It was the next morning after the event.  The Pilgrim Virgin Statue had been hosted by the beautiful parish family of St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Center, NY, and many hearts had been moved.  This included the heart of one very special lady and dedicated volunteer at the Blue Army Shrine here in Washington, NJ – Mrs. Dorothy Carollo, the wife of our executive director, David.  I ran into Dorothy in the small parking lot outside the Holy House before heading to the office for a cup of coffee.  From the moment we met, it was obvious that she had appreciated the chance to attend the beautiful event the night before. Even though it involved many WP_20160525_014grueling hours crawling through New York traffic trying to get to the Cathedral with the 30 foot RV, she was excited and enthused to have been a part of the RV adventure.  Normally, our Lady’s RV would have already been onsite; however, due to needed services and repairs, the Pilgrim Virgin Statue traveled in a rented van for the visits to downtown NY and nearby cities.  David and Dorothy drove the RV up to the event in Rockville Center and took the rented van back. Praise God all went as planned and without major incident or accident.  Thanks to all for their prayerful and faith-filled efforts.

Perhaps Dorothy was a little short on sleep but she was obviously high in spirits as she shared with me a little about the event. The church was filled with many excited people coming to see and be inspired by the message of Our Lady.  She also noted that people of all backgrounds and ages were there.  Everyone from the very young to the very old, married with families or coming alone.  Some longtime friends of the World Apostolate of Fatima and many more new friends and visitors were there. 

WP_20160525_032One particularly powerful connection that Dorothy made was meeting a lovely lady who was sitting nearby in church, who shared that she had recently lost a husband and felt the blessing and consolation of our dear Heavenly Mother. Dorothy also noted the large numbers of young people who were there, some probably just learning about Our Lady of Fatima.  Along with the young were many devoted people of retirement age, many who for decades have held strongly to their close relationship with our heavenly Mother and her Fatima plea.  It was a powerful sign of God’s life and love and shows the diverse ways He touches our hearts, and leads us to play a part in his favored Daughter’s plan for world peace. 

 A few days later, I ran into Dorothy again outside the Holy House as she was renovating and restoring some poster cabinets long in need of TLC.  Both of us were still filled with excitement to keep spreading the news of Our Lady in as many little ways as we can. 

If you are blessed to be able to visit the Blue Army Shrine or experience the visits of Our Lady’s Pilgrim Virgin Statue at one of the many parishes along the Centennial Tour for Peace, we hope and pray you catch this excitement, too.  Say “Yes” to Our Lady, and as you allow Mary to include you in her adventurous plan, you will be amazed, like me and Dorothy are, at the blessings God brings and the people He introduces you to.  It was an ordinary Wednesday and we are ordinary people, but our Mother Mary never stops doing her extraordinary work.  Praise God and happy Wednesday.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *