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      In preparation for Lent which begins tomorrow, it is a good time to remind all of the Act of Contrition which does not have to be said only at confession time but should be encouraged to be prayed every single day. There are various versions from the traditional pre-Vatican one to the most recent. The first is the traditional version, the second is the one most learned, the third is the most modern one which most of our children learned. The Act of Contrition carries an indulgence of three years according to article 36 of the Raccolta:

      O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to confess my sins, do penance and to amend my life. Amen.

      O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.

      My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against You Whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name, my God, have mercy.

Events Today in Church History

     There have been those who have criticized the Church for not speaking out against Naziism in its earlier stages but we have proof that on this date in 1933, six years before Adolf Hitler invaded Poland and concocted the horrible holocaust, the German Catholic newspaper Germania strongly warned the faithful of the atrocities that were to come if they followed the man who would become "der Fuhrer." For other pertinent events that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for February 16:

• 90 A.D.
  
• Death of Saint Onesimus, run-away servant of Philemon whom Saint Paul refers to in his epistle and asks Philemon to forgive Onesimus and to embrace him not as a slave but as a brother. Colossians 4: 7-9 verifies that Philemon followed the apostle's advice. Onesimus became a preacher and is said to have been martyred in Spain while the Bishop of Berea.

• 305 A.D.
  
• Death of Saint Juliana of Nicomedia, Virgin and Martyr who was thrown into a boiling pot of oil. When that didn't do her in, she was beheaded. During her life she was tormented greatly by satan who tried to deceive her in visions but she was hep to his devious schemes and would not submit to his temptations. Her family had thought she was crazy because of her escapades with the devil and consequently treated her with disdain.

• 309 A.D.
  
• Death of the Caesarean Martyrs Saints Daniel, Elias, Isaias, Jeremy, Porphyrius, Samuel and Seleucius who were all killed at the gates of the city in Palestine because of their Christian faith. When they would not sacrifice to the pagan gods they were put to death by beheading.

• 1933 A.D.
  
• The German Catholic newspaper Germania is one of the first to warn the faithful of the terrible policies of Adolph Hitler and his Nazi beliefs as well as communism.

Vatican confirms official invite from Romania as Pope prepares for first papal visit to Orthodox country

      After months of speculation and fears an invite from the head of the Orthodox Church in Romania would not be forthcoming, it did, thus paving the way for the Holy Father to be the first Pope to visit an Eastern Orthodox country. The Holy Father has done much over the years in striving to bring reconciliation between Rome and the Eastern Church which has been in schism since 1054. In two related stories the Pope met with the head of the Anglican Church Saturday in hopes of patching up differences of faith and the Vatican announced the Pope will visit Slovenia in September. For more, click on Romanian invite

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- The Vatican has officially confirmed that Pope John Paul II will visit Romania in May 1999, at the invitation of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Theoctist.

      That announcement is a particularly significant one, since Romania will be the first predominantly Orthodox country in Eastern Europe to receive a papal visit. Relations between the Orthodox and Catholic churches, which have often been tense, have improved markedly during recent months. The visit by Pope John Paul II is both a product of that improvement and an effort to continue the thaw. The two bodies have been working together to resolve questions about the ownership of church properties seized from the Catholics under the old Stalinist regime.

      Pope John Paul has also made it clear that he sees a visit to Romania as an opportunity to help build a sense of European unity which embraces the "two Christian traditions"-- those of Western and Eastern Christianity. During his Angelus audience on February 14, the Pontiff invoked Sts. Cyril and Methodius, the evangelizers of Eastern Europe, who along with St. Benedict are patrons of the entire European continent.

      The Vatican announcement of the impending visit, issued February 13, ended a week of anticipation. The Holy See had previously received invitations from Romanian Catholic officials and from the country's President Constantinescu. But Vatican officials had indicated that the Pope was waiting for an invitation from the Romanian Orthodox synod, which convened last week.

      Last week, the Orthodox synod indicated that it would invite the Holy Father to visit Romania. But the Vatican press office had cautioned that no announcement would be made until a formal invitation was received. When that invitation did arrive, the Vatican promptly accepted it.

      No dates have been officially set for the papal trip, but diplomatic sources suggest that it will probably occur on May 7- 9, 1999. The Pope is expected to confine his trip to the capital, Bucharest.

      It was also announced that Pope John Paul II will travel to Maribor, in Slovenia, on September 19.

      The Holy Father will preside at beatification ceremonies on that date for Anton Martin Slomsek (1800-1862), the bishop of the diocese which now includes Maribor.

      Bishop Slomsek-- who will be the first Slovenian to be beatified-- was known for his efforts to educate the populace in the native language. He also founded the Association of St. Cyril and Methodius to promote unity between Catholics and Orthodox Christians.

      In a related story on reuniting faiths, Pope John Paul II received Archbishop George Carey of Canterbury, the primate of the Church of England, in a private audience on Saturday, February 13.

      Archbishop Carey, who was in Rome for the opening of a new Anglican center there, has visited the Vatican on two previous occasions: in December 1996 and again in December 1997. The latter meeting was marked by tensions, as the discussions between the Pope and the Anglican primate centered on the question of ordination for women. The decision by the Church of England to ordain women to the priesthood marked a major setback to the hope of unity between the two churches.

      The latest meeting was described as a "warm" conversation. Pope John Paul and Archbishop Carey reportedly discussed the plight of Christians who are being persecuted-- notably in Sudan and in India.

Church leaders reaffirm strong stance against homosexuality during Doctrinal Conference

      Meeting at the Doctrinal Conference last week in the seat of homosexuality, the gay capitol of the world - San Francisco, Catholic bishops from the Americas and Oceania strongly confirmed Church teaching against homosexuality, labeling it injurious to the human person and opposed to God's Holy will for procreation. Other matters the English-speaking bishops were deliberating over involve common theological issues with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger personally presiding over the conference which ended this weekend. For more, click on Doctrinal Conference.

      VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Archbishop Eric D'Arcy of Hobart, Australia, reaffirmed Church teachings on the intrinsic immorality of homosexual acts after a meeting of English-speaking bishops in San Francisco last week.

      Bishops from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the English-speaking countries of Oceania had met with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and other officials of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for three days of reflection on controversial theological problems.

      The moral status of homosexuality figures prominently among the issues which bishops must confront in their dioceses, Archbishop D'Arcy reported. He lamented that there are some tendencies to approach the issue of homosexuality without taking into account the clear teachings of the Church, which in turn are based on the clear indications of the Bible. He concluded: "The Church teaches that homosexual acts cannot contribute to the authentic welfare of the human person."

Unprecedented New World Conference of Bishops opens in Havana as another fruit of Pope's visit

      Just over a year after the Holy Father opened up new vistas in Cuba, the fruits are greatly manifesting themselves, especially in light of the fact that the bishops from Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central and South America and the Carribean are all meeting in Havana for the first conference that includes all the bishops of the New World. Begun on Valentine's Day, it is to run through Ash Wednesday with many common issues to be hashed out in preparation for the third millennium. For more, click on Bishops' Conference.

      MIAMI, 15 (NE) The Inter-American Meeting of Bishops started Sunday in Havana, Cuba, with a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Cardinal Jaime Ortega, Archbishop of Havana. The meeting, which gathers bishops from the entire American continent, is being held shortly after the first anniversary of the pilgrimage of Pope John Paul II to Cuba.

      Many pastoral challenges at the threshold of the third millennium will be faced during the event. Among these are the challenge of evangelization, the secularization of society, the urgency to promote priestly vocations and the problem of sects. The meeting will be held in the outskirts of the capital through February 17th.

      "If we want to preserve the richness of our diverse traditions and cultures, the new evangelization will have to promote the encounter with a living Christ," pointed out Cardinal Jaime Ortega during the inauguration Mass. "Only He can give American peoples what they intensely long for." During his homily the Archbishop of Havana stated as well that Christian love couldn't be substituted by "individualistic or collective" political ideologies.

St. Louis Archbishop urges patience in nurturing the fruits of Holy Father's visit

      The Archbishop of St. Louis Archbishop Justin Rigali, whom many think will be included in the next Consistory, was questioned intensely by an Italian publication recently and he did not back down. Assuring all that the Holy Father had stirred consciences and controversy with his remarks and stance on issues such as capitol punishment, abortion, euthanasia and helping the poor because the Holy Father will never compromise. The archbishop explained that just as it is difficult to follow Jesus, so also it is difficult to follow His Vicar on earth for what he asks is not easy but with faith and reason great fruits will be forthcoming. For more, click on St. Louis visit.

      ROME, 15 (NE) "We must give this seed time so that it may mature," said Archbishop Justin Rigali of Saint Louis, commenting on the message given in the United States during Pope John Paul II's last visit. In declarations to the Italian newspaper Avvenire, Archbishop Rigali pointed out that "all the central topics addressed by the Holy Father, from the defense of life to solidarity between the north and south of the continent, have raised a debate. The hope is that the reflection raised may give birth to a movement of opinion."

      "The Church's message is difficult to accept in its entirety, just as it is difficult to truly follow Jesus," pointed out the Archbishop of Saint Louis. "John Paul II, however, has the gift of offering truth in a way in which it is totally attractive, that makes one truly think about the presence of the Holy Spirit. The difficulties exist but just as well as the openness and we must give these seeds their time to mature."

      Recalling Darrell Mease's case, whose capital punishment was recently commuted after the Holy Fatherīs intercession, Archbishop Rigali urged not to forget that the Pope's intervention against capital punishment "is inserted in a general zeal to defend life, which also includes problems referring to abortion, euthanasia and the necessary rights in order to guarantee respect for the dignity of the human person."

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.

    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

    Today, we begin a series of Catholic megasites that all should be familiar with. The first is one that has made great strides as CatholiCity - a virtual Catholic city full of choice Catholicity sponsored by the Mary Foundation and Bud McFarlane, Jr.. It is an earlier recipient of our Golden Chalice Award for excellence. We strongly recommend this site.

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

February 16, 1999 volume 10, no. 32   DAILY CATHOLIC