devotion. Later, she would become a self-proclaimed “Adoration junkie,” taking every opportunity she could to adore our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Thanking Mary One day, about a year after her Baptism, Geeta found herself alone in her parish church, St. Louis in Clarksville. Something moved her to approach a statue of the Pietà. Kneeling, she thanked the Blessed Mother for answering all her prayers through the traditional Rosary and the Seven Sorrows Rosary, and for guiding her on her journey of conversion. It was Mary, under the title of “Our Lady of Sorrows,” who had been her biggest support. Before the Pietà, Geeta stretched out her hands and said, “I’m your handmaid, Mother. It’s my turn to do for you whatever you want. And by the way ... I’m a Marian Helper, but I don’t feel like I’m helping anything!” A week later, she got a call from Fr. John McHale, a diocesan priest who helps in her parish. “Geeta, can you help prepare the parish for Fr. Leszek’s visit from Rwanda?” he asked. Kibeho mission It was in the apparitions in Kibeho, Rwanda (fully approved by the Church), that Mary sought to spread devotion to herself under the title “Mother of the Word” and to her traditional Seven Sorrows. It was in this same village that Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC, started mission work back in 1991. Although his work was interrupted during the 1994 genocide that ravaged the country, Fr. Leszek came back in the early 2000s and founded the “Marian Formation (CANA) Center,” a place for retreats, conferences, and prayer. Now, the CANA campus includes a bakery that feeds blind school children, a convent for the Annunciade sisters, a preschool, and the Stations of the Cross. It also is home to a massive interactive catechetical center, centered on the Bible and the Catechism. The combination of exhibits and images is particularly important in a country where many people can’t afford Bibles, books, or a reliable internet connection. Geeta met Fr. Leszek for the first time when he came to her parish, garnering support for the Kibeho mission. Since then, Geeta has helped spread the message of Kibeho at her parish by leading book studies, organizing events, and gathering donations for the mission at the CANA center. All of this she has done in close cooperation with Fr. McHale, a longtime supporter of the Marian mission in Kibeho. Geeta’s first trip to Rwanda was in 2023, and she has come every year since then. “It has been a gift working with the Marian Fathers,” says Geeta. “The mission has exposed me to so much. I’ve been able to step outside of the U.S. and see the missions that are going on, the needs of the Church, and evangelization on a big scale.” Kibeho is where Geeta and I met this summer, while working together on a documentary project initiated by Fr. John about the CANA Bible Center. It was truly a blessed experience, all under the guidance of Mary. Thank you To the Marians, Geeta would like to say, “Thank you, brothers, for your life, for your sacrifice — your daily sacrifice, for the change that you’re making throughout the world. You’re impacting so many people that you won’t even see or meet. You might never meet them, but they’re out there.” To her fellow Marian Helpers, Geeta says, “Being a Marian helper means more than you might think! Dedicate yourself to Our Lady and our Lord, and those graces will come! Meditate on Our Lady’s Sorrows, particularly with the Seven Sorrows Rosary.” To learn more about the Marian Fathers’ mission in Rwanda, visit kibeho-cana.org. To Weep Like Mary: The Extraordinary Gift of the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows by Wincenty Łaszewski, a new book from Marian Press (B67-WLMB), explains the devotion and the Marian apparitions in Kibeho. Available now at ShopMercy.org. Geeta’s selfie with Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC, and Fr. John McHale. Marian Helper • Fall 2025 • Marian.org 5 “It has been a gift working with the Marian Fathers. I’ve been able to step outside of the U.S. and see evangelization on a big scale.”
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