May 1 OLA Newsletter

Image of Our Lady as She has appeared over Holy Family Hill in Rome City, IN

"Who is She who comes forth like the morning rising,
fair as the Moon, bright as the Sun,
terrible as an army set in battle array?"
[Song of Solomon 6:10]



This feast day of St. Joseph the Worker was established in 1955 by Pope Pius XII to counter the Communist view of labor and its relationship to the State. The Communist view of the worker held them as a means of production, a part of society; but not as individuals. The value seen by the Communists was that the worker was good because of the production that they would perform. In this paradigm the work was the focus and source of dignity; not the God given dignity of the worker. Pope Pius wanted to counter this degradation of the human person by bringing attention to the fact that it is the person who has the inherent dignity and that work is one of the fruits of that dignity, not the other way around. In highlighting the foster Father of Jesus as a worker who taught his Divine Son a trade, the Pope illustrates to us that the dignity of labor is derived from the person whom is formed in the image and likeness of God.

As it was in the Holy Family, it is the father who is charged with providing for and protecting the spouse and children. When impurity enters this holy relationship (as we see all to frequently today) then this very special and necessary role breaks down leaving the family and society to suffer. Our Lady of America's call to purity has a direct relationship to the success of the family, the father and society.

St. Joseph, when he spoke to Sr. Mary Ephrem had this to say:

March 11, 1958: St. Joseph:

“I bring to souls the purity of my life and the obedience that crowned it.

“All fatherhood is blest in me whom the Eternal Father chose as His representative on earth, the Virgin-Father of His own Divine Son. Through me the Heavenly Father has blessed all fatherhood, and through me He continues and will continue to do so till the end of time.

“My spiritual fatherhood extends to all God's children, and together with my Virgin Spouse I watch over them with great love and solicitude.

“Fathers must come to me, small one, to learn obedience to authority: to the Church always, as the mouthpiece of God, to the laws of the country in which they live, insofar as these do not go against God and their neighbor.

“Mine was perfect obedience to the Divine Will, as it was shown and made known to me by the Jewish law and religion. To be careless in this is most displeasing to God and will be severely punished in the next world.

"Let fathers also imitate my great purity of life and the deep respect I held for my Immaculate Spouse. Let them be an example to their children and fellowmen, never willfully doing anything that would cause scandal among God's people.

“Fatherhood is from God, and it must take once again its rightful place among men."

As St. Joseph ceased speaking I saw his most pure heart. It seemed to be lying on a cross which was of brown color. It appeared to me that at the top of the heart, in the midst of the flames pouring out, was a pure white lily. Then I heard these words:

"Behold this pure heart so pleasing to Him Who made it."

St. Joseph then continued: "The cross, my little one, upon which my heart rests is the cross of the passion, which was ever present before me, causing me intense suffering.

"I desire souls to come to my heart that they may learn true union with the Divine Will.

“It is enough, my child; I will come again tomorrow. Then I will make known to you how God wishes me to be honored in union with Jesus and Mary to obtain peace among men and nations. Good night, my little one."

On the evening of the next day, March 19, 1958, St. Joseph again appeared to me (Sr. Mary Ephrem) as he had promised and addressed me in these words:

"My child, I desire a day to be set aside to honor my fatherhood.

"The privilege of being chosen by God to be the Virgin-Father of His Son was mine alone, and no honor, excluding that bestowed upon my Holy Spouse, was ever, or will ever, be as sublime or as high as this.

'The Holy Trinity desires thus to honor me that in my unique fatherhood all fatherhood might be blessed.

"Dear child, I was king in the little home of Nazareth, for I sheltered within it the Prince of Peace and the Queen of Heaven. To me they looked for protection and sustenance, and I did not fail them.

“I received from them the deepest love and reverence, for in me they saw Him Whose place I took over them.

"So the head of the family must be loved, obeyed, and respected, and in return be a true father and protector to those under his care.

“In honoring in a special way my fatherhood, you also honor Jesus and Mary. The Divine Trinity has placed into our keeping the peace of the world.

“The imitation of the Holy Family, my child, of the virtues we practiced in our little home at Nazareth is the way for all souls to that peace which comes from God alone and which none other can give"

In my own personal journey as a spouse, father and entrepreneur, I look to St. Joseph for guidance and intercession. He has been most powerful in my life and has been a tremendous aid in making personal and business decisions. I can attest that his intercession and the signal graces received through him have never led me down the wrong path. Have the paths been easy? No. Have they been fruitful? Yes. In the end they have delivered me and my family into safety and peace.

I urge that any father or worker that is struggling with your vocation seek the intercession, guidance and counsel of St. Joseph!



-Al Langsenkamp