Lifting High The Torch

Archbishop Raymond L Burke now the Prefect of the Apostolic signatura, was asked to review the status of Our Lady of America and to give his canonical opinion as to whether this devotion is worthy of belief. After a period of years studying Our Lady's messages and the archival letters written between Sr. Mary Ephrem and her spiritual director Archbishop Paul Leibold, Archbishop Burke had this to say


Regarding Our Lady of America
Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke
Archbishop of St. Louis

In a letter to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Burke, then the Ordinary of St. Louis, Missouri, now Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, revealed the results of his review of the history and canonical status of devotion to Our Lady of America. See the original letter.

May 31, 2007 — Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

To the Bishops of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Dear brothers in Christ,


The devotion to Our Lady of America has its source in private revelations to Sister Mary Ephrem (baptized Mildred) Neuzil, who was born in 1916 and was professed, in 1933, in the Congregation of the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, which has its generalate in Dayton, Ohio. She later became part of a contemplative branch of the same congregation. The contemplative branch was located at Our Lady of the Nativity Convent at New Riegel, Ohio. After the suppression of the contemplative branch in 1979, the Sisters who were members took up residence in Seneca County, Ohio. From the time of the suppression, Sister Mary Ephrem used her baptismal name, Sister Mary Mildred Neuzil. Sister Mary Ephrem (Mary Mildred) died in 2000. One of the Sisters survives and continues to live in Seneca County, Ohio.

Having reviewed the correspondence between Sister Mary Ephrem and her spiritual director of many years, Monsignor Paul F. Leibold, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, who later became the Bishop of Evansville and, then, Archbishop of Cincinnati, it is clear that the devotion, as proposed by Sister Mary Ephrem, received his approbation. In addition to the correspondence by which Monsignor Leibold declared the approval of the devotion, he also carried out the first of Our Lady of America's requests, made through Sister Mary Ephrem, namely, he had a medal struck with the image of Our Lady of America on one side and the coat of arms of the Christian family on the other.

The coat of arms symbolically represents the substance of the private revelation received by Sister Mary Ephrem, namely, the Indwelling of the Holy Trinity in the Christian home, which is the source of life and unity in the family. The coat of arms points to the purity and selflessness of love in the family, because of the Indwelling of the Holy Trinity, the model of which is the Mother of God, under her title of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of our nation. In a particular way, Our Lady of America expressed her desire that the United States of America, through her intercession, be devoted to the purity of love. She identified herself to Sister Mary Ephrem as "Our Lady of America, The Immaculate Virgin." In the consecration of our nation to our Blessed Mother, made in 1959 at the National Shrine and renewed, in our name, by Bishop David Ricken on November 11, 2006, the Saturday before the November meeting of our Conference of Bishops, our Blessed Mother is addressed as "Immaculate Virgin."

The contents of the private revelation received by Sister Mary Ephrem were published in a booklet, first in 1960, and, again, in 1971. Both of these editions were published with the Imprimatur of Archbishop Leibold. A final edition, with some new contents, was published in 1989. The new contents were added at the direction of Father Edmund Morman, S.V.D., the last chaplain of Our Lady of the Nativity Convent at New Riegel. Father Morman was sadly killed in an automobile accident on February 17, 1986.

As Archbishop of Cincinnati, Archbishop Leibold commissioned a wooden plaque with the image of Our Lady of America, which he gave to the cloister at New Riegel, at which it was displayed for many years in a public area. He had the wooden plaque created for the specific purpose of its use in processions at the New Riegel convent.

Archbishop Leibold also authorized the Weberding Woodcarving Shop at Batesville, Indiana, to carve a statue of Our Lady of America. The statue was carved for Our Lady of the Nativity Convent at New Riegel, Ohio, at which public devotions to Our Lady of America were regularly celebrated.

Other bishops have permitted the public display of a statue of Our Lady of America for devotion. For instance, the late Bishop William G. Connare of Greensburg permitted a statue to be displayed at the Carmel of the Assumption at Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Also, a statue of Our Lady of America was carried in procession in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on several occasions by the Apostolatus Uniti and other groups. On May 31, 2006, a statue of Our Lady of America was enthroned at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama, by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. The statue which was enthroned at Hanceville is the very same statue which Bishop Connare authorized for public devotion at Latrobe.

A specific request of Our Lady of America was that her statue be placed in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. There is a providential connection between Sister Mary Ephrem and the late Archbishop Bishop John Francis Noll of the Diocese of Fort Wayne, who is celebrated as the Apostle of the National Shrine. The principal apparitions of Our Lady of America to Sister Mary Ephrem took place in the chapel of the Precious Blood Sisters Convent in Kneipp Springs Sanitorium, near Rome City, Indiana. Archbishop Bishop Noll, who died in 1956, maintained a summer residence at the Sanitorium, within a few hundred feet of the place of the apparitions. While the National Shrine is the largest shrine in the world at which there was not a previous apparition, the private revelation to Sister Mary Ephrem very much confirms the mission of the National Shrine.

The prayer attached to the devotion also received the imprimatur of the then Monsignor Leibold, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Archbishop Leibold was Sister Mary Ephrem's spiritual director from the time that he was Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati until he died in1972. Archbishop Leibold was always clear that the approved devotion had its origin in private revelation received by Sister Mary Ephrem over many years.

What can be concluded canonically is that the devotion was both approved by Archbishop Leibold and, what is more, was actively promoted by him. In addition, over the years, other Bishops have approved the devotion and have participated in public devotion to the Mother of God, under the title of Our Lady of America.

Although the devotion to Our Lady of America has remained constant over the years, in recent years the devotion has spread very much and has been embraced by many with special fervor. Seemingly, as has been suggested by Father Peter Damian Mary Fehlner, F.I., in his homily of August 5, 2006, at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, the moral crisis of our time, which demands a new teaching and living of the virtue of purity, has found an especially fitting response of loving care from the Mother of God in her message to Sister Mary Ephrem.

Some have raised with me the canonical question regarding the status of Our Lady of the Nativity Convent in Seneca County, Ohio, which has been the residence of any remaining member of the suppressed contemplative branch of the Congregation of Sisters of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. In response, I observe that the canonical question has no bearing on the devotion or its approbation.

As one deeply devoted to fostering the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe in our nation, I have wondered about the relationship of the devotion to Our Lady of America to the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Archbishop Leibold, in fact, raised the question with Sister Mary Ephrem. Sister Mary Ephrem responded that Our Lady of Guadalupe is Empress of all the Americas, whereas "Our Lady of America, The Immaculate Virgin," is the patroness of our nation, the United States of America. The two devotions are, in fact, completely harmonious. As our late and most beloved Pope John Paul II reminded us, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America and Star of the New Evangelization, draws all of the nations of America into unity in carrying out the new evangelization. Our Lady of America calls the people of our nation to the new evangelization through a renewed dedication to purity in love.

I hope that the above may be of some help to you in responding to questions regarding the devotion to Our Lady of America.

May the Immaculate Virgin intercede for the intentions of our dioceses and our nation. With fraternal gratitude and esteem, I remain

Yours devotedly in Christ,
(Most Rev.) Raymond L. Burke Archbishop of Saint Louis.

Bishop Richard J Garcia of Monterey California told CNS,

"Our Lady of Guadalupe is important for all the Americas but to have Our Lady of America and the Immaculate Conception as a special patroness for our nation will bring about the peace we so yearn for (and) a resolution to many social issues," including euthanasia and abortion, California Bishop Richard J. Garcia told CNS.
"The Blessed Mother is so important to all of us Roman Catholics, and Christian people in particular, and, specifically for our country, for peace within our land; and the intercession of our Blessed Mother is so important on many issues that affect us morally and socially," Bishop Garcia said.

"Marian devotions, including those to Our Lady of America, also can lead the faithful to really listen to Christ's message that all must be "bearers of the Gospel and bring about Christ's love," he said.


On October 13, 1956 Our Lady appeared to Sr. Mary Ephrem." She was very beautiful and smiled in her heavenly way. She was dressed in the same manner as I first saw her, except her Immaculate Heart did not appear. Instead of the lily,she held with both hands a small replica of the finished Shrine of the Immaculate Conception."

"This is my shrine,my daughter, I am very pleased with it. Tell my children I thank them. Let them finish it quickly and make it a place of pilgrimage. It will be a place of wonders. I promise this.."

She requested a statue be made according to her likeness and placed, after being solemnly carried in procession, in the Shrine of The Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. She wishes to be honored there in a special way as Our Lady of America, the Immaculate Virgin.

Our Lady of America's 53rd Anniversary

In the fall of 1956 I was sent to help out at one of our larger institutions. It was at this place that the official visits of Our Lady began, and the special mission entrusted to me revealed.
The following is the account of these visits as it was written at that time:

On the eve of the feast of the North American Martyrs, September 25, 1956, as I was making the Holy Hour from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. I was conscious of the distinct and special feeling of the presence of Our Lady. She stood by my side and spoke to me. I felt, rather than saw her, though I did see a part of her white gown and a small portion of her blue sash. I was under the impression that she came as Our Lady of Lourdes, and she herself confirmed this. Our Lady promised that greater miracles than those granted at Lourdes and Fatima would be granted here in America, the United Stares in particular, if we would do as she desires.

These are the words she spoke to me at this time:

"I am pleased, my child, with the love and honor my children in America give to me, especially through my glorious and unique
privilege of the Immaculate Conception. I promise to reward their love by working through the power of my Son's Heart and
my Immaculate Heart miracles of grace among them. I do not promise miracles of the body, but of the soul."

Our lady emphasized this very much. She is anxiously concerned about our inner life.

She continued:

"For it is mainly through these miracles of grace that the Holy Trinity is glorified among men and nations. Let
America continue and grow in its love for me, and I in return, in union with the Heart of my Son, promise to work wonders in
her. My child, I desire that this be known."

The next morning, the feast of the North American Martyrs, Mass had just been concluded and the Community thanksgiving was almost over. There were a few minutes left when suddenly Our Lady appeared before me, enveloped in a soft glow of light. I knew with unmistakable certainty that it was she, though she did not speak immediately. What I noticed was the smile on Our Lady's beautiful countenance and the lily she held in her right hand. She wore a white veil reaching almost to the waist and a mantle and robe of pure white with not a single decoration of any kind. An oblong-shaped clasp or brooch held the ends of the mantle together at the top. It was all gold, as was the high and brilliant crown which she wore. Her hair and her eyes seemed of medium brown. Her feet were bare, but these I did not always see, as they were sometimes covered by the moving clouds on which Our Lady stood. She continued to smile. Then I saw her heart appear, encircled with red roses, the symbol of suffering as it was revealed to me, and sending forth flames of fire. With her left hand Our Lady seemed to be holding up slightly the upper part of her mantle, so that her Immaculate Heart could be seen. Then solemnly and distinctly,in
calm yet majestic tones, I heard these words:

"I am Our Lady of America. I desire that my children honor me, especially by the purity of their lives."

She was very beautiful and her smile held me. But I became conscious of the fact that the other Sisters were leaving the chapel, and I, too, had to go as obedience directed me. I said to Our Lady, "Please forgive me, Mother, but I do have to go now or my work will not get finished." Our Lady understood, but she did not leave me. When I entered my room, she was there waiting for me. Then I noticed the green color of the lily stem in her hand and the white sash or belt which she wore around her waist. It seemed to be made of the same material as the robe. It was narrow, very narrow, and no ends of it could be seen at all. As I had to hurry about my tasks, I could not give Our Lady all the attention I longed to, but every now and then I would direct a glance of love toward her. Our Lady stood there smiling as I had seen her in the chapel. All that day I was conscious of Our Lady's presence in a very special manner, in a way that was distinctly new to me.

On the afternoon of the same day, during the last half of the Holy Hour between 4:00 and 5:00, the Immaculate Virgin spoke to me at length in these words:

“My child, I entrust you with this message that you must make known to my children in America. I wish it to be the country
dedicated to my purity. The wonders I will work will be the wonders of the Soul. They must have faith and believe firmly in my love for them. I desire that they be the children of my Pure Heart. I desire, through my children of America, to further the cause of faith and purity among peoples and nations. Let them come to me with confidence and simplicity, and I, their Mother, will teach them to become pure like to my Heart that their own hearts may be more pleasing to the Heart of my Son."

Our Blessed Mother called herself Our Lady of America in response to the love and desire that reached out for this special title in the hearts of her children in America. This title was the sign of her pleasure at the confidence our land places in her and as a reward for its staunch and childlike devotion to her. Her children longed for this personal visit of Our Lady, whether consciously or otherwise, and in her kindness and mercy she responded far beyond all expectations. Though she came in this manner as a token of her love for us, nevertheless Our Lady of America welcomes her children of all nations to her feet, for there will be found true peace. So she has given me to understand, and such are her desires as she revealed them to me,

Our Lady's Shrine

Following is the account of Our Lady's next visit, which occurred on October 13, 1956:

Today the Holy Virgin appeared to me as I was working in my room. Our Lady was very beautiful, and she was again smiling in
her heavenly way. She was dressed in the same manner as when I first saw her, except that her Immaculate Heart did not appear.
Instead of the lily, she held with both hands a small replica of the finished Shrine of The Immaculate Conception. She then began to speak. Her presence overwhelmed me with its holiness. I was compelled to stop my work, for it was impossible to go on. I then knelt down and wrote Our Lady's words as she desired:

"This is my shrine, my daughter. I am very pleased with it. Tell my children I thank them. Let them finish it quickly and make it a place of pilgrimage. It will be a place of wonders. I promise this, I will bless all those who, either by prayers, labor, or material aid, help to erect this shrine."
Diary of Our Lady of America

Our Lady of America's Medal

In regard to the medal that Our Lady requested to be made, I was told that as long as it bore the form of a shield, the medal itself
could be of any shape desired. Around the image of Our Lady, as she appeared September 26, 1956, these words are to be en-
graved: "By thy Holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, deliver us from evil." 'Those who wear the medal with great faith
and fervent devotion to Our Lady will receive the grace of intense purity of heart and the particular love of the Holy Virgin and
her Divine Son. Sinners will receive the grace of repentance and the spiritual strength to live as true children of Mary. As in life,
so in death, this blessed medal will be as a shield to protect them against the evil spirits, and St. Michael himself will be at their
side to allay their fears at the final hour.
The Coat-of-Arms Our Lady had inspired some years previously. I did not know at the time for what purpose it was to be used,
and Our Lady did not enlighten me on it until much later.
As mentioned before, Our Lady also requested a picture or statue of herself as she appeared on September 26, 1956, to be honored and venerated in every Christian Home. DIARY OF OUR LADY OF AMERICA page 25-26

Archbishop Paul Leibold was faithful to Our Lady's request. He had the medal struck and even paid for the expense so as to assist in fulfilling Our Lady's wishes.
Sister Mary Ephrem secured the devotion to Our Lady of America by Last Will and Testament to Sr.Joseph Therese, the sole surviving sister of The Contemplative Sisters of The Indwelling Trinity

The Our Lady of America Center located in Fostoria Ohio is the authentic source for all devotional materials concerning Our Lady of America.
WHY? Because those were the wishes of Sr.Mary Ephrem.

To order devotionals and a history of Our Lady of America please visit the new official website

www.ourladyofamerica.com

Torchbearer's Prayer

Now will I recall God's works; what I have seen, I will describe. At God's word were his works brought into being; they do his will as he has ordained for them.
As the rising sun is clear to all, so the glory of the LORD fills all his works;
Yet even God's holy ones must fail in recounting the wonders of the LORD, Though God has given these, his hosts, the strength to stand firm before his glory.
He plumbs the depths and penetrates the heart; their innermost being he understands. The Most High possesses all knowledge, and sees from of old the things that are to come:
He makes known the past and the future, and reveals the deepest secrets.
No understanding does he lack; no single thing escapes him.
Perennial is his almighty wisdom; he is from all eternity one and the same,
With nothing added, nothing taken away; no need of a counselor for him!
How beautiful are all his works! even to the spark and the fleeting vision!
The universe lives and abides forever; to meet each need, each creature is preserved.
All of them differ, one from another, yet none of them has he made in vain, For each in turn, as it comes, is good; can one ever see enough of their splendor.

Sirach 42:15-25
Our Lady of America before God's Glory intercede for us!

Words of Wisdom

Rev. A.J. Geraci. perhaps saw Archbishop Leibold for the last time publicly before his death. In a sermon given May 4th 2008 he says" Not too long ago, back in 1972, I witnessed the last ceremony of the late Archbishop, Paul Leibold. It was a large graduation ceremony at Xavier University, Cincinnati. I was there to receive my first M.A., a Master's in History. The not too old archbishop was looking desperately tired and did not participate in the distribution of diplomas, but rather retreated to a chair to the back of the stage. His posture, his composure, his physical carriage, his tiredness all communicated a message that the world could carry on without him. Remarkably the archbishop, a native of Dayton, with many Leibold cousins still around, had accomplished a post Vatican Council Diocesan Synod for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati; all nineteen counties were involved. It was as if, on the stage, he was saying, not only to the students and Jesuit instructors, but to the whole diocese, you have a plan for the future, now follow it, and you will not be needing this archbishop to help you.

That night, Archbishop Paul Leibold died of several massive strokes. In a short poem to his niece that he had recently written, he described the span of human life to be like that of the "spring tulips whose beauty lasts only a while and then are gone, back to the earth, back to God." Life is a short span of time, like spring tulips that never seem to last long enough. It was almost a poetic commentary on the end of his life. Somehow it seems he knew he was leaving us. He did. But this young Archbishop left us with a plan and that plan has been used, cited, referred to, now, for thirty-six years."

The Queen City

Cincinnati, fondly called The Queen City, has a history rich in Catholic tradition. Up to 1829 there was practically no immigration to the West. In after years the fertility and wealth of the country lying between the Eastern mountains and the Mississippi directed thither the tide of incoming Europeans. The Irish famine of 1848, and political disturbances in Germany about the same time, sent large numbers of Irish and Germans to America. Friends had preceded them, and glowing accounts of the agricultural possibilities of Ohio attracted many to the Ohio Valley. Steamboat facilities after 1830 and railroads after 1838 contributed largely to increase the population. The Civil War did not retard materially the progress of religion.
The hills and valleys of Cincinnati, along with the Ohio River that curves it way thru, reminded the brave new German inhabitants of their native homeland, Bavaria.The city would become the largest destination for those settling in America.

They wasted no time in the building of churches. Bringing from their homeland all the wealth and talent of spiritual artistry. Some of the most treasured churches in the country were dedicated to God and His Mother. Gothic and Romanesque structures graced the inland city and their spirals soared high. Treasured works of art embellished these places of worship and reflected the love the new America had for God.

One of the most cherished is The Immaculata
Built in 1859 just before the American Civil War for the German congregation in the city's Mt. Adams neighborhood. Archbishop John Baptist Purcell decided to build the church while praying during a severe storm at sea. He promised God that if he survived, he would build a vigil church dedicated to The Mother of God under her title Immaculata,on the city's highest point. The church has served since 1860 as a pilgrimage church, where on Good Friday the faithful ascend eighty-nine steps from the level of the river to the front door of the church. First wooden steps were put up, and then in 1911, the city of Cincinnati helped the church build concrete steps.

It is from this hill that The Immaculata keeps watch over her children. Archbishop Leibold called it The Holy Hill. What prayers have been answered in this pilgrim shrine dedicated the Our Lady's Immaculate Conception. Perhaps in advance Our Lady of America prepared Cincinnati to invoke her intercession for our country and one day she would respond to the love that was shown to Her here. For high above the main alter hangs a famous painting of The Immaculataby Johann Schmitt.

There is a scroll that stretches the canvas. Written in German it is a request made to The Virgin by Her petitioners, it reads
O Maria, ohne Suende empfangen, bitte fuer die Bekehrung dieses Landes, Amerika.
(Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for the conversion of this country, America.)

For The United States consecrated to Her Immaculate Conception it is prophetic.
A theme that would be repeated decades later to Sr. Mary Ephrem.

Wise Torchbearer

Today January 25th the church celebrates the The Conversion of St.Paul The Apostle.
Archbishop Paul Leibold, Sister Mary Ephrem's spiritual director, had considered St. Paul to be his patron saint. In may of his letters to Sr. Millie, Archbishop Leibold would instruct and encourage her with St.Paul's writings.
In one such letter he encourages her to be pliable in Our Lord"s hands. As a potter molds the clay to form his work. To allow Our Lord to mold her into His beautiful work of art.

For Archbishop Leibold the conversion of St.Paul would also be connected to his work with Our Lady of America. It is on January 25th 1963 that the Imprimatur is given to specific prayers written by Sr.Millie. Perhaps in Archbishop Leibolds discernment he recognizes the great need of spiritual conversion our country and our world needs. A experience powerful like Saint Paul's, one that would bring us to our knees.

This is our prayer. For our eyes to be opened.
For St.Paul it would take a great spiritual miracle to turn his heart from sin to his creator.
And so it is with us. Let us learn from this great saint.
Do not forget that Our Lady has promised spiritual miracles greater than those granted at Lourdes or Fatima if we do as she asks. It will have to be a grace powerful like St.Paul's to turn us from the path we are headed.
May Our Lady of America, The Immaculate Virgin intercede for us.

Our Mother of Mercy

Decades before the church would call the first Sunday after Easter Divine Mercy Sunday, Our Lady shows herself to Sister Mary Ephrem as Our Mother of Mercy on the second Sunday after Easter in the year of 1957. Perhaps one day the church will honor our Mother's mercy the Sunday following Her Son's.

In a May 5, 1957 letter, Sr. Mildred Marie Neuzil speaks of Our Lady of America’s appearance to her as “Mother of Mercy.”

Our Lady showed herself to me today as the Mother of Mercy. With her arms extended, her blue mantle affording a safe refuge for the sinner, she said,

“I am the Mother of Mercy. Under my mantle I will hide my children. The justice of God will not reach them if they seek refuge beneath the protection of my mercy. My Son gives to me all those souls who come to me with confidence, calling upon my aid. Their salvation is in my hands. I will obtain for them the necessary graces to save their souls.

“Come to me, poor suffering and frightened ones. I am your Mother. Never will I forsake you. Only come to me with a wholehearted and loving trust. Place your souls into my keeping. I am that faithful Mother who never forsakes her children. Honor me by your confidence and love. This I desire and ask of you, my poor children. Do not deny the wishes of your Mother.”