“Be willing to Forgive”

Saturday, August 24, 2013, I attended a retreat given by Immaculee.  It was a most amazing day!

In 1981, Our Blessed Mother, began appearing to a small group of children in the remote village of Kibeho.  Mary and Jesus warned of the holocaust that would happen unless Rwandans opened their hearts to God and began loving one another.

The prophetic visions came true in 1994.  In 3 months time, one million people were murdered, including Immaculee’s grandparents, parents, and two brothers.  Immaculee survived.  She was hidden in a 3 by 4 foot bathroom with several other women for all 3 months.  Her book, Left to Tell, describes this horrible, horrible event and how praying the rosary saved her life.  The most important lesson she learned during this awful ordeal is the power to forgive.

Our Lady of Kibeho became the first and only Vatican approved Marian site in all of Africa.  Immaculee’s mission is to bring the messages of Kibeho, the message of Forgiveness, and Mary’s rosary of Seven Sorrows Prayer to the world.

I have read many of Immaculee’s books.  I loved reading Our Lady of Kibeho and The Boy who Spoke to Jesus.  It was such a pleasure hearing her speak.  She gave a wonderful retreat.  One of the Kibeho visionaries, Valentine, was a guest at the retreat.  I was anointed by Valentine with blessed oil, heard beautiful words that fed my soul, and the day ended with a healing mass and procession of the Blessed Sacrament.

In the 1980’s, Valentine delivered this message from Mary. “The Holy Mother says that her love for you, her children, is greater than the love any earthly mother has ever felt for a child.” Valentine continued, “Her arms are wide open to embrace all who come to her; she will press you tightly to her bosom and cherish and protect you…She says that Jesus is looking for a place to live and begs you with her tears to offer Him a home in your heart…Love my Son, love each other, and care for the poor and sick. Do not let jealousy and anger into your hearts; fill them with kindness and be willing to Forgive.”

The messages of Mary are still being received by Valentine today.  The messages have not changed.  Valentine lives in Belgium and receives a public message every May 15th.

Our mother is trying to help us.  When will we listen?

C’est Bon

Love, Sherry

 

Blessed are the Persecuted

Grand Pré memorial church and statue of Évangeline. User Semhur on the french wikipedia, modified the original picture. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Religious Persecution….Isn’t that an oxymoron?  It makes no sense.

Recently I have researched my Cajun ancestors.  My mother was a Melancon and a direct descendant of Pierre Melanson from Grand Pre’ in Nova Scotia.  She grew up a devout Catholic.  Her parents with their children said the rosary on their knees every evening.  Her father went to mass with the Knights of Columbus every Monday morning and always showed up at their house after mass to kiss her mother good morning, with the saying, “Kiss me mother, I have Jesus in me!”  They were taught to honor and respect the Blessed Mother.

I was surprised to find out in my research that the founder of the Melancon family was Pierre Laverdure, a Huguenot.  In 1627, Pierre lived in La Rochelle, France, which had been established as a Huguenot sanctuary by the Edict of Nantes.  In that year, King Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes and laid siege to La Rochelle, which had a population of about 28,000 Protestants.  Nothing could go in or out during the seige.  People began to starve to death.  Several months later, La Rochelle surrendered.  Pierre Laverdure was one of only 5000 survivors.  King Louis allowed the survivors to leave and Pierre moved to England where he met and married Priscilla Mallinson in 1630.  The two of them had three sons, Pierre, Charles, and John.  The family migrated to Nova Scotia while it was under British rule.  In 1667 Acadie was returned to France and Pierre was unable to live under French Catholic rule due to his persecution in La Rochelle.  Pierre and Priscilla and their son John moved to Boston.  Sons, Pierre and Charles, stayed in Acadie, where they converted to Catholicism after marrying Acadian girls.  In 1664, Pierre married Marie d’ Entremont and changed his last name to Melanson.

Again, Acadie was to exchange owners as Colonel Nicholson captured Port Royal on October 13, 1710. The Treaty of Utrecht allowed England to keep Nova Scotia.  England’s anti-Catholic laws would not allow Acadians to hold office or vote.  The English spent 40 years trying to get the Acadians to take an oath of allegiance to the English King.  The Catholics would not swear and allegiance to a Protestant King – in their eyes, this was an act against God.

July 31, 1755, the Acadians were rounded up and were deported soon after.  Their homes and crops were destroyed. Families were separated and dispersed among 13 British colonies. Many of them perished. For ten years, the Acadians were detained, moved around, and lived in utter misery.  They held on to their faith and the hope that one day they could create a new Acadie.  By the end of the French and Indian War, the Acadians began arriving in Louisiana and were inviting exiled cousins to join them.  This led to the largest group of exiled Acadians in America living in Southern Louisiana.

That was many generations and hundreds of years ago; yet religious persecution continues today.

It seems to be everywhere today.  In Syria 2 million Christians are scattered and are in hiding.  Father Paolo was abducted and his whereabouts are still unknown. Coptic Christians in Egypt have been targeted.  Churches that are hundreds of years old have been burned to the ground. We are not immune. The Catholic Church is being ordered by the United States government to pay for birth control practices that are against the church’s beliefs…..It is everywhere.

“Blessed are the persecuted for the sake of Righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Jesus warned us.  To follow His ways will lead to suffering and persecution.  The funny thing is that the only way to stop the madness is to follow HIS ways!

As a family, as a community, as a nation, as a world; we must pray and love in imitation of the life of Christ.

We are all God’s children.  We are all created equally with equal value and worth to this world.

Generations from now, will my great-great-grandchildren look at these times with sorrow and compassion for ancestors who were persecuted for their beliefs??  My granddaughter is six years old.  She is in first grade at a Catholic school.  Two weeks ago, she led the family rosary at my mother-in-laws.  There is hope!

C’est Bon

Love, Sherry

Thank you Tom Benson

Pelican stained-glass window, First Congregational Church, Amherst, Massachusetts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Upon the conclusion of the 2012-2013 season, owner of the New Orleans Hornets, Tom Benson, announced that he had officially changed the nickname of the team to the Pelicans.  I did not think much about it at the time. I thought that it was appropriate; the pelican is the Louisiana State Bird; but gave it no other thought.

Until…my husband and I visited the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama.  The Temple is throughout designed to give glory, honor, and praise to our Lord.  Every feature of this Temple was carefully thought out from the angels to the intricate marble flooring, the 55 foot, 24 carat gold-leafed sanctuary wall, to the main altar.

My eyes were jetting back and forth between multiple beautiful and glorious objects when I caught sight of the image on the main altar.  My goodness, it was a Pelican!  I did not understand the significance of this image until I later picked up and read a Shrine brochure.

The brochure states, “The altar is inlaid with a glass and gold mosaic of a pelican, piercing its breast to feed its young.  It was long believed that if a pelican could not find food to feed its young, it would sacrifice itself to nourish them with its own blood.  The pelican is considered a symbol of Christ and His Sacrifice on Calvary. The pelican is ofter depicted on altars, since it is from the altar that we are fed the very Body and Blood of our Lord.”

I was stunned. All these years living in a state where the pelican is the state bird and on the state flag and I had never heard of the pelican being a symbol of Christ.  I quickly shared this discovery with my husband, who promptly stated that we needed to thank Tom Benson.  I gave him a puzzled look, and he explained that Tom Benson had named the Hornets the Pelicans, and now the state of Louisiana had not only the Saints but also the Pelicans.  Of course…..Saints….Pelicans….now I saw a great significance in this new name!

So, thank you Tom Benson!

When I see and hear of the Pelicans, it will forever more remind me of my Lord and his great sacrifice for me and for all of mankind.

C’est Bon

Love,

Sherry

English: Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, Hanceville, Alabama (Photo credit: Wikipedia)