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RELIGION - Apologetics & Evangelisation - Communities & Groups - General Information & Resources - Liturgy - Miracles, Apparitions & Other Supernatural Phenomena - Music - Pro-Life & Family - Spirituality & Devotions
MISCELLANEOUS STUFF - Alma Mater - My Friends & Other Animals
LITERARY top
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Adams, Douglas top |
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This website has quite a lot of original stuff (ie. it doesn't just reproduce chunks of Mr Adams' books... like what I did!). Things to check out: The Guide On The WWW (where they even have an insulting definition of Singapore as "A bloody depressing place in South East Asia where nearly everything is Restricted. Don't visit here."), Vote For Galactic Ruler (Bill Clinton is currently ahead in the polls, followed closely by Zaphod Beeblebrox, Newt Gingrich and the Brain, of "Pinky & The Brain" fame), Deep Thought Program (you know the "42" gag, don't you?). |
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MUSIC top
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Guitar top |
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I like hanging around OLGA. No "she" isn't some gorgeous German babe. OLGA stands for "On Line Guitar Archives". It's a veritable treasury of guitar stuff, including guitar lessons, chord diagrams and (my favourite) tablatures. You can spend the entire day surfing at this site (and other linked sites), though you really should be in school or at the office! The collection of songs is so wide-ranging that you will probably find about 75% of them completely new to you. OK, I lie: it should actually be 90%... |
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RELIGION top
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Apologetics & Evangelisation top |
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You can't go wrong with a great name like "100% Catholic"! Maintained by John D'Arcy (a convert), this website features articles which you won't find on many apologetics pages - besides dialogues, debates and polemics, you'll find theological essays by Charles Journet, Matthias Scheeben and Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange. And to top it all, Mr D'Arcy has the "Dr. Scott Hahn links page", where you can read Dr. Hahn's conversion story and bio, and transcripts of his talks and debates. Find out why "Scott Hahn" is the buzz-word (buzz-name?) in orthodox Catholic circles today! |
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As its name implies, "ABC's of Faith" gives you the basics of Catholicism. Though didactic, the contents are written in an interesting and engaging way, eg. the age-old question of God's existence is not investigated in boring, dry "academic-speak", but by a "Private Eye" engaged by an attractive widow to prove (or disprove) the Existence of God (this "gum-shoe" also tracks the whereabouts of the True Church later on). The fact that this site is winning awards must mean that it is doing something right! |
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Formed in 1994 by Andrew Kong, Lawrence Ho and myself (by the grace of God!), ACT aims to extend Our Lord's Kingdom by vigorously promoting and defending the truths of the Catholic Faith. To this end, we conduct talks, seminars, forums, discussions and even private catechetical sessions for those interested to learn more about the Faith (you don't even have to be Catholic!). Our website carries articles, notes, Q&A and other information on Jesus and His Church. Check us out... |
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You simple must visit this website! It's got a "AAA" rating from Peter's Net, a Catholic search engine, and it's just so... fantastically awesome! (I'm grasping at words here, but it's because I'm practically lost for them :-) Dave Armstrong, a convert, has assembled an amazing array of articles (getting a little alliterative here!), consisting of his own stuff as well as materials from very scholarly individuals. I reckon that just about every major issue concerning the Faith has been dealt with and resolved in BEFC. Besides apologetics, Dave also has "... much of possible interest to non-Catholics and even non-Christians, in the way of nature photography, art, history, music (classical and pop), architecture (esp. castles and cathedrals), mythology and Romanticism, literature, culture (esp. Celtic), travel, science, geography, poetry, philosophy, history of ideas, etc." I repeat, you really must visit BEFC!!! |
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No list of A&E (Apologetics & Evangelisation) links will be complete without the inclusion of Catholic Answers, which is the largest Catholic A&E organisation in North America. Many consider Catholic Answers to be the "grand-daddy" of the numerous A&E groups in the Church today. CA's founder, Karl Keating, has several books under his belt, but the one most associated with him and his organisation is the best-selling "Catholicism and Fundamentalism". This book has been read, at some time or other, by virtually every major convert or "revert" in America! Come visit the Catholic Answers Home Page for the extensive collection of tracts, articles and radio programmes: also check out their catalogue of books, booklets, tapes and software! |
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You can tell from the simple, unpretentious title of this website that it is all about Catholic apologetics (du-uhh). Steve Clifford (a recent convert from Mormonism) jumps into the thick of battle with 2 debates to his name, one on "Justification by Faith Alone?" and the second one on "Who Holds the Keys (Pope or Prophet)?" The website also has a number of conversion stories (including Steve's) on-line. Other links to look out for and questions to ponder: Why Catholicism?, Doctrinal Comparison, How Old is your Church?, Why be Catholic? |
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The Catholic Apologetics Network CAN and DOES "instill in all hearts a renewed zeal for Christ and His Church." Besides dealing with the "usual" controversies like the Papacy, the Eucharist, Sola Scriptura, the Church, and so on, CAN gets historical (without being hysterical) on the Galileo Affair, the Spanish Inquisition, Pope Honorius, the (alleged) Popess (Popette?) Joan and the musings of Martin Luther. There are also debates a-plenty - 12 "net" confrontations at the time of writing. After reading their materials, challenge the CAN experts with the toughest questions you can think of: they're just begging you to ask them, and they CAN deliver! |
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Dr. Robert Schihl and Mr Paul Flanagan have put their heads together to come up with a systematic exposition of the Faith. Their presentation is logical and orderly, and quite comprehensive as well. Topics covered are: Foundations of Apologetics, Faith & Salvation, the Bible, Sacred Tradition, Teaching Authority, the Sacraments, the Communion of Saints, the Blessed Mother and Eschatology. Each topic itself has many sub-headings and sub-sub-headings. |
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"Catholic Return Homepage" is precisely that: a homepage put together by a Catholic (Don Ross) who returns home to Christ's Church (technically known as a "revert"). This website has answers to questions on the Faith which surface from time to time in conversations with non-Catholics, eg. Why are priests called "Father"? Do Catholics worship statues? Why is the sacrifice of Jesus re-enacted during Mass? Why baptise infants? Do Catholics believe in "salvation by works", etc. Don, an ex-Marine, also gives you a lowdown on Russian & Ukrainian icons, and teaches you how to make bread (the Marine way) and roll sushi! |
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You may have heard or read about people who left the Church and then came back (I was one of them), but do you know of anyone who left and returned twice?!! Well, Lynn Nordhagen is such a unique individual, which goes to show that God does give 2nd chances :-) Read her amazing conversion story on her homepage, which also has many interesting links for folks inquiring about the Catholic Faith. Lynn is a big fan of Ven. John Henry Newman and St. Francis de Sales, whose motto (in English, "Heart Speaks to Heart") she used for the title of her website. |
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Steve Ray is the author of "Crossing The Tiber", a book which chronicles his journey into the Catholic Church. More than just a personal conversion story, the book is replete with scholarly arguments and quotations to show conclusively the whereabouts of the True Church. Steve's scholarship is also evident on his website. Besides the Bible study pages, Steve's letters and articles (written in response to queries about and objections to his conversion) are definitely worth reading. |
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Fr. Fred is a Catholic priest from the Archdiocese of Boston - and from the looks of his homepage, a good and holy priest at that! In his "simple Gospel Proclamation", Father leads the inquirer to a deeper knowledge and understanding of Jesus Christ, the Church, the Eucharist, Apologetics, Sacraments, etc. He also has a link to the "World's Most Difficult Catholic Quiz" (where yours truly obtained a near perfect score :-) Evidently, Fr. Fred has an extensive youth ministry, as one may conclude from the number of links he has to websites put up by or for Catholic youth! |
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Frankly speaking (please pardon the awful but deliberate pun :-) this website of "Biblical, Historical,and Logical Reasons for Being Catholic" has got a lot of great things on it - but I think the page showcasing Dr. Art Sippo's apologetics alone makes it worth your while to visit this website. You've never seen real Catholic apologetics until you've seen the good doctor in action. Give yourself a treat and drop in at Frank's for some great works of Art! ;-) |
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The purpose of this website is "... to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and proclaim the joy and blessings of worshiping God as a member of the Catholic Church." This is achieved here not through apologetics and polemics (though there is nothing wrong with that), but through faith sharings and testimonies. Last I looked, there were 13 conversion stories on the "Testimonies" page - mine being number 11! Come and see, and find out for yourself what all the fuss is about being a Catholic... |
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This is a hard-hittin', no-holds-barred apologetics website. For those of you interested in verbal sparring and the "cut and thrust" of argumentation, check out Matt's Debate Pages (at last count, there were 7 debates - with Matt personally involved in one of 'em). Topics covered in MCAP include: Authority, the Papacy, Salvation, Eucharist, etc. |
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The Nazareth Resource Library is another one of those humongous sites which seem to have an infinite supply of Catholic information. Maintained by James Akin (a convert), the website is divided neatly and logically into the following categories: The Nazareth site, The Catholic Church, What Catholics believe, Where Catholics get their beliefs, Why Catholics do what they do, Converting & Conversions, Other groups & individuals, and Visiting other Catholic sites. Chances are that James Akin has an answer on his website in response to whatever question you have on the Faith. Like BEFC, the Nazareth Resource Library garnered a triple-A rating from Peter's Net! |
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Despite its clean, uncluttered look, Sean Hyland's website has a wealth of information and links which "are 100% faithful to the Magisterium of the Church." Sean highly recommends these 3 books (among many others) for the budding apologist: "Jesus, Peter and the Keys" by Scott Butler, Norman Dahlgren & David Hess (according to Sean, Mr Butler has discussed the Papacy with 2,700 Protestant ministers over the last 7 years, and of these, 454 have converted to the Catholic Faith; and the book itself was instrumental in converting over 30 ministers and several Orthodox clergy since its release - I have the book myself: the amount of information in it supporting the Papacy is simple staggering); "Not By Faith Alone" and "Not By Scripture Alone" (the last 2 written/edited by Robert Sungenis, a convert). Lastly, the website carries some information on quasi-Christian groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses, and, of course, Sean's "really cool essays"! |
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St. Justin Martyr was a great Catholic apologist in the Early Church. If he were living today, and he had an Internet account, I guess it's conceivable that St. Justin would have set up a homepage pretty much like this one! There are numerous essays and articles on it dealing with issues like the Church and the Bible, Confession, Infant Baptism, the Blessed Virgin Mary, etc. My absolute favourite has to be the essay entitled "Mary, Queen of Heaven" (proved from the Bible Alone!! the subtitle goes) - I agree that it's "A must read!" |
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"Una Fides" (Latin for "One Faith") is described as "A Catholic apologetics site dedicated to Christian unity through education and understanding". Maintained by the Gallagher Family, this website promises bite-sized expositions (textual and graphical) on such issues as "Is The Bible Inspired?", "The Bible Alone?", "Are We Assured Of Salvation?", "The Papacy", "The Eucharist", "Purgatory" and "Prayer And The Saints". Other stuff to check out: Catholic Apologetics Software v. 1.00 for Windows 3.1 (downloadable for free), Kenneth L. Woodward's recent Newsweek article on Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust, and "Things Catholics Are Asked About" by Martin J. Scott, S.J. (an on-line book). |
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If you're one of those people who are always worried about being PC (Politically Correct), you do not want to visit this homepage! Its title is "offensive" enough as it is ("Gehenna" means hell, in case you're wondering). Hardly anyone ever talks about hell anymore (that's not really true: hell was one of the sub-plots in a recent episode of Seinfeld :-), so it is quite refreshing to have a priest, Fr. Joseph Jenkins, doing the ol' "fire & brimstone" routine on his website. I believe it was St. Ambrose (or then again, maybe it wasn't) who said, "If you can't get to heaven because of love of God, get there because of fear of hell." But I don't want you to get away with the idea that all is "doom & gloom" on the Gehenna page. First, Fr. Joe obviously has a "wicked" sense of humour. Secondly, besides "scaring the hell out of you", he's got a lot of good apologetics materials (written in a light-hearted way) and links. Look out especially for "The Slubgob Letters" (the Catholic version of C. S. Lewis'"The Screwtape Letters") - they're hilarious and so accurate in observation! |
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Communities & Groups top |
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Despite their busy working schedules, the Harvesters have managed to build up a tasteful and thoughtfully designed website. The group consists of "working Catholics, including those just entering the workforce", and has such laudable goals as teaching the Faith, evangelisation, and building up a Catholic faith community. Check out the Harvesters' Calendar for a list of their upcoming activities! |
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Opus Dei (Latin for "Work of God") has 2 important messages for the modern world: first, that God calls us all to be saints, and secondly, that you can be a saint in the midst of the world! So, what does "the Work" do? In the words of its founder, Bl. Josemaría Escrivá: "The main activity of Opus Dei is offering its members, and other people, the spiritual means they need to live as good Christians in the midst of the world." Like the Divine Master, Opus Dei has sometimes been the subject of calumny. If you want to really find out what Opus Dei is all about (instead of relying on rumours and hearsay), read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the website. You might want to look at the many interesting articles on Opus Dei activities as well. |
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Take a break for a much-needed retreat at this cyber-Monastery, which is run by the Legion of St. Michael. The Legion is unique for its "mixed" community: men and women, celibate and married. Their website is sophisticated and chock-full of information for the "retreatant". Of particular interest are an impressive set of links on our beloved Mother Teresa, and the Cyber Scriptorium (some topics dealt with are: Apologetics, Family & Child Rearing, Marriage, Precepts of the Church and Acts of Piety). |
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General Information & Resources top |
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The Archdiocese of Singapore is governed and led by His Grace, the Archbishop Gregory Yong. The vision of His Grace is to see the reign of Christ extend everywhere, even in cyberspace. This website is a testament to his vision. It hosts many local Catholic sites and also has links to other sites (both local and foreign) which may be of use and interest to Catholics and honest inquirers. |
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Lots of resources here, especially on current issues in the Church. Besides daily newsbriefs at Catholic World News, there are 10 broad categories of links for the surfer to check out, viz. Papal Encyclicals; Teachings, Documents, Magisterium; The Papacy/Pope John Paul II; 1998 Year of the Holy Spirit; Holy See Mission to the UN; Catholic Directories; Catholic Periodicals/News (with on-line versions of many wonderful Catholic magazines that you're too cheap to subscribe to); CICI Catholic Community; Liturgy/Devotions/Vocations; and (last but not least) Our Mother Mary! |
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Trying to describe CIN is tough - not because there's nothing to say, but because there's too much to say. It is, after all, one of the largest Catholic networks in the world, and it has been evangelising the electronic world since 1987. CIN is very current: the latest documents from the Vatican and the Pope can be found here and read in their entirety (shorn of media interpolations and (mis)interpretations). But don't run away with the idea that there're only just official Church documents. To get a better picture of what's in store, maybe it'll be easier if you visit CIN for yourself. Be prepared to spend a heckuva long time there... |
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CatholiCity! is exactly what it says it is: a city (albeit virtual) of Catholic people and sites. If you look at my homepage, you will notice that I am a citizen of CatholiCity! Lotsa interesting stuff can be found here, eg. free novels and audio tapes, chatrooms, discussion forums. Go ahead and take a tour through the City! (BTW, it's pronounced "Catholic City") |
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Christus Rex, Christ the King! Ah, what a glorious name for a website - which is maintained by a private, non-profit organisation called (not surprisingly) Christus Rex et Redemptor Mundi ("Christ the King & Redeemer of the World"). There, you can find information "on works of art preserved in churches, cathedrals and monasteries all over the world", papal encyclicals, speeches and other Church documents, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Vatican II documents, the Code of Canon Law, Bibles, etc. (some of the documents are in languages besides English). So many links that your eyes will swim when looking at them! |
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EWTN was started by Mother Angelica on a wing and a prayer (mostly prayer!) in 1981. Since then, it has grown to become the largest religious cable network, Praise God! The EWTN website looks very stylish and professional - but it has more to offer than just a polished appearance: it also boasts a huge document and audio library, and has links to pages on Faith, Teachings, Catholic Q&A, Inspiration/Daily Readings, Bulletin Boards, Prayers, Saints, Novenas, as well as EWTN TV & radio programmes and news. This site shows you how catholic (universal) the Catholic Faith is! |
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The Vatican! The seat of Holy Mother Church! Nothing beats actually going to Rome, but a visit to this website is not a bad substitute. Read the writings and biographies of His Holiness Pope John Paul II (as well as those of his predecessors, H.H. John Paul I, Paul VI and John XXIII); find out about the Roman Curia; talk a virtual walk through the Vatican Museums. The servers used are named after and protected by the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, so if you find the connection and downloading a bit slow, say a little prayer to these guys to wake 'em up :-) |
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Mary, Mary, quite contrary... Since the Blessed Virgin Mary is a source of some controversy and misunderstanding for non-Catholics (and also not-so-well-formed Catholics), The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton undertook the daunting task of presenting information about her in order "... to lead people to a loving knowledge of her who is the first and most holy of the faithful." Take your time to surf this site because there is a lot of stuff. For first time visitors, I suggest that you start with the FAQ page. |
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They don't call this a "Supersite" for nothin'! The resource materials on New Advent are amazing - there's the Catholic Encyclopaedia (with each entry getting a thorough, in-depth treatment), St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica, the writings of the Church Fathers, a bibliography of recommended Catholic books, as well as a comprehensive Catholic Q&A section. After you have surfed this site, give your thanx to Kevin Knight (what a cool name!), the man behind the website... |
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Liturgy top |
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It is sad (but true) that liturgical abuses surface from time-to-time during the celebration of Holy Mass. The fortunate thing is that such abuses are not very common in Singapore, and if they occur, they are usually minor ones. However, this is not an excuse for us to "sit on our laurels". Look-in on this website and try the "Liturgical Quiz" to see how much you know (or don't know) what a proper Mass is. Books recommended for further education are "Mass Confusion: The Do's and Don'ts of Catholic Worship" by James Akin (whose website is linked above) and "Rubrics of the Mass" by Fr. Peter M.J. Stravinskas. |
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Miracles, Apparitions & Other Supernatural Phenomena top |
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Since 1981, the Mother of God has been appearing to 6 visionaries in Medjugorje, Yugoslavia. IMHO, this ranks as the most significant on-going apparition of the Blessed Mother (it was instrumental in my conversion!). There are numerous Medjugorje websites on the 'Net, but I think that this is one of the better ones. Nice graphics and layout, and very comprehensive content. If you can't make a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, you can do no better than to pay this website a visit! |
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This is a general resource for apparitions of Our Lord and His Mother. It covers a period of about 500 years (from the 15th century until to date), and includes accounts of the famous apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Guadalupe, Mexico (1531), Lourdes, France (1858), and of course, Fatima, Portugal (1917) and Medjugorje, Yugoslavia (1981). What is fun and interesting is that the website also has information on less well-known apparitions in the U.S., other parts of Europe, Africa and even Asia! |
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Music top |
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It's fun to visit this site, click on the "midi" links you like, sit back and just enjoy the music. If your modem is reasonably fast and the server isn't too busy, the "midi" files should download and start playing almost instantaneously. Skip chose and sequenced the songs himself, and I must say he's got a wonderful selection - he has newer songs like "In His Time", "Spirit Song", "Father I Have Sinned", "evergreens" like "Immaculate Mary", "Glory and Praise To Our God", and even classical/Latin hymns like "Ubi Caritas", Schubert's "Ave Maria", "Tantum Ergo", "Ave Maris Stella". I especially like Skip's collection of "Old Style Catholic Hymns". Give me those ol' time melodies any day... |
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Pro-Life & Family top |
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Human Life International (HLI) was founded by Fr. Paul Marx (no relation to Karl, Groucho or Richard), a holy priest with extraordinary insight, vision and ambition. HLI is no dinky little church group: it is an international organisation with considerable clout and influence in the world today. And their website is pretty nice, too! |
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A simple webpage on the "Pill" (we're not talking about "Panadol" here :-), and its numerous side-effects (over 60 enumerated by M.C. Hernandez) - something which is hardly ever dealt with in the media. Pay a visit to this page and get informed, instead of staying ignorant and paying the price... |
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Spirituality & Devotions top |
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The Holy Eucharist is quite simply the greatest gift which God has given humanity, since It is the gift of Jesus Himself, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - the complete and total Jesus, not a "spiritualised" version, not a phantom, not a figment of our wistful imaginations. This beautiful website is dedicated to spreading the wonderful news of the Eucharist, what Catholics believe about the Eucharist and the Real Presence, where we can find the doctrines in Scripture, the writings of the Church Fathers and Church documents, etc. The power of the Eucharist in seen in Its effect on the personal lives of the faithful, and is manifested even in Eucharistic Miracles! Catholics should visit this site to enkindle their faith, and non-Catholic should visit to learn more about this wonderful treasure entrusted to the Church. O Sacrament Most Holy, O Sacrament Divine! |
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MISCELLANEOUS STUFF top
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Alma Mater top |
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This is the institution which propelled me through my tumultous teenage years, and helped me become the wonderful, well-balanced guy that I am today. Find out more about this august seat of learning and how it spawned luminaries like Mr Lim Boon Heng, Mr Lee Boon Yang, et al. |
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My Friends & Other Animals top |
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You may have seen Calvin Lim Swee Khiang before. He appeared on AM Singapore in 1997, discussing cookies and the WWW and various other geek-topics with Joe Lourdesamy. Now see him and his charming wife, Genevieve, on their very own homepage, where you will be regaled by many photos of the happy couple. They even have 2 pages of thumbnails! |
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Charles is a real computer whiz. He has put together a lovely homepage with a lot of razzmatazz as well as useful resources. Besides photographs of parish activities at St. Joseph's (Bukit Timah), Charles has sub-pages on Sunday Mass Readings and Monthly Holy Hour, a biography of the late (and great) Mother Teresa, and many links which had been chosen with "Great Care". You may also wish to check out the "The Gallery Of The Roman Pontiffs" (The Pope), which has short accounts (and pictures) of all 264 Popes of the Catholic Church. The Gallery covers Sts. Peter, Linus, Cletus, Clement, Evaristus (in the 1st century) all the way until Popes St. Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I and (the current Pontiff) John Paul II in the 20th century! No mean feat, I can tell you... |
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The ACT homepage was put together by this man, so you can see that he is no slouch when it comes to web-designing. In fact, Hartono's homepage looks suspiciously like the ACT homepage... hmmm ;-) Anyway, check out this website if you want to see the face behind the man (or is that "man behind the face"?); also if you're interested in civil and structural engineering and riveting stuff like that (pun intended)! |
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External Links |
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