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RUSSIA  BELARUS  POLAND  UKRAINE  LITHUANIA  ESTONIA  LATVIA

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Dear Friends and Benefactors,

Please allow me to officially introduce you to our new and modest newsletter. Mater Misericordiae will keep you all informed about the Society of St. Pius X’s apostolate in Eastern Europe.  The apostolate in these countries began in 1994 (3 years after the collapse of Soviet Communism), and it has been increasing ever since.  Many of you have been faithfully supporting us for many years, and we think that it is now an appropriate time, as a token of our sincere gratitude for so many prayers, sacrifices and donations, to send you this newsletter.  As you saw, we chose “Mater Misericordiae,” - “Mother of Mercy,” for the title of this newsletter.  Firstly, this is because the most important sanctuary of Eastern Europe (except for Our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland) is the shrine of Our Lady Mother of Mercy, in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

Secondly, we chose this title because the Immaculata has shown a special love toward each of these countries throughout history.  The whole history of Catholic Poland is a long list of miraculous interventions by Mary – therefore Saint Pius X did not hesitate to call it the “Bastion of the Faith.”  Under the chief command of the Queen of Poland, Europe was preserved from the invasion of the pagan Huns and Tartars, from Protestant Swedes, and also from the schismatic Orthodox.  Also, when the Catholic faith first came to the Baltic countries in the 13th century Pope Innocent III gave these lands the special title, “Terra Mariana” – The land of Mary.  Finally, Our Lady revealed a special love for Russia in Fatima when She asked for its consecration to Her Immaculate Heart, and She promised that Russia would convert to the Catholic faith among other immense benefits for the world.  

A third reason for choosing this title is the fact that after more than 70 years of communism most of the people here have fallen not only into a material misery, but especially into a terrible spiritual misery.  For 3 generations most of these people have had no education about the Truth, but only indoctrination about the “communist paradise.”  Nearly all religious and moral practices had been destroyed in these countries (except some regions of Poland, Western Ukraine and Lithuania).  

Those who resisted the regime were brutally persecuted and murdered.  In Ukraine the Byzantine Catholic Church existed only as an underground church.  Therefore, when we were sent to these countries we asked ourselves, “Could it be possible that the Immaculata would allow these countries (so beloved by Our Lady) to be corrupted anew by the invading materialism and modernism from the west after the fall of Communism because no voice of Tradition would now arise there?  Certainly She would not allow this.  

Certainly She wants the light of Tradition to shine in this post-soviet region in order to heal souls from the soviet past and protect them from a hedonistic future.  

Mercy is the virtue which strives to alleviate the misery of another, and together with the Mother of Mercy, our missionaries work to bring the light of Christ and the Catholic Truth.  

Two priests began here in 1994 with absolutely nothing.  Today we are 15 priests, 5 brothers, 9 seminarians, 2 oblate sisters, 23 churches and chapels, and two congregations of Byzantine priests and sisters (see below: Latvia and Ukraine).  

We all witness daily that She is really the Mother of Mercy:  miraculous conversions, true Catholic families, vocations.  But theses graces only come at the cost of many sacrifices, crosses, sufferings, and generous benefactors.  We sincerely beg all of you to help us in Eastern Europe.

In Our Lord and the Immaculata,*

Fr. Karl Stehlin




... *[.pdf has "Immaculta"] ... [I couldn't get page 3 of the PDF to load.  The following is from p. 7:]

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One of the important apostolates in Eastern Europe is the MILITIA IMMACULATAE (Knighthood of the Immaculate) founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1917.

After Vatican II The M.I. also fell into the trap of ecuмenism, and so in 2000 the General Superior renewed the M.I. according to its original spirit.

Many of our faithful are already “knights of the Immaculata,” fighting under the banner of She, Who crushes the head of Satan.

These knights of the Immaculata work as humble instruments of the Mediatrix of all Graces for the conversion of sinners.




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On the subject of the Eastern European mission, notice that the Society of St. Josephat is mentioned and credit is given to the SG. I could be wrong, but I think that is untrue. It was Bishop Williamson who did most of the grounds work with them and ordained priests for them. There is even mention of it in the Wikipedia article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priestly_Society_of_Saint_Josaphat

Maybe the Superior General approved that Bishop Williamson went so he is given the credit.