|
FROM THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR…
March 25, 2011
Fr. Gobbi has requested that we share his annual letters with all MMP members.
Those on our official mailing list have already received a packet that included
his 2011 letter. I am making it available on our website (in both English and
Spanish) for the benefit of those who have not officially registered as members,
and also for any on our mailing list who failed to notify us of their address
changes.
Fr. Gobbi’s Letter 2011 – English
Fr. Gobbi’s Letter 2011 – Spanish
________________________________________
Letter from the National Director
February 22, 2011
Dear Friends in Jesus and in the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Enclosed please find Fr. Gobbi’s letter for 2011. He has given a beautiful
teaching, so necessary for us today. We should pray regularly for all priests,
but especially for those here in our country.
In a message given on September 15, 1986, titled “I Am Forming You to
Suffering”, our Heavenly Mother tells us: “Beloved children, learn from me
always to say yes to the Heavenly Father, even when He asks of you the precious
contribution of your suffering.”(334a) She needs the offering of our prayers and
of our sufferings in order to hasten the triumph of Her Immaculate Heart.
Fr. Gobbi to Visit the U.S.
Fr. Gobbi is coming to North America in the fall of 2011. He will be conducting
cenacles in Canada from Sept. 15-23, in the United States from Sept. 25-Oct. 30,
and in Mexico from November 1-15. We are in the process of preparing Fr. Gobbi’s
itinerary. The final schedule
will be posted on our website when available. A copy also will be mailed to all
of our members sometime this summer.
Clergy Retreats – U.S./Italy
I remind priests and deacons that there will be a national clergy retreat with
Fr. Gobbi from October 10-14 at the Thelma Keller Convention Center in
Effingham, IL. Complimentary shuttle service will be provided for those who fly
into St. Louis Lambert Airport. Amtrak also has service to Effingham.
Priests and deacons are also invited to attend the International MMP clergy
retreat in Collevalenza, Italy from June 26-July 2. If you misplaced the
informational letter we mailed you last October, you can call or write to
request that another copy be sent to you.
Our Lady tells the clergy that, during these weeks of spiritual exercises, “Your
heavenly Mother is present in an extraordinary way, to pray with you, in order
to make you grow in love and unity, to obtain for you the gift of the Holy
Spirit so that He will confirm you in your vocation, and give you courage in
your apostolate, and bring joy and peace to your hearts.” (#498b)
I encourage you to mention these two clergy retreats to any priests and deacons
whom you feel may be interested. They can contact us directly to request a
registration packet, or you can give us their name and address and we will mail
them a packet on your behalf.
I also invite you to consider sponsoring a priest to attend one or both of these
retreats. Some members of the clergy have already requested financial assistance
from us to cover part of their retreat expenses. Your donations for this purpose
would be greatly appreciated, and they would serve as a wonderful gift to help a
priest in need.
Letter in Spanish
To save on printing costs, we are no longer including the translation of Fr.
Gobbi’s letter in Spanish. If you wish to have a copy in Spanish for yourself
and others, please call or write to request it.
Carta en español Para ahorrar el costo de la impresión, ya no incluimos la traducción de la carta
del Padre Gobbi en español. Si desea una copia en español, favor de requerirla.
Spanish books/guides
Unfortunately, the books and cenacle guides in Spanish are still out of stock.
We cannot give you a definitive date for their availability; however, we hope
that they will be printed next year.
Guías y libros en español
Desafortunadamente los libros y manuales del cenáculo todavía no están
disponible. No podemos darles una fecha precisa; sin embargo, esperamos que se
los impriman el año próximo.
Discussion during the Cenacles
Some cenacle contacts have expressed their concern that the time of “fraternal
sharing” is often leading to divisiveness among their members. I advise all
cenacles that, unless an MMP priest is present to give a brief talk, there
should be only a short time of silent meditation following the reading of the
message. We ask for your cooperation in this regard.
MMP Book is Copyrighted
I wish to remind all of you that permission must be obtained to copy or quote
from the messages. We have allowed it in a few instances, but only if (1) the
quotes are not extensive; (2) they do not deal with apocalyptic themes; and (3)
the messages cannot be misconstrued when taken out of context.
Although this directive remains in force, sadly a few choose to violate the
copyright. Some of you have called the Headquarters to inquire about the book,
“The Thunder of Justice”, by Ted and Maureen Flynn. The book was first printed
in 1992, and an updated revised version of the book was released in 2010. Since
their use of excerpts from the blue book is extensive, I deemed it important and
necessary to mention it in my letter.
In 1992 and again in 2009, my predecessor, Fr. Roux, denied them the permission
to quote from the book, “To the Priests, Our Lady's Beloved Sons.” He did so by
means of an official letter and subsequently in various phone conversations.
We are greatly saddened by the fact that, after receiving the letter from the
National Headquarters, the authors chose to ignore this directive and proceeded
with their publication without regard for copyright law. They have taken Our
Lady’s messages out of their proper context and used them to try to substantiate
and corroborate their own personal interpretation of the subject matter. This is
not acceptable and, for the aforementioned reasons, I strongly discourage the
reading of this book.
Winter/Summer Addresses:
A lot of our mail is being returned by the USPS with the endorsement:
“Temporarily Away”. Unless you advise us if yours is a winter or summer address,
we have no choice but to delete
these from our list. If you wish to continue receiving Fr. Gobbi’s letters,
please provide BOTH addresses and indicate which months of the year that you are
in residence at each place.
Thank You!
We are grateful for your ongoing financial support which helps us to continue
our work of disseminating Our Lady’s messages and, this year in particular, to
assist in covering the expenses we will incur for Fr. Gobbi’s cenacles. May She
reward your generosity.
Her Urgent Request for Cenacles
Our Lady repeatedly asks us to form cenacles of prayer. I remind the priests of
their third commitment as members of the Marian Movement of Priests: leading the
faithful to entrustment
to Our Lady. There are many cenacles formed by the laity who are eager to have
priests present
to lead and guide them. If you are a priest who is willing and ready to be
involved – if only in a small way – with promoting the cenacles, then I would
love to hear from you!
In the apparitions at La Salette, Lourdes, and Fatima, the Blessed Mother has
always asked her faithful children to help her to save sinners and to atone for
the sins of the world. Through the cenacles and the messages in her book, we
become her humble instruments for the triumph of her Immaculate Heart. Let us
keep each other in prayer, so that we will always remain faithful to Her.
May you have a most holy season of Lent.
Most sincerely in Jesus and Mary,
Fr. Francis Geremia, C.S. |
