The CatholiCity Message

Volume V, Number 10 – May 22, 2001

Dear CatholiCity Citizen,

Just a few items for you this week...

1. FROM TIME INTO ETERNITY
Mr. John Light of Ontario, Canada, passed away last week. John was the father of Tanis Merimee, wife of Bill Merimee. Bill has worked for the the Mary Foundation in one way or another since the very beginning. We've never been to such a moving wake and funeral. Mr. Light was a brilliant man; an archeologist and historian, a convert from Anglicanism whose zeal, knowledge of Scripture, ear for classical music, dedication to youth ministry, magnanimous personality, and abiding love for the Church touched the lives of countless souls. Hundreds upon hundreds of people came to the wake; unbidden, ten priests and deacons attended the funeral Mass.

John journeyed frequently to Ohio to visit Bill and Tanis and their five children, and spent many hours at the Mary Foundation operations center (which we call the Kolbe Center). He was just here last week stocking up on "Confession" and "Mass Explained," and his sudden death from heart failure at 57 was a shocking blow for all of us. At the wake, Mrs. Light decided to place Mary Foundation recordings next to the signature book with a sign saying, "Please take one–John would have wanted you to listen."

John was evangelizing from eternity.

Canada and the world have lost a truly great man, a man about whom everyone who knew him agreed: This man loves and serves Christ with all his mind, all his heart, and all his soul. We've all been praying for his soul, and invite you to join us.

2. LOOKS LIKE A DUCK
We misled you in the last message. A duck's quack does indeed echo. Also, there are several words in English besides "cleave" that are their own antonyms. "Clip" is one (Clip/Attach onto something, Clip/Cut off something). Clip and Cleave are synonyms in both contrary meanings. If you think about that for too long your head will start to ache. Because we copied some of them from one of those "anonymous" emails, we didn't know that some of the "Orthodox Catholic Pick Up Lines" were originally from Pat Madrid at Envoy Magazine, though we made a couple up ourselves. He contacted us with his blessing after the fact. Thanks for the material, Pat.

3. IS THE POPE CATHOLIC?
You bet he is. A friend named Dave T. called us this morning after seeing a common bumper sticker and it struck him that this bumper sticker, if it were on the Popemobile, would take on a new meaning. The first is Dave's, and being a creative geniuses and all, we've thought of a few more in the past couple of hours while cleaning out the chicken coop in our backyard this afternoon. (All right, we know, you didn't need details about the chicken coup.) This is one to copy to your friends:

BUMPER STICKERS SEEN ON THE POPEMOBILE:
"Question Authority. Ask Me Anything."
"Infallibility on Loan from God."
"God Really is My Co-Pilot."
"Honk if You Pray the Rosary."
"Choose Eternal Life."
"All Roads Lead to Rome."
"Say Mass, Not War."
"Give Me Confession or Give me Death."
"I Brake for Souls."
"Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss."
"Bible On Board."
"Livin' the Vida Papa!"
"Hang Up and Pray."
"Sin Happens."
"Make My Day. Kiss My Ring!"
"I'd Rather Be Saying Mass."

PRAYER: MR. LIGHT WOULD HAVE WANTED IT...
We're now up to 28,000 CatholiCity Citizens reading this message, and we warmly invite you to pray with us for our friends and relatives who are fallen away from the faith. Before we start praying, perhaps it would be best if we all thought of the name of a particular relative or friend who needs the supernatural graces Our Lord is about to unleash. All things happen in God's time, but we're also sure that we'll have more than a few "reverts" in our time, so let us know about them in the coming days and weeks. We expect that John Light would have loved this intention, and God-willing, he's praying with us now, so let's keep it simple, and begin in... "The Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit..."

"Dear Lord, you ardently long for our friends and relatives to return to supernatural life in the sacraments. We believe that You are bombarding these souls with the grace of conversion at all times, and that our humble prayer to You will help accomplish what You have already planned. All is Grace! We are powerless without Your grace! We, too, long for our friends and relatives to receive Your Body and Blood, Your Mercy in the Confessional, and we beg You, right now, to break the dam that keeps their hearts' closed. All the angels, and all the saints, and all our Guardian Angels, and all departed CatholiCity Citizens in heaven, Pray for Us, Amen."

Enjoy your day. Carry your cross. Put on Christ. Have Fun. John Light would have wanted it that way...

Yours in Christ,

Your Friends at CatholiCity