February 22, 2014
Dear Friends in Jesus and in the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I am pleased to send you the annual letter from Fr. Laurent Larroque who last year was elected as the new Director General for the Marian Movement of Priests. He has asked all of the national directors around the world to share his letter with their members. Therein he gives news of the Marian Movement of Priests, and includes a beautiful meditation on Jesus present in the most Holy Eucharist.
I encourage you to read his very inspiring letter. We thank the Blessed Mother for the gift of Fr. Larroque to guide her Movement.
As you also will read in Fr. Larroque’s letter, the statutes of the MMP were approved by the Bishop of Como (Italy). This was the necessary first step for the MMP to be officially approved for the whole Church. With the present approval, according to Italian law, the MMP can now own an office and house in Italy. In the past, Fr. Gobbi was using a small office in one of the houses of his Congregation.
Let Us Persevere in Prayer
As we are waiting and praying for the New Pentecost, we should learn from Holy Scripture about how God wants us to persevere in prayer. For years Abraham waited, prayed and implored God for a son. Isaac was born when he and Rebekah were old. The mother of Sampson was barren before he was conceived. The mother of Samuel suffered the abuse of the other wife of Elkanah, and she cried for years before the Lord, pleading to have a child. Zechariah and Elizabeth could not have children, and John the Baptist was born when they were advanced in age. Tradition tells us how Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anne, suffered and prayed because they couldn’t have children.
God, in his infinite Wisdom, required all their suffering, their prayers and their perseverance before granting them a child, because all of those children had a great mission to accomplish. Of course, this is true about the Blessed Mother more than anyone else in the world.
During the last two thousand years, the Catholic Church obtained its greatest victories after much prayer, suffering and faith in the Blessed Mother’s intercession. It must be the same even today. We should never stop our cenacles; we must persevere in prayer. Even in the midst of the great apostasy of so many Catholics, and the presence of so many antichrists in the world, we must be persistent in prayer in the cenacle, following the example of the Patriarchs. Mary needs at least a “little remnant”, as God told us through the Prophet Zephaniah: “For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They should seek refuge in the name of the Lord.” (3:12)
We must never become discouraged, because Jesus promised that “the gates of Hell will never prevail.” Do not be afraid, because we have the Queen of Victories at our side. I pray that all of you persevere and remain part of Mary’s little remnant, even in the midst of persecution. Especially in these very difficult times for the Church, I would like to quote a few lines from the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the priests: “We further promise you the greatest loyalty to the Gospel, of which we shall always be genuine and courageous heralds, even, if necessary, to the shedding of our blood. We promise loyalty to the Church, for whose service we have been consecrated.” Lately, Pope Francis has been telling us that we should pray to always remain faithful to our Catholic Church until death. At the end of our life, we will find ourselves extremely happy to have helped the Mother of God.
Good News
My Provincial Superior has assigned me to be a part time assistant to the pastor in one of my former parishes, “so that,” he said, “you can give more time to the work of the MMP.” I thank the Blessed Mother for this. Now I will have more time to conduct cenacles. I can also be available to lead a daylong or weekend retreat in the form of a cenacle. If you are interested in having me go to your area, please call the Headquarters. The only requirement is that you provide for my travel expenses. In past years, I have loved traveling throughout the U.S. to conduct cenacles; therefore, I look forward to your invitations. As a religious priest, I must live in a community of priests. With the modern means of communication, it is as if I were there working from the headquarters.
Mass Intentions
I celebrate Mass and pray regularly for all of the members of the MMP. I now can accept individual Mass intentions. Please make checks payable to “Rev. Francis Geremia – MMP”, and mail them to the headquarters. If there is a surplus of Masses, I will send these to MMP priests who are in need.
Retreats for Priests
The priests of the MMP are invited to attend both the international and national retreats in 2014.
We will try to sponsor all those who require financial assistance. Priests who are interested are urged to contact us as soon as possible; an early booking will cost much less. If sponsorship funds get depleted, the aid will be offered on a first come, first served basis.
International Clergy Retreat Cenacle
Shrine of Merciful Love (Collevalenza, Italy): June 22-28, 2014
Please see Fr. Larroque’s letter (enclosed) for all of the details.
North American Clergy Retreat Cenacle
(for MMP priests from the U.S. and Canada)
Marytown (National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe) 1600 W. Park Ave. Libertyville, IL 60048
Monday, Sept. 8 (afternoon) – Friday, Sept. 12 (11 AM)
Cost per person for the entire week (includes all meals and lodging):
Single occupancy – $370 / Double occupancy – $350
There are 32 double rooms; more priests can be accommodated if you share a room.
Registration will be on a first come, first served basis.
Registration deadline: August 18, 2014
Contact: Bonnie Rushley Email: mmp_bonnie@yahoo.com / cell 614-306-9156
Make checks payable to: “Holy Name-MMP” and mail to:
Bonnie Rushley Holy Name Catholic Church 154 E. Patterson Avenue Columbus, OH 43202
Travel: fly into Chicago’s O’Hare airport.
Volunteers will be on hand to shuttle priests to/from the airport and Marytown.
Commuters welcome. Retreat: $30 for the week
Daily Meals: Breakfast: $8 Lunch: $10 Dinner: $12
Clergy Retreat Sponsors
Owing to your generosity, last year we were able to sponsor several priests to attend the national and international clergy retreats. Once again, I invite our members to consider sponsoring a priest for the 2014 retreat cenacles. The priests who were helped by your generosity have asked me to extend a special thank you on their behalf, and to let the sponsors know that they are being remembered in a special way in their Masses and prayers.
Retreats for the Laity
CANADA
Mount Carmel Spiritual Center 7021 Stanley Ave. Niagara Falls, Ontario
Fri., May 16 (5:30 supper) – Sun., May 18 (3 PM)
Cost for the weekend: $250/person (meals & lodging)
Make checks payable to: Marian Movement of Priests
Retreat director: Fr. Andy Goodwin Contact: Suzanne (905) 735-4164
UNITED STATES
Marytown (National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe) 1600 W. Park Ave. Libertyville, IL 60048
Friday, Aug. 1 (afternoon) to Sunday, Aug. 3 (early afternoon)
Guided by: Fr. Andy Goodwin and Fr. Antonio Carvalho
Cost per person for the entire weekend (includes all meals and lodging)
Single occupancy – $220 / Double occupancy – $185
There are 32 double rooms; we will be able to accommodate more people if you share a room.
Registration will be on a first come, first served basis.
Registration deadline: July 14, 2014
Contact: Bonnie Rushley Email: mmp_bonnie@yahoo.com / cell 614-306-9156
Make check payable to: “Holy Name-MMP” and mail to:
Bonnie Rushley Holy Name Catholic Church 154 E. Patterson Avenue Columbus, OH 43202
Travel: fly into Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Marytown is about 20 miles from the airport.
Cab fare (American Taxi) from O’Hare to Marytown (one way) is about $45.00 plus tolls.
Commuters welcome. Retreat: $30 for the weekend
Daily Meals: Breakfast: $8 Lunch: $10 Dinner: $12
Area Cenacles – May 2014
With this letter, I have included a listing of area cenacles that will take place in different parts of the country during the month of May. We encourage you to try to attend, as a demonstration of unity and solidarity with all of the other cenacles throughout the country that meet on a regular basis. Everyone is invited to participate. Please invite your friends to join in.
I thank all the priests, the organizers, and those who participated in the cenacles held last May 2013.
We had at least one area cenacle in nearly all of the fifty states. Congratulations! There was a great response on the part of many. Thank you for responding to Our Blessed Mother’s plea: “Please help me, my children.”
There are thousands of cenacles that continue to meet regularly. Some of you called and explained that you have been faithful to your cenacles for years, and yet you were excluded from the list. We apologize for any confusion. These are special “area” cenacles held annually during the month of May, at which a priest is present to celebrate Mass and to guide the cenacle. Please contact us if you can organize one for next May 2015, and we will be pleased to publish the information.
Mailing List is Private
Many of you have expressed concern about the privacy of the information you provide when you enroll as members. Some of you are being inundated with mail and want to be certain that we are not sharing you name with other organizations. Please be assured that your membership with the MMP is kept private. We will never give your name or personal information to any other groups. The only time we release information is when we have the permission from those of you who are cenacle contact persons, to give it to others who are looking for a cenacle in their area.
Is the Blue Book “free”?
Some of you call and ask to receive “free” books. We understand that, with the state of the economy, many of you are under financial strain. If anyone is unable to afford to give a donation for the book,
we are pleased to mail them a copy. We cannot, however, supply one person with multiple free copies to give to others, unless they can assure us that donations will be requested from the group to help cover our costs. Because we don’t receive funding from other sources, our only means of continuing to print more books is with your donations.
Thank You for Your Generosity
I wish to express my gratitude for your continued prayerful and financial support. Our supply of the book soon will be depleted; therefore, we will have to reprint in the near future. Many countries that could not otherwise afford to print their own edition also rely on us to provide them with books.
Furthermore, we sponsor the translation and printing of books in other languages. Your donations to help provide for these needs would be most appreciated. We are grateful for those of you who give your “widow’s mite.” The Blessed Mother carries this work forward through your sacrifices.
Bequests
I extend a very special thank you to those who have placed the M.M.P. on their last will and testament. If any of you are interested in doing the same, please call the Headquarters and we will provide you with our tax I.D. number. We are recognized by the IRS as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; therefore, your gifts are tax deductible. Upon notification of the death of the person who made the bequest, Masses will be celebrated for the repose of the soul of the deceased.
Countries Consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (2013)
- The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines held a simultaneous National Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on June 8, 2013, Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Bishop Afable, the spiritual advisor for the MMP in the Philippines who also attended the retreat that I guided in Manila last January, introduced this idea at the Bishops Conference.
- On June 16, 2013, the entire Episcopate of Lebanon, along with their Papal Nuncio and all the Catholic Patriarchs of the Middle East, gathered in Harissa, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon, to solemnly consecrate Lebanon and the Middle East to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. For several years, under Fr. Gobbi’s direction, the MMP in the S. has been sponsoring several bishops and priests from Lebanon to participate at the annual international retreat in Italy. It would be wonderful if some of you could help the Blessed Mother’s work by sponsoring some priests and bishops from Lebanon.
- Following a decision by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Ireland was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Knock Shrine on August 15, 2013.
Let’s pray that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops soon may lead our country in doing the same!
Pope Francis
Our beloved Holy Father is a true gift of Jesus for the Church today. I encourage you to read his beautiful and inspiring daily homilies in which he speaks about themes that the Blessed Mother spoke of in her messages: mercy, confession, humility, poverty, prayer. We must remain faithful and in union with the Pope and to the Church united to him. Not only is this one of our commitments as members of the MMP, but it is also a requirement for all Catholics.
I take this opportunity to wish all of you a most holy season of Lent and a joyous Easter.
Most sincerely in Jesus and Mary
(signature)
Fr. Francis Geremia, c.s.