This story begins in the early 1970s, when a very holy man, Richard Blaney, with a group of others, began to organize Rosary Marches in downtown, Madison, WI. Recall the liberal reputation Madison possesses. Some, jokingly, call it 77 square miles surrounded by reality.
Richard actually played a huge role in my move out of modernism and into a great love for the rich treasures of our faith. I wrote about my conversion at a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome with Pope John Paul II (read about it here). I used to visit Richard in his home and he showed me his huge collection of books and First Class Relics. After Richard passed away in 2012, his family gave me all of his books and relics. WOW!! The relics are on the high altar at St. Mary of Pine Bluff and my private chapel in my rectory. The books are in an enormous library in the narthex of St. Mary of Pine Bluff … every important book of the Catholic faith ever written, it seems.
The beautiful Fatima Statue shown here actually came from Fatima itself. It was used every year during these Rosary Marches. One year, very unfortunately, the statue fell and it broke into several pieces, including the head coming off. They searched high and low and every statue repair person said it was beyond repair. But, they found one person who wouldn’t take “No” for an answer.
A group of people brought the statue over to this woman. When the woman looked at the statue, she began to cry. The group asked, “Why are you crying?” She replied, “Look!” and she pointed to the head of Mary. There were tears coming from the eyes of Mary. All five people gathered there witnessed this and attest that it happened.
The woman got to work on the statue. When she was done, they looked at the statue, and some said Mary looked even better than before she broke. They sensed the repair itself was a kind of miracle.
The statue now sits on the “Mary Altar” at St. Mary of Pine Bluff, for veneration. The first class relics on either side of Mary are St. Louis de Montfort (given to me by Richard Blaney) and St. Maximilian Kolbe (given to me by Fr. Carlos Martins). They are the two saints who promoted Marian Consecration.
The statue and relics will remain there from May 13 to October 13. If you are in the area, please stop by for veneration. You are welcomed to touch your religious articles to the relics, making them a third class relic of these saints.
