The Blessed Virgin did not speak many words.

She remained silent in the adoration of her Son;

she lived on the contemplation of the ineffable mystery wrought in her and through her,

and from the sanctuary of her Immaculate Heart,

a hymn of praise and thanksgiving rose up unceasingly to God.

Let us then live in recollection and try to remain closely united to our Lord.

Blessed Columba Marion (1858-1923)

 

   

It is by the path of love,

which is charity,

that God draws near to man,

and man to God.

But where charity is not found,

God cannot dwell.

   

If, then, we possess charity,

we possess God,

for “God is Charity”

(1 John 4:8).

   

Saint Albert the Great (1206-1280)

The power of prayer

extinguishes the strength of fire,

restrains the raging of lions,

settles wars and fights,

endures storms,

escapes devils,

opens the doors of Heaven,

breaks the bonds of death,

casts out diseases,

repels injuries,

and strengthens shattered cities.

St. John Chrysostom

 

Lord, have mercy on us,

Christ, have mercy on us,

Christ, hear us,

Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.

God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.

God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

 

Our Lady of Victory, pray for us.

Triumphant Daughter of the Father, pray for us.

Triumphant Mother of the Son, pray for us.

Triumphant Spouse of the Holy Ghost, pray for us.

Triumphant Choice of the Most Holy Trinity, pray for us.

Triumphant in Thy Immaculate Conception, pray for us.

Triumphant in Crushing the Head of the Serpent, pray for us.

Triumphant Over All the Children of Adam, pray for us.

Triumphant Over All Our Enemies, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Embassy of the Angel Gabriel, pray for us.

Triumphant in Thy Espousal to St. Joseph, pray for us.

Triumphant at the Scene of Bethlehem, pray for us.

Triumphant in Thy Flight Into Egypt, pray for us.

Triumphant in Thy Exile, pray for us.

Triumphant in Thy Humble Dwelling at Nazareth, pray for us.

Triumphant in Finding Thy Divine Child in the Temple, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Earthly Life of Our Lord, pray for us.

Triumphant in His Passion and Death, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Resurrection, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Ascension, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Descent of the Holy Ghost, pray for us.

Triumphant in Thy Sorrows, pray for us.

Triumphant in Thy Joys, pray for us.

Triumphant in Thy Entrance into the Heavenly Jerusalem, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Angels Who Remained Faithful, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Felicity of the Blessed, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Graces of the Just, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Announcement of the Prophets, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Desires of the Patriarchs, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Zeal of the Apostles, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Light of the Evangelists, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Wisdom of the Doctors, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Crowns of the Confessors, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Purity of the Numerous Bands of Virgins, pray for us.

Triumphant in the Triumph of the Martyrs, pray for us.

Triumphant in Thy All-Powerful Intercession, pray for us.

Triumphant under Thy Many Titles, pray for us.

Triumphant at the Hour of Our Death, pray for us.

 

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Spare us, Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us, Lord.

 

Pray for us, blessed Lady of Victory, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

 

Our Lady of Victory, we have unshaken confidence in your influence with your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Humbly we ask your intercession for all of us associated under your title, Our Lady of Victory.

 

We beg your powerful assistance also for our own personal needs. (Please mention here your special intention in you own words.) In your maternal kindness please ask Jesus to forgive all our sins and failings, and to secure His blessings for us and for all the works of charity dedicated to your name.

 

We implore you to obtain for us the grace of sharing Christ’s victory and yours, forever, in the life that knows no ending. May we join you there to praise forever the Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, on God, for all the ages to come. Amen.

 

Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To Thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To Thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of Thy womb, Jesus.

 

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

 

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to Thy protection, implored Thy help, and sought Thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto Thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To Thee I come; before Thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate! despise not my petitions, but in Thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

 

All this we ask of The Father in the name of Mary’s Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with Him and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

 

O Victorious Lady! Thou who has ever such powerful influence with Thy Divine Son, in conquering the hardest of hearts, intercede for those for whom we pray, that their hearts being softened by the rays of Divine Grace, they may return to the unity of the true Faith, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

 

Remember, O most compassionate Virgin Mary,

that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,

implored your assistance,

or sought your intercession was left unaided.

Inspired with this confidence,

we fly unto you, O Virgin of Virgins, our Mother;

to you we come; before you we kneel sinful and sorrowful.

O Mother of the Word Incarnate,

despise not our petitions,

but in your clemency hear and answer them. Amen.

 

 

It was in 1531 that the Mother of God appeared to Juan Diego in Tepeyac Hill in Mexico and performed “the miracle of the roses” as proof to Bishop Zumarraga of her presence. Roses never grew on that rocky terrain, and certainly not in December. Moreover, when, in their surprise, the bishop’s attendants tried to pick and take some of them from his tilma, they could not do so because they became, as one author put it, “not roses that they touched, but as if they were painted or embroidered.” Indeed, they were “mystical roses” from the hands of the Mystical Rose herself.

 

The Litany of Loreto lists many of her titles, but there is a flower amongst them; the Mystical Rose. Truly, the rose is the queen of all the flowers, and there is something in the Heavenly arrangement of Its petals and Its coloring, there Is something In Its scent and symmetry, In the modesty of its green leaves, which makes it very special. It is the flower which captures the heart at nearly every stage of its growth, even when a bud. While it grows, its petals gradually unfold as a token, as it were, of the blossoming of the lover’s love for his loved one.

 

Mary, the most beautiful of God’s creation, is indeed “the Incarnate Rose,” especially chosen for God’s garden. She is the “rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys” [Song of Songs 2:1]. There is no rose comparable to her and she has made Paradise ever so much more beautiful.

 

But if you call her a rose, white is the color of her purity; gold, the tint of her royalty; red, the hue of her suffering. The rose grows out from a stem of thorns and in the heart of this flower, the red of the Cross of her son was forming. Indeed, without thorns a rose is not a rose, and without the thorn of great suffering, Mary could not have become the Mystical Rose of God’s Paradise.

 

 

Mary Appears as the “Rosa Mystica” In Montichiari

 

Montichiari with its suburb Fontanelle is a small town in Northern Italy, twenty kilometers from Brescia, the bishop’s town. It is situated in front of the Italian Alps in the fertile plain of the river Po. The name means in English, “Bright Mountains.” On a hill lies the old castle of St. Mary and the venerable Church of San Pancrazio.

 

 

Pierina Gilli was born on August 3, 1911, at Montichiari and worked as a nurse in the hospital there. The first time, the dear Mother of Christ appeared to her in a room of the hospital, in the spring of 1947. Our Lady, a beautiful woman, wore a violet dress and a white veil around her head. She was very sad, her eyes were filled with tears which fell to the floor. Her breast was pierced by three big swords. Our Lady said, “Prayer-Penitence-Expiation” and was silent.

 

 

On June 13, 1947, Our Lady appeared again in the hospital early one Sunday. morning. This time she was dressed in white and instead of the three swords she had three roses: a white one, a red one, and a golden one. Pierina Gilli asked her, “Please tell me who you are.” The Lady answered, smiling, “I am the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of all of you.”

 

Here she paused, then she went on, “Our Lord sends me to bring a new Marian devotion for all male and female institutes, religious orders, and secular priests. I promise those religious institutes, orders, and secular priests who venerate me in this special way my special protection, an increase of spiritual vocations, fewer betrayed vocations, and great sanctity among the servants of God. I wish the 13th of each month to be celebrated as the day of Mary. On the twelve preceding

days, special prayers of preparation should be said.”

 

With an expression of great joy, she went on, “On this day I shall send to these religious institutes, members of orders, and secular priests who have honored me in this way, a superabundance of graces and great sanctity. I wish the 13th of July of each year to be celebrated in honor of the ‘Rosa Mystica,’ the Mystical Rose.”

 

Pierina asked whether she would perform a miracle. Our Lady answered, “The most evident miracle will be the godly souls, who for some time, especially during the last war, became lukewarm, so that they were unfaithful or even betrayed their vocation, will cease to offend Our Lord gravely. By their great offenses, they brought punishment and persecution upon the Church—–as we experience it in our days—–but then the original spirit of their holy founders will blossom again.”

 

With these words the conversation ended. Now Our Lady explained to Pierina the meaning of the three swords and the three roses. A moving explanation which is to taken quite seriously!

 

The first sword means loss of the vocation as a priest or a monk. The second sword means priests, monks, and nuns who live in deadly sin. The third sword means priests and monks who commit the treason of Judas. While giving up their vocation, they often lose also their faith, their eternal beatitude, and become enemies of the Church.

 

The white rose means the spirit of prayer. The red rose means the spirit of expiation and sacrifice. The yellow or golden rose means the spirit of penitence.

 

 

The beautiful woman appeared again, this time in the chapel of the hospital in Montichiari during the service. Many employees of the hospital, some physicians, and people from the town were present.

 

Our Lady asked for the realization of the devotion she had recommended and said among other things, “My Divine Son, tired of the continuing offenses, wanted to act according to His justice. So I placed myself as a Mediatrix between Him and the human race, especially the specially consecrated souls.”

 

Pierina thanked her for that in the name of all who were present. Our Lady took leave with a beautiful thought for Pierina saying, “Vivi d’amore!” which means, “Live for love—–for charity!”

 

Our Lady appeared publicly in the parish church of Montichiari in the presence of some people, among whom were also several priests. Among other things she said, “Our Lord, my Divine Son, is tired of the many offenses, the severe offenses, the sins against holy purity . . . ” Here she paused and then went on, “He wants to send another flood of punishment.  . . .”  Here she stopped again for some moments and then went on, “I have interceded that He may be merciful once more. Therefore I ask for your prayer and penitence to expiate these sins.”

 

Pierina said, “Yes!” and agreed to these wishes of Our dear Lady. The conversation went on, “I ardently ask the priests to admonish the people in love that they do not commit these sins any more.” Pierina asked, “Will He then pardon us?” Our Lady answered, “Yes, so long as one does not commit them any more.” With these words she went away.

 

 

Our Lady appeared again in the parish church in the presence of several persons. First she told Pierina Gilli to make four crosses with her tongue on the floor just in the middle of the church, exactly under the dome. (A humiliating act of expiation!) Then she descended on the crosses and said, “I descend on this place because it is here that great conversions will occur.” Somewhat sadly she went on, “Today specifically, there are Christians of your Italian nation who most offend our Lord, my Divine Son Jesus, by their sins against holy purity. Therefore, the Lord demands, prayer, great sacrifices, and penitence.” Pierina asked, “What have we to do to fulfill your wish for prayer and penitence?” Our Lady answered mildly, “Prayer” (here she was silent for some moments and continued), “Penitence means acceptance of the little daily crosses and also doing one’s work in the spirit of penitence.”

 

And in all her majesty she gave a promise with the following words, “On December 8th, at noon, I shall appear here again in the parish church and it will be the hour of grace.” Pierina Gilli asked, “Please, explain to me! What does it mean, the hour of grace?” Our Lady replied, “The hour of grace—–great and numerous conversions will occur.” Here she paused again for some moments and continued, “Souls, totally hardened, cold as this marble, will be touched by Divine grace and become faithful and God-loving again.”

 

This was the only time that Our dear Lady predicted a future appearance. All the other apparitions happened unexpectedly.

 

 

This time when Our Lady appeared again in the parish church there were only three persons present. Among them was the Reverend Confessor of the seer. Our Lady, as “Rosa Mystica,” wore a white cloak. This was held at the right side by a boy, at the left side by a girl. Both were also dressed in white.

 

Our Lady said, “Tomorrow I shall show you my Immaculate Heart which human beings know so little.” Here she paused and then went on, “In Fatima I spread the dedication to my Immaculate Heart.” With heartfelt expression she went on, “In Bonate I tried to introduce this devotion into Christian families.” (Bonate, where Our Lady appeared during the war, is situated near Bergamo.)

 

Here she made a somewhat longer pause, then continued, “Here in Montichiari I wish the devotion of the ‘Rosa Mystica,’ together with the veneration of my Immaculate Heart, to be increased in the religious institutes and the monastic communities, in order that these souls dedicated to God may receive more graces from my motherly Heart.”

 

Then Our Lady told Pierina a mystery and promised that she herself would let her know when she had to reveal it. Pierina asked, “Who are the two children at your side?”

 

Our Lady answered, “Jacinta and Francesco. They will be your companions in all your afflictions. They too have suffered, though they were much younger than you. Look, this is how I would like you to be—–simple and good—–as these children used to be.” Our Lady extended her arms protectingly, looked up to Heaven and exclaimed, “Sia benedetto il Signore!” which means, “Praised be the Lord!” Then she disappeared.

 

 

On this great feast of St. Mary, some thousand people had gathered from everywhere. Pierina Gilli had great difficulty in getting into the overcrowded parish church. She knelt down on the spot where the other appearances had taken place. While people were praying the Rosary, she exclaimed, “Oh, La Madonna!” (Our Lady).

 

At once, there was a great silence. The pastor, Monsignore Abate Francesco Rossi, reported that many participants told him later, (though thousands of people were in the overcrowded church), it had become so still that one could hear the humming of a single fly. Our Lady appeared on a big white staircase which was decorated on both sides with white and yellow and red roses. Our dear Lady smiled and said, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” And with great majesty, descending, she said, “I am Mary of Grace, that is, the Full of Grace, Mother of my Divine Son Jesus Christ.”

 

Descending farther she continued, “I come here to Montichiari because it is my wish to be appealed to and venerated as ‘Rosa Mystica.’ I wish people to celebrate each year on December 8th at noon the hour of grace for the whole world. With this exercise, one will receive numerous spiritual and bodily graces. Our Lord, my Divine Son Jesus, will be abundantly merciful so long as good men go on praying for their fellow men. As soon as possible, let the Supreme Shepherd of the Church, Pope Pius XII, know it is my wish that this hour of grace be publicized and spread throughout the whole world. If someone cannot go to church at this time, he is to pray at noon at home, and he will receive graces from me. He who prays on these bricks and sheds tears of repentance will find a secure ladder to Heaven and get protection and graces from my Motherly Heart.”

 

With these words Our beautiful and radiant Lady showed Pierina her Heart and burst into the following words, “Look at this Heart which loves human beings so very much, though most of them overwhelm it with abuses!” Here she paused a moment, and then went on, “When good people and bad people unite in prayer, they will receive mercy and peace from this Heart. At present the Lord has been merciful to the good ones because of my intercession. This has delayed a great judgment of God.” Smiling, she went on, “Very soon, one will know how important this hour of grace is.”

 

Pierina noticed that she was about to leave and said, “Oh beautiful, dear Saint Mary, I thank you! Please bless my homeland Italy, bless the whole world, especially the Holy Father, the priests, the monks and nuns, and the sinners.” Our Lady answered, “I have an abundance of graces ready for all those children who hear my voice and take my wishes to heart.” With these words the vision ended. Also during this vision Our Lady confided to Pierina a secret and promised to come again and tell her when the moment would come for revealing it.

 

 

Parents brought to the church a boy of about five or six years who was suffering from polio and could not stand or walk. Other parents brought their daughter, about twenty-six years old, who suffered since she was twelve years old from severe tuberculosis. She had not been able to utter a single word for the last nine years.

 

In the same moment both were completely healed. The girl who had not been able to speak a word for the past nine years now sang a song of praise with a full voice. Since then she has been able to sing and speak without any difficulty.

 

The parents of the boy carried him in their arms into the church, now he could stand and walk. Later on he was shown in public from a balcony to the rejoicing crowd in the big square in front of the church. The whole crowd was deeply stirred when they saw the child jump up and down. He declared, “I have seen Our Lady in the church and she smiled at me benevolently.” Since that time both have been in good health. The boy married some years ago and the girl has become a pious God-fearing nun who is living only to expiate for the religious orders and priests.

 

 

The third miracle happened during the time of the appearance of Our Lady, not in the church of Montichiari, but in a private home of the town. A woman of about thirty-six years was healed at home during the time of the apparition. From childhood on she was not normal but also not completely mentally disturbed. She could not speak, but the worst thing was that she had no control over her bodily functions. Her sister-in-law had to stay with her at home while her father went to the cathedral to the anticipated appearance of Our Lady. Her sister-in-law prayed the holy Rosary at the time of the appearance and exclaimed spontaneously, “Our dear Lady, if you are really present in the Church of Montichiari, please heal this poor sick girl!” In the same moment the sick person was healed completely. She was healed forever! Loud and full of joy she prayed with her sister-in-law the holy Rosary to the end. When the father came home from the church, he was astonished and full of joy upon seeing his daughter healed.

 

This miracle especially caused a sensation and was later declared to be the most important one by several physicians. As in this case, any mass suggestion had to be excluded. The healing was lasting. The girl died some years later, but one of her brothers is still alive and can witness to all this.

 

Please note that one of Mary’s titles as has been recorded above is Mystical Rose, and that there is a famous traditional image called Mystical Rose; this is not the one of Montichiari. There is a link below related to the Mystical Rose.

 

this article discovered here

 

When Mary of Nazareth conceived in Her womb the Word of God, that conception was the effect of the fullness of Her grace, and of an action of the Holy Spirit which occurred in Her soul first of all, thereby making of Her flesh a tabernacle and a sanctuary. The dignity of the Mother of God is Her great sanctity, it is the incomparable grace which raises Her above all the Angels, the grace in which She was predestined and created for this glorious purpose. By the acts of Her blessed Maternity, She bordered on divinity while remaining entirely human. In this way She seems to exhaust, as it were, the power of God ­- the fullness of the grace accorded Her cannot be surpassed. It is easier for us to conceive of the greatness of Mary, however, when we consider Her maternity of the Mystical Body, the Church, which like Herself is entirely human, and composed of persons who are very far indeed from being what our Saviour was, a Divine Person incarnate.

 

We understand better what Mary is for the Church by listening to Saint Louis Mary de Montfort, Apostle of the Cross and of the Rosary of Our Lady. As Mary was necessary for God in the Incarnation of the Word, so She is necessary for Him to sanctify souls and bring about their likeness to Christ, and She is much needed by us, in our great infirmity:

 

“The Holy Ghost gives no heavenly gift to men which He does not have pass through Her virginal hands…; such is the sentiment of the Church and its holy Fathers. Mary, being altogether transformed into God by grace and by the glory which transforms all the Saints into Him, asks nothing, wishes nothing, does nothing contrary to the eternal and immutable Will of God. When we read then in the writings of Saints Bernard, Bernardine, Bonaventure and others, that in heaven and on earth everything, even God Himself, is subject to the Blessed Virgin, they mean that the authority which God has been well pleased to give Her is so great that it seems as if She had the same power as God; and that Her prayers and petitions are so powerful with God that they always pass for commandments with His Majesty, who never resists the prayer of His dear Mother, because She is always humble and conformed to His Will. If Moses, by the force of his prayer, stayed the anger of God against the Israelites in a manner so powerful that the most high and infinitely merciful Lord, being unable to resist him, told him to let Him alone that He might be angry with and punish that rebellious people, what must we not, with much greater reason, think of the prayer of the humble Mary, the worthy Mother of God, which is more powerful with His Majesty than the prayers and intercessions of all the Angels and Saints both in heaven and on earth?”

 

“The sin of our first father has spoiled us all, soured us, puffed us up and corrupted us… The actual sins which we have committed, whether mortal or venial, pardoned though they may be, have nevertheless increased our concupiscence, our weakness, our inconstancy and our corruption, and have left evil remains in our souls… We have nothing for our portion but pride and blindness of spirit, hardness of heart, weakness and inconstancy of soul, revolted passions, and sicknesses in the body… Let us say boldly with Saint Bernard that we have need of a mediator with the Mediator Himself, and that it is the divine Mary who is most capable of filling that charitable office. It was through Her that Jesus Christ came to us, and it is through Her that we must go to Him. If we fear to go directly to Jesus Christ, our God, whether because of His infinite greatness or because of our vileness, or because of our sins, let us boldly implore the aid and intercession of Mary, our Mother. She is good, She is tender, She has nothing in Her that is austere and forbidding, nothing too sublime and too brilliant… She is so charitable that She repels none of those who ask Her intercession, no matter how great sinners they have been; for, as the Saints say, never has it been heard, since the world was the world, that anyone has confidently and perseveringly had recourse to our Blessed Lady and yet been repelled.” (True Devotion to Mary)

Sources: True Devotion to Mary, by Saint Louis Mary de Montfort (Montfort Publications: Bay Shore, 1960); Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 12.

 

this article discovered here

 

Nellie Edwards: I was born January 10, 1955 and raised in Yakima Washington, the sixth of 10 children.  I made my first pro-life statement, of sorts, when I was 5 days old.  Being born on the 100th anniversary of the Yakima YWCA, I was the tiny guest of honor at their celebration banquet.  When one woman heard that I was the 6th child for my parents, she gasped, saying loudly, “Don’t they know what causes that?!”  My dad responded by saying, “Yes, I think it’s called love!”  That story was repeated to me almost every year on my birthday, for the first 10 years of my life.

 

I was educated in the parochial school system and the nuns (Dominicans to the 3rd grade and The Missionary Daughters of the Most Pure Virgin Mary to the 8th grade) inculcated in me the desire to use my talents and abilities to help others, and especially to help them to know Jesus Christ.

 

I have strong memories of my mother, kneeling at her bedside each morning and again every night.  From her I learned the importance of prayer and sacrificial love in marriage.  She and Dad both prayed the Rosary with all of us for many of my childhood years.  My favorite part was always, “and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”

 

As a young newlywed, married Aug. 30, 1975 to Chrys Edwards, who had immigrated from Wales, I read Humanae Vitae.  I quickly realized it was a truly prophetic document.  I could see how the contraceptive mentality would open Pandora’s Box and corrupt the moral fabric of society and thankfully, had little trouble convincing my husband of this.  (At the time, he had not yet converted from the Church of England.)  Through our discussions, he became convinced of the immorality of abortion and later supported my pro-life apostolate.

 

Nellie Edwards: Yes.  Ever since reading Humanae Vitae, I realized that, to stop the killing of babies in their mother’s wombs, the pro-life movement would have to convince society of the evil that is artificial birth control.  With most of the mainline denominations caving in on the issue of contraception, it would mean that we have to set ourselves to building Christian unity ­ by which I mean that we Catholics would need to speak to the consciences of our separated brethren ­ so I began to initiate the topic at every opportunity. 

 

The Lord gave me fundamentalist friends.  One evening I was invited to attend a “Prayer Rally for Life” planning meeting at the home of some new friends.  I was the only Catholic in a group of about 30 Protestants.  To start with, they prayed spontaneously, “Jesus, you are Lord…We trust in you…etc., etc.”  Afterwards, I said, “I have to tell you that Jesus is not going to bless the efforts of the Pro-life movement until Christian couples stop contracepting…We cannot say Jesus is Lord of our lives, while going against his natural order, separating the unitive and procreative elements of the sexual act.  Is that any different than homosexual sex?  Sterile sex is what they have too.”  All eyes seemed to get as big as mayo lids!

 

Soon ­ and I mean soon ­ couples began to make excuses as to why they had to leave, though the meeting was far from over, until myself and the host couple were the only ones left.  They stood there, looking at me with incredulous faces… and I was prepared to be shown the door, so it was a great joy for me when they hugged me, saying, “Your words had the ring of Truth!  We always knew, deep down, that it was wrong to use birth control.”  Then we prayed for the other couples, that they too would see the light of this vital truth.

 

Nellie Edwards: It is God’s grace that allows us to see the value in every human life ­ even those who, as our own baby, die before birth.  In 1980, we lost a child just 2 weeks before her due date.  It had been a normal pregnancy, so I was full of anticipation, looking forward to our first embrace.  The night before I found out she died, I had put our two little girls (our 1st and 2nd children) to bed and sat on the sofa, praying.  Suddenly, Romans 8:28 flashed in my mind: “All things work together for good….”  At the time, I remember thinking, “Well, that’s always a good one to remember.”   I finished my prayers but not before there was a flurry of stronger than usual kicking within my womb.  I was taken aback and felt relief when it subsided.  Within about an hour, a strong queasiness came over me and I thought, “Well, tomorrow is my regular exam; I’ll tell the doctor.”

 

As I lay on the examination table the next morning, my doctor repeatedly searched for the baby’s heartbeat and finally, in a grave voice informed me, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Edwards, your baby seems to be in demise.”  These were the saddest words I ever had to hear, since it meant that our precious Chrystine (a name I had chosen to honor her daddy) would not be joining our little family after-all.  I realized that all the overt activity the night before had been her last efforts to remain alive.  Almost immediately, I recalled the neon-like scripture and literally cried out, “Okay Lord, I’m claiming this for my husband’s conversion.”  I refused to allow a D & C, which the doctor said was necessary to remove our child from my womb due to concerns that I could become ill from the bacteria of her decomposing body ­ but I knew the Lord would not allow that.  Her lifeless body remained within me for 10 days, until I delivered her naturally.  During that time, I also offered up the loss of our child for her little unborn peers who would die by abortion, because their mothers were being manipulated and lied to. 

 

Chrys had never known his own father, since his mother divorced while pregnant with him.  He was allowed no contact, though, as an adult, my husband found out from relatives that his father was actually a good man.  Through the outpouring of concern and sympathy from the husbands of my good Catholic friends, I believe Chrys was able to connect, for the first time, with God as a loving father.  Within a year he had joined me in the Catholic Church.  I realized that the death of our daughter was the means of new life for her father and I came to understand more than ever before that the Holy Scriptures are indeed the living word of God.  This sustained me through all my subsequent pregnancies and the host of difficulties inherent in raising a large family.

 

Nellie Edwards: Sad to say, but, yes.  I knew quite a few Catholic couples who contracepted, and some would talk about their tubal ligations casually, as if they had just had dental work done.  I even discovered that many of my own relatives had taken that unfortunate path.  Beginning in 1981, when I was pregnant for the third time, I started getting rude comments ­ even from strangers ­ about the size of my family.  They would say things like, “Are you done?”  I would reply, “What am I, a cake?”  Then there was the classic “Don’t you know what causes that?”  One time a man who I knew attended our parish said something similar to that, so I indignantly said, “No, can you explain it to me?”  He turned beet red, mumbled something, and walked quickly away.  The point is, I was getting the signal that children were being seen, not as a gift from God but in fact, annoyances ­ an infringement on the air space of others ­ so I realized I should get more deeply involved in the war to end abortion.  As the mother of little ones, I thought the least I could do would be to write letters to the editor and help with pro-life campaigns.

 

This was my level of involvement in 1982, but even though I did have my hands full with a baby and his 4 and 6 year old sisters, I felt I should be doing something more, though I didn’t have a clue as to what.  Some time later, I had a series of dreams, which were very frightening.  They were nearly identical each time: I was hiding from the Nazis in open places, such as wheat fields or meadows.  I was completely vulnerable.  After about the 5th such dream within a 2 week time period, I sat up on the edge of my bed and was stunned to realize that God was telling me to act like defenseless babies were really dying, by going to an abortuary just 2 blocks from our parish church and showing I cared.  Unbeknownst to me, 4 other Catholic women were coming to the same conclusion, though not by dreams.

 

The Holy Spirit arranged for us to meet at a parish function and discover that we had the same zeal for the protection of innocent life.  We started an affiliate of Catholics United for Life and began praying at the abortion clinic on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, August 15, 1983.  That first day, one young woman rejected our offer of assistance, seemingly determined to have an abortion… but came out 2 or 3 minutes later, saying something like, “Thank you for being here; I realize this isn’t the answer.”  The abortionist hired off duty policemen right after we started, but we were able to convince them, one at a time, to quit doing “guard duty,” by showing them abortion pictures.  They accepted pro-life lapel pins from us and actually showed up at our first trial, wearing them.

 

Nellie Edwards: We followed the guidelines of CUL to pray the Rosary and peacefully disseminate pro-life literature, as well as quietly talk to young mothers, offering assistance, as we had the opportunity.  The facility was housed in a professional medical center owned by a Catholic doctor who passed himself off as pro-life and was even an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at our church.  We wanted our pastor to pressure him to oust the abortion clinic from his premises, but the pastor would take no action.  So we went to our bishop, who was no more interested in confronting this man than the pastor had been, and to our dismay kept referring to “people that bomb abortion clinics!”  Of course, we assured the bishop that we didn’t advocate violence toward anyone, but the bottom line was that he would take no action nor would he ask our priest to do so.

 

The owner of the complex called the police, which led to our going to trial for trespassing.  We confined ourselves to the sidewalk, most of the time, although I did go into the abortuary once, in order to reach one young mother, whom the “guards” had rushed into the building ­ physically taking her by the arm and shouting, so as to drown out our voices, as we invited her to come hear us out.  (So much for choice.)

 

Our first trial was in 1984 and the second in 1985.  We actually welcomed the situation to establish our 1st Amendment right to gather and protest.  Since we had placed our apostolate under the protection of Our Lady, the Rosary was our first order of business each time we gathered at the abortuary.  At the first trial, we naturally reached for our rosaries, praying inaudibly as we sat in the defendant’s box.  We were elated when, at the onset of the first trial the judge stated, “For the record, I believe that life begins at the moment of conception…. Anyone, with a degree of intelligence, must have an opinion on this matter.”  Then he quickly added, “I will try this case based on established law but if anyone wishes me to step down, I will do so.”  We were prepared to see the abortionist and his company of paid witnesses raise their hands with faces gloating, but instead, their hands remained down as if restrained by the angels and on their faces were frowns of consternation.  This, for us, was another illustration of the power and vital importance of the Holy Rosary in the fight for life. 

 

We were vindicated both times and resumed our efforts to save babies and their mothers from abortion.  At times, I brought my children along, as a living advertisement for life.  One day, a woman in her 70s angrily approached us and said she never wanted kids and wouldn’t want anyone to tell her she had to.  Our Andrew was about 4 at the time and looking up at her with a scrunched up face, cocked to one side, he said loudly, “Hey, Lady, you some kind ‘a nut!?”  He knew it wasn’t sane to see children in that way.

 

At one point, we borrowed a flatbed farm truck from a friend and placed a 20 foot billboard with a photo of an aborted baby on it ­ that really stirred up the hornet’s nest.  The abortionist’s staff tried to bully us into removing it, behaving like a hoard of banshees.

 

A 60-year-old woman got out of car and pulled a gun from her purse.  From what I can only conclude was amazing grace, we were quite calm and proceeded to try to talk to her.  She shrieked the most vile vulgarities at us and wanted to know, “By what right do you interfere with the choices of others?”  I asked her, “Have you had an abortion yourself?”  She was too old to have had it after Roe v. Wade but I just had the sense that she too was a victim of “the killing solution.”  As soon as the question passed over my lips, the floodgates opened and she began to weep uncontrollably as we reached out to her and embraced her.  When she finally regained her composure, she recounted how she had become pregnant at the age of 17.  Her boyfriend threatened to walk out on her if she didn’t “get rid of it.”  Her best friend exhorted her to do as he wanted and her own mother agreed. 

 

She related more, saying, “It was almost right away that I began to feel terrible guilt… I couldn’t sleep and no one would let me talk about it.  My boyfriend flew into a rage each time I tried to bring it up.  Before long, he broke up with me and I became severely depressed… wanting to kill myself.”  She then told us, “I had to stuff it and try to justify it… even telling myself that I had the right to have or not have a child.”  She eventually aligned herself with N.O.W. and other pro-abortion groups, in order to survive mentally and emotionally, becoming, as she said, “as tough as any street-brawling sailor.”  When she was about to leave us, she turned around and said, “I think I need to take as much pro-life literature as I can, and start doing something to stop abortion.”

 

What a tremendous blessing that was!  We loaded her up and she hugged us gratefully before returning to her car.  She waved until she rounded the corner.

 

We saw, time and again, that the young mothers we encountered were there, not by their ‘choice’ but because of someone else’s ­ even the baby’s own grandmothers, who would say such things as, “I raised my kids, I’m not raising theirs!” 

 

We continued our sidewalk vigil, twice a week, for four years, until, in 1987, the abortionist closed up shop and retired.  It was a tremendous blessing to know for sure, that at least a dozen babies were spared death.  Many of the abortionist’s customers drove away once they saw us but we had no way of knowing whether they went somewhere else to have an abortion.  I did feel a sense of relief, because I no longer had to face the graphic reality of abortion in my own back yard, but knew I had to ask, “What do you want me to do now Lord?”

 

He wanted me to be the mother of eight children, for one thing! 

 

Nellie Edwards: I have always been cognizant of the importance for our children to witness us engaging others in discussions of life issues.  One hot summer afternoon, we were on our way home and had to stop for road construction.  Almost immediately I began a conversation with the flagger, a young man of about 20 years of age.  He told us he was planning to return to “Bible College” and that he wanted to work with youth.  Of course, I saw my opportunity.  The kids were amazed at my comfort level when discussing sexuality with a total stranger.  I explained to them, “That is why a healthy prayer life is essential: prayer and the sacraments supply the oil for our spiritual engine.  The Holy Spirit supplies the fuel, which keeps us on the road of His holy will.”

 

I had a Catholic doctor, whom I knew prescribed birth control, and I politely but firmly, challenged him about it, to which he said, “If they don’t come to me, they’ll go to the next guy.”  I told him, “Strange, that’s exactly what the abortionist told us!”  I had nearly the same conversation with our Catholic pharmacist.  I have put my doctors and pharmacists on pro-life mailing lists and encourage others to do the same.  You never know, it may be the catalyst for their return to grace.

 

Nellie Edwards: After a series of events in the summer of 1996, it seemed to be God’s will that we move our family to North Dakota.  We had been asking God if we might relocate our family to a more wholesome environment ­ away from the violent crime and pop culture which plagued our small city… but I never imagined such a remote setting!  I remember wondering, “What can I do there, to help build the Culture of Life?”  Of course, I knew that prayer is vital but I truly believed I was supposed to do something more.

 

We first settled in a small town with less than 200 population.  While still in Washington, I had begun a small hobby-level business designing, sculpting and hand casting, ornaments, jewelry and magnets.  My kids assisted with hand-painting the product.  Shortly after our move we were able to purchase a building, which became a workshop, allowing us to expand to a full-fledged family business.  Soon, our product was in stores across the country.  (Two of our best known regular customers were Biltmore Estate and Chateau Elan of Brastleton, GA.)

 

From the beginning, I knew that I should promote our faith and the Catholic view of the family with my artistic ability, so I designed pro-life pins and religious ornaments, conveying “The Real Christmas.”  But I desired strongly to do something on a wider scale, to help convert people to the side of life. 

 

I decided to call the business “Mother of Eight Designs” in order to evangelize.  As word got out, I began to get invitations to speak.  The first came from the Minot Air Force Base Officer’s Wives Club.  I was apprehensive but realized it must be God’s will and decided to use the opportunity to plant seeds of the Catholic Faith.  After the talk, one young woman came up to me and related that she and her husband had been “going back and forth about having more children.”  They had two.  She winked at me and said, “I’m going home to tell my husband, that we’re keeping the baby clothes!” 

 

I never dreamed my talk would have that kind of impact!  Many more invitations came: from the Christian Women’s Club, Basin Electric annual manager’s wives luncheon, and the Farm Credit Services annual banquet.  I spoke at the Dickinson State University entrepreneur conference, where I told students, especially the women, to start home businesses if they had children so as not to abdicate their parental responsibility.  At the YWCA Annual Women of Distinction Awards, I congratulated the coordinator on being so intuitive as to ask me to be their keynote speaker, and then told them that I had been named “Miss YWCA” due to being born on that significant day.

 

I tell audiences that my hero, John Paul II, was personally handed some of our religious ornaments by Bishop James Sullivan on his last Ad Liminae visit.  That was truly the most incredible feeling for me, to know that our beloved “Papa” held an extension of myself and my family in his sacred hands and actually pronounced a blessing on “The Edwards Family.”  And I really do believe it reached us!

 

In the spring of 2005, I was on my way to Bismarck to give a talk to a group of 300 women, who were meeting for an annual business banquet.  En route, I prayed for a sign, in terms of God’s will for me as an artist.  I had been getting the idea that I should do religious designs on a larger scale .  I requested to meet an accomplished sculptor as confirmation that this was truly God’s will.  After my well-received address, I took my assigned seat at the banquet table.  The woman seated to the right of me handed me her business card, asking, “You’ll come visit me in my studio, won’t you?”  On the face of the card was a photo of an exquisite sculpture she had done ­ a mother gazing at her newborn baby!  With her encouragement I began to work toward doing larger-scale sculpting, starting with a series of ‘bas relief’ wall plaques.  After 4 months, I had sculpted 5 inspirational designs, and was looking forward to working on statuary in the round.  A few weeks later, our sizable shop was in a charred pile, burned to the ground.

 

Nellie Edwards: I first thought, “Did I miss something Lord?”  I had to trust once again, that this actually fit in God’s plan, which so often flies in the face of human reason.  As a habit by now, I relied on God’s Word: Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:13, and Matthew 6:33, which exhorts, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all the rest shall be added unto you.”

 

In early 2006, my sons asked me to help prepare some design patterns they needed in order to do decorative tile inlays for the floor tiling business they had started.  To create the inlay patterns, I used a basic PC program.  But it was difficult to use the mouse to do much of the work freehand so in January of this year, I turned to a PC Tablet with a stylus, to use like a pen.  After using it for a few simple graphic designs, I was stunned to suddenly realize that I could use the tablet and stylus like a painter uses a canvas and brush.

 

 

I was astonished, since I had always worked with clay, not having a formal fine-art painting background.  I soon discerned an inspiration to “paint” a new depiction of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.  Deliberately, as a test, to determine if indeed this was a true inspiration, I used no preliminary drawing, nor visual aids.  Without a preconceived composition, I prayed and proceeded.  Soon, the background and person of Kateri was formed and I instinctively placed the lilies in the foreground on either side of her.  (She is normally shown holding them.)  It was like watching someone else work.  The composition came about almost organically ­ the colors, the garments, the background ­ all came without forethought, as if flowing through the brush.  I called it “Holding on to Faith.”

 

Nellie Edwards: Since purity, humility, charity and perseverance are essential virtues for all, especially youth, Kateri, who exhibited them heroically, is a more relevant role model today than ever before.  Blessed Kateri was very devoted to Our Lady and the Holy Rosary.  This is vital if we are to defeat Satan and restore the ethic of the sanctity of human life.  I also believe that the American Indian will realize a vital role in restoring respect for God’s creation ­ including the unborn ­ since they are oriented that way culturally.

 

While I was painting Blessed Kateri, Fr. Steve Kranz called me to invite me to be a speaker at an annual Catholic Indian Conference sponsored by his parish, on June 2nd.  I had never before spoken at an American Indian event and the priest had no way of knowing that I was painting Kateri.  I spoke on the contraception-abortion connection and the imperative of becoming involved in the effort to save the unborn and I used Blessed Kateri as an example of going beyond our comfort zone to live for Christ.  By the time of the conference, my painting was done and I was able to offer prints of “Holding on to Faith”.  My talk and the prints were well received.  This, for me, was a wonderful confirmation that these images I am creating have a mission — one I hope will inspire prayerful action on behalf of the unborn.

 

I was thrilled when Sister Kateri Mitchell, the Executive Director of the National Tekakwitha Conference, saw it and said, “Congratulations! She is beautiful!”  She actually ordered the art prints for their annual event in Baltimore.

 

Within a couple of weeks of painting Blessed Kateri, I received an inspiration to paint an unborn child in the womb.  A bit later, I pondered painting Our Lady but dismissed the idea of attempting Mary as too big a task.  Within a half hour of this, I was showing the Blessed Kateri image to someone who said she loved it and then quickly added, “You need to paint the Blessed Mother!”  I realized that the unborn baby would be Jesus, the “Lord of the Unborn.”

 

Once again, without a drawing or visual aid, I prayed and began.  When I finished, I checked to see if the anatomy of the Unborn Christ was accurate by comparing it with internet photos of pre-born babies.  It was so close there was nothing I could change.  I had hoped that Jesus in-utero would have the look of 4 or 5 months gestation, the age most are aborted.  I was not disappointed.

 

Nellie Edwards: This is the first wide-scale exposure for “The Light of Life.”  Meantime, I have been using it to evangelize at every opportunity.  I am especially grateful that all the Protestants to see it thus far have been enthusiastic in their approval, even asking for copies for their homes.  One Protestant business associate said, “I have never heard these things, but I see it’s the truth!”  I can’t help but wonder if Mary has found a way into Protestant hearts and homes, which would help facilitate Christian unity, so vital to restoring the Culture of Life.  If the print is prominently displayed in homes where lax family members and visitors cannot help but see, I believe it will aid in bringing them back into the Faith.  Many will find, as I do, that it will be a powerful visual aid when praying the Holy Rosary.  I do plan to continue speaking and using the images to evangelize, as is, I believe, their purpose.

 

Eventually, we want to make banners available to parishes for indoor and outdoor use and we are interested in hearing from pro-life groups who might like to partner with us in using or distributing these banners. Click here to contact us by email about the banners. (To order prints see the Special Announcement below.)

 

My heartfelt prayer to the Lord of the Unborn is that those who have heretofore been inclined to leave it to others to end the scourge of abortion and related depravities, will realize the critical urgency of doing whatever they can, in their circumstance, to restore the Culture of Life.

 

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[For prayerful meditation on the Light of Life, click here for The Helper's Litany to Jesus in the Womb of Mary.]

 

Mary Kochan, Senior Editor of Catholic Exchange, writes from Douglasville, Georgia. Her lectures are available from Saint Joseph Communications.

 

this article discovered here