Do You Know Our Lady of America?

English: The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception located on The Catholic University of America campus in Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Do You Know Our Lady of America? A movement of great consequence has commenced for a definite response by the United States Catholic Bishops in answer to private revelations, which long ago received official Church recognition as having occurred in the United States. The revelations included apparitions of Our Lord, St. Joseph, St. Gabriel and St. Michael, as well as apparitions of The Blessed Virgin Mary as “Our Lady of America” to Sister Mary Ephrem (Mildred Neuzil), of the Precious Blood Sisters (1933-1979), who was later a Contemplative of the Indwelling Trinity (1979 until death). Sister Mary Ephrem, who died on January 10, 2000 at the age of 83, said she was asked by The Blessed Virgin Mary to draw a picture, according to the vision, of Our Lady of America and have a statue constructed accordingly and placed after a solemn procession in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Read more...   The History of Our Lady of America The following excerpt is from Adrienne von Speier’s Mary in the Redemption (Ignatius Press).  Von Speier was a visionary who was the close collaborator to the famous Swiss theologian, Hans Urs Von Balthazar, who once commented, “To find my best theological contribution, look to the writings of Adrienne van Speier.”  Von Speier reports to have received the following insights regarding Our Lady’s role as Co-redemptrix as a direct mystical dictation from Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin. -Ed. At the Cross, Mary receives a new role through the Son’s suffering. She is not only a regular mother who is losing her human son and standing by him in his hour of death. In addition to this, she is standing here in faith and in obedience to her Son, who is God, in obedience to his will and in supernatural solidarity with his suffering. However, this solidarity now expresses itself precisely in the fact that the Son is unapproachable to the Mother in his dereliction. She must therefore endure something that at first seems hopeless, even though it springs from the mystery of the Son. It could be compared to suffering in purgatory where a soul has to get to know the power of sin but meanwhile does not get to quibble over its personal involvement. It is a purifying suffering, under the weight of sin and the recognition associated with it. Read more...   Our Lady of America, “The Immaculate Virgin” We wish to provide our readers with the full body of messages which have been released for public distribution regarding the apparitions of Our Lady of America. These apparitions, so closely connected with the “Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States,” should be more deeply appreciated, not only by the faithful in the United States, but by all who seek a greater understanding of Our Lady’s call for purity and peace, in virtue of her own Immaculate Conception. The apparitions of Our Lady of America have the implicit ecclesiastical approval of Archbishop Paul F. Leibold, spiritual director of the visionary Sr. Mildred Mary Neuzil from 1940 to 1972. He authorized the first and second printing of these messages and had the medal of Our Lady of America struck. – Ed. The following lines were penned by a religious Sister from her cloister cell. This Sister was professed as a religious in 1933. Exteriorly she was much like any other Sister in the Community, trying to be faithful to the Rule and the religious practices of the Community. She received her assignments to work in various houses, mostly in domestic work. From 1951 to 1954 she taught kindergarten classes in a parish school and enjoyed working with the little ones very much. Read more...   The Messages of St. Joseph in Our Lady of America The following are messages of St. Joseph as contained in the messages of Our Lady of America. Cardinal Raymond Burke (then Bishop Burke) wrote a letter to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on May 31, 1997. He establishes that, in his canonical opinion, these apparitions are already approved in virtue of the repeated support of Archbishop Paul F. Leibold, spiritual of the visionary Sr. Mary Ephrem. These messages of St. Joseph comprise one of the most extraordinary and profound revelations regarding the truth that, after Our Lady, St. Joseph is the greatest saint of all time. – Ed. Message of Early October, 1956 In early October, 1956, about a week after Our Lady’s first appearance, St, Joseph, though I did not see him at this time, spoke to me the following words: “It is true, my daughter, that immediately after my conception I was, through the future merits of Jesus and because of my exceptional role of future Virgin-Father, cleansed from the stain of original sin. I was from that moment confirmed in grace and never had the slightest stain on my soul. This is my unique privilege among men. Read more...   Our Lady of America and the Present U.S. Situation The following article is a homily delivered on August 5, 2006 by Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner, of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, on the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major. It was delivered at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama. – Ed. Our Lady of America. This is the title by which the Virgin Mother, in a series of private revelations and apparitions to Sr. Mary Ephrem Neuzil (1916-2000) of the Congregation of Sisters of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, indicated how she wished to be known and honored in the United States, first of all in the Basilica-sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., national Shrine of Mary for the United States, and then in the entire American nation, as it were the connatural extension of this Marian sanctuary under this title. Read more...   Mary in Private Revelation We exhort you to listen with simplicity of heart and honesty of mind to the salutary warnings of the Mother of God…. Bl. Pope John XXIII, February 18, 1959 Closing of the Marian Year Contemporary humanity finds itself at the climax of what has been called the “Age of Mary.” The last two centuries have received more Church-approved Marian apparitions than any other time in the history of the Church. These Marian apparitions convey the urgent call of a Mother’s heart for humanity to return to the Gospel of Jesus Christ; to become more generous in prayer and penance in reparation and for the conversion of sinners; and to offset through prayer and sacrifice any conditioned purification that may face contemporary humanity due to its rejection of God, his law, and his love. Read more... Our Lady of Grace and the Miraculous Medal Our Lady of Grace, who gave the Miraculous Medal to Sr. Catherine Labouré, brings to the world a message of hope for those who trust in her maternal care. Dr. Miravalle traces the historical events and the wondrous meaning of the Miraculous Medal. This article, excerpted from a longer article on the three prominent messages of the Age of Mary, was taken from Private Revelation: Discerning with the Church. – Assistant Editor. The Marian Message to the Modern World The universally designated “Age of Mary,” which had been anticipated by the historic Marian apparitions at Guadalupe some three centuries earlier, is generally accepted to have begun in 1830 with the ecclesiastically approved apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Catherine Labouré in what have been named the “Miraculous Medal” apparitions. Read More... Mother Teresa and the Miraculous Medal Mother Teresa of Calcutta, renowned for the worldwide mission of charity that she began in 1946, used a simple "tool" as a symbol of that charity: the "Miraculous Medal."  A common sight it was to watch Mother take a fistful of such medals, kiss them, and hand them out to the poor.  Queues of people would form outside her convents when word would spread that Mother Teresa had come to town.  One by one she would welcome young and old, the sick and the needy, lay and clergy, the significant and the insignificant.  Rarely would any leave without Mother pressing Miraculous Medals into their hands. On her last visit to the South Bronx of New York in June 1997, sitting in a wheelchair less than three months before her death, Mother cradled a full basket of these medals on her lap.  Her sisters kept refilling the basket as Mother gave sizeable quantities to each priest greeting her after Mass.  Noteworthy was the reverence with which she handled these religious sacramentals, and the earnestness with which she suggested they be used as tools for spreading the Gospel message of love. Read More...   Mother Teresa’s Letter of Support for Mary Co-redemptrix Mary is our Coredemptrix with Jesus. She gave Jesus his body and suffered with him at the foot of the cross. Mary is the Mediatrix of all grace. She gave Jesus to us, and as our Mother she obtains for us all his graces. Mary is our Advocate who prays to Jesus for us. It is only through the Heart of Mary that we come to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. The papal definition of Mary as Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate will bring great graces to the Church. All for Jesus through Mary. God Bless you, Mother Teresa of Calcutta