Our Lady of America - The Immaculate Conception - Mother of God

Our Lady of America
The Immaculate Conception
Mother of God

On May 13 1846, (exactly seventy-one years, to the day, before the Fatima apparitions), the Catholic bishops of the United States, who were gathered for the Sixth Provincial Council of Baltimore, adopted a decree by which they chose the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin, as Patroness of the United States.

This decree, translated from Latin into English, is as follows:

With enthusiastic acclaim and with unanimous approval and consent, the Fathers [of the Council] have chosen the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin, as the Patroness of the United States of America; without, however, adding the obligation of hearing Mass and abstaining from servile work on the feast of the Conception of Blessed Mary. And, therefore, they decided that the Supreme Pontiff be humbly asked to transfer the solemnity, unless the feast fall on a Sunday, to the nearest Sunday, on which both private and solemn Masses may be celebrated of the feast thus transferred, and the vesper office of the same feast may be recited.

Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil
on August 15, 1964

The choice of Our Lady, in her Immaculate Conception, as Patroness of the United States was approved by Pope Pius IX in an audience on Feb. 7, 1847; and this approval was announced in a decree of Propaganda dated July 2, the same year. Both of these decrees of Propaganda have the signature of Cardinal Fransoni.

In 1956 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in a vision to Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil in Rome City, Indiana. She appeared as Our Lady of Lourdes, drawing Sister Mildred's attention to that 19th century apparition in France wherein Our Lady revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception. (The United States was dedicated to the patronage of the Immaculate Conception in 1847, a full eight years before that doctrine was defined as infallible Catholic dogma by Pope Pius IX). In Sister Mildred's vision Our Lady said...

"I am pleased, my child, with the love and honor my children in America give to me, especially through my glorious and unique privilege of the Immaculate Conception. I promise to reward their love by working through the power of my Son's Heart and my Immaculate Heart miracles of grace among them. I do not promise miracles of the body, but of the soul. For it is mainly through these miracles of grace that the Holy Trinity is glorified among men and nations. Let America continue and grow in its love for me, and I in return, in union with the Heart of my Son, promise to work wonders in her. My child, I desire that this be known."

Of course with any Marian apparition there is almost always a message. What does Our Lady want of us? Why did she come? What is the message she's carrying to us from God? For the people of the United States, for all Catholic Americans, and for all Christian Americans in general, her message is one that cannot be argued, as it is in perfect alignment with the gospels. Our Lady calls us to live lives of purity and trust. Sister Mildred related the message given to her for our benefit as follows....

"I am Our Lady of America. I desire that my children honor me, especially by the purity of their lives."

“My child, I entrust you with this message that you must make known to my children in America. I wish it to be the country dedicated to my purity. The wonders I will work will be the wonders of the Soul. They must have faith and believe firmly in my love for them. I desire that they be the children of my Pure Heart. I desire, through my children of America, to further the cause of faith and purity among peoples and nations. Let them come to me with confidence and simplicity, and I, their Mother, will teach them to become pure like to my Heart that their own hearts may be more pleasing to the Heart of my Son."

In this visitation the Blessed Virgin Mary asked for no shrines to be built in her honor as Our Lady of America, but instead that a statue of her image be placed in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, where she may be venerated as Our Lady of America, the Immaculate Virgin. As she told Sister Mildred...

"I desire to make the whole of America my shrine by making every heart accessible to the love of my Son."

She continued....

"Behold, O my children, the tears of your Mother! Shall I weep in vain? Assuage the sorrow of my Heart over the ingratitude of sinful men by the love and chasteness of your lives. Will you do this for me, beloved children, or will you allow your Mother to weep in vain? I come to you, O children of America, as a last resort. I plead with you to listen to my voice. Cleanse your souls in the Precious Blood of My Son. Live in His Heart, and take me in that I may teach you to live in great purity of heart which is so pleasing to God. Be my army of chaste soldiers, ready to fight to the death to preserve the purity of your souls. I am the Immaculate One, Patroness of your land. Be my faithful children as I have been your faithful Mother."

The United States of America has been dedicated to the patronage of St. Mary - The Immaculate Conception.  For this our Land has enjoyed a special protection and blessing, but for this our nation shall also be held accountable for it's sins against purity and modesty.  Through the intercession of Mary, this nation might be preserved, but not without our repentance.

AMERICA IS WORTH SAVING

While not a perfect representation
the original American flag
makes a nice crown for Our Lady

There is a difference between the people of the United States and the government of the United States.  This is something we often get a little confused about.  Perhaps this is because of our electoral process and the structural nature of our republic.  Often the government is described as a government of the people, by the people and for the people.  It's a nice thought to be sure, but in practical application, this is hardly the case.  When we look back at the last 200 years of the American experience, it becomes clear that our government hasn't served us too well.  It was our own federal government policies that preserved the institution of slavery, making it profitable to farmers in the south and bankers in the north, ultimately leading us into a Civil War.  It was our own federal government policies that led us into multiple wars with our Native American neighbors, a crime our own Founding Fathers cited as one reason for secession from the British Empire.  It was our own federal government policies that coddled segregation for a century, and then flipped virtually overnight, only to vilify the very people in the South who still backed the federal policy with their own state laws.  It has been our own federal government policies that has kept African Americans on the proverbial "plantation" for the last 200 years.  First literally with slavery, then effectively with segregation, then essentially with welfare and abortion.  Now our federal government has amassed a debt so great that it can never be paid, and our national sovereignty is in danger as our economy implodes.  This is just domestic issues, don't even get me started on foreign policy.  When one looks at this on the surface, one might get the impression that America is a particularly bad place, and that Americans are particularly bad people.

However, that is a very superficial way to look at things.  In fact, when you really get down to America on a family by family basis, what you discover is something completely different.  Americans remain the most religious people in the industrialized world.  Per capita, more people still identify themselves as "Christian" in America than in any other industrialized nation.  American families are for the most part a generous people.  Charitable giving is higher among Americans, per capita, than any other industrialized nation.  This is even reflected in government policies, believe it or not, wherein the United States exports more food to poverty stricken third-world nations than any other country on the planet.  America literally feeds the world.  When you talk to the average American family, you'll find a people who are generally very practical, balance their home budget, don't spend more than they can afford, believe in basic morality of right and wrong, good vs. evil, trust in God, go to religious services weekly and help their neighbors.  Granted, there are always exceptions to this rule, and we can find plenty in the inner cities, but for the most part this is how it is.  What a contrast!  To imagine these generally good people are represented by such a selfish government is unthinkable, and yet this is how it is.

Our Lady of America Medal
worn by those with special
devotion to Our Lady of America
may be purchased here.

Yes, America is a good place, and Americans are (for the most part) good people.  The American government, on the other hand, is another story.  The United States of America has gone through literally four national governments since it's inception.  The first was the Articles of Confederation.  The first president of the United States was not George Washington.  It was actually Samuel Huntington, but the term of the president was very short under this system of governance.  He was followed by fifteen other men as president, until George Washington, who was in actuality the seventeenth president of the United States, but the first under the newly ratified Constitution.  This Constitution of the United States served as America's second government until 1861 when the nation was torn by Civil War.  From 1861 to 1865 America was governed by two constitutions; the Constitution of the United States governed the northern states, while the newly drafted Constitution of Confederate States governed the southern states.  After the Civil War, the United States was unified once again under the Constitution of the United States, but with one major change that turned the whole thing on it's head -- the Fourteenth Amendment (adopted on July 9, 1868).  The longest amendment ever passed, this article changed the entire reading of the Constitution, defining U.S. citizenship and giving considerable power to the federal courts.  For better or worse, the fourteenth amendment remade the U.S. Constitution into a totally different form of government, which was far more centralized and powerful.  This government has remained to this day, and from 1868 to present, has become our longest system of government so far.  The point I'm making here is this.  America has gone through four systems of government in it's 200+ year history.  There is no reason why a fifth form of government cannot follow, and indeed history dictates that it will eventually.  What form that government takes is entirely up to us for now.  Yes, we do have a choice, and no, we don't have to do what the power brokers on Wall Street tell us, no matter how much pressure they put on us.

America is worth saving and it can be saved.  Indeed Our Lady of America revealed to us that God actually WANTS to save America, and he wants America to lead the way of repentance for all the Americas (North, South and Central), thus paving the way for the rest of the world.  It is not impossible, and it is within our reach, in spite of the massive economic downturn that awaits us in the very near future.  This is what we can do...

1. Turn to Mary as the patroness of our nation.  Our Lady of America is a wonderful family devotion for all of us, and it's message is more applicable now than when it was given.  The Catholic Church in America honors the Immaculate Conception as our patroness.  It's time we get back to basics and restore our national identity in Our Lady of America -- the Immaculate Conception.  Catholics are the ONLY ones who can lead the way in this.  So let's start leading already.  Begin doing family rosary time, even if it's just one chaplet a day, due to the attention span of small children.  Ramp it up to two decades as they get older, then three, then four, and so on.  Teach your family the message of Our Lady of America and venerate her in your home.
2. Focus on teaching our children sexual purity in a real and adult way, guiding them in the Christian understanding of sex and marriage, and helping them reject the ways of Hollywood and Washington DC.
3. Embrace our Mexican neighbors to the south, by offering them citizenship in exchange for learning English and adopting an American identity.  We must encourage them to be good Catholics, and introduce them to the devotion of Our Lady of America -- the Immaculate Conception -- which complements their devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Remember, Mexican immigrants are the only thing that is saving America from having to import massive waves of Muslim immigrants like Europe has.  Yes, Mexicans will help save America, that is IF indeed we will let them, and teach them how to be Americans in Jesus and Mary.)
4. Embrace our English language, and the heritage of English Catholicism!  America is an English nation, plain and simple, regardless of our racial and ethnic diversity.  We speak English (or at least we're supposed to), we are governed by English common law (or at least we're supposed to be), and our culture is primarily English in nature.  This is where the pope's creation of a Personal Ordinariate for Anglicans can really help us here in America.  It is a vehicle through which Americans can be reintroduced to their English Catholic roots.  Hopefully, the U.S. ordinariate will become more than a niche group for Anglo-Catholics, but rather an evangelistic arm of the U.S. Catholic Church that can not only bring more Protestants into the Catholic Church, but also renew American Catholicism by rubbing off various elements of the English Patrimony into various diocese throughout the United States. 
5. Pursue papal politics!  Besides being a tongue twister, this is actually very good advice for Catholic Americans.  The political rivalry between Republicans and Democrats has virtually destroyed this nation.  Catholicism is more than just a religion.  It is a comprehensive way of life, which is why Catholics cannot be defined as Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal.  Parties and ideologies are woefully ineffective as far as defining Catholic politics.  One of the areas we Americans are sorely lacking in is following the teachings of our pope.  Both popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have outlined a comprehensive political strategy that if followed, the United States would not be in the mess it's in today -- neither would Europe for that matter.  What are papal politics?  Well, an entire book could be written on it, and indeed some have, but to summarize, we should be...

• Militantly Pro-Life, opposing abortion, euthanasia, human cloning and embryonic stem-cell research.
• Opposed to any policy that hurts or redefines the traditional family.
• Pursuing government policies that encourage traditional marriage and children.
• Demanding school-choice initiatives in every state, county and city.
• Opposed to all wars not directly related to self-defense.
• Kind and generous to immigrants.
• Conserving resources and pursuing alternate forms of energy with a passion.

I think this is a good place to start, and we as Catholics can do this.  It is within our reach.  I firmly believe that while Protestants formed this nation, Catholics will ultimately save it.  That will be America's future.  I also believe that when Americans become a moral and virtuous people again, on a widespread level, we can begin to reign in the abuses of our federal government, but not until then.  So to save America, we must turn to Our Lady of America, and begin working on changing ourselves.

What happens however, if we fail to do this.  Well, your guess is as good as mine, but based on my study of cultural demographics I think it's pretty safe to say the United States will break up mostly among cultural lines.  If America breaks up, nobody wins.  The North American continent will have consigned itself to at least fifty years of economic and political stagnation, but that's the path we will have chosen.  I believe it's best for us to turn to our Lord and our Lady for assistance in these trying times, lest our future look something like this...

The people of the United States of America are now at the final crossroads in our nation's history. We have a choice. The year 2012 will be the year America chooses her fate. For 2012 marks the year of the END of the American Empire. Our Superpower status ends this year. We may not see the final results of that for a couple of years to come, but the decision will be made this year. It comes down to this. The American Empire is going to end -- period. Nothing can stop that now. The choice is this. Shall our empire decline like the British Empire or the Roman Empire?

That's it! That's the choice that faces us. It really is no more or less than that. We can either go the way of Britain or Rome.

When the British Empire became unsustainable, the Brits got smart. They permitted their colonies to become independent nations (rather than risk a repeat of 1776). They downsized and focused on rebuilding their internal economic foundations. They scaled back their military to a more reasonable size that was commensurate with national defence alone. In the process they saved billions of pounds, and gave their nation new life. Today they are no longer an empire, but many of their former colonies have erected constitutional monarchies that still (voluntarily) name the Queen of England as their sovereign -- Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Today you can go to Britain and still see British society. Their government remains intact. The queen still reigns from the throne. It's all still there! And in spite of their many national problems, there is no indication that it is going extinct any time soon. We here in the United States can choose this path. We can accept that our international superpower (empire) status is unsustainable. We can scale back, downsize, and save trillions of dollars! We can refocus our efforts toward rebuilding our economic and political integrity. We can turn back to the national Constitution, and start following it for a change!

Or we can refuse to accept the unsustainable nature of our empire (superpower status), and ignore all the signs around us. We can move forward internationally in wars and conflicts, increasing our debts, just as the Roman Empire did, and in doing so, we can follow in their footsteps into oblivion. The map of the former United States above represents just one possibility of how North America will eventually be Balkanised should we refuse to accept reality. We can follow the example of Rome right into a fall so great that it results in the ripping apart of our nation into smaller nation-states in a European kind of fracture. Yes, there was once upon a time, some 1,500 years ago, when all of Europe was united under one government and one language. Today you can go to Rome and see what's left of that government, in the ruins of the Forum and Colosseum. Today Europe is still divided up into different governments, languages and cultures. Every attempt to reunify Europe in the past has failed, and it looks as if this most recent attempt to economically unify Europe (The European Union) will fail too.

So there you have it. Americans can either choose a smart decline like Britain, or a stupid suicidal decline like Rome. One way or another, we will decline, and this year (2012) marks the year we make our choice.

Her Immaculate Heart Prevailed

The Soviet Union Was Dissolved on December 8th, 1991
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT:  On this day, 20 years ago, the Soviet Union was dissolved.  Just as she foretold to the three Fatima children, in the end, her Immaculate Heart would prevail.  On the 8th of December in 1991, leaders from across the USSR came together and signed a treaty officially ending the 69 year-long regime.  The ceremonial end of the USSR came with the resignation of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, and the lowering of the red Soviet flag from the Kremlin on December 25th, 1991.  I believe this was just the first of her victories.  I also believe we will likely see the completion of her victories very VERY soon!

Mother of the Americas

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The year is 1521 AD. The capital city of the Aztec empire falls to Spanish imperial forces, who have just conquered the Mesoamerican culture of the New World. This marks the end of the most advanced civilization ever produced by the Native American peoples. From this time forward, all Native Americans would fall under submission to European power. Conquered and humiliated, the Aztec people become second-class citizens in Spanish America. European settlers have no problem perpetuating this status quo. Millions of Aztec people are now living as strangers on their own continental soil. They've lost their sovereignty, power, homeland and in some cases even their freedom. Pride is all they have left, and daily this is subjected to the status quo of second-class citizenship. The Aztec people have every reason to hate the Spaniards, and everything they brought with them to the Americas -- especially their religion. But less than 20 years later, virtually all of them simultaneously accept Jesus Christ and convert to Catholic Christianity by their own free will. The Spanish are left speechless, astonished by what just happened.

WHY?

Why would an entire civilization of people, who had been Pagans for thousands of years, and had every right to hate everything the Spanish settlers represented, suddenly and unexplainably embrace the Spaniards' religion as their own?

The answer is in a supernatural and miraculous visitation from heaven. In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a poor Christian Aztec named Juan Diego at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of Mexico City; she identified herself as the "Mother of the True God," instructed him to have the local bishop build a temple on the site, and as a sign she left an image of herself imprinted miraculously on his cloak (or 'tilma'). The tilma is a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of decay 470 years later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin.

The image appeared instantly and miraculously in front of many witnesses, some of them local dignitaries. The Lady instructed Juan to gather some roses from the site where she made her appearance to him. Since roses were out of season (it was December), this was to be a sign to the local bishop that the 'Lady from Heaven' had truly appeared to Juan Diego, and his story was true. He gathered the roses into his tilma and carried them to the local bishop who was meeting with some Spanish dignitaries at the time. As he dropped his garment to release the roses, the image of the Lady from Heaven miraculously and spontaneously appeared on the tilma. The bishop and his guests immediately fell to their knees in astonishment.

The Lady's only request was that a temple be erected on the hill where the apparition took place. The reason she gave for this was as follows: "I am the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth. I wish that a temple be erected here quickly, so I may therein exhibit and give all my love, compassion, help, and protection, because I am your merciful mother, to you, and to all the inhabitants on this land and all the rest who love me, invoke and confide in me; listen there to their lamentations, and remedy all their miseries, afflictions and sorrows." As the bishop agreed to grant the request, he sent Juan home to his uncle who had been sick with a terminal disease. During the course of the Marian apparitions to Juan, she had promised him that his uncle would be healed, but he had not seen him for a long time. So when he returned to his village, the bishop sent escorts to go with him and record everything they saw. When they got there, they found Juan's uncle well and joyously celebrating his healing. It was then Juan learned that on the very day the Lady promised Juan that his uncle would be healed, his uncle saw a vision of the Lady exactly as Juan had described to the bishop some time earlier. The two (Juan and his uncle) had not communicated during this whole time. Yet, their description of the Lady was exactly identical. The Lady told Juan's uncle that when he would go to see the bishop, to reveal to him what he had seen and to explain the miraculous manner in which he was healed, that she would properly be named the blessed Image, the ever-virgin Holy Mary of Guadalupe.

Now why should the Virgin Mary, appearing to an Indian in 16th century Mexico, and speaking to him in his native language of Nahuatl, call herself “Guadalupe”, a Spanish name?

It is believed that the Lady used the Aztec Nahuatl word of coatlaxopeuh which is pronounced "Gwad-a-lup-eh." Coa meaning serpent, tla being the noun ending which can be interpreted as "the", while xopeuh means to crush or stamp out. So the Lady may have called herself "the one who crushes the serpent." We must remember that the Aztecs worshipped the serpent-god Quetzalcoatl, and annually offered at least 20,000 men, women and children in human sacrifice to their Pagan gods. In 1487, in a 4-day long ceremony for the dedication of a new temple in Tenochtitlan, some 80,000 captives were killed in human sacrifice. Certainly in this case, the Lady 'crushed' the serpent, beacuse within a few years after her apparition to Juan Diego, nine million of these natives were converted to Christianity.

Modern infra-red studies of the image reveal unexplainable phenomena: The image was not painted, and the color did not penetrate the fibers as would paint. Weaving with such irregular fibers also produced a rough surface which would have distorted any simple surface painting, yet the image one sees is clear and undistorted.

Most remarkable about this image is the recent scientific research done on the Lady’s eyes. Magnified studies reveal the startling image of reflections, as if they were frozen onto the image the moment it appeared to the bishop and his guests nearly five-hundred years ago. One of the first doctors to study the eyes was Dr. Javier Torroella Bueno, MDS, a prestigious ophthalmologist. In what is the first report on the eyes of the image issued by a physician, he certifies the presence of the triple reflection (Samson-Purkinje effect) characteristic of all live human eyes and states that the resulting images are located exactly where they are supposed to be according to such effect, and also that the distortion of the images agree with the curvature of the cornea. In both eyes, the largest and most obvious reflection is of a "bearded man," probably the bishop's translator who interpreted the exchange between the Spanish speaking bishop and the native speaking Juan Diego.

A new and fascinating kind of analysis of the eyes started in 1979, when Dr. Jose Aste Tonsmann, Ph D, graduated from Cornell University, while working in IBM scanned at very high resolutions a very good photograph, taken from the original, of the face on the tilma. After filtering and processing the digitized images of the eyes to eliminate "noise" and enhance them, he made some astonishing discoveries: According to Dr. Tonsmann, from left to right we can see the Indian, Bishop Zumarraga, the translator, and Juan Diego showing the tilma.

The image of the Lady of Guadalupe has great symbolism. The Lady's image is surrounded by luminous light, standing on the moon, and the stars on her mantle reflect the description found in the Book of Revelation: "A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Revelation 12:1).

These are also symbols of divine victory over the pagan religion of the time. Sun rays were symbolic of the Aztec god Huitzilopochtle. Therefore, the Lady, standing before the rays, shows that she proclaims the true God who is greater than Huitzilopochtle and who eclipses his power.

She stands also on the moon. The moon represented night and darkness, and was associated with the god Tezcatlipoca. Here again, the Lady’s standing on the moon indicates divine triumph over evil.
Moreover, in Christian iconography, the crescent moon under the Lady’s feet also symbolizes perpetual virginity and is connected with the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception and the Blessed Assumption.

The stars on her mantle indicate that she comes from Heaven, her dress is also modeled after that of an Aztec queen. Interestingly, some research attests that the stars on the mantle appear exactly as they would have in the sky before dawn on the Morning of December 12, 1531, when the vision appeared.

The face of the Lady, with its complexion, dark hair, and dark eyes, reflects the physiognomy of a Native American. Her eyes are also cast downward, showing humility and compassion. In Aztec iconography, a god looked straight ahead with wide open eyes; the picture here then shows that the Lady does not claim to be God, but only His messenger and loving mother. The Lady is supported by an angel, another symbol of royalty among Native American cultures.

Her clothing also has special significance. The rose color of the Lady's dress has two interpretations, either as a symbol of the dawn of a new era, or as sign of martyrdom for the faith. A red dress is also interpreted as a symbol of virginity in eastern Christian iconography. The gold brooch under her neck represents sanctity. Finally the bow around her waist is another sign of virginity. However this bow has several other meanings in Native American culture: this bow was the nahui ollin, the flower of the sun, which was a symbol of plenitude, fecundity and new life. The high placement of the bow and the apparent swelling of the abdomen of the Lady have led many to conclude that she is pregnant in this image.

This image became a symbol of unity between European and Native American cultures in Central America. Both peoples could easily identify with it. As a result, virtually the entire Aztec empire (some nine million people in total), all of them Pagan, accepted Christ and converted to Catholic Christianity within a space of just a few years.

Today she remains the patron not only of Mexico, but of all the Americas, including Canada and the United States. She is the symbol of racial unity between the children of European settlers and American natives. She speaks to us only of the Lordship of her divine Son -- Jesus Christ -- and of his victory over the powers of hell. Through this image, the message is clear. The old ways of Pagan devotion to the false gods, must give way to true worship of the one true God. In this truth, all the American peoples (regardless of race and culture) will find unity and peace.

In today's modern world, she is also honored by Catholics on both American continents as the patron of our hemisphere and the protector of all children -- especially the unborn. In particular, this image of our Blessed Mother has been closely associated with the Pro-Life movement, because of the modern similarity of surgical and chemical abortion to the human sacrifice of ancient Aztec society. The Aztecs sacrificed human beings to their gods, particularly the serpent god Quetzalcoatl, in the hope of gaining favor and prosperity. While modern Americans no longer worship Aztec idols, many do still sacrifice their unborn children to the "gods" of prosperity and convenience. Instead of counting children as a blessing from the Lord, regardless of the circumstances in which they were conceived, modern American culture views them as a burden and an obstacle to material happiness. This attitude can only be spawned by Satan -- the Biblical serpent depicted in Genesis 3 and Revelation 12. The pregnant image of Our Lady reminds us of the blessings of the unborn and identifies the sin of abortion for what it really is -- human sacrifice. The image of Our Lady is the Mother of all the Americas, and she is calling us to remember her unborn Son -- Jesus Christ -- as we work to defend the unborn here in the New World.

ASSUMED

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Today is the Holy Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The Feast of the Assumption is when Catholics, Anglicans and Eastern Orthodox Christians remember that the Blessed Virgin Mary was Assumed (Translated or Raptured) into heaven at the end of her life.  This is similar to the way in which the Patriarch Enoch and the Prophet Elijah were Assumed to heaven in a similar way, having never tasted death or corruption.  Belief in the assumption of Mary was widely accepted by the early Christians, in spite of what our Evangelical friends would have us believe, and to this day there are no relics left behind of the Blessed Virgin.  This is highly unusual when one considered that the early Christians saved and venerated every bone and fragment of high profile Christians who had died.  The skeletons of Saints Peter and Paul can be found in Rome to this day.  Likewise, portions of all the original apostles and Biblical characters are venerated in shrines all throughout Europe and the Middle East.  Yet nothing remains of Jesus and Mary.  Their bodies are gone, having left this earth behind in total.  Jesus having ascended into Heaven, and Mary having been assumed (translated or raptured) into heaven.

Our Lady of America - The Time Has Come

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Regular readers of this blog know 'The Catholic Knight' is an American patriot, but at the same time I am (like so many others) frustrated with the things going on in our government, and the nation in general. In previous articles I have been highly critical of our nation's government and the emerging culture of death across the United States. Were I not a patriot, these things wouldn't bother me so much.

Statue of Our Lady of America

Because of our collective national sins (greed, sexual immorality, divorce, abortion, euthanasia and homosexuality), the United States of America is about to endure it's greatest trial since the Civil War (1861-1865). This trial will be economic in nature, but will likely have both political and social fallout. As an American, I cannot remain silent at this time, nor is criticism of my nation's problems enough to satisfy the needs of my country. I must point to a solution, and now more than ever, the time has come for Our Lady of America.

I am calling upon all Catholic Americans first, but secondly I am calling upon our Protestant friends of good will. Our time of division is quickly coming to an end. Our nation is falling, and the divisions between us have only aided it's destruction. In ancient times, according to the Old Testament, Jewish kings always placed their mothers at their sides as their queens. They may have had one wife or more, but none of these were placed beside them as queen. That honor was always reserved for the Jewish king's mother. Jesus Christ is Jewish, and the New Testament tells us he is not only the King of the Jews but also the King of kings. Therefore, if you believe in the Bible, regardless if you are Catholic or Protestant, you have to acknowledge one thing about Mary. According to Jewish tradition, she is the Queen alongside King Jesus, and that makes her not only Queen of the Jewish people, but Queen of every nation in the world. Jesus is the King of kings, and so that makes her the Queen of kings. If Jesus Christ is the King of America than Mary is the Queen of America. To deny Mary's queenship is to either deny the kingship of Jesus Christ or else deny his Jewish heritage. I assert again, citing Biblical precedence, Mary is the Queen of the United States of America, and of the whole world, and I defy anyone to prove me wrong using the Bible.

Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil

This one thing Catholic and Protestant Americans should be able to agree on, if indeed pride does not get in our way, and after all is said and done, it is both personal and national pride that has brought our nation to the economic brink. In the midsts of the political and social upheaval that shall soon follow the complete and total economic collapse, this one thing we must remember. Jesus is our King and Mary is our Queen. This is the Royal Family of the United States of America. Our government is to be subservient to "We The People" and "We The People" are to be subservient to our King and Queen.

The time has come for Our Lady of America to take center stage in the drama of our national history. In 1956 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in a vision to Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil in Rome City, Indiana. She appeared as Our Lady of Lourdes, drawing Sister Mildred's attention to that 19th century apparition in France wherein Our Lady revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception. (The United States was dedicated to the patronage of the Immaculate Conception in 1847, a full eight years before that doctrine was defined as infallible Catholic dogma by Pope Pius IX). In Sister Mildred's vision Our Lady said...

"I am pleased, my child, with the love and honor my children in America give to me, especially through my glorious and unique privilege of the Immaculate Conception. I promise to reward their love by working through the power of my Son's Heart and my Immaculate Heart miracles of grace among them. I do not promise miracles of the body, but of the soul. For it is mainly through these miracles of grace that the Holy Trinity is glorified among men and nations. Let America continue and grow in its love for me, and I in return, in union with the Heart of my Son, promise to work wonders in her. My child, I desire that this be known."

Of course with any Marian apparition there is almost always a message. What does Our Lady want of us? Why did she come? What is the message she's carrying to us from God? For the people of the United States, for all Catholic Americans, and for all Christian Americans in general, her message is one that cannot be argued, as it is in perfect alignment with the gospels. Our Lady calls us to live lives of purity and trust. Sister Mildred related the message given to her for our benefit as follows....

"I am Our Lady of America. I desire that my children honor me, especially by the purity of their lives."

“My child, I entrust you with this message that you must make known to my children in America. I wish it to be the country dedicated to my purity. The wonders I will work will be the wonders of the Soul. They must have faith and believe firmly in my love for them. I desire that they be the children of my Pure Heart. I desire, through my children of America, to further the cause of faith and purity among peoples and nations. Let them come to me with confidence and simplicity, and I, their Mother, will teach them to become pure like to my Heart that their own hearts may be more pleasing to the Heart of my Son."

In this visitation the Blessed Virgin Mary asked for no shrines to be built in her honor as Our Lady of America, but instead that a statue of her image be placed in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, where she may be venerated as Our Lady of America, the Immaculate Virgin. As she told Sister Mildred: "I desire to make the whole of America my shrine by making every heart accessible to the love of my Son." She continued....

"Behold, O my children, the tears of your Mother! Shall I weep in vain? Assuage the sorrow of my Heart over the ingratitude of sinful men by the love and chasteness of your lives. Will you do this for me, beloved children, or will you allow your Mother to weep in vain? I come to you, O children of America, as a last resort. I plead with you to listen to my voice. Cleanse your souls in the Precious Blood of My Son. Live in His Heart, and take me in that I may teach you to live in great purity of heart which is so pleasing to God. Be my army of chaste soldiers, ready to fight to the death to preserve the purity of your souls. I am the Immaculate One, Patroness of your land. Be my faithful children as I have been your faithful Mother."

Sister Mildred's Drawing
of Our Lady of America

Of course much more was said to the visionary Sister Mildred, not only by Our Lady, but by St. Joseph, St. Michael and Our Lord himself. Now we have heard of similar types of visions coming to other approved seers in the Church, such as Sister Faustina Kowalska, now a canonized saint and promoter of the popular devotion to the Divine Mercy. Likewise, the vision of Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil has received very high recognition and local approval in the Catholic Church. The devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of "Our Lady of America" enjoys complete canonical approval through former Archbishop of Cincinnati Ohio, the late Paul Francis Leibold. This approval of the late Archbishop Leibold was confirmed by Cardinal Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, while he was the Archbishop of St. Louis Missouri. The text of his review can be read here. Sadly, the message of the vision has come under attack in recent years, and controversy has erupted among different parties promoting the devotion, but in spite of that, Cardinal Burke reminds us it is a very beautiful devotion and especially fitting for our time.  We must remember that such controversies are often spawned by devils in a vain attempt to frustrate the work of our Lord and Lady.  Therefore, we should not let such petty controversies inhibit our devotion to the message of Our Lady given to Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil.

The following interview with Cardinal Burke, from "Inside the Vatican," will help shed some light on the matter....

Cardinal Raymond Burke
Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura
"I think it is a very beautiful devotion and
especially fitting for our time."

Question: Some devotees of Our Lady of America, are rather critical of the letter you wrote when you were Archbishop of St. Louis, claiming that the devotion had now been approved. They say that because Sister Mary Ephrem Neuzil (the seer who initiated and encouraged this devotion until her death in the year 2000) came from Ohio, it was not within your authority to write the letter?

Burke: I was simply asked to give a canonical opinion as to whether the devotion had ever been properly recognized. It was perfectly proper to ask me to write the letter because I have a certain knowledge of canon law and was provided all of the necessary documentation to reach a conclusion about the question of the approval of the devotion. After studying the documentation, I was able to write the letter. The letter was sent to my brother Bishops in the United States; it was not written to a wide audience. Before sending the letter, I sent a draft of it to the Archbishop of Cincinnati and the Bishop of Toledo, in whose jurisdiction Sister Mary Ephrem lived a good part of her religious life.

So what the letter simply says is that, yes, Archbishop Paul Leibold [a previous archbishop of Cincinnati] knew of this devotion from its beginning, when he was a priest, and eventually approved it.

I am sad there are these divisions in regard to the devotion, because I think it is a very beautiful devotion and especially fitting for our time. Our Lady’s message on the living of the Holy Trinity within us, and its manifestation in the purity of the young is so much needed in our culture, today.

I was not in a position to approve anything. You can criticize me for many things, but what I did in writing the letter was correct.

Question: Well because of the position you have now in Rome, can you expedite Mary’s request to have the statue of Our Lady of America enshrined at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC?

Burke: No, there is nothing I can do here. That decision entirely rests with the competent bishops in the United States.

source

The apparition came to Sister Mildred at a time when America still exhibited social inhibitions against sexual impurity. Little did Sister Mildred know that in just ten years time, the United States of America would be completely transformed by the "sexual revolution" into a nation that glorifies and celebrates impurity and sexual license.

Statue of
Our Lady of America

Much of what we know today as the "sexual revolution" was spawned by communist infiltrators into the Western world. The writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels demonstrate this, as it was Engels in particular who theorized that sexual license, the "liberation" of women from marriage, and the destruction of the traditional family, would help to usher in the socialist utopia of the communist state. Certainly it is reasonable to theorize that Soviet moles into Western colleges and the entertainment industry likely played a role in bringing about the "sexual revolution" in the Western world. The United States was in no way immune from this, but quite to the contrary, we succumbed to it easily. Just as Engels theorized, with rampant impurity came calls for greater socialist entitlement programs, big government, and massive federal spending. All of this was the precursor to our current economic woes.

The message of Our Lady of America is just as relevant today as it was in 1956, if not a thousand times more so. The source of America's greatest sins is our sexual impurity. It leads to everything from fornication, to adultery, to divorce, to artificial contraception, to abortion, to homosexuality, to child molestation, to socialism, to massive government debt and economic insecurity. Everything Our Lady of America said was true, and now we are about to pay the worst price our nation has paid in a hundred and fifty years.

However, all is not lost. As frustrated as I am with our current government, and as much as I believe every state retains to right to secede and become it's own country, I am absolutely convicted that the United States of America MUST be saved and preserved in it's current borders! Catholic Americans should learn and adhere to the message of Our Lady of America, and each of us must challenge our bishops to bring the message of this devotion to the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Washington DC, fulfilling Our Lady's request to Sister Mildred. With this our nation will see the BEGINNING of healing.

Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Washington DC, USA

For our Protestant brethren who may be reading this I only wish to say the following. I know that you have difficulty understanding Catholic devotion to Mary, and as a former Protestant myself I do not fault you for this. While I would like to encourage you to try to research and understand the nature of this devotion, I will not ask you to accept it at this time. Rather, I will ask you to consider the message of this devotion for sexual purity and total dedication to Jesus Christ. This is what Our Lady requested of us in the vision to Sister Mildred. That request for sexual purity in Jesus Christ is something that I know you cannot argue with. So in this one thing we can be unified. This is one thing you can support in our devotion to Mary, though you may disagree with the object of our devotion herself. Our nation is dying, along with our current way of life, and we all know the reason why. Let us unite together in Christ for it's renewal and rebirth by trusting Jesus Christ and living lives of sexual purity.

To my Catholic brethren, the time for waiting is over. The message of Our Lady of America MUST be heard, and it MUST be heeded. You can learn more about this vision here: OurLadyOfAmerica.com

CHASTISEMENT NOW

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: We are living in a very historic time. We have been warned, and many people believe we are already in the Chastisement of God prophetically foretold by Catholic saints and mystics in previous centuries. If indeed we are already in this Chastisement, it likely began in 1938 with the beginning of World War II and could last until 2038. The children of Fatima warned us that Our Lady foretold if the people did not repent, a greater war than World War I would follow, under the reign of Pope Pius XI, after a strange light in the night sky over Europe. On January 25th 1938, during the reign of Pope Pius XI, a solar storm produced an Aurora Borealis that was seen all over Europe and North America -- as far south as California in the United States. These lights were seen by Hitler himself and he took it as a "sign" to begin his war plans. On February 4th 1938, less than two weeks after the aurora was seen by the world, Hitler promoted himself to military chief in Germany. A month later he marched his army into Austria. This was one of the early aggressions that started World War II. At that point the Fatima prophecies cease to be conditional.

Did the Chastisement of God, foretold by our Catholic saints and mystics, begin in 1938? Is this the 75 to 100 year war of Satan against Christ's Church foretold by Pope Leo XIII in 1884, exactly 33 years before the Fatima apparitions? If indeed 1938 was the starting point, than the end point would be anywhere between 2013 and 2038. It is the last portion of this Chastisement (particularly the last four and a half years) which is prophesied to be the most bloody and the most terrifying. If the prophecies are accurate, this period will conclude with a cleansing of the Church, the fall of a good pope, the rise of a great pope in his place, and the coronation of a great Christian monarch in Europe that will mark the end of multiculturalism and secular republics. France is prophesied to produce this monarch.

As we look at the world around us it appears that many of the events that seemed so impossible in generations past are now becoming more of a plausibility. The three secrets of Fatima underscored a theme of apostasy for Europe.  That has already occurred, as Europeans turned away from Christianity in record numbers after World War II.  The whole continent is now "post-Christian."  As a result, Europe is now falling to Islam in a cultural sense.  Europe had already been plagued by Marxists for the last century. A Muslim-Marxist nexus seems inevitable now. The riotous events and civil wars now unfolding in the Islamic nations of North Africa and the Middle East mark the beginning of a new popular Islamic era that is sure to become increasingly unfriendly to the Western world. The multiculturalism in France, and other European nations, combined with the lack of Christian faith that swept the continent since World War II, is spawning a new wave of conservative nationalism, forcing European leaders in France, Germany and Britain to admit that multiculturalism is a complete failure. While we must say that recognition of the problem is a step in the right direction, we must also acknowledge that it's too little too late, and the events unfolding have reached the irreversible state. All of Europe will soon be plunged into civil war, likely to occur anytime within the next two decades, and the outcome will change the course of world history.

As for North America, particularly the United States, Canada and Mexico, there is only one defense. The only thing standing between us an a fate similar to Europe is a healthy and robust Christianity. Our governments need to stop attacking the values of our Christian faith, and our people need to turn back to Christianity in large numbers. This is the U.S. Catholic Church's grand opportunity to seize the moment and reclaim the majority of America's secular population for Rome. Sadly we don't see much effort in this regard coming from the general Roman Rite. Hopefully, with the grace of God, the emerging Anglican ordinariates in North America will do their part to pick up the slack.  If they don't, or if the general Roman Rite doesn't awaken from it's long slumber, the United States and Canada may soon be facing a similar fate as Europe.

OUR LADY OF GOOD HELP - The First Approved Marian Apparition In The U.S.A.

Our Lady of Good Help Shrine

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: It's official. Mary was HERE! On this continent and in this country - the United States of America. She spoke in English. She visited one of our own - an American immigrant girl named Adele Brice in Champion Wisconsin, a small village just outside of Green Bay. There are many claims of Marian apparitions in the United States, but for now anyway, only one is approved and without dispute. It is "Our Lady of Good Help." Here is what we can learn from this. The Virgin Mary saw fit to visit the United States, and she did this in 1859, just one year after she appeared in France to Saint Bernadette Soubirous, in what has come to be known there as the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes. In fact, the similarities between this visitation, and that at Lourdes, are quite remarkable. Clearly this apparition was part of a cascade of apparitions in the middle 19th century, in which Our Lady was trying to communicate a particular message to us. At Lourdes she identified herself as the Immaculate Conception, while at Champion she identified herself as the "Queen of Heaven." As wonderful and exciting as this is, we would be remiss to venerate the apparition without taking into account the message of Our Lady to Adele Brice. It was simple really. There is no complexity to it, no apocalyptic visions of the future, just an instruction and a promise....

"As they approached the hallowed spot, Adele could see the beautiful lady, clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist. Her dress fell to her feet in graceful folds. She had a crown of stars around her head, and her long, golden, wavy hair fell loosely around her shoulders. Such a heavenly light shone around her that Adele could hardly look back at her sweet face. Overcome by this heavenly light and the beauty of her amiable visitor, Adele fell on her knees.

" 'In God’s name, who are you and what do you want of me?’ asked Adele, as she had been directed.

“ ‘I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning, and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession, and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them’

“ 'Adele, who is it?'' said one of the women. 'O why can't we see her as you do?' said another weeping.

“ ‘Kneel,’ said Adele, ‘the Lady says she is the Queen of Heaven.’ Our Blessed Lady turned, looked kindly at them, and said, ‘Blessed are they that believe without seeing. What are you doing here in idleness…while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son?’

“ ‘What more can I do, dear Lady?’ said Adele, weeping.

“ ‘Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation’

“ ‘But how shall I teach them who know so little myself?’ replied Adele.

“ ‘Teach them,’ replied her radiant visitor, ‘their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing. I will help you.’ "

The manifestation of Our Lady then lifted her hands, as though beseeching a blessing for those at her feet, and slowly vanished, leaving Adele overwhelmed and prostrate on the ground.

The message was simple enough, and it is an instruction that carries through with relevance to this day, now more than ever. That wasn't the end of it though. There is more. Our Lady demonstrated her presence with a miracle exactly twelve years after the initial apparition. By this time Adele had become a religious sister. In 1871 a raging wildfire swept through Wisconsin destroying many of the settlements in the area. It was one of the worst in U.S. history. Rather than flee for their lives, Sister Adele and the faithful rushed to the shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. The fire completely surrounded the shrine, but rather than panic in fear they turned toward Our Lady and prayed. The fire engulfed everything in all directions, singeing the fence around the shrine on all sides, but the shrine, and the small plot of land it stood on were left untouched. There is a message in this for all of us. If we will simply turn to the Lord, and follow the instruction of His mother at Champion Wisconsin, we (the American people) can escape the spiritual. economic and social firestorm that will soon engulf our nation.

It all starts with the family. Parents, teach your children the Gospel and the Catechism. Parishes, do the same, at all costs, educate the children in the faith. It is our lack of sound traditionally orthodox education that has brought our national church, and this nation, to the brink of disaster.

The Catholic Church in the United States names Mary as our nation's patroness - The Immaculate Conception. The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is in Washington DC. In doing this the United States bishops have claimed this nation for Mary. Mary was claimed as the Patroness of America as far back as 1792 by Bishop John Carroll. Then in 1846, the Catholic Bishops of the United States assembled to officially proclaim "Mary Immaculate" as our nation's patroness...

"We take this occasion, brethren, to communicate to you the determination, unanimously adopted by us, to place ourselves and all entrusted to our charge throughout the United States, under the special patronage of the holy Mother of God, whose Immaculate Conception is venerated by the piety of the faithful throughout the Catholic Church. By the aid of her prayers, we entertain the confident hope that we will be strengthened to perform the arduous duties of our ministry, and that you will be enabled to practice the sublime virtues, of which her life presents the most perfect example."

This was a full eight years before the dogmatic proclamation from Rome declaring Mary the Immaculate Conception. Yes, the United States not only has a strong Catholic history, but also a strong Marian history. Our Lady of Good Help is a message to us about help - God's help. The people of this nation are precious to God. He loves us, and he wants to heal our land. Turn back to our Lord and our Lady! Raise your children in the faith - strongly. This is our way out. This is our nation's only help. The fire is coming. What will you do?

Our Lady of Fatima

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: It is the epic story of the 20th century with ramifications that reach us today.  It is the struggle of our day - the struggle between good and evil.  In 1917, during the height of World War I, three peasant shepherd children in Portugal reported a vision - an apparition of the Virgin Mary.  The whole thing might have been relegated to the pages of obscurity were it not for something remarkable.  The apparition told the three children that they were to return to the sacred place and meet with the Virgin Mary on the 13th day of every month for six consecutive months.  On the last visit, October 13, 1917, a sign would be delivered that would validate the apparitions to the Church and to the world.  So it happened, October 13th, 1917, on a day of pouring rain in Fatima Portugal, the children arrived to the usual place, where they were met by some 70,000 pilgrims seeking to know this apparition the children spoke of.  Some of them were curious.  Others were angry, feeling the children had led them on as a game.  Atheists were present as well, journalists from the national secular newspaper.  Pilgrims found themselves soaked by the downpours and ankle deep in mud.  When the apparition appeared to the children, few pilgrims saw only blue smoke where the Virgin Mary was said to be.  The children asked for the sign quickly for fear of what the crowed might do to them if it should be delayed.  They saw the Blessed Mother point upward, and when the three looked up, the crowed did as well.  At that moment the clouds parted and the rain stopped.  The sun was easily visible in the sky and was not painful to look at.  Suddenly the sun began to spin, whirl and change colors.  The vision was seen by all 70,000 pilgrims, and attested to even by the atheists.  As the crowed marveled at the sight, the sun began to fall, out of the sky and appeared as if it would directly land upon the crowed.  Panic struck and people began to scatter.  At that moment healings took place.  The blind could see, and the lame could walk.  Then the sun returned to it's place and everything was normal.  The clouds disappeared, and the day was bright and sunny.  The field, ankle deep in mud just moments ago, was now dry and firm.  Everyone's clothing was dry as well.  It was as if it had not rained at all.  The miracle at Fatima Portugal was attested to by all 70,000 witnesses, more people than witnessed the resurrected Christ nearly two-thousand years prior, and the event was reported in the liberal progressive newspaper O' Seculo.  It is considered an indisputable historic event.

Our Lady of Fatima

The miracle at Fatima was a sign, sent by God, to validate the message of the Virgin Mary to the three Portuguese peasant children.  It is a message for the Church and the whole world.  It was given to warn humanity of the grave threat of Marxism (communism and socialism).  The solar sign at Fatima came just days before the start of the Bolshevik Revolution that turned Russia from a Christian kingdom into a godless communist state.  The messages given to the children, later called "secrets," were specifically directed toward the people of the 20th century, right down to our very day in the early 21st century.  In summary, the "secrets" warned that if humanity did not repent of it's sins, God would send a greater war upon the people of the earth.  (That was World War II.)  Immediately after that war, Russia would spread it's communist/socialist errors around the world, using sexual immorality to weaken Christian civilization and infect the whole planet with it's lies.  (Some interpret the secrets to say that even the Church would be corrupted this way.)  The visions warned that sexual immorality sends more souls to hell than any other sin.  In the third and final "secret" a great calamity falls upon the Church and the pope himself suffers martyrdom.


Pope John Paul II believed he was the pope in the third "secret" because of the failed attempt on his life on May 13th of 1981, the sixty-fourth anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary to the Fatima children.  There are many however, who believe this failed assassination was merely are foreshadow of some later event yet to come.  Two things we know about this event.  First, the assassin, Mehmet Ali Ağca, was a mentally unstable Muslim.  Second, he was working in collaboration with the Soviet KGB.

The prophecy of the third "secret" is very direct.  The pope is killed, and clearly John Paul II was not, lending credence to the theory that the last Fatima "secret" prophecy has yet to be fulfilled.  Indeed, everything else the Fatima seers revealed has come true to the letter.  The Christian king of Russia was killed and Russia became a godless communist state, just as the children foretold months before the events.  There was a "greater war" (World War II) immediately following the foretold "great light" (aurora borealis) that would illuminate the night sky over Europe in 1938, just as the children foretold back in 1917.  World War II was greater than World War I, just as the children foretold.  Immediately after World War II, Russia began spreading it's communist/socialist errors around the world, just as the children foretold.  By the 1960s, the whole western world (Europe and North America) was immersed in sexual immorality (sexual revolution), which we later learned was promoted by communist agents embedded into Western universities, entertainment and popular media.  Since then, virtually every nation in the world (even the United States) has succumbed to outright socialism in some form or another, just as the children foretold.

Everything has come true, literally everything, just as they foretold.  The only problem is the 20th century is over, but it hasn't stopped.  The Soviet Union has fallen, but the communist/socialist errors of Russia (with all the sexual immorality attached) is still progressing right along as if nothing has changed.  It's as if the "errors of Russia" have taken on a life of their own and are now promoted by various Western nations as well.  The Church has suffered the worst sexual scandal in it's history, and is still reeling from the fallout with no apparent end in sight.  Everything the three little seers at Fatima foretold in their "secrets" has come true with pinpoint accuracy, but the most frightening prediction has come true in such a painful way that the long-term future effects are unthinkable.  Once Christian Europe has completely lost it's faith.  It has become a godless continent that is slowly being overrun by Muslims.  Yet, there is that looming prophecy about the pope.  If the martyred pope in the third "secret" is not John Paul II, than we still have that awful prospect to look forward to.  The message of Fatima is not over.  It's real and all around us.  We're living it!  We are the generation Our Lady warned.

There is hope however.  The overall message of the Virgin to the three children was that in the end, her Immaculate Heart (a grace given to her by her Son Jesus Christ) would prevail against the evils of this age.  She encouraged the children, and all of us, to live a life of prayer and purity.  She also gave specific devotions to make reparation for the sins of the world.  The message of Fatima is ultimately one of hope in a very dark and troubling time - our time.   It's a message that ultimately points to Jesus Christ.  Our Lardy of Fatima (the Virgin Mary) is HIS messenger and HE likely sent her to remind all Christians that the Catholic Church is HIS Church and they should all pursue unity with the Catholic Church.  This message is directed specifically toward the Eastern Orthodox, but also toward the Protestants as well.  In the end, when this prophetic episode of history comes to a close, the majority of Christians throughout the world will realize that.  Somehow in ways we cannot understand now, the "errors of Russia" will be purged from the world, and the Catholic Church will be renewed in a way not seen since the days of early Christianity.  That is the part of this epic that has yet to come - just as the children foretold.

The Prophecies of Fatima - It's Not Over Yet!

Sixty-five years ago today...




THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT remains convinced that there is yet something more to the last secret of Fatima, and I believe it has something to do with the clerical sex-abuse scandals, the current pope, and a coming Modernist rebellion within the Church.  Your thoughts?

Our Lady of Good Success

Our Lady’s Prophecies About the Twentieth Century

During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Our Lady of Good Success appeared in Quito, Ecuador to a Spanish nun whose little-known but extraordinary life has a direct connection with our days.

The Pope’s...

“...infallibility will be declared a dogma of Faith by the same Pope chosen to proclaim the dogma of the mystery of my Immaculate Conception. He will be persecuted and imprisoned in the Vatican through the usurpation of the Pontifical States and through the malice, envy, and avarice of an earthly monarch.”

“Unbridled passions will give way to a total corruption of customs because Satan will reign through the Masonic sects, targeting the children in particular to insure general corruption.

Unhappy, the children of those times! Seldom will they receive the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. As for the sacrament of Penance, they will confess only while attending Catholic schools, which the devil will do his utmost to destroy by means of persons in authority.

“The same will occur with Holy Communion. Oh, how it hurts me to tell you that there will be many and enormous public and hidden sacrileges!

“In those times, the sacrament of Extreme Unction will be largely ignored.… Many will die without receiving it, being thereby deprived of innumerable graces, consolation, and strength in the great leap from time to eternity.

“The sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be thoroughly attacked and profaned. Masonry, then reigning, will implement iniquitous laws aimed at extinguishing this sacrament. They will make it easy for all to live in sin, thus multiplying the birth of illegitimate children without the Church’s blessing…

“Secular education will contribute to a scarcity of priestly and religious vocations."

“The holy sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this both the Church and God Himself are oppressed and reviled, since He is represented by His priests.

The devil will work to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every way, working with baneful cunning to destroy the spirit of their vocation and corrupting many. Those who will thus scandalize the Christian flock will bring upon all priests the hatred of bad Christians and the enemies of the One, Holy, Roman Catholic, and Apostolic Church. This apparent triumph of Satan will cause enormous suffering to the good pastors of the Church...and to the Supreme Pastor and Vicar of Christ on earth who, a prisoner in the Vatican, will shed secret and bitter tears in the presence of God Our Lord, asking for light, sanctity, and perfection for all the clergy of the world, to whom he is King and Father.”

“Unhappy times will come wherein those who should fearlessly defend the rights of the Church will instead, blinded despite the light, give their hand to the Church’s enemies and do their bidding. But when [evil] seems triumphant and when authority abuses its power, committing all manner of injustice and oppressing the weak, their ruin shall be near. They will fall and crash to the ground.

“Then will the Church, joyful and triumphant like a young girl, reawaken and be comfortably cradled in the arms of my most dear and elect son of those times. If he lends an ear to the inspirations of grace – one of which will be the reading of these great mercies that my Son and I have had toward you – we shall fill him with graces and very special gifts and will make him great on earth and much greater in Heaven. There we have reserved a precious seat for him because, heedless of men, he will have fought for truth and ceaselessly defended the rights of the Church, deserving to be called ‘martyr.’”

“At the end of the nineteenth century and throughout a great part of the twentieth, many heresies will be propagated in these lands.…

“The small number of souls who will secretly safeguard the treasure of Faith and virtues will suffer a cruel, unspeakable, and long martyrdom. Many will descend to their graves through the violence of suffering and will be counted among the martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the country and the Church.

“To be delivered from the slavery of these heresies, those whom the merciful love of my Son has destined for this restoration will need great will-power, perseverance, courage, and confidence in God. To try the faith and trust of these just ones, there will be times when all will seem lost and paralyzed. It will then be the happy beginning of the complete restoration….

“In those times the atmosphere will be saturated with the spirit of impurity which, like a filthy sea, will engulf the streets and public places with incredible license…Innocence will scarcely be found in children, or modesty in women.

“He who should speak seasonably will remain silent.

“There shall be scarcely any virgin souls in the world. The delicate flower of virginity will seek refuge in the cloisters.…Without virginity, fire from heaven will be needed to purify these lands.…

“Sects, having permeated all social classes, will find ways of introducing themselves into the very heart of homes to corrupt the innocence of children. The children’s hearts will be dainty morsels to regale the devil.…

“Religious communities will remain to sustain the Church and work with courage for the salvation of souls.… The secular clergy will fall far short of what is expected of them because they will not pursue their sacred duty. Losing the divine compass, they will stray from the way of priestly ministry mapped out for them by God and will become devoted to money, seeking it too earnestly.

“Pray constantly, implore tirelessly, and weep bitter tears in the seclusion of your heart, beseeching the Eucharistic Heart of my most holy Son to take pity on His ministers and to end as soon as possible these unhappy times by sending to His Church the Prelate who shall restore the spirit of her priests”