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CL CO Diocese of Savannah Contents Headline Hopscotch 2 News 3 Commentary 4-5 Around the Diocese 6 DDA 7 Faith Alive! 8-9 Notices 10-11 Last But Not Least 12 Vol. 80, No. 20 $.50 PER ISSUE Thursday, May 18, 2000 “Third secret” of Fatima to be published By Cindy Wooden Fatima, Portugal (CNS) ope John Paul II, ordering the publication of the so-called “third secret of Fatima,” believes part of it was a direct reference to the 1981 attempt on his life, said the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano. Cardinal Sodano, the highest-ranking official of the Roman Curia, said May 13 that the almost 80- year-old pope asked him to make “the solemn announcement” of the secret’s contents at the end of the pope’s Mass in Fatima, 19 years to the day after the assassination attempt. The message was written down in 1943 by Sister Lucia dos Santos, the only surviving Fatima vision ary, and placed in a wax-sealed envelope. She gave it to her bishop who sent it, unopened, to the Vatican, where it remained secret except to the popes and a few close aides. Cardinal Sodano told an estimated 600,000 people at the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima that the third part of the message revealed to the three shepherd chil dren in 1917 “concerns, above all, the war waged by atheist systems against the church and Christians.” But, it also includes reference to the ministry and suffering of a “bishop clothed in white,” whom the children believed was the pope, Cardinal Sodano said. The cardinal said the pope had directed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to pre pare a commentary to help people understand the message, then to make the message and the com mentary public. Joaquin Navarro-Vails, the Vatican spokesman, told reporters on the papal flight back to Rome May 13 that publication was expected “within days, per haps a week.” In the message, Cardinal Sodano said, as the pope “makes his way with great effort toward the Cross amid the corpses of those who were martyred—bi shops, priests, men and women religious and many lay persons—he, too, falls to the ground, apparently dead under a burst of gunfire.” Mehmet Ali Agca, a Turk, tried to assassinate the pope in Saint Peter’s Square May 13, 1981. Cardinal Sodano said that after the shooting “it appeared evident to His Holiness that it was ‘a motherly hand which guided the bullet’s path’,” saving the pope’s life. In his homily during the beatification Mass at Fa tima, Pope John Paul renewed his thanks to God and (Continued on page 11) Right: Pope John Paul II prays at the shrine of Fatima in Portugal May 13. Bridgeport's Bishop Egan named O'Connor's successor Newly named New York Arch bishop Edward M. Egan shows his business card to the media May 11 in New York. He suc ceeds Cardinal John O'Con nor as leader of the nation's second largest archdiocese. By Patricia Zapor Washington (CNS) ope John Paul II has appointed Bishop Edward M. Egan of Bridgeport, Connecticut, 68, as arch bishop of New York, succeeding the late Cardinal John J. O’Connor, who died May 3. Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, apostolic nuncio to the United States, announced the appointment in Washington May 11. Archbishop Egan is a Chicago-area native and canon lawyer who served 12 years as a judge in the Roman Rota, the church’s central appellate court. He was a New York auxiliary bish op for three years under Cardinal O’Connor and was archdiocesan vicar of education there before he was named to head the Bridgeport Diocese in November 1988. He was installed the following month. In Bridgeport, he oversaw a pro gram to regionalize the diocese’s ele- (Continued on page 11) DDA 2000 Reaches Target Savannah t took a little longer than usual this year, but the Diocesan Develop ment Appeal reached its $1.3 million target with pledges of $1,353,934. Pat Signs, who directs the annual appeal breathed a sigh of relief. “Knowing how generous the mem bers of the diocese have been in giv ing to the Jubilee Campaign, I knew this year was going to be a chal lenge,” said Signs. She referred to the fact that many are still paying pledges from last year’s One Faith—One Family Capital Campaign which will continue for another few years. Signs said that it took about four weeks longer to reach the target this year, and that fewer parishes made their target than in previous years. Despite this, the target was reached, and all of the ministries that depend on the Diocesan Development Appeal will be funded in the coming fiscal year. “What helped tremendously” said Signs, “is the fact that we had 620 new donors—families who had not given to the DDA in previous years. They may have been new to the dio cese, or just not able to give before. Whatever the reason, their gifts this year made a big difference in the out come of the appeal.” Bishop J. Kevin Boland knows only too well the sacrifices that some made to make this year’s DDA successful. “I received a number of letters or notes on the prayer request cards, usually from elderly parishioners, saying that they wished they could give more, but that they were living on fixed incomes or had extraordinary medical expenses. Their generosity of spirit is touching. It is what steward ship is all about.” Bishop Boland extends his thanks to all those who contributed to the DDA. “There is no way I can carry out the work of shepherding this dio cese without the financial help of the people,” he said. “What we are about is spiritual, but the simple fact is that we need money to do the job. I thank those who par ticipate in the work of the diocesan family by sharing their financial resources.” See page 7 for the DDA report.