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The Testimonial of Father Robert Skurla .
This most remarkable sermon on the Bayside
Apparitions, delivered at a Holy
Hour on Palm Sunday, April 4, 1982 in St.
Peter's Cathedral, Scranton,
Pennsylvania by Father Robert Skurla, an Eastern
rite priest serving at the time in the area, forced some mainstream U.S.
Catholic newspapers to take notice of
Bayside. An article in the Our Sunday Visitor
characterized Fr. Skurla "as a
priest of certain stature . . . who later
became the chaplain and custodian of the Blue
Army Chapel in Fatima, Portugal, the
chapel which housed the world famous icon
of Our Lady of Kazan, national Patroness of
Russia. The added authority of his
position, in fact, gave his words an impact
that carried them far beyond the reach
of that diocese."
Introductory Note: Father Skurla had originally
penned a more conciliatory and subdued pro Bayside statement we are told,
but while kneeling in prayer shortly before he was to give his now famous
and historic talk, he felt an interior inspiration -- as though the voice
of the Blessed Virgin herself-- urging him on to a complete and unequivocal
endorsement of Our Lady's messages at Bayside. Please take a few minutes
to read all of Father Skurla's sermon; it is most enlightening. Let us
hope and pray that Father Skurla's courageous voice, like a modern day
St. John the Baptist crying in the wilderness, will beheeded by the many
clerical Nicodemuses, who do not have the fortitude to openly and publicly
acknowledge the call of their Mother at Bayside.
.
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Father
Skurla's Testimonial:
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On this Palm Sunday, let us think about the
Sixth Station of the Cross, the Way of the Cross, where Our Lord meets
Veronica. According to the text of St. Alphonsus, it says in our typical
books: "Consider now the holy woman, Veronica, seeing Jesus so afflicted
and His face bathed in sweat and blood, presented Him with a towel with
which she wiped His adorable face, leaving on it the impression of His
Holy Countenance." My friends, let us place ourselves mentally at this
scene.
Most of the crowd has been in a wild frenzy,
and most of them are reacting against Jesus. Those people who are out to
get Him, and those people who normally follow the crowd, we have them even
today. Together they proceed with the greatest sacrilege of all time. Oh,
but wait a minute; wait a minute! Not everyone is against Jesus.
We can see one brave soul -- someone who dared to be different --who wipes
His afflicted face with a towel. Because of this charitable act, she will
be in the Heart of Jesus for all eternity.
Would you believe, children and grownups,
would you believe that in the year 1982, Jesus is sentenced to be crucified
again -- this time through His Mystical Body, the Church -- my friends,
of which Church you and I are members of. But cancer (you know what cancer
is; we hear the word so much) -- cancer has set into the Church through
Satan, who has entered the Church. Satan has entered the Church! Through
the instrumentality of modernism, secular humanism and communism, the devil
has influenced many of the changes in our One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church.
Now here we are at the Sixth Station once
again. Here comes Jesus! Here comes Jesus down that road carrying that
cross once more, with His face bathed in sweat and blood. In the actual
events portrayed in the Gospels, at the sixth Station, where we saw Veronica
express her innermost feelings, we must keep in mind that the religion
of that day, for Veronica, was the Jewish religion, to which Veronica belonged.
She belonged to that religion. Veronica's church leaders, the priests and
the high priests, had already decided and judged to crucify Jesus; and
by helping Jesus, and by wiping His face with a towel, she had to defy
what her priests were doing.
Most of us, or too many of us, follow the
leader. You and I both, we have been correctly trained -- to a point,
correctly trained to obey our priests and bishops. And we should, and definitely
we should. The Blessed Mother has been begging, with tears in her eyes,
for you people to pray for us priests and bishops, and the cardinals. It's
because we have failed that they have so much difficulty. Today, we have
been caught up in the modes of modernism, with the mainstream of Catholics
going along with the changes. As I talk to Catholics like yourselves, I
find that, like myself, they are very confused. Is there anywhere we can
turn to with some kind of certainty to find the answers to today's dilemma?
Some of the changes are causing
serious damage to the Catholic Church. In the name of progress, bishops
and priests and laymen go along with changes which are harmful to Jesus
Christ's Mystical Body, the Church. In these times, is there anyone among
us in our area, in this country, the good old U.S.A. -- is there anyone
among us brave enough to speak out? One of your priests should be here
telling you about this, but I'm afraid they might be afraid to get a smaller
parish. And am I not a subject of your bishop. The
Blessed Mother, I feel, has urged, not only asked me, to give this message
to you.
If Veronica of the Gospels had
not wiped the face of Jesus with the towel, He would have been crucified
anyway, because Jesus was destined by Divine will to be so crucified for
our sins -- yours and mine. But Veronica changed her own destiny by her
free will. God doesn't interfere with free will. She changed her own destiny,
not Jesus'. And by her little act of kindness by stepping out, being different
from the crowd . . . she stepped out from the crowd and went over and wiped
the face of Jesus. And the Mystical Body, who is our Lord, He needs people
like you to come out of the crowd and wipe His face. The beautiful act
of love on the part of Veronica! And no matter what you and I will do now
in these days, 1982, the damage in the Church, which is permitted by God
and foretold in the Bible, will happen. But you and I, we can change our
own destiny by becoming another Veronica.
It must be very difficult for you
lay people, because I have been a priest over twenty five years and many
things have happened [recently] that threaten what I was taught about the
Church, and what I believed in my heart about
the Church to be the truth about it. And I, too, like you, look around
and ask myself: "I wonder what Jesus and Mary are thinking about all of
these changes?"
Well, as fate would have it, Divine
Providence has supplied us with solutions. These solutions come from a
very concerned Jesus and Mary. But, remember, the devil would do anything
to keep this information from you. History has recognized
another Veronica --Veronica Lueken, a simple housewife like many of you,
to whom Jesus and Mary have appeared for over ten years. For the most part,
the devil has kept this information from most of us. Ah, but wouldn't the
devil like to prevent me from going on, and keep my
mouth shut!
Jesus and Mary have appeared to
Veronica on the evening of all major feasts of the Catholic Church.
Going against the popular opinion of Church leaders and the mainstream,
Veronica of Long Island has been willing to
accept all the crosses involved in being the voice box, the transmitter
of the messages from Jesus and Mary to Her children. Now, if there are
divine chastisements and punishments coming to the
earth and the people in it, do you think that Jesus and
Mary would sit back and let these things happen without warning us?
.
I myself -- and I speak for myself
and no one else -- I myself have studied these messages for almost ten
years, and I found in them the peace and the light and the information
that a twentieth century Catholic needs in these troubled
times. In these most difficult times, Jesus and Our Heavenly Mother
have warned us of the days ahead. She is giving us all the information
that we need to help us pull through the coming chastisement
-- which has already been sanctioned by the Heavenly Father,
and is on its way.
So I think, children, there is
nothing to be giggling and laughing about. These things are serious, and
they should be looked into. Our Mother Mary has spoken out on this issue.
And you say: "Why Father? Why are these things going
to happen to young people and old people? What did we do wrong?". Mainly,
without going into a long discourse, abortions! The terrible crime of abortion!
Our Mother Mary has spoken out
on this issue in a message of December 28, 1974. She appeared to
Veronica and showed her a scene where babies were dumped in the garbage.
There was a mixture of little tiny heads and little
tiny arms and little tiny legs; and Mary said: "Yes. My child, murder;
this is not a pretty sight! All who even share in a slight measure of responsibility
for the murder of the unborn shall send themselves
into the abyss. Repent now for your murders. "
For Her apparitions in the United
States at Bayside, Our Lady wants to be known as Our Lady of the
Roses, Mary, Help of Mothers. And you, mothers, know that there's no better
title for American mothers: Our Lady of the Roses,
Mary, Help of Mothers. Mary and Jesus have spoken out
on the very issues that seem to confuse most of us: Abortion is murder.
Men will not dress as women, and
women will not dress as men. Women should not wear slacks or jeans. You
should not laugh in Church. Jesus has said that no
woman will enter the ministry and will not minister in any way.
Now I couldn't say that, and you couldn't say it, but Jesus said it; and
He had a right to say it. On ...................ity,
He said: "All who take part in it or condone it shall be destroyed." Rock
music has been consecrated to Satan.
Padre Pio -- my very good friend,
whom I pray to all the time -- Padre Pio appeared on April 5, 1975 at Bayside,
New York, and said: "The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is being celebrated
in a manner that is not approved and pleasing to Almighty
God." Not that it's not valid, but it is not pleasing to Almighty God.
Kneel for Communion. We say in the Scriptures: "At the Name of Jesus everyone
should bend," then why do we stand for Holy Communion, when we have Jesus
in person? Do not accept Holy Communion in the hand! Do not lose faith
in the Mass. However, whether your priest is a
saint or whether your priest is a sinner, Jesus will come to you. The Mass
is valid. Why? Because Jesus says it is! But, even
more important than all these things, and the reason why I'm talking the
way I am, is that Mary says: People, Pray the Rosary! Pray the Rosary!
The hand of the Blessed Mother -- She's having a difficult
time holding the hand of God back: "My Son's hand has now been withdrawn,
and the tribulation is coming upon mankind." She can't stop it anymore.
And Jesus has also said: "My Mother
has set Herself to hold off a just chastisement upon mankind for
many years, but very few listened to Her." And Jesus says: "Your time has
run out. Her warnings have gone by unaccepted, unnoticed
and rejected, even by My clergy. Do not speculate on
dates. If you are not ready now you'll never be. The tribulation is at
hand. My voice cries out to you all now to be prepared."
Prayer now is the only means, with
actions, for saving souls in our country, the U.S.A., and your fellow
citizens where Jesus is saying: "Prayer is the only means to save souls
in your country and your fellow citizens, for destruction
is about to come upon you. Pray, My children. for strength. It will
take great courage to remain in the Catholic Church in the days ahead,
but your courage shall be the cross and the knowledge
of the truth. Remember, do not become a worshipper of the creature.
but of the Creator; for the creature is the world and the world is Satan.
The Creator is your God, and His world is the Kingdom
of Paradise. This choice will be yours." Each and everyone
of us -- man, woman or child -- will have to make his decision. No man
shall be lost unless he is lost of his own free will.
.
Jesus
said: "My children, you will read and reread the messages from Heaven given
through My Mother to you. Read them well. You will
receive great knowledge, and you will be able to know the day,
the hour of the tribulation." The end of my quote for Jesus.
People today are confused. People
need somewhere to turn. Our leaders have been led astray, and here
we are obliged to obey them; but not when what our leaders ask contradicts
what God has said. We should rather fear God and not
man. God has given us another Veronica, but the devil stepped
in and caused enormous confusion about the messages; and, as of yet the
Church has not approved the apparitions that I'm talking
about. I don't ask you to go there, but Jesus has asked you
to go in the messages. I'm asking you to read the messages and pray over
them.
All my confusion as a priest, a
Catholic priest, and all my doubts were eliminated when I read the instructions
of Jesus and Mary. Fatima has been called a reaffirmation of the Gospels.
I say that the messages of Jesus and Mary on Long
Island do not, nor could they ever contradict what is contained
in the Gospels. The messages are in perfect harmony with all the things
that I believe in and was taught about the Catholic
Church.
I was in communion with your priests
all along, and we always agreed on everything. I went to be a priest
twenty five years ago because I was impressed with the beauties of the
Catholic Church; but Satan has entered into
the Church and changed it so much [that] it has lost much of its beauty.
It is no longer attracting our young men into the
priesthood. And If I was living [as a youngster] today,
I doubt if I would go. It's not the same Church.
.
The messages of Bayside restored
my confidence in the Church once more, and once again I am proud
to be . . . because things haven't that much changed; we're trying to change,
but Christ never changes.
The messages of Bayside restored
my confidence in the Catholic Church once more. I will stake my reputation,
if that means anything, on the doctrine contained in the messages. The
doctrine is the same as I was trained in over the
years.
I want to go on record as personally
accepting the messages until proven otherwise by our good, kind,
loving Holy Father. But to accept the messages today, on Palm Sunday 1982,
it requires an exceptional amount of grace, similar
to the amount of grace that it took in courage for Veronica to
step out of the crowd and wipe the face of Jesus. I don't expect everybody
to have that kind of grace, but I know that
when the Warning comes, more people will believe in these things. Similar
to that given to Veronica in the Gospels, you have to be strong in the
faith, deep in your convictions, and brave.
So I say, yes, we're told traditionally
to meditate on the Passion as portrayed by the four Evangelists.
Yes, read the Passion; but I ask you with all the love in my heart, read
the messages. And if you read messages that purport
to be messages from Jesus and Mary, don't you have a right
to know what They are saying, especially when They are saying very serious
things about what's coming?
May the Blessed Mother and Our
Lord inspire you to have a very good Holy Week. And don't just sit
passively by, but place yourselves on the road to Calvary, right next to
Jesus and say: "Jesus, what can I do in 1982 to help?"
Meditate on the Passion of Our Lord. The Blessed Mother says we don't meditate
on the Passion enough.
Stick with your Church, your pastor
and your priest, because the Blessed Mother is telling you in these
messages: "Stay with your Church." Don't give up. You may disagree with
the priest, or one of the priests, if you have more;
but She says that when the priest makes the Consecration, Our Lord
will not hold that against you: that bread and wine will change into the
Body and Blood of Jesus, and Our Lord will come to
you. And you need that strength you will get from the Holy Eucharist.
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So, pray for your bishops, cardinals
and priests -- really pray! And may Our Blessed Lord be with all
of us, and may God bless us; and the Blessed Mother bless us that we have
the grace to do God's will in this life, and that
we may be found worthy of His Heavenly Kingdom.
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"Churches will be locked up or desecrated.
Priests and religious orders will be hunted down, and made to die a cruel
death. Several will abandon the faith, and a great number
of priests and members of religious orders will break away from the true
religion; among these people there will even
be bishops." Our Lady of La
Salette
The World and the Church
Jesus: "...When you have joined My House with the world and it has
become one, know that the end of your era has come. You are going to receive
the test of trial..." 740530
Our Lady: "There is, My child, great evil in the world. When the
world and My Son's Houses are united into one, know that the end is at
hand! The gates of hell shall not prevail against My Son's House!" 741102
"You do not join the enemy to win the battle, My children, for when
you join them, you become tainted. "When the world and My Church become
one, know that the end is at hand." 750605
"When the world and My Son's Church becomes one, know that the end
is at hand!" 751206
"When My Son's Church and the world become as one know that the end
is at hand. The gates of hell, the Prince of darkness, the evil accelerates
by his command because he knows that his time is growing short." 751224
"When the world and My Son's Church becomes as one, when the evil
men of the cross have sought to destroy My Son within His own House, know
that the end is near at hand. I say unto you, as your Mother: as you sow,
so shall you reap!" 761122
"When the world and My Church unite as one, know that the end has
been reached. The world and the spirit have nothing in common." 761207
"The Red Hats have fallen and the Purple Hats are being misled. I
say unto you, that satan has entered into the Holy City of Rome. You have
been warned in the past by the descendants of Peter to guard My Church
from humanism, modernism and satanism. When the world and My Church become
as one, know that the end is at hand. Many of the descendants of Peter,
men of knowledge and piety, gave you the reasons for shunning modernism
and liberal attitudes. Many of those wearing the Red Hats have sold their
souls to satan to get to the head." 771231
The Church shall be directed for a short time by satan:
"The Church of My Son, that is being stripped of all holiness, shall
emerge with the world and the world's leaders, to be directed for a short
time by satan." 780530
"My Son's House, His Church, is being stripped of all holiness, the
destruction of its doctrine, tradition, paving the way for the ultimate
goal of those in the power of satan to destroy My Son's Church by creating
a church of man. They are rebuilding slowly while awaiting the next conclave.
They are preparing the way for the destruction of all mankind, for when
the Church and the world become as one, you will know that the end has
come for mankind." 780530
Jesus: "When My Church and the world become one... Lucifer is the
prince of darkness and the father of all heresy and liars. I say this with
great anguish, for Lucifer has entered into My Church, My household. The
battle is great upon earth, and when the battle reaches into My Church,
it will be a testing ground for all of the earth and the world. For when
My Church and the world become one, know that the end is at hand." 780805
"You have been given My heart. I have given you the way through the
prophets sent among you countless years of earth's time. The Book of life,
your Bible, must not be changed to suit the world; for when the world and
My Church are united as one, you will know that the end is at hand." 790914
