Our Lady of America, "The Immaculate Virgin"

On December 8, the great solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we wish to provide our readers with the full body of messages which have been released for public distribution regarding the apparitions of Our Lady of America. These apparitions, so closely connected with the "Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States," should be more deeply appreciated, not only by the faithful in the United States, but by all who seek a greater understanding of Our Lady's call for purity and peace, in virtue of her own Immaculate Conception. The apparitions of Our Lady of America have the implicit ecclesiastical approval of Archbishop Paul F. Leibold, spiritual director of the visionary Sr. Mildred Mary Neuzil from 1940 to 1972. He authorized the first and second printing of these messages and had the medal of Our Lady of America struck. – Ed.

The following lines were penned by a religious Sister from her cloister cell. This Sister was professed as a religious in 1933. Exteriorly she was much like any other Sister in the Community, trying to be faithful to the Rule and the religious practices of the Community. She received her assignments to work in various houses, mostly in domestic work. From 1951 to 1954 she taught kindergarten classes in a parish school and enjoyed working with the little ones very much.

About 1938 she began to have what seemed like mystical experiences. They may be described as flights of the spirit, interior locutions, etc. Having these did not disturb nor overawe her in any way. In fact, by her own admission she thought they were a common thing to all religious.

In 1948 these experiences were brought to the attention of her confessor. He prudently advised her to be very cautious, lest it be a case of an overactive imagination. The experiences became more vivid and the messages more pressing. She considered seriously entering a cloister, perhaps to find her fulfillment of God's Will there. But various events indicated otherwise. Finally, her own community established a cloistered group within the active, and in May 1958 she was permitted to enter this cloister.

These supernatural happenings, referred to above, included many things that concerned only her own personal spiritual life: special espousals with Christ, designation as the Little White Dove, etc. Again during all this time there were no external signs that she was different from any other member of the community.

After some years she began to write down briefly the happenings during these occasions of special communication with God. These were read by one or the other priest to whom she had gone for direction, and in general they never found in them anything contrary to faith and morals, nor anything to indicate mental debility. On the contrary, some points, especially the great emphasis on the Indwelling of the Blessed Trinity, showed a theological understanding beyond what this Sister had been able to obtain from her regular courses in Religion.

Finally, in 1954 these visits took on the nature of a specific program of special devotion to Mary which this Sister was commanded to propagate. In fulfillment of these expressions of Our Lady, which this Sister was convinced Mary wanted her to carry out, she set down in writing this Message of Mary, who presents herself here as Our Lady of America.

Except on a few occasions, as one when she showed herself as Our Lady of the Divine Indwelling, Our Lady always came in the manner in which she appeared on September 26, 1956, namely, as Our Lady of America.

This Sister was blessed to have Archbishop Paul Leibold for her spiritual director until 1972, when he died. He authorized the first and second printing of these Messages and had the Medal of Our Lady of America struck and images of Our Lady of America made.

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Our Lord often spoke to me in the past, and already in the early 1940s it was made known to me interiorly that my mission was to converge towards the sanctification of the family. I was not further enlightened at that time as to how this was to be accomplished.

In the year 1954, however, Our Lord addressed the following words to me. As they coincided in every way with Our Lady's message concerning the spiritual renewal of souls, I have placed them at the beginning of this manuscript.

Message of May 22, 1954

"My little white dove, if the world is dying, it is because it will not let Me give it life."

"I am the resurrection and the life, and unless souls seek their life in Me, they will find only death and destruction."

"They fear man-made destroyers of life, yet destruction is in themselves. Man destroys himself through the evil that is in himself."

"Implements of war kill only that which is without. Man kills that within himself which none but he can kill."

"God is light, man is darkness, and unless he comes into the light, he will be forever darkness."

"The Voice of My Heart is the Voice of Mercy. If man will not listen, there is no more I can do, for he ties My hands."

Message of May 29, 1954

"My Heart beats with compassion for the sorrows of man. Oh, how gladly would I help him bear the weight of his terrible cross, fashioned, for the most part, by his own guilt! But alas, he will have none of My help. So I am forced to stand by the side of the road and watch him struggle hopelessly in his agony."

"O man, what have I done to you that you should refuse My aid?"

"My little white dove, do you know what I find most lacking in the world today? It is faith. There are so few souls that believe in Me and My love. They profess their belief and their love, but they do not live this belief. Their hearts are cold, for without faith there can be no love."

"Pray and sacrifice yourself, My child, that faith may once again find entrance into the hearts of men."

Message of July 11, 1954

"My daughter, I am not loved in the homes of men. And because I am not loved, the Divine Trinity refuses to dwell therein."

"Children are not taught to love Me, because those who have charge over them have no time or patience to do so."

"My Heart grieves over My children in the world. Their hearts are being drawn farther and farther away from Me. They will not even listen to My Mother, because they have never been taught to listen."

"I am a Beggar for love, but how few give to Me the means by which to satisfy My divine hunger. I hunger for the love of My own, and I receive only the crumbs no other would accept."

"My Father is angry. If My children will not listen to My Heart, which is a Voice of mercy and instruction, punishment will come swiftly and none shall be able to stay it. The pleadings of My Heart have held back the divine justice about to descend on an ungrateful and sinful generation."

"Woe to parents who set a bad example to their children! Terrible will be their judgment. I will demand a strict account of every soul entrusted to their care."

"Woe to parents who teach their children how to gain materially in this world and neglect to prepare them for the next!"

"Woe to children who disobey and show disrespect towards their parents!"

"'Honor thy father and thy mother.' On this shall they be judged most severely."

Messages of July 12, 13, 14, 1954

"Blessed are the homes that honor My Name and the Name of My Father."

"Blessed are the homes where I am loved, for there the Holy Trinity dwells."

"Blessed are the parents and children who have made a home for God in their hearts."

"Little secretary of My Heart, write these instructions for the sanctification of My people."

"My Father's house is a house of prayer, and you have made it a den of thieves."

"My children, every home and every soul is My Father's house, for He made them and they are His. But many of them are no longer sanctified by His Presence. Thieves have entered in and stolen from Him His temples of prayer. It is you, My children, who have let them in. If, My children, you will cleanse your temples, My Father will return and We will come and make our abode with you."

"Return, My people, for My Heart hungers and thirsts for your love. If you will not return, the just anger of My Father will descend upon you. What would you—My love or My Father's anger? Choose, and as you choose, so shall it be done. I will not force your free will, for that is yours to use as you desire."

Message of Fall, 1954

The next incident took place in the fall of the year 1954, when I was stationed at a different house of the Congregation. I do not remember the exact date, as I did not intend ever saying anything about it. I was sitting in the room next to the kitchen with the intention of saying some of my prayers. Almost at the very moment I began to pray, I saw an angel. I knew this immediately, although the apparition did not reveal itself as such until later. I saw the angel standing before me towards the left. He was dressed in a white robe or garment, which was perfectly plain and perfectly white. The whiteness of his robe stood out against the darkness about him. It was like a light in the midst of darkness. He was holding a green palm and a drawn sword in his left hand, the tips of both palm and sword resting against his left shoulder. I saw all this at a glance. The angel said to me, "Receive the palm of victory." I became suspicious. I could not think of any victory of mine that deserved such a reward. Besides, it sounded a bit like flattery to me. I have always been wary of words of praise; they put me on my guard. Why was the palm not given to someone else more deserving of it than I? So I shook my head and resolutely went back to my prayers. But the angel would not go.

He spoke again, "You do not believe me. Will you accept the cross?" For me this struck more nearly home.

I said, "Yes, I will accept the cross."

To this he replied,

Then you will accept the palm and the sword. With the sword the saints conquered themselves, the world, and the devil. I am the Angel of Peace. I come to those whose hearts are attuned to the Voice of God. To such as these I remain a perpetual light through blinding darkness. I was sent by Him Who said, "I am the Light of the world."

Later it was made known to me that the Angel of Peace was St. Michael.

Message of November 8, 1954

On November 8, 1954, a short time after the visit of the Angel of Peace, Our Lady spoke to me in these words:

It is the wish of my Son that fathers and mothers strive to imitate me and my chaste spouse in our holy life at Nazareth. We practiced the simple virtues of family life, Jesus our Son being the center of all our love and activity. The Holy Trinity dwelt with us in a manner far surpassing anything that can ever be imagined. For ours was the earthly paradise where once again God walked among men.

As in our little home no sin was to be found, so it is the wish of the Heart of my Son and my Immaculate Heart that sin should, as far as possible, be unheard of in the homes of our children.

The Divine Trinity will dwell in your midst only if you are faithful in practicing the virtues of our life at Nazareth. Then, you also, my children, you also will become another paradise. God will then walk among you and you will have peace.

I need your help to bring peace into the world. Do not disappoint me.

Message of November 20, 1955

The next incident happened at another mission where I was sent the following year. This date was recorded as November 20, 1955. I found myself in a half-sleeping and half-waking state, which I had often experienced before. It gave one the strange effect of being in two worlds. I find no other way to explain this state. I entered a small room, strange and unknown to me. As I was looking around in a rather bewildered fashion, I sensed another presence in the room. I turned toward the doorway, and confronting me was an angel. He was dressed in white, but his garments were arranged in a different manner from those of St. Michael. Although the room was very light, I saw a bright halo surrounding his head. His arms were extended, bent at the elbows, his fingers pointing upwards. A sort of supernatural dread came over me.

I knelt down, then asked him, "Who are you?"