Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine Aug 15 Vigil Dates

August 15th Vigil

August 15th Anniversary Day
The August 15th Anniversary Day Observance was very successful. We were blest with weather that was perfect with mid 70's and a slight breeze. The large crowd of pilgrims who came to honor Our Blessed Mother came early so they could proudly carry their state flags in the Procession. We were honored to have a visitor in military uniform carry the U.S. flag, flanked by the Papal flag and the God and Country flag, while the statue of Our Holy Mother was carried on the shoulders of four of our young men. The children who followed carrying flowers to the Sacred Spot, and the many visitors with state flags, were anxious to honor Our Heavenly Queen by also singing the Shrine song "Ave, Ave" as their long line processed through the Shrine Grounds.

After reaching the Sacred Spot the song "Bring Flowers of the Rarest" was sung and the children presented their flowers to Our Blessed Mother while the statue of Our Lady was crowned with the beautiful gold crown with all its jewels.

Procession through the Shrine ground
to the Sacred Spot

Crowning of the Blessed Mother

When the Prayer Vigil at the Sacred Spot was finished all were invited to the Mediatrix of Peace Hall for refreshments and a very inspiring talk by one of our youth group members on the Pro-life activities of their group. By request of many who were present, it is now being shared with you our readers.

    "Good Afternoon! My name is Therese. I am a graduate of Queen of the Holy Rosary School and recent President of the Crusaders of Life. Our pro-life group was formed three years ago on January 22. It was at that first meeting that we, the Crusaders, were taught the importance of 100% commitment, not just in the pro-life movement, but in every thing that we are called to do. 100% commitment to God. As young Catholic men and women we are called to a higher standard for ourselves and a greater commitment. We are to serve as examples among our peers. This is difficult in a society that opposes the most basic truth, that all human life is precious, born and unborn.

    Although our group is small, we are dedicated to protecting and defending life. Each month we go out and picket at an abortion clinic in either Appleton or Madison, Wisconsin. During the School year we started a monthly holy hour. We ran a Christmas Drive for a local single mother in need. We collected food, clothes, toys and other necessities. During Lent we organized a change drive and raised money for nine other single mothers in the area. This summer we participated in a few of the local parades spreading the message of Life.

    Abortion has claimed 1/3 of our generation, about 4,000 children every day. Our Lady of Necedah has said time and time again that the laity must work. The laity must work. I would like to read a message from Our Holy Mother April 2, 1971 - Good Friday: "The sins in your country are so overwhelming, thousands, thousands, thousands and thousands of infants destroyed. There is no way to reconcile this. The parents that have done this will pay the penalty in one way or another. You cannot sin against God and expect to be rewarded. Many and many of these little infants when they were born, they cried; they cried bitterly. Some of the nurses could hardly take it and some infants were strangled. It is inhuman, inhuman, and someone must pay. Your Nation has fallen into the traps of Satan. The beautiful America cannot be proud. The Statue of Liberty stands with a shameful face instead of a proud Statue. Where is the Liberty of all those human lives, lives taken? Is that Liberty? No, so you know the consequences that your Nation must face, and that is the Chastisement. Every State, every home responsible will suffer. Every Doctor, every Priest, every Nun responsible for a life must pay the penalty. God will not be mocked. God will not be mocked. God does not permit murder. Remember it is murder. Any human life, no matter how small, is murder. The penalty is suffering and for many hell. Hell!!"

    It is our obligation to fight abortion, to fight pornography. We must properly educate the youth. We must promote true chastity. We have to stop and analyze our own lives, are we doing everything we can to destroy this culture of death and promote the culture of Life? We will be held accountable not only for everything that we do, but also for that whick we neglect to do. This is a spiritual battle and evil cannot be conquered without the help Our Lord and His Holy Mother. We are mere instruments in God's hand.

    The work that we do is in vain if it is not firmly supported by prayer. On June 18, 1971 - Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - Our Blessed Mother said: "Not enough effort made for the Constant Vigil of Prayer. Not enough effort made, for reparation, penance and sacrifice to save the Country, and the Youth. that means in hour U.S.A. there is reparation needed. So much for every little child or infant that was not permitted to be born, and life put into it, it's life was snuffed away. Make reparation for that. For if you do not try, the Chastisement will be so severe that you will scream and lament and you will cry and there will be some who will so foolishly take their lives. That will not be the answer. That is not the answer."

    Recently the Crusaders went to the Appleton abortion mill for an overnight prayer Vigil. The entire group picketed during the day. People continuously prayed in front of the mill throughout the night and into the next morning. A few weeks after we returned home, we received a letter from a gentleman that is out in front of the Appleton abortion mill every day. He wrote, that after our all night vigil, abortions were down from 30 to 19.

    If we could encourage more people to join us in our pickets, I know that we could shut the mill down. Prayer is so powerful. the Blessed Mother wants to help us, she wants to help her children, but we must give ourselves to Her and beg Her assistance. Our Holy Mother in Her messages here, begs us to work feverishly on the Constant Vigil of Prayer. This is the most repeated request in Our Blessed Mother's messages at Necedah. We have the ability to lessen the severity of the Chastisement, if we would be the foundation of all of our work. We must awaken people with prayer.

    We have to promote chastity. Chastity begins in the home and it is instilled in the heart of each young individual. Teens today have such a misconception of true chastity. They say chastity is abstinence and they stop there. Chastity is so much more. It is a strong virtue that directs how we act, how we dress, how we talk, and who we choose to associate with. Chastity teaches us to model ourselves after our Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph and strive to live as they lived. We are to view ourselves as temples of the Holy Spirit. This is no longer taught in schools. Today women are no longer taught to command respect by the way they dress and act. This has resulted in thousands of teenage pregnancies and thousands of abortions.

    Have you ever been to the National Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.? The Crusaders went when we attended the Pro-Life March in January. It is a shiny black wall that stretches 492 feet and lists the names of 58,022 known Americans killed in that war. If we were to construct a wall listing the children killed by abortion since 1973, the wall would be 60 miles long!! The casualties of all of our wars put together do not equal the casualties from abortion in a single year.

    I want to read an excerpt from the message dated October 7, 1974 when Our Blessed Mother stated, "Yes, My Child, I weep for My sons in Christ, whom they represent. I weep for them, for would they fulfill their true vows and speak to the young children and the parents, many of the unborn would be walking the streets; instead of that, they are buried in garbage, in incinerators, yes, even in water. There was no consideration that that fetus, that unborn child, is the creation of God the Father in heaven. This, My child, brings tears to my eyes and grieves me deeply. I ask you, here, to work harder to stop this terrible onslaught of human lives."

    Our Holy Mother was quite urgent in Her request. Each person must do his part. Not every one is called in the same direction, but this holocaust can no longer continue and we are called to end it.

    There are many simple little things that can promote life that do not require much work. Place bumper stickers on your car, wear the precious feet pin or pro-life T-shirts, proudly fly a pro-life flag in your yard. More importantly offer masses and holy hours for mothers contemplating abortion, fast or sacrifice for the unborn, write elected officials. Let them know you are pro-life. We may not see the frits of our work, but it is important that we persevere in what we are called to do. As humans we tend to seek instant gratification for the things that we do and often become discouraged when we do not always see the positive results. God did not call us to win the war or be victorious, be He calls us to fearlessly fight and that is how we will be judged. How dedicated and how persistent were we to God's will and saving His children? One of the important things that we can do this year is vote and encourage others to vote with a Catholic conscience. Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, calls this election pivotal in the pro-life movement. We need strong God-fearing, pro-life men in office. It is dependent on our prayers and the effort that we put forth into having the right men elected.

   We have to make time. Make this work a priority. Those of you that live in the cities and near abortion mills, you must go out and picket in front of the mills. You must stand up and be counted. It is not easy to stand out there for several hours in the cold. It is much easier to stay in your warm home and say a few prayers. If you live too far away, or if you are unable to picket, then please contact a local pro-life group. Find out when they picket, and go to Church and dedicate an hour of prayer for that group, that they may reach a young mother and persuade her to save her baby. We have to be the voice for those who have been silenced and sidewalk counsel the young men and women entering the clinic. Pray for their conversion. We have God and His Holy Mother on our side and they have given us the most powerful weapon, the Rosary. they are just waiting for us to use it.