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Immaculate
Heart of Mary |
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| Sister Helena Maria,
CMRI 1949 - 2002 + Requiescat in pace... |
Consolatrix Afflictorum, Our Lady of Consolation
September 1, 2003 A.D.
Dear Friends in Our Lady,
Praised be Jesus Christ, our King, and Mary, our Immaculate Queen!
Although it scarcely seems that long, it has been exactly one year since the death of our dear Sister Helena Maria, CMRI. On an early morning prayer walk in Klamath Falls, Oregon with one of her fellow missionary Sisters, they were both brutally attacked, and Sister was strangled to death with her own Rosary.
Since that
terrible day last year, there has been an outpouring of prayers and sympathy, not only
from those aquainted with our Sisters, but also from many more who had never met Sister
Helena Maria. Without doubt, it seems that the murder of this gentle nun has been the
occasion for many graces to touch the hearts of an untold number of souls. This is a most
appropriate blessing from Almighty God, to thus reward and crown her missionary zeal and
love for souls, with whom she labored for some twenty years.
I don't believe, especially in this faithless generation, that the tragedy of our beloved Sister's horrible murder will ever be far from our minds. But, perhaps we should not forget, because (as our dear surviving Sister has said) everything that happens to us in this short life fits somehow into God's plan—even those things that are evil—because God in His omnipotence and wisdom is more than able to bring good out of the evil. Surely, one of His designs in permitting this heavy cross is to remind all of us how fragile life truly is, and how wise and prudent it is to live every moment as if it were to be our very last.
Our Divine Lord tells us, "As you live, so
shall you die," meaning that if we live in the state of grace, striving to please God
in all that we do, we shall not be ambushed by a sudden and unprovided death,
because we shall be indeed ready to face our Judge. But if we fail to walk the path of
prayer, consecration, and daily amendment of life, we shall certainly perish in our sins.
It is comforting to realize that Our Lady's words at Fatima provide us with a very simple and beautiful blueprint to follow if we wish to persevere in the true traditional Catholic Faith, and to die a truly happy and holy death. Her pleas for amendment of life, total consecration to Her Immaculate Heart, prayer (especially the daily Rosary), penance, and a better knowledge of our holy Faith, tell us precisely what we must do to merit a blessed Eternity. May we all faithfully persevere in Our Lady's service, and be reunited once again with her in Heaven.
Once again, thank you for your charitable remembrance of our dear Sister; she shall surely intercede for you with her Divine Spouse, Our Lord Jesus Christ. May we all, one day, be found as worthy in God's eyes as she, and together partake of the ineffable bliss of the Kingdom of Heaven.
In the service of Jesus and Mary,
Rev. Fra. Isaac Jogues Marie, CMRI
The Marylike Crusade
P.S. A brief account of what has happened to Sister Helena Maria's murderer. Please remember that her last words to him were words of kindness, and join us in commending him to the infinite Mercy of God.