THE 96TH ANNIVERSARY

OF

THE BIRTH OF FR. DEPAUW

(REMARKS AT THE STATUE OF ST. MICHAEL)

Fr. John, members of the board of directors, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for attending this observance of the 96th anniversary of the birth of Fr. DePauw.

No matter what is going on in our own personal lives, in the minds of all of us straight thinking Americans is the latest chapter of that war we are now experiencing as a nation. A war first forced upon us 13 years ago by outright criminals. Criminals who dare even to add blasphemy to their vicious crimes by claiming they are committing them in the name of God; blasphemous appeals, to turn people already shaky in their religious beliefs, into convinced atheists.

As sad as it is as Americans to see some of our political leaders refuse to call this war what it is, it is even sadder as Roman Catholics, to see our religious leaders bury their heads in the sand and refuse to recognize what is happening as the latest chapter in that never ending war between good and evil, between God and Satan; a war, whose first chapter was won by the leader of God’s heavenly hosts, the Archangel St. Michael; and a war, whose final chapter will also be won by him some day.

All around us it appears as though the LEGIONS OF SATAN are succeeding all over the world. We watch horrific acts of violence and war played out on our TV screens, we see diseases we thought were oceans away now in our own nation, we watch our Church establishment ever sinking to new lows, as we witnessed once again this past week, and it is naturally human for us to feel that we will be overcome by them. It is normal to worry what the future holds for us, as individuals, as a congregation, and as a nation.

Thirteen years ago, in a sermon Father gave after THE ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11TH, he gave us the advice to follow for these trying times. And so today I would like to give you that advice once more in his own words. Whether it is the enemies of our nation, or the enemies of our Church that we speak of, it applies equally in either case. It was the advice Father lived by during the darkest and longest days of the occupation of his homeland during World War II. And it was the same advice he lived by every day after taking up The Fight for Truth and Tradition against those who sought to destroy our Church.

―― LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME ――

The Lord did not teach His apostles and us to pray, give us this week, or month or year what we need. What He taught us was: give us this day our daily bread…the word “bread”, meaning everything we need, materially, spiritually, mentally…everything needed to carry us through another day and another night. Even though hidden from our eyes is how many heavy sorrow laden days and nights may be ahead of us, we know that even though our shoulders may bend under the ever so heavy burden they carry, they will not break because they will be pulled up by the Divine Infallibity based conviction that: we are not alone!

Regardless of what our civil and religious leaders do, this is what we must do to get us through these unprecedented times: remain convinced that God has not abandoned us…the Lord is still with us, the handful of His elect chosen people. It was to His True Church and to His True Church alone that He gave this promise “I will be with you every day until the end of time.” We are that True Church, because in the words of St. Anthansius, “Catholics who remain faithful to tradition even if they are reduced to but a handful, they are the True Church of Jesus Christ”.

The Lord is here with us, not just spiritually but even physically. Present here, True God and True Man, in His unchanged saving Sacrifice of the Mass of Calvary; He is one with us especially at the moment of true Holy Communion. And so is His mother with us, not physically as He is, but spiritually, in this Chapel after whom Father confidently named it. His mother, whom the Church of old celebrates this Tuesday, October 7th, as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. A feast instituted by a Pope and Saint, who did not preach dialogue with the enemies of Christ, but rather appealed to the Mother of God for them to be defeated, and made the rosary the number one Marian devotion and number 2 devotion of the Catholic Church after the Mass. It is no coincidence that the Pope of the Mass is also the Pope of the Rosary, St. Pius v. The true Mass and the true rosary devotion are the signs of the true Catholic Church.

We still have that unbeatable powerful combination that has always and will again defeat the powers of evil, the true Mass and the true rosary devotion, in that order. We have St. Joseph and all of our favored saints with us too. Our guardian angels are with us, led by their prince and leader the mighty Archangel Michael, himself, whose feast day we celebrated last Monday and whom we stand before today and will in few moments invoke his help.

No, ladies and gentlemen, we are not alone in this Ave Maria Chapel; this unique little oasis in the middle of that desert of religious and moral decay. We are in the best company here, not only because we are surrounded by the best of other people belonging to that same remnant of God’s elect, but we are in the company of God Himself, His Blessed Mother and all the saints and angels.

That company does not abandon us when we leave this Chapel, to of necessity, return to the polluted world we live in because leaving this Chapel with God’s sanctifying grace within us, recharged each Sunday by virtue of the true Mass and true Holy Communion, and with the Blessed Mother and St. Michael holding our hand on either side of us, we are equipped and prepared to walk, even if need be, through the valley of death without fear.

Thirteen years ago, Father closed this sermon with that beautiful ACT OF FAITH known as:

King David’s Song of Confidence

Psalm 26,Versus 1-2.

“Dominus illuminatio et salus mea, quem timebo?

The Lord is our light and our salvation,

whom shall we fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of our life, of whom should we be afraid? When evil men come to destroy us, they will stumble and fall! Yes, even though a mighty army marches against us, our hearts shall know no fear. We remain confidant that God will save us! So be it!