The CatholiCity Message
Volume V, Number 12 – June 26, 2001
Dear CatholiCity Citizen,
First of all, we want to warmly welcome our many new CatholiCity Citizens. Several new items today, a joke, a quote, and a prayer to Saint Josemaria Escriva. We don't know about you, but we are a sun-junkies. We love this time of year when the sun rises early and sets late. There's something about mowing the lawn at 8:30 pm that gives one deep satisfaction. Either way, we promised a big announcement to make about the future of CatholiCity in our last Message, and the last item today deals with this bombshell topic. Let's begin with a joke.
JOKE OF THE WEEK
Question: What's the last thing that goes through a bug's mind as it hits the windshield of your car? Answer: Its rear end.
1. HE IS THE BOMB
CatholiCity has long been the home of Father C. John McCloskey, an Opus Dei priest whose articles (especially "Winning New Converts") have inspired so many Catholics around the world. Father John is well known for the many converts he has brought to Catholicism, including Dr. Bernard Nathanson, who was at one time the leading abortionist in the world, and such luminaries as Robert Novak and Lawrence Kudlow. Father John is an equal-opportunity converter, however, who has also helped many not-so-famous souls come to the Sacraments. Father's latest article,
"Timothy McVeigh, Where is He Now?" is must reading, and was recently published in the Wall Street Journal. The Washington Times recently published a wonderful profile of Father John called "A Firm Voice, Fostering Faith," with many insights into this most interesting man, and we are honored to call him our friend. Both can be found on our "McCloskey's Perspectives" page here:
http://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/
2. BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
The Catholic Grout List (little Catholic practices that nobody ever tells converts about) in our last Weekly Message was so well-received that we've posted them on a special page called the Grab Bag, and we've added a few more "grouts" after receiving your suggestions:
http://www.catholicity.com/grabbag/groutlist.html
3. SAINT PATRICK SMILES
In case you haven't heard, the people of Ireland voted a resounding No to the proposed European Union referendum, which the globalization experts found quite perplexing. We've received many message from our Irish CatholiCity Citizens thanking all of you for your prayers. Amen.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"By now I had committed certain sins that I didn't want to repent. Because the presence of God made me more and more uncomfortable, I began looking for reasons to believe that He didn't exist...not many of us doubt God's existence and then start sinning. Most of us sin and then start doubting His existence."
J. Budziszewski
4. CATHOLICITY TO BE SAND-CANNED
When we mentioned we had a big announcement regarding CatholiCity in the last Message, we know from your messages that some of you were alarmed, if only because it seems as if Catholic apostolates are always on the verge of collapse. Quite the opposite is true this time. The real news is that we're in the beginning stages of a complete and total, soup-to-nuts, pixels-to-prayer reconstruction of the entire website. It's going to be our first complete rebuild in almost five years. Tens of thousands of dollars (already in the bank and the budget, thank you, due to your generosity during last year's annual appeal), thousands of hours of work by our staff, and lots of prayer are needed. With hundreds of pages and several relatively complicated programming formats, it's going to be an enormous task.
We promise you this: when we're done, CatholiCity, while still retaining our uniquely personal flavor and rock-solid fidelity to the Catholic Church, will be the fastest-downloading and easiest to use Catholic website in the world. Our goal is simple: make it easier and simpler and foolproof for any online person searching for the truth to find it quickly and free-of-charge. We'll keep you posted.
5. JOIN 40,000 PRAYING FOR...
each other. Rather than a specific intention, let's all 40,000 families reading this think of one major miracle we need in our individual lives, and ask the powerful intercessor, Blessed Josemaria Escriva, to ask Jesus to grant us what we need in accord with God's Holy Will. Please take a second to think of something big before you pray. (We've got ours ready.) Let's begin in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...
"Dear Blessed Escriva, you taught that we should all approach Our Father in Heaven as trusting children. We are coming to you with the following intentions (STATE YOUR INTENTION), and ask you to bring this need to Jesus, our brother, and ask Him to grant it, because we know through faith that He will give us pretty much anything that helps us. We're hungry and we need spiritual food. We're thirsty and we need spiritual drink. Please, fill us to overflowing! Surprise us with the generosity of Your Father! And if our intention is in any way misguided, we completely trust that Jesus will substitute whatever it is that we really need. Thank you so much for answering my prayer and the prayers of all who are praying with me today. Amen!"
6. SINCE B.C.
See you in July. Even if you're not from the U.S., please remember us on our birthday, the Fourth, in your prayers. For all our flaws, the United States of America, the first democracy since before the birth of Christ, has been one of the few countries in world history which has respected and fostered religious freedom for its citizens and in other nations around the world. This unique nation was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by our bishops in the early 20th century.
Did you read this whole message? Wow. Amazing. It was longer than usual. Thank you.
With Christ,
The Folks at CatholiCity
