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From the National Director
August 15, 2005
Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven
Dear Friends,
As the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Glorious Assumption of our Blessed
Mother into Heaven, I invite you to meditate on these wonderful words of hers. I
have no doubt they will bring you reassurance, hope and peace.
“Look today at your heavenly Mother, assumed to the glory of paradise, even with
her body. Unite yourselves to the joy of all the angelic cohorts, of the saints,
and of the souls who are still being purified in purgatory.
Share also in the joy of the Church, pilgrim in the desert of the world and of
history, which contemplates your heavenly Mother as a sign of consolation and
sure hope.
--- I am a sign of sure hope for the Church, as she walks toward her perfect
glorification, which she will know at the moment when Jesus Christ returns to
you in glory.
(…)
--- I am a sign of sure hope for humanity today, so possessed by the Evil One,
so threatened in its very life, so lacerated by egoism and hatred, by
fratricidal struggles and wars. (…)
And thus, I am preparing for it new days of peace and not affliction, of
serenity and joy. Above all, in these last times, I am making myself present in
a powerful way to prepare humanity to receive Jesus who is about to return in
glory to bring about its total and perfect transformation.
--- I am a sign of sure hope for all of you, my poor children, who are carrying
the weight of many sufferings and great sorrows. (…)
--- I am a sign of sure hope for you sinners and you who are far away, for you
the sick and discouraged, for you the oppressed and persecuted, for you the
stricken and crushed, for you who are smitten by violence and hatred, for you
who trampled underfoot and slaughtered by fratricidal struggles and wars.
At the conclusive moment of the great trial, you will feel my motherly presence,
which assists you to cross the threshold of hope, in order to enter into the new
era of peace, which will come for the Church, for humanity and for all of you,
with the triumph of my Immaculate Heart in the world.” (Message #549)
M.M.P. International Retreat for all National and Regional Directors of the
World
This year, my improved health permitted me to attend the annual Spiritual
Exercises (retreat) which took place from June 26 to July 2, 2005 at the
renowned Shrine of the Merciful Love located in the mountains of Perugia, close
to Assisi. The Shrine was founded by Mother Esperanza, a great mystic, who died
in the odor of sanctity on February 8, 1983. On the grounds of the shrine is a
spring of miraculous water. Many cures have already been obtained through the
intercession of the foundress and the use of this miraculous water.
Despite his advancing years and medical problems, I found Fr. Gobbi to be “back
to his old self.” With much enthusiasm, he delivered four very inspiring talks.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer them at this time since they have been not
been translated. Other speakers were Fr. Michael Gaughran, S.S.C., National
Director for Great Britain; and Fr. Ivan Pojavnik, a professor of Patristics at
the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. I am making available one of Fr.
Michael’s conferences, The Eucharist and Our Mother
…very appropriate for this, the
Year of the Eucharist. Some time in the near future, we hope to be able to
provide you with the two talks given by Fr. Ivan Pojavnik. We extend our sincere
gratitude to these very gifted speakers who have allowed Our Lady to use their
talents to give us spiritual nourishment.
Many ask if Fr. Gobbi continues to receive messages from Our Lady. If he does,
they are private ones. I have no doubt that she continues to guide him as he
leads her army of priests. As Our Lady said in her last message of December 31,
1997, through Fr. Gobbi she has already publicly revealed to us everything we
need to know to prepare ourselves for the great tribulations and the return of
Jesus.
Click on the photo to enlarge
In Attendance
This year’s Spiritual Exercises were attended by 275 members representing
forty-two countries throughout the world. Among these were one cardinal and
sixteen archbishops and bishops from ten different countries: Lebanon (2), Italy
(1), Vatican City (2), Mexico (1), Argentina (2), Brazil (6), Dominican Republic
(1), Ireland (1), Uruguay (1), and Peru (1).
From the Vatican were Cardinal Ignace Daoud, Prefect of the Congregation for the
Oriental Churches (one of the five Cardinals who have granted their Imprimatur
to the blue book), and Monsignor Giovanni D’Ercole from the Vatican’s
Secretariat of State. Msgr. D’Ercole gave a talk at one of the evening’s
fraternity sessions. He shared with us that Pope Benedict XVI has great
admiration for the Marian Movement of Priests and holds it very dear to his
heart. All in attendance were elated to hear this, and the entire assembly broke
out in very loud applause.
After the retreat, the American and Canadian delegations spent a few days in
Rome to see and hear the Pope. It is said that Benedict XVI draws even greater
crowds than Pope John Paul II did during his early days as Pope. At the Angelus
of Sunday noon, St. Peter’s Square was filled with people of all ages, but the
vast majority were the youth. The Wednesday Audience was held outside and again
a very large crowd had gathered. We were blessed to have reserved seats in the
front and to the left of the Pope. Since he has reduced the number of private
audiences, we were not able to meet with him privately.
Pope Benedict XVI spoke very softly, yet very clearly. His Italian is simple and
easy to understand. He is very determined to rectify many wrongs in the Church,
and has already made some changes as to the manner in which the Papal Mass is to
be celebrated. He has expressed some of his plans to correct some abuses in the
Church and in the celebration of the Mass. I truly believe that he is another
great gift to the Church. At the retreat, Fr. Gobbi expressed his great joy in
having the former Cardinal Ratzinger as our new Pope. Fr. Gobbi has great
confidence in him. I am sure that Our Blessed Mother wants all of us to follow
him as she wanted us to love and follow John Paul II. We must continue to pray
for our new Pope. His reign will not be an easy one, and he needs our love and
spiritual support.
Attacks against the MMP
Attacks on Our Lady’s Movement are on the increase. I believe that many of these
persons speak ill of the MMP out of sheer ignorance. Either they have never read
the messages, or if they did, they were not attuned to Our Blessed Mother’s
teachings. I have had several cardinals and bishops from other countries, and
here in the U.S., ask me for books to hand out to their priests. They recognized
the great value of these messages. I believe that any bishop who would take the
time to read this book would want to give a copy to all of his priests. Too
often, decisions against the Movement and its book of messages are based on
hearsay. To them, I would like to quote the Scriptures: “Taste and see how good
the Lord is.” Our Lady’s messages are the words of the Gospel taught to us by
the very Mother of Jesus. She taught Him, she listened to Him speak and she
lived with the very Word made flesh. What better teacher can we have? Is there
any theologian or Scripture scholar, as notable as he or she may be, who can
begin to compare with the Mother of God?
We often hear from priests and laypersons who say that, since the Vatican has
not yet officially approved of these messages, they will not read them. Yet how
many other “unapproved” spiritual books do these same persons read without
giving it a second thought…we must learn how to discern what is good. Keep in
mind that it takes years for the Church to render an official declaration as to
the authenticity of such phenomenon. The apparitions of Fatima were declared
worthy of belief only after a long canonical investigation. Are we to expect
less for the M.M.P.? As I have previously stated, many cardinals and bishops
have accepted these messages as coming from Our Lady. Of course, the enemy will
always be lurking in trying to destroy the work of Heaven.
This Movement has enough competent and reliable supporters within the Church
that we can safely believe in the authenticity of Our Lady’s messages. In only a
few years, the MMP has spread throughout the entire world. It has changed the
lives of thousands of bishops, priests and lay people. How, then, can some
attribute this work to the Evil One?…preposterous! Still others say it is merely
the work of one simple priest who has been traveling the globe and calling
people to consecrate themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to pray the
holy rosary. Undoubtedly, this amazing transformation of so many people in so
short a time has to be the work of God Himself through Our Lady.
Do not, therefore, let these false rumors and claims upset you…they come from
the other side. Keep your eyes on Mary and continue living your consecration
each day. Our Blessed Mother said in her messages that she herself would remove
any obstacles that stand in the way of her Movement. Trust her and be not
afraid. The final victory is hers.
The Importance of Your Cenacles
Please do not abandon your cenacles…they are needed now more than every before.
Multiply them, and form new ones. Our Pope, Benedict XVI, and all bishops and
priests need our loving and spiritual support. One need only listen to the news
to realize how necessary these cenacles are for the welfare and protection of
the Church and its people. These cenacles are the lightning rod that protects us
from the attacks of the Evil One and his minions. It is also there, in these
cenacles, that our own spiritual transformation is taking place. You will soon
understand that, by means of them, Our Lady is preparing us to receive Jesus
when He returns in his glory. He will come again to transform all of creation
into new heavens and a new earth where there will be no more sin, no more
suffering and no more death. It will be paradise on earth all over again. Jesus
will submit all creation to Himself and present it to the Father has his gift of
love for Him. Prepare yourselves, because the victory is close at hand.
May the Lord bless you and all your loved ones, and may Our Lady take you by the
hand and guide you to her Son Jesus.
Peace and blessing +
Fr. Albert G. Roux
National Director
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