Episcopal Statement on Bayside
David Martin | The Daily Knight
A faithful bishop of our time has taken it upon himself to publicly endorse the Bayside apparitions. Bishop Mathieu Lebouakehan of Gabon, Africa, President of the Doctrine of the Faith Commission of Gabon who was personally consecrated by His Holiness John Paul II is the first bishop ever to publicly—and brilliantly—testify to the integrity and fruitfulness of the Bayside Mission.
This past June, Bishop Mathieu delivered a written statement on Bayside and asked that it be disseminated for the edification of the Church at large. Therein he exhorts the faithful to “Do whatever Christ tells you through the voice of His Mother, the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Roses and strongly encourages the Apostolate in “all the work of spreading the Good News of Christ through the constant sharing of the messages of Our Lady of the Roses [at Bayside].”
While this is not a formal, diocesan statement on the Bayside apparitions, it nonetheless is an authoritative statement of a preeminent bishop of the Church—far more authoritative and valid than anything the Church has ever issued on the subject.
In an earlier statement of September 28, 2016, His Excellency had likewise endorsed Bayside, saying:
“It is quite apparent that this universal Mission fosters a great love for the Church and sacred Tradition, esteem and respect for the priesthood, regular participation in the sacraments, especially daily Communion at Mass, a fierce devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and an authentic love of neighbor.”
Marian Apparitions Needed
The modern-day idea that Marian apparitions are not necessary is both foolish and ungrateful. If an apparition occurs it is the clearest proof it is needed for our spiritual good since the personages of Heaven never drop in just to ‘say hello.’ The First Vatican Council states:
God has willed that external proofs of His revelation, namely, divine acts and especially miracles and prophecies, should be added to the internal aids given by the Holy Spirit. Since these proofs so excellently display God omnipotence and limitless knowledge, they constitute the surest signs of divine revelation, signs that are suitable to everyone’s understanding.
Bishops and theologians today are quick to pass judgment on legitimate apparitions because they see them as an interference in their personal plans to update the Church, but they need to consider Canon Law 50 of the 1983 code, which explicitly states:
“Before issuing a singular decree, an authority is to seek out the necessary information and proofs and, insofar as possible, to hear those [seers] whose rights can be injured.”
Normally, the local bishop is the one responsible for investigating an apparition that allegedly occurs within his territorial jurisdiction, but should the bishop not investigate the miracle and Rome not intervene to oversee the matter it doesn’t necessarily prevent its approbation.
The Secret of Our Lady at La Salette, France (1846) was 1 never investigated by the bishop who oversaw the district of La Salette yet today it is loaded with ecclesiastical approbation. The seer Melanie Calvat first penned the Secret of La Salette in 1873, which triggered hostile persecution from the Masonically controlled bishops in France who condemned her visions.
La Salette Message Approved by Foreign Bishop
Badgered beyond endurance, she fled to Italy where she earnestly sought to publish the Secret of La Salette under the Bishop of Naples, which was done on Nov. 15, 1879, with the stamp of imprimatur. Under normal circumstances the seer would have approached her local bishop for this but because this was hardly possible, her alternative action to travel to Italy was fully licit. The endorsement of the bishop of Naples constituted an official statement of approval from the Catholic Church, and it was heartfully ratified by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII.
Hence, it was Bishop Salvatore Luigi Zola who was primarily responsible for approving and publishing the Secret of La Salette for worldwide distribution, yet he was the bishop of Lecce, Italy (near Naples), not a bishop of France or a Vatican bishop. But he nonetheless acted for the good of the whole Church, not just for his own district. For while each bishop has his own territorial jurisdiction, he in no way is shackled from advancing the welfare of the whole Church.
The late Fulton J. Sheen served as Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of New York, yet he covered the globe with his TV and radio presentations and with his travels throughout the world. He was a pastor for the world, not just for New York.
Similar story with Bishop Athanasius Schneider, the Auxiliary Bishop of Astana in Kazakhstan who travels the world over conducting interviews and seminars and issuing doctrinal statements for worldwide distribution. Clearly, this is his commission from God.
Hence, when a faithful prelate like Bishop Mathieu, who unlike all the others has taken it upon himself to earnestly peruse and examine the Bayside message and to publicly endorse it for our pious meditation, his words are credible and should be taken seriously.
On the contrary, when a bishop, let alone a modernist makes no effort to investigate Bayside and then foolishly opens his mouth to detract it just to please a scurrilous anti-Church bureaucracy, his words carry zero credibility and should never be heeded.
Travesty of Justice
Such was the case with Bishop Francis Mugavero, the former bishop of Brooklyn who on November 4, 1986, issued a negative statement against Bayside without first giving it a fair hearing. Therein, he states that he did a “thorough investigation” of the apparitions, but the truth is that he never investigated Bayside, the proof being that there is no report on record of an investigation that took place. The principal witness herself, Veronica Lueken was never even approached or questioned by any member of an investigative committee and experts were never called in to examine any of the miracles or cures attributed to Our Lady of the Roses at Bayside. The bishop’s statement is null and void.
LGBT Sympathizer
The truth is that Bishop Mugavero was an LGBT sympathizer who had a role in helping to launch the infamous gay-lesbian “New Ways Ministry” in 1977. To date, this sodomite “ministry” still looks to Mugavero as one of their heroes. In his base 1976 pastoral letter on “Human Sexuality,” the bishop pledges to “find new ways to communicate the truth of Christ” and laments that homosexuals “at times” suffer from “unjust discrimination.”
Bishop Mugavero indeed was a friend of the gay-lesbian community, so naturally he wasn’t about to approve an apparition message that says: “All who become part of or condone homosexuality shall be destroyed!” (Jesus, June 2, 1979) Mugavero was a modernist who advocated “new ways” of change, so he wasn’t about to approve a message that says: “We ask that all bishops and cardinals refrain from promoting change and reform in My Son’s Church.” (Our Lady, May 26, 1979)
To those bishops that advocate change, Jesus says:
"Bishops and cardinals, shall you come before Me and say that your teaching has been pure in My sight? I shall spit you out like the vermin you have become and send you into the eternal flames of damnation!” (March 18, 1977)
Clearly, the Bayside message convicted Mugavero of his errors. Can we understand now why he denounced Bayside?
Bishop Mathieu is a doctrinal expert and prelate of great personal holiness who has taken the time to do Bayside justice so the faithful would do well to hear his words. He tells the followers of Our Lady of the Roses at Bayside:
“Taking up the very words of the Virgin Mary at Cana of Galilee, I say to you "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5). In other words: Do whatever Christ tells you, and whatever He tells you through the voice of His Mother, the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Roses, who also has mercy on you, her children, as on the day of the wedding guests at Cana….
"We strongly encourage and commend St Michael's World Apostolate of the Bayside Mission for all the work of spreading the Good News of Christ through the constant sharing of the Messages of Our Lady of the Roses.”
While some may argue that this does not constitute a formal ecclesiastical statement on the Bayside apparitions, they cannot deny the validity and officiality of the bishop’s statement. For in truth and justice he has spoken responsibly as a high Church authority, which is more than we can say for Bishop Mugavero who irresponsibly misused his position to slam the Mother of God.
If they can call Mugavero’s November 1986 travesty “valid” how much more valid and binding is the just statement of His Excellency Bishop Mathieu?
For the entire statement of Bishop Mathieu please click HERE.
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1. Msgr. Philibert de Bruillard who reigned as bishop of Grenoble from 1826-1852 never even knew of the La Salette message because it was first disclosed in 1873, thirteen years after his death.
In Christ Crucified and the Most Victorious Heart of Jesus.
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