23 Keppell Mews
Rockingham West Australia 6168
08 9527 9165
www.weepingmadonna.org
September 2007
In June we decided to go for a few days up to a Benedictine Monastery in New Norcia with all the Servants who help out at the Shrine. Eight of us headed off Sunday before lunch. We decided to make it a pilgrimage of churches and shrines on our way to New Norcia. We first went to the Schoenstatt Shrine in Armadale. We were so surprised to see a large picture of Our Lady with the child Jesus which is the same as the last image on the DVD. We had also been given the same picture only a week earlier and had searched the internet to find out the correct title for this picture. We couldn’t find anything to tell us the title. God is good as one of the nuns who looks after the Shrine Sister Renae came to talk to us and told us the story of the picture. The image is entitled Mother of Grace Refuge of Sinners. Jesus also gave a message to Eileen telling us all to take note of the signs as we made our pilgrimage to each shrine. The next stop was Our Lady of Revelations at Bullsbrook. Another message was given by Jesus which said the following:
17th June 2007 (Bullsbrook – Our Lady of Revelations Jesus)
Come to Me through My Mother and receive My merciful love. Let us reveal to you the many revelations along your journey. I ask you to take time to experience the wonder and awe of God and His creation. Be still in the presence of your Lord and let Me give to you an inner peace and tranquillity which you will not experience by seeking material desires. I ask you to commit to take the narrow more difficult path with the firm belief that you will receive the graces to sustain you as you strive to obtain spiritual perfection through holiness. Grow deeper in your love of the Father by spending time with Me the Son and receive the many graces you need. Be holy as I your Lord and God am holy. Be humble and contrite accepting your unworthiness and working towards the path of sanctity which you are all called to. Step out and be missionary servants of God’s love. Let this pilgrimage lead you to a deepening of your faith so that you learn to trust completely every step you take. Go now with My peace and joy in your heart and receive the keys to inherit the Kingdom of God. Receive the gift of wonder and awe, of trust and humility and most of all receive the Divine love of the Father given to you by Me the Son in the grace of the Holy Spirit. Let Me reveal to you some more of the mysteries of God.
We continued on our way and came to a beautiful stone church called St. Anne’s. We stopped and another message was given:
17th June 2007 (St. Anne’s Bindoon Jesus)
I call you on the path of holiness in the same way as St. Anne and her husband Joachim took the path of sanctity. They taught their daughter Mary a deep love of God and were fully obedient to the Divine Will of God in their lives. I ask you to learn lessons from the saints as you strive to lead a life more pleasing to God. Do not be afraid to trust and change, my children. Confess your wrong doing before My Consecrated Sons and receive sanctifying grace to live a life in the fullness of God. Do not seek any earthly recognition and rewards but strive only for spiritual perfection. Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus - Holy, Holy, Holy. I call you to holiness and a deeper love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons in one.
The church had beautiful acoustics so Josette (who has the most magnificent singing voice) sang us all the Ave Maria. It was so beautiful. We then continued on our way and arrived at New Norcia in time to settle in and then join the monks for evening prayers. The reason we decided to go to New Norcia was to put in place a format for the Servant’s of United Love. We had a wonderful few days there and achieved all we needed to do. We all felt quite sad to have to leave this beautiful tranquil place. Since coming home from New Norcia we have been told to reach out to pilgrims with the same Benedictine rule of hospitality. We were given a message recently from Our Lady as to reaching out as a Servant of the Little Way:-
27th August 2007 (Night Prayer)
My children
I thank you for braving the elements to pray outside in my beloved grotto. Your little acts of love do help in the salvation of souls. There are so many little ways that you can give acts of love for the redemption of mankind. I remind you again to be a humble servant of the little way. You can follow the path of the little way in your every day life; small acts of love and self sacrifice given in love to your Lord and God. Give thanks each day for the many graces and blessings you receive from your Heavenly Father and commit to serve Him in true humility to further His Kingdom. You are called to reach out and show hospitality and friendship to the many who will be put in your path. Spend time in prayer but also reach out with a servant’s heart full of Divine love and spend time sharing what you have with those you meet. It can be a simple meal or a drink and refreshment. Reach out and offer friendship and God’s love through the hospitality you give. You read in Scriptures the many times Jesus shared a meal with His friends Lazarus, Martha and Mary. He sat and shared a meal with others including Zacchaeus who was judged to be a sinner and not worthy to be at table with His Lord and Saviour. Jesus did not judge those who others condemned but reached out instead with His mercy and love. You also are called to never judge others but to reach out instead and share with them a simple meal and show them the love of Christ Jesus through your loving actions. Jesus gave the Eucharist to the Apostles in remembrance of Him. When you gather around the holy altar of God you share together as one faith family with the living bread come down from Heaven. I ask you to come often to the table of your Lord and Saviour and receive His love and nourishment to sustain you and to give you the courage and strength needed to continue reaching out with His love to the many whom you meet.
St Benedict’s
Patty many years ago owned a little coffee shop called Patty’s Pantry. The skills she learned for baking cakes biscuits etc are now being put to good use. Each day that we are open at the shrine we have midday prayers and then share lunch with any Servant’s or pilgrims who are there at that time. God is good and through his Providence we have tables and chairs. Eileen’s son-in-law was renovating his Subway and needed to buy new tables and chairs and offered the old ones to Patty to use at the Shrine. The colour matched perfectly. We have called the room St. Benedict’s. We also use the room for cups of tea after prayer vigils or Wednesday night rosary.
Rest in Peace Ricardo
We have had
many different groups of people staying at Bethany. We really enjoy meeting
people from all over Australia. Some groups come for 2 or 3 days and others
come for approx a week. Just as we go to New Norcia to be spiritually renewed
and refreshed those who come to Bethany can experience that same feeling of
renewal and peacefulness. We have a library of books, videos and DVD’s on the
lives of the saints and other stories which some people enjoy looking at. About
18 months ago we had a Spanish man called Ricardo come from Melbourne in
thanksgiving. His friend Carmen had given him a cotton ball with Our Lady’s
tears before his operation. He promised our Lady that if his life was spared he
would come and give thanks. He died on the operating table but miraculously
survived and true to his word came in thanksgiving in January 2006 He had a
great love for the Weeping Madonna and had a wonderful time here. We taught him
how to make rosary beads and he went home to Melbourne full of passion to spread
the Good News. His wife Isabel commented how peaceful and full of love he
seemed after visiting the Shrine of Our Lady.
He had a great love for the Weeping Madonna and would give out holy cards and talk to all those he met. We visited Ricardo and his wife Isabel and their family and friends last August when we went to Melbourne. Patty spoke with Ricardo about 1 month ago and he told her that he had 8 brain tumours. He passed away last week. God used Ricardo in the most powerful way over the last couple of years to bring others back to know the love that God has for them through Our Heavenly Mother. We give thanks to God for the privilege of meeting Ricardo and we pray for courage and strength to his wife Isabel and son Angel.
Before returning home some of the pilgrims have expressed an interest in starting their own prayer groups. We have been told many times in the messages to imitate the little way of St. Therese of Lisieux. Many of the messages lately have talked about being Servants of the Little Way. We are now putting together a prayer book and formation for those who are interested in forming a prayer group of the Servant’s of the Little Way. We will provide the structure and prayer books to get people started. This is a message given from Jesus about committing to be a servant of the little way.
4th August 2007 (Morning Prayer – Jesus)
My child
Listen and learn the many lessons of life on this spiritual journey you take on the path of holiness. Love is My way and it is the way which will lead to purity of body mind and spirit. This Divine love I talk to you about is a love which does not have conditions attached. Your love must be pure. It must be selfless and giving reaching out always to others in a gentle, humble and background manner. It does not mean that you accept others who are abusive of your love. Love has many sides. You must also learn to discern each situation you are placed in and ask the question “what would Jesus do” knowing that I had to show tough love to those who were abusing My Father’s house by selling their wares and making it into a market place. There must be respect shown always for the customs of others. When you step up and commit to be a disciple of Divine love you must walk a path of purification. Prayer and discernment must be a part of your everyday life. Follow My way. Look to the many examples you are given to those I reach out and showed My love to in the Scriptures. Do not be prideful and condescending like the Scribes and Pharisees who wanted everyone to see their faith by only outward and shallow appearances. This is not My way. My way means that you do not want to take the first place – you are content to be last. It means you are happy to serve rather than to be served. Follow the little way. Be my servant of the little way. You will achieve much in the salvation of souls when you follow My little way. I am with you. I am your Good Shepherd. Help Me to bring My lost and forsaken sheep back into the followed by revealing My love to them. Do not place any conditions on this love you give. Just love in an endless manner so that those who are hurt and wounded will be healed of these wounds which block their way and they will come back to Me and My Divine Mercy and will begin to trust the love of the Father given by Me the Son in the grace of the Holy Spirit. Let My peace and love flow continuously to all you meet. Be My Servant of Divine love – my servant of the little way.
The next day of prayer is 8th October. We will be celebrating the feast of the Holy Rosary which is the day before. We begin at 11am with Rosary and Prayers and then go into the midday prayers and finish with a shared lunch.
First Saturday Prayer Vigil is 6th October from 6pm until midnight. This prayer vigil is used for Our Lady’s special intentions including the end to abortions.
We pray every night at 8pm and the intentions we pray for are the following:-
Priest, pilgrims and peace
Reparation for sins committed against the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts
Abortion
Youth and success of World Youth Day
Evangelization, Christian marriages and benefactors
Reconciliation, religious
Servants, seminarians, souls in Purgatory and those contemplating suicide