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Click on your choice of articles below
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 315 - 314 - 313 and counting and hoping and praying...
WEEKEND DAILY LITURGY
 This weekend we observe the Lenten Liturgy Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT leading into a rare feast day, one of only three during Lent, when we celebrate the Chair of Peter. For the readings, liturgy, meditations and vignette on that feast, click on DAILY LITURGY FOR THE WEEKEND.
Coming
MONDAY:
Installment Nineteen of the Holy Father's encyclical Fides et Ratio in THE VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS
A layman's perspective on the Church today in Pat Ludwa's VIEW FROM THE PEW
Biography on Columbia's Cardinal Dario Hoyos Castrillon in COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION
Messages 403 and 404 in "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."
Time Capsules in Church History with MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES focusing on February 22nd.
Short gems from Bishop Fulton J. Sheen in SIMPLY SHEEN
Part One of Chapter 2 of "IT IS CONSUMMATED!"
Daily Dose of Ecclesial facts in CATHOLIC CANVAS
Another new Catholic site in SITE OF THE DAY
DAILY LITURGY for the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter and Tuesday in the First Week of Lent plus the optional feast of Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr.
...and much more in our 36th issue for 1999!
Medjugorje Monthly Message for JANUARY 25th
Dear children! I again invite you to prayer. You have no excuse to work more because nature still lies in deep sleep. Open yourselves in prayer. Renew prayer in your families. Put Holy Scripture in a visible place in your families, read it, reflect on it and learn how God loves His people. His love shows itself also in present times because He sends me to call you upon the path of salvation. Thank you for having responded to my call.
For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE AND MORE
To review past articles in textonly format, click on Archives.
To read the front page graphics versions click on the desired Year below 
 To print out this issue in TEXT ONLY, click on the porthole For text of this page, click here
If Ted Turner keeps up his harangues against the Pope and Catholics, he could get  pre-empted and canceled by the great Programmer on high!
 In this weekend's editorial we take on the the "Time Man of the Year" in 1991 - the"Mouth of the South" - better known as Ted Turner, billionaire media mogul who has angered the Catholic community globally not just for his snide insults of the "Time Man of the Year" in 1994 - the Holy Father - earlier this week, but his whole scheming political agenda that has at its core the elimination of three fifths of the world population through forced contraception, regulated sterilization programs and abortion in an effort to force the world's population down to less than half of its current count. We point out the great dangers of this liberal loon and compare him to similar despots who had in mind the same kind of domination which goes against everything God intended. For this weekend's commentary Ted Turner will never be able to muscle or buy his way into Heaven! , click on CATHOLIC PewPOINT.
  Things aren't always what they seem when one is touched by an angel
In her column this week, Sister Mary Lucy Astuto  continues her story from last week on appearances not always being what they might seem through a touching vignette of two angelic visitors who left a blessing only God could give. For Sister's column, Appearances can be deceiving part two, click on GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
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We need to be the beast of burden for Christ
Meditative Lessons on the Sorrowful Mysteries There's a saying attributed to Father Flanagan of Boys Town fame that he encountered a young man hoisting another young man on his back carrying him for quite a while. When confronted, he remarked to Fr. Flanagan, "He ain't heavy, he's my brother!" That's why the Blessed Mother wants us to consider being the "beast of burden" to help carry her Divine Son's message of Peace, Love, Mercy and Reparation to all God's children. That is the essence of Mary's meditation today in Lesson 1: JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM For part three, click on "IT IS CONSUMMATED!"
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 Whether a Salesian or a salesman for the faith, Cardinal Castillo was at the top of his class in carrying out Canon Law
We continue with this new series that debuted three weeks ago, bringing you on a regular basis three times a week the Princes of the Church. Our tweny-first red hat we feature, in alphabetical order is the retired Venezuelan President of the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City. For more on Cardinal Castillo, click on COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION
Events this weekend in Church History
 Sunday is the 486th anniversary of the death of Pope Julius II, 216th successor of Peter and the pontiff who completed the Basilica of St. Peter's including the magestic dome designed by Michelangelo. For other events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history this weekend, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES
"I solemnly tell you that you must daily consecrate yourself to the Holy Spirit."
 Those words come from the Blessed Virgin Mary in her 402st Message to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart on Our Lady's birthday in September, 1993 in which Our Lady reinforces the need to trust in her Divine Spouse the Holy Spirit in our constant struggle with the world, the flesh and the devil. She follows this up 3 days later in Message 403 with the same encouragement. For these two Messages, click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."
 Great graces can come in small packages
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind. Today we begin famous quotes from this late luminary who did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN". On Fridays we bring you more than just a quote; we bring you a brief homily on a subject that is pertinent today. That subject today is the difference between black and white morals. Today the demarcation line has been badly blurred and we overlook the little things that add up in God's eyes. For words of wisdom from Bishop Sheen, click on Simply Sheen.
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TODAY'S
HEADLINES:
- Pope ties in Year of the Father with Lenten resolutions and resolve
- Finally a break in Guatamala bishop's murder with release of framed priest
- Holy See trying to clear a smooth path for Bethlehem in 2000
- Roman Curia at minimum work force for a week because of more important business: annual retreat
These headlines and more are featured in today's NEWS & VIEWS below.
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 WORLDWIDE
NEWS & VIEWSwith a Catholic slant
provided by
Catholic World News Service and Noticias Eclesiales Church News
Pope zeroes in on parable of the prodigal son in his Lenten Message
 Pope John Paul II used his Wednesday Papal Audience at Paul VI Hall to kick off his Lenten message of reconciliation and tying it all in with the year of the Father and how the Father reconciled with the world two millenniums ago by sending His Only-begotten Son Who reconciled the world to Him. The Pope encouraged all to live the message of this final Lent of the second millennium to the fullest. For more, click on Wednesday Audience
Framed Guatamala priest finally acquitted as newly appointed Judge takes action!
Finally someone in authority has heard the pleas and seen the lack of evidence to indict Father Mario Orantes Najera for the murder last April of Auxiliary Bishop Juan
Gerardi Conedera, an avowed human rights advocate who was a burr under the saddle of a Guatamala government and military notorious for abusing human rights. After interminable delays, the Judge finally did something. Now, as the Church and human rights groups have been saying all along, the authorities can do nothing but look in the mirror for the real murderer. For more, click on Guatamala.
Vatican supports Palestinian cause in "Bethlehem 2000" Conference
 Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat visited with the Pope and Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, head of the Central Committee for Jubilee 2000 and had to be encouraged with plans for 2000 and the course the week-long Vatican conference entitled "Bethlehem 2000" has taken in backing Palestinians in their struggle for human rights in the troubled Gaza Strip and West Bank. For more, click on Bethlehem 2000.
Roman Curia will begin week-long retreat Sunday to refresh spiritually
 It should be pretty quiet at the Vatican all next week as the entire Roman Curia engage in their annual retreat. Ever since Pope Pius XI initiated the annual retreat for the Roman Curia in 1929, it has been held every year in Lent. This year's begins Sunday and will last through next Saturday. For more, click on Annual Retreat.
For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site at the
CWN home page and Church News at Noticias Eclesiales Both CWN and NE are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provides this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.
PRAYER & DEVOTIONS
This weekend we complete the second part of the Prayer at the Beginning of Lent from the Lenten Missalette:
Grant us a season of good and honest laor. Prosper the work of our hands, and support us when our efforts fail. Whether at the first hour or at the eleventh hour, may all enter into this privileged time of prayer, fasting, and the sharing of charity. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
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THE DAILY WORD "It is written, 'Not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4: 4
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 For additional religious and secular headlines from around the world, we refer you to our new up-to-the-minute NEWS ticker billboard by clicking on the ARROW
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We hear the name "Roman Curia" bandied about a lot. But what does it mean? The word curia means "court" in Latin. The roman Curia, as the Catholic Almanac points out, is "the Church's network of central administrative agencies also called dicastries which serve the Vatican and local churches, with authority granted by the Pope." The original office of the Curia was the Apostolic Chancery which was set up in the 4th century in order to transmit documents. Special commissions of Cardinals and Bishops were gradually established into divisions during the second half of the 15th Century as an offshoot of the Council of Trent and the counter-reform measures. Pope Saint Pius X revamped the governing process in 1908. It wasn't until 1967 that Pope Paul VI, after a four year intensive study of each commission, reorganized the entire Curia, publishing a special Apostolic Constitution Regimini Ecclesiae Universae on August 18, 1967. All of his decrees went into effect March 1968. Twenty years later John Paul II further modified the Curia with his Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus on June 28, 1988 that was implemented on March 1, 1989. Though there have been revisions of some offices since, the current Curia compose the Office of the Secretariat of State, nine governing agencies called Congregations, three judicial agencies called Tribunals, eleven promotional agencies termed Pontifical Councils, three Offices and five Curia Agencies which deal with matters within the Vatican, and twenty Commissions and Committees, many of which are attached to certain Curial agencies. All Curial positions are appointed by the Pope and they are subject to the Roman Pontiff and Canon Law 360 and 361. Basically the Curia is the Vatican's answer to Congress, except they perform much more efficiently!
(sources: Code of Canon Law, Chapter IV, The Roman Curia, c. 360 and 361; 1999 Catholic Almanac, Our Sunday Visitor; My Catholic Faith, Mission House; Catholic Encyclopedia, Thomas Nelson Publishers) 
