Letter N° 18 from the International Director

Dear Knights of the Immaculata,

80 years ago, on the 31st of October 1942, Pope Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He was thus the first Pope to make a consecration to the Immaculate Heart. Even though it was not the consecration of Russia requested by Our Lady of Fatima, still this consecration was beneficial and above all led to the abbreviation of the punishment of the Second World War. Starting from the day of this consecration, all the key events that led to the end of the war (it ended on the feast of the Assumption in 1945) fell on Marian feasts. In this way, the Immaculata demonstrated the power given to her by God.

We want to take this opportunity to deepen the devotion to the Immaculate Heart. According to Sr. Lucy of Fatima, this is, along with the Rosary, the final means of salvation for our time. For us Knights of the Immaculata, therefore, this is of the highest importance both for ourselves and for the souls to whose salvation we hope to contribute as HER instruments.

Sister Lucy in her last public interview in 1957, told Fr. Fuentes that Our Lady had made her understand that we were living in the last times, for the following reasons:

“The first reason is because she told me that the devil is in the mood for engaging in a decisive battle against the Virgin. And a decisive battle is the final battle where one side will be victorious and the other side will suffer defeat. Hence from now on we must choose sides. Either we are for God or we are for the devil. There is no other possibility.
The second reason is because she said to my cousins as well as to myself that God is giving two last remedies to the world. These are the Holy Rosary and Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. These are the last two remedies which signify that there will be no others.“

A decisive battle has the character of becoming more and more intense, since it is a matter of life and death; retreating, postponing and negotiating are not options. Are we surprised then when we see the spiritual battle all around us and the corruption of society increasing from year to year? Many of our more discerning contemporaries recognize this as well to a certain extent, but they do not know the spiritual underpinnings or the possible remedies. They are left only with fatalism which they try to suppress with mind-numbing consumption and distractions.

We on the other hand, though undeservedly, have the privilege to know the spiritual underpinnings as well as the means to prevail in this struggle personally but also as a society, in order to bring about a turnaround.
Throughout the world, especially in recent times, the public recitation of the Rosary has spread. By means of this public prayer, people of good will from all over are united and the Rosary appears as a spiritual weapon against the Adversary and as a means of overcoming the social evils of the day.

Besides the Rosary, God has ordained that the Immaculate Heart of Mary be the remedy for our times, a time when the charity of most has grown cold because iniquity has abounded (cf. Mt 24:12). Having expelled Jesus Christ from our nations, from our society, He sends us, trembling as it were (to use Sister Lucy’s expression), His Mother as a last remedy. May her Maternal Heart move us and transfigure our coldness. Hence, Mary offers us her Maternal Heart, which is nothing but love and mercy, and speaks to us:

“My child, in this heart you will find refuge, this heart of mine can save you and lead you to God, your ultimate goal. Let Him lead you; consecrate yourself to Him!”

If the Immaculate Heart of Mary has the power to one day transform and convert Russia and bring about the triumph of the Church, then it is also capable of lifting our hearts and the hearts of our fellow men, who have often lost all hope of lifting themselves out of the filth, transforming them and leading them to God; simply put, of saving them.

I would therefore like to warmly encourage you this year on a suitable day to consecrate yourselves to the Immaculate Heart, both individually as well as together as a family or as a parish. Already Pope Pius XII had recommended this consecration with the words:

“It is our wish, consequently, that wherever the opportunity suggests itself, this consecration be made in the various dioceses as well as in each of the parishes and families. And We are confident that abundant blessings and favours from Heaven will surge forth from this private and public consecration.“ (Auspicia quaedam, 1. Mai 1948).

To this effect, the M.I. will be distributing a new booklet containing a prayer of consecration written by Pius XII with a nine-day preparation in the spirit of Fatima. This prayer is also available for free download as a PDF in all the major languages. Be sure to make use of it and distribute it to the best of your ability!

This consecration does not conflict in any way, shape or form with the consecration to the Immaculata which we made in the M.I.; on the contrary, it can help us to deepen it even more. It conforms to the will of Our Lady of Fatima.

By spreading devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, may ever more people come to know that they have a loving Mother who offers them the innermost, most personal, most precious thing that she has, namely, her very heart.

Maximilian Kolbe was filled with this desire:

“Behold, how many do not know you yet and do not love you. Behold, how many here on this pitiful earth, still ask, ‘Who is Mary? Who is the Immaculata?’ … Poor things! They do not know their Mother, they do not know how much you love them! They do not even think about it!… Nonetheless, notwithstanding all of this, you still love them and wish that they would know you, love you … When, therefore, will all these people get to know you, love you, and be filled with your peace and happiness? … Alas, how many souls still know nothing about you?!… When will every living soul throughout the entire globe experience your heart’s goodness and love? When will every soul requite you with ardent love — made not only of a fleeting feeling— through a complete surrender of the will to you, so that you may rule in the hearts of everybody and form every single heart in the imitation of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus your divine Son, giving them happiness, and making them godly? When will all of this happen?…
Let us commit ourselves to hasten this moment: first and foremost by allowing the Immaculata to take entire possession of our heart so that by becoming instruments in her immaculate hands we will gain, to the limit of our possibilities, the greatest possible number of souls for her, through prayer, through the offering of our sufferings, and work. How peaceful and happy we will be on our deathbed at the thought that we have endured much fatigue and suffering for love of the Immaculata…” (Rycerz Niepokalanej, March 1932).

May the Immaculata become ever more your Mother, your refuge and your perpetual help in these difficult times, where without HER, our Morning Star, we would all lose our bearings and be shipwrecked! But in her heart we have nothing to fear, because “in the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

Let us spread this Christian hope, following the example of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who encouraged his fellow men even in his darkest hours.

Sending you my priestly blessing, united in the heart of the Immaculata.

Warsaw, the 27th of June 2022, on the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Fr. Karl Stehlin