A devotion to Our Lady of America

By Christina Galeone
CFP CORRESPONDENT

In the Mother of Mercy Chapel in Rome City, Indiana, there’s a beautiful statue of Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin, patroness of America, who’s also known as Our Lady of America. Based on alleged apparitions experienced by Sister Mary Ephrem, CPPS (Sister of the Precious Blood) in 1956, it radiates the splendor of Our Lady’s purity and holiness.
And holiness and purity are both central to the message that Sister Mary Ephrem said that Our Lady of America wants this country to be aware of. This year, that message is being brought to churches in the Diocese of Worcester. Maryann Lindgren and Franca Martin, both parishioners at Annunciation Parish in Gardner, recently began their mission to visit area churches with an Our Lady of America statue and information about the lesser known, yet uplifting, devotion.  
Ms. Lindgren’s dedication to the Blessed Mother took root after the tragic loss of a loved one. She prayed the rosary and credits the mother of God with getting her through that time in her life. With a grateful heart, she wanted to honor Our Lady.
“I had said to Mary ‘What more can I do?’” she recalled. The answer came less than a week later. Mary Ann Harold, the owner of WQPH – a Catholic radio station in Fitchburg – invited her to attend events in the Archdiocese of Boston that educated people about Our Lady of America. She immediately agreed and soon felt called to acquire her own statue to bring to homes in the Worcester diocese.
“The more I read, I am so convinced that this is what America needs,” Ms. Lindgren said, noting that last November, she received permission from Bishop McManus to bring the statue to churches as well.
Franca Martin, a friend of Ms. Lindgren’s, has also had a rosary devotion for years. She credits Our Lady with protecting her son when his Texas town was hit with severe weather not too long ago. So, when she heard that Ms. Lindgren was having a private gathering featuring the Our Lady of America statue, she enthusiastically attended.
“It was just beautiful,” Mrs. Martin shared. Later, she approached Ms. Lindgren about assisting her with her mission.  
The two women gave a presentation April 1 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Winchendon that was woven into the parish’s First Saturday – a Marian devotion – celebration. In addition to the presentation, the event included a First Saturday Mass, veneration of the statue, the rosary and other prayers. The presentation revealed that Sister Mary Ephrem said that Our Lady wanted Americans to be role models for the world by knowing and imitating the Holy Family. The devotion promotes the belief that doing so leads all Christians to a closer relationship with Jesus.    
The women’s biggest challenge has been raising awareness of what they’ve been doing.
“We ask some friends, and they are interested, but they stop right there,” Mrs. Martin said. She added, “We’ll make it work.”     
Even though they hope to find more churches that would like to participate, their Immaculate Heart of Mary presentation, which was their first one at a church, was warmly received. Dawn Truski, a parishioner there, was fascinated by what she learned and enjoyed other aspects of the event as well.
 “The world needs it,” Mrs. Truski said about the Our Lady of America devotion.  “But I also enjoyed the beautiful, beautiful way they presented it and prayed the rosary.”  
  Like the presenters, she’s also a devotee of Our Lady. She noted that she hasn’t missed a First Saturday in three years.
“Mary is the quickest way to Our Lord,” she shared. “She’s the closest to her Son.”
Diocesan churches that would like to invite Ms. Lindgren and Mrs. Martin to do a presentation featuring the Our Lady of America statue can email them at ThePowerofOurLady@AOL.com. Meanwhile, Ms. Lindgren wants people to remember something. “Mary comes to us in all different times,” she said. “She’s not asking for a lot.”