Father Joseph Writes But it does mean there will be changes coming, including a new Fr. Joseph. We’ll talk more about that and other changes in future issues. Suffice it to say that, for the present, I’m enjoying continuing to meet you in person as you come on pilgrimage to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy; I’m always glad to meet new and long-time Marian Helpers at conferences, at the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy (WACOM), and as I’ve continued to meet existing obligations for travel. I may be spending a lot less time on the road in the months and years to come, I’m afraid, but again, more on that in future issues of the magazine. As you’ll see in the pages of the present issue, the Marian Family is in a good and challenging place. We’re welcoming new priests to the ranks, including Fr. Timothy Childers, MIC, and Fr. Jason Lewis, MIC; we’re continuing our capital campaign to fully fund and break ground on our new monastery here in Stockbridge, Massachusetts; we’re reaching farther than ever before with our livestreams, my Saturday “Explaining the Faith” talks, our EWTN show “Living Divine Mercy,” our websites, and other forms of media — we’re serving Christ and His Church in huge and important ways. But of course with all this, we confront challenges that we could not overcome without the steadfast prayers and support of our Marian Helpers. That means you. Through your intercession and support of the Marian Fathers, you are on the front lines of the New Evangelization, confronting the culture of death with us, spreading a culture of life, and helping pave the way for the advent of the civilization of love. Through your participation in our First Friday and First Saturday devotions, you obtain the promises given us by Jesus and Mary about the Sacred and Immaculate Heart devotions — truly, these are the answers to the evils of our present age. Through your steadfast promotion and practice of the Divine Mercy message and devotion; of devotion to the Immaculate Conception; of offering prayer and suffrages for the Holy Souls in Purgatory; and of serving the Church where the need is greatest — you participate in some of the greatest works of the Church in the world today. As St. Faustina wrote in her Diary, shown on our cover: “Oh my God, my only hope, I have placed all my hope in You, and I know I shall not be disappointed” (317). Let us press on, persisting in our prayers and our work. The rays of Divine Mercy shine in the darkness. Christ is our Light. Keep your eyes fixed on Him amidst the gathering darkness, and be not afraid. Our Lady wraps her mantle around us all, and St. Joseph watches over us, a terror to the demons. May God bless you. There I was, the interim Provincial Superior. Now I am the official one, voted in for a six-year term! It’s a blessing and a burden all at once, of course. I’m honored by the trust my Marian brethren have put in me, and conscious that I can only bear this burden well by the grace of God and through your prayers. Please pray for me. Pray that I may be a father to my province, a good brother to my fellow Marians, and responsive to the will of God for myself and for the province over the next six years. MOVING FORWARD, TOGETHER “Father Joseph, MIC,” is the honorary title of the director of the Association of Marian Helpers. The current director is the Very Rev. Chris Alar, MIC, Provincial Superior of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy Province in the United States and Argentina. Marian Helper • Fall 2023 • Marian.org 3
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