INTRODUCTION
Our Holy Mother is now visiting Honesdale, PA with messages and teachings dating back to August, 2000. Her messages come weekly and they are important to the world. Holy Mother desires a new devotion to Her under this title of 'OUR LADY OF ALL GRACES'. Much more information will be forthcoming as time permits. What is most important is Her messages, which we intend to supply to you as soon as they are given to us for as long as the experience lasts.
Our Lady Speaks To Her Children Every Week In Honesdale.
At the Chapel of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, Holy Mother said ' From now on, I desire for you to refer to me as 'Our Lady Of All Graces'... Right here in the Chapel of Saint Mary Magdalene, in Honesdale, I wish that a devotion be started that will help me to be known under this title which I have given to you; I do desire it.'
DIOCESE OF SCRANTON
300 WYOMING AVENUE
SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA 18503-1279
August 18, 2008
OFFICE OF THE VICAR GENERAL
Ms. Neva Capezza
Mr. Alix Fils-Aime
Arise Jerusalem, Arise Ministry
Post Office Box 310
Honesdale, Pennsylvania 18431
Dear Ms. Capezza and Mr. Fils-Aime,
On this occasion, Bishop Martino wishes to commend you for your abiding fidelity to the Catholic faith, and your dedicated Christian witness in the world today. Indeed, your open communication with the Bishop of Scranton with regard to Arise Jerusalem, Arise Ministry testifies to the sincerity of your fidelity and dedication.
In fact, the present time affords Bishop Martino the opportunity to address the requests made on behalf of Arise Jerusalem, Arise Ministry over the years with a formal and definitive response given in view of the common good of the Church. The context of our collaboration and communications is the theological and doctrinal perspective of the Christian faithful coming out of Vatican II - a perspective supporting the discipline of the Church which cannot be denied nor overlooked. Indeed, since the faithful have such an important role in assisting the hierarchy in carrying out the apostolate of the Church to which all the purposes listed above truly belong, the discipline of the Church encourages ecclesiastical authority to erect, praise and commend such associations to the faithful. That ecclesiastical authority should establish such associations may reflect the most ideal response to the Church’s concern for the common good in these matters.
Nevertheless, there are other ways the fulfillment of the Church’s apostolate may come about. In fact, ecclesiastical discipline recognizes the freedom of the faithful to come together as a private association in an ad hoc fashion with a view to pursuing the same purposes. Please understand that Bishop Martino respects the freedom and right you have acquired by virtue of your baptism to come together as an ad hoc group of the faithful for the purpose of leading a more perfect life, to promote public worship of Christian doctrine, or to carry out works of the apostolate devoted to evangelization, piety or charity and others which imbue the world with a Christian spirit. However, it should be perfectly clear that such groups respect the universal and particular laws established by the competent ecclesiastical authority which govern activities oriented to the fulfillment of purposes belonging to the apostolate of the Church.
Sometimes an ad hoc private association of the faithful will seek recognition in the Church from the competent ecclesiastical authority. Beside the Bishop’s praise of the association and its endeavor, and his commendation of the association to the faithful at large, the Bishop’s recognition requires a review of the association statutes, or the formal document which defines the association in detail by way of its constitution and rule of order. There is some question as to whether Arise Jerusalem, Arise Ministry had petitioned for formal recognition as a public association of the Church from the previous Bishop of Scranton. The group’s website indicates an “informal permission” was given to publish Guidance for the Soul by Alix Fils-Aime; another document states that the former Bishop gave permission to propagate devotion to the Mother of God under the title of Our Lady of All Graces. Another document, given in 2004, clearly states that the previous Bishop gave oral permission for all the messages to be published. In 2005, another handwritten document requests that current Bishop’s permission to organize a crusade of prayer for peace. Finally, in 2006 a request came for the Bishop’s approval of the Deliverance Prayer as well as permission to promote the ministry of the group. Most recently, permission was sought to publicize a Mass to be held in the Diocese in September of 2008.
To all these requests of Bishop Martino the response has been consistent. Bishop Martino will not give approval to publish materials, to promote devotions or to advertise public worship focused on the locutions of Mr. Fils-Aime. The Bishop’s reasons are clear. First, the locutions are open to question and, as such, present a danger to the teaching office of the diocesan Bishop. Second, the Bishop intends to avoid the misconception of an implicit recognition of the group as a private association of the faithful in the Church which may occur with any approval of the matters mentioned above.
In light of this, the Bishop wishes to reiterate that Arise Jerusalem, Arise Ministry present themselves only as engaging in a private endeavor in no way authorized by the Diocese of Scranton. To ensure that this is widely understood, the following statement will be published in The Catholic Light:
The Christian Faithful of the Diocese of Scranton are hereby notified that the Most Reverend Joseph F. Martino, Bishop of Scranton, does not recognize Arise Jerusalem, Arise Ministry as a private association of the faithful in the Church of Scranton (1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 299-§3). Furthermore, the locutions of Alix Fils-Aime only have the value of private revelations and, as such, neither represent the official teaching of the Catholic Church nor bind the faithful to render any form of any assents of faith (cf. canons 749-753). Certainly Canon Law recognizes the freedom of all Christian faithful, including the members of Arise Jerusalem, Arise Ministry, to found and direct associations, and to gather publicly in common pursuit of the association’s purposes to foster a more perfect life, to promote public worship and Christian doctrine, or to exercise other apostolic works, initiatives of evangelization, or other works of piety and charity (canons 215; 298 - §1; 299 - §1; cf. canons 210; 211). However, such associations are bound by the same law to follow the universal and particular norms established by the competent ecclesiastical authorty which regulate activities directed toward the perfection of life, public worship, the handing on of Christian doctrine, the exercise of the apostolate, the mission of evangelization and other works of piety and charity (canon 305; cf. canons 212 - §1; 223 - §§1-2; 227; 754; 772 - §1; 823 - §§1-2; 824 - §§1-2 838 - §§ 1-4).
In conclusion, Bishop Martino does not give permission for Arise Jerusalem, Arise Minstry to advertise or publicly celebrate the Mass scheduled for September 8, 2008 at St. Gabriel’s Retreat House. Neither will Bishop Martino grant any permission for public worship in any form which focuses on the locutions of Mr. Fils-Aime. Bishop Martino also expects that the group’s website and future publications will cite the decision of the Bishop that Arise Jerusalem, Arise Ministry present themselves only as engaging in a private endeavor in no way authorized by the Diocese of Scranton.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Monsignor Vincent J. Grimalia, V.G.