Knight No. 20 April — June 2020 of the Immaculata The 20th Anniversary of the Militia Immaculatæ Traditional Observance Militia Immaculatæ Traditional Observance Index 6 St. Maximilian on the 20th Anniversary of the M.I. 7 The 20th Anniversary of the Militia Immaculatæ Traditional Observance 14 International Headquarters of the Militia Immaculatæ 21 The presentation of the M.I. Poland 22 The presentation of the M.I. Philippines 23 The presentation of the M.I. Switzerland 24 The presentation of the M.I. Belgium 25 The presentation of the M.I. Germany 26 The presentation of the M.I. Great Britain 27 The presentation of the M.I. Ireland 27 The presentation of the M.I. Eastern Europe 28 The presentation of the M.I. Australia 28 The presentation of the M.I. Sri Lanka 29 The presentation of the M.I. Singapore 30 The presentation of the M.I. Colombia 30 The presentation of the M.I. Peru 31 Assistance for Fr. Karl Stehlin — the Director of the M.I. 31 New Knights in France 32 Knights in a school in Gabon 33 160 new Knights in Long Prairie (USA) 33 M.I. Growth in District GB & Scandinavia 35 About the Militia Immaculatæ Publisher: Fundacja Militia Immaculatæ, ul. Garncarska 34, 04-886 Warsaw, Poland Editors: Neville Philip (India), Howard Toon (Great Britain), Ibeth María Cárdenas Vallejo (Colombia), Alicja Walszyńska-Jaworska (Great Britain) If you want to cooperate, please write to: [email protected] Militia Immaculatæ The Knighthood of the Immaculate Virgin Mary of the Traditional Observance Booklet for order Become a Knight of the Immaculate Virgin Mary by joining the Militia Immaculatæ, founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1917. Learn the objectives of the M.I., conditions for joining, and procedure for becoming a member. This book includes the origin and history of the M.I., explanatory notes by St. Maximilian Kolbe himself, indulgences granted to the M.I., and the ceremony of enrolment into the M.I. Orders: www.kolbepublications.com Interview with the Director of the M.I. Interview with the Rev. Father Karl Stehlin the Director of the Militia Immaculatæ Traditional Observance Father, on the 6th of May 2000, So I asked the Superior Gen- 20 years ago, the Militia Im- eral, who allowed me to found it maculatæ was re-founded in Po- for Poland. land. Can you tell us how it came about? How exactly did the founda- I myself never thought of such tion take place, was there a sol- a thing. Although I knew of emn act? St. Maximilian, I had never been It was on the First Saturday, the deeply involved with the Militia 6th of May 2000, I think, during Immaculatæ that he founded. the adoration of atonement. We It was various believers, mostly took the consecration ceremony students, who explained to me which St. Maximilian had already the importance and great apos- used and which was obligatory for tolic power of this Army of Mary admission until 1974. and asked me to save the M.I. for tradition, since the modern M.I. Every beginning is hard. How has completely departed from the did the M.I. develop in the first ideal of the founder. years? 4 April — June 2020 (No. 20) Only very slowly. In Poland laid there too, but only to 3–4 there was certainly a lot of interest eager Marian priests. Through at the beginning, but after about the book The Immaculata — Our a year, the M.I. limited itself to Ideal the traditional M.I. be came the admission ceremonies at the better and better known. In 2007 end of the annual pilgrimage to it was founded in Switzerland. Czestochowa. Since many foreign In 2007, when many new be- believers took part in this pilgrim- lievers came to Mass in Poland age, the M.I. became known es- through the Motu Proprio Sum- pecially in France, Switzerland morum Pontificum, the M.I. finally and the USA. woke up in its home country: the Since 2002 the Capuchins of number of Knights quadrupled Morgon have been interested in within a year. the M.I. and received permission At the same time the Superior to found it in France. In the fol- General wrote to the Superiors lowing years they admitted over of the Priestly Fraternity inviting 2000 knights. In 2004 I preached them to get to know this important retreats about the M.I. in the USA, apostolic means. Thus the interest and so the foundation stone was in the M.I. grew more and more. Knights of the Immaculata in Fatima (2017) 5 Interview with the Director of the M.I. pointed me as international mod- erator, i.e. Director of the M.I. Certainly the Mary Mission Tour (Pilgrimage of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima) was an ex- traordinary event throughout the Philippines with about 50,000 ad- missions to the M.I., but certainly also the structuring of the M.I., and the provision of ever more numerous materials (wonderful medals, leaflets, brochures, books, etc.). Knights in Vanuatu (the island in the In 2018, the Superior General Pacific Ocean) organized pilgrimage after enrolment into the M.I. wrote a preface to the Handbook of the M.I. for priests and coordi- nators, whereby the M.I. was wel- Besides the Franciscans, the Do- comed by the Superiors almost minicans and contemplative Do- everywhere and it is now spread minicans were interested in the in 62 countries. Militia Immaculatæ. When you look back on the 20 From when did the great diffu- years of the M.I., what do you sion of the M.I. begin and what consider to be its greatest fruits? external factors played a role in The fruits of the M.I. are invisi- it? ble for the most part: it is the work A first wave was certainly of the Immaculata, which gives it around the year 2011–2012, when Knights in bulk, as they want to be more and more priests reported instruments to help her save souls. about the apostolic fruitfulness of Various faithful report that M.I. Then in 2014 the M.I. was through membership in the M.I. founded in Germany and various their families have been saved countries in Asia. In 2016, when because it has been understood the number of Knights exceeded that Mary uses the spouses as in- 10,000, the Superior General ap- struments to infuse her graces of 6 April — June 2020 (No. 20) conversion and sanctification into think as little as possible about the hearts of the children and the being "instruments of the Immac- other spouse. Older people found ulata". And unfortunately he suc- through the M.I. a great motiva- ceeds in this very often. tion to offer the infirmities of old In concrete terms, we have age as sacrifices for the salvation seen his revenge in the Philip- of souls and thus to be the most pines, where we have seen a great important and successful Knights number of the Knights who were in their old age. admitted to the Philippines be- ing taken away by their modern- Are there special miracles of ist priests: sometimes they were grace that the Immaculata has asked to throw away their medals worked through the M.I.? because they had been imposed Surely it is the priestly and re- by 'false priests'. ligious vocations that have been and will be awakened by mem- Can it be said that the M.I. is bership in the M.I. In addition, even more necessary today than the M.I. magazines report again it was when St. Maximilian Kol- and again about wonderful con- be founded it, and if so, why? versions, but also about wonderful God has determined that He salvation from great danger and usually only gives His graces to deepest need. people when He has instruments that help Him. In this way, Christ, The opponent of the Immacu- lata must hate the M.I., because his defeat by the snake trampler is even mentioned in the statutes. Have you experienced this spe- cifically? Probably the worst thing for the Devil is that you diminish his 'army' by snatching souls from his fetters. That is why he does everything to make sure that the Knights merely fall asleep and Knights in Mackay (Australia) 7 Interview with the Director of the M.I. the Marian Movements. Through modernism the sense for the work of salvation has been complete- ly lost. Mary has almost lost her army because most people either no longer believe or understand the words "salvation from the dan- ger of hell", liberation from the scourge of a heresy or the misery of sin. The M.I. is therefore the school that brings these fundamental truths back to the people. And since the M.I. is addressed to all In 2016 Knights in the Philippines Catholics (not only to an elite), organized Mary Mission Tour — the pilgrimage through whole Philippines. it is almost the only means that The pilgrimage finished in 2017 gives Mary today the so neces- sary tools to transmit her graces the Redeemer and eternal High to souls. Priest will continue his work of salvation in space and time only Why should I as a Catholic with the help of the priests. Thus join the M.I.? Mary, the Mediatrix of all grac- Because every Catholic, ac- es, will also only give her graces cording to his Confirmation, of conversion and sanctification should be a "soldier and witness when she has instruments, chan- of Christ" for the spreading of the nels, as it were, through which the Kingdom of Christ.