I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the number of
emails I've been receiving from good folks like you,
folks who read my report of the events at the
basilica, and who wanted to just pass along their
thanks to me, to Father Michael McMahon, and to the
parishioners of St. Margaret Mary.
I hardly feel right saying "you're welcome," but what
else can I say? Two Scripture passages come to mind,
and I'll simply present them for your consideration.
The first is from my patron saint, St. Paul the
Apostle:
"But thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 15:57)
The second is from the account in Judges 4, when a
woman named Jael crushes the head of the wicked
general Sisara by driving a tent-peg through his skill
- an obvious type and figure of Our Lady, crushing the
head of the serpent:
"I will go, indeed, with thee, but at this time the
victory shall not be attributed to thee, because
Sisara shall be delivered into the hand of a
woman." (Jud. 4:9)
The victory on Tuesday night should "not be
attributed" to us, but rather, to the Blessed Mother. For satan was "delivered into the hand of a woman." Our Lady of Lourdes (whose vigil was the very night of the protest) definitively
conquered the devil and his evil horde.
I thank each and every one of you for your words of
encouragement, and I will be sure to pass along all of
your comments to Father McMahon and the parishioners
of St. Margaret Mary.
But the battle is not over yet...
We are now in "stage 2" of the war, and I am appealing
to you for your continued prayers. We must finish
this race. Here is the latest development...
Since the evening of the protest, the media has shown
an unusual curiosity about the Society of St. Pius X.
Who are these "traditional Catholics" who cared so
much about the sanctity of the basilica? The Grand
Rapids Press has accepted my invitation to print an
editorial, written by me, giving a defense of who we
are and what we did.
The potential here is overwhelming. If the Press does
decide to print my editorial, then all of Grand Rapids
will be able to read the facts: the Traditional Mass
has not been abrogated, and the Society of St. Pius
X's Masses are a legitimate option for faithful
Catholics who want to worship in the way their
forefathers worshiped for centuries.
Imagine! If even a few Novus Ordo Catholics who have
been suffering through the abuses of the New Mass, but
have been living with the misunderstanding that they
have no other option, are able to read that editorial
and start attending the Traditional Mass, we will have
accomplished much more than merely protecting the
basilica from defilement.
Because of the protest, and because of the great
publicity the SSPX has been receiving since the event,
we have a golden opportunity to start a major
counter-revolution here in Grand Rapids. And if the
counter-revolution sweeps Grand Rapids, then perhaps
it will sweep over other dioceses in Michigan as well.
And if Michigan is taken by storm, then perhaps the
surrounding states will be affected as well. And -
not to labor the point - if the eastern states are
affected by this counter-revolution, then how long
before the mid-west, and even the entire United
States, feel the affect? Once Our Lord and Our Lady start pushing ever so gently anything can happen.
Are you beginning to see the possibilities?
But it all hinges upon one thing: your prayers.
So I'm asking for something very specific from you
readers.
I'm asking you to promise to pray the Rosary
every day from now until the 22nd (Quinqagesima Sunday), for
these intentions: - that the Press will run the
editorial (without making substantial editing
changes),
- that many Catholics will read the editorial,
and that those who read it will begin attending the
Traditional Mass in great numbers.
In short, pray
that the counter-revolution, which has already begun
as of Tuesday, will not merely fizzle out, but will be
fanned into a raging fire of restoration.
The race has begun... we must finish it now, and not
grow lax. And the major victories cannot come about
unless faithful Catholics pray, and pray very hard.
So pray - wherever you are - that what has begun in
Grand Rapids will soon spread throughout the nation
until it reaches you, where you live, so that you too
can begin to reap the rewards of that for which you
have prayed so fervently.
God bless.
"Since the evening of the protest, the media has shown
an unusual curiosity about the Society of St. Pius X.
Who are these "traditional Catholics" who cared so
much about the sanctity of the basilica? The Grand
Rapids Press has accepted my invitation to print an
editorial, written by me, giving a defense of who we
are and what we did." 
