as 10 minutes of exposure is thought to help prevent deficiency. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which forms and maintains strong bones. On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, preventive medicine specialist Dr. Donald Hensrud will cover the latest vitamin D recommendations and discuss the second edition of The Mayo Clinic Diet. Also on the program, Dr. Rekha Mankad, director of Mayo Clinic's Cardio-Rheumatology Clinic, will discuss women and heart disease as part of American Heart Month. And cardiologist Dr. Iftikhar Kullo will explain a new genetic test being used to detect a cardiovascular condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia.


This course provides operators with the basic engineering skills necessary to perform routine product line changes and maintenance tasks, including the removal and replacement of components, cleaning, lubrication and inspection.
Line operators with little or no engineering skills who wish to take on the responsibility of primary asset care. Operator asset care is the key to reduced downtime and a decrease of emergency repair work by the maintenance team. The course was developed to provide technically competent operators with a real sense of ownership of their production assets.
The course format is very much 'hands on' - the emphasis being on development of sound practical skills within the context of safe working practices.
adopt a logical approach to fault finding.


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Man Gets 24 Years in Prison for Posing as Dying Boy to Sexually Coerce Girls
PORTLAND, Ore. – A 31-year-old man was sentenced Monday to more than 24 years in federal prison for posing online as a teenage boy dying of leukemia in an effort to coerce young girls into sending him sexually explicit images.
Joshua Kistler chatted regularly with at least nine girls nationwide who ranged in age from 12 to 14. He used the condition to gain the girls' sympathy, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
He even sent them pictures of his stepson, an actual 15-year old, to further his story, authorities said.
He also posed as the stepfather of his online persona. In one case, a victim and her mother visited the "stepfather" during a family trip, believing the teenage boy was away receiving treatment.
Several victims said they loved and trusted Kistler, who asked them to send photos of them nude or perform sexual acts for him in front of Web cameras.
Kistler, who pleaded guilty to charges of producing child pornography, apologized during his appearance in U.S. District Court.
"I'm sorry for the harm I've caused," he said. "I wasn't aware I was causing any harm."
The victim whose case led to Kistler's arrest was a Utah girl who started chatting online with him when she was 12.
According to the Justice Department, Kistler told the victim that he had cut off contact with another girl because of the Utah girl's jealousy and that the other girl had killed herself. Overcome with guilt, the Utah girl attempted suicide, and law enforcers became involved.
The girl attempted suicide a second time after the mother tried to stop the relationship.
The mother read the words of her daughter in court.
"He taught me stuff a 12-year old should not know," KGW-TV reported. "My love of my life turned out to be a 30-year-old pedophile."
Kistler told agents that he knew what he was doing was wrong and that he had always "been a collector."