It all began back in 2017 with a prayer: “God, what do You want me to do?” At the end of her rope in the face of personal difficulties, Geetangeli (Geeta, for short), from Clarksville, Maryland, cried out to the God she did not know — she was not baptized and hadn’t been exposed to the Catholic faith. But the Lord heard her prayer. As the Psalm says, “The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth” (Ps 145:18). Conversion and Baptism Experiencing God’s grace washing over her, Geeta knew that something had to change. She began to read the Bible and attended the Rite of Christian Initiation (now OCIA) classes with her husband. Although she was set to be baptized during the 2019 Easter vigil, she hesitated — the spiritual warfare was on. It was at this time and during the COVID lockdowns that Geeta discovered the Marian Fathers’ daily livestreamed Chaplet of the Divine Mercy and their “Divine Mercy” YouTube channel. And after hearing Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, mention the Marian Helpers, she decided to become a member. By the grace of God, Geeta was baptized on July 10, 2020. Soon after, she consecrated herself to Our Lady of Sorrows (feast day: Sept. 15). Her first experience of Eucharistic Adoration was with Fr. Chris, during an online First Friday Answering Mary’s call Marian Helpers in Action By Br. Ryan Asensio, MIC “I ’m a Marian Helper, but I don’t feel like I’m helping anything!” This was Geetangeli’s lighthearted complaint back in 2020. Little did she know that just a few years later, she would be in Kibeho, Rwanda, on a mission to spread devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows and working closely with the Marian Fathers. 4 Marian Helper • Fall 2025 • Marian.org
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