The August 1 issue of the U.S. Catholic weekly, The Wanderer, features an article on "The Church Teaches Forum" that was held in Kentucy in July. The article provides a summary of comments made by the speakers, including a talk by Canadian Edouard Cardinal Gagnon on "Obedience to the Holy Father and the Holy See", in which the speaker noted that "Despite any difficulties, every baptized Catholic is called to sanctity, and is given the means, in the Eucharist, by devotion to the Virgin Mary, by imitating Christ, by daily Mass and daily Scripture readings, and by doing ordinary things extraordinarily well, day after day, for our Lord."

The article is available at:
http://thewandererpress.com/a8-01-02.htm

Other articles from The Wanderer are available at:
http://thewandererpress.com/articles&edit1.htm

3. From the beginning of her existence the Church, pointing to the mystery of the Cross and the Resurrection, has preached the mercy of God, a pledge of hope and a source of salvation for man. Nonetheless, it would appear that we today have been particularly called to proclaim this message before the world. We cannot neglect this mission, if God himself has called us to it through the testimony of Saint Faustina.

God has chosen our own times for this purpose. Perhaps because the twentieth century, despite indisputable achievements in many areas, was marked in a particular way by the "mystery of iniquity". With this heritage both of good and of evil, we have entered the new millennium. New prospects of development are opening up before mankind, together with hitherto unheard-of dangers. Frequently man lives as if God did not exist, and even puts himself in God's place. He claims for himself the Creator's right to interfere in the mystery of human life. He wishes to determine human life through genetic manipulation and to establish the limit of death. Rejecting divine law and moral principles, he openly attacks the family. In a variety of ways he attempts to silence the voice of God in human hearts; he wishes to make God the "great absence" in the culture and the conscience of peoples. The "mystery of iniquity" continues to mark the reality of the world.

In experiencing this mystery, man lives in fear of the future, of emptiness, of suffering, of annihilation. Perhaps for this very reason, it is as if Christ, using the testimony of a lowly Sister, entered our time in order to indicate clearly the source of relief and hope found in the eternal mercy of God.

The message of merciful love needs to resound forcefully anew. The world needs this love. The hour has come to bring Christ's message to everyone: to rulers and the oppressed, to those whose humanity and dignity seem lost in the mysterium iniquitatis. The hour has come when the message of Divine Mercy is able to fill hearts with hope and to become the spark of a new civilization: the civilization of love.

Subject: CBC video of WYD 2002
Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 13:12:12 -0400

Jim, here is some information that Chris Keyes passed on to me to order Papal Visit Video from CBC:
http://www.e-fulfillment.ca/cbc/orderFormEN.cfm

hey folks - if this doesnt work - please notify me, in the interim, just type the following:
https://www.e-fulfillment.ca/cbc/orderFormEN.cfm

VM146 - Aug 10th, 2002

Subject: R. Neuhaus on U.S. crisis
Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 12:52:09 -0400

In the August issue of First Things magazine, Fr. Richard Neuhaus continues his commentary on the crisis in the Catholic church in the U.S. with an article discussing the meeeting of U.S. bishops that was held in Dallas earlier in the summer. The article is available at: http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0208/scandal.html

VM145 - August 3, 2002

Subject: Text of WYD 2002 remarks
Date: Fri, 02 Aug 2002 13:25:09 -0400

The English text of remarks given by Pope John Paul II and others at the recent WYD 2002 events in Toronto is available on the EWTN website at:
http://www.ewtn.com/wyd2002/words.asp

The text in several languages is available at the main WYD 2002 website at: http://www.wyd2002.org/

WYD 2002
TV and Radio coverage (July 23-29)

This to provide information on TV and radio coverage of the World Youth Day events in Toronto from July 23 to 29. Those of you with access to TV and to shortwave radio might consider watching the coverage on CBC but listening to the Catholic commentary provided on EWTN's shortwave radio broadcasts.
--------
CBC TV will be providing extensive coverage. For details see: http://cbc.ca/news/features/wyd/coverage.html#schedule
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For details of coverage on Vision TV (on cable 61 in Ottawa) see: http://www.visiontv.ca/Pope.htm#Programs

Vision's programs will include a one hour film entitled "John Paul II: Almost an Autobiography" to be aired on Tuesday, July 23 at 9 pm (Eastern) (repeats at 11 pm). It chronicles the life and times of John Paul II in his own words, with a narration drawn entirely from his writings and addresses.
Written and directed by Michaelangelo Dotta.
------
For EWTN's coverage on shortwave radio, see:
http://www.ewtn.com/wyd2002/radio_coverage.htm

For EWTN's SW radio frequencies see:
http://www.ewtn.com/radio/freq.htm

For EWTN's TV coverage see:
http://www.ewtn.com/wyd2002/coverage.htm
-----------------------------
For French language TV and radio coverage see:
http://radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/dossiers/pape/antenne.html

On Wednesday July 31 from 8 to 9 pm, the scheduled guest on EWTN's Mother Angelica Live program is Fr. Benedict Groeschel. The program will be aired on shortwave radio on 5825 khz. The program will be repeated on Sunday August 4 at 8 pm on 5825 khz. After being broadcast, the program can be heard on the internet at:

http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/frmselecrprog.asp?seriesID=7

Fr. Groeschel gave the homily at the mass today (Tuesday) and will probably do so during the next couple of days. The daily mass is aired on EWTN at 8 am on 11875 khz and repeated at 12 noon on 13615 khz. The daily homily can also be heard on-line by going to "Today's Homily" at:

http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/inspiration.htm

Fr. Groeschel is the author of a number of books. My favourite book of his is "Healing the Original Wound: Reflections on the Full Meaning of Salvation". A complete list of books and tapes by Fr. Groeschel is available at:

http://www.franciscanfriars.com/BTC/BTC%20Benedict.htm

Fr. Groeschel is a founding member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in New York City. They have a website at:

http://www.franciscanfriars.com/

On Wednesday July 31 from 8 to 9 pm, the scheduled guest on EWTN's Mother Angelica Live program is Fr. Benedict Groeschel. The program will be aired on shortwave radio on 5825 khz. The program will be repeated on Sunday August 4 at 8 pm on 5825 khz. After being broadcast, the
program can be heard on the internet at:
http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/frmselecrprog.asp?seriesID=7

My favourite book by Fr. Groeschel is "Healing the Original Wound: Reflections on the Full Meaning of Salvation". A complete list of books and tapes by Fr. Groeschel is available at:
http://www.franciscanfriars.com/BTC/BTC%20Benedict.htm

A set of featured articles (e.g.. Spiritual reading; Seven daily habits of holy apostolic people) is available at:
http://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/featuredarticles.html

The following site provides a list (by category) of books recommended by Fr. McCloskey in his Lifetime Reading Plan (click on "All LRP books" to see the full list): http://catalog.cicdc.org/browseGroup.cfm

VM142
Subject: Vision TV - WYD 2002 - July 23-28
Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 13:44:46 -0400

Vision TV will be providing coverage of Pope John Paul II's visit to Toronto for World Youth Days 2002 from July 23 to 28. Details of this coverage are available at: http://www.visiontv.ca/Pope.htm#Programs

Vision's programs will include a one hour film entitled "John Paul II: Almost an Autobiography" to be aired on Tuesday, July 23 at 9 pm (Eastern). It chronicles the life and times of John Paul II in his own words, with a narration drawn entirely from his writings and addresses. Written and directed by Michaelangelo Dotta.

Subject:FOTF - CHRI - Mon & Tues 6:30 pm
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 13:08:26 -0400

On Monday July 15 and Tuesday July 16, the Focus on the Family radio program is scheduled to broadcast a 2-part program on Christ's Influence on History. Dr. Alvin Schmidt will discuss his book "Under the Influence", which describes the profound influence Jesus had on civilization.

The 30-minute Focus on the Family radio program is carried in Ottawa on CHRI 99.1 FM on weekdays at 6:30 pm (and also at 5:30 am).

Information on upcoming Focus broadcasts, as well as an archive of recent programs that can be heard via the internet, is available by going to Focus's website and clicking on the "Focus Radio" section. Focus's Canadian website is located at: http://www.fotf.ca/

Subject:EWTN - F. Bruskewitz
Date: Tue, 09 Jul 2002 13:10:50 -0400

On Friday July 12 from 8 to 9 pm, the scheduled guest on EWTN's "The World Over" program is Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska, who will be discussing the root causes of the crisis in the U.S. church. The program will be aired live on shortwave radio on 5825 khz. The program will be repeated on Saturday July 13 at 1 pm on 13615 khz on Sunday July 14 at 7 pm on 9975 khz. After being broadcast, the program can be heard on the internet at:
http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/frmselecrprog.asp?seriesID=-6892288&T1=over

Articles by Bishop Bruskewitz on a number of topics are available at:
http://www.dioceseoflincoln.org/Bishop_page/Bishop's_writings.htm

Priests for Life has a website at: http://www.priestsforlife.org/

Priests for Life (Canada) has a website at:
http://www.webhart.net/vandee/priests.shtml

On Thursday July 4 from 8 to 9 pm (ET), the scheduled guest on EWTN's "Life on the Rock" program will be Fr. Tom Rosica, director of World Youth Day preparations in Toronto. The program will be aired live on shortwave radio on 5825 khz (with repeats on the weekend). After being aired the program can be heard via the internet by going to: http://www.ewtn.com/rock/files/SearchForm.htm

On Friday July 5 from 6 to 7 pm (ET), the schedule guest on the Catholic Answers phone-in program is Michael Rose, the author of "Goodbye, Good Men", a recent book on problems in U.S. Catholic seminaries. It will be aired on EWTN radio on 9975 khz. After being aired the program can be heard via the internet by going to:
http://www.catholic.com/radio/calive.asp?date=7/1/2002

Some information about Mr. Rose's book is available at:
http://www.nrbookservice.com/BookPage.asp?prod_cd=C5976

VM139:
In his June 2002 newsletter, Ralph Martin of Catholic Renewal Ministries comments on the problem of infidelity that underlies the crisis in the Catholic church in the US and mentions how St. Catherine of Siena responded to somewhat similar problems in the Catholic church in the 14th century: http://www.renewalministries.net/newsletter/June02/index.html

Dear Friends,

In a June 17 article on the website of the National Review magazine, Rod Dreher comments on what he considers to be shortcomings of last week's conference of the US Catholic bishops in Dallas:
http://www.nationalreview.com/dreher/dreher061702.asp

Other articles by Rod Dreher (including several dealing with the U.S. church crisis) are available at:
http://www.nationalreview.com/dreher/dreher-archive.asp

VM138: Sent: June 11, 2002 1:57 PM
Subject: R. Neuhaus on crisis in U.S. church

In the June/July 2002 issue of First Things magazine, Fr. Richard John Neuhaus discusses at some length the current crisis in the Catholic church in the U.S. The article is available at:
http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0206/scandal.html

The following is an excerpt from the article:
What is this crisis about? The answer is that this crisis is about three things: fidelity, fidelity, and fidelity. The fidelity of bishops and priests to the teaching of the Church and to their solemn vows; the
fidelity of bishops in exercising oversight in ensuring obedience to that teaching and to those vows; and the fidelity of the lay faithful in holding bishops and priests accountable.

I have been told that the proposition is controversial," but I suggest it is almost embarrassingly self-evident: if bishops and priests had been faithful to the teaching of the Church and their sacred vows, there would be no scandal. Those who would confuse the subject reflexively reach for complexity. No, I am sorry, it is as simple as that. We are reaping the whirlwind of widespread infidelity. If you ask why infidelity became so widespread, the answers do become more complex. Although I expect they all come back to the haunting question of Jesus in Luke 18: "When the Son of man returns, will he find faith on earth?"

This is to mention the website of The Real Presence Association (based in Chicago). It provides access to extensive information on the Eucharist and related topics, including Eucharistic Adoration, the Eucharist in scripture, and personal testimonies on the Eucharist.
An index to the website is availalbe at:
http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/a.html

One of the quotations in the testimonies section of the website is the following quotation from J.R.R. Tolkien:
"Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament....There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves upon earth, and more than that: death: by the divine paradox,
that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, that every man's heart desires,"

- J.R.R. Tolkien

The quotation is set out at:
http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/tes/quotes11.html

I have set out below a quote from a sermon by John Henry Newman, in which he speaks of steps a Christian is required to take in pursuing holiness.

"Knowledge of God's Will without Obedience"
"Plain and Parochial Sermons" Volume 1, Number 3

It is taken from the sermon "Knowledge of God's Will without Obedience", which is found in Volume 1, Number 3 of Newman's "Plain and Parochial Sermons" (preached during the period from 125 to 1843). The full text of this and other sermons is available at the following page of the Newman Reader website:

http://www.newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume1/index.htm

(The Newman Reader website provides access to the full text of much of Newman's writings.)

But if a man is in earnest in wishing to get at the depths of his own heart, to expel the evil, to purify the good, and to gain power over himself, so as to do as well as know the Truth, what is the difficulty?-a matter of time indeed, but not of uncertainty is the recovery of such a man. So simple is the rule which he must follow, and so trite, that at first he will be surprised to hear it. God does great things by plain methods; and men start from them through pride, because they are plain. This was the conduct of Naaman the Syrian.

Christ says, "Watch and pray;" herein lies our cure. To watch and to pray are surely in our {38} power, and by these means we are certain of getting strength. You feel your weakness; you fear to be overcome by temptation: then keep out of the way of it. This is watching. Avoid society which is likely to mislead you; flee from the very shadow of evil; you cannot be too careful; better be a little too strict than a little too easy,-it is the safer side. Abstain from reading books which are dangerous to you. Turn from bad thoughts when they arise, set about some business, begin conversing with some friend, or say to yourself the Lord's Prayer reverently. When you are urged by temptation, whether it be by the threats of the world, false shame, self-interest, provoking conduct on the part of another, or the world's sinful pleasures, urged to be cowardly, or covetous, or unforgiving, or sensual, shut your eyes and think of Christ's precious blood-shedding. Do not dare to say you cannot help sinning; a little attention to these points will go far (through God's grace) to keep you in the right way. And again, pray as well as watch. You must know that you can do nothing of yourself; your past experience has taught you this; therefore look to God for the will and the power; ask Him earnestly in His Son's name; seek His holy ordinances. Is not this in your power? Have you not power at least over the limbs of your body, so as to attend the means of grace constantly? Have you literally not the power to come hither; to observe the Fasts and Festivals of the Church; to come to His Holy Altar and receive the Bread of Life? Get yourself, at least, to do this; to put out the hand, to take His gracious Body {39} and Blood; this is no arduous work;-and you say you really wish to gain the blessings He offers. What would you have more than a free gift, vouchsafed "without money and without price?" So, make no more excuses; murmur not about your own bad heart, your knowing and resolving, and not doing. Here is your remedy.

The first program (90 minutes) will be re-broadcast on EWTN's shortwave station as follows:
Friday May 3 at 8 pm on 5825 khz
Saturday May 4 at 10 am on 11875 khz
Sunday May 5 6:30 pm on 9975

The second program (60 minutes) will be re-broadcast on Sunday at 8 pm on 5825 khz.
Crisis In The Church - An EWTN Special Report
Listen to Raymond Arroyo and guests Colin Donovan, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, and Michael Novak for a spiritual analysis of the genesis as well as the outlook for resolution of Catholicism's current crisis.
The round-table discussion includes call-in questions and comments on the response of U.S. Cardinals to their recent meeting with the Holy Father in Rome, and what impact the resulting papal directives may have on the Catholic Church in America.
http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/resolve.asp?rafile=cic_042902.ra?wings

Mother Angelica Live - Special Edition - Crisis in the Church: A Spiritual Response
Guest Host Fr. Mitch Pacwa and Fr. Angelus Shaughnessy discuss the Crisis In The Church.
http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/resolve.asp?rafile=mal043002.ra&wings

This is to mention The Catholic Educators Resource Center website, which is located at: http://catholiceducation.org/

Among other things, the website's homepage provides access to an archive of articles on various current issues (see left column of homepage.) One of the recent articles is a homily by Fr. Roger Landry of Fall River, Mass., entitled "Answering Scandal with Personal Holiness". The homily is available at: http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0526.html

Vatican Radio has a daily broadcast to North America on shortwave radio from 10:50 to 11:15 pm in English (and from 10:30 to 10:50 pm in French). It can be heard on 7305 khz and 9605 khz.

Vatican Radio has a website at:
http://www.vaticanradio.org/inglese/enindex.html

Vatican Radio programs can also be heard in several languages via the internet at the website of the World Radio Network. To do so, go to the following link and then click on "Vatican" in the list in the left column:
http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/