Father Nicholas GrunerProducer — Fatima: "The Moment Has Come"

(Weekly Television Program)Producer — Heaven's Peace Plan 

(Worldwide Daily Radio Program)Publisher — The Fatima Crusader

J.M.J.

February 28, 1990Ash Wednesday

"Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? Or distress? Or famine? Or nakedness? Or danger? Or persecution? Or the sword?"

... Romans 8:35

Dear Friend of Our Lady,

I have just returned from two weeks in Rome and have so much important news to report to you...

But first, let me say how grateful I am for all the many calls and letters of support I have received during these last difficult days of financial emergency and personal crisis.

You cannot know how much each and every one of these calls and letters has meant to me. I give thanks to God daily for your faith and confidence and pray that I may always be worthy of it.

And I can assure you: There has never been a time when I needed your faith, prayers and support as much as I do right now!

You see, it is your prayers and sacrifices that are standing between us and the diabolical forces determined to destroy Our Lady's Apostolate and to silence Her Fatima Message forever!

Report From Rome

In Rome, I saw the lengths to which Our Lady's enemies will go to suppress Her Fatima Message and crush Her Fatima Apostolate once and for all.

As I learned, no lie is too great, no deceit or trickery is too foul in their efforts to stop the saving words of Fatima from reaching you and the world!

Even as I write, millions of dollars and vast political and economic resources are being poured into a great campaign of lies and

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distortion, hoping to destroy your faith in the same way that the faith of millions of other Catholics has been destroyed.

If that sounds far-fetched or like I'm exaggerating to you, then consider just this one shocking new statistic:

ACCORDING TO RECENT FIGURES, MORE THAN 11,000,000 (THAT'S 11 MILLION) AMERICAN CATHOLICS HAVE LEFT THE FAITH IN THE LAST 10 YEARS!

These are not my figures. They are derived from the official Church statistics — the same statistics that show even millions more leaving the Church in Canada and Europe and over 30,000souls leaving the Faith every single day in Latin America.

And they are from the same official sources that tell us within a few years, hundreds of parishes in the U.S. and Canada will be totally priest less due to ever-declining vocations.

According to new reports, 1 out of every 10 U.S. parishes today has no regular priest. And by the year 2000, there will be fewer than 15,000 parish priests, half the number we had in 1966!

In fact, the shortage of priests is now so desperate that the Congregation for Divine Worship has recently given permission for nuns and laypeople to perform marriages and other sacramental functions in areas where priests are scarce.

At a time when Our Holy Church is losing millions upon millions of souls and parish after parish is closing down, it may seem incredible to you that so much effort, money and time is being spent to silence just one priest and to destroy just one small Fatima Apostolate.

And my dear friend, it is incredible! It is incredible and it is a terrible, shameful disgrace.

But as I have told you before, the enemies of Our Lady will say or do whatever it takes to stop the full truth about Fatima from reaching you and the world. It's their Priority Number One.

And because this Apostolate and this magazine refuse to withhold, censor and distort Our Lady's full Message, Her foes are bound and determined to stop us now!

It is only by the grace of Almighty God and with your help that we have been able to hold out thus far against these power ful and influential forces.

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Father Paul Leonard has further documented this diabolical plot to silence Our Lady. In this issue in "The Plot (to Silence Our Lady) Thickens", you can read for yourself about the continuing efforts within the Church to destroy Our Lady's Apostolate.

Report From Rome — Continued

As you know, I went to Rome to appeal in person to the Holy Father, asking him to stop this unjust persecution of the Apostolate and of faithful, traditional-minded Catholics like you.

Despite fierce opposition from Vatican bureaucrats, I was successful in obtaining a promised private audience with His Holiness for one hour...

But mysteriously, just prior to my appointment, I was notified by the Pope's Private Secretary, Monsignor Stanslav Slawinetz — through famous prisoner of conscience Joseph Terelya who accompanied me to Rome — that our joint audience had been cancelled.

Even now, I do not know the real reasons why our appointment with the Holy Father was not permitted.

All I can tell you is that I will continue to seek another audience with the Holy Father so that I may properly and lawfully defend myself and you against the terrible lies that have been spread against us.

And speaking of that, one story you may have recently heard is that I am supposedly unlawfully away from my home diocese in Italy without my bishop's consent.

While in Italy, I spent a full day visiting my bishop who received me with great kindness and generosity and who (in the presence of his own Vicar General and another brother priest) confirmed absolutely that I am still here with you legally and with his full consent and permission to continue to seek another bishop.

Our Lady (Not Father Gruner) Is The ObjectOf Their Attack!

Unfortunately, as fast as we can disprove or deny the lies and rumors made against us, new and even more outrageous ones seem to arise.

Some of you have written me, urging that I simply ignore these vicious charges and slanders. Perhaps you realize just how great a personal toll they take on me...

Frankly, I do not care what they say about me.

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But I cannot and will not remain silent when I see Our Blessed Lady abused and attacked!

Our Blessed Mother's enemies know how each new lie and distortion makes it that much more difficult to bring Her saving Fatima Words to you and millions of others.

And that's exactly what they're counting on!

NOW Is The Time To Stand UpAnd Be Counted!

I must tell you that these constant, relentless attacks have already had a serious impact on us. As planned, they have hit us very hard, particularly in the pocketbook.

Our plans to expand Our Lady's TV program to many new areas have come to a standstill due to a critical shortage of funds. Likewise, we have also been forced to cut back on radio and in many other areas.

I have only been able to put this new issue of Our Lady's magazine in your hands by going out and borrowing the more than $150,000 it costs to print and mail it to you.

I have borrowed this money on FAITH, believing that you will not let Our Lady be attacked with impunity and this powerful voice for Her Fatima Message silenced forever.

Today, we need you and every single faithful Catholic to stand up and show your love for Jesus and Mary by helping us in this great crusade for our Holy Faith.

 Your prayers and offerings of faith mean everything as we struggle (against such great odds) to fulfill Our Lord's command to make His Blessed Mother's Fatima Message known and loved.

Your gift of $500, $250, $100 can help put this magazine in the hands of thousands of people. A gift, and even better, your monthly pledge of any amount can keep Our Lady's TV and radio program on the air, reaching out to millions.

The stakes are so great. Our souls, the souls of our children and grandchildren are in the balance. We must not fail nor falter now...

And we are so close. And the best proof you can have is how desperate satan and his earthly allies are to stop us.

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That's why it is so vital that we have your support — spiritually and financially — right now. Believe me, you are crucial to the great victory Our Lady promised us at Fatima.

Please pray for me and all Our Lady's workers. We depend on your prayers (especially your Rosaries) every single day. You are remembered always in mine.

And please, please give whatever you can truly afford to help us at this critical time. We desperately need you.

 Yours in Jesus, Mary and Joseph, 

    Father Nicholas Gruner 

P.S. If you have been waiting for the "right time" to make your special sacrifice for Our Blessed Mother Mary's Apostolate, that time is NOW. These constant lies, distortions and attacks have taken a terrible toll on us. We are depending on you to stand up and be counted in these critical days. Please ask Our Lady to guide your hand as you write your check.

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