Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Update on 2,000 Rosary Rallies

Great news: I’m writing to tell you that the volunteer office of America Needs Fatima erupted with tremendous joy and applause on Friday when the number of Rosary Captains reached 2,000!

Let us thank Our Blessed Mother for this significant achievement and ask her to prepare our souls to worthily commemorate October 13. Thank you for dedicating your time and talent to honor Our Lady in such a special and public way. She is “our life, our sweetness, and our hope.” She will reward every Rosary Captain.

Banners ran out: Over 14,000 feet of banner material was printed and mailed free of charge. However, time constraints now prevent further shipments.

If you'd like to be a part of this historical event, write to studentaction@tfp.org

"When we speak the name of Mary, heaven becomes more beautiful, and earth rejoices. The demons are terrified, and vanish like dust in the wind."
~
Saint Francis of Assisi (1181 - 1226)


"We find ourselves on earth as in a tempestuous sea, a desert, and a vale of tears. But Mary is the Star of the Sea, the Solace of our desert, and the Light that guides us to heaven."
~
Saint John Bosco (1815 - 1888)



Sunday, September 30, 2007

2,000 Rosary Rally Captains Are Ready

On Friday, surpassing all expectations, a wonderful milestone was achieved. The number of Rosary Rally Captains reached an impressive number: 2,000. That means there will be over 2,000 Rosary Rallies on Oct. 13, to honor Our Lady of Fatima on the feast of the Miracle of the Sun.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Prayer Rallies to Blanket America on Oct. 13

Catholics in fifty states are mobilizing to celebrate the ninety-year anniversary of the Marian apparitions of Fatima, Portugal. Faithful from coast to coast will commemorate the occasion with public square rosary rallies on October 13, the day on which the Miracle of the Sun was witnessed by 70,000 people in 1917.

In most major cities rally captains expect large turnouts at locations seen by the public. Everyone is welcome to attend the event coordinated by The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property and its America Needs Fatima campaign. The organization hopes for 2,000 simultaneous prayer rallies on October 13, from 12 noon to 2:00 PM.

More...

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

The Rosary and September 11, 2001

A man from New York who had fallen away from the Catholic Church and not gone to confession in years was met at a TFP Fatima presentation given by America Needs Fatima Custodian, Jose Ferraz.

After the visit, the New Yorker took home a Rosary and Rosary Guide and started praying it and going to the sacraments again. Months later, he was in the World Trade Center at the very moment when the terrorist attack took place. It was September 11, 2001.

Seeing the fireball and smoke from the crash, the man fled his office and tried running down the stairs to safety. However, he met a big obstacle. The fire doors had locked and he was trapped in the stairwell, listening to the screams of burning people who were still inside the building, unable to escape death. It was awful—horrific. Any attempt to pry open the fire doors with bare hands would be futile.

With Our Lady’s help, instead of panicking, he felt calm. He grabbed his Rosary and started praying to the Blessed Mother for help. And within minutes, firemen reached his floor, broke down the fire doors and set him free. He ran downstairs to safety, his prayers answered thanks to the power of the Most Holy Rosary.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

“…Going door to door to invite people…”

“Just to give you a heads up on the Rosary campaign. We have organized one in a park on the 8th of September, our Blessed Mother’s birthday. We have sent out the invitations. I am also leaving the invitations in churches and distributing them to friends and members of Legion of Mary groups who are going door to door to invite people.

“I am also going to organize smaller groups and say the Rosary so that we can be a part of our Blessed Mother’s triumph. I would appreciate it if small cards or banners could be forwarded to me. Please pray for our success. Please also pray for my family, we are going through a very difficult period. I have faith that our Blessed Mother will hear my prayers. God Bless you all. Our Blessed Mother is my life and my beacon.


Jennifer Ahluwalia
Ashburn
, VA


…………………………………………..

Rose for Our Lady

“Thank you for being so thoughtful as to place a red rose in the name of each Captain at the original site of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917, and I would like to dedicate the red rose in prayer for the complete healing of my husband, Sherwood Knecht, who is undergoing a highly toxic chemo for the return of cancer.”


Carolann H. Knecht
Allentown, Pennsylvania

…………………………………………….

First-time rally captain gets ready

“Many thanks for your kindness and encouragement letter. Being the first time for me to host a rally, I know our Blessed Mother herself will help me through it. I count on her.

“I have an idea for printing some T-shirts in honor of the 90 years anniversary, and also to get some doves to release after the rosaries are prayed. I am making some inquires about that, let me hear from you if you think that is a good idea.”

Elizabeth

………………………………………..

Rally at Delaware State Capitol

Mrs. O'Donnell in Smyrna, Delaware, reports that she is organizing a rally at the Delaware State Capitol. She is running into some legal difficulties, but she is pushing ahead. Each year, since she was involved in a serious accident, she has asked people to sign up to offer Rosaries during the month of October as a way to honor Our Lady. Last year 10,000 Rosaries were offered in her area. She is really looking forward to the Rosary Rally as a means to get even more rosaries offered. She is inviting 5 different parishes to participate in the Rosary Rally.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Cardinals, Bishops support Rosary Rallies

The Public Square Rosary Rallies are being noticed. Two Cardinals and many Bishops sent letters of support. They encourage Catholics like you and me to proclaim our Catholic faith in public on October 13.

Read their letters here

“…my gratitude and prayerful best wishes…”
Thank you most sincerely for your letter of August 3, 2007, together with the enclosed rosary. Your thoughtfulness is deeply appreciated.

Mr. Drake, I am delighted to learn that the May, June, and July Rosary Rallies coordinated by The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property and aimed at bringing as many people as possible back to the Church have been so successful. Please extend my gratitude and prayerful best wishes to all who volunteer and participate in these Rosary Rallies for, in seeking to bring home to the Church fallen away Catholics, they are truly doing the work of the Lord.
Edward Cardinal Egan
Archbishop of New York

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

1,207 Rosary Captains Plan Rallies



Great news! On Saturday, August 18, the number of Rally Captains passed the 1,000 mark! There are now 1,207 Public Square Rosary Rallies scheduled for October 13, the day on which the miracle of the sun occurred in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.

Read more…


Rally leaders can download handouts, banners, and posters here.

Quote of the week:

“The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary.”
- Saint Francis de Sales

…………………………………………………………….

From the Inbox...

"So far my efforts have been easy. The materials and guides you have prepared have made the rally almost effortless. With everything I have accomplished to date, I have felt Our Lady’s guiding hand. The businesses I have requested help from were waiting for me almost as if someone told them I was coming.

"I am now contacting newspapers, churches, and am inviting the bishop to attend. There is a professional photographer to take pictures. A professional musician with sound system, and volunteers for every task needed to make this a go. Now I need the people to respond to Mary’s call. Thanks for your organization and help."

Bob Karwatka

……………………………………………………………..

Getting Ready in Savannah, Georgia

"We are busy planning our public Rosary on October 13. So far, the plan includes Mass at noon followed by a public procession and Rosary on the front steps of the Cathedral in Savannah. We have contacted pro-life groups, student groups and Legion of Mary members so far.

"My group wishes to know what materials are available from TFP: handouts, banners, rosaries, that we might purchase or use. I have already acquired 100 brochures on praying the Rosary from Catholic Extension.

"We will be taking pictures and I will be happy to write a short article for you after the event."

Gretchen Reese

……………………………………………………………….

“Everyone loved it and are asking for more…”

"I am your Rosary Captain for West Hempstead, N.Y. and we just had a Public Square Rosary today (Aug. 19) at Hall’s Pond Park.

"Flyers went out and phone calls were made… We had a statue of Our Lady of Fatima along with your banner and banners we had made up for Our Lady of Fatima… We had a turn out of about 30 people who were excited and happy to be there. We performed a procession, sang hymns to Our Lady and said the Rosary and the Litany.

"Everyone loved it and are asking for more… They look forward to the Rally of Oct. 13th. We honored Our Lady, asked for the conversion of sinners, asked for her Immaculate Heart to triumph.

"Most people felt a great joy and peace… it was wonderful."

Rosemary Hebron

………………………………………………………………..

Students applaud Rosary campaign in Austria

The Public Square Rosary Rally campaign is spreading. At the TFP International Student Conference in Gaming, Austria, the American delegation gave a presentation on the Rosary rallies. Students from across the world enthusiastically applauded the effort and were encouraged start rallies in their respective countries.

More…

Monday, August 27, 2007

Our Lady Will Triumph


Conquering America with the Rosary

Wow!!! The red flags on this map indicate the locations where 700 plus Rosary Captains are currently organizing Public Square Rosary Rallies. The blue flags indicate rally participants.

For more information, visit:
2,000 Public Square Rosary Rallies

Although the world is riddled with problems, we must never, never get discouraged or depressed or tempted to give up. Why?

Because victory is assured: Our Lady of Fatima clearly promised that her Immaculate Heart will triumph over evil. I really like the way Saint Louis de Montfort puts it: “The most terrible of all the enemies which God has set up against the devil is His Holy Mother Mary... the humble Mary will always have the victory over that proud spirit, and so great a victory that she will go so far as to crush his head, where his pride dwells.”

Quote of the week:

“Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood.” -- Saint Louis de Montfort

Sunday, August 26, 2007

11 Reasons to Pray a Public Square Rosary


1. A special occasion: It is always good to pray the Rosary at home or in Church. But the 90 year anniversary of Fatima is an extraordinary feast day. The Public Square Rosary is a special celebration, a historic moment to proclaim the message of Fatima and honor Our Lady.

2. The Miracle of the Sun was public: On October 13, 1917, Our Lady performed a miracle witnessed by 70,000 people, including atheists, communists and anti-Catholics. Some of them converted. The Public Square Rosary Rallies will remind the man on the street in 2007 that conversion is possible.

3. Reach fallen away Catholics: According to research, only 28% of Catholics go to Church in America. The Public Square Rosary is a great way to reach the 72% non-practicing Catholics – 46 million people. If they see you praying in the street, they will be inclined to learn more about their faith.

4. Public prayer gets results: For decades, pro-life Catholics have peacefully prayed the Rosary in front of abortion clinics. The power of their prayer has blunted the advance of abortion. Their public prayers save lives. In fact, recent studies show that abortion clinics are closing at a rate of one per month.

5. Be a Fatima apostle: Our Lord sent the apostles forth to teach all nations. Praying the Rosary in public is an excellent way to introduce others to the Catholic faith and the Fatima message. “Now no man lighting a candle covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it upon a candlestick, that they who come in may see the light” (St. Luke 8:16).

6. Public sins, public reparation: Our culture openly flaunts sin. You hear it on public airwaves, on primetime TV, on the internet. Laws favor abortion and same-sex “marriage.” Your Rosary Rally will be a public act of reparation for these sins hurled against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Your public Rosary will console God. At Fatima on July 13th, 1917 Our Lady said to the children: “You saw hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world.”

7. Will the media promote Fatima? Never. It’s up to us to promote devotion to Mary “outside the choir.” To pray the Rosary in the public square is a powerful way to promote its recitation. Catholics must not be ashamed of their Faith. “Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father Who is in heaven” (St. Matthew 10:32). During public Rosary rallies already held, non-Catholics have stopped and asked for Rosaries, wanting to learn how to pray.

8. Public Rosaries in history: At the end of World War II, Communist Soviet troops occupied Vienna, Austria. They refused to leave. Yet, after massive public Rosary processions led by Fr. Petrus Pavlicek, the Communist invaders packed up and left. Large-scale public Rosaries were likewise credited for foiling a Communist takeover in Brazil in 1964. If the Rosary saved these countries, it can save America.

9. Duty to honor God publicly: Secularists attempt to drive religion and morality out of the public square. Children in public schools are suspended, for example, when they pray grace before meals. That cannot continue! Catholics have the duty to oppose the secularist agenda. We openly honor God and respect His Rights. 2,000 Public Square Rosary Rallies will make the point.

10. Preparing for Our Lady’s triumph: The Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph over evil. It is a great privilege to be among those who trust in her triumph and honor her in the public square. Imagine 2,000 Public Square Rosary Rallies. This historic campaign will hasten God’s victory; attract blessings on America, and surely strengthen every Rosary Captain and every rally participant.

11. Public prayer is powerful: In The Secret of the Rosary, Saint Louis de Montfort states: “Public prayer is far more powerful than private prayer to appease the anger of God and call down His Mercy and Holy Mother Church, guided by the Holy Ghost, has always advocated public prayer in times of public tragedy and suffering.”

The Rosary will be a very powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice, deliver from sin and dispel heresy.” -- Our Lady to Saint Dominic


Saturday, August 25, 2007

2,000 Public Square Rosary Rallies - Update


From Sergio de Paz

Miami, Florida


“Today, I went to a talk: ‘The Danger of Islam’ by Dr. Efren Cordova, a member of the Agrupacion Catolica Universitaria. About eighty people attended. There were questions and answers so I raised my hand. Our Lady wanted me to be the last one to speak. With a Public Square Rosary flier in hand, I said:

“We’ve heard a great talk on Islam. But, unfortunately, no one has mentioned the solution to the problems, to the World Wars, Communism, Islam, and everything else – the solution was given by Our Heavenly Mother in Fatima 90 years ago. Praying the Holy
Rosary obtained victory at Lepanto. But since we haven’t obeyed her requests at Fatima, we’re in this terrible situation. The American TFP/America Needs Fatima is organizing over 2,000 Rosaries Rallies across the United States. So here is the solution that will ensure Our Lady’s triumph ... let's get to work on this.


“As Saint Anthony Maria Claret used to say "A Dios orando y con el mazo dando," (Praying to God and swinging the mace). Remember, Our Lady promised her triumph at Fatima 90 years ago: ‘Finally, My Immaculate Heart will triumph!’”

“Quite unexpectedly, these words were greeted with vigorous applause. For the greater glory of God, I was surrounded by people asking for fliers, especially the ladies asked for stacks of them. The fliers ran out quickly, so I had to go to the car to get more.

“I could see that Our Lady had given these people HOPE. It was written on their faces. I had no doubt that many graces were given and I could see some ladies looking at the picture of Our Lady on the flier and telling their husbands: “Look at Our Lady’s face. How beautiful!”

Inspiring Words of Saint Bernard:

“O you who in the ebb and flow of this age are aware that you are tossed in the midst of storms and tempests rather than walking upon the earth, keep your eyes fixed on this star, so that you may not perish in the gale. If the winds of temptations are let loose, if you are striking on the rocks of tribulation, look to the star, call upon Mary.

“If you are flung about by the waves of pride, of ambition, of scandal, of jealousy, look on the star, call upon Mary. If anger or avarice or evil desires attack the frail bark of your soul lift up your eyes to Mary. If, crushed under the enormity of your sins, in confusion at the horrible wounds of your conscience, alarmed by the horror of the judgment, you begin to be drawn into the whirlpool of sadness and despair, think of Mary.

“In dangers, in anguish, in doubt, think of Mary, invoke Mary. Let Mary never be far from your lips, never far from your heart; and to obtain the support of her prayers, do not forget the example of her life. In following her you shall not go astray; by praying to her you shall not despair; in contemplating her you shall not go wrong. With her support you fall not; under her protection you fear not; under her guidance, you do not grow weary; if she is propitious to you, you will reach the port.”

Friday, August 24, 2007

Rosary Rallies Already Started

On July 14th, we had our third Public Square Rosary Rally in downtown Cleveland. About 70 people attended. A lady from Canton brought a Ugandan priest with her. She is encouraging him to have a rally in Uganda.

At the end of the rally, the priest told us to keep up the good work and gave us his blessing. Several people volunteered to lead public Rosaries in their own neighborhoods.

During the rally, a man was using a noisy electric hedge clipper where we were praying. It was a disturbance, but no one said anything to him. When the rally ended, to our surprise, he approached one of us and asked for a Rosary. Amazing!

One lady in a wheel chair, who endured much pain to come to our rally, insisted that the rallies continue every month even after October 13. God bless her sacrifice!

We also gave out Rosaries. A black woman asked for one and wanted to learn how to pray it. After she was given a flyer with instructions, she looked it over and said: “But I don't know how to make the Sign of the Cross.” She was then taught how to make the Sign of the Cross right in the middle of the city of Cleveland!

News from Fatima Custodian Mr. Joseph Ferrara

Today's second visit was blessed. The meeting was held at the home of three brothers. After placing Our Lady’s statue in the home and introducing the Fatima message, one of brothers asked me if I had seen any miracles in my travels.

I explained that the most important miracles are not necessarily physical cures, but spiritual cures. What Our Lady wants most is "conversion." So I gave examples of souls who were moved to amend their lives because of Our Lady’s visit to their homes. I mentioned the case of a man who returned to the faith after thirty years.

As Providence would have it, during refreshments one of the brothers came up to me and confided that the third brother had left his faith "thirty" years ago to marry a Jewish woman. And a few days prior to Our Lady’s visit, he announced that he wanted to return to the Catholic faith. He was also present at the visit.

Other Tidbits…

At our America Needs Fatima office in Kansas, dedicated volunteers are making and receiving loads of calls every day. Some volunteers are as young as 14 and there are as many as a dozen people helping to man all the phones.

From June 13th to the present date, 50,000 automated voice messages have gone out to promote more Rosary rallies. For the next several weeks, 20,000 phone messages per week will be made.

The word is spreading fast: Some inquiries are from as far away as Canada, India, Africa, UK, Australia, the Philippines and Central America.

Here are some incredible examples of the dedication of some of our captains and participants:

-- One man who is wheel chair bound signed up to be a Rally Captain.

-- A blind person wants to know where the Rosary will be held so that he can participate.

-- There are several organizers who are organizing not one, but several public rosaries in their communities.

-- A school teacher ordered a 14-foot banner and fliers to spread in her classrooms so that her students will understand the importance of living their faith in public.

-- One Rosary Captain reports that she has reserved the use of the state capitol building for her rally in Indiana.