The CatholiCity Message

Volume IV, Number 11 – May 19, 2000

Dear CatholiCity Citizen,

We've been swamped with the response to our new Confession offer. So here they come...

1. THE BIG MONTH
In case you haven't heard, the entire Catholic world is buzzing with the partial revelation of the Third Secret of Fatima, namely, that the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II's life was foretold in the prophecy. This was announced during the beautification of Fatima visionaries Jacinta and Francisco on May 13th, the 19th anniversary of the attempt. It is not widely known that the bullet that tore into the pope was poisoned, that the pope believes that Our Lady miraculously preserved his life, and that the second bullet fired by Ali Agca was found miraculously "fused" in the barrel of Agca's gun. The Vatican has promised a full release of the Third Secret, along with an official commentary "soon." Combined with the canonization of Sister Faustina the Sunday after Easter, the passing away of John Cardinal O'Connor, and the pope marking his 80th birthday by concelebrating Mass with over 3000 fellow priests in Saint Peter's for the Priests Jubilee (the largest concelebration in the history of the world) on May 17th, it's been a big month indeed. We can't help but note, for those who are skeptical of heavenly apparitions, that the Divine Mercy Chaplet, given to Saint Faustina by Our Lord Himself in the 1930s and suppressed until the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, has quickly become the second most popular devotion in the Church next to the Rosary. A free Divine Mercy Chaplet is found on Side 2 of the Mary Foundation Rosary CD and audio tape. Write to the Mary Foundation, PO Box 26101, Fairview Park OH 44126 (a donation is optional) or go here to order your free copy online:

http://www.maryfoundation.com/

2. ALSO A SAD DAY
This May 13th was also one of the most sorrowful days ever for the Mary Foundation. It marked the sudden passing of a man whose first name was Patrick. He lived in Farmington Hills, Michigan. "Grampa T" was the very firstbenefactor of the Mary Foundation. Yes, along with his wife Frances, he was the very first to support us financially and distribute our audios. In our early years, before CatholiCity and Saint Jude Media, when the Mary Foundation was on the verge of shutting down in 1992, these two faithful "grandparents" stepped forward to help us survive. They have prayed for us faithfully, and have treated us like family. While it's not our usual practice to pray for individuals in the CatholiCity Message, we're making an exception for the the soul of Patrick, husband of Frances. Please join me and over 20,000 Citizens in prayer...

"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to heaven, especially the soul of Patrick. Please console his wife Frances and their family during these difficult days. Our Lady of Fatima, Saint Faustina, Blessed Jacinta, and Blessed Francisco, we implore you to intercede for the souls of all Mary Foundation benefactors and CatholiCity Citizens who have passed away in recent months, and for their families. Eternal Father, for the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world! Amen."

5. SQUIRREL WARS
If you live in Columbus, Ohio, then you know that the local squirrels are gray-haired. If you live in Cleveland, Ohio, then you know that the local squirrels have brown hair. We've always wondered about this. Is there a long, jagged violent battle line halfway between Columbus and Cleveland, strewn with the carcasses of rodent soldiers, where the Browns and the Grays fight it out for supremacy?

QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"When will the Immaculata rule over the world? When will her Marytown arise in every country...in every language, be brought to every home, palace, and hut? When will her medal be worn on every breast, and every heart on the globe of the earth beat for her?"
Saint Maximilian Kolbe

"O Mother of individuals and peoples, accept the cry which we, as though moved by the Holy Spirit, address directly to your heart. Embrace with the love of the Mother and Handmaid, this human world of ours, which we entrust and consecrate to you, for we are full of disquiet for the earthly and eternal destiny of individuals and peoples. In a special way we entrust and consecrate to you those individuals and nations which particularly need to be entrusted and consecrated."
Pope John Paul II, March 25, 1984

"If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecution. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world."
Our Lady of Fatima

JOKE OF THE WEEK
A man is getting his haircut. "It's been three weeks since you came in, where have you been?" the barber asks. "I went to Rome with my wife." "Italy?" the barber scoffs. "It costs a fortune to fly there, and the seats are so cramped." "In fact," said the man, "we got $250 round-trip fares off the Internet, and got bumped up to First Class because they overbooked coach." "Well," said the barber, "what hotel did you stay in?" "The Rome Marriott," said the man. "What a dump!" the barber cried. "Lousy service and the food is worse." "As a matter of fact," replied the man, "the Rome Marriott had just been renovated for ten million dollars. The service and meals were four star, and they upgraded us to the presidential suite because of a minor computer glitch at no extra cost." "Hmmpph," the barber grunted. "I guess you tried to see the pope, too. With those big crowds, he probably looked like a tiny speck." "Well you'll find this hard to believe," said the man, "but while we were walking in Saint Peter's Square, a Swiss Guard tapped me on the shoulder, and said the Holy Father wanted to treat us to lunch. Apparently, the pope likes to do this with pilgrims every once in a while. We got a whole tour of the Vatican, saw his private apartment, and of course, the lunch with the Holy Father was simply wonderful." The barber laughed. "Incredible. You lucky dog. I bet there were a lot of other pilgrims there." "Just me and my wife," said the man. "Well, he didn't talk to you, did he?" the barber said doubtfully. "What would the pope have to say to a guy like you." "In fact, he did talk to me, in English," said the man. "As we were leaving, he shook my hand, thanked me for our company, and then he asked me something I'll never forget for as long as I live." "And what was that?" asked the barber. "He wanted to know where I got my lousy haircut."

Thanks for reading this message, everyone.

Yours in Christ,

Your Dear Friends at CatholiCity