Prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success Relating to Our TimesA S T O L D T O M O T H E R M A R I A N A O F J E S U S T O R R E S I N Q U I T O , E C U A D O R 1 5 8 2 - 1 6 3 5

Those seeking to remove God and His Holy Law from oursociety fight on unceasingly. Abortion murders innocent

unborn babies. The institution of the family is weakened by im-pure customs and the legalization of homosexual “marriage.”The sexual revolution pervades popular culture, especially intelevision, media, movies and the Internet.

However, the worst consequence of this secularist offen-sive is the rejection of God. And without His grace, how can wesurvive? How can our leaders properly govern our nation?From where will they get the wisdom and the strength to solve

the great and complex problems that abound?

“What Can We Do?”At Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, Our Lady made it very clear thatthe rosary is the solution to our earthly problems.

Thankfully, Public Square Rosary Rallies have been growingannually. Just last year we held an astounding 21,570 ralliesacross America! And our goal for 2018? We want to give OurLady 23,000 rallies. Will you help us reach this goal? n

As the times and events we witness be-come increasingly alarming, we can betempted to lose hope. It is with this le-

gitimate temptation in mind that we reprintthe following prophesies of Our Lady of GoodSuccess. Pronounced over 400 years ago,their present fulfillment is a clear portent of

the coming of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.“Unhappy, the children of those times! Seldom will they re-

ceive the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. As for thesacrament of Penance, they will confess only while attendingCatholic schools, which the devil will do his utmost to destroyby means of persons in authority.” 

“The sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the unionof Christ with the Church, will be thoroughly attacked and pro-faned. Masonry, then reigning, will imple-ment iniquitous laws aimed atextinguishing this sacrament. They willmake it easy for all to live in sin, thus multi-plying the birth of illegitimate childrenwithout the Church’s blessing.” 

“Secular education will contribute to ascarcity of priestly and religious vocations.” 

“The holy sacrament of Holy Orders will

be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this both the Churchand God Himself are oppressed and reviled, since He is repre-sented by His priests. The devil will work to persecute the min-isters of the Lord in every way, working with baneful cunning todestroy the spirit of their vocation and corrupting many.”

“To be delivered from the slavery of these heresies, thosewhom the merciful love of my Son has destined for this restora-tion will need great will-power, perseverance, courage, andconfidence in God. To try the faith and trust of these just ones,there will be times when all will seem lost and paralyzed. It willthen be the happy beginning of the complete restoration…”

“Then will the Church, joyful and triumphant like a younggirl, reawaken and be comfortably cradled in the arms of mymost dear and elect son of those times. If he lends an ear to theinspirations of grace—one of which will be the reading of these

great mercies that my Son and I have hadtoward you—we shall fill him with gracesand very special gifts and will make himgreat on earth and much greater in Heaven.There we have reserved a precious seat forhim because, heedless of men, he will havefought for truth and ceaselessly defendedthe rights of the Church, deserving to becalled ‘martyr.’” n

Call (866) 584-6012 to find out how you can be part of this rosary crusade

ForgottenTruths

Statue of Our Lady of Good Success, Quito,Ecuador, commissioned by the Queen of Heaven

herself to a Conceptionist nun in 1599.

America’s Largest JOIN

Public Square Rosary Crusade!

to bring America back to God.

For a free book on the story of Our Lady of Good Success, visit www.TFP.org.

J U LY / AU G U S T 2 0 1 8

Contents

CRUSADECCRCRUCRUSCRUSACRUSADCRUSADECRUSADEfi

Editor: Antonio Fragelli Associate Editors: John Horvat II, Michael Drake,Norman Fulkerson, Kenneth Murphy, Vincent GorrePhotography: Gary Isbell, Michael Gorre, Joshua LongForeign Correspondents: Charles E. Schaffer, Austria; José Carlos Sepulveda, Brazil; Philip Moran, UnitedKingdom; Benoit Bemelmans, France; Beno Hofschulte, Germany; Juan M. Montes, Italy; David Nash, South Africa; Felipe Barandiarán, Spain

The American TFP The American Society for the Defense of Tradition,Family and Property (TFP) is an organization of layCatholic Americans concerned about the moral crisisshaking the remnants of Christian civilization. Itsearliest origins date back to January 1971, when thefirst TFP members started to group around thepublication Crusade for a Christian Civilization. It is acivic, cultural and nonpartisan organization which,inspired by the traditional teachings of the SupremeMagisterium of the Roman Catholic Church, works ina legal and peaceful manner in the realm of ideas to

defend and promote the principles of privateownership, family and perennial Christian values withtheir twofold function: individual and social. TheTFP’s words and efforts have always been faithfully atthe service of Christian civilization. The first TFP wasfounded in Brazil by the famous intellectual andCatholic leader Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in 1960.His work inspired the formation of other autonomousTFP sister organizations across the globe, thusconstituting the world’s largest anticommunist andantisocialist network of Catholic inspiration.

Crusade Magazine is a publication of The American Society for the Defense ofTradition, Family and Property (TFP). Direct all requests and inquiries to: Crusade Magazine, P.O. Box 341, Hanover, PA 17331 or email to: crusade@TFP.org.Web: www.TFP.org, Tel.: (888) 317-5571, Fax: (570) 450-6352. © 2018 by The Foun-dation for a Christian Civilization, Inc. This publication may include images fromiStockphoto™ and Dreamstime™ which are protected by copyright laws of the U.S.and elsewhere. ISSN 1096-3782 LCCN 98-641433

Cover: Artist’s rendition of the

face of Saint CharbelMakhlouf of Lebanon.

86

M-154

Advice for our times from onewho lived through the protestsof the 1960’s

IN BR IEF 4

CHRIST IN THE HOMEMake Your Bed 5

RETURN TO ORDERBaby Boomer Gives Gun Protesters Something to Think About 6

TFP IN ACT IONw Catholics Battle Blasphemy at

College of the Holy Cross 8w Pro-Abortion Students Found

Speechless at Bloomsburg University 9w Opposing Pro-Transgender

Priest at Spring Hill College 11

COVER STORYSaint Charbel: The Wonder Worker of Lebanon 12

ANF PROGRESS REPORTw Fatima Report, May 2018 17w Fatima Conferences Held

Nationwide in 2018 19w A Miraculous Visit from Saint Charbel 20w Our Readers Write 21

DEFENDING THE FA ITHHow to Write a Pro-Life Letter to the Editor 22

BACK COVERHidden Beauty 24

Over 16,000 Catholics objectedto blasphemy at College of theHoly Cross

17Members of America Needs Fatima deliver over 8,500 roses to OurLady of Fatima in Portugal

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Beautiful Traditional Churches Attract Youth to CatholicismA study commissioned by a British evangelizationgroup found that 13% of teenagers who convertedto Christianity did so because of their experienceof visiting traditional churches and cathedrals. Thestudy brought the researchers to the conclusion

that “the new methodsinvested in by thechurch, such as youthgroups, are less effec-tive than prayer or vis-iting a church buildingin attracting childrento the church.” The re-searchers also foundthat there is a risingtrend of Catholic youthdesiring traditional de-votions and seeking toexperience rich

Church history—relics, the saints, liturgies andbeautiful churches.

Same-sex “Marriage” Repealed in BermudaBermuda’s House of Assembly and Senate over-whelmingly voted by wide margins to repeal thecountry’s same-sex “marriage” law after it was al-lowed by a Supreme Court ruling in 2017. Gover-nor John Rankin signed it into law, thus makingBermuda, a British territory, the first country to le-galize and then repeal same-sex “marriage” in theworld. The new law preserved the traditional defi-nition of marriage as between a man and a womanwhile at the same time allowing “domestic part-nership” status to same-sex couples in Bermuda.

Cosmopolitan Removed from Walmart Check-outsThe women’s magazine Cosmopolitan known forits pro-abortion stance was pulled out of check-out lane displays at Walmart. The chain store an-nounced its decision after parents andconservative groups voiced their concerns. Wal-mart spokesperson Meggan Kring told USA Today,

“While this was primarily abusiness decision, the con-cerns raised were heard.”Cosmopolitan’s covers fre-quently display scantily-clad women, along with

content that promotes risky sexual behavior, abor-tion-on-demand and other objectionable contentaccording to a report in LifeNews.com.

Homeschooled Youth a Leading Source ofPriestly VocationsThe Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate(CARA) of Georgetown University found thatyoung American men who have been home-schooled are four times more likely to pursue thepriesthood than those educated in Catholic insti-tutions. Although a minority, homeschooledAmerican Catholics provided 8 percent of youngmen studying for the priesthood. There are 100,000homeschooled students versus 2,000,000 enrolledin Catholic institutions. On average, these youngAmerican seminarians spent seven years beinghomeschooled.

Mississippi Enacts Strongest Pro-life Law in United States LifeSiteNews reported that Governor Phil Bryantof Mississippi signed a new law restricting abor-tions earlier than any other state in America. Therepublican governor of the state said that his goalis to make his state“the safest place inAmerica for an un-born child.” The lawforbids abortionsfrom being per-formed beyond fif-teen weeks for anyreason other than a“medical emergency.”According to theGuttmacher Insti-tute, a pro-abortiongroup, 17 states banabortions past 20 weeks of pregnancy, but nonebanned them earlier until now.

College Student Removed from Class forOpposing TransgenderismA professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvaniaremoved one of her students during her religiousstudies class for standing up to say that there areonly two genders. Lake Ingle, a senior student atthe university, said that after showing a 15-minuteTED Talk by a transgender, Professor AlisonDownie asked the class to share their thoughts.Ingle spoke up and told the class that the officialview of biologists is that there are only two gen-ders. The professor promptly told Ingle to leaveand not to come back. He later received a letterfrom the university provost that said, “You arehereby barred from attending this class in accor-dance with the Classroom Disruption policy.”

C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G4

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Christ in the Home

5

The sense of order today is highly underesti-mated but none the less essential. One wayto instill orderliness in children is to teach

them to make their bed, properly and promptly. Aswe all know, it is important to start the day outright, for as the great Saint Francis de Sales teachesus, “The beginning of everything is very important.”

Msgr. Romano Guadini writes in his excellentbook, Learning the Virtues That Lead You to God:“There’s more to goodness than keeping the Com-mandments: you’ve got to cultivate virtue too, sothat you please God in what you do—and notmerely in what you don’t do.”

And the first of the virtues he tackles in his bookis the Virtue of Orderliness.

He explains, “[Orderliness]…underlines a senseof rule, a sense for what is necessary, so that a cer-tain condition or an arrangement may endure.”

Indeed, one who acquires the virtue of orderli-ness is thus able to order, organize and prioritizetheir lives which, in turn, bestows the capacity andself- discipline to meet the obligations, prioritiesand commitments that we all have. Once this isachieved, the result is: pax—peace.

Making that BedAt home, Mom was a stickler for orderliness—though she was patient. She knew neatness and asense of orderliness is not something normally in-cluded in the Stork’s satchel. For this reason shetaught us the importance of neatness and orderli-ness throughout our childhood years.

Mom believed that each day was determined byits start! An early rising, with a positive, snappy,cheerful and disciplined beginning, helped to en-ergize our sluggish wills, flex our spiritual muscles,and set the tone for the day.

In our home that something positive, snappyand disciplined was making our bed. Once in awhile Mom would remind us that in monasteries,convents, and the military making your bed isparamount as it helps to build strength of will,depth of character and promote order in our livesand in our surroundings.

I still remember the story she would tell usabout how to test a “well-made” bed, with sheetspulled tight. This was done by tossing a coin on thecoverlet. If the coin bounced, you passed.

We listened wide-eyed, impressed and envi-sioning a “drum” for a bed. We got the idea. In thisway, she taught us how to make our beds properly.

Although I don’t remember any coin bouncing,I do remember my mother’s vigilant and patientgaze until we formed this habit.

Her patience in this regard was especially ben-eficial as it impressed upon each of us how muchshe actually understood us as individuals. Sheknew the formation of a virtuous habit varies witheach child.

Through the years, in the natural flux of homelife, she enforced but also flexed the rules; virtue forher was a “living” thing and not just a “rigid” rule.

So there was many a time when I ran out thedoor, late for something and came back to an un-made bed at the end of the day. But the importantthing was that, at the sight of my messy covers,there was that feeling of “let down” as I renewedthe resolution, “I will make my bed tomorrow.” Itbothered me to walk into an untidy room.

And right there, Mom and orderliness had won.I can say for sure, that the simple habit of mak-

ing my bed every morning along with all the othergood habits Mom instilled in us, have gone a longway not only to help me live, love and trust theLord’s Commandments, but to live as happy andproductive a life as this earth affords. n

C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G

Make Your BedB Y M . T A Y L O R

“Order assigns each thing its place. If you keep order, it will keep you. If you disturb order, it willdisturb you. If you destroy order, it will destroy you. All that disturbs order disturbs peace.”

—Saint Francis de Sales

These boys learnthat making theirbed lays a solidfoundation oforderliness onwhich to build ahappy day.

© Imgorthand | iStockphoto.com

Dear young protester,I have watched your protests against gun vio-

lence and could not help but recall my own youth.As a child of the Sixties, I was born of a genera-

tion that also had protests. I recall my desires tochange the world and make it a better place bychallenging everything. I remember my frustrationin the face of a world in chaos.

Now I am of the older generation, and you areon the streets. However, matters are much worse.I hope these words might warn against the repeti-tion of a tragic mistake.

A Well-Worn PathIt was my generation that helped unleash the vio-lence that you find in your schools, culture andlives. My generation produced your generation.You are following in our footsteps. You are the laterphase of a process my generation began. Don’tcontinue on this path.

It was my generation that redefined freedom as“doing your own thing.” We overturnedsociety norms, morals and manners inan attempt to achieve this freedom.However, this quest only made us a self-centered “Me Generation,” demandingeverything instantly regardless of theconsequences. It filled us with resent-ments when the world failed to bend toour needs.

Today, many of the younger generations are tak-ing our mistake to new extremes. Today, it is nolonger “doing your own thing,” but “being your ownthing” since you can identify as whatever you per-ceive yourself to be. Anything can be the cause ofresentment, triggering instant snowflake melt-downs. Tragically “being your own thing” today cannow include acting out fantasies… or killing others.

Smashing the Restraints of ViolenceIt was my generation that looked for a world of loveand “free” peace. To obtain this goal, we destroyedfamily structures, sexual morals and marriage. Wetried to make love free, and it came at the highprice of shattering families and destroying indi-vidual lives (including those not yet born).

Far from producing love and peace, this shat-tered world is engendering bitter fruits in a soci-ety that is coming apart with great violence. Youcan see this in the sexual harassment scandals. It isfound in the political landscape that is polarizedand fragmented. It finds tragic expression in thelives of lonely individuals who seek revenge uponsociety by killing other students.

We have violence in society because our cultureis immersed in it. Once my generation adopted ananything-goes attitude toward culture, it un-leashed the forces of violent films, pornography,frenetic substance abuse and video games that younow see and suffer. You are given false role models

Return to Order

C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G6

Baby Boomer Gives Gun ProtestersSomething to Think AboutB Y J O H N H O R V A T I I

Author of the bookReturn to Order, JohnHorvat, II shares hisexperience as a “babyboomer” with theyouth of today.

Anti-war demonstration in Chicago,August 1968.

“As a child of the sixties, Iwas born of a generationthat also had protests. I

recall my desires tochange the world and

make it a better place bychallenging everything.”

David Wilson

TFP in Action™

Fighting the good fight for moral values J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 8

7

that glorify this violence and make it glamorousand popular.

Your generation feels threatened by violence be-cause we have no defense against it. We have torndown the structures of family, community and faiththat once protected us from it. We have smashedthe rules that restrained violence and kept societysafe. We have excluded God, the source of all goodand order, from the popular culture.

Time for a Return to OrderAnd so as youth nationwide gather to demand ac-tion against gun violence, I would ask you to con-sider the cause of this violence, not only its tragicconsequences. Let’s both reject the premises thatbrought us here.

Now is not the time to repeat the sixties, but toreject them. Let us join together to declare the six-ties over. They have brought us a catastrophe, full ofviolence and politically correct intolerance. Peopleare tired of its old rhetoric and superficiality thathas led us to our broken times. They yearn for order.

Now is the time for a return to order—but notthe false materialistic order of the fifties.

It is time to find our roots and go back to what

Russel Kirk called those “permanent things,” thosecalm norms of courage, duty, courtesy, justice, andcharity that owe their existence and authority notto a self-centered “Me Generation,” but to a lovingand transcendent God.

Just something to think about.

All the best,A Baby Boomer

Looking to the Future

P.S. Please excuse the long explanation. I had notime to reduce the above considerations intoa single tweet. n

As seen on The Stream

C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G

B Y G A B R I E L F O N T I C O B A

Catholics Battle Blasphemyat College of the Holy Cross

Apro-homosexual ring leader chants: “What do I study?Blasphemy!” You know it’s a dark day for Catholic edu-cation when blasphemy passes for scholarship. Unfor-

tunately, the Jesuit-run College of the Holy Cross in Worcester,Mass., is standing by its theology professor Tat-Siong BennyLiew, who penned horrific blasphemies, claiming that OurLord was an erotic cross-dresser with “queer desires.”

Scores of complaints condemning the blasphemous writ-ings of Prof. Liew, including a statement from the Most Rev.Robert McManus, Bishop of Worcester, did not prompt anymeaningful response from the Jesuit college so far.  Instead ofupholding fidelity to their baptismal vows, college officials arehiding behind “academic freedom” to justify blasphemy withintheir religion department.  Therefore, as long as young soulsare exposed to Prof. Liew’s twisted interpretation of the Bible,the scandal continues.

Protest at the Gates of Holy Cross“Reparation, reparation, reparation!” echoed down CollegeStreet on April 7, 2018 as a throng of fervent Catholics fromMassachusetts and neighboring states gathered to express theiroutrage at the gates of the Catholic college.  Pro-life advocates,Holy Cross students and college alumni all joined forces for the

Let us join together to declare thesixties over. They have brought us a

catastrophe, full of violence andpolitically correct intolerance.

People are tired of its old rhetoricand superficiality that has led us to

our broken times.

The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Propertyopposes blasphemies taking place within the walls of this Jesuit college.

TFP-sponsored rally on the sidewalk that cold Sat-urday morning.

Large twelve-foot banners expressed the pur-pose of the peaceful protest. “Prof. Liew: Disavowor resign” read one, and another featured a quoteby Bishop Robert J. McManus: “Clearly the biblicalconclusions that Professor Liew has reached in hiswritings are both false and perverse.”

Twenty-seven TFP Student Action volunteersdrove in from Pennsylvania with banners, signsand bagpipers to oppose the blasphemy. Therosary was prayed over a bullhorn and the faithfullining the sidewalk responded while they displayedsigns such as “Why the endless insults to Jesus?”,“Stop Queer Theology” and “Crusader mascot is‘offensive,’ but blasphemy is OK?”

Students Who Support BlasphemyIt became sadly apparent how the blasphemousmindset trickles down from professor to stu-dents.  Shortly after the rosary of reparationbegan, some twenty Holy Cross students cameout to counter-protest in favor of Prof. Liew’sblasphemous writings.  Waving rainbow flags, thepro-homosexual activists interrupted the recita-tion of the rosary with chants such as “Love thyneighbor” and “Who are you to judge?” At leastone student carried a blasphemous sign mockingOur Lord: “I (heart) my drag Jesus.”

The ring leader of the group shouted:“What do I study? Blasphemy!“When do I study it?  All the time!“Where do I study it? Right here at the Cross!”

(pointing to the Catholic college).

16,422 Anti-Blasphemy Signatures PresentedMore than 16,422 people have signed TFP StudentAction’s anti-blasphemy petition, urging the College

of the Holy Cross to dismiss Prof. Liew.  Those peti-tions were presented by TFP volunteers before thegates of Holy Cross in the hope that Father Bor-oughs will correct the scandal and restore moralvalues on campus.

While at the gates, TFP volunteer ZechariahLong talked with two Holy Cross students. One

had a rosary wrapped around his handand lamented the state of his campus.“Here, if you try to do anything goodand stand up for the truth, you will bepersecuted,” he said. n

8 C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G

Why Blasphemy Is Worse Than MurderSaint Thomas Aquinas explains why blasphemy is such a grave offense.

“If we compare murder and blasphemy as regards the objects ofthose sins, it is clear that blasphemy, which is a sin committed di-rectly against God, is more grave than murder, which is a sin againstone’s neighbor. On the other hand, if we compare them in respect ofthe harm wrought by them, murder is the graver sin, for murderdoes more harm to one’s neighbor, than blasphemy does to God.Since, however, the gravity of a sin depends on the intention of theevil will, rather than on the effect of the deed, as was shown above(I-II:73:8), it follows that, as the blasphemer intends to do harm toGod’s honor, absolutely speaking, he sins more grievously than themurderer.” (Summa: 2-2, q. 13, a.3)

Above: In an effort to repair the damage done by blasphemy,many Catholics came to Holy Cross, giving to God and OurLady the honor that is Their due. Right: The number on theseboxes represent the people who responded to an onlineprotest. Clearly, a large number object to the blasphemy thatpasses for “education” at Holy Cross.

Are these students getting their money’s worth? Full-time undergraduates at Collegeof the Holy Cross paid $48,940 in tuition and fees in the 2016-2017 academic year.

TFP in Action™

C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G 9

Without bothering to look up from his smart phone,the student took a TFP flier.  After walking a fewsteps, he glanced at it and suddenly froze in place. 

He rushed to the nearest TFP volunteer, his face lit up withexcitement: “I just wanted to let you know that I am completelyagainst abortion.  I’m 23 years old and a year ago, I got my girl-friend pregnant. It was hard but I couldn’t abort the baby.”  Hepulled up a picture of his baby on his phone: “That’s my daugh-ter. She’s three months old and she was just baptized.”

He was one of hundreds of students at Bloomsburg Uni-versity in Pennsylvania who received TFP Student Action’sinformative flier, 10 Reasons to Defend the Unborn on February26, 2018.  It was difficult to miss the TFP’s red standard, theAmerican flag, the sound of bagpipers and the banner—“Praythe Rosary to end abortion”—situated prominently on thecampus quad. 

“Not You Again!”“Not you again!” cried a student as sixteen young TFP volun-teers arrived on campus. With memories of last year’s TFPrally against transgender ideology still fresh in their minds,students were quick to recognize the TFP.

“I thought we scared you guys off last time,” another stu-dent said in disbelief.

“We don’t get scared,” responded a TFP volunteer.“Yeah, no kidding!” came the reply.About ten minutes into the campaign, a group of feminists

dressed in scarlet cloaks from the “Woman’s Resource Center”began setting up a makeshift booth near the TFP banner. Theygave out their own brochures in favor of abortion, carried pre-

made signs and distributed rainbow ribbons.The undeniable link between the “pro-choice” movement

and other radical leftist groups was evident by the kinds of peo-ple that joined them: a Satanist sporting a black pentagram T-shirt, a self-professed communist preaching Karl Marx, andseveral pro-homosexual activists carrying LGBT flags.

Abortion Advocates Refuse to DebateA second, larger counter-protest was also forming in front ofthe TFP banner. Pro-abortion activists wearing gaudy “angel”costumes that looked like bed sheets gathered to block theTFP banner.  A larger white sheet was stretched across to ob-scure the TFP’s message for the unborn. The bizarre sight ofblank bed sheets confused some people while generating cu-riosity in others.

“What in the world is going on here?” asked a U.S. Army of-ficer as he accepted a TFP flier.

Efforts to engage the pro-abortion demonstrators in civildebate met with stony silence. “Don’t argue with them [TFP];that’s exactly what they want,” said one pro-abortion studentto her friends.

It got so ridiculous that an onlooker intervened and startedberating the leftists for refusing to debate.  “Why don’t you gotalk to them?” he insisted. “Your sign doesn’t even say any-thing.”

“It does say something,” replied the abortion advocate.“The sign says ‘this is a mess.’”

“This isn’t a mess,” the bystander retorted, “this [TFP pres-ence] is very civilized.”

One pro-abortion sign stood out: “The more you silence us,

B Y R O B E R T N U N E Z

TFP Student Action volunteers leave the Bloomsburg University campuswith a confident stride, proud to be promoting the rosary and defendingthe unborn on campus.

Engaging passersby in an animated conversation can be the most effective way to promote the truth on college campuses.

Pro-Abortion Students FoundSpeechless at Bloomsburg University

10 C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G

the louder we become.” But ironically, the same people whoclaimed they were being silenced were now the ones trying toblock and suppress the TFP’s message in defense of the unborn.

The Shocking Abortion Mindset“I had an abortion and I was happy when I did it!” a studentblurted.

“What a real shame. I’ll be praying for you,” answered a TFPvolunteer.

A heavily tattooed student rejected a TFP flier, adding: “I’mdefinitely pro-murder. I believe that we should get rid of any-one who is a barrier to progress.”

The TFP volunteer probed: “Do you think that I’m a barrier

to progress?”“Yah, I think you are.”“Then do you believe that I should be murdered?”“I don’t really care a [expletive] about what happens to you.

If you were murdered, I’d put a smiley-face on my [socialmedia] profile page,” he said.

From this exchange, we clearly see how those who callously

deny the humanity of the unborn child also disregard thevalue of all human life.

Examples of SupportA good number of students and faculty members expressedtheir support, usually with a thumbs-up or a word of encour-agement such as “Keep up the good work.”

“My daughter is a professor here,” said an older gentleman,“and my wife sent me over to take a picture of you because wereally liked what we saw.”

While in disagreement, a leftist professor said he respectedthe courtesy displayed by TFP members. “I think it’s impor-tant for students to hear what the other side has to say. I teach

my students to be critical thinkers, and that includesweighing in on both sides of the issue.”

Do TFP Campaigns Work?Leftists might claim that TFP campaigns do not persuadeanyone. However, experience has often shown the oppo-site to be true.

“Last year when you came to campus, I was a raging lib-eral,” one student offered.  “Now, I totally agree with you.”

TFP Student Action also received this email:“I wanted to express my thanks today to your organi-

zation. My son is a student at Bloomsburg University andhe told me he saw some Catholics from the TFP handingout brochures on the evils of abortion. He talked withthem for a little while and told them he was happy theywere there…

“Please keep up the fight,” she continued.  “My son said itgot people talking in his class and that is a good first step. Itis a struggle to live out the faith on secular college campuses,but there are young people who support you.  But many ofthem live in fear to step out either in class or among theirpeers.  The holy boldness of your missionaries is sometimes allone of them needs to be empowered to make the right deci-sion or speak out against this terrible evil.”

God bless all of the pro-life students and faculty at Blooms-burg University and give them the strength to carry on the cru-sade to end the sin of procured abortion. n

Very quickly, the pro-abortion students ran out of arguments...and in realdesperation they used white bed sheets to block TFP's banner on campusthat read: “Pray the Rosary to End Abortion.”

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to the facts about the killing industry going on in his own backyard, we would see anend to this multi-billion-dollar business. We invite you to share this book on collegecampuses, in local churches and on the streets—anywhere that you can shine thelight of truth in a culture darkened by the lie that abortion is a “right.”

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C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G 11

TFP in Action™

Opposing Pro-TransgenderPriest at Spring Hill CollegeB Y J O H N R I T C H I E

Catholics gathered at the entrance to Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala-bama, on May 5, 2018, with a prayerful purpose: to oppose a com-mencement address given by Father James Martin, S.J., a vocal

pro-homosexual priest who sows public confusion within the Church by pro-moting the normalization of transgenderism and homosexual sin.

Leading up to the commencement ceremony, TFP Student Action gathered17,489 signatures on a petition to Dr. Christopher Puto, president of the Je-suit-run college, urging him to “find a new speaker who respects and loves theperennial doctrine of the Catholic Church.”

The voices of young Catholics, alumni, and parents, however, were ignoredby the college, prompting the physical protest at the instersection of Old ShellRoad and Portier Lane, organized by the American TFP together with localpro-family advocates.

The TFP petition alerted and galvanized many who came from as far asFlorida, Louisiana and Texas to prayand protest at the gates of the college.Their public display was peaceful andvisible. Those arriving for the gradua-tion ceremony met throngs of faithfulCatholics praying the rosary andholding signs and banners.

Recalling the words of Our Lady ofFatima, one young protester ex-pressed his concern, saying, “OurLady warns us that more souls go tohell for sins against the sixth andninth Commandment, sins of theflesh, than anything else. So she, youknow, wants us to live chastelives. And that’s primarly whatFather Martin promotes—sins ofthe flesh.”

As the peaceful protest ended,everyone knelt on the sidewalk toreceive the priestly blessing of Fa-ther James Dean, pastor at SacredHeart Chapel.

“I know the power of prayer canturn things around,” said a con-cerned Catholic at the protest. “Be-cause we’re in a crisis right now andwe need help.” Mentioning her de-votion to Our Lady Undoer of Knots, she added, “Boy do we have a knot hereand we need to pray to the Blessed Mother to start loosening this knot andmaybe together with her we can untie it.” n

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The Biblical cedars of Lebanon have toweredon mountaintops for thousands of years.Lebanon, a country mentioned in the Bible

more than 70 times, today carries the cedar on itsflag. The towering cedar is prized for both itsquality and the stability of its wood, not to men-tion its fragrance.

Our Lord Himself walked the rugged country ofLebanon when He visited Tyre and Sidon. He fore-saw all that would come to pass. He also looked toour days, and saw all the crises facing not justLebanon, but the entire world.

It was here that Divine Providence raised up aman who could be called a true “cedar of Lebanon.”An exemplar of every virtue, his mission would beto help not just the people of his homeland, but theentire world. The quality of his life, the stability ofhis total dedication, and the fragrance of his sanc-tity rose to the heights of heaven. God gave to thisman great power to work miracles. This man wasSaint Charbel Makhlouf.

Dedicated to GodCharbel Makhlouf was born on May 8, 1828. Hewas the fifth child of Antoun Zaarour Makhloufand Brigitta Chidiac. At baptism he received thename of Youssef ( Joseph). The family lived in therural village of Bekaa-Kafra, high in the Lebanesemountains.

At his mother’s knee young Youssef learned topray with great devotion. As was the customamong Maronite Catholics, the children knelt andrepeated their mother’s prayers before the smallhome altar at day’s end. The smoke of incense rosewith their prayers at evening twilight.

As he grew Youssef was drawn to the examples

of the lives of the saints and to the life of a hermit,as was practiced by two of his uncles. Youssef tookcharge of his family’s flock, daily bringing them topasture. In a small grotto near where the sheepgrazed, young Youssef placed an icon of the BlessedVirgin. In the peaceful solitude he would pass theday in prayer. The other boys of the village ironi-cally began to call the place “the grotto of the saint.”

In the heat of summer or the snows of winter, thethoughts of Youssef always turned heavenward. Witheach passing day, he fervently prayed to Our Ladythat he could live his days entirely in God’s service.

“God Wants Me Entirely for Himself!”At 23, Youssef quietly left home and headed for theMonastery of Our Lady in Mayfouq, Lebanon. Herehe began the novitiate, taking the monk’s habitand the religious name “Charbel,” after a secondcentury martyr.

It did not take long for his family and friends tonotice his absence. His mother and other relatives,learning of his whereabouts, tried many times topersuade him to return. Charbel’s only responsewas emphatic: “God wants me entirely for Himself !”

After the first year of novitiate, Brother Charbelwas sent to the monastery of Saint Maron at An-naya. Here he learned to sing the Divine Officeseven times a day. The Maronite monks held all oftheir ceremonies in Aramaic, the language spokenby Our Lord. He studied the Divine Liturgy and themonastic duties, always striving to make progressin the way of perfection. Apart from this, Charbeltook on the domestic works of the monastery, in-cluding baking bread, cultivating the land, makingshoes, mending and washing clothes and workingas a carpenter.

B Y B E N B R O U S S A R D

CoverStoryCoverStory

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He shall grow like the cedar of Lebanon. (Ps. 91:13)

In 1853, at the age of 25, Charbel pronouncedhis solemn final vows of poverty, chastity and obe-dience. He was next sent to another monastery tostudy theology. Here Charbel proved himself as anexcellent student and an exemplar of sanctity.After six years of study he was ordained a priest onJuly 23, 1859.

Perfect Self-ControlFather Charbel returned to the monastery of SaintMaron at Annaya. Here he would spend the rest ofhis life.

The new priest was reverent in the exercise ofhis sacred duties. With great humility he also per-formed the manual labors of the community. Thepiety of Father Charbel could not be confined tothe monastery, and word soon spread of his deepdevotion and self-mastery.

One day the monks were working in the fieldswhen they found a dangerous snake. Every at-tempt to frighten off the serpent failed. FatherCharbel was called. He calmly rose from hisprayers, approached the snake, and commandedit to go away and never return. The snake immedi-ately obeyed and slithered away. On another occa-sion, swarms of locusts began to plague the area,endangering the crops. Father Charbel once againcalmly approached the pests and commandedtheir departure. The locusts left immediately, andthe harvest was spared.

A Hermit’s LifeFrom an early age Father Charbel felt the call togreater solitude. He sought permission many timesfrom his superior to move to a nearby hermitage.But Father Charbel was very useful to the commu-nity. His superior did not want to give permission,and so continued to delay Charbel’s request.

After serving for 16 years as a priest in themonastery, divine intervention would obtain thedesired permission for him. Again Father Charbelasked his superior for permission to become a her-mit. His superior again deferred, asking FatherCharbel to study a matter of some urgency. His su-perior gave him permission to stay up past theusual hour to finish the task.

Father Charbel went to the kitchen of themonastery to acquire oil for his lamp. The servant,wanting to mock this sacral monk, filled the lampwith water. Father Charbel, absorbed in devout con-templation, did not perceive the prank and returnedto his cell. Immediately Father Charbel returned tohis prayers, and lit the water-filled lamp with ease.The servant, looking on, watched in awe as he sawthis holy monk miraculously burning water. Hecalled the superior of the monastery. The abbot

stared wide-eyed at the bright lamp burning waterfor fuel, and could only exclaim, “Father Charbel,pray for me!”

Word of this miracle reached the Superior Gen-eral of the Maronite Order. He authorized Father

Charbel to take up resi-dence at the hermitageof Saints Peter and Paulclose to the monastery.

From 1875 to hisdeath, Father Charbellived the secluded life ofa hermit. He always heldhimself to the strictest discipline and would un-dergo strict penances and fasting. At over 5,000feet above sea level, the hermitage provided littleshelter from the harsh winter or the heat of sum-mer. Father Charbel kept a hairshirt hidden be-neath his habit. With little food and deprived ofevery comfort, Father Charbel was the happiestman on earth. Our Lord Jesus Christ became hisstrength and his joy, his only reason for being.

Father Charbel daily offered Holy Mass in theseclusion of his hermitage. He would spend hourson his knees preparing for Mass, and hours after-ward in thanksgiving. For 23 years, his offering theDivine Liturgy in the sacred mountain hermitagecalled down the blessings of heaven on him, hiscountry, the Church and the world. Those who as-sisted always said the same about him: his voicewas low, but his face shone with an interior joy. Hisdeep union with His Divine Master radiated inevery word and action.

Father Charbel’s obedience became legendary,his angelic chastity encompassing his whole being,and his poverty going to extremes not reached bymany other saints.

In December of 1898 while offering Holy Mass, Fa-ther Charbel suffered a stroke. The servant assistinghim had to pry the Sacred Host from his hands. Just

C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G 13

Left: Exterior ofSaint Charbel’shouse in BekaaKafra, Lebanon.Below: Interior ofSaint Charbel’shumble home.

14 C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G

seven days later, on ChristmasEve, he passed into eternity.

A Light from theMountainsFollowing the funeral rites,Charbel’s fellow monks carriedhis body to his tomb. As was thecustom, his body was placed in atomb in the monastery cemeterywith no embalming and no cof-fin. For the last time FatherCharbel was clothed in hismonastic habit. The heavy snowsof winter made the burial diffi-cult for his brother monks.

The holy hermit thus lay for-gotten by the world. But God’seyes were ever on His servant.

A short time after his burial,his fellow monks and nearby vil-lagers noticed an extraordinary light coming fromhis tomb. The light shone for 45 days, and wordquickly spread near and far. The monks soonsought ecclesiastical permission to exhume thebody. This was done in the spring of 1899, fourmonths after Charbel’s death.

Frequent rains had flooded the cemetery sev-eral times, but the body was found completely in-corrupt. The newly-opened tomb revealed thepeaceful remains of Father Charbel floating onmud in a flooded grave.

The monks of Annaya carefully cleansed and re-clothed the body, which remained flexible with nosigns of decay. Father Charbel’s remains weretransferred to a wooden coffin, this time in a cor-ner of a private chapel in the monastery.

Another unusual occurrence came with exhum-ing Father Charbel’s body. A liquid described as amixture of sweat and blood issued from the body’spores. As a result, the bloodstained clothing on therelics of this holy hermit needed to be changed twice

a week. Pieces of cloth soaked inthis liquid were given to thosewho approached Father Charbelwith their petitions. News spreadof numerous cures and healings.

From Hidden Hermit to Famed Miracle WorkerOn July 24, 1927, two doctorswith the French Medical Insti-tute examined Father Charbel’sbody in detail. They drew upvarious documents which weresubmitted to the proper Churchauthority. Their testimony wassigned in the presence of eccle-siastical judges and other wit-nesses. The body of FatherCharbel was clothed in newpriestly vestments and placedin a new coffin of wood covered

with zinc. A zinc tube containing all the documentspertaining to his case was sealed with the remainsin a new tomb. The monks built an oratory espe-cially for prayer before Father Charbel’s remains.His body lay undisturbed here for 23 years.

In 1950, Pope Pius XII declared a jubilee year. Pil-grims to Father Charbel’s tomb noticed a liquidseeping from the tomb and flowing onto the floor.The superior ordered the tomb opened at once,fearing damage to the precious remains. The tombwas dry, except for the liquid that flowed from acrack in the casket. Permission was granted to openthe casket. In the presence of Church authoritiesand physicians the seal on the casket was brokenon April 22, 1950. The liquid composed of sweatand blood continued to flow from Father Charbel’sbody, which remained flexible and lifelike.

While the body was being examined, no less than5,000 pilgrims each day were arriving at themonastery. On feasts and Sundays, the numbers ex-ceeded 15,000. Many traveled from distant countries

Austere entrance to the hermitage of Saint Charbel.

Mattress stained by theliquid described as amixture of blood and

sweat that issued fromthe incorrupt body ofSaint Charbel upon

exhumation in 1899,1927 and 1950.

in anticipation of a cure or favor. In just two yearsafter exhuming the body of Father Charbel, themonastery had collected 1,200 reports of miracles.

A Saint for LebanonTwo of these miracles reported were accepted bythe Sacred Congregation for Father Charbel’s be-atification. Sister Maria Kamary suffered from gas-tric ulcers for 14 years and was completelybedridden. Neither surgery nor medicationbrought relief. She could not eat and received thelast sacraments on three occasions. Brought to thetomb of Father Charbel for fervent prayer, she wascompletely and spontaneously healed. Her doctortestified: “This was a supernatural happeningwhich is beyond man’s power to explain.”

Mr. Alessandro Obeid was blinded in an accidentwhen the retinas of his eyes were torn when struckby a tree branch. Brought to the tomb of FatherCharbel, his sight was miraculously restored. Aftera thorough examination, his doctor concluded:“This can only be from an Almighty Will which op-erated only by divine grace. There is no other ex-planation and it is certain that we have seriouslysought an explanation without finding one.”

A third time Father Charbel’s remains were ex-humed in 1965, and once again they were found in-tact and secreting the same liquid. On December5, 1965, Pope Paul VI presided at the beatificationof Father Charbel in Saint Peter’s Square.

For reasons known only to God, when FatherCharbel’s remains were exhumed in 1976 it wasfound that the body had succumbed to the effects ofnature. Only the skeleton remained. This did not,however, stop the flow of miracles even for an instant.

On October 9, 1977, Pope Paul VI canonizedSaint Charbel. Bishop Francis Zayek, head of theU. S. Diocese of Saint Maron, said “Saint Charbelis like a Cedar of Lebanon, standing in eternalprayer on top of a mountain.”

Miracles Around the WorldSince his death over a century ago, Saint Charbelhas taken his place among the greatest miracleworkers of the Church. Nearly every Catholic inLebanon knows personally someone who has ben-efited from the healing power of this great saint.

In 1993, a 55-year-old woman from Lebanonnamed Nouad El Shami suffered paralysis on theleft side of her body. After examinations, the doc-tors said there was no treatment for her condi-tion. Returning home, Nouad later recounted adream she had on the night of January 22, 1993.In the dream, two Maronite monks stood over herbed. One laid hands on her neck and operated onher, while the other assisted holding her pillow.

When she awoke, she discovered two wounds onher neck. She was completely cured and couldwalk again without trouble. The next night, SaintCharbel appeared to her in her dream stating: “Idid the surgery to let people see and return to faith.I ask you to visit the hermitage where I lived on the22nd of each month, and to attend Mass regularlyfor the rest of your life.” Since that day, the faithfulfulfill this request and gather each month to prayat the hermitage.

Early in 2012, a 17-year-old boy from Venezuelanamed Hanna Jabbour went to the hospital to havethe doctors examine large red welts on his legs.After running tests and consulting a specialist,Hanna was diagnosed with blood cancer. YoungHanna was given just six months to live. His condi-tion prompted an extended stay in intensive care.

Hanna was in the hospital for 20 days when hisuncle came to visit him. His uncle had returnedfrom Saint Charbel’s monastery and brought aphotograph of the saint for his nephew. Hannathanked his uncle and placed the photo of SaintCharbel under his pillow. When his visitors leftthat evening Hanna prayed the rosary and askedSaint Charbel for healing.

That same week Hanna’s father was stayingwith him in the hospital room. He was awakenedwhen Hanna complained of feeling somethingcold on his back. Hanna’s father lifted him up andfound the photo of Saint Charbel on his back, cov-ered in fresh blood. Pulling the photo off, he wasstunned to find that his son was not bleeding, hav-ing no cuts or bruises.

Immediately Hanna’s father called for the priest.Within the hour the priest arrived, and on seeing theastounding event told them not to reveal the phototo anyone, but simply have the doctors examineHanna. In the morning, the doctors ran new tests,and were astonished to find no trace of the cancer.

On leaving the hospital in perfect health, Hanna

The carved casketcontaining thesacred remains ofSaint Charbel.The Lebanesesaint has workedgreat miracles forthose who havemade pilgrimagesto venerate hisholy relics.

C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G 15

16 C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G

Jabbour showed the blood-stained photo to every-one and recounted how Saint Charbel had healedhim. Even greater than this healing was the factthat Hanna’s family members, away from thesacraments, began to lead devout lives once againand spread devotion to Saint Charbel.

A Miracle in AmericaOn January 16, 2016, the relics of Saint Charbelwere brought to Saint Joseph’s Maronite CatholicChurch in Phoenix, Arizona. Dafne Gutierrez wasinvited by her sister to venerate the relics of SaintCharbel. Dafne suffered from benign intracranialhypertension. In 2012 she lost vision in her righteye, and by 2015 was completely blind. The doctorswere at a loss for treatment, recommending sheenter a nursing home due to occasional seizures.

Dafne, her husband and three children came toSaint Joseph’s and went to confession. They prayedbefore the relics, and a priest anointed Dafne’s eyeswith sacred oil. The following day, Dafne and herfamily returned for Sunday Mass, and they againvenerated the relics and Dafne was anointed bythe priest.

The next morning, Dafne awoke with intensepain in her eyes. Her husband turned on the light,and the brightness was almost too much for her tobear, but her vision was restored. Two days latershe was examined by an ophthalmologist, and hervision was a perfect 20/20. In the medical com-mittee report, her doctor testified: “We have nomedical explanation and therefore believe this tobe a miraculous healing of Saint Charbel.”

News of this miracle spread quickly, and SaintJoseph’s Church was flooded with people seekingto venerate Saint Charbel’s relics. Another mirac-

ulous cure happened that same week when aPhoenix woman was cured of cancer.

Father Akiki, pastor of Saint Joseph’s, erected alarge outdoor shrine to Saint Charbel, wheremonthly devotions are thriving. True to form, SaintCharbel’s miracles have brought a great increaseof faith.

A Saint for Our Times and for All TimeArchivists at the monastery of Annaya, Lebanoncontinue to document miracles performed bySaint Charbel. Since the 1950s, the number of au-thenticated cures of people around the world hasreached over 26,000!

But as impressive as so many miraculous curesare, Saint Charbel does something far greater. Thenumbers of those cured is a fraction of those whoclimb the sacred mountain or pray around theworld, asking for his help. And he does give help.Saint Charbel imparts his own strength for his devo-tees to carry their crosses. The grace to endure one’ssufferings until death is a miracle of the soul—far greater than any bodily healing.

Over and over again, Saint Charbelworks wonders when the circumstancesseem impossible. In the many dire cir-cumstances we face today, no worldlysolution can be found. For our ownneeds and those of so many others, letus invoke the powerful help of SaintCharbel with confidence. n

*For a miraculous cure by Saint Charbel,recounted to one of our own Fatima

Custodians, turn to page 20.

From the time Saint Charbel entered the monastery, no one except his fellow monks saw his face, nor did anyone take hisphoto. On May 8, 1950, four Maronite Catholic priests from Scranton, Penn., were on a pilgrimage to Saint Maroun’s Monastery

in Annaya, Mount Lebanon, to visit Saint Charbel’s tomb. One of their number, Father George Webby, took a photo of the fourMaronite Catholic priests and the guard on duty outside themonastery. When Father Webby developed the photo, he no-ticed an additional person with a white beard standing in themiddle of the photo with the other priests.

He immediately went to the monastery to ask the monks ifthey recognized the “mystery” person in the photo. All theolder monks, who had known Father Charbel in his later years,convincingly attested that it was indeed Saint Charbel. Expertsruled out trick photography. Coincidentally, the date the photowas taken, May 8th, was Saint Charbel’s birthday.

All subsequent photos and portraits of Saint Charbel havebeen based on the photo taken by Father George Webby, in-cluding the photos and portraits displayed at Saint Peter’sBasilica in Rome during his beatification and canonization.

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America Needs Fatima®JULY/AUGUST 2018 P R O G R E S S R E P O R T

On the night of May 12, 2018, if you were to stand on oneof the many hills surrounding the small country town

of Fatima, Portugal, you would have thought that every starin the sky had fallen to Earth, only to rest at the feet of OurLady of Fatima. Too many to count, the flickers of light fill-ing the courtyard were actually candles carried by devoteesof Our Lady. In the center of town, under a dark sky, thou-sands of pilgrims from around the world joined in the fa-

mous candlelight vigil procession, praying the rosary andsinging hymns to their Blessed Mother.

Antonio Fragelli, representative from America Needs Fa-tima, stood among the crowd, the candlelight illuminatingthe banner he carried with him. The banner displayed over13,000 names of America Needs Fatima supporters whosent their names in to join us in spirit for the celebrations.

The following day, May 13th, we returned to the village

MAY 2018B Y J O S H U A L O N G

Fatima Report,

ANF PROGRESS REPORT

18 C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . A N F . O R G

square early on a sunny Sunday morning. As thisimportant anniversary date fell on Mother’s Daythis year, America Needs Fatima extended a specialinvitation to Marian devotees across America toplace roses at the feet of Our Lady of Fatima inhonor of their mothers. To personalize their gifts,they were given the opportunity to choose roses ofvarious colors to express their love in a special way.Red roses were offered as a sign of love and devo-tion. Yellow roses were used to express joy, whilepink roses spoke of gratitude. And, finally, whiteroses were chosen to symbolize the purity ofmotherhood. Over 8,500 beautiful roses of variouscolors made for a magnificent display of affectionfrom all across America.

In this sacred spot, chosen by the Queen ofHeaven herself, we also delivered the thousandsof hand-written intentions sent to us by AmericaNeeds Fatima members and supporters, takingthis opportunity to light candles for them andtheir intentions.

Later that night, yet another procession tookplace, even more grand and well-attended than theone the previous night. Leading the procession wasa large, illuminated cross. Flanking the cross on theright holding a place of honor was our AmericaNeeds Fatima banner. For a second time, this beau-tiful banner bearing the names of so many childrenof Mary was carried at Fatima. The American flagwas held aloft to the left of the cross. It was truly amarvelous sight! n

ANF PROGRESS REPORT

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“The American Society for the De-fense of Tradition, Family and

Property—TFP and its America NeedsFatima campaign cordially invitesyou…”

This was the invitation that ap-peared in people’s mailboxes all acrossthe country. In a concerted effort tospread the message of Fatima and ex-plain its relevance today, the AmericanTFP, in conjunction with AmericaNeeds Fatima, held nationwide confer-ences throughout the first half of 2018.

In hotels and conference centersacross America, Catholics gathered tohear speakers address the issues that concern themmost. For example, attendees in Coral Springs,Florida heard meetings elaborating on the topic“How the Followers of Mary Battle Satan for Amer-ica’s Future.” This particular conference included lec-tures on current events.

Other conference locations included Ocala, Floridaand Reno, Nevada, and as well as Lafayette, Louisiana.A well-attended conference was held in Hazelton,Pennsylvania in March. In early April, residents ofTopeka, Kansas were invited to gather in a beautifullyrefurbished fire station located just steps away fromthe Kansas State Capitol. The month of May saw con-ferences being held in Sacramento and Buena Park,California, as well as Hawaii.

A small sampling of the speakers and talks givenfollows:

Mr. Michael Whitcraft—Heart of Infinite MajestyMr. James Bascom—The Spirit of Hollywood vs. the

Spirit of the Cross Mr. Michael Gorre—TFP in Action: Reports from the

BattlefieldMr. Luiz Solimeo—The Church at the Epicenter of

the Culture WarMr. Norman Fulkerson—Our Need for Confidence

and Calm 100 years After FatimaThough the locations and venues varied, the

prayerful and earnest recitation of the Most HolyRosary remained a constant at every conference. At-tendees were also invited to participate in refresh-

ments in order to not miss theopportunity to discuss the talks withfellow Catholics. n

The venue for the Kansas Regional conference, Fire Station Number 2, is abeautifully refurbished fire station steps away from the Kansas State Capitol.

Above: An attentive crowd gathers for the TFP Regional Conference in Hazleton, Penn. Right: Mr. Bascom gave listeners an inside lookat how Satan promotes his agenda through Hollywood in his talk entitled The Spirit of Hollywood vs. the Spirit of the Cross.

Fatima Conferences Held Nationwide in 2018B Y T O N I A L O N G

To schedule a Fatima visit in your home, call (888) 460-7371.

B Y B E N B R O U S S A R D

CUSTODIAN’SORNER

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20 C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . A N F . O R G

Lebanon

Philippines

It was a beautiful spring day when I visited the Baaklinifamily in Harrisburg, Penn. The enthusiastic crowd

sang hymns and organized a procession for Our Lady ofFatima on entering the home. After crowning Our Lady, Ilooked around the living room at several images of saints,some of who were unfamiliar to me. After they told meabout certain Lebanese saints displayed, I pointed to animage of Saint Charbel Makhlouf in the corner, exclaim-ing, “I know Saint Charbel!”

Overjoyed to find a fellow devotee of the great saint,one of the gentlemen began to tell a story. It involved fam-ily friends of his in Lebanon, and was a clear example ofSaint Charbel’s miraculous intercession.

It was the fall of 2014, and this Lebanese family hadhired a live-in nanny to care for their children. The nannywas soon troubled to hear news that her mother in thePhilippines was dying from cancer. The family she workedfor could not afford to give her the money to travel to thePhilippines. And if she made the long journey fromLebanon to the Philippines, her employers would have tohire someone else to take her place.

The father of this family told the nanny one morning,“We are going to the monastery where the relics of SaintCharbel are kept. Come with us and pray before the re-mains of Saint Charbel. When we return, call your motherand we will see what can be arranged.”

Still troubled about her mother’s illness, they all trav-eled together the next day to pray before Saint Charbel.

Upon returning, the nanny called her mother in thePhilippines, eager for updates about her illness. Despitethe time difference, her mother answered right away, soexcited she could barely contain herself: “Tell the familyyou work for something for me. Tell them thank you!Thank them for the doctor they sent over yesterday!”

Needless to say, the daughter was confused. “Doctor?What doctor?”

“The doctor they sent yesterday! He gave me this juiceto drink, and I haven’t felt this good in years! I can’t be-lieve it!”

Still confused, the nanny persisted: “Doctor? Mom,who was this doctor?”

“Well, I don’t remember his name…” Here she pro-ceeded to describe the man who visited her, giving theexact physical description of Saint Charbel. As the motherin the Philippines related this story, her daughter halfwayaround the world started to cry. She realized it was aheavenly visitor who had cured her mother, none otherthan Saint Charbel himself !

The mother was examined by several Filipino doctorsin the days that followed. They were astounded at thetotal disappearance of her cancer. Those who had trackedher illness could hardly believe it was the same womanhad they not known her before.

As I listened to the story, I marveled at Saint Charbel,by whom God has worked so many wonders. This was nota story from centuries ago, but from our own day. Every-one involved is still living, and spreading devotion to SaintCharbel around the world. May Saint Charbel continue towork great miracles for those who call on him, to bringhealing to both body and soul. n

Please see pages 12-16 for a full account of the life of Saint Charbel Makhlouf.

The MaroniteMonastery atAnnaya, Lebanon,receives pilgrimsfrom around theworld seekingSaint Charbel’spowerful help.

A Miraculous Visitfrom Saint Charbel

Fatima Centennial Rosary Campaign“I am in receipt of the rosary guide youprovided me, along with the FatimaRosary. Thank you very much. This ad-dress here is actually a Naval Brig(prison). I am scheduled for releasewithin the next 30 days.Your rosaries andletters havebeen very in-spirational;they have as-sisted me inmy return tothe CatholicChurch. Too bad ittook this drastic of anevent to open my eyes, but as we know,that is how the Holy Ghost works manytimes. I ask that you keep me in yourprayers. Thank you for what you do andmay the mission of America Needs Fa-tima continue to grow.”

C. V., Charleston, S. C.

“Just a note to say thank you for mylovely Centennial Fatima Rosary. It ar-rived in great shape and is just beauti-ful! With the devastating storms,wildfires, hurricanes, the threats fromour country’s enemies and recentevents, America does need Fatima andour beautiful queen and Holy Mother’sprayers and intercessions. I will bemore than happy to help with therosary rallies. Thank you, God BlessAmerica!”

C. K., Houston, Texas

Miraculous Medal Book“I would like to share a true story thathappened just before I received the bookThe Story of the Miraculous Medal fromyou in the mail. This is how Our Ladyand her Miraculous Medal work. I hadthe opportunity to visit our local Urgent

Care Center one evening because of abone spur. The nurse practitioner whotook care of me noticed the MiraculousMedal I was wearing. She said her momhad given her one, but she had lost it. Itold myself, “I’ll get her one.” When I re-turned home, I looked through all myCatholic catalogs and online, but either

they were too large or too expensive. Afew days later, I received a Miracu-

lous Medal in the mail but withno chain. I thought maybe itjust wasn’t meant to be. Twodays later, I received anothermedal, but no chain again. I

told myself the Blessed Motherisn’t giving up, so nor should I. A

week later, I received another medalWITH a chain! Oh, Blessed Mother, youmust really want her to have your medal!So I wrapped it up, wrote a short note,and dropped it off at the Urgent Care.

The next day she called me and left amessage on the answering machine,telling me how grateful she was, and thatI had made her day. No, Nurse, theBlessed Virgin made your day; I was justher messenger. Occasionally, I think ofhow everything fell into place, but withOur Lady at the helm, how could it not?

J. C., Glendale, Ariz.

2018 Fatima Calendar“The description of Saints Francisco andJacinta in your 2018 Fatima calendar wasmost instructive… it made me think.”

D. M., Whitehall, Wis. 

“I am so happy to have Mary in my home!”S. S., Bloomfield, Conn.

“This calendar is so beautiful! It focusesmy day on Our Lord Jesus through Mary.”

P. W., Florissant, Mo.

ANF Apostolate“Thank you for the various books youhave sent in the past and the recent one(Meet the Witnesses, centennial edition).I thoroughly love reading and re-read-ing them. I especially love the ones onOur Blessed Mother. You cannot buythese books anywhere. I use them formeditation as well! Thank you also foryour outstanding work in promotingthe message of Our Lady of Fatima. It isvery much needed in our society! I am aCatholic school elementary principal,and our students recite the Rosarymonthly as a student body! Know thatyou are in my prayers!”

A. M., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“I thank you for the beautiful centennialrosary and the Fatima book, which I ap-preciate very much. I am trying to saythe rosary as often as I can (not everyday yet, but I am trying!). It is importantto me to get closer to Our BlessedMother and I am looking forward toreading the book The Immaculate Heartof Mary and God’s Plan for America andthen passing it on to others. Bless youfor sending these to me!”

H. M., Clayton, Ohio

Have something you’d like to share? Send us yourfeedback by writing to crusade@TFP.org

C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . A N F . O R G 21

ANF PROGRESS REPORT

Our Readers Write

22 C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G

Never one to mince words, Pope Saint Pius Xgives us all a challenging call to cripple thestrength of Satan's reign in our day. One

such forum in which to accomplish this goal is the“Letters to the Editor” section of your local news-paper. Here we offer you these five letters to the ed-itor hoping to equip you with the tools you needto defend innocent life. Pick a letter that inspiresyou to write, adapt it to fit your style, and submityour copy to the local newspaper online, using theappropriate “opinion/letters to the editor” section.

Important note: News editors want original con-tent. Feel free to borrow the ideas contained in thesefive sample letters, but the letter should be your own,with your original wording and style.

1Every human being is a unique masterpiece

Dear Editor,It is an irrefutable scientific fact that, at the momentof conception, every new human being represents agenetically distinct, unrepeatable life. To abort [kill]that human being in the process of development, atany stage, is to interfere with God's creative power.

Under this perspective, abortion is more evilthan, for example, the choice to chop off Mozart’s

arms in mid composi-tion. Mozart used hisGod-given talent toproduce masterpieces

capable of leaving entiregenerations of listeners

spellbound. Yet every human being, considered inits unrepeatable uniqueness, is a greater master-piece than a brilliant music score.

The Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abor-tion in 1973 is responsible for taking the lives of 58million masterpieces. How many “Mozarts” wereamong them? In any decent society, the taking ofan innocent life cannot be justified under any cir-cumstances. This is why abortion is wrong and whythe defenseless child needs to be protected by law.

Sincerely,

2Will God bless a nation that allows abortion?

Dear Editor,“Thou shall not kill.” The value of this Divine com-mand is reasonable even to the atheist. Addition-ally, every stable culture in the history of the worldhas posited it as law in some form. As a wearyAmerica struggles through wars, a weak economy,and a spiritual crisis, perhaps we should reassessher moral compass. January 22nd marks the an-niversary of Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Courtcase that legalized abortion and is responsible fortaking over 58 million lives to date.

The saying “God bless America” is a commonadage in our country. Yet the question must beasked: will God bless an America that sanctionsthe slaughter of innocent children? Even more, willGod bless those who, while disagreeing with theevil, stand by in apathetic silence? I don’t think so.

If our legal system accepts the killing of babieswho, as science proves, have beating hearts afteronly twenty days in the womb, how can we feel se-cure for our own lives? America must change hermoral compass. If she doesn’t, God will certainlywithdraw His blessings.

Sincerely,

Defending the faith to the EditorHow to Write a Pro-Life Letter

B Y W I L L I A M R U S S E L L

“All the strength of Satan’s reign is due to the easygoing weakness of Catholics.” —Pope Saint Pius X

C r u s a d e J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 8 n w w w . T F P . O R G 23

3Abortion is highly un-American and immoral

Dear Editor,“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Thesethree rights are strongly defended and loved by theAmerican people. In fact, we have fought wars andrisked lives to protect them. As we recall the an-niversary of Roe vs. Wade, the court case that le-galized abortion, we must ask ourselves: Whatabout the rights of the 58 million babies who havebeen killed since 1973?

During the Second World War, America helpedput an end to the cruel concentration camps in Eu-rope. Yet today, an even greater, silent holocaust iswaged within our very own borders. Every year,over a million babies are aborted. In short, themost fundamental right, that of life, which is thebasis of all the others, is being denied to our ownpeople. Some may ask whether the unborn childis really a human. The answer is yes. Science tellsus that the unborn baby has a distinct, unchang-ing, and unrepeatable genetic code, unique in allof history, from the moment of conception.

Many say that a woman has the “right” tochoose. And what of the baby’s right? Even more, itis illegal in this country to harm the unhatchedeggs of an eagle. Why then, is it legal to kill an un-born child, who is more precious than any bird?

Should life, liberty, and the pursuit of happinessbe denied to our unborn babies? To answer in theaffirmative would be highly un-American and sim-ply immoral.

Sincerely,

4Abortion claims more lives than terrorism

Dear Editor,Since the beginning of the War on Terror in Iraqand Afghanistan, thousands of American soldiershave been killed. This has been a tragic loss. An-other war, however, has taken an even greateramount of American lives—over 58 million to beexact. When did this war start, and where does ittake place? It started with the 1973 Roe vs. Wadedecision which legalized abortion, and the war istaking place directly on our own soil.

Terrorism is a constant threat. Not a day goes bywithout hearing of the deaths it causes. Perhaps agreater threat than Islamic terrorism, though, is theabortionist’s scalpel. This terror often goes unno-ticed, because the screams of the victims are silent.Today, we rightly fear the threat of losing our free-dom. But, if we cannot as a nation defend our mostbasic right, that of life, for our own citizens, how canwe ever defend ourselves from the threats againstnational security? As precious as Americans view

freedom, how can we deny that freedom to the fu-ture children of our nation, the future that comesfrom a mother’s womb?

According to science, a baby’s heart starts beat-ing 20 days after conception. If America does notdefend her children at home, how can we expectto defeat terrorism abroad? On the anniversary ofRoe vs. Wade, January 22, let us stand together andput an end to the silent screams. Once we defeatthe enemy within, then we can face the enemywithout more effectively.

Sincerely,

5Abortion undermines Western medicine

Dear Editor,As we recall the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade on Jan-uary 22, the court decision which legalized abor-tion, I believe it is important to reflect on thetradition of Western medicine.

Western civilization formed the first hospitalsand developed a school of medicine. The key to itsfruition, however, is not pure chance, but is basedupon the fact that each person, rich or poor, youngor old, has the right to life. Yet today, there is a greatcontradiction: abortion. This contradiction in thepractice of Western medicine is responsible for thedeaths of over 58 million U.S. children since 1973.

For those who doubt whether or not the unbornchild is a true human person, science has given usa number of facts. First, the baby’s heart beginsbeating at twenty days in the womb, with brainwaves occurring at 40 days. Secondly, 14 weeksafter conception the entire body surface, exceptthe back and the top of the head, are sensitive topain. What is more, an unborn child can surviveoutside of the womb at 21 weeks.

In a nation where it is illegal to harm eagle eggs,why do we allow for the slaughter of innocent ba-bies, which are more valuable than birds? Let ushope that America will once again be the cham-pion of Western medicine. Let us hope that she willagain protect and defend the right to life, fromconception until natural death.

Sincerely, n

Participating in theAnnual March for Lifeis just one of manyways to light a candlein the darkness of theCulture of Death.

B Y T H O M A S R Y D E R

Iam often amazed by the fact that spectac-ular underwater beauty remained hiddenfrom people throughout most of history.

While perhaps a few men in earlier centuriesmay have gotten a glimpse of such deep-seabeauty, it seems that this moving palette was reservedfor our times. Indeed, only in the last fifty years, has mankind de-

veloped the technology to capture in still or moving im-ages such stunning beauty for our admiration. It is also evident that such beauty was not made for

the animal, vegetable or mineral kingdoms as onlymankind is able to recognize its priceless value. The stunning beauty of the little colorful creatures

combined with their graceful and varied movementwithin the deep waters is a sight which will stop anyman in his tracks. No matter how pressing his appointments, a man

will pause to consider this beautiful spectacle, puttingaside his more practical needs for the moment. Thevariety of vibrant moving colors moves him to imag-ine the possibility of other, even more beautiful colorsand even more graceful motions. A fascinating experience is to place an innocent

child in front of such an aquarium and watch his reac-tion. The beauty of it all captivates him, almost trance-like, connecting with the beauty and innocence of his

soul. The child rejoices in excite-ment. Beauty and innocence get along

just fine. Looking at this from a different angle, one

may say that such beauties in nature are theCreator’s calling card; reminding us that if we arefaithful there will be much more to feast our eyes onbeyond the grave. In fact, great and saintly theolo-gians tell us that what we see here on earth is nothing,absolutely nothing, in comparison with the incom-prehensible beauty of Heaven.Finally, I find in this variety of color and movement

a considerable benefit for body and soul. For the body,it provides an opportunity to de-stress and a sensibletranquility of the nerves; especially if you happen tolive in the twenty-first century. For the soul, it providesa window into paradise, a small proof, one may evensay a “bait,” for us to stay the course because itis for Beauty that we were made, and it isBeauty which will fill theneed of our souls. These are but a few

considerations which Iinvite you to pause andconsider the next time youcome across such deep waterbeauty, a gift for our times. n