Press release of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity and Refuge,
Hot Springs (AR), on September 27, 2007
following the declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
and the decisions taken by Msgr Hebert and the diocese of Little Rock in our regards.

In the coming year, we will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the foundation of our Convent in Hot Springs. At the dawning of this anniversary, a heavy cross has fallen upon us. To remain faithful to a Work (the Army of Mary) which is obviously guided by God, our Community has been excommunicated.

From the very beginning, the Army of Mary met with opposition from a certain faction of the Catholic Church, while it received solid support from others. For a spiritual Work, facts and events must be judged from a spiritual point of view, in the light of the Gospel.

Christ announced to His disciples that they would be persecuted and rejected in the same way He was, and that has been verified in the lives of authentic mystics who, after having been rejected by the Church, were lauded by it and even canonized. One need only think, for example, of Saint Padre Pio who was condemned five times by the Holy Office (the present Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) and who was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

This same Pope supported the Army of Mary at a time that it was being strongly fought in Quebec and elsewhere in the world. (The July-August 2007 issue no. 186 of the paper Le Royaume presents the hidden side of the long saga of the Army of Mary and sets out the truth about this Work which has so often been the victim of false accusations and calumnies.

The Army of Mary was founded by Marie-Paule Giguère – Mother Paul-Marie – who is the author of an abundance of literary works, including the biographical series Life of Love. An honest and serious study of that work obliges one to conclude (along with many theologians) that Marie-Paule’s mystical life is authentic; she is a person endowed with numerous charisms, all of which have served God’s cause. This life laden with fruit, good works, realizations, bears the seal of God and of the Immaculate.

In our time as in other eras of the Church, God raises up persons whom He charges with a specific mission and they cannot shirk that obligation if they wish to remain faithful to Him. That has been the case for Marie-Paule all her life. She would have preferred to remain in the background and in silence, but God and Mary entrusted a Work to her. They instructed her in relation to the mission they were giving her, gave her orders for the guidance of the Work. She always obeyed, regardless of the renunciations exacted of her as a person.

Certain persons in authority in the Church having constantly fought against the Army of Mary and the Works that have issued from it such as the Community of the Sons of Mary (the first member who was ready to receive Holy Orders was ordained by Pope John Paul II), Heaven intervened by giving Father Pierre Mastropietro a particular role in the development of these Works and that is why he proceeded with the ordination of Sons of Mary. It must be clearly understood that men were not the ones who took the first step, but God who wanted to protect these Works by indicating the path to be followed.

The Army of Mary believes in and adheres to all the doctrine of the Catholic Church. Its members – and that is the real reason for their condemnation today – believe, besides, in the authenticity of Marie-Paule’s mission, attested to by so many phenomena which cannot be explained by human means: hundreds if not thousands of cures obtained through her intercession, the charism of prophecy, of reading in souls. We believe that the Work which developed under her influence is willed and guided by God.

It was with a sense of peace that we received this decision on the part of the Roman Catholic Church, a decision that Heaven had announced to our Foundress a long time ago. However, it is unfortunate that such a decision was taken in our regards, since we only try to live our faith in total fidelity to God.

But we remain confidant that the Lord, in His divine Providence, will not abandon us. Solutions are already being offered to us.

The Sisters of Our Lady of Charity and Refuge
Good Shepherd Monastery, Hot Springs

Many of the things you say here are indeed true. However, it might be necessary to point out a few inconsistencies in your statements.

1) "One need only think, for example, of Saint Padre Pio who was condemned five times by the Holy Office (the present Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) and who was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002."

St. Padre Pio never went against basic church teaching. The major reason for his condemnation was due to a few individuals reporting to the Vatican false information. He never said he was the incarnation of Christ. He simply was targeted by specific members of the church hierarchy. Nothing he did went against church teaching. Pope Benedict (as Cardinal Ratzinger) has had issues with the Army of Mary since the 80s in his condemnation of the founder's publications. Many others both within and without the Catholic Church's hierarchy has pointed out inconsistencies with the statements made by the founder for quite some time now. Just because events are seen as persecution doesn't mean that is what they are.

2) "An honest and serious study of that work obliges one to conclude (along with many theologians) that Marie-Paule’s mystical life is authentic"

I have no intimate knowledge that Marie-Paule Giguère may or may not have a special relationship to Mary. However, that does not mean that her statements equate with some special power above and beyond the authority of the church. Every officially recognized apparition of Mary by the church has always depicted the Blessed Mother pointing to her Son and his Holy Church. She never called attention to herself or her own power, and every time she was shown to be allowed by God to do extraordinary things, she always attributed them as something her Holy Son did. She never contradicted any of the teachings of the church. The statements made by Marie-Paule Giguère do not reflect church teaching, and does not point to the power of Her Son. When statements by an individual stray from these two points, the statements are severely suspect in being unauthentic.

3) "We believe that the Work which developed under her influence is willed and guided by God."

This is exactly why Jesus instituted the Catholic Church which has lived on through the ages, and will continue to live until the end of time. It was put here to determine what is valid and what is not. People can be fooled easily. People in this day and age are attempting to believe in all kinds of things, but that doesn't make what they believe right, neither does the number of people believing the same thing make something valid or invalid.