Archbishop Georg Gänswein , the Chaplain to Pope Francis, Prefect of the Papal Household and the personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict, posted the following on Facebook, yesterday, about the “Church of Spies: an inside look into the Vatican's plot to take down Hitler”
A message from the World Apostolate of Fatima (WAF), taken from their recent newsletter:-
"Please tell your family and friends about the rest of the Visitation programme (WAF National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady, and the Relics of Blessed Jacinta and Francisco),
which will be taking place between May and October. Here is a reminder
of the Cathedrals, Abbeys and churches which the Statue and Relics will
be visiting:
The Shrine of Our Lady of the Taper in Wales, (27 May)
Menevia Cathedral (27-28 May).
We are sending out information periodically to the various diocesan newspapers
- if you happen to see something from WAF England and Wales in your
local one, if possible can you please scan the article, or take a photo,
and send it us - that way we can keep track of how our publicity
campaign for the Visitations is going.
They were approved by the Holy See on
May 5, 2008, as worthy of belief. For a short historyof the occurrences, see:-
Michael Matt, from the Remnant wrote about the shrine and message of Laus back in 1995, he states:-
"Most of us, however, had never before even heard of the message or
apparitions of Notre Dame Du Laus. Even most Catholics in France have
not heard of Notre Dame Du Laus. Why? Because our Lady's message to
Benoite, aside from being filled with great hope, also had another
aspect to it—an aspect that is anything but popular to the Church in the
modern world. The message placed a tremendous amount of emphasis on the
dangers of sin, the importance of repentance, the absolute "essential to
salvation" nature of the Sacrament of Penance, and the necessity of
receiving that Sacrament frequently. During the lifetime of Benoite, and
for centuries after her death, Laus was a place of great spiritual
healing through the Sacrament of Penance. An incredible number of
Catholics from every class (peasantry, gentry, and nobility) over the
centuries since 1647 found their way back onto the road that leads to
salvation, as a direct consequence of the message of Notre Dame Du Laus
and the sanctity of the seer Benoite, who proclaimed that message to the
world.....
Rencurel was born on 16 September 1647 to a peasant family near the
village of Laus in the Diocese of Grenoble, France. Her father died when
she was seven years old, and this resulted in great poverty and misery
in the home of the widow. Madame Rencurel did not marry again, but
devoted herself entirely to the care of her three daughters. In order to
ensure that Benoite would have at least sufficient food to eat, she sent
her to work as a shepherdess at the age of 12.
While looking after her sheep, Benoite loved to say her Rosary. By the
time that she reached the age of 13, she took the Gospel very seriously,
and when her village was in great misery due to poor harvests, she would
deprive herself of food and give her bread to younger children who were
starving.
On one occasion, two carters, notorious for their evil lives, attempted
to take advantage of Benoite's youth and innocence. Rather than even
allow them to draw near her, she risked her life by fleeing into a
dangerous marsh. It remained firm beneath her feet, but when the carters
attempted to follow her, they began to sink immediately and had to
struggle back to dry land. Our Lady protects those whom she has selected
for a great work.
In 1664, at the age of 17, Benoite was looking after her sheep in the
Vallon (valley) des Fours near the village of St. Etienne (St. Stephen)
when an unknown lady appeared to her. It seems that Our Lady had wished
to make herself known to the shepherdess without revealing her true
identity all at once. She would behave in precisely the same way to St.
Bernadette at Lourdes. Benoite felt very attracted to the lady. And she
returned each day to the Vallon des Fours. Our Lady wished to deepen the
spiritual life of Benoite, and in order to teach her to be totally
generous she asked the girl for her goat. Benoite was exceptionally
attached to the animal, which she looked after almost as a pet. Despite
the affection which she felt for the lady, Benoite refused to give it to
her. She had not yet reached the stage of spiritual development where
she was willing to renounce everything.
The unknown lady revealed her name to Benoite during the final
apparition in the Vallon des Fours: "I am the Lady Mary," she told the
shepherdess.
Benoite now had a great love for Our Lady and spoke to her with great
sincerity. Our Lady revealed herself to the shepherdess in all her
glory, resplendent in light, but without frightening her. During this
apparition Benoite was scarcely able to see the face of the Blessed
Virgin—so brightly was it shining.
Our Lady said to Benoite: "If you wish to see me again, go to Laus. You
will find there a chapel from which a beautiful perfume comes."
The day following this apparition Benoite went to Laus and soon came
upon the scent of an exquisite perfume coming from the neglected Chapel
of the Bon Rencontre ("Happy Meeting"). She crept inside, and on its
dusty altar she saw her beloved Lady Mary once more. She immediately
offered her apron to protect the feet of the Blessed Virgin from the
dust.
Our Lady now had complete confidence in Benoite and began to reveal the
mission which she was to entrust to the shepherdess.
"I have asked my Son to give me Laus, and He has agreed," explained the
Virgin. She told Benoite that it was her dearest wish that men should be
brought to understand the love which God offered them. Benoite came to
the chapel frequently during that winter (1644-1645). Our Lady continued
to educate her and asked her to pray for those who lived badly, so that
they would turn in repentance to her Son.
By this time, news of the apparitions had spread throughout the region,
and people everywhere spoke of the visions of Benoite. In the Spring of
1665, many pilgrims came to Laus, and writings of the period testify to
the fact that more than fifty sick and infirm people were cured within a
few months.
It was soon discovered that cures took place frequently when pilgrims
who prayed with true fervor were anointed with oil from the sanctuary
lamp in the chapel. (That oil is still available in the Basilica at Laus
for pilgrims who request it.)
Our Lady had asked Benoite to pray for sinners, but now she went even
further and asked her to speak to them individually and to tell them to
open themselves to God's forgiveness. Our Lady would beg the pilgrims to
Laus to confess themselves, and thanks to her pleading many of them,
both men and women, underwent a change, of heart and reconciled
themselves with God in the Sacrament of Penance. Our Lady's plan had
been realized, and now she said to Benoite: "I wish to have a church
built here where many will be converted."
A beautiful church was built to accommodate the vast throngs of
pilgrims, and it incorporated the entire Chapelle de Bonne Rencontre.
The new church was called Notre Dame du Laus.
Once, during a vision, two saints were sent by Our Lady to Benoite to
offer her a choice between two crowns. The first crown was of roses, the
symbol of an easy and pleasant life of peace and happiness. The second
crown was of thorns. It signified the renouncement of self and a
lifetime of difficulties and suffering which would be encountered
whenever she attempted to serve God and her neighbors. Benoite had no
hesitation in choosing the second path, upon which she had already set
foot, and accepted the crown of thorns offered to her by St. Catherine
of Sienna.
On one occasion, while praying before a life-size crucifix, the Chris
d'Avancon, the love that Benoite felt for her crucified Savior grew so
profound that she longed ardently to be united with Him in the
sufferings that He endured for the salvation of sinners. From that day
onward, for nine years, from Thursday evening until Saturday morning,
she was overcome by a painful ecstasy, in which she experienced in her
own body the Passion of Our Lord....Benoite died on 28 December 1718, in the 72nd year of her life. She
departed form this earth in complete lucidity, her face radiant with
joy. At 8 o'clock in the evening, she was reunited with the "Fair Lady"
who, fifty-four years earlier, had first summoned her in the Vallon des
Fours. She was buried in the basilica which had been built around the
Chapel of the Bon Rencontre in order accommodate the vast crowds of
pilgrims.
Although one of the lesser-known shrines of France, Laus is imbued with
a special atmosphere not found in the commercialized nature of some of
the better-known shrines. Laus was given by Our Lord to His Blessed
Mother, and this can be sensed by all who come there. There is no
souvenir shop, apart from a very modest one attached to the shrine, and
the only commercial enterprise in the village is a small restaurant-bar
belonging to a devout Catholic lady. It is dominated by a statue of Our
Lady of Victories and was the venue for an impromptu concert of Latin
hymns and popular songs sung by the 1995 Remnant pilgrims. All who come
to Laus agree upon one thing—they found peace at Laus and they wish to
return to that wonderful place again one day.
CONCLUSION
It is a matter of no small significance
that the altar upon which Our Lady appeared to Benoite has been
preserved unchanged, and that the Tridentine Mass, the only Mass known
to Benoite, returned to that altar for the first time in years when it
was celebrated for The Remnant pilgrims on June 7, 1995.
For, although the priests who care for the shrine at Laus today do not
have permission to say the Tridentine Mass, they are sincerely orthodox
and have obvious dedication and devotion to traditional Catholicism. One
is left with the realization that somehow the Revolution in the Church
never quite made it up into the mountains as high as Laus. Laus is being
protected once again, even in our own age. There is a pre-Revolution
peace that manifests itself everywhere at Laus, and it is plain to see
that Catholicity reigns supreme high in the hills of Mary's special
Refuge of Sinners.
Perhaps a concerted effort could be made by Catholics everywhere to make
known to as many people as possible word of the Basilica of Laus, which
Pope Leo XIII elevated to a minor basilica on March 18, 1893, or word of
the holy seer Benoite Rencurel, whom the saintly Pope Pius IX proclaimed
"Venerable Servant of God" on October 16, 1872, or word of the
tremendous message of contrition, penance and hope that was revealed at
the little mountaintop hamlet of Laus by the Queen of Heaven and Earth,
our Blessed Mother, Mary-Notre Dame Du Laus.
Our Lady of Laus, pray for us sinners
who have recourse to thee!"
By Asia - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57322303
Sunday & Wednesday: Prayer to St. Joseph,
Patron of the Universal Church
O Glorious St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, we implore thee to obtain from the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the preservation of our remnant Catholic Community and all its members, from all division, dissension, and discord. Do thou, faithful guardian of the Holy Family, grant that our spiritual family – all the members of our remnant Catholic Community – shall ever be united in the bonds of faith and charity, and shall remain always of one heart, mind and soul in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. St. Joseph, special protector of our Community, do thou guide, bless and protect us against the attacks of all our enemies and detractors. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, One God, forever, unto ages of ages. Amen.
Monday: PRAYER FOR A LIVELY FAITH
O happy, blissful St. Joseph, heir of the faith of all the Patriarchs, vouchsafe to obtain for us this beautiful and precious virtue. Increase in us a lively faith, the foundation of all sanctity, that faith without which no one can be pleasing to God. Obtain for us that faith which triumphs over all temptations of the world and conquers human respect, which can be shaken by nothing, and which is directed solely toward God. Cause us, after thine example, to live by faith, to subject our hearts and understandings to God, that one day, we may behold in Heaven what we now firmly believe on earth. Amen.
