All of us have stories to tell - This is the place to acknowledge where Mary worked in your life, perhaps even before you consecrate. That's what happened to us. Amy and I (Suzanne) were in the middle of the 33 Days to Morning Glory preparation to consecration, (Amy's 3rd time doing the 33 days in 6 months) when we realized Mary had been working in our lives; even before Amy read the 1st reading of St. Louis de Montfort's "Preparation to Total Consecration to Mary." How did we know it was Mary? We didn't when it happened because we weren't tuned in to seeing things in that light, but looking back we realized several things occurred on the Marian Feast days starting with the 2 Amy had done the preparation for, even though she did not actually consecrate herself those first 2 times. Then we noticed several important things occurred on other Marian Feast days as well. Who knew there were so many Marian feast days!
Want to hear the story? check the first comment...
We think it is important to note that we are converts to the Catholic Church. Amy really led me when she was a Junior in High School, and went through a year and a half of RCIA together before coming into the church that Easter. (We had to do a year and a half of RCIA because we started in Dec. and Amy wanted to do the whole year.) Amy never does anything part way, she wants the most she can get out of whatever she is exploring. Growing up, Suzanne was more likely to just do what was necessary to get the passing grade, sometimes falling short. She has been led by Amy in learning the great joy and satisfaction of going beyond what is necessary. Suzanne's motto now is, "Lord give me passion for what you would have me do and I will know it is your will, and will happily make whatever sacrifices to accomplish it."
Our Journey to Marian Consecration
Fast forward - Most of you know that my daughter Amy and I are single and own a house where we have lived together in Greenville, SC for the past 6 years. Last Lent we read a book together called Consoling the Heart of Jesus, A Do-it-Yourself Retreat by Fr. Michael Gaitley. I had picked the slightly damaged book off a clearance table at a retreat we took to Alabama for Divine Mercy weekend in 2013. It looked like it would be an easy read, and I liked the idea of a DIY retreat. Maybe I would actually read it. A year later when Amy asked me if there was something I would like to read for Lent, (this usually means she will read it to me) I miraculously remembered picking up that book in Alabama and wanting to read it.
We both were taken with the book and Fr. Gaitley's fresh accessible approach to what for me anyway was challenging material. I liked it so much that I started recording Amy’s
reading of it so I could listen again later. Amy liked it because it made a connection for her to the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which has always had a special place in her heart. At the end of that book there was reference to Marian Consecration and Fr. Gaitley's book 33 Days to Morning Glory as well as a little book called Preparation for Total Consecration according to Saint Louis Marie de Montfort. We both thought that Marian consecration sounded worth exploring, (this little spark of interest in us, was the place where we later realized we opened the door just a crack for Mary to come in).
Amy remembered that when we had gone on pilgrimage to EWTN and the Abby in Alabama (the first time in 2012), the Spiritual Director on that trip, who was not coincidentally the director of South Carolina's Shrine to Our Lady - Mother of Joyful Hope, had given us the de Montfort book. I was not ready for the intensity of that book, and consecration sounded pretty intense to me. But Amy decided to pick a Marian feast (Our Mother of Perpetual Help—June 27th remember this date) and at least read through the 33 days of preparation. Then she did it again for the Assumption (August 15). But it was not until Fall when Leslie Owens told me that they were doing the 33 Days to Morning Glory by Michael Gaitley as a group study at St. Mary's that I made the connection to the book Amy and I had read together. Their consecration day was to be Dec. 8th (Immaculate Conception) but Amy couldn't do that group consecration because she has another obligation on Monday's, so we ended up asking Fr. Longenecker to witness and bless our consecration that Friday Dec. 12th (Our Lady of Guadalupe). Several other OLR parishioners who had been preparing elsewhere joined us for the very special celebration.
How Mary has changed our Lives
As many of you know, Amy has felt a strong call to marriage and family (a big family) for years but never came close on the marriage front. So one Friday in June of last year, (on June 27, 2014 to be precise) I woke up from my night's sleep-pondering, (I had been pondering the problem of Amy's clear call to family for a long time), and on this Friday morning it occurred to me, that if I would offer my support of the idea she would probably answer the call by offering our home to a family of children needing a home. Once I had this idea I couldn't wait to tell her, and talked her as she got ready for work - by noon that day, she called me from work with some of the details of what we would need to do to start the application process. I knew then that we were on to something that would change everything! It occurred to me that I was not feeling the fear and trepidation that I would normally be prone to and that a passion was developing that would carry me through as, at my age, already in semi-retirement, I jump into these very muddy waters. I knew it was an answer to that prayer ("give me a passion for what you would have me do"). It did not even occur to Amy that she had just finished the 33 day preparation and that June 27 would have been her consecration day, because she was not planning to consecrate. So Mary did not figure in at all&m
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Suzanne
3/5/2015 11:14:07 am
did not figure in at all, in our minds, at that point. But Mary clearly fit in as she pushed us ahead in what we feel is a call that will demand the very best from us.
As complicated as the process to be considered for adoption or foster licensing is, we added to it because we wanted enough room to house potentially 4-5 siblings. So 2 weeks later we signed a contract to start construction to build an addition on our house, which included tearing out some more walls so the bathroom could move into a closet area providing a hallway to the new bedroom. This was the first of many miracles because we had just finished a build-on project and had not really recovered from it. But, we were able to meet all the payments with cash.
We started the process to get a license for Amy to be a foster parent in mid-August, and on August 15 (the second time Amy read through the Total Consecration book leading to the feast of Assumption) on the same day, we got our building permit to start construction, AND we signed on with the Bair Foundation which is the Christian Agency we ended up working with.
It is harder to find a Christian Agency that will welcome Catholics. We had already started the process and met our case worker with another DSS agency and even filled out the paperwork. But. our case was on hold because the case worker went on vacation. In that block of time, (that we are now sure Mary ordered), we found the Bair Foundation.
Bair foundation gets "therapeutic" referrals from DSS, so at least one of the children will be "therapeutic" (which can mean many things). They will call us with proposed cases for us to consider but then we still have to discern if it is a good match for us.
It was right around the middle of our 33 days to Morning Glory that we started to look back and realize that these key dates in our progression were Marian feast days of significance and that even though we had not consecrated ourselves, back in lent when we first cracked the door with our interest in Marian consecration she started working with us. (Or maybe I should say our opening the door allowed us to be open to her).
Amy, had just gotten word that her paperwork for the license to Foster Parent had been sent to Columbia for approval. It was November 21st, and she was telling Fr. Bart about how things were going, and our theory that now that we were on to the idea of things happening on Marian dates it wouldn't happen any more. Fr. Bart said to her, "I have one more for you today is the Presentation of Mary! How about that, on Mary's day of presentation in the temple, our paperwork for licensing approval was presented in Columbia for approval.
Finally the room was finished, and we had completed the training, interviews, and inspections, the final paper work was sent in to the state. We were fully prepared by our case worker that it would likely be after Christmas before they would even look at it. But within 2 weeks (unheard of) we had our license in early Dec. within a week of our consecration day Dec. 12th. (Ok so maybe we don't need for things to happen right on Mary's days any more in order to see her working for us).
There were many small miracles along the way that affirmed we are on the right track as far as answering the call, but getting the license did not bring children right away. There are consolations even in the waiting, Amy has been able to use her Music major from college to help hold our church choir together when our director took ill 9 days before Christmas, and this work continues.
Suzanne got the inspiration (and passion) to bring the 33 Days to Morning Glory retreat to OLR, and because we don't have children yet, together we have been working on making that a great experience for all the participants.
Many have told us they are amazed by this story, but don't be amazed by us. We are just small souls who have the desire to do what God would have us do, and persevered in prayer (this writer at least does not feel so good at doing the prayer part, but Mary is augmenting my paltry efforts, and God is honoring my persevering in trying over and over again to turn back to him) as we search for what exactly it is he would have us do.
There have been several calls about children, but no match as of yet. It will take time. In the meantime we stay open to the possibilities and have let it be known that we will take short term respite cases. Those who have been with us on the journey have been praying for us and asking whenever we see them if we have children yet. We hope that people won't have to ask when it happens especially in the presence of the children. We know that we will not have time to get the information out once we do get children, so I put together a list of people who want to know, to receive the updates. We will send people the news by an email blast using that list. Let us know if you want to be on it.
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Josie Flanagan
2/27/2015 08:44:53 pm
I had started to pray the Rosary fervently and faithfully every day, about a month prior to this retreat. I continue to do so. The world has become a scary and dark place, and although my own life has become easier and my load lighter, I wanted to give something back to God on the form of spiritual thankfulness. After all, so much suffering, sickness, poverty and evil is so rampant in the world. Never did I realize that someone like me, by giving it all to Mary to perfect, could glorify God with my simple prayer.
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Suzanne
3/1/2015 01:26:59 pm
Yes Josie, That is the beauty of it isn't it? That we can do a little thing and Mary will make it grand, and pure. It makes me think of a little plaque I have that says a favorite quote of Mother Theresa. Do small things with great love.