Where The Cross Stands: The Last Chance to Reclaim America

Michael H. Brown's book, Where The Cross Stands

If you found the title of this blog post somewhat intriguing, it borrows from a book titled, Where The Cross Stands, written by Michael H. Brown from SpiritDaily.com.

I recently finished reading this book, one that had been on my reading list since May of this year when I attended the Marian Day Retreat here in Toronto, where Brown gave four talks, one of which was dedicated to Reclaiming North America's Christianity.

It seemed fitting to publish today's post on the feast of the Triumph (Exaltation) of the Cross to honour Jesus and in part to honour Our Blessed Mother, whose recent birthday of September 8, was also the day that the huge cross at Saint Augustine, Florida was dedicated in 1965—displayed on the front cover of the book—the location of the first documented Mass (September 8, 1565) in the United States and the first permanent American settlement, Nombre de Dios (Name of God); the official spot where Catholicism entered America.

These facts are among hundreds that Brown includes in his book, which is partly a lesson in US history that begins at America's Catholic origins and continues throughout the centuries that followed where he illustrates how there has been a cultural shift into darkness—in large part due to New Age and occult practices, Hollywood, the turbulent sixties, and other aspects of the Spiritual War waged against America by the demonic—that together with the waning of faith and a nation's descent into moral disorder, has resulted in today's state of affairs: a society that can be aptly described as a "Culture of Death."

As to the further significance of the cross at St. Augustine and its location, Brown suggests that, "Some day in the future—perhaps the not so distant future—this Cross and this area will play a role in the spiritual and temporal survival and revival of America." (1)

In Where The Cross Stands, Brown's latest book, he explains in detail why that revival is so necessary.

America's Catholic Origins and Growth as a Nation

Brown began his timeline of America's Catholic origins with Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America in 1492, who as Brown notes, "...[C]onsidered the evangelization of the New World his primary goal." (13)

So important is Columbus's discovery of America that Brown not only dedicates an entire chapter to it, but provides details in the preceding chapter of how historical events—the finding of Pope Gregory's statue of Our Lady at a location in Spain referred to in the local dialect as, "Guadalupe" or hidden channel—in Spain aided in the eventual discovery of the New World.

It is well known that Columbus was a very devout Catholic, who had a deep devotion to Our Lady. So devout was Columbus that his ship was named, Santa Maria, and on board his ship were fellow Catholics who recited the Hail Mary, and upon arrival in America (New World) they sang the Salve Regina in thanksgiving.

Columbus's arrival in the New World paved the way for other Spanish explorers—Columbus was Italian by birth, but sailed with Spanish ships—to discover other parts of what is now the United States; namely, Florida, which Brown dedicates four chapters to as part of an elaboration of America's Catholic origins.

Florida was originally discovered by Ponce de León in 1513—who had on board his ships, Augustinian, Dominican, and Franciscan clerics—around Easter, and is the reason why he named the land, "La Florida," in recognition of the Paschal flowers and the landscape rich in vegetation. 

Others soon followed such as Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano (who had Dominican priests with him) and Hernando De Soto, who had named the bay he entered, "Espiritu Santu" or "Bay of the Holy Spirit," which was eventually changed to Tampa Bay.

Many of the newly discovered parts of America were originally given Christian names, but eventually changed to something secular: the "Bay of St. Mary" is now the Chesapeake Bay; "Lake of the Blessed Sacrament" is now Lake George; and the mighty "River of the Immaculate Conception" is now the Mississippi.

Another explorer, Menéndez, also arrived on the scene whose central and only goal was to establish a Christian nation. His fleet consisted of nineteen ships and on board were: four Catholic priests, 1500 soldiers, sailors, millers, sheepherders, hunters, and farmers. One of the priests, Father Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales, is depicted in the cover photo of Brown's book: the statue of a man with his arms raised up.

By including these and other facts, Brown makes it crystal clear—a point that he reiterated more than once—that Catholics were the first to settle the United States and establish Christianity. The new-found-land was being sanctified by Catholics decades before Jamestown and eighty years before the Puritans at Plymouth Rock. It is an important point which Brown highlights by asking, "How many modern classrooms would dare to teach this?" (29)

Brown provides many other historical references that illustrate how America continued to develop as a Christian nation: Christianity was reflected in constitutions, laws, and practices; and God was acknowledged, praised and worshipped. Here are some interesting facts worth mentioning.

• In 1776, all European Americans (except for 2500 Jews) identified themselves as Christian. Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allen, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Thomas Paine, if not overly devout, were greatly influenced by their Christianity." (53)
• In 1777, the Continental Congress spent $300,000 for bibles to be distributed throughout the thirteen colonies (56)
• Christianity formed the very concept of freedom; university law lectures were quoting Saint Thomas Aquinas. (55)
• In 1782, the United States Congress declared, "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools." (56)
• The concept of "separation of Church and state" was not meant to prevent religion from influencing government, but the opposite: from government trying to control religion. As Brown stated, "When there were arguments that involved religion, it was usually about how government could best serve the Christian faith." (53)
• In 1789, George Washington, in his famous Thanksgiving Day Proclamation stated, " '[I]t was the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor,' and recommended '[T]he people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, Who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be...' "(55) 
• The first communities in the Northeast were Bible-based commonwealths. (56)
• Maryland was a haven for Catholics fleeing persecution by the English government. (56)
• All but two of the 108 universities were Christian, including Yale and Harvard. (56)
• George Washington on his inauguration day not only kissed the Bible openly after being sworn in office, but gathered Congress and his first Cabinet at the Chapel of St. Paul and consecrated the United States under the protection of the Almighty. (57)

America's Cultural Shift Into Darkness

Brown dedicates several chapters to America's cultural shift into darkness that begins with chapter fifteen, where he highlights the Spiritual War of the "Bell Witch" case in Tennessee: the demonic infestation of the homestead of John, Jesse, and Drewry Bell; all three of whom fought for Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans.

Expanding upon the demonic influence, he referred to Mormonism, feminism, American Freemasonry and Spiritualism and how it began in Upstate New York; how the era came to be known as the Age of the Medium.

In chapter eighteen, Brown included a short segment of one of America's darkest occultists, Alex Crowley—referred to as "the Beast" by his own mother—who was the inspiration behind the Church of Satan, established in 1966. Devotees included John Whiteside Parsons, a known rocket scientists and close friend of L. Ron Hubbard, the man who started Scientology in 1954, the New Age belief system that is followed by Hollywood actor, Tom Cruise.

At chapter nineteen, Brown introduces the reader to Margaret Sanger, who as he put it, "...[W]as to champion the most dangerous and dark trend of the coming era...the right to abortion." (103)

It was at the same chapter that Brown revealed the truth about the name "Hollywood," and how it refers to "holly" (not holy) wood; a wood that was considered sacred to ancient wizards, used in magic wands with its beginnings traced to pagan rituals in Nordic times. Brown had also mention and elaborated on this during his talk in Toronto: The Current Prophet Pulse.

Chapter twenty spotlights "Godless technology"; that is, the failure of mankind to work with God in the creation of products. Many of today's products do not dissolve back into nature and; thus, are not apart of God's plan because they "hurt" His creation. This in stark contrast to all that God has created which was made to dissolve back into nature.

Brown further elaborated on "Godless technology" by paraphrasing the Venezuelan mystic, Maria Esperanza, "[W]ith God, ingenuity would exceed the imagination while solving problems and disrupting nothing. Instead, our scientists were going their own way without even believing in Him. For years, Esperanza had warned that such misuse of technology—Godless technology, especially human cloning—would be a disaster." (112)

Chapter twenty-one focussed on the warning coming from LaSalette regarding a world that only thinks about amusements. Some of those "amusements" that Brown cited were from the last century, in particular with respect to rock and roll music. 

Further in this same chapter, Brown went on to point out that much of modern rock and roll found its wellspring in a blues singer named Robert Johnson; the significance of which is in the legend of the singer's apparent pact (a classic Faustian pact) with the Devil near the Dockery Plantation in Mississippi. Here is how Brown partly described the midnight meeting in the Deep South, "...[H]e was met by a 'man' who took his guitar, tuned it, and in exchange for his soul, granted him the gift of blues." (115)

Regardless of the veracity of this story, other rock stars such as, Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones), Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival) and Eric Clapton, admitted to having gone to that same spot, with success following in their respective careers.

The list of musical artists that have been involved or taken interest in New Age and occult practices might surprise some: John Lennon (The Beatles) had a personal tarot-card reader; Aleister Crowley is among those on the cover of the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album; the Rolling Stones entitled one of their albums, Their Satanic Majesties Request; Keith Richards (Rolling Stones) has stated that the band received inspiration for their songs at seances.

It gets a little darker with people like Jim Morrison of The Doors, who claimed that the spirit of an Indian boy entered him. Jimmy Hendrix believed he was possessed by a demon. Phoebe Snow claims to have talked to "aliens" via the ouija board.

Brown also includes a segment on how promiscuity was being normalized through such developments as the publishing of pornographic magazines like Playboy, which started in the early 50s, with others that would follow in the decades to come.

It was Playboy magazine that helped to popularize Marilyn Monroe, who was already posing nude for calendars, and whose "career" promoted and injected "free sex" and multiple marriages into mainstream society.

What Brown makes abundantly clear is that American society has changed substantially, not only from its Christian origins, but also from the past century when society was much more family orientated and decent.

So evident is this change today, that Brown asks the question, "Where did you go Ward and June Cleaver?" (283)

Our Lady's Prophetic Warnings and Messages

With America's descent into darkness came the prophetic warnings (chastisements) and messages from Our Lady and the lessons to be learned from them; that is, if enough people pray (the Rosary in particular) and fast—which can stop wars and suspend the laws of nature—America can stave off the chastisements, prevent the unravelling of society, and recover from the damage already done.

To date, many have heeded Our Lady's requests which Brown suspects is the reason why so many chastisements have not come to pass. As he states in chapter forty-two, "In fact, all the judgements can be averted. The whole purpose of God's warning is to turn the wicked to repentance and obedience. There are enough righteous ones in Sodom-America to make the difference, but these must not remain passive." (262)

Our Lady stated to Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil in the 50s, "What happens to the world depends on those who live in it...There must be much more good than evil prevailing in order to prevent the holocaust that is so near approaching." (305)

A common thread that runs throughout Our Lady's warnings and messages is to pray the Rosary. Brown notes the importance, drawing from the Marian apparitions in Medjugorje, where he highlighted Our Lady's warning about Satan's attempts to conquer mankind and how through prayer and fasting, we can be victorious.

Brown went on to ask, "Could America be reclaimed?" The answer comes from Our Lady, "Advance against Satan by means of prayer. Put on the armour for battle and with the Rosary in your hand defeat him!" (263)

If there was ever a time in history to begin a devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor, now is certainly that time. So important is this devotion that Brown dedicated an entire chapter to it; a devotion that has proven to be quite effective in American history.

We could all learn from the faithful Ursuline Sisters of New Orleans, who have on numerous occasions implored the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Most noteworthy is when Our Lady saved the people of New Orleans in an extraordinary way on two separate occasions: the first was the extinguishing of a raging fire that threatened to destroy the Ursuline Convent in 1812; and the second was the surprising military victory of General Andrew Jackson in 1815, against a larger, better equipped invading British force.

This in addition to the countless times Our Lady has come to the aid of individuals in Louisiana, which as the National Shrine notes on its History of the Devotion page, is so numerous that "We will never know them all."

Brown highlighted the importance of this devotion when he stated, "Such events show us that nothing is beyond the reach of prayer, no problem, no disaster." (66)

As for the future, Brown considers the time frame between 2020 to 2040, as a critical period, which he also mentioned during his Toronto talk; a time frame that also includes mercy!

We can better understand mercy through the Divine Mercy Devotion, in which we not only seek God's mercy, but fulfill the main requirement of the devotion; that is, we too must be merciful with others, always and everywhere.

It was interesting how, at the end of his book, Brown reiterated the potential, future significance of St. Augustine, Florida. He shared his thoughts from an outing, while kayaking past the Cross, that St. Augustine must become America's refuge; a place of pilgrimage. Perhaps others will be encouraged by the original settlers to, as Brown suggests, "...[M]arch across our land and plant crosses again where once they stood..." (318) He goes on to further encourage his fellow Americans, "Come back, America! Pray goodness back." (318)

God bless America.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor

National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, New Orleans, Louisiana

With the recent celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God on January 1, and with the annual Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated today in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, I thought it fitting to publish my first post of 2016 on the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The annual Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving is celebrated in appreciation for Our Lady's prompt succor (help), saving the lives of the people of New Orleans in an extraordinary way on two separate occasions; the extinguishing of a raging fire that threatened to destroy the Ursuline Convent in 1812, and the surprising military victory of General Andrew Jackson in 1815 against a larger, better equipped invading British force. This in addition to the countless times Our Lady has come to the aid of individuals in Louisiana, which as the National Shrine notes on its History of the Devotion page, is so numerous that "We will never know them all."

I came to know of this Marian devotion from a book, Seven Days With Mary, written by SpiritDaily.com's Michael H. Brown. In addition to Our Lady of Prompt Succor, the book also includes six other Marian devotions that are accompanied by full page colour photographs of statues or images representing each devotion: Our Lady of Saragossa, Our Lady of Montserrat, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, and Our Lady of Lourdes. All these devotions are officially recognized and sanctioned by the Church.

This book can be purchased at SpiritDaily.com's
book store (Michael H. Brown books)

Seven Days With Mary, is not a history lesson, but a time of meditation and prayer. As Brown explains in the Preface, reading and praying with this book is about "...[S]eeking the aid of Mary. Meditating on her role. Walking with her as we try to find our way through the current darkness." (vi) Brown's recommendation is that you pray this devotion for seven consecutive days to receive the maximum benefit. It doesn't matter which particular devotion you begin with, just choose one for each day. 

So what might you experience from Seven Days With Mary. In addition to the anticipation of a closer relationship with Mary, you will come to know of seven Marian devotions that will bring with it an abundance of graces. During "your seven days," you will develop a greater trust and confidence in Our Lady's intercession in your life; your recitation of the Rosary and other prayers will be reinvigorated or you will be introduced to the Rosary and other devout prayers; you will be placed under Our Lady's mantle, and under her protection and guidance, your life will be better known and understood; you will grow in your love for Mary and deepen your relationship with her; your desire to love Jesus and have a closer relationship with Him will increase as a direct result of that improved and closer relationship with Mary; you will experience a new or renewed hope for the future and learn that Our Lady's prompt succor is always available to you, that as Our Mother, she always hears the pleas of her children, and will come to our aid in time of need and danger.

The Preface to this book, alone, will easily draw any Marian devotee to these devotions. Brown instills in the reader a clear and complete understanding of Mary's role and purpose in our lives. To capture just some of the content that Brown has written, I have provided an excerpt below:

...For Mary's role has not been a political one. Her role is not on the world stage. Her role is spiritual preparation of her children and getting us to Heaven. Her goal is your soul. You are crucial to Heaven. You are important to the Virgin Mary. And she has come not to make big headlines but rather to help you with the intricate and difficult aspects of living upon this earth. She wants to have a personal relationship with you. She wants you to have a more personal relationship with Jesus. And that's why she comes. That's why she appears with such frequency. She has something to give everyone personally. She has something for you. (vii)

Each day's devotion begins with: a concise history of the devotion; a Meditation and Ejaculation devised by Brown; the Angelus; and may include prayers from saints, prayers of Consecration and Morning Offerings, and other formal prayers; a Litany to Our Lady, all of which have received imprimaturs and come from many different and ancient sources. Each devotion is concluded with a Contemplation and the Rosary, which as Brown suggests, would be best recited if it were the Scriptural Rosary.

On a personal note, I have taken Brown's advice (praying the devotions for seven consecutive days) several times over the years. Reading about and meditating on these devotions, immersed in prayer for seven consecutive days, was a time of Divine Intimacy with Our Lady, and absolute peace; better than any retreat I have ever been on, and closely resembled the peace I felt, and the grace I received during my pilgrimages in Medjugorje.

If you have never heard of this devotion or know very little about Our Lady of Prompt Succor, I hope you will consider reading the concise history that follows. Not only as a matter of curiousity, but for your own benefit as you will soon discover, this is "the" devotion that brings quick and speedy help from Our Lady in time of great need.

History of the Devotion

The Ursuline Convent in New Orleans, Louisiana, was founded in 1727 where the good Ursuline sisters educated children of European colonists as well as slaves and Indians. They were the first nuns to arrive in what became the United States, and founded the oldest school for girls in America.

In 1800, the sisters became somewhat worried because Louisiana was ceded back to France. This was during the time of the French Revolution, one not very beneficial for the Catholic Church to say the least. Many priests and religious fled France or were killed. Pope Pius VII himself was eventually placed under arrest in Rome, held captive by Napoleon. Fearing that the horrors of the French Revolution might spread to French territories across the ocean, a large group of the nuns fled to Havana, Cuba, in 1803. Those that remained were seven in total. 

During that same year Louisiana became part of the United States (Louisiana Purchase), which was of great concern to the Ursuline sisters, who did not know what would happen to them and their land. They sent an anxious letter to President Jefferson, inquiring if the property rights of the Ursuline Order would be honoured by the new government. Here is what Brown included regarding Jefferson's response:

I have received holy sisters, the letter you have written me wherein you express anxiety for the property vested in your institutions by the former governments of Louisiana...the principles of the Constitution and government of the United States are a sure guarantee to you that it will be preserved to you sacred and inviolate, and that your institution will be permitted to govern itself according to its own voluntary rules, without interference from the civil authority...Be assured it will meet all the protection which my office can give it. (78)

Although Jefferson's assurance alleviated their concerns, it was a temporary reprieve. The sisters had to confront other problems. The sisters were short staffed and the work was overwhelming. All this was made worse when one of the nuns, a mainstay of the community, Mother St. Xavier Farjon, died in 1810. This prompted another nun, Sister St. Andre Madier to appeal to her cousin Sister Michel Gensoul in France, to join their community in Louisiana.

Mother St. Michel had not been killed, nor did she flee France during the revolution. There was much work to be done in France, but taking into consideration how desperate the situation was for the nuns in Louisiana and inspired by the Holy Spirit, she appealed to Bishop Fournier of Montpelier. The response was not positive. The bishop informed her that he had lost too many nuns already, the last thing he needed was to lose another nun. It was only the Pope who could authorize her to go.

At this time Pope Pius VII was cut off by Napoleon's men, under arrest and held in Rome; he was in essence incommunicado with the Church and the world. This fact did not deter Mother St. Michel. Knowing that if it was God's will and trusting in Our Lady's intercession, she wrote a letter to the pontiff on December 15, 1808, requesting a transfer to Louisiana. 

When it was clear that there was no opportunity for the letter to be sent, Mother St. Michel prayed in front of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "O Most Holy Virgin Mary, if you obtain a prompt and favorable answer to my letter, I promise to have you honoured in New Orleans under the title of 'Our Lady of Prompt Succor.' " (79)

After Mother St. Michel's prayers were completed, the letter left Montpelier for Rome on March 9, 1809. Pope Pius VII miraculously received the letter and granted her request. The answer to her prayers was astonishingly prompt. Mother St. Michel ordered a statue carved and it was blessed by Bishop Fornier. The statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, arrived in Louisiana with Mother St. Michel in 1810.

It was soon after the statue's arrival that two momentous miracles occurred in Louisiana: the extinguishing of a raging fire that threatened the Ursuline Convent, and General Andrew Jackson's victory over a much larger invading British force.

In 1812, a terrible fire erupted in New Orleans and burned much of what is now the French Quarter, where the convent used to be located at that time. Propelled by wind, the fire was heading right for the convent. One of the nuns placed a small statue of Our Lady at a window facing the fire; Mother St. Michel then began to implore Our Lady's intercession. It is known that the wind instantly shifted its direction away from the nuns; the Ursuline convent was one of the buildings spared from destruction. I would like to share with you a very important point that Brown noted regarding this event, one that we should never forget, "Such events show us that nothing is beyond the reach of prayer, no problem, no disaster." (81)

Only a few years later in 1815, more trouble appeared in New Orleans during the war between the Americans and the British. Louisiana was at this time apart of the United States, but England had planned to reacquire its former territory back. The British arrived with 15,000 troops near New Orleans on the plains of Chalmette to square off against General Andrew Jackson and his smaller force of only 6,000 men.

It appeared that there was no way the Americans could win; they were outnumbered, and the British were better equipped and prepared. The night before the battle, January 7, the Ursuline sisters prayed before the Blessed Sacrament and did so all night long. Others joined the nuns in prayer and by morning, a Mass was celebrated and offered up by the vicar general. Above the altar at this Mass was the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Prayers were recited in earnest as the thunder of the cannons could be heard.

At Communion time, a courier had rushed into the chapel to announce the miraculous victory over the British. During the battle, a fog appeared, confusing the British who wandered into a swamp, in full view of the Americans who were waiting to ambush them. From the battle, 2,600 British died with very few American casualties. General Jackson visited the nuns at the convent to personally thanked them for their prayers.

Rome officially approved devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor in 1912, and the statue was solemnly crowned through a decree issued by Pope Leo XIII.

The lessons to be drawn from this devotion's history are crystal clear, that we can obtain prompt help from Our Lady, what ever may be the problem, need or danger in our lives; Our Mother hears our prayers and will hasten to come to our aid. 

When we seek a quick answer or are in need of immediate help, even if it seems like an impossible situation, this devotion as Brown notes, "...[W]ill accomplish such requests if they are the will of the Father." (83) If it is the will of the Father, we can be assured that this devotion will obtain for us what we ask, and we must never forget this or doubt it in any way.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, pray for us.