THURSDAY

November 20, 1997     vol 8, no.35

Front Page of Today's Issue
To print out entire text of Today's issue, go to SECTION ONE and SECTION TWO and SECTION THREE.

      Today we begin bringing you, courtesy of the Catholic World News service and ZENIT international news service in Rome, daily reports from the four-week long Synod of America bishops' conference at the Vatican. It is the first ever such a conference of the western hemisphere in Rome and was called for by Pope John Paul II to right the wrongs in the Americas. Begun this past Sunday, it will last until December 12th. The first synthesis contains an interview with the head of the Synod Cardinal Jan Pieter Schotte, general secretary of the Synod of bishops. Click on Daily Synod Synthesis For more on daily happenings of the Synod, check News & Views to the right.

      That is one of the main purposes of the Synod of America, especially the mess created in the seventies after Vatican II when misinformation was widely disseminated and no one knew what was going on as the progressives charted their course for takeover. Their tactic, to subliminally and outwardly diminish the status of Holy Mother church by guilting many to give in to world opionion. That is the thread of the forty ninth installment of our on-going feature megaseries on the Church today entitled: Where is Holy Mother Church Heading as we near the Millennium? with part ten of our piece on "Beware of the False Prophets in the American Church." Click on The Pedestals Crumble

      With all the confusion about the liturgy and the role of the laity, the Vatican is doing something about it with the release of a 37-page document of Instructions for the Laity in their role of assisting priests. Because this document is so pertinent to every parish in America and needs to be disseminated, we continue with capsule installments of the entire document ushered a week ago today. Today we present the fourth and final installment of the PREMISS before going into the section on Theological Principles tomorrow. The Vatican is out to restore the sacred to the liturgy in the face of many liturgical abuses. Click on THE VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS.

      The timing of this document is vital in light of the unprecedented demands by Cardinal Roger Mahoney to his Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the second's largest, to radically change the liturgy to his own agenda, not in line with the Holy Father or the rest of the Magisterium or in accord with the new Instructions. He is marching to a different tune, demanding obedience from his priests who he is downgrading in status, while refusing himself to obey Rome. Cyndi Cain, in her weekly editorial, alerts us of the dangers to Mahoney's agenda and what it purports for the rest of America in "Where have all the children gone? Long time missing?" Click on Catholic PewPoint Too

      Those are the words from the Mother of God foretelling of these problems the Synod is wrestling with and the mess in LA conveyed through the pertinent messages to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart" over a four and a half year period with Messages 105 and 106 in which Our Lady laments at the abuses against her Divine Son in the Liturgy. Read them and see if what Our Lady has foretold back in 1991 is not coming to pass today, both in the Church and on the world scene - especially in the Mid East. Click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."

      Only through grace and striving to live God's Will can we mitigate God's wrath and impending Justice. We have been given the gift of this grace through the wonderful, life-giving Sacrament of Baptism which we continue bringing you in capsules this week through the instruction in the Catechism, both the new Catechism of the Catholic Church and the old, but still pertinent, Baltimore Catechism. Click on Catechism Capsules for the fourth installment on Baptism.

      Our Lady, the only one free from Original Sin, was selected by God to be the Second Eve, but to be properly prepared she needed to observe all the old Jewish laws and customs which included the Presentation of Mary while a young girl by her parents Anna and Joachim. Tomorrow we celebrate this beautiful feast and the background on this as well as the readings for Holy Mass tomorrow and today as well can be found inside. Click on LITURGY OF THE DAY

HEADLINES:

One bishop under the knife, while other learns of terminal cancer; both need your prayers

     Having just returned from presiding over the NCCB Conference last week in Washington, D.C., Cleveland's Bishop Anthony M. Pilla underwent successful heart surgery which will sideline him till the first of the year. Meanwhile, in Manchester, New Hampshire Bishop Leo O'Neil has revealed that he has inoperable bone cancer and knows his days are numbered. Please remember both prelates in your prayers. Click on Bishops to read more.

Reconciliation across the Border as Canadian Bishop apologizes to Spanish-speaking countries

      During the second session of the Synod of America in Rome, Ottawa's Archbishop Marcel Gervais, representing the Canadian bishops, asked forgiveness for the manner Canadian missionaries treated the people of the Central and South America countries in the past. Click on Canada to read more.

Pope intros new topic at Wednesday Audiences

      Completing his talks on the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in salvation and to the Church, the Holy Father began a new series of talks in preparation for Jubilee 2000 at his packed audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican Wednesday. He spoke of the coming millennium with great hope, his voice having recovered sufficiently compared to last week when he could barely speak. Click on Jubilee to read more.

     In honor of Blessed Mary's feast tomorrow, we encourage praying the special prayer at the end of each Rosary: the Salve Regina which can be found in the special prayer for today inside. Click on SALVE REGINA

    Dear children: Also, today I am with you and I call all of you to renew yourselves by living my messages. Little children, may prayer be life for you and may you be an example to others. Little children, I desire for you to become carriers of Peace and of God's Joy to today's world without peace. That is why, little children, pray, pray, pray! I am with you and I bless you with my motherly peace. Thank you for having responded to my call!

For more on Medjugorje, Click on MEDJUGORJE

For all other standard features, articles and columns, click on Archives

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November 20, 1997 volume 8, no. 35         DAILY CATHOLIC