Militia Immaculatæ - Asia - Letter No.6

Dear Knights of the Immaculata!

For Saint Maximilian Kolbe the 'month of Mary' always had a very special importance. During May, he asked all his knights to double their devotion to our Lady, to come closer to her, so that she could lead them and fill them with even more graces.

In fact, if we look at the statistics in his life, during the month of Mary the number of knights increased very much, the apostolate grew. Here are some facts amongst many:

• In May 1922 he published his first bulletin “Rycerz Niepokalanej” with 5000 copies – and this bulletin reached the number of almost 1 Million copies 15 years later.
• In May 1930 he started the City of the Immaculata in Japan.

Divine Providence also chose the month of Mary, to re-establish the MILITIA IMMACULATAE in its traditional observance, entirely faithful to the spirit of the holy founder. It was on May 6th, 2000, when the first knights were enroled in the priory of Saint Pius X in Warsaw according to the enrolment ceremony established by Saint Maximilian himself (but abandoned by the official MI in 1974).

It was a very modest and small beginning, and the MI did not develop very much during the first few years. However, in May 2002, the traditional Capuchin brothers in Morgon/ France, began to enroll the first knights in France. Two years later Frs. McDonald and Stafki started the MI in the USA, followed by Switzerland in 2005.

In 2014 the traditional MI was officially established in Germany, Austria and Asia. In August 2014, the international office of the MI was transferred from Poland to the General House of the SSPX in Switzerland. At that time the number of knights was almost 7,000. Today, in May 2015, our army counts almost 10,000 knights.

So you can see that there has been a  rapid increase in enrolments during the last few months; this is certainly a special grace coming from the IMMACULATA herself, who is so merciful with those faithful Catholics who want so much to save their souls and who find themselves attacked from all sides. SHE shows us very clearly by these facts, that if we want to conserve our Faith without compromises and become saints in these most dangerous times of the world, we should become her faithful children, slaves and knights, imitating Her virtues of heroic faith, deepest humility, immaculate purity and perfect obedience.

Dear knights, please make special efforts during this month of Mary to obtain the grace of conversion of many souls through your prayers, sacrifices, through your filial obedience towards your superiors given to you in these times by herself.

I throw you deeply into HER IMMACULATE HEART that your heart may be set all afire in HER!

Fr. Karl Stehlin

IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT

Allow me to send you some news about our growing small army, our spiritual family under the banner of the Immaculata:

1. ENROLMENTS (On 10th May 2015 – 870 knights in Asian district)

• In the first week of April more than 100 new knights were enrolled in India (Palayamkottai, Tuticorin, Bombay).
• At the end of the national traditional pilgrimage in the Philippines the Militia Immaculatae was established in this country and the first 483 knights were enrolled.
• At the end of the traditional pilgrimage to Akita (Japan) on the 6th of May another 37 consecrated themselves as "instruments  in the hand of the Immaculata" (act of consecration of the Knights).

This means, that we now have in the Asian district 870 knights. Other enrolments will take place within the next weeks in India (Bombay, Goa, Yercaud retreat center, Chennai) and in the Philippines (General Santos, Davao, Manila, Cagayan de Oro, Butuan, Illigan City, Cebu etc.). In the month of May we want lay at the feet of our heavenly queen many generous souls who want to answer her anxious request: “Please do help me to save many souls from eternal fire in hell and open to them the way to the unique truth and life, to bring them to My Divine Son, so that they may be eternally happy in heaven”.

2. MI PHILIPPINES

Because of the large number of faithful who desire to join the Militia Immaculatae, I appointed Reverend Father Timothy Pfeiffer, prior of the Priory of Saint Joseph in Davao as the national moderator of the MI in the Philippines. He holds the national register of the MI Philippines, issues the materials (fliers, booklets, catechisms, certificates, enrolment forms, ceremony sheets etc.), and is responsible for the translation of the newsletters and other materials into the main Filipino languages. In the Philippines are established 3 main offices of the MI: Manila, Iloilo, Davao. Furthermore, in the major centers will be established REGISTRATION STATIONS, where the future knights can register for future enrolments.

3. PILGRIMAGES

As mentioned, many new knights were enrolled during the pilgrimages in Bohol (16th - 19th April) and Akita (2nd - 6th May). The themes of the pilgrimages focused around the importance of Our Lady in our life, especially in the latter times. Many pilgrims understood, that they have an important task to accomplish in their life, and that there is nothing greater to do on earth than to LOVE, that is: to do good, to contribute, to wish effectively our friends, relatives, neighbors "ALL THE BEST". But that “all the best” does not exist here on earth, where everything is limited and comes to an end. Man wants to be happy for ever, the human heart wants to love and never stop, never diminish, never cease to love and to be loved. But this exists only in heaven as a gift from God. To bring many people to that happiness and at the same time to prevent them from eternal unhappiness and despair, this is what Mary asks us to do: to become instruments in Her hands so that she can use us to touch the hearts of many, as she said in Fatima: “Pray and do sacrifices, for so many people go to hell because there is nobody, who would pray and do sacrifices for them”.

Often we hear the following reflection from pilgrims: “Father, I did not know, that I can do so much on earth! I did not know, that my life is so important, that on me depends the infinite life and happiness of so so many people. Oh, yes, I wish to be HER knight!”

We are thankful for the enthusiasm the Immaculata gave to these faithful, and we are sure that many of them, being now KNIGHTS OF THE IMMACULATA, will try generously to bring many others to HER.

4. FATIMA 2017

In my last newsletter I informed you of our desire to make special preparations for the 100th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady in Fatima when the enemies of Our Lord will celebrate their anniversaries (500 years of protestantism, 300 years of Freemasonry, 100 years of communism). We would like to gather at Her feet at least 100 000 generous knights to form a small spiritual army, She may use it to “crush Satan's head” and “to vanquish all heresies over the world”. But for that we need apostles, generous knights, who want to make known to the people the great message of Our Lady in Fatima, who want to excite them to join this small army, even though they would just work for the salvation of souls with some prayers and sacrifices.

Therefore, you will receive in the next newsletters much information about Fatima. You may use them for your own sanctification, but also study them thoroughly so that you are able to tell them to others. In that way you will become “Apostles of Fatima”, and you can be sure that your reward will be immense, as SHE has promised it.

First of all I ask you to pray often the PRAYER OF THE ANGEL OF FATIMA:

ANGEL'S PRAYER (Given to the three children by the Angel who preceded Our Lady's first appearance to them.)



MY GOD, I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love Thee!

I ask pardon for those who do not believe,

do not adore, do not trust and do not love Thee.

MOST Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly.

I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity

of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world,

in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference

by which He is offended.  And through the infinite merit

of His Most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners. Amen