The CatholiCity Message
Volume V, Number 18 – September 20, 2001
Dear CatholiCity Citizen,
We have a correction and an apology for you today, news about critical international prayer initiatives taking place soon that you'll want to participate in, as well as quotes and our group prayer. We also happen to have walking pneumonia, which has made life miserable since the day before the attacks. It was just diagnosed yesterday, so we've had something to offer up for all the souls and the families and friends affected by the murderous crime. Obviously, the disease has slowed us down significantly during the busiest week we've ever had. Thanks for your patience. Let's begin.
1. TRULY SORRY
After receiving numerous message from CatholiCity Citizens responding to our comments in the item "Why Do They Hate Us?" in a special edition of this CatholiCity Message on 12 September, it's clear to the comments were at best incomplete, and therefore misleading. In short, while it may be true that the United States is the leading exporter of the Culture of Death, and that this may feed the hatred of the United States, the criminals who murdered innocent American civilians last week would despise us even if we were a blameless and completely moral nation. A strong case has been made by many of our readers that certain elements within Islamic fundamentalism hate us primarily for political reasons (they hate our freedoms, whether we abuse them or not, and want us out of the Middle East, period), or they harbor historical prejudices based on certain teachings of Islam by some Middle East leaders and tyrants. One insightful reader noted that there is always a certain stench of irrationality that earmarks freely chosen evil that can never be fully explained. Several Citizens granted us permission to post their responses, which we have done with a link listed as on our homepage:
(LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE)
CATHOLICITY CITIZENS ARE THE BEST
We can't help but note that even though many who contacted us were emotionally and justifiably upset, just about everyone was courteous and civilized in tone. Longtime readers of this Message know that this isn't the first time we've screwed up. You've read our apologies before, and you've always been forgiving and tolerant of our shortcomings. We count on your graciousness. We take the our responsibilities seriously, now more than ever. We take your constructive criticism to heart, in this case agonizingly so, and we have always counted on your sophistication in knowing how to distinguish between when we write about the teachings of the Catholic Church and when we share opinions on secular issues, where we are all too fallible.
2. WORLD ROSARY DAY/WEEK OF PRAYER AND FASTING
October 6th is the official World Rosary Day, where Christians all over the planet join the Holy Father in praying the Rosary for peace. We're sure you'll want to participate. We'll have more details and a reminder in a future message, along with information on the International Week of Prayer and Fasting to End Abortion (IWPF), sponsored by a worldwide coalition of Catholic and pro-life organizations, which runs from October 7-16th, and features a special day of prayer, talks, and reparations at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC on October 8th. Catholics all over the world are urged to pray and fast during these 9 days of reparation, and to organize events in their local parishes. We dare say that these two events are more critical than ever, and we strongly urge you to set something up in your own parish and prayer groups. For more information on World Rosary Day, and how to get flyers online and suggestions for parish events for IWPF, please click on the links we've set up on our homepage:
(LINK NO LONGER AVAILABLE)
3. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Exactly ten years ago, on September 19-21, 1991, we gave away the very first Mary Foundation audio tape (in the days before CDs) at a prolife family conference in northeast Ohio. The always-growing Mary Foundation soon became the largest producer of Catholic CDs and tapes in the world. Somewhere along the way, we began distributing free Catholic novels from Saint Jude Media, and before most people had email, started the CatholiCity website. These three apostolates: the Mary Foundation, Saint Jude Media, and CatholiCity, have literally reached millions of souls worldwide. There are many reasons for our success, and we list for you a few of the most important:
-Prayer is the foundation of our work
-Our benefactors do the "real work" of distributing our materials
-We are clear in our language and message: the Catholic
Church is the one, true, holy, and apostolic Church.
-We are totally consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
-We embrace the latest technology in imitation of our patron
Saint Maximilian Kolbe
-We rely on God's providence and your generosity for sustenance
-We strive to treat everyone with courtesy, dignity, and respect
-We don't give up
-We try to have as much fun as we can along the way
There is another reason for our incredible success: the Truth Itself. We really do have the best Catholic speakers who give riveting, life-changing talks on our recordings. What matters is that the talks on our recordings help people repent and do God's will. For free copies, go here:
https://secure.catholicity.com/order.html
4. YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW
We really believe that God has arranged your life so that you would be reading our words at this time, on this day, and that God has made you a part of His Army, the army that helps Him overcome evil through prayer. Please join 67,000+ CatholiCity Citizens around the world in a simple prayer, making it effective not through mere recitation of words, but in sincerity of heart, and humility in spirit, "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit..."
"Eternal Father, we offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity, of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins, and those of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Amen."
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
"One ought never to allow a disorder to take place in order to avoid war, for war is not thereby avoided, but only deferred to your disadvantage."
Machiavelli
"The purpose of all war is peace."
Saint Augustine
"As long as war is regarded as wicked it will always have its fascinations. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular."
Oscar Wilde
"Civil wars are the greatest of all evils."
Blaise Pascal
"Child of God, therefore children of God, therefore brothers. All wars are civil wars."
Eric Gill
"Because it brings the shattering of the peacetime illusion that events tomorrow will be as they are today, war can turn men to God. Because war brings suffering, it can turn men to God in repentance."
G.K. MacBrien
"War is sweet to those who don't know it."
Erasmus
"For a war to be just, three conditions are necessary: public authority, just cause, right motive."
Saint Thomas Aquinas
5. THE NEXT TEN YEARS
Thank you, a hundred times thank you for being a part of the Mary Foundation and CatholiCity. Without you, we can do nothing. We don't know if the Mary Foundation will last another ten months, or ten weeks, not to mention another ten years. We're not sure if we're financially structured to survive in times of war and possible economic downturn. We're probably going to find out. we trust that Our Lady has her plan, and we're merely standard-issue soldiers in a glorious war for souls. Because you're here with us, it's comforting not to have to fight the fight alone. Our crack staff will continue to post important articles from around the Net on our homepage. We remain yours...
With Christ,
Your Friends at CatholiCity
