WELCOME SITE PLAN LIFE OF LOVE THE WORKS THE LADY E-MAIL	PRESS CONFERENCE Quebec City, May 7, 1987 Press conference at the Center of the Immaculate in response to the request of journalists from various media.

On Thursday May 7, 1987, a press conference is held at the Center of the Immaculate in Quebec City in response to the request of the journalists of the press, radio and television who, since the revocation of the decree establishing the Army of Mary as a Pious Association, have been insistently wanting to know the reaction of the Army of Mary’s directors to Cardinal Vachon’s recent decision. Twenty-eight of them are present to hear the other version of the facts as presented by Marie-Paule and some members of the Army of Mary. The message is simple but true, and it is presented with respect and charity.

Being the one principally concerned, Marie-Paule first of all explains briefly what the Army of Mary is. Then, in a manner that is above all positive, she sheds light on the numerous matters concerning the Work which, in the past, have been commented on in the newspapers and which merit being cleared up. And she speaks of the Army of Mary, a spiritual and mystical Work, of the sublime reality of the life of the soul, and of the marvelous benefits which can be drawn from it if a proper formation has been given along these lines.

And, of course, the false accusations against us have to be answered. Above all, this has to be done with respect.

For his part, Richard Dionne, a lawyer, sets forth the legal and canonical point of view in this matter, which he also does with respect. We reply to the many pertinent questions asked by the men and women journalists. At the end, Marie-Paule hands each one a copy of a prepared text concerning the subjects elaborated in the conference. Here is that text:

Quebec, May 7, 1987

Ladies and Gentlemen,

If we have deemed it opportune to meet with you, it is so that we may give you correct and exact information concerning the Army of Mary and its associated Works, information which will permit you, in your professional work, to inform the public honestly, as is your desire, for the good of the community.
Now do not expect to see here today any apparition of the Virgin Mary or any events such as those which occurred at Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac.
This is a serious situation and we are counting on your wisdom and your intellectual integrity for a just reporting of the facts. We are here to answer all the questions you wished to ask during the numerous telephone calls you made to the Army of Mary, concerning the press conference held by His Eminence Cardinal Vachon.

REVOCATION OF THE DECREE CONSTITUTING US A PIOUS ASSOCIATION
You wanted to know our reaction even before we had received the Cardinal’s document. On Monday, May 4, last, you were informed by His Eminence Cardinal Vachon, of his decision to revoke the canonical decree promulgated by His Eminence Cardinal Maurice Roy, March 10, 1975, recognizing the Army of Mary as a Pious Association.

FOUNDATION OF THE ARMY OF MARY
The Army of Mary was founded at Lac-Etchemin, province of Quebec, on August 28, 1971. It was founded in a completely unexpected manner, though it had been foretold me seventeen years previously.
I had never had any idea of founding anything whatsoever. Here, we are entering into a different domain, the domain of the spiritual, of souls.
We respect the path each one follows. One may believe or not believe in the spiritual life; it is not for us to pass any judgment whatever. But let those who believe in the spiritual life have the benefit of the same liberty.
I’m not here going to give the history of the Army of Mary or give the development of the methods of operation or the goal of this Work. We will pass to each one the appropriate leaflet.

WHO AM I?
I am the mother of five children and grandmother of eight grandchildren. When I was young, I was informed, interiorly, of what the future held for me. Since all the events foretold me came to pass, one after the other, I then, once married, discreetly prepared my children for the war that would one day be waged against their mother, without, however, knowing for what reason such a storm would be raised.
Thirty years ago – that is, in April and May of 1958 – I was informed who would be the ones who would launch the attacks against a Work I would one day direct. And in what manner it would all terminate.
From the moment the Army of Mary was founded, the battle against this Work began. I then informed our members that this war against us would go on increasing, that it would be waged, above all, by the members of the clergy, and that it would reach a culminating point one day. And it is that which we are going through at this moment, and you are witnesses to it.
For those of us of the Army of Mary, the present events in no way depress us, nor do they surprise us; they are for us a source of joy, for they are the realization of the divine predictions received in the past. That is reassuring for us, and consoling.

Do we have to linger over all the calumnies which are to be heard on all sides and which were taken up by our authorities during the press conference to which you were invited Monday, May 4, and which were retransmitted on television the same evening, namely, that:
- Marie-Paule Giguère takes herself for the Blessed Virgin. This is utterly false and all our members know it. They were even shocked by such a declaration. It is our adversaries who launch such accusations, and I have never ceased reminding our members that I am only an instrument that Mary is using to realize her plan of love. To carry out a mission IN THE NAME OF MARY is not to be the Virgin Mary.
- At this same conference, and in the part televised, it was also said that the Army of Mary was propagating doctrines which were gravely erroneous. To that I answer that we have always given our members the authentic teaching of the Church, drawing on the teachings of the Councils and the Popes, a fidelity often viewed with an unkindly eye and one which always created serious difficulties for us.
Moreover, in a televised news bulletin, it was said by a member of the Committee of Enquiry that the Army of Mary “doesn’t pray with the same words as others.” Well, it could be that we are the only group in the Church to have preserved the rich patrimony of the Roman Catholic Church, without, at the same time, closing ourselves off from the authentic renewal which it advocates. So we pray like all the members of the Catholic Church who have remained faithful to its supreme Head, Pope John Paul II. It is the others who employ different words. But we’re not passing judgment on them.
For my part, my books, bearing the title Life of Love, contain absolutely no doctrine or theology. They set forth the spiritual life as it should be practiced; and the reading of these books has brought about innumerable conversions, through God’s grace.

GRAVE ERRORS
Concerning the accusations of grave errors, let me make something else clear: a year and a half ago, Marc Bosquart wrote a book, which he submitted to Rome, then a second book, eight months ago. Rome pronounced itself, so, even before Cardinal Vachon requested us to do so, we asked that all sale of these volumes cease immediately, and we did so in an article in our paper, Le Royaume, issued last April 23, the very day we were summoned to the Archbishop’s House. So our obedience is prompt, rapid. Hence, seeing that this act of obedience was made publicly, why accuse us of disobedience?

THE LADY OF ALL PEOPLES
We have been forbidden to practice devotion to the Lady of All Peoples (who is in heaven), as well as to sell the books, pamphlets and pictures which constitute the propagation of this devotion – something we ceased doing quite a number of months ago –, even though this prayer of the Lady of All Peoples has never been condemned by the Church, even though it has received almost 300 Imprimaturs from bishops throughout the world, and is still receiving them from bishops who have confidence in this devotion, while still remaining faithful to Rome. More than that, we see other movements, here in Quebec, propagating this devotion. And two months ago, still here in Quebec, a certain widely-known religious review gave this devotion some promotion. We obey and, once again, we are being accused of the contrary.
Such are the principal points which were brought up on television by the religious authorities of Quebec. These grievances against us are to be found in the declaration drawn up by the religious authorities, which declaration they demanded that we sign – which, in effect, would have meant our signing our own condemnation based on false accusations. And these accusations are only the tip of the iceberg in the immense web of lies and calumnies woven against us in certain milieux.

THE COMMUNITY OF THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF MARY
Let’s talk now about the Communities of the Sons and Daughters of Mary.
These two communities were founded on May 31, 1981. What has been the result? Over a hundred religious vocations in six years. More than fifty Sons of Mary are in Italy; about thirty of them are studying for the priesthood at the Angelicum in Rome; some belong to the community of the Brothers, and the others are in the novitiate in L’Aquila.
These communities, which correspond to the prescriptions of Vatican II, and more precisely to demands often set forth by the Pope, demands which are not respected here in Quebec, have, by this fact, provoked increasing opposition to us on the part of our adversaries.
As you have read in the papers and heard elsewhere, our bishops, whom we respect, have often said that the Sons of Mary would never be ordained.
Well, nine ordinations are scheduled for this summer, in Italy. And we are getting ready for a pilgrimage. Seven hundred pilgrims have signed up and there are others on the waiting list. Do you understand now why it was so urgent to strike a more violent blow at us ? But we’re used to receiving blows and we always remain calm while waiting for the storm to abate.
Ladies and gentlemen, you have often been involved in storms of this kind. Perhaps they have worsened precisely because of what you have written – but I have no desire to blame you in any way, for you did not have the other version of the facts.
In closing, I will tell you – and you have seen this for yourself – that I’m only a humble woman who would have much preferred to remain in obscurity and silence.
I have always given obedience to what has been asked of me; I simply carry out my mission, with respect for persons, even if, in return for the good accomplished, the battle against us only intensifies. It has always been that way during the first years of any authentic Work; all such Works having always been strongly opposed.

MY CHILDREN
Nothing is able to diminish my happiness and my deep joy. One of you asked me recently what my children think of such a war being waged against their mother. I repeat: they were prepared for it. At our family gathering on New Year’s Day, the eldest, a man of 41 years, asked, in the name of the others, for my blessing. I asked of God, for them, that they would have the strength and courage to bear with seeing their mother’s name dragged through the mud, in this year of her crucifixion, the year of crucifixion which I announced to our members in our paper at the beginning of the year.

REACTIONS
Following upon the television report of the press conference to which you were invited by the Archbishop’s office, we were extremely surprised to receive numerous telephone calls coming from strangers who told us that they did not belong to the Army of Mary or did not know about it, but who expressed their sympathy with us and said that they were revolted by such goings-on, when at the same time evil was abounding everywhere and nothing was being done to stamp it out or even to denounce it. These folks had the surprise of being soothed by our infectious joy. God goes on His way in spite of everything. I obey and I hope to go on obeying to the very end. It is His Work and not mine. We respect and we love those who strike at us. If they are genuinely doing it for the welfare of the Church, then we admire them. If they are doing so in order to destroy a work, then we pardon them and we ask pardon of those whom we may have wounded unwittingly, without any ill will.

I thank you for having been so kind as to answer our invitation, and I wish you all the happiness possible amid the difficulties of this life.

Marie-Paule Giguère

* * *

Such is the truth, the other version of the facts. We have “lost” our name for the sake of Him who saves. Now, He who saves is going “to save” our name, through Mary. After a long “night” of storms, the sun always comes to warm and revivify. We have only to admire it and profit from it.

(Vie d’Amour, Appendice III, pages 121-125)

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