Advent 2005

Dear friend of Our Lady,

Wow, what a turbulent year this has been! We have survived a killer tsunami in Southeast Asia (500,000 lives lost), the London terrorist attack, Hurricane Katrina’s wipe-out of New Orleans, the deadly earthquake in Pakistan (over 80,000 perished, millions homeless), the heavy rains and floods in the Northeast (U.S.) and India, and the riots in France. What’s next, locusts?

And these are just the highlights (or lowlights). You could list much, much more. Lately it seems the favorite words of the news reports are “unprecedented” and “record-breaking.”

November 13: Some of the faithful at the Sunday Holy Hour for priests. That afternoon St Michael’s hosted a retirement party at Our Lady’s workshop for Fr. Robert Skurla (center), long-time devotee and advisory board member. Father was commended by Our Lady: “I wish to extend My Mother’s heart of comfort to Father S.... We are proud of Our son that he did much to spread the Message from Heaven” (July 1, 1985).

2005

Annual May Crowning

May: Michael (rt.) and Vincent in Rome with Archbishop Stanislaus Dziwisz, Pope John Paul II secretary for 40 years

Anyway, it certainly appears God is speaking to us loud and clear. But are we listening? Are we getting it? Or are all these disasters just coincidence or global warming?

Indeed, during this holy season as we prepare for the grand birth of Our Savior and King, you have much to contemplate. I’m sure a couple of thoughts have crossed your mind like they did mine. Number one: thank God for Our Lady of the Roses at Bayside. Number two: and this is scary—God’s justice is really kicking in now. Even the casual observer has taken notice. Apparently the Father’s endless mercy and patience is, well, at the end.

Amazingly, after all these years Veronica’s apocalyptic visions and prophecies are unfolding rapidly. We believe and have read them many times, but it’s another story when they come true before your eyes. It takes your breath away.

I understand that God’s wrath is not exactly your most pleasant meditation, but it’s also foolish to deny the undeniable. True wisdom will always face reality with courage and humility.

The simple fact is that America and the world need a conversion. Or reap, as Our Lady says, more punishments of greater intensity! (May 26, 1979) In a few words, St. Joseph says it all: “Your world is now in a state far worse than when the Father destroyed it during the time of Noe and Sodom!” (Dec. 30, 1972)

onestly, how long can the Good Lord tolerate millions of His babies being slaughtered each year? Or the mounting sacrilege and abuses in His churches throughout the world? I emphasize the Good Lord because the awesomeness of Our Heavenly Father is that His justice is always true and pure—His infinite love can have it no other way—not vengeful and malicious like man’s justice can often be.

June 11: Our Lady's 35th Anniversary Vigil

June 12: Our Lady's 35th Anniversary Banquet at the Marriott (above) and New Hampshire Rep. Thomas Langlais (below)

July 23: Veronica's 10th Anniversary Mass

King David acknowledged this when he sinned and was given a choice of punishment: “It is better that I should fall into the hands of the Lord (for His mercies are many) than into the hands of men” (2 Kings 24.14).

Ultimately, God is concerned with the only thing that matters: the salvation of our soul. He will plead and warn and, yes, even chastise those He loves (Apoc. 3.19) if that’s what it takes for repentance. But one thing is certain, we can’t have it both ways. We can’t say that we love God and then do what we want. “If you love me,” says Jesus, “keep my commandments” (St. John 14.15).

We must walk in God’s ways or suffer the dire consequences. This is a fundamental and age-old truth that has, sadly, been buried or rejected by the modern world, especially by the clergy who should be shouting this from the rooftops.

Our fervent hope and prayer is that these terrible and unfortunate acts of destruction of the past year be a means of conversion and enlightenment of our human society. Here’s the point: God does not abandon us, we abandon Him.

Our Lady has explained that another intention of the Father for these punishments is the “gradual cleansing upon earth” (Dec. 7, 1978) of evil.

his brings us back to number one. Where would we be without the apparitions of Bayside? Since many of the clergy are silent or negligent or have, as Our Lady says, “their heads in a fog” (March 18, 1977), Jesus and Mary are doing the job. And Their Message embodies it all: wisdom, grace, guidance, direction, instruction, purpose and, most of all, hope. All you have to do is read it with an open heart and you will recognize its Divine origin.

So we, the Lay Order of St. Michael (as designated by Our Lady), continue to do our part so others can share in this spiritual treasure. The children of God everywhere need to be aware, prepared, and alerted to the end-times we live in.

And we’re getting the Message out big-time!

This fall, we mailed the blessed rose petal and messages to nearly 6000 people throughout the United States and the world, after they responded to our free offer that was posted on a freebie website. We just recently completed a mailing of our popular booklet, Pearls from Heaven, to 5000 Catholic women in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla. Next up is Chicago where we plan a mailing to 10,000 Catholic women before Christmas. (This Message ought to be a good conversation piece for the holidays!)

Our ad, Extreme Grace, is appearing in newspapers, large and small, all over the world, including Bombay, India. Recent examples are the San Francisco Chronicle and The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.), with circulations of 500,000 and 600,000 respectively, and each with a readership of at least 1.5 million.

In just the last few weeks, people from over 40 countries, including Russia, China, Pakistan, Macedonia, Norway, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, and Ireland, have contacted us for the rose petal and messages. We’re just doing our job as disciples of the latter days.

ut we definitely need your help, spiritually and materially, especially now. This is your Mission too! Our funds are desperately low, so we are in a cost-cutting mode. Sadly, we had to make some deep cuts in our operation, including St Michael’s Radio Program. We have terminated two stations, Tampa, Fla. and Riverside, Calif.

As a little Christmas gift to you, we have arranged with a priest-devotee to celebrate 20 Masses for all the benefactors of St Michael’s World Apostolate.

Scapular warriors: (clockwise) Bennett Cardinez of Ontario, Canada; Juliette Thibault of Maryland; Rosalie Aznoe of Reno, NV; Elizabeth Deering, Brooklyn, N.Y.

And just to give you a little idea of our annual costs: business auto insurance is nearly $25,000 (remember this is New York City), our meeting/promo budget which covers our big Anniversary weekends for Our Lady and Veronica, the free trips for priests, permits for the Rosary Vigils and Holy Hours, advertising and much more tops $40,000, and with all these mailings we’re doing, including this one, our printing and postage costs are approaching $100,000.

On top of that, we are getting a new roof this month for our pressroom and bindery department. A lot of Heaven’s work is done here including the printing and folding of Our Lady’s Message, however, in some places the water is pouring in. We have been patching for years, but the roof took a pounding this fall in the wettest October on record in New York history. The bill for this is $8,200.

e have great faith that Our Lord will provide for this Mission because He said He would (June 30, 1984). Jesus said this because He knows the kind and generous hearts of the faithful. So whether it is a widow’s mite or $20 or a $1000, we truly need it now. We need to ensure that Our Lady’s Shrine and St Michael’s World Apostolate is stable and secure for the tough times ahead. You and all the good devotees depend on us.

For your convenience use our toll-free orderline, 888.830.SMWA (7692) or our safe and secure website, smwa.org and charge your 100% tax-deductible gift to your credit card. We hope to hear from you today.

Thank you so much for your prayers and spiritual remembrances—they are priceless and absolutely necessary for the success of this Mission. Be assured the Lay Order remembers you daily in our community prayers and Rosaries, Masses and Holy Hours at Adoration.

Thanks so much for all the giving you do. You can be sure that any gift or support you give, large or small, to Our Lady’s urgent Mission will be remembered eternally.

May God bless you and yours abundantly,

Michael Mangan
President

P.S. Gregorian Masses for the victims of Hurricane Katrina were offered from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30 for the repose of their souls as a gift from all SMWA members.

P.P.S. Your generous gift, sacrificial offering or extra prayers for Our Lady’s work is a great act of charity and an excellent way of observing the holy season of Advent as you prepare for the glorious feast of Christmas!