Our Lady of America The Immaculate Virgin Part IV

In case you had not read this next item on the Our Lady of America website, this is the final posting of a four day post devoted to presenting what we feel is one of the most thorough explanations of the Our Lady of America apparitions and messages that has been presented so far.

It is the homily given by Father Peter Damian Mary Fehlner, F.I. on August 5, 2006 at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of The Angels Monastery in Hanceville, AL. You can download the complete document at www.ourladyofamerica.com.

Text of Homily
Presented by Father Peter Damian Mary Fehlner, F.I.
Feast of The Dedication of The Basilica of Saint Mary Major
August 5th, 2006
Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament,
Our Lady of The Angels Monastery
Hanceville, AL – USA

Part III

Throughout the rest of 1958 and 1959 Our Lady continued to exhort and warn about the urgency of her requests. “See, I weep, but my children show me no compassion. They behold the sword in my heart, but will make no move to withdraw it. I give them love, they give me ingratitude. Weep, then, dear child, weep with your Mother over the sins of men. Intercede with me before the throne of mercy, for sin is overwhelming the world and punishment is not far away.”

The third group of messages (1960-1964) begins with the request of Our Lady, 4 April, 1960, that Sister Mary Ephrem write the then Archbishop of Cincinnati, Karl Alter, that he strike the medal of Our Lady of America. This request of Our Lady was only carried out by his successor as Archbishop, Paul Leibold (1969-1972).

Our Lady insisted upon this first step, most probably because of the symbolism of the medal. One side bears the image of Our Lady of America, viz., of the Immaculate Virgin Coredemptrix, Patroness of America. Around the image are the words: “By your Holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, deliver us from evil,”, an aspiration profoundly expressive of the mystery of the Immaculate Coredemptrix whose preservative redemption is the means of our liberative or deliverative redemption.

On the other side is the Coat of Arms of the Christian Family. The divine indwelling is represented by the Triangle and the Eye on the red shield of the Precious Blood through which sanctifying grace was made possible to fallen man. The sanctification of the family through the imitation of the Holy Family is represented by the Cross and two lilies, on each of which is depicted a burning heart. The flaming sword is a symbol of Divine Love so necessary to attain union with God, while the Rosary indicates a most profitable means of drawing closer to the Holy Family, through devout meditation on the various Mysteries. The scroll above bears the inscription: “Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto” and the one below: “Jesu, Maria, Joseph.” These aspirations are simply explanations of the whole theme and are also acts of praise to the Trinity and the Holy Family.

This medal is to be worn with great faith and fervent devotion to Our Lady for the grace of intense purity of heart and for the particular love of the Holy Virgin and her divine Son.

With the death of Archbishop Leibold in 1972, and the subsequent suppression of contemplative branch of the Precious Blood Sisters, all promotion of the messages so profoundly and simply synthesized in the Medal effectively ceased. Between 1980 and Jan. 3, 1984, date of the final message, Our Lady often spoke with Sister Mary Ephrem, lamenting the fact that nothing was being done to renew that faith so precisely described by the Medal and for the sake of which the Medal is to be worn. The Virgin Mother further warned that the time remaining to do penance for world peace and to avoid a nuclear holocaust was very short, that her efforts to avert human catastrophe were being frustrated by teachers of false doctrine, by persons in high places in the Church disobeying the Pope, by those promoting false spirits rather than the Spirit of Jesus.

During the final appearance of Our Lady Sr. Mary Ephrem asked her whether there would be a nuclear war. The question no doubt was prompted by earlier warnings concerning the role expected of America in the plans of the Immaculate Coredemptrix for peace. She had more than once pointed our that the role of America was precisely that of leading the nations in the restoration of family life based on the purity of Mary and Joseph. If America cooperated wholeheartedly as a consequence of the initiative of the American Bishops taken to promote devotion to the Immaculate Coredemptrix under the title Our Lady of America, and the rest of the world accepted this, no nuclear holocaust would occur. If America did its part, but the world failed to respond, America at least would be spared. But if Mary’s love for America continued to be met with ingratitude and refusal on the part of the majority to do penance and reform, particularly on the part of the clergy, then America would suffer more than others.

Here is how Our Lady replied in 1984:

My faithful one, if my warnings are taken seriously and enough of my children strive constantly and faithfully to renew and reform themselves in their inward and outward lives, then there will be no nuclear war. What happens to the world depends upon those who live in it. There must be much more good than evil prevailing in order to prevent the holocaust that is so near approaching.

Yet I tell you, my daughter, even should such a destruction happen because there were not enough souls who took my warning seriously, there will remain a remnant – untouched by the chaos who, having been faithful in following me and spreading my warnings, will gradually inhabit the earth again with their dedicated and holy lives. These will renew the earth in the power and light of the Holy Spirit. These faithful ones of my children will be under my protection and that of the Holy Angels, and they will partake of the life of the Divine Trinity in a most remarkable way.

Let my children know this, precious daughter, so that they will have no excuse if they fail to heed my warnings.

Sister Mary Ephrem writes, “From this final message I received the very strong impression that Our Lady was telling us that She had done everything She could do to help and warn us. Now it was up to us. Whatever happens we will have brought on ourselves, so whatever we decide and do now is our responsibility.”

In the face of the worldwide disaster which could be the first and immediate result of a nuclear conflict between two forms of tyranny: Islam and the secularized western nations, the relevance of the messages of Our Lady of America , the Immaculate Coredemptrix, are perfectly evident. These messages concern renewal of family life based on the purity of Mary and Joseph and on their love for Jesus, a renewal effected through a loving embrace of the Cross. That the world as a whole, including large numbers of Catholics and other Christians, has neither accepted or acted on these messages, or knows nothing of them because they have not been proclaimed from the rooftops, is a tragic fact, a further reason for doing as soon as possible all that Our Lady asked, beginning with the reconsecration of America to the Immaculate under the title Our Lady of America, the wearing of the Medal, to be followed by a genuine life in the Spirit of Jesus after the example of the Holy Family, and in a sense as part of the Holy Family.

Let this renewal include first of all a repudiation of contraception and the contraceptive mentality, abortion, euthanasia, same sex marriage and all that directly attacks and undermines the sanctity of the family, the dignity of fatherhood, the exalted vocation of motherhood and sanctification and salvation of every child conceived of woman. Only such a program can eradicate the root of that inhuman terrorism overtaking the world and bring that much yearned for peace. Let all pray that our Bishops will take the lead in this as the Immaculate so much desires.

Fr. Peter M. Fehlner, F.I.