The pope in Poland

Read all about Pope Benedict's recent trip to Poland with the links provided here from mini-stories put togeter by the Vatican Information Service.

SUMMARY OF BENEDICT XVI'S APOSTOLIC TRIP TO POLAND: MAY 25 - 28
- Young People: Build Your House on the Rock of Christ
- Two Million People Attend Krakow Mass
- May the Living God Never Let This Happen Again
- To Poles: Remain Faithful Custodians of Christian Deposit
- Mary, School of Faith
- Visit to John Paul II's Home Town and to Shrine of Kalwaria
- A Journey of Faith in the Footsteps of John Paul II
- Priests: Promoters of the Encounter between Man and God
- Charity and Family: the Keys to Ecumenical Collaboration
- Cultivate the Rich Heritage of Faith

Da Vinci Code Resources

Posted at The Criterion Online Edition

The page includes a news story posted today by Catholic News Service about the premiere of the movie at the Cannes Film Festival, local stories both current and past, and a collection of links for more information.

Anniversary of Fatima and Pope's assassination attempt

This past Saturday marked the 25th anniversary of the attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II (May 13, 1981). A special ceremony at the Vatican marked the occasion.

The day is also the 89th anniversary of the first appearance of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal.

The similarity between the two events is striking -- it was the famed "Third Secret of Fatima," hidden for years and known only by the popes and the last surviving child whom the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to, the eerily predicted the assassination attempt on the life of a pope (which turned out to be John Paul II). The late pope attributed the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima to narrowly saving his life on that fateful day -- claiming that she diverted the course of the bullet fired into him.

Even more interesting to note, I've found, is that the pope was at his weekly audience and about to announce the founding of the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and the Family, which has since gone on to be a driving force in spreading his "Theology of the Body" and fighting the culture of death that has gripped the West.

The same institute recently sponsored a plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family. This all comes at a time when questions of bioethics and the family are becoming the major moral dilemmas facing countries and cultures.

Archdiocesan Pilgrimage to Poland

Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein is leading a pilgrimage to Poland May 12-21, and has provided the intentions for the Mass that he will celebrate each day. Catholics in the archdiocese are encourage to pray with him.

I've also posted an article (available for the next 30 days) about a Marian shrine in Poland. Pope Benedict XVI will be visiting the country later this month.

Catholic Flash Drive

This headline from the Catholic News Agency caught my attention: Austrian diocese sending USB hard drives with Church info as gifts to young people

Turns out that the Diocese of Graz, Austria, has taken to giving 18-year-olds a birthday gift with a purpose:

Since the start of 2006, the Austrian Diocese of Graz has begun sending a curious gift to all young people who celebrate their 18th birthday: a USB hard drive with information about the Catholic Church.

According to the Kath.net news agency, the portable hard drives contain information about the Diocese of Graz presented in a manner that is attractive to young people, as well as texts about the Catholic faith and a series of basic Christian prayers.

Pretty cool -- a great way to use powerful new technology in a simple, easy-to-use way, and at the same time to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.