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      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, one of the ways this late luminary 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".

"Man cannot be happy if he is satiated; our zest comes from the fact that there are doors not yet opened, veils not yet lifted, notes that have not been struck."

      Today is the Feast of Saint Angela Merici, virgin, religious educator and foundress while tomorrow we celebrate one of the great saints of the Church, the Angelic Doctor of the Church and Dominican priest extraordinaire Saint Thomas Aquinas. For the readings, liturgies, meditations and vignettes on these saints, click on LITURGY FOR THE DAY.

Wednesday January 27:
Third Wednesday in Ordinary Time and
Feast of Saint Angela Merici, Virgin, Religious Educator and Foundress

Green or white vestments

First Reading: Hebrews 10: 11-18
Psalms: Psalm 110: 1-4
Gospel Reading: Mark 4: 1-20

Feast of Saint Angela Merici, Virgin, Religious Educator and Foundress

     Born in Lombardy near Desenzano on March 21, 1470, Saint Angela Merici became an orphan at the tender age of ten and was turned over to her uncle who raised her in the village of Salo. At the age of 13 she became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, beginning a life of sincere austerity. When her uncle died she decided to dedicate her life to educating the children of the poor, specifically the young girls who would grow into motherhood. Angela, guided by private revelation from Jesus, turned down an offer from Pope Clement VII in 1525 to supervise a group of nursing nuns in order to return to Brescia, Italy to train women there to teach. This was the begining of the Ursuline Order of Nuns, so named because the congregation dedicated their work to God through the intercession and protection of Saint Ursula, a tenth century saint whose feast is October 21. The Ursulines became the first teaching Order in the Church, being officially approved by Pope Paul III four years after Angela's death. Angela, since an early age had been a victim-soul and visionary with both Our Lord and Our Lady guiding her every step. Though the early formation of the congregation was rough at first with many naysayers, she, along with the other candidates of the Order, were encouraged by Saint Charles Borromeo (November 4) who made it a point to introduce the nuns throughout the villages of Italy. Unanimously chosen as the Ursulines' first Mother Superior, Angela guided the Order until her death on January 27, 1540 at the Mother House in Brescia. She was 70 years-old when she was called home to God. Her holiness and example led to more vocations and additional convents in France, Germany and Canada in 1636. It was the Ursulines who founded the first school in the United States in New Orleans in 1727 and the rest, as they say, is history. Pope Pius VII canonized her in 1807.

Thursday January 26:
Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Dominican Priest and Angelic Doctor of the Church

White vestments

First Reading: Hebrews 10: 19-25
Psalms: Psalm 24: 1-6
Gospel Reading: Mark 4: 21-25

Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Dominican Priest and Angelic Doctor of the Church

      Few saints were more revered than this learned Dominican who contributed so much to Holy Mother Church in writings and songs. He is best known for the great theology tome "Summa Theologica", which incorporates three parts covering the entire teaching of the Church in regards Faith and Morals. He also penned the awe-inspiring Benediction hymns of "O Salutaris Hostia" and "Tantum Ergo". He was born of noble heritage in Aquino, Italy in 1226 five years after the death of the founder of the Dominicans Saint Dominic. Though Thomas studied at the Dominican University in Naples, his brother kidnapped him on his way from Naples to the Order's University in Paris. This absconding was ordered by Thomas' own mother, so incensed was she that Thomas was considering the priesthood. Thomas was forcefully taken to the family's castle of Rocca-Secca and kept there against his will for two years, often being coerced by his own brothers to abandon his holy vow of chastity. But Pope Innocent IV intervened, ordering Thomas be brought to Rome. From there Thomas, also an expert chemistry scholor, was free to go on to Paris to study. In France he studied under Saint Albert the Great who had joined the Dominicans in 1223. After graduating summa cum laude, Thomas landed teaching dockets at universities in Paris, Rome and Naples. So great was his tutelage that Pope Urban Iv summoned Thomas to personally advise the pontiff in 1261. Thomas stayed on for three years. There in Rome, he composed the Mass and office for the feast of Corpus Christi as well as writing the hymns "Pange Lingua" and "Adoro Te". Though he was an extremely learned man, he was also humble enough to realize his vital need for God. Once, while in prayer, he heard Jesus say to him from the crucifix, "Thomas, thou has written well of Me. What reward dost thou wish?" The holy preacher didn't hesitate in his response, "No other reward, Lord, except Thyself." Besides St. Albert, Thomas was a close confidant to Saint Bonaventure. He became such a counselor to the papacy that Pope Gregory X personally invited him to participate in the General Council of Lyons in 1274, but the Dominican scholar died on his way there at Fossa Nuova near Terracina, Italy on March 7, 1274. He was only 49 when he was called home to Heaven and exactly 49 years later he was canonized by Pope John XXII. Thomas was officially declared a "Doctor of the Church" in 1567 by Pope Saint Pius V and his feast day had always been celebrated on March 7th until after Vatican II when it was changed to January 28th.

     Today's Prayer is taken from the Opening Prayer for the Mass honoring Saint Angela Merici:

Lord, may Saint Angela commend us to Your mercy; may her charity and wisdom help us to be faithful to Your teaching and to follow it in our lives.

6.0 Temblor devastates poor of Columbia

      While the Holy Father was appealing to the world to have compassion toward the poor, more poor were thrown into havoc with a devastating 6.0 earthquake Monday afternoon that has claimed at least 2,000 lives and nearly 200,000 have been left homeless. Officials fear fatalities will be widespread because rescue efforts have been greatly hindered by the conditions that have made getting in and out of the destructive quake areas impossible. For more, click on Earthquake.

      BOGOTA (CWNews.com) - As many as 2,000 people may have been killed in an earthquake in the Colombian mountain city of Armenia on Monday, according to rescue officials on Tuesday.

      An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale struck the coffee-growing region at 1:19 pm on Monday and was felt across the country, including the capital Bogota. It was the most powerful earthquake ever to hit Colombia. By Tuesday morning, government officials had confirmed 479 dead and 1,758 injured in five provinces, while more bodies were being pulled from the wreckage every minute.

      "We have not recovered many bodies yet, only about 300," said Capt. Ciro Antonio Guiza, deputy fire chief of Armenia, a city of about 200,000. "The calculation of the total dead could be about 2,000 dead (in Armenia)," he added. Rescue workers were also faced with a growing shortage of space to put bodies, in addition to dealing with no electricity or potable water. "It's a complete catastrophe and we will take years to rebuild the city (of Armenia). We're finding more bodies every minute," stated Gov. Henry Gomez said.

Bishops of America will unite in Cuba in response to Holy Father's call for unity

      Two years ago Cuba was a closed island where few came in or left. A year after Pope John Paul II opened the avenue of understanding, Cuba has flung open its doors and warmly will welcome all the bishops of North and South America for the Latin America Episcopal Conference. This includes prelates from Canada and the United States as well as the Carribean, Mexico, Central America and all of South America who will all convene in Havana the beginning of the third week in February. For more, click on Cuban hub.

      MEXICO CITY (CWNews.com) - The Latin American Episcopal Conference will meet in Havana on February 14-16, along with bishops from North America, to consider Pope John Paul II's call for greater unity in the Americas, Cardinal Jaime Ortega of Havana said on Monday.

      The Holy Father issued an apostolic exhortation in Mexico City on Saturday which following a synod of bishops from the Americas in 1997, calling for a greater unity among bishops from North and South America in addressing common problems. Cardinal Ortega also told reporters that the meeting in Havana was made possible by the Holy Father's historic visit to Communist Cuba last January.

      "For some observers, the fruit (of the Holy Father's visit to Cuba) may be modest," Cardinal Ortega said. "For the Church that lives in Cuba, the fruits have been very significant."

In Ecuador another priest gives up his life while helping others

      Endeavoring to emulate Saint John Bosco, founder of the Salesians, Father Favio Rojas, a 41 year-old Salesian priest was shot to death in Quito, Ecuador this past Sunday while trying to help a young family that was being assaulted by muggers. The attackers knew their victim for Father Favio was wearing his cassock and cross as St. John Bosco had always done. The martyrdom of so many priests throughout the world has intensified because they stand for justice and right. For more, click on Martyred priest.

      QUITO (CWNews.com) - A Salesian priest was killed in Ecuador on Sunday, January 25-- apparently as he came to the aid of a family being attacked by young criminals.

      Father Favio Rojas was fatally wounded by gunfire on a bus, after leaving confirmation ceremonies in the parish church of San Francisco de Guayaquil. Witnesses said that the 41-year-old priest, a native of Colombia, was killed when he tried to stop the mugging of a woman and two young children.

      Msgr. Arturo Vazquez, the Salesian superior of the slain priest, mourned the loss of a faithful pastoral worker, who had been particularly active among the poor of Ecuador. He noted that the killers must certainly have known that their victim was a priest, since at the time of the assault Father Rojas he was wearing his clerical clothes, "and even a very visible cross."

Church thrust into center of unrest in Congo and Indonesia

      From the depths of the jungles in the Congo to the steamy island of Indonesia the Church has been thrown into the melee of unrest there, being falsely accused of inciting rebels to try to overthrow the government in the Congolese village of Brazzaville while in Indonesia a priest's eye-witness account is being challenged by local law enforcement agencies who are in a state of denial regarding Muslim aggression against Christians that has claimed over one-hundred lives. For more, click on Unrest

      BRAZZAVILLE (CWNews.com) - The Congolese Bishops' Conference on Monday issued a statement rejecting suggestions that Catholic priests had instigated rebel forces to infiltrate Brazzaville, igniting a battle with Congo government troops.

      Militia groups loyal to ousted Prime Minister Bernard Kolelas have been engaged in fighting with government troops loyal to President Denis Sassou that has forced 50,000 people to flee their homes, seeking refuge at more than 15 churches in the region since December. Last week, state television broadcast statements by a captured militiaman that priests at a seminary where he was taken prisoner were aware of their presence.

      The bishops rejected the claim, saying the suggestion endangers the lives of priests and refugees seeking safety in churches. "The Catholic Church is never party to any act aiming to destabilize the public institutions," the statement said.

      Meanwhile in Telaga Kodok, Indonesia a Catholic priest in Indonesia's Maluku province said on Tuesday that a Muslim mob had killed 40 Christians, but local police denied the report. The province was rocked by violence last week with an official death toll of 56, not including the latest figures.

      Father Stefan Sabong cited witnesses who told him hundreds of Muslim gang members attacked residents of Telaga Kodok with knives and burned a church and other buildings last week. "Most of the houses were set on fire and everybody fled with only the clothes on their backs," Father Sabong said. "The residents said they won't stay again in their homes near here since everything has been demolished," Sabong said.

      Col. Karyono S., the regional police chief, denied the report. "It's impossible the number of Christians killed is that high," he said. Independent human rights groups said the death toll could be over 100 in the region once known as the Spice Islands. Christian and Muslim extremists have traded violent attacks since last year in mainly Muslim Indonesia in an unrest partially ignited by a worsening economic crisis. Many Indonesians believe the Christian minority unfairly holds the majority of the country's wealth.

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.

      In honor of tomorrow's great Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas we present the famous university named after the Angelic Doctor of the Church. The site is THE ANGELICUM, official site of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. It traces its origins to the medieval studium of the Dominican Order in the eternal city. Not all pages are in English as of this time, but enough to give one a good scope of the impact this institute has played on forming great men in the Church in the mold of St. Thomas.

Click here to return to SECTION ONE or click here to return to the graphics front page of this issue.

January 27, 1999 volume 10, no. 18   DAILY CATHOLIC