FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Catholic PRWire

International Life and Mercy Crusade™
A Pastoral Outreach, Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City
Internationally based in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe
P. O. Box 6950, Albuquerque, New Mexico USA 87197
(505) 867-1054

November 5, 2004

Life and Mercy Crusade launches U.S. Guadalupe centers

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The International Life and Mercy Crusade, an entity of Life Foundation Ministries will officially begin in the United States November 21 with the enthronement of a rare relic image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a Divine Mercy image at the Crusade’s international headquarters, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Albuquerque.

Most Rev. Michael J. Sheehan, Archbishop of Santa Fe with special guest Msgr. Diego Monroy Poncé, Episcopal General and rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico will officiate at the ceremony along with Rev. Bennett J. Voorhies, Chancellor, Rev. Joe Vigil, Pastor, and other priests marking an effort to place seven relics from the Guadalupe Tilma in different regions of the United States. Each region will cover at least seven states.

The relics were created when 220 exact size replicas of Our Lady of Guadalupe images were touched to the sacred original tilma April 20 by Msgr. Monroy at the Basilica in Mexico City. This was the first formal ceremonial procedure of this kind in more than 472 years.

The Monsignor individually signed each image ‘touched to the sacred original for the International Life and Mercy Crusade, May 8, 2004,’ and declared these images as the authorized relics of evangelization that will extended the graces of evangelization, conversion, truth and healing, the same as in 1531. Within ten years of the 1531 apparition more than eight million converted to Christianity, and the scourge of human sacrifice was ended.

This evangelization effort was launched by Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, Archbishop of Mexico on May 8 to fulfill Pope John Paul II’s prophecy that he stated during his first visit to the shrine in 1979 “From the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the light of the gospel of Christ will illuminate the entire world by means of the miraculous image of His Mother.”

The unfolding of the pope’s prophecy began at a Solemn Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City May 8. More than 8,000 people attended the Mass, with 28 priests con-celebrating with Auxiliary Bishop Marcelino Hernandez, who represented the Cardinal.

The bishop blessed the International Life and Mercy Crusade and its effort to evangelize the world through these sacred relics. The seven U.S. centers in which the relics are placed will become an extension of the Crusade.

The purpose of the Crusade is to continue the work of evangelization begun when the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531. The ministry was founded in 1993 to involve people in prayer to end abortion through the worldwide distribution of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Vilnius image of Divine Mercy and the Holy Shroud of Turin.

In addition, in 1997 members of the foundation made a profound discovery that reveals that the face in the Holy Shroud of Turin and the face of the original Divine Mercy image are identical. This is explained and revealed in Life Foundation’s live presentation that utilizes all three images, has traveled through the USA, Mexico and Canada for eight years and available on DVD “An Urgent Message of Hope and Healing” © 2003 (Pierpont Productions, Inc.) which reveals their remarkable discovery.

The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been studied by painters, doctors and scientists from many countries, all agreeing that it was “painted by brushes not of this world.” The image appears as if imprinted with no known brush strokes or paint.

The tilma is made from the maguey cactus plant, its coarsely woven fibers sewn together to form two straight lengths. This fabric usually lasts 15 to 20 years, but the tilma has hung unprotected for more than a century, and after nearly 473 years is still miraculously preserved with its colors as radiant as ever.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most visited shrine in the world, where the Virgin Mary’s miraculous image is seen and venerated by more than 20 million pilgrims a year and Life Foundation became an international ministry in January, 2004 when it was named an official pastoral outreach of the Basilica. This enables the ministry to reach people in every country.

This is a cooperative effort with the Basilica and many international ministries that include Human Life International, the Turin Shroud Center of Colorado, Solomon’s Court, and Marian Peace Centers throughout the world.

As a result of the International Life and Mercy Crusade, the relic images will be permanently placed in centers worldwide. At least one image is designated for every country. This is for the millions who cannot travel to the shrine in Mexico City.

Requests for the images have also come from Australia, Brazil, Cuba, England, Honduras, Peru, Portugal and Spain. In addition to Albuquerque, centers are now located at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, Wisconsin Rapids, diocese of La Crosse, WI and Holy Family Parish in Columbus, OH.

On Saturday evening November 20 beginning with a Mass at 5:30 there will be presentations and teachings about the International Life and Mercy Crusade, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Vilnius Divine Mercy image and the Holy Shroud of Turin.

This is a continuation of the event held at the Basilica in May with featured international speakers Rev. Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International; Fernando Anchustegui, director of Fundación Vida (Life Foundation) for Mexico, Central, Latin and South America; Dr. John and Rebecca Jackson of the Turin Shroud Center of Colorado; and Richard Torretto, director of Solomon’s Court.

For more information:
contact Life Foundation Ministries at (505) 867-1054
e-mail: LifeandMercy@aol.com

Contact

Life Foundation Ministries
http://www.LifeandMercy.org  NM,  US
Elizabeth Hackett - Administrator, 505 867-1054

Keywords

Guadalupe

Category

Catholic Organizations