Pope's Intentions for March
The Holy Father's General Intention for March 2001 are the Union of all believers in fighting together against poverty on all continents. He reminds all to live the Beatitudes and use this Lent to practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. His Missionary Intention is for Inter-religious dialogue inspired by the martyrs which is so appropriate since last year he canonized numerous martyrs and this month will canonize a record number of Spanish martyrs. Also, throughout the world the Prayer Intention for today's Mass is for His Holiness Pope John Paul II.
If more displayed their Pro-Life convictions on their car bumpers, we might just have a bumper crop of converts! Now that's something to smile about!
But too many are afraid to confront the culture of death head-on and shirk from making a statement for God and His innocent ones. When will we learn one cannot be a Catholic and be "pro-choice"?
  In this issue Joe Dalton gets feisty in a way he needs to. He asks why so many Catholics are afraid to proclaim that they are Pro-Life. He can't understand the lame excuses people give not to put a Pro-Life bumper sticker on their cars to express their Faith, to express their outrage at the legal murder of over 40 million souls over these past 28 plus years. Do we care more for our cars than souls? He points out that if we're ashamed to proclaim our Faith and stand for the Sanctity of Life, we might be in for a surprise to discover God might be more ashamed of us for our omission than we think. For his column Honk if you're committed to Pro-Life!, see FAITH IN THE FAMILY
Attention Cardinal Law: Isn't it time to call Massachusetts Senator John Kerry to task for his unyielding pro-abort stance?
 Today's "Herod's Hero" is another Massachusetts Irish-Catholic: Senator John Kerry. Though he claims to be Catholic his voting record on Pro Life issues fly in the face of Church teaching. This Boston College grad has blatantly promoted the culture of death in contributing to the deaths of millions of unborns by voting against the partial-birth abortion ban and all other legislature that would have given the innocents a chance at life. He has defied Church doctrine. For more on this man who, like his counterpart Ted Kennedy, seeks to perpetuate the culture of death, see HEROD'S HEROES
 
Holy Father travels outside Vatican City to the Aventine Hill for Ash Wednesday service
The Holy Father, after his Wednesday General Papal Audience, rested a bit and then was driven to the Aventine Hill where he joined various religious during a special late afternoon Ash Wednesday rite where Pope John Paul II delivered the homily and distributed ashes. He called on Christian communities to "become authentic schools of prayer." For more, see News from ROME
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Supreme Court weighs case challenging whether church organizations can use state facilities such as public schools
A case was heard yesterday by the Supreme Court that could have implications across the nation as to whether religious groups can use school property to hold gatherings. The case involved the Milford Central School in upstate New York and the Good News Club. School policy allows other
outside groups to use its classrooms, but not the Christian group which gathered to read the Bible, sing songs, and pray. They have challenged this slight and it will be interesting how the Justices view the Church-State issue involved. For more, see USA News
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Young state rep pushing Pro-Life plates in hopes there will be many "Friends for Life in Pennsylvania"
While older politicians like Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and their breed of pro-abort money-mongers serve at the altar of NARAL, Planned Parenthood and NOW, Jeff Coleman a young 25-year old congressman in Pennsylvania is willing to buck the system and the huge Democratic bloc in the keystone state to introduce license plates that would express the car owner's preference for the culture of life. More states are beginning to propose this idea of supporting Pro-Life organizations through funds for license plates that drivers can express their feelings and cause. For more, see Pro Life News
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North Vietnam may be changing its tune toward new Vietnamese Cardinal
Now that he's a cardinal, a former bishop in South Vietnam is no longer "persona non grata." Word is that Hanoi has strongly softened their approach towards Cardinal François Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân. It's about time. After spending 13 years in communist prison in North Vietnam, the bishop was called to Rome where he remained after being refused his visa to return to his native land. Though he was the nephew of the former president of the Republic of South Vietnam, restrictions are now being relaxed perhaps because he is now one of the elite of the Church. For more, see Universal News
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For more Daily News, we recommend sources we rely on. For these news agencies, see News Sources
Lenten Weekday
With Ash Wednesday behind us we are now in Lent with all but two feasts - the Feast of Saint Joseph and the Annunciation - being devoted to the Lenten Liturgy. For today and tomorrow's Lenten Liturgy, see Daily LITURGY
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Purple vestments
THURSDAY March 1:
Lenten Weekday
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First Reading: Deuteronomy 30: 15-20
Psalms: Psalm 1: 1-5, 6
Gospel Reading: Luke 9: 22-25
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"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For he who would save his life will lose it; but he who loses his life for My sake will save it. For what does it profit a man, if he gain the wold world, but ruin or lose himself?" Luke 9: 23-25
The Commandments have been challenged to the limits by the blood-drenched curse of the hammer and sickle.
Today in our 220th installment of our catechetical series on My Catholic Faith we present the third of a four-part series on an ideology that is very much an invader and violater of the Seventh and Tenth Commandments. In this issue we focus on how the Popes from Pope Leo XIII to Pope John Paul II warned us often of evils of Communism. Little did anyone know in May of 1917 that the Blessed Virgin Mary had been sent by God to warn the world and seek global prayer to defeat this horror, this fearful menace which cast its shadow over an entire century. Though we have seen the fall of the iron curtain, Communism is not dead. We must continue to pray that it will be completely eradicated and true Justice restored for all God's children. For the third part of Communism: The Fearful Menace!, see APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH
Death of one saintly Pope who was the great grandfather of Pope Saint Gregory the Great
Today is the 1,509th commemoration of the death of Pope Saint Felix III in 492. Born in Rome, he was a married man and, as the 48th successor of Peter, he endeavored during his eleven year pontificate to restore peace in the Eastern Church where chaos reigned. One of the more fascinating facts about St. Felix III is that he was the great grandfather of one of the greatest Popes in Church history - Pope Saint Gregory the Great. For other Time Capsule events that happened Today in Church history, see Daily TIME CAPSULES in Church History
How we have lowered the moral bar
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".
"The growth of democracy has done much to do away with a false social snobbishness and to keep men humble in their external relations. But it has also, from another point of view, weakened the respect for Goodness and Truth, inasmuch as the masses of people are generally inclined to equate morality with the general level of society at any given moment."
Monthly Medjugorje Message for February 2001
For Our Lady's February 25th message for 2001 and more on Medjugorje, see MEDJUGORJE AND MORE
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March 1, 2001 volume 14, no. 60
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