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Home , Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary

WORLD BOARD OF TRUSTEES APOSTOLA E OF FATIMA, USA President...... John A. Kostrubanic Erie Diocesan Division Vice President...... John M. Walsh A Public Association of the Faithful Treasurer...... Walter Jakopac for the Universal Church Secretary...... Marilee Hylant Bishop...... Lawrence T. Persico, J.C.L. Dionne Orner • E. William Sockey III Spiritual Director...... Fr. Jerry S. Priscaro Rodney 'Andrew' Housler • Bonnie Housler Asst. Spiritual Director...... Fr. Marc Kristin Stravinsky

“I invoke upon you ... all Erie Diocesan Blue Army members ... joy and peace ... and my Apostolic Blessing.” John Paul II “I bless your work and your Apostolate.” Pope Benedict XVI 2020 January, February, March, April St. 's Great Devotion to the Blessed Mother The great , St. Alphonsus Liguori, had a great graces should come to us by the devotion to our Blessed Mother. He wrote what I believe to be, and hands of Mary.” He states: “This what numerous Theologians and Scholars believe to be, the finest is a most consoling truth” to both literary masterpiece of information ever assembled about the Blessed those “souls tenderly devoted to our Mother, five books in all, combined into one volume entitled: “The Most Blessed Lady, and for poor Glories of Mary”. sinners who wish to repent.” He also is, perhaps, the single greatest collection of asserts that Mary gave spiritual birth books, spanning nearly eighteen centuries of teachings about the to all the members of the church, past, Blessed Mother and her important role as Co-Redemptrix when it present, and future, when Jesus said comes to our . on Mt. Calvary “Behold Your Mother”. Book One explains the words of the , along with how As for Mary’s intercessory abilities, and why God gave Mary to humanity as the Gate of Heaven. Book St. Alphonsus said: “God, to glorify the mother of the Redeemer,” two focuses on numerous feasts of the Blessed Mother. Book three determined “she should intercede on behalf of all of these.” highlights the Seven Sorrows of Mary and shows how sacrifices Among his most inspirational sayings are: “The Blessed is so made by Mary were longer and even greater than those offered up great, so sublime, that the more she is praised, the more there remains by all of the other martyrs. Book four reveals, and explains in depth, to praise,” so much so, “that if all the tongues of men were put together ten different virtues our Blessed Mother exhibited in her lifetime. they would not suffice to praise her as much as she deserves.” Book five contains several dozen famous prayers, meditations, and Worldly lovers often speak of those whom they love, and praise devotions to Mary. them in order that the object of their affections may be praised and St. Alphonsus Liguori composed his five books into one volume, as exalted by others. St. Alphonsus says some pretend to be lovers of the Glories of Mary, by researching and quoting from many writings Mary, yet they seldom speak of her or about her. Their love is not so of and holy authors who lived, during the eighteen centuries great. Her lovers desire to praise her on all occasions, and to see her before him. He quotes the Sacred Scriptures too, as they pertain loved by the whole world, never losing an opportunity, either in public to Mary. He writes in such a way, that the reader easily becomes or private, of enkindling in the hearts of others those blessed flames convinced, this man had a very intimate, loving, spiritual relationship of love with which they themselves burn towards” this... .”beloved with a woman he came to know so well, through historical research, Queen.” Everyone should be persuaded on how important this is. prayer, and reflection, even though he never had the opportunity to He said: “Those who speak of the glories of Mary are certain meet her in person. of Heaven. To honor the Queen of Angels is to gain eternal life.” If you’re looking for a man totally dedicated, in every way, to St. Alphonsus asserted that this most gracious lady will honor and devotion to the Blessed Mother, and recognition of her divine maternity remember in the next world those who honor and remember her in this and mission, you need look no further. He’s the one saint who knows world. Showing great earthly devotion to Mary, St. Alphonsus Liguori and writes just about everything one would want to know about her. fasted on bread and water every Saturday in honor of the Mother You could say, St. Alphonsus is the St. of his day of God. On his table he always kept a picture of Our Lady of Good and age, when it comes to giving a nearly complete summary about Counsel which he often gazed upon with great love and before which the Blessed Mother, spanning nearly two millennium, with plenty more he frequently prayed for comfort in the trials of life. of his own personal insights. St. Alphonsus frequently visited churches dedicated to the Mother St. Alphonsus asserted that”... it is the will of God that all of God. On his arrival at St. Agatha church he discovered there was continued on page 4 HOME ENTHRONEMENT PROGRAM Welcome the Hearts of Jesus and Mary into your Home today ... Welcome the Hearts of Jesus and Mary into your home through the “For a Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Home Enthronement Program. Many blessings, graces, protection and is a man on fire with love, who spreads its the assurance of Jesus’s 12 promises as given to Saint Margaret Mary flames wherever he goes. He desires mightily and strives by all means when we entrust and enthrone our hearts, family, and home to Him are possible to set the whole world on fire with God’s love. Nothing daunts waiting. The Enthronement also includes making a consecration to our him; he delights in privations, welcomes work, embraces sacrifices, beautiful Mother, the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary. We need smiles at slander, and rejoices in suffering. His only concern is how Them in our life, in our homes and to take Their hands to navigate us in he can best follow Jesus Christ and imitate Him in working, suffering, our life and world. I can attest I hold on to Their loving hands each day and striving constantly and single-mindedly for the greater glory of and know They do not leave my side nor will they yours or your precious God and the salvation of souls.” — St. Anthony Mary Claret family’s. Do you have family struggles and would love peace in your If you would like to get your home Enthroned, please contact. homes? Has your faith lost its fervor? Do you worry about your children Mrs. Kristin Stravinsky Home Enthronement Chairperson. and all they are up against? Is there anything that is disturbing you in your home? Is your marriage and family in need of renewal? Do you want at 903-495-2020 or [email protected] protection of your home and family? If you have answered yes to any of We would like to congratulate the following families these questions, then you may want to prayerfully consider having your whom recently have had their homes Enthroned. home Enthroned. Christ longs to have us invite Him into our homes, for He will not force His way in. Once the invitation is made, the graces just May God bless these overflow! Our love for the Sacred Heart and His Mother’s Immaculate beautiful families and a Heart will never be outdone. I have personally witnessed conversions, special 'thank you' Peace, love, tepid souls growing fervently, signal graces, protection from for all the priests willing natural disasters and much more. to conduct the ceremonies As Jesus said to St. : “Behold this Heart in their homes which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love.” All Enthronements. Oh, how Christ loves you! Let us be on fire for Him! conducted by Father Jerry Priscaro

Justin and Louise Blose Family Dr. Jacqueline Phillips. October 20, 2019 October 6, 2019 Bertha Siggia Family - August 25, 2019

PRAYER GROUPS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO JOIN: • Adult Fatima Apostolate on Monday evening from 6 to 7 at Sacred Heart Church in St. Marys. • First Saturday Fatima Children’s prayer group at Mrs. Bonnie Housler’s home from 10 until 11 am, call 814-834-3214; this is a new cell for the children. • Rosary said at 8 am Sunday mornings at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Church in Girard, Pa. • Rosary for the children at the Walsh residence at 5916 Carriage Hill Dr., Erie every 3rd Thursday at 7 pm for 45 minutes. • Rosary at St. George every 1st Saturday at the 8 o’clock Tim and Stacy. Mass with confession, Communion and fifteen minutes for private Malesiewski Family. meditation; all being offered in reparation for the five blasphemies September 1, 2019 committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. • St. Gregory parish prays the Rosary and Caplet of Divine Mercy M T W - F, Thursday is in Church or at Mercyhurst Chapel. When the Angel of Portugal appeared to the three children in 1916, he told Rosary after 1st Saturday Mass honoring Her Immaculate Heart. them to say the following prayer three times. It is a good prayer to cut • Punxsutawney Rosary cell meets every Tuesday evening at 6 pm, out of OLC, commit it to memory, and say often. To Jesus through Mary. cell leader Mary McSteen. Most holy , father, son and holy ghost, I adore you • Rosary at Our Lady of Peace every 1st Saturday after the 8 am Mass profoundly and I offer you the most precious body, blood, soul and every day Monday thru Friday at 11:40 am before the 12:10 Mass. and divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles • Rosary cell at St. Church in Fryburg at 7 pm, of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and 2nd Tuesday of the month. indifference by which He is offended. And by the infinite • Rosary recited at St. Lawrence Church in Albion at 4:30 pm merits of His most sacred heart and through the Immaculate before the Mass; come to Church early and prepare yourself for Mass. Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners. 2 We know that our Blessed Mother appeared six times in Why do the Cross for us to open the gates to heaven. We offer our 1917 to the three children in Fatima on the 13th of each prayers and sacrifices in reparation “for the outrages, sac- month; all except for the month of Aug when the “Admin- we have to rileges and indifference by which He is offended”. Surely, istrator of the Council of Vila Nova de Ourem abducted the you have heard the statement, ‘Jesus already died for sins seers, took them to his house, where he kept them for two sacrifice of the world, what are we sacrificing for?’ days, trying by threats and through fear, to make them con- and In St. John Paul the Great, His Five Loves, it is writ- tradict themselves, showed himself afterwards to be visibly ten: “Many who were raised in Catholic homes or educated impressed and declared that he would no longer interfere in suffer? in Catholic schools recall parents or instructing them such kinds of matters.” They did not get to the Cova da Iria on the to ‘offer it up’ if they didn’t like something: ‘It’s too cold? Offer it 13th of Aug; however She did appear to them, probably on the 15th up.’ Unfortunately for most children and students, this sounds like a and one of the things She said was: “Pray, pray very much, and make religious way of saying, ‘Stop complaining.’” sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none “The idea of ‘offering it up’ comes from the writings of Saint Paul, to sacrifice themselves and pray for them.” With that she rose into the who exclaimed, ‘Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in air and moved towards the east before disappearing. my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake When we think of prayer and sacrifices, we think of suffering. In the of His body, that is, the Church’ (Col 1:24). At first, it sounds at least Sunday bulletin of Sts. Cyril & Methodius Church in Girard, Pa. Father presumptuous – and perhaps even blasphemous – that a mortal man John related: “Suffering gives us the opportunity to show that we love would somehow make up what’s ‘lacking’ in the suffering of Christ. God as His true children and not as hirelings who look only for rewards. Did Jesus not suffer enough? What Paul is asserting is that Jesus did If throughout our lives God only showered us with joy and blessings, and not die so humans would never have to suffer, but so that they would we loved Him for it, our love would not be real; we would love Him not know how to suffer. The Passion of Christ removed the threat of for Himself but for His gifts. But when He allows afflictions to come to eternal suffering while revealing the power of temporal suffering.” us and we continue to love Him through it, then our love is made real, Temporal suffering, being our suffering. tested and proved.” In the same sense, Our Mother asks us to take these “In becoming man, Christ redeemed all things human: human labor, opportunities to make reparation for the sins of the world and make the human love, human suffering, and so on. Each part of man’s existence offering: ‘for the love of Jesus, the conversion of sinners, and in repara- can take on a supernatural significance if only one has the eyes to tion for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.’ “We see. (My emphasis) In the case of suffering, through His Passion, rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and death and Resurrection, Jesus sufficiently merited all the graces endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope necessary for the redemption of mankind. And if individuals suffer with does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our Him, they can participate in the distribution of these graces to mankind. hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Rom 5 3-5).” It does not matter if the suffering is a bloody martyrdom, a toothache, St. Paul, in his epistle to the Philippians (ch 2:14) said: In everything unemployment, a rebellious child, or an alcoholic spouse. All things you do, act without grumbling or arguing; prove yourselves innocent can be offered up as a prayer, and the intensity of suffering is not as and straightforward, children of God beyond reproach in the midst of important as the degree of love with which one embraces each cross.” a twisted and depraved generation…” And in (ch. 3:15-19) he says: “Once a person discovers the meaning of suffering, it can be trans- “Unfortunately, many go about in a way which shows them to be formed into a powerful act of intercession. But the person who re- enemies of the Cross of Christ. I have often said this to you before; this mains ignorant of its potential spiritual power could be compared to time I say it with tears. Such as these will end in disaster! Their god an illiterate person holding a winning lottery ticket. So much value, is their belly and their glory is in their shame. I am talking about those all gone to waste.”… who are set upon the things of this world.” It is for these people that Members of our Lady’s Blue Army offer the pains and sorrows in we sacrifice and pray, trying to make amends for the sins of the world, this life for the love of Jesus, His Mother, the Holy Trinity and the for the bad marriages, for impurity (which our Mother said sends most conversion of sinners; if everyone would do this, do you think there souls to hell), for sacrileges committed against our Lord in the Blessed would be peace in the world? Consider signing a Pledge and join our Sacrament, and for indifference. Blessed Mother’s Apostolate; call, write, email, or text us for further These messages from St. Paul, the Blessed Virgin, the Angel of Portu- information. God be with you. gal are for you and me to save our souls, they are warnings from heaven John Kostrubanic, President and promises if we listen. Jesus went through the Passion and died on Sources: Documents on Fatima and memoirs of Sister Lucia; John Paul the Great by Jason Evert

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Remember In Your Prayers St. Alphonsus Liguori's Great Devotion to the Blessed Mother continued from front cover Our Holy Father, ; our Bishop Lawrence Persico; our no statue of the Mother of God. So he commissioned an artist to paint a life- Spiritual Director Father Jerry Priscaro, size portrait of the on the back wall of the sanctuary, our assistant Spiritual Director Father above the tabernacle. It was completed in spectacular fashion. It was his pious Marc Solomon, all Bishops, priests and custom to distribute to members of his Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer religious. Please keep the officers, co- () a large rosary to be worn on the side of their habit as an ordinators, Chapter and cell leaders, helpers obligation and a sign of their special devotion to the Mother of God. In addition, who do the labeling, tabbing, all the volun- St. Alphonsus was known to wear a rosary around his neck. He was known to teers assisting at the devotions in your prayers; the distribute pictures of the Mother of God wherever he happened to be. He wore WAF could not function without their help. four scapulars devoutly around his neck: (1) Mt. Carmel; (2) The Immaculate Pray for Mrs. Agnes Priscaro, - mother of Father Conception; (3) The Seven Sorrows; and (4) The Blessed Trinity. Jerry Priscaro, Mrs. Anne Scherer, past Home As amazing as all of this is, we need only look to his writings, prayers, Enthronement coordinator and Mrs. Mary Terrill,. paintings, and songs devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. There can be no doubt mother of our Home Enthronement Director, Kristin of the great love of St. Alphonsus Liguori for our Blessed Mother. His life was Stravinsky. Pray for the health of Kristin Stravinsky. filled with her constant presence. He knew her as well as his own mother. His Pray for the repose of the soul of  Norbert love for Mary was always lived in the context of Jesus Christ as the absolute Figurski, who passed into eternity on Oct. 25, 2019. center of his life. He clearly stated that there is no Marian theology or spirituality Norb lived 86 faithful years; he served our Lord and apart from Christianity. It is Jesus who is central and from whom all Marian His Blessed Mother for many years and was one of devotion takes it’s true meaning. the founding members of the Erie Division of Our In 1787, as he was dying in Pagani, , he held an image of Mary in his Lady’s Blue Army in 1971 under the guidance of hands. At the sound of the , he breathed his last. When his body was Spiritual Director, Father Edward Feeney. Our condo- exhumed several years after his burial, the four scapulars along with the rosary lences go out to his wife, Marlene and family. May around his neck and the rosary along his side were found to be intact with no God have mercy on the souls of those founders and all deterioration. The most memorable words of St. Alphonsus which he would often past members of our Lady’s Blue Army. Eternal rest, say were: “She is our Mother. She will bring us to Heaven.” eternal memory. Father Jerry S. Priscaro, Spiritual Director / World Apostolate of Fatima / Diocese of Erie