Easter Week 2017

J.M.J.

“O Lord God Almighty, Who hast willed that all things should be given to us through the Immaculate Mother of Thy Son: grant that under the protection of this mighty Mother, we may escape all the dangers of these our times, and in the end may come to life everlasting.” Postcommunion prayer – Nov 27 – Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

Easter Week 2017

Dear Friend of Our Lady,

Twenty-four years before Pope Pius IX proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady made known Her desire for this tremendous infallible definition when She appeared to a young religious (now Saint) named Catherine Labouré and requested that a special medal be made, titled the Medal of the Immaculate Conception.

The young postulant was shown the image of how the oval framed medal should look. A description of what she was shown is in the enclosed leaflet, The Miraculous Medal.

Here are a few of the features of the medal, which have a close affinity with the Fatima apparitions and message.

On the front of the medal is an image of Our Lady standing on the Earth with Her foot crushing the serpent – depicting the decree of God in Genesis chapter 3.

It is the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary – requested in the Fatima Message – and the subsequent Triumph of that Immaculate Heart, which will crush the head of satan and end his current multitude of victories in the battle for souls.

Fatima is the only Church-approved Marian apparition that we have an absolute obligation to obey because it was not private revelation but rather public and prophetic revelation. Knowing the final outcome, that Our Lady will defeat him, is precisely why satan has worked very hard to ensure that the Fatima Message be the most suppressed and most ignored of any of the messages of Our Lady’s apparitions.

On the front of the medal, coming from Our Lady’s outstretched hands, are rays of light representing the graces She wants to give to those who wear Her medal and pray to Her.

The three children of Fatima – in the first three apparitions – gave a similar description of the reflection of bright light emanating from Our Lady’s hands when She opened them.

Written within the oval shaped frame on the front of the medal is the prayer: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee … a prayer which reflects Her title as the Immaculate Conception.

In the Fatima Message, blasphemy against Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception is one of the five blasphemies for which we are asked to make reparation to Her Immaculate Heart on the Five First Saturdays.

On the back of the medal is an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and an image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary right along- side Our Lord’s Sacred Heart.

In the Fatima Message, Our Lady told the children “Jesus wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces this devotion, I promise salvation…”

And when Sister Lucy asked Our Lord why the Consecration of Russia must be done, His answer was “Because I want My whole Church to recognize that consecration as a triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so that My Church will place
devotion to the Immaculate Heart beside devotion to My Sacred Heart.”

You will read in the enclosed leaflet that St. Catherine had the gift of prophecy, and one of the prophecies concerns a great triumph of Our Lady. It will be a time of peace, joy and good fortune that will last a long time.

Also on the back of the medal, the inner oval shaped frame is lined with 12 stars.

In chapter 12 of the Book of the Apocalypse we read: “And a great sign appeared in Heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars”. At least three popes (Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI) have referred to this woman as Our Lady of Fatima.

St. Catherine Labouré was given the privilege of kneeling at Our Lady’s knee and resting her hands in Our Lady’s lap – a favor not granted to any other seer – UNTIL 95 years later when Our Lady, as promised, returned to ask for the Five First Saturdays Communion of Reparation to Her Immaculate Heart.

Appearing to Sister Lucy at Pontevedra, like St. Catherine Labouré, Lucy received that day the privilege of being touched by Our Lady in a solemn and affectionate gesture, just as when a mother wants to give a child a confidential mission. The Blessed Virgin placed Her hand on Lucy’s shoulder, giving her to contemplate Our Lady’s most sorrowful Heart, and to make it known to others. What an inconceivable gift!

The Miraculous Medal

Within two years of Our Lady’s request, the first medals of the Immaculate Conception were made and distributed in France. Immediately, blessings were showered down on those wearing the medal and thus it quickly became known as the “Miraculous Medal”.

Within a few short years millions were distributed. No sacramental of the Church had made such an impact on the Church since the Rosary had routed the Albigensians and the Turks.

As you will read in the enclosed leaflet, many miracles have been obtained by the wearing or carrying of the Miraculous Medal – miracles specializing in the impossible, such as the conversion of a hardened sinner.

With the exception of the Holy Cross, no other Christian symbol was ever so widely multiplied or was ever the instrument of so many marvelous results.

The Militia Immaculatae

In 1917, in addition to the “war to end all wars” – World War I – two other major world events occurred:

The October Revolution in Russia (i.e. the Bolshevik Revolution heralding in Communist tyranny on a grand scale) – this occurred shortly after the October 13 Miracle of the Sun at Fatima;

The 200th anniversary of Freemasonry – it was being celebrated in Rome with blatant depictions of their anti-Christ goals. Flags and posters were on display for all to see throughout Rome, depicting St. Michael the Archangel being conquered and trampled underfoot by Lucifer.

Processions were held with the freemasonic participants marching toward the Vatican while singing blasphemous songs and carrying banners with slogans such as: “Satan will reign in the Vatican and the pope will be his servant.”

100 years ago, Our Lady came to Fatima with a solution for world peace, a solution to stop the enemies of Christ, and gain the salvation of souls.

While Our Lady was giving the solution for world peace and conquering the evils in the world to the three shepherd children at Fatima, around the same time a young Franciscan Religious Brother – Maximilian Maria Kolbe – was in Rome witnessing the boldness of the enemies of Christ and their blatant display of force with the intent to defeat the soldiers of Christ and the Catholic Faith.

Like the three children of Fatima, Brother Maximilian Kolbe had himself, as a young boy at the age of 10, received the gift of a visit from the Queen of Heaven. From that visit, Raymond (his given name at birth) knew two things – he would be a martyr and, like the children of Fatima, he would go to Heaven.

After witnessing the displays of the enemies of Christ and the seeming lack of action by Catholics, Brother Kolbe determined to fight the enemies. Knowing that we have much more powerful weapons in the Rosary and Scapular, and we also have the powers of Heaven on our side – especially She Who will crush the head of the serpent – after prayer and meditation he came up with a plan.

“The spotless Virgin, vanquisher of all heresies, will not retreat before the enemy who raises his head against Her. When She finds faithful servants who obey Her command, She will win new victories, greater than we can ever imagine.” (This and other quoted passages taken from Fr. Karl Stehlin, Militia Immaculatae)
His plan was to form a Knighthood of Our Lady (Whom he referred to as the Immaculata). The emblem for those who wished to join in the fight against the enemies of the Church would be the Miraculous Medal.

The idea for using the Miraculous Medal followed the celebration in Rome in 1917, the anniversary of a victory of Our Lady and Her Miraculous Medal. That victory was the instantaneous conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne, a Jew, who, agreeing to a Catholic friend’s request to wear a Miraculous Medal – thanks to the graces received – converted and became a Catholic priest.

On October 16, 1917 (three days after the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima), Brother Maximilian, with permission from his superior, founded together with six confreres the Militia Immaculatae (M.I.)while kneeling before Our Lady’s altar in the chapel of the Seraphic College in Rome.

Despite the similar goals of the Fatima Message and the M.I. of spreading devotion to and consecrating oneself to Our Lady, Brother Maximilian (now St. Maximilian Kolbe) never heard about the apparitions at Fatima.

The M.I. is not an association in the conventional sense. “It is a movement which should attract the masses and snatch them away from Satan. Once souls have been won over to [Our Lady] (the Immaculata or Immaculate One), there will be a few who can be led further to the very height of devotion, even to the point of heroism in the service of spreading the Kingdom of God through [Our Lady].”

“The essence of the M.I. consists in belonging to Our Lady unconditionally, irrevocably, unreservedly, and entirely.” “The M.I. calls itself a militia, a knighthood, because anyone who belongs to Her does not limit himself to consecrating himself totally to Our Lady, but also strives, as much as possible, to win the hearts of others for Her…”

“The object of the M.I. is [the same as Our Lady’s Fatima Message] – to strive for the conversion of sinners, heretics, schismatics, etc., and especially of Freemasons, as well as for the sanctification of all, under the protection and through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin.”

In the year of the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima, we are encouraging all to work toward their sanctification by pledging to Our Lady to do the things She asked us to do at Fatima. A principal part of the Message of Fatima is devotion to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart, which is terribly outraged and offended by the sins of humanity.

Wear the Miraculous Medal

In pictures of Father Gruner you will see that he wore the Miraculous Medal. We encourage others to do the same. Whereas the Brown Scapular is worn under our clothing, it is encouraged that the Miraculous Medal be worn outside our clothing as a symbol of our devotion to and love for Our Lady.

Some wear the Miraculous Medal as a sign of their total consecration to Our Lady according to St. Louis de Montfort. Wearing the Miraculous Medal will help serve as a continuous reminder of Our Lady throughout the day. And it will help bring other souls to Her.

It is not intended as a piece of jewelry or to be something fancy and expensive but rather, like all things of Heaven, something simple and edifying.

Some of our volunteers may recall that for many years Our Lady’s apostolate offered and promoted the wearing of the
Miraculous Medal.

If you are not already wearing a Miraculous Medal, we encourage you to add it to your arsenal of spiritual weapons. It is intended to be worn in addition to wearing your Brown Scapular and carrying your Rosary with you.

If you would like a Miraculous Medal for yourself and/or to give to others, and for copies of the enclosed leaflet The Miraculous Medal, return the enclosed reply form or call us at 1-800-845-3047.

We are offering Miraculous Medals while supplies last, and ask for your prayers and sacrifices that we may be able to continue to offer them in the future.

In the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts,


Joanna Swords

P.S. For information on the Militia Immaculatae (Immaculata), or information on becoming a member of Our Lady’s M.I., we recommend only contacting a traditional chapter. There is a newly formed traditional chapter in Canada:

M.I.
Society of St. Pius X,
480 McKenzie St.
Winnipeg, MB
R2W 5B9

Phone: (204)589-4524

You don’t have to live in Canada to become a member of this chapter.