Letters, Letters, and more Letters!

It’s time to begin a letter writing campaign! Making known our zeal for opening of the cause for Sr. Marie is of paramount importance at this stage. This morning I just posted my letters to the Archbishop of Izmir, the Archbishop of Dijon, the General Superior of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), and the Mother General of the Daughters of Charity. Please take the time to do your part in promoting the cause for Sr. Marie de Mandat-Grancey, D.C. 1837-1915, Foundress of Mary’s House, by writing your letters too. These leaders in our Church need to know how we feel; that we desire the Cause for Sr. Marie's Beatification to be formally opened. Please write and tell them how you treasure Sr. Marie’s gift to us and her crucial, yet mostly unrecognized, role in finding Mary’s House. Sr. Marie worked and sacrificed so diligently in her efforts to first find Mary’s House and then make it what it is today, a holy place where people of all faiths meet and pray for the cause of peace and brotherhood. May Sr. Marie bless you for your efforts! Thank you.

Here are the addresses:

The Most Reverend Ruggero Franceschini, O.F.M., Cap.
Archbishop of Izmir (Smirne)
Necati Bey Bulvari 2, P.K. 267
35210 Izmir
Turkey

The Most Reverend Roland Minnerath
Archbishop of Dijon
20 Rue du Petit-Potet
21000 Dijon
France

Reverend Gregory G. Gay, General Superior
Congregation of the Mission
Casa Generalizia
Via dei Capasso, 30
00164 Roma
Italy

The Reverend Mother General Evelyne Franc, D.C.
Filles de la Charite
La Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Medaille Miraculeuse
140, rue du Bac
75340 Paris cedex 07.
France

Panaghia's Mother

We know Sister Marie De Mandat-Grancey is Foundress of Mary’s House. This is a strong and deserving title! However, there is another title by which we should address Sr. Marie; one that speaks volumes of her love for Mary and Her House…Panaghia’s Mother.

Panaghia Capouli or “The Door of the Holiest,” is a term that has come to refer not only to the Holy Virgin’s House, Meryem Ana Evi, but also many surrounding areas of Ephesus including the grave of the Blessed Virgin, the Chapel built and rebuilt in this place by devotees over the years, and the Way of the Cross carved into the hill where Our Lady once walked and prayed. We’ve read in Fr. Poulin’s testimony to the efforts of Sr. Marie De Mandat-Grancey that he calls her Panaghia’s Mother.

The Lord, who sees and organizes things, had taken care to put before us a soul in love with beauty and goodness, who was ready to give herself to everything good. A great soul, devoted, ardent, pious, and generous; the noble Sister Marie de Mandat- Grancey. She was, God had chosen her to be, the terrestrial Providence, like Panaghia’s Mother! For twelve years she has been charged of this valiant religious enterprise; she has never failed.Oh! How happy I am to give her all the respect she merits! Also, could these writings make known to posterity, long after us, to whom France, the Catholic church are in debt for Panaghia! The Lord gave me this opportunity to say loudly what I had in my heart for a long time, to acquit what I deemed to be a serious debt. It is done.
Praise be to God! [1] (pg.70)

He goes on to add:

For years Sr. Grancey had been thinking about the Virgin’s Grave, looking forward to its discovery. As soon as she had been told about the opportunity of buying Panaghia, her heart was full of joy… “Just in time to find the necessary funds,” she answered: “Do let’s buy it.” (pg.70)

Sr. Marie, this Mother of Panaghia, was in labor for twelve years to bring forth Mary’s House to all posterity. The birth of Mary’s House, Panaghia, takes place with the purchase and certification completed on November 15, 1892. And then, as any mother knows, the work of Motherhood begins. Fr. Poulin tells us:

At the moment when the agreement was being drawn up I asked Sister Grancey: “In whose name will the property be registered? Do you want it in the name of the General Superior? Visitor of Province? The Superior of Sacre Coeur?” “My name,” she answered. “Very well, my Sister, it will be registered in your name.” It was done. It was logical, she had borne all the expenses and she still does for Panaghia: repairing the roads, construction of buildings, maintenance of the chapel, amelioration of the property, planting trees, annual expenses for excavations etc.etc. She has done the with endless generosity and good will. “Do make use of me, while I am here” she repeated often; “After my death I will not be able to help you.”

Sister Grancey who had been feeling that she was getting old for two three years wished to leave the property by her will in order that it would remain with the Children of Saint Vincent. (pg.81)

Every motherly effort of Sr. Marie directed at Panaghia’s procurement, restoration and preservation was motivated by her intense love of Mary Immaculate. This love for our Blessed Mother is eternal. Sr. Marie, now with God, continues to direct her efforts for the children of Mary because of her love for Mary. Yet her mission is still not completed.

I believe Mary’s House, a unique beacon of hope and haven for peace, will be brought to the attention of the world one glorious day through the recognition of Sr. Marie as a saint. I wrote once of how I believe motherhood does not end with death; that no mother could ever truly be at peace in heaven until all her children are safe with her. Even now, I feel that Sr. Marie, Panaghia’s Mother, continues to work for Mary. Her “motherhood” continues. Her mission is to reveal to this whole troubled world the place of Mary’s House, her earthly home, where all God’s children pray together in peace; to highlight the reality of heaven, our true home, by having the world see and ponder in quiet wonder the holy ground upon which Our Lady was Assumed into Heaven!

[1] The Holy Virgin’s House; The True Story of Its Discovery, P. Eugene Poulin, Arikan Yayinlari Tic. San. Ltd. Sti., Istanbul, 1999 (ISBN: 975-7305-28-6)

YOUR Testimony Statement

Below find the seven necessary parts needed for a testimony to be used for the Cause of Sr. Marie. Please don't forget to send these in as Sr. Marie blesses you. No favor is too small. She is so good to us...shouldn't we gratefully return the favor? Some of the testimonies are pages long and some just a few lines. Just below the STATEMENT you will find an testimony example. Write to sr.marie@yahoo.com for a Testimony Statement Form. See how simple this is!

STATEMENT
Favors granted through the intercession of
Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey

1) Name___________________________ Address___________________________ _________________________________

2) Petition prayed for:

3) Describe manner of prayer (novena, group prayer, use of prayer card, etc.):

4) Results of petition:

5) Signed _____________________

6) Notary_____________________

7) Date _______________________

Submit to:

Sr. Marie de Mandat-Grancey Foundation
P.O. Box 275
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724

SAMPLE (below)

STATEMENT
Favors granted through the intercession of
Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey

Name John Jones
______________________________
Address 123 Main Street
____________________________
Anytown, NY
___________________________________

Petition prayed for: Finding affordable house in a new town after relocation due to employment transfer.

Describe manner of prayer (novena, group prayer, use of prayer card, etc.):
I was transferred by my employer from upstate New York to Long Island due to downsizing in our company. There were no houses in the immediate vicinity of my new employment site that I could afford to buy. After hearing about Sr. Marie and obtaining one of her prayer cards, my wife and I prayed a novena asking Sr. Marie for help.

Results of petition: After praying a novena, using the Sr. Marie prayer card, and on the ninth day, we received word of an available house within 4 miles of my new place of employment. We were blessed with a quick purchase. As an added bonus, we are located within a top rated school district that will serve our children well. Thank you, Sr. Marie!!

Signed _____________________ Notary________________________
Date _______________________
Submit to:
Sr. Marie de Mandat-Grancey Foundation
P.O. Box 275
Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724

Short Biography of Sr. Marie DeMandat-Grancey

This little biography of Sr. Marie DeMandat-Grancey is only 16 pages long and gives a nice general overview of Sr. Marie's life and hints at her mission in these times. Thank you to Don Nohs at Holy Face of Jesus for offering this to us all. I've also added it to the information section at the bottom of this page.

It's Friday..

Please join my in a Chaplet of Our Lady's Tears, remember to ask Sr. Marie to lead your chaplet, and thank her for cherishing Mary's House where so many of Our Lady's tears did fall.

Order the DVD!

Sr. Marie DeMandat- Grancey: True Daughter of Charity, Foundress of Mary's House

Order the DVD as seen on EWTN! Chronicles the life of Sr. Marie, Foundress of Mary's House, who gave up wealth, power and position to serve the poor, the sick, and the orphaned with the Daughters of Charity. Sr. Marie's zeal to find Mary's House, inspired by her strong desire to follow the writings of Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, resulted in the expedition that would locate Mary’s House in 1891 exactly where Bl. Anne said it would be. Not only did Sr. Marie provide the financial means to acquire the entire area of Panagia Copouli [1], but she spent 12 years bringing this acquisition to fruition; then she tirelessly labored for many more years to restore, preserve and protect Mary's House. Now for the past 100+ years pilgrims of all faiths, including Muslims and Christians, pray peacefully side by side there honoring Mary, Mother of Jesus. Let us be cognisant of the holy ground that Our Lady has already established for unity in this world. Let us learn more about Mary's House and honor Sr. Marie, Foundress of Mary's House, to whom we owe gratitude for this beacon of hope in this troubled world. Send your order request to The Sr. Marie DeMandat-Grancey Foundation, P.O. Box 275, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724 ($15.00; includes postage)

[1] Panaghia Capouli or “The Door of the Holiest,” is a term that has come to refer not only to the Holy Virgin’s House, Meryem Ana Evi, but also many surrounding areas of Ephesus including the grave of the Blessed Virgin, the Chapel built and rebuilt in this place by devotees over the years, and the Way of the Cross carved into the hill where Our Lady once walked and prayed.

The Original Testimony

We continue to collect testimonies for the casue of Sr. Marie DeMandat-Grancey. The first testimony ever written was by Father Eugene Poulin, a Lazarist, who was inspired by Sr. Marie to journey and locate Mary's House. Father Poulin writes a most profound testimony to tell the world of Sister Marie’s selfless generosity, her valiant persistence and dedication, and his debt of gratitude to her that he entreats us to share with him and all of Christendom. He offers us a compelling reason for our zeal for the cause of Sister Marie and her mission in these times. In his journal, now a book titled The Holy Virgin’s House: The True Story of Its Discovery, he writes:

"The Lord, who sees and organizes things, had taken care to put before us a soul in love with beauty and goodness, who was ready to give herself to everything good. A great soul, devoted, ardent, pious, and generous; the noble Sister Marie de Mandat- Grancey. She was, God had chosen her to be, the terrestrial Providence, like Panaghia’s[1] Mother! For twelve years she has been charged of this valiant religious enterprise; she has never failed.

Oh! How happy I am to give her all the respect she merits! Also, could these writings make known to posterity, long after us, to whom France, the Catholic church are in debt for Panaghia! The Lord gave me this opportunity to say loudly what I had in my heart for a long time, to acquit what I deemed to be a serious debt. It is done. Praise be to God!"

[1] Panaghia Capouli or “The Door of the Holiest,” is a term that has come to refer not only to the Holy Virgin’s House, Meryem Ana Evi, but also many surrounding areas of Ephesus including the grave of the Blessed Virgin, the Chapel built and rebuilt in this place by devotees over the years, and the Way of the Cross carved into the hill where Our Lady once walked and prayed.

Has Sr. Marie interceded for you? Have your prayers been answered? Repay her kindess to you by submitting your testimony. Please send your notorized testimonies to the Sr. Marie DeMandat-Grancey Foundation, P.O.Box 275, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11743. All donations are accepted at the same address. Thank you. God bless you. Sr. Marie, pray for you!

A Presentation on Sr. Marie

St. Brigid Church Presents:
Mary’s House in Ephesus & Sr. Marie De Mandat Grancey

· Did Mary live in Ephesus?
· Who is Sr. Marie De Mandat Grancey?
· Is this house recognized by the Church?
· What is so significant about this house?
· Is this where the assumption took place?

The answers to these questions and so much more!
Don’t miss this Presentation!

Contact person:
Donald H. Nohs 631-275-8487
Assoc. Director—Confraternity of the Passion www.holyfaceofjesus.com

PLACE: Our Lady’s Chapel (St. Brigid)
ADDRESS: 101 Maple Ave. Westbury , NY 11590
DATE: Monday, 2/04/08 – TIME: 7:30 pm

Sponsored by: St. Brigid & Our Lady of Hope Rosary Societies
Presentation by: Donald Nohs

For more info call: Mary Doris
For directions call: (516) 334-2319

Mary's House

by Mary Laura Leddy (1881-1965)

Little House of Our Lady,
Restored and standing anew
From centuries' devastation,
On a mountainside she knew.

She came to you for haven
From a land beset with strife,
Far from the stress and tumult
That threatened her holy life.

You sheltered her in her sorrow,
Quietly soothing her fears,
Filling the lonely hours
Throughout her declining years.

Warmth from your hearthstone fire,
Its light on the walls aglow,
Brought to her peace and comfort
That only she could know.

Little house, she still remembers
Your gracious and tender care,
And comes on light rays from heaven
To the dim-lit chapel there.

Eyes have beheld her beauty,
Minds have been freed from all fear,
Hearts rejoice in the message
Of Our Lady standing near.

For a short biography on Mary Laura Leddy visit: http://www.abair.com/Leddycd/poemhome/lalabio.htm

simply amazing....

My friend Lisa Mladinich has just begun the most amazing web site called Amazing Catechists at http://www.amazingcatechists.com/. The website includes an amazing column written by my dear friend Alice who also seems to be writing everywhere these days but can be found especially at Cottage Blessings http://alice.typepad.com/ . My other friend Leticia posts about Lisa's new website on her amazing blog Causa Nostrae Laetitiae http://causa-nostrae-laetitiae.blogspot.com/ Below find links to all these great sites and also two other amazing friend's websites. Lissa at Here in the Bonny Glen http://melissawiley.typepad.com/ and Helen at Castle of the Immaculate http://www.mariancastle.blogspot.com/ . Wow! I have some amazing friends! Bless your life by checking in on them often as I do. Every day I am edified to read and learn from these teachers in my life.

1/11 Snow in Baghdad a "Sign of Peace"

http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/01/11/Snow_in_Baghdad_a_sign_of_peace

keep praying!!!!!!

Chaplet of Our Lady's Tears

While visiting Fatima 15 years ago, my friend Erin and I met a lovely little nun named Sr. Francesca who whisked us away to her convent and there told us about her special devotion to Our Lady's Tears. I still have the chaplet and prayer card she gave me with the story of the devotion and the instructions of how to pray. Please join me today and each Friday to offer this Chaplet for the cause of Sr. Marie, the one who cherished Mary's House and the first Stations of the Cross, where so many of Our Lady's Tears did fall.

Story of the devotion: (excerpt from a booklet that accompanies the Chaplet)

"On November 8, 1929, Sister Amalia, her heart moved by the grief of a relative whose wife was critically ill, sought Jesus in the Tabernacle and pleaded that she might give her own life for this mother of little children. So sincere was the desire of this Sister who bears the Holy Stigmata that Our Lord spoke to her, telling her how to pray to attain this grace. Jesus said: "Pray to me in behalf of my mother's tears, I shall gladly grant them." Sister Amalia bent low her head as she reflected on the Tears of Our Lady. "How shall I pray?" she asked humbly. "O Jesus, listen to our prayers in behalf of your holy mother's tears. O Jesus, look down upon the tears of her who loved you best on earth and most deeply loves you now in heaven," was the answer." ... "Later my mother will give the treasure of her tears to my beloved institute as a magnet of mercy."

How to pray the Chaplet: (can be prayed on a Seven Sorrows Rosary or a regular Rosary)

Begin as follows:

Replace the Creed with:"Crucified Jesus! Kneeling at Your feet, we offer to You the tears of the one who, with deep and compassionate love, accompanied You on Your Sorrowful way of the Cross. Oh Good Savior, grant that we take to heart the teachings given us by the tears of Your Most Holy Mother, so that we may accomplish Your divine will on earth and may be made worthy to honor and glorify You in heaven throughout all eternity."

Go directly to the large bead before the medal centerpiece:

Replace the Our Father's with:

V. "O Jesus, behold the tears of the one who loved You most on earth,"

R. "And who loves You most ardently in Heaven."

Replace the Hail Mary's with:
V. "O Jesus, hear our prayers,"
R. "For the sake of the tears of Your most Holy Mother."

At the end of the Chaplet repeat three times on the three small beads:
V. "O Jesus, behold the tears of the one who lover You most on earth,
R. "And who loves you most ardently in heaven."

Say the following prayer at the end of the Chaplet:

"O Mary, Mother of love, Mother of Sorrow, and Mother of Mercy, we beg you to unite your petitions with ours so that Your Divine Son, Jesus, to Whom we now turn in the name of your motherly tears, answers our prayers and, with the graces we ask for, grant us the Kingdom of eternal life." Amen.

Pray along on You Tube with this Rosary of Tears including a meditation on each of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUy5GtgQFEg Also visit this awesome blog Children of the Tears.

Psalm and Scripture of Hope - 1/11

As I was praying the morning prayers with my Magnificat, these readings jumped out at me as a firm reminder and declaration of our reason to hope for peace among all Gods children of every nation and unity in Jesus Christ Son of God and Son of Mary. Lord, let every nation adore you!

Psalm 22: 28-32

All the earth shall remember and return to the Lord,
all families of the nations worship before him
for the kingdom is the Lord's; he is ruler of the nations.
They shall worship him, all the mighty of the earth;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.

And my soul shall live for him,my children serve him.
They shall tell of the Lord to generations yet to come,
declare his faithfulness to peoples yet unborn:
"These things the Lord has done."

Isaiah 55:4-6
As I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of nations, So shall you summon a nation you knew not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, Because of the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near.

Our Lady's Tears

If all the estimates are somewhat accurate, then this current year of my life probably corresponds to about the same year in the life of the Blessed Mother when she was witness to her Son’s Passion. Meditating on the view from my window just before Christmas (http://srmarie-lorraine.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-lord-and-my-god.html ), I am taken by the timing of that gift to me and to the world through the exposure of this blog dedicated to Sr. Marie. And as I work for the cause of Sr. Marie, who spent her life working for the Lord and His Mother, I am beginning now to consider ever more deeply the life of Our Lady in her House at Ephesus after Pentecost. I am just about at the age when Our Lady went to Ephesus and I hope to journey with her there in spirit to learn the lessons of her Heart and her Tears. I can't help but wonder if the rest of my life too will be spent "in Ephesus" at Mary's House with Sr. Marie praying for peace and honoring Our Lady.

Sr. Marie learned of Mary’s House through A.C.Emmerich’s writings and was profoundly moved as she contemplated the quiet years of Mary’s remaining earthly life at Ephesus. Did she wonder about the mournful tears that fell day after day on that holy ground as Mary carved with her own hands the first Stations of the Cross and walked and prayed through them reliving her Son’s Passion and death? Did she know that this place must be cherished as a heavenly treasure of Mother Love for all generations to come?

This was why Sr. Marie was so divinely compelled to protect and preserve Mary’s House. It was her love for Our Lady and the knowledge that the uncountable holy Tears that fell from the eyes of the sinless Virgin in that place, when combined with the suffering of Her Son’s Redemptive Passion, were co-redemptive for all mankind. Sr. Marie’s driving force was gratitude, reverence, and love for Our Lord’s Redemptive Passion and also for Our Lady’s Tears.

It is estimated that Our Lady lived to be between 57 and 72 years old. If she was approximately 49 at the time of Jesus’ death, that means she spent many years in Ephesus meditating on Jesus’ Passion, being cared for by St. John and the early Christians, and building up the early church by her example of faith, charity, and most of all hope. The same hope that held her standing at the foot of the Cross, held her hand as she walked the Stations of the Cross…on her way to her glorious reunion with Her Son. Mary's House is about hope...hope for peace, hope for God's will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven...and especially hope that we may one day partake in the heavenly glories of Jesus.

Sr. Marie, help us to cherish this spot as you did. Help us to pray like Mary in sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness, pains, and sorrows of this life. Lead our rosaries for peace which we spiritually unite to pray in Mary’s House as we honor Mary, Mother of Jesus.

And, dear Sr. Marie, with the season of Lent right around the corner, hold our hands as we pray the Stations of the Cross along with the Mother of Sorrows whose holy hands covered with her own tears, carved the first Stations of the Cross in the back yard of her House at Ephesus. The saving power of those tears cannot be measured; a treasure beyond compare.

How can we thank you enough Sr. Marie? Thank you for cherishing Our Lady’s Tears.

Pope Leo XIII

Beautiful instruction of how to perfectly evangelize! Sr. Marie, please lead us in our Rosaries offered spiritually in the House of Mary as we pray for peace and unity in Christ Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary, Amen.

ADIUTRICEM
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII ON THE ROSARY

To Our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, and other Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See.

The mightiest helper of the Christian people, and the most merciful, is the Virgin Mother of God. How fitting it is to accord her honors ever increasing in splendor, and call upon her aid with a confidence daily growing more ardent. The abundant blessings, infinitely varied and constantly multiplying, which flow from her all over the whole world for the common benefit of mankind, add fresh motives for invoking and honoring her.

For Our Separated Brethren
27. For that reason We say that the Rosary is by far the best prayer by which to plead before her the cause of our separated brethren. To grant a favorable hearing belongs properly to her office of spiritual Mother. For Mary has not brought forth - nor could she - those who are of Christ except in the one same Faith and in the one same love; for "Can Christ be divided?"(17) All must live the life of Christ in an organic unity in order to "bring forth fruit to God"(18) in the one same body. Every one of the multitudes, therefore, whom the mischief of calamitous events has stolen away from that unity, must be born again to Christ of that same Mother whom God has endowed with a never failing fertility to bring forth a holy people. And this Mary, for her part, longs to do. Adorned by us with garlands of her favorite prayer, she will obtain by her entreaties help in abundance from the Spirit that quickeneth. God grant that they refuse not to comply with the burning desire of their merciful Mother but, on the contrary, give ear, like men of good will, with a proper regard for their eternal salvation, to the voice, gently persuasive, which calls to them: "My little children, of whom I am in labor again, until Christ be formed in you."(19)

17. I Cor. I:13.
18. Rom. 7:4.
19. Gal. 4:19.

Vatican, Muslims Plan 'Historic' Meeting

Click on above title for link to article
From the article text:

Benedict proposed the encounter as part of his official response to an open letter sent to him and other Christian leaders in October by 138 Muslim scholars from around the world. The letter urged Christians and Muslims to develop their common ground of belief in one God....
The agenda, he said, would cover three main topics: respect for the dignity of each person, interreligious dialogue based on reciprocal understanding, and instruction of tolerance among the young.

Sr. Marie, pray for us as we join the Holy Father and the Muslim delegates who will visit him to pray for peace. "Peace to men of good will!"