Today we celebrate with great joy the 22-year mark of the formal installation of Cardinal Karol Josef Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II after being chosen six days earlier on October 16, 1978 by the Sacred Conclave as the first non-Italian Pope since Pope Hadrian VI in 1522. How fitting that it falls this year on WORLD MISSION SUNDAY for no Pope has been more devoted to the missionary zeal or followed in the footsteps of so many missionaries than John Paul II. He is unquestionably not only the most trusted world leader, but possibly one of the greatest in the long illustrious line of Roman Pontiffs. That is saying a lot for many Popes have been canonized, but for John Paul the Great it will only be a matter of time after God takes him home. But until then the Almighty has chosen to keep him with us as long as his mission is still uncompleted. No Pontiff has had as much global impact for goodness and human dignity as has this magnificent, holy man who undauntingly preaches the Sanctity of Life, the Gospel of Love and invites all to cross the threshold of Hope with him. Besides eventual canonization, it is inevitable this Polish prelate is destined for one of the highest honors - Doctor of the Church for while Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI were the Vatican II Popes, John Paul II as Bishop Karol Woytyla, along with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger helped author many of the landmark documents of the Second Vatican Council. Many dissidents say he is out of touch with the times. How can anyone be out of touch when the Pope has mastered dozens of languages. How can anyone be out of touch when he is actually ahead of his time? No, John Paul the Great is very much in touch and we have been touched by God because of him. He is a key component of the Fatima message and mission and the fact that he has dedicated his pontificate from the beginning to the Blessed Virgin Mary before he was shot in St. Peter's Square on the 64th anniversary of the first apparition at Fatima shows God's hand in all this. We could expound further, but for a chronological profile of this wondrous living star in Mary's crown, see: From Cradle to Conclave              The Papal Years

The DAILY WORD

"On the contrary, whoever wishes to become great shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be the slave of all; for the Son of Man also has not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."

   How fitting that today, Mission Sunday, we celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the formal installation of Cardinal Karol Josef Wojtyla on October 22, 1978. He chose, in honor of his two predecessors and immediate predecessor Cardinal Albino Luciani, the name John Paul II as the 264th successor of Peter. Though he was elected on October 16, 1978, his formal elevation to the throne did not take place for six days after. A virtual unknown to most, he has become one of the most beloved Popes in the long illustrious history of the Roman Pontiffs and a strong advocate of missions worldwide. He is truly a great man who God has sent for these most difficult times for though the world does not agree with his strict sense of morality and virtues, they all respect him as the most trusted man of the 20th century and so far of the new millennium. He has canonized more saints than all the Popes combined, he has reached billions of people, saying Mass for millions who enthusiastically turn out wherever in the world he goes, bringing the Gospel of Christ to all regardless of race, creed or color. He is truly a Vicar of Christ...a servant of the servants of God. For a more chronological profile, see Part One: From Cradle to Conclave and Part Two: The Papal Years For other events that happened today in Church History, see MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Virtue is the key to Truth

   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".

"A mirror is silent, yet it reflects forests, sunsets, flowers and faces. Great ascetic souls, given to years of meditation, have taken on a radiance and a beauty which are beyond the outlines of face. They seem to reflect, like the mirror on the outside, the Christ they bear within."

NOTE: We respectfully recognize and accept the final authority regarding apparitions, locutions and prophecies presently being reported around the world rests with the Holy See of Rome and the Magisterium of Holy Mother Church to whose judjment we humbly and obediently submit. For Our Lady's message for September and more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE AND MORE