July 1, 2024
Dear Friends,
We begin the second half of this year with the month of July—the month dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus.
St. Joseph Chapel & the Shrine of the Immaculate Mary (400 South Blvd. W., Pontiac, MI 48341) will be closed through Thursday, July 4.
Wednesday, July 3, the radio interview of Vanessa Denha of Epiphany Communications (Ave Maria Radio 990 AM) with me will air at about 12:10 pm. We discussed devotion to St. Joseph.
Have a blessed 4th of July on Thursday. Let’s pray that, with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception, our national patroness, we may indeed be once more “One Nation Under God.” Let’s declare our independence from sin and our profess our dependence on God who is our All.
Friday, July 5, we re-open. It is First Friday. Saturday, July 6, is First Saturday. Let’s consecrate the second half of 2024 to the Sacred Heart of our Savior and to the Immaculate Heart of our Spiritual Mother.
On July 12-13 the official National Our Lady of the Cape Pilgrim Statue, enthroned on the Ark of the Covenant and flanked by 2 Angels, will arrive from Canada and visit the United States for the first time in 70 years (since 1954) en route to the National Eucharistic Congress. The statue’s first stop in our country will be at her little local shrine, St. Joseph Chapel & the Immaculate Heart of Mary (400 South Blvd. West, Pontiac, MI 48341). North America’s greatest shrine to the Most Holy Rosary is at Three Rivers, Canada, where the miraculous statue of Our Lady of the Cape, the Queen of Canada, is venerated. At the 1947 Marian Congress in Ottawa, Canada, the Blessed Mother asked St. Joseph’s parish priest (through an inner locution), Fr. Jarzembowski (through an inner locution?) to build her a shrine in Pontiac “where people can come to learn about Mary and develop a relationship with her that will be a treasure for their whole lives.” 77 years later Mary is “coming” through THE SAME STATUE to the shrine she asked for. The schedule is below. Come ask Our Lady for favors & graces and put your Prayer Intentions into the Ark. Call/text (313-727-9784) or email ([email protected]) Fr. Alex Kratz, OFM, for more information.:
FRIDAY, JULY 12
- 3:00 pm Doors Open & Exposition
- 7:00 pm Rosary & Introduction
- 7:30 pm Holy Mass
- 8:30 pm Blessing of Roses & Consecration
- 9:00 pm Reception
- 9:30 pm Exposition & All-Night Adoration
- 10:00 pm Night Prayer
SATURDAY, JULY 13
- 9:15 am Benediction
- 9:30 am Holy Mass
- 10:30 am Holy Rosary
- 11:00 am Close (There is NO NOON MASS)
To communicate with me, please DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL but email me directly at [email protected] or call/text me at (313) 727-9784. Our Lady of the Cape, pray for us!
In Jesus, Mary & Joseph,
Fr. Alex Kratz, OFM
Spiritual Director of Terra Sancta Ministries