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Events Today in Church History

      On this date in 1232, Pope Gregory IX, the pontiff who canonized Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Dominic and Saint Anthony of Padua, dispatches the first Inquisition team to the city of Aragon in Spain, thus instituting the Holy Inquistion for the sake of preserving the faith against opposition and insurrection. For other pertinent events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for May 26:

1232 A.D.


Pope Gregory IX, the 178th successor of Peter and the pontiff who canonized Saint Francis, Saint Dominic, and Saint Anthony of Padua, also instituted the Holy Inquisition and on this date he sent the first inquisition team to Aragon in Spain.

1478 A.D.


Birth of Cardinal Giulio de Medici, born in Firenze, the illegitimate son of Guiliano de Medici who was murdered, young Giulio was raised by his uncle Lorenzo the Magnificent and would go on to become Pope Clement VII the 219th successor of Peter.

1595 A.D.


Death of Saint Philip Neri, founder of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity which was composed of laymen to minister to needy pilgrims. He was a great promoter of Forty Hours' Devotion of the Blessed Sacrament, to Which he had a great love and dedication to. He became known as the "Apostle of Rome" for his holy counsel to Popes, Cardinals and clerics as well as numerous political leaders and the common populace. He died in Rome on this date and was canonized in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV. For more see DAILY LITURGY

1645 A.D.


Death of Saint Mariana de Paredes y Flores, who was born in Quito, Ecuador. She was gifted with prophecy and is purported to have performed miracles. After an earthquake and an epidemic struck the city of Quito, Mariana offered herself in reparation for the people's sins. Soon after God granted her prayers by eliminating the epidemic, she died on this date in Quito where she has been known since as the "Lily of Quito." She was canonized in 1950 by Pope Pius XII.

1647 A.D.


Even though the state of Maryland had tolerated all faiths, the Colony of Massachusetts, heavily populated by Quakers, decided to ban Roman Catholic priests in an effort to dissuade Catholics from settling in and around Boston and other areas of "New England." Those who had been persecuted in England, forgot what freedom meant and began their own persecutions. Catholics in the Boston area suffered greatly but the fruits of their persecution, like the early Christian martyrs, proved fruitful for Boston would become a great hub of Catholicism over the next few centuries.

      Today is the Feast of Saint Philip Neri, Priest and Religiou Founder of the Oratorians and Forty Hour Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament while tomorrow we commemorate both Weekday in Ordinary Time and the feast of Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop and Missionary. For the readings, liturgies, meditations and vignette on St. Bernardine, click on DAILY LITURGY.

Wednesday, May 26:
Feast of Saint Philip Neri, Priest and Religious Founder

White vestments

First Reading: Sirach 36: 1, 5-6, 10-17
Psalms: Psalm 79: 8-9, 11, 13 and Sirach 36: 16
Gospel Reading: Mark 10: 32-45

      Having a profound effect in the turbulent sixteenth century, Saint Philip Neri was born and reared in Florence, Italy on July 22, 1515. He received his education from the Dominicans of San Marco. Later, while emersed in secular commerce his travels took him to the famed Benedictine Monastery Monte Cassino where he drank in the spirituality set down by Saint Benedict...all this during the time England and much of Europe were bolting from Holy Mother Church. At the age of 18 Philip's business led him to Rome where three years later he met Saint Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits and enrolled at Sapienza University. Through the guidance of other holy men such as Saint Charles Borromeo and Saint Francis de Sales, Philip realized his vocation was not in the secular world. Thus he dropped out of the university to become a lay apostle, preaching in the streets and markets to the Roman populace all he had garnered from the conglomeration of religious orders he had been exposed to. Soon his fame spread and he became a confidant of the popes of the times. He founded the lay Confraternity of the Most Blessed Trinity in an effort to help pilgrims coming to Rome as well as promoting 40 hour Adoration, but realized he could be even more effective if he became a priest. Ordained in 1551 at the age of 36 he sought to form another religious organization called the Congregation of the Oratory which many of his followers joined. For a time however Pope Paul IV would not allow Philip to hear confessions because of false rumors and information forwarded to the Holy Father. Though this pained Philip greatly, he was totally obedient and his patience paid off in 1564 when he was totally absolved by Pope Pius IV and the Congregation was approved. It received papal approval by Pope Gregory XIII through encouragement by his predecessor Pope Saint Pius V. Philip was given the church of St. Mary of Vallicella as headquarters for the Congregation. Philip was one of the most popular and well beloved men in all of Rome and the people flocked to hear him and to call him their confessor. Philip spent countless hours, forsaking sleep, to hear confessions which, along with the Holy Eucharist and spiritual conferences to reinforce the teachings of the Church and love for all Christ bequeathed His children, he made the paramount mission of his Oratorians. He became known as the "Apostle of Rome" and was credited with miracles and prophecy. In 1593, because of ill health he resigned as superior general of the Oratorians but continued to minister to the people and counsel the popes, in this case Pope Clement VIII, by intervening to stop a potential dangerous conflict between Rome and France through his insistence that the French king Henry IV be absolved. Two years later Philip died peacefully on May 26 at the age of 80 having served His Lord well and venerated for the last half of his life by the people as a saint. This formality of canonization was accomplished in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.

Thursday, May 27:
Eighth Thursday of Ordinary Time and
Feast of Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop, Religious and Missionary

Green or White vestments

First Reading: Sirach 42: 15-25
Psalms: Psalm 33: 2-9
Gospel Reading: Mark 10: 46-52

     Known as the "Apostle of England," Saint Augustine of Canterbury served as the prior at the Monastery of St. Andrew. Having been appointed by Saint Gregory the Great to lead his missionaries to England, Augustine was at first hesitant for he and his friars, like the first apostles, feared being killed by the barbarians, but Gregory encouraged them praying for the infusion of the Holy Spirit and reminding them that the greater their trials and hardships, the greater their crown in eternity. In obedience the band of missionaries, led by Augustine persevered. Their perseverance paid off as they converted the Britons' leader King Ethelbert in 596 and throughout the north and south of England the faith was spread. On the western shores the people balked, jealous and proud, they would not allow Augustine to enter their area. With enough to do in the rest of England, Augustine, the appointed Papal Legate to Britain, obediently continued to minister to these people, strengthening the Anglo-Saxon Church which he founded, becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury and leaving the rest of England to later missionaries as the Holy See would direct. He died in 604.

"I solemnly tell you: Be humble and gentle of heart and you shall walk the path of Mercy!"

      Those words come from Our Lord on August 10, 1994 - the feast of Saint Lawrence in which Jesus imparted to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart in Message #528 that the eyes of God's souls can be seen in the Font of Divine Mercy. He asks His children to come be with Him in the Blessed Sacrament and clothe ourselves in His Mercy and seek Refuge in His Sacred and Merciful Heart. If we do all He asks, we have no fear of whatever chastisements are to come. His Blessed Mother prefaces her Divine Son's words with Message #527 three days earlier imploring her children to be united and heed her messages that she is imparting on every continent during these trying times as she emphasizes through her Medjugorje Message reference. For Messages #527 and #528, click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."

Messages 527 and 528

Message Five-Hundred-twenty-seven, August 7, 1994

(Imparted to the Hidden Flower by the Immaculate Heart of Mary)

      Beloved Hidden Flower of my Immaculate Heart, I love and bless you.

      I wish for all the world to know how vital is the message I gave at my beloved Medjugorje on July 25th of this year.

      I am asking all of my little ones to go back and read the message again. Read it with an open heart and through discernment of the Holy Spirit. Dear children, if you do this you will understand the penetrating depth of the message, and then you will understand why there is so much confusion, chaos, and disunity in the world, and why my chosen messengers on every continent are now so persecuted.

      Please do as I ask, for I am your Mother, the Mother of God, and I wish to help you.

      I love and bless you. Thank you for responding to my Call!

Message Five-Hundred-twenty-eight, August 10 1994

      Beloved Hidden Flower of My Mother's Immaculate Heart, I love and bless you.

      I desire My children to know that I, Jesus Christ, am the Shield of Mercy which is there to clothe them before the Father's Justice.

      It is My Most Sacred and Sorrowful Passion which is the Font of Mercy, through which the eyes of the Heavenly Father gazes upon the world.

      O! If only you would come to Me, come into the Refuge of My Loving and Merciful Heart, you would learn to live fully My Gospel Message. You would be filled with My Spirit, and love and forgive as I taught you.

      But My children, you are proud. You are cold. You judge and do not forgive. You commit murder with your tongue when you speak, denying My signs which I freely give and persecuting My chosen messengers. Where is your mercy when you do this? Where is your total trust in Me?

      O! The evil in men's hearts is without limit because you have silenced My voice within you.

      Therefore, I solemnly tell you: Be humble and gentle of heart and you shall walk the path of Mercy! Then shall I clothe you in Mercy and you shall have no fear of those chastisements which are yet to come.

      Come to Me, especially in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and love and adore Me, your God and Savior. Come, I await you. Be humble and contrite, and I will be your strength!

      I love and bless you. Thank you for your mortification's and sacrifices, which are offered in humble love. Pray very much, for you do not know what is yet to come.

Russia takes center stage at Vatican with news of first ordinations of Catholic priests since the year of Fatima and first visit ever by Moscow mayor

      Celebrating the ordination of the first three homegrown Russian priests since before the Bloody Revolution in 1917, the Holy Father also opened the possibility of a future trip to Moscow and Russia when he formally received the Mayor of Moscow and his wife. The mayor is considered "the little Tzar" and, in some circles, more influential and respected than Boris Yeltzin. Moscow Catholics extended an invitation for the Pope to visit next year, but the official invite must come from both the government and the Orthodox Church. For more, click on Russia.

      MOSCOW, MAY 25 (ZENIT).- The renewal of the Catholic Church in Russia after long years of Communist oppression gained strength with Sunday's ordination of three new priests. These were the first ordinations in 82 years at Mary, Queen of Apostles Seminary in Saint Petersburg, presently the only seminary in the country. Two more seminarians will be ordained next year,

      In 1991, Catholic Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of Moscow, Apostolic Administrator of European Russia, had only three priests to serve a territory of four million square kilometers. Because of this, he opened a theological school for laymen to train pastoral agents who would help with the spiritual care of Catholics spread over Russia.

      In the first year of this work, five youths expressed an interest in the priesthood. The need for a seminary on Russian territory soon became evident. It was inaugurated in Moscow on September 1, 1993, with 12 youths who lived in very precarious conditions.

      In 1995 the seminary moved to its present location in St. Petersburg when the authorities returned the top floor of the historic seminary founded in 1877 and closed by Lenin in 1918. The rest of the building has not yet been returned; it is used by a bank and several businesses. Because of this, the library has not been reopened.

      Bishop Bernardo Antonini, rector of the seminary, told the Italian Newspaper "Avvenire" that the new vocations come from both atheist and Orthodox families. Very few are cradle Catholics. Some of them served in the war in Afghanistan. Others attended universities and took courses in scientific atheism.

      "Many are the heirs of the climate of terror, where silence was the rule of life. In order to survive, one could not express one's thoughts, not even to one's family, because even in the family there could be secret agents of the KGB."

      As a followup at the Vatican on Tuesday morning, John Paul II received Youri Mikhailovic Luzhkov, the mayor of Moscow, and his wife in private audience. In the meeting, there was a "useful personal exchange of information to achieve greater cooperation in the material and spiritual progress of the city of Moscow," according to the Vatican Press Office.

      At the end of his visit with the Holy Father, Luzhov met with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican Secretary of State.

      On the eve of John Paul II's visit to Rumania, from May 7-9, a group of Moscow Catholics (in total they number more than 30,000) wrote to Mayor Luzhkov, President Boris Yeltsin and Orthodox Patriarch Alexey II requesting they do everything possible so that the Holy Father can visit the Russian capital.

      In another letter, addressed directly to the Pontiff, the Moscow Council of the Laity invited the Pope "on behalf of all the Catholics of Russia" to visit the country. "God willing, we sincerely believe your visit to Russia is possible and we ardently pray it will take place."

      Mikhail Gorbachov invited John Paul II to visit Russia years ago, and during the February 1998 meeting between Yeltsin and the Pope, the Russian president renewed the invitation. The principal obstacle to a visit has been the Russian Patriarchate which, on several occasions, has complained about the expansion of Catholicism in Russia after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

      John Paul II's recent trip to Rumania began a new phase of dialogue with the Orthodox which, as the Holy See spokesman said, at the end of that historic visit, "has opened wide the doors of Moscow to the Pope."

      The Moscow lay Catholics invited the Pope to visit the "third Rome" during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. Igor Baranov, one of the 15 members of the Council promoting the initiative and the editor of the Catholic weekly "Swiet Evangelij" (Light of the Gospel), revealed that Moscow's mayor is very enthusiastic about the idea. He is "very interested in the possibility of a great historic event," during that year.

      Luzhov, "the little Tsar," who has changed the face of the Russian capital, is very popular among Muscovites. He has good relations with Yeltsin, criticizes reformers and is not at all sympathetic with the communists. He recently founded the party, "Fatherland," which will support him in his bid for the Kremlin, although to date he has not admitted this publicly. He has a penchant for important political-cultural celebrations, like the one held in the autumn of 1997, on the 850th anniversary of Moscow. ZE99052503 and ZE99052505

Ailing Cardinal afforded Britain's prestigious Order of Merit by Queen herself

      Despite the fact that he is dying of cancer, Great Britain's Cardinal George Basil Hume, Archbishop of Westminster and recognized head of the Catholic Church in the British Isles, was honored Tuesday by Queen Elizabeth with presentation of the prestigious Order of Merit Award, something reserved for only a select few. For more, click on Cardinal Hume.

      LONDON (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Basil Hume of London, primate of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, was appointed on Tuesday by Queen Elizabeth to the prestigious Order of Merit.

      The order was founded in 1902 and is limited in membership to the king or queen and 24 others, appointed by the sovereign. "I would like to think that it is a recognition of the part played by her majesty's loyal Catholic subjects -- laity, clergy and bishops -- in the life of the nation," said Cardinal Hume, 76, who recently announced that he is in the advanced stages of cancer.

Pope confirms he's a "glutton for punishment" by insisting on demanding schedule for Polish pilgrimage next week

      If the Holy Father tires over the next two weeks because of his grueling itinerary to Poland, he'll have no one to blame but himself for he personally approved and added to the schedule in order to accomplish as much as he could in the packed two week period he will be in his native homeland which many believe will be the last time he is in his homeland. For more, click on Polishing off his Polish trip.

      WARSAW (CWNews.com) - The senior papal spokesman said on Tuesday that Pope John Paul II had asked for the rigorous schedule for his upcoming visit to Poland that takes him to 20 cities in 13 days -- June 5-17 -- in order to complete his tour of the country's 40 dioceses.

      Spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the Holy Father would stress unity and reconciliation among Christians during his trip while also celebrating the advent of the new millennium. Navarro-Valls said the journey would also summarize the Pope's whole pontificate "because of the very many dimensions it has."

      "The ecumenical dimension will be present, the national reconciliation and unity will be present and religious themes will be present," he said. "The trip and the meetings will cross beyond Poland's geographic dimension." The pilgrimage will be the Holy Father's eighth and longest to his homeland, and Navarro-Valls said the Pontiff had insisted on the lengthy and grueling visit despite his age and infirmities.

Pilot Program being launched by U.S. Bishops to deal with societal problems facing the Youth of America

      With the recent rash of violence and threats in high schools across America, the United States Bishops' Subcommittee on Youth are launching a pilot program in the Southeast, Midwest and Southwest to deal with the growing violence and cater to Catholic youth struggling with these societal issues which includes counseling and providing latchkey programs. For more, see Bishops' Pilot Program for Youth

      WASHINGTON D.C., 25 (NE) The recent killings in Littleton, Colorado, underscore the urgency of addressing societal issues, including violence, that affect youth, the Chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Subcommittee on Youth said recently. As the Office of Communications of the United States Bishop's Conference informed this week, the American bishops are trying to make a greater effort to reach out to young people.

      This work is to be partly done through the U.S. Bishops' Communities for Youth. This initiative, which was formally established last November to help youth across the nation, has had positive results as part of a pilot program in three American dioceses: Miami, Kansas City-St. Joseph and Phoenix.

      One of the priorities of this work is the integral help to young people, taking care of their health, their good personal relationships, and the development of their skills, helping youth acquire the values that oppose the culture of death and violence impregnated in society.

      For example, as part of the program, the Archdiocese of Miami is aiming to provide at least two new sites for after-school mentoring, tutoring, and opportunities in athletics, music and art, the Office of Communications informed. It is expected that these type of programs will help to prevent violence among youth.

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 and the features, dossiers and Daily Dispatches at ZENIT International News Agency. CWN, NE and ZENIT are not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provide this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.

    To commemorate the occasion of the Holy Father releasing his letter for Mission Sunday in October with the theme that Missions help people to be and do more for God, we present a site dedicated to preaching the truths of the Gospel. The site is appropriately called GOSPEL TRUTH and maintained by John Zamboni in fulfillment of what Jesus asks in Mark 16: 15, "Go into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature."

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

May 26, 1999 volume 10, no. 102   DAILY CATHOLIC