“Mondays with Mary” – The Top 5 Most Popular “Mondays with Mary” of 2016

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Tom Perna

Since we are at the beginning of a new year, I wanted to share with you the Top 5 Most Popular “Mondays with Mary” of 2016. Many of you may have read these already, but I know there are new followers to my blog who may not have read these blog posts when they were first published. I do this from time-to-time as a way to share what readers found to be interesting in this series. They are numbered 1 to 5, 1 being the most views.

1. “Mondays with Mary” – Our Lady of La Salette

2. “Mondays with Mary” – Our Lady of America, Part I

3. “Mondays with Mary” – Bishop Fulton Sheen and ‘The Assumption and the Modern World’

4. “Mondays with Mary” – 10 Quotes from Pope St. John Paul II on the Presentation of the Lord

5. “Mondays with Mary” – Our Lady of Walsingham

Please continue to pray for the success of this weekly series on the Blessed Virgin Mary. I am approaching the 5th Anniversary of “Mondays with Mary” this upcoming May. I have also turned some of these into a book and waiting to hear back from some Catholic publishers. Pray that they will publish my manuscript so that others, who may not know about this series or my blog, may come to grow in their relationship with Jesus through Our Lady.

Our Lady of Guadalupe…Pray for Us.

Our Lady of Fatima…Pray for Us.

Our Lady of America…Pray for Us.

“Mondays with Mary” – Our Lady of America Redux

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Tom Perna

Since tomorrow is possibly the most important election in decades, I am redoing (Redux) a blog post I wrote back on the Fourth of July about one of the Marian apparitions that has occurred on our nations soil – Our Lady of America. Over the next hours and days, pray, pray, pray, if you haven’t been already, since I wrote about it last week, for Our Lady’s intercession that our country will remain solidified in justice, freedom, especially religious freedom, and prosperity for all everyday Americans.

You might be thinking to yourself that Our Lady of Guadalupe has been given this title, but that would be incorrect. Our Lady of America refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her patronage over the particular country of the United States of America and is distinctly different from Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is known by her title, “Empress of The Americas”, which refers to her patronage over all the nations that compose the Americas. Blessed Pope Pius XII declared the title in reference to Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1945.

In a 2007 letter to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, then Archbishop Raymond Burke of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, said the following at the conclusion of his letter regarding to the two patronages I mentioned above,

“As one deeply devoted to fostering the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe in our nation, I have wondered about the relationship of the devotion to Our Lady of America to the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Archbishop Leibold, in fact, raised the question with Sister Mary Ephrem. Sister Mary Ephrem responded that Our Lady of Guadalupe is Empress of all the Americas, whereas “Our Lady of America, The Immaculate Virgin,” is the patroness of our nation, the United States of America. The two devotions are, in fact, completely harmonious. As our late and most beloved Pope John Paul II reminded us, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America and Star of the New Evangelization, draws all of the nations of America into unity in carrying out the new evangelization. Our Lady of America calls the people of our nation to the new evangelization through a renewed dedication to purity in love.”

On the night of September 25, 1956, Our Lady first appeared to Sr. Mary Ephrem, although she had mystical experiences since 1938. She didn’t think anything of them since she thought all religious had experiences such as these. Realizing that these experiences particularly focused around the Blessed Virgin Mary, which Sister was asked to circulate, she asked Monsignor Paul F. Leibold to be her spiritual director. Even as the Archbishop of Cincinnati he served her in this role until 1972, when he suddenly passed away do to aneurysm.

The Archbishop believed so heartedly that the messages to Sister from Our Lady were real; he authenticated her writings, gave them his Imprimatur as well as authenticated the design of the medal. During one of the apparitions, Our Lady asked Sister Mary to have a medal struck, which would bear the image of Our Lady of America on the front, and on the back, would be the symbol of the Christian Family and the Blessed Trinity.

During the apparitions, the Blessed Virgin pledged that if the United States did what was asked by her, the miracles in the country would be greater than those gifted at both Fatima and Lourdes. Because the Blessed Virgin Mary had a love for the children of America, Sister Mary said Our Lady called herself – Our Lady of America. She would often give affirmations in the apparitions regarding the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and since so many had a devotion to Mary in America, the title confirms her response to those individuals.

Appearing again to Sr. Mary Ephrem, this time on October 13, 1956, she held in both hands a small replica of the finished Immaculate Conception shrine in Washington, D.C., which was referenced many times by Our Lady in the apparitions. She hoped that once it was built it would become a place for pilgrimages and a place to honor her under the title of “Our Lady of America, the Immaculate Virgin.” During the consecration of the United States to Our Lady, which happened in 1959 at the National Shrine, and then again on November 11, 2006, by Bishop David Ricken, the Blessed Mother was addressed as the “Immaculate Virgin.”

In the years of 1957 and 1958, Our Lady gave very strong warnings of the things that were growing and potentially coming to the United States of America. In the late summer of 1957, Our Lady said that although consecration to the Immaculate Heart had occurred, more needed to happen. All must seek after inner holiness and reform their lives. Those that cling to sin were unable to receive the treasure of grace that was awaiting them.

The Blessed Virgin promised that if her statue as Our Lady of America were given a place of honor in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, she would then protect the country. Contact your Bishop by either calling or emailing him and sharing this blog post and this story with him.

If a picture or a statue of Our Lady of America were placed in the homes, she would then protect the family. Anyone that wore the medal with great faith and devotion would be protected from evil.

As many of you know, our country, and our world, the culture in which we live, has become very hostile to Christianity, but even more so, Catholicism. It attacks the family in ways we have never seen before in the history of the Church. It seems to me that we as a country must rededicate ourselves to Our Lady, not only through the apparitions of Fatima and Lourdes, but also to Our Lady of America.

Today, let us turn back towards Our Lady of America and recommit ourselves to learning more about her (much more than what’s in this article) and doing what she asked of us in the apparitions to Sr. Mary Ephrem. To continue reading more about Our Lady of America, check out “Mondays with Mary” – Our Lady of America, Part II.

To print up a high-resolution photo of Our Lady of America and place it in your home (picture below is my home), as well as prayer cards and the message book, please visit this page. For the benefit of our families here in the USA, please do this today!

Our Lady of America…Pray for our Country and for all of us.

Sources:

“The Story of Our Lady of America.” The Story of Our Lady of America. Langsenkamp Family Apostolate of Indianapolis Indiana, n.d. Web. 04 July 2016.

“Regarding Our Lady of America.” Regarding Our Lady of America. Eternal Word Television Network, n.d. Web. 04 July 2016.

If we haven’t prayed yet for the US Election…it’s time to start praying!

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Tom Perna

In all my years, I can’t remember an election cycle that has had more contention and open hostility than the election cycle we are currently in. Not to be overly dramatic, but this election could potentially have effects on many of us for years to come. And with such ill content for the Catholic Church, at least the Catholic Church that is faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Magisterium, I think we need to be aware of the threats to religious freedom, which includes, openly professing our faith in the public square.

With this being said, I think it’s time, if we haven’t already, to start praying for the US Election. In not so many words, it’s time to get our prayer on!

As we have seen throughout history, such as the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, when Catholics start praying devoutly and faithfully, we have the spiritual prowess to get things done and to turn the tide in our favor. In our time, at this moment in history, we need to collectively come together as the Catholic faithful and pray for the US Election. This election will not only impact this country, but the world as a whole.

So how do we get this done?

First, Pray the Rosary! The Rosary is so important that I have written about it on here 13 different times.

Second, pray novenas. A novena is a nine-day prayer and has been spiritually beneficial for many people over the ages. The two novenas I suggest: The National Novena for the Election given to us by the Knights of Columbus and the Novena for the Election given to us by PrayMoreNovenas.com. Pray one, pray both, but whatever you do, pray one of them and start on October 30^th.

Third, pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Make your prayer intention for our country and for the election. Jesus Christ through His Divine Mercy hears our prayers.

Fourth, invoke the intercession of the saints who suffered persecution and even martyrdom for their faith. Most importantly among the saints, ask for the intercession of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher. You can also pray to the other English Martyrs, the Mexican martyrs, and St. John Paul II, who as priest, bishop, and Pope stood up against tyranny and threats to religious freedom.

Fifth, pray the Memorare and the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer.

Lastly, although many of the above suggestions already include Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, pray to Our Lord through His Mother under her titles of Our Lady, Help of Christians, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Our Lady of America.

There are other things you can do too, but these are my suggestions, however, whatever you do, start praying today!

Our Lady of America…Pray for Us!

“Mondays with Mary” – Our Lady of America, Part II

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Tom Perna

Since last week’s blog post on Our Lady of America, Part I was very popular, with many people sharing it on social media, I felt the need to write a second part for this week’s “Mondays with Mary”, especially in light of the evil and horror we witnessed on Friday night.

I think that our country most certainly needs this devotion to Our Lady and I also think it can be accomplished as long as everyone that reads this post can share all the information pertaining to the apparitions that took place 60 years ago. Instead of re-writing on what needs to be done to get the statue into the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on a permanent basis, I suggest reading this link titled – “How to Practice the Devotion Through Its Image, Medal, Prayers, Promises and Visitations.

Although there is much you can do, most especially pray the devotion, two things that I have done over the past week, and I encourage all of you to do the same – sign the petition (for the Solemn Procession/Placement of the Statue of Our Lady of America in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception) and place an image of Our Lady of America in your homes. Below is the image now in my home at my front door.

Ten years a petition was given to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to have the statue permanently placed in the National Shrine, and although some of the Bishops agreed, others did not. It’s now been a decade. As the lay faithful, we really need to increase our devotion to Our Lady under this title to show the Bishops we want her placed in the National Shrine for good. Please prayerfully consider reaching out to your Bishop and writing a letter to him regarding this devotion. Here is a link for a sample letter that you can write. I would suggest updating it since I believe this sample is a couple of years old.

To conclude this second post on Our Lady of America, here are 7 quotes from the messages Sister received in the 1950’s. I hope you have the time to read all the messages, as well as share the devotion of Our Lady of America with your family and friends.

On May 22, 1954, from Our Lord:

“The Voice of My Heart is the Voice of Mercy. If man will not listen, there is no more I can do, for he ties My hands.”

On July 11, 1954, from Our Lord:

“Woe to parents who set a bad example to their children! Terrible will be their judgment. I will demand a strict account of every soul entrusted to their care…Woe to parents who teach their children how to gain materially in this world and neglect to prepare them for the next!”

On September 25, 1956, from Our Lady,

“I am pleased, my child, with the love and honor my children in America give to me, especially through my glorious and unique privilege of the Immaculate Conception. I promise to reward their love by working through the power of my Son’s Heart and my Immaculate Heart miracles of grace among them. I do not promise miracles of the body, but of the soul.“

On October 13, 1956, regarding the National Shrine, from Our Lady,

“This is my shrine, my daughter. I am very pleased with it. Tell my children I thank them. Let them finish it quickly and make it a place of pilgrimage. It will be a place of wonders. I promise this, I will bless all those who, either by prayers, labor, or material aid, help to erect this shrine.”

In January 1957, to the Bishops from Our Lady,

“Tell the Bishops of the United Stares, my loyal sons, of my desires and how I wish them to be carried out. Through him who is head over you, make known 10 the longings of my Immaculate Heart to establish the reign of my Divine Son in the hearts of men and thus save them from the scourge of heaven, both now and hereafter.”

On March 30, 1958, from St. Joseph as he promised to come,

“I am the protector of the Church and the home, as I was the protector of Christ and His Mother while I lived upon earth. Jesus and Mary desire that my pure heart, so long hidden and unknown, be now honored in a special way. Let my children honor my most pure heart in a special manner on the First 21 Wednesday of the month by reciting the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary in memory of my life with Jesus and Mary and the love I bore them, the sorrow I suffered with them. Let them receive Holy Communion in union with the love with which I received the Savior for the first time and each time I held Him in my arms.”

On December 20, 1959, from Our Lady and one of the last messages,

“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.”

Please do all that you can to promote this devotion to Our Lady of America!

Our Lady of America…Pray for Us.

O Immaculate Virgin…Pray for Us.

Our Lady of Guadalupe…Pray for Us.

“Mondays with Mary” – Our Lady of America, Part I

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Tom Perna

Since today is Independence Day and the 240^th anniversary of Our Declaration of Independence from England here in the United States of America, I thought it would be the perfect day to write about one of the Marian apparitions that has occurred on our nations soil – Our Lady of America.

Now some of you might be thinking to yourself that Our Lady of Guadalupe has been given this title, but that would be incorrect. Our Lady of America refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her patronage over the particular country of the United States of America and is distinctly different from Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is known by her title, “Empress of The Americas”, which refers to her patronage over all the nations that compose the Americas. Blessed Pope Pius XII declared the title in reference to Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1945.

The Blessed Virgin promised that if her statue as Our Lady of America were given a place of honor in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, she would then protect the country. If a picture or a statue of Our Lady of America were placed in the homes, she would then protect the family. Anyone that wore the medal with great faith and devotion would be protected from evil.

So today, as we celebrate the 240^th anniversary of our Independence, let us turn back towards Our Lady of America and recommit ourselves to learning more about her (much more than what’s in this article) and doing what she asked of us in the apparitions to Sr. Mary Ephrem.

To print up a high-resolution photo of Our Lady of America and place it in your home, as well as prayer cards and the message book, please visit this page. For the benefit of our families here in the USA, please do this as soon as possible!

Our Lady of America…Pray for our Country and for all of us

Update: Here is the high resolution 8×10 picture of Our Lady of America in my home now. It cost me $15.07 at Walgreens – $3.99 for the print, $9.99 for the frame, plus the tax.

To continue reading more about this Marian apparition, check out “Mondays with Mary” – Our Lady of America, Part II.