Our Lady of America Patroness of Our Land

"I am Our Lady of America. I desire that my children honor me, especially by the purity of their lives." - The first words spoken by Our Lady of America, September 26, 1956

November 15, 1956: Our Lady taught me this little prayer: "By Thy Holy and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, deliver us from evil." Our Lady then asked me to draw a picture of her first appearance. She also requested a statue made according to this likeness and placed, after being solemnly carried in procession, in the Shrine of The Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. She wishes to be honored there in a special way as Our Lady of America, the Immaculate Virgin.

October 7, 1957: "Making the Rosary a family prayer is very pleasing to me. I ask that all families strive to do so. But be careful to say it with great devotion, meditating on each mystery and striving to imitate in your daily lives the virtues depicted therein. Live the mysteries of the Rosary as I lived them, and it will become a chain binding you to me forever. They who are found in the circle of my Rosary will never be lost. I myself will lead them at death to the throne of My Son, to be eternally united to Him."

February 23, 1959: Our Lady came to me and admonished me to work on the "message" as soon as possible so that it might be placed in the hands of the Bishops who would be responsible for its fulfillment. In a very serious manner Our Lady warned me that I must not delay any longer to do this, as the time is now.

Taken from the approved messages (read here) of Our Lady of America to Sister Mary Ephrem.

EVENTS AND PROGRESS ON THE DEVOTION

Pray for permanent placement of the statue of Our Lady of America into the National Shrine of The Immaculate Conception

When, if and as the Catholic Bishops of the U.S.A. decide to have that solemn procession and permanent placement of a statue of Our Lady of America into the National Marian Shrine Church of The Immaculate Conception at Washington, there is already a newer life-size Our Lady of America statue in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area which the private owner would be willing to transfer to The Shrine itself or to the U.S.C.C.B. .

This statue (link) was made by the same artist who made the original statue in 2006, who is the same artist who made the statues for the Shrine of The Most Blessed Sacrament built by Mother Mary Angelica, P.C.P.A. at Hanceville, Alabama, as suggested by a number of bishops because of the popular appeal for the materials and style employed.

In addition, this is a statue constructed of materials beautiful in appearance, but also capable of being carried in solemn procession. If the bishops decide, after the solemn procession, that they would prefer to substitute a statue of identical appearance made from more traditional materials, a custom-carved solid wooden statue of natural colors which would be substantially identical in appearance to the life-size processional statue could be substituted at some time after the solemn procession and placement of this new statue (made like the ones displayed permanently by Mother Angelica at the Alabama shrine as urged by the bishops consulted at the time).

Of course, the bishops have the discretion and authority to use this one for permanent placement as some of them envisioned in 2006. Bishops, your Heavenly Mother is available within an hour's drive from the Basilica of The Immaculate Conception. You may wish to consider how long you intend to keep Her waiting.

Finally, consider what Sister Monica Schrott, O.C.D. wrote to Archbishop Paul Francis Leibold in 1969 from the Carmel of The Assumption at Latrobe in the Diocese of Greensburg, Pennsylvania where the local bishop approved this devotion to Our Lady of America and where the first statue of Our Lady of America was for many years displayed: