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Our history
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"Oh, whosoever you are that perceive
yourself during this mortal existence to be rather floating on the treacherous
waters, at the mercy of the winds and the waves, than walking secure upon the
stable earth, turn not away your eyes from the light of this beacon star,
unless you wish to be submerged by the tempest”. (St. Bernard) |
Summary:
An appeal from the East: "Do not abandon
us; help us".
The response: Light over the East
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
(1908-1995), apostle of Fatima
Ecclesiastical support
Difficulties
The
Book of Confidence in Russian, Lithuanian and
Italian
Light over the East also shines in Cuba and
Albania
Bible
History, by St. John Bosco: 85,000 copies distributed
in Russia and Italy
The story
of Blessed Jacinta Marto of Fatima for children
Pilgrimage of 40 Lithuanian seminarians to
Lourdes
Work with Peregrinatio Mariae
“Caravans” of Hope
The Rosary “Caravan”
Italy Needs Fatima
The gaze of Mary watches over 3 million Italian
families
The "Apostles of Fatima" in Italy:
visits to parishes, families, the sick, earthquake victims…
The Fatima 1917-1997 international conference
in Rome
Toward the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary
1.3 million religious books distributed
The quarterly "Spunti”
* *
*
An
appeal from the East: "Do not abandon us; help us."
The response: Light over the East
Light over the East began on a December night
in 1990 as a group of Catholics from the West set out on a dilapidated Soviet
train from Vilnius to Moscow. They were
on their way to give Soviet dictator Mikhail Gorbachev 5.2 million signatures
of people in the West who wished to express support for Catholic Lithuania’s
newly reaffirmed independence. These
signatures had been collected in a petition drive initiated by the distinguished
Catholic thinker and man of action Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira.
At the time, the Moscow dictatorship appeared
uncertain about how it would proceed in face of rising popular discontent:
Would it use violence to prop up state communism in face of rising popular
discontent – it would try this approach a few weeks later in Lithuania – or would it begin dismantling the most
iniquitous empire history has ever known?
Red flags were still flying over the Kremlin. Many former churches were
still being used as “museums of atheism”.
At the train stations along the way to the
Russian border, the western delegation was deluged with requests from anxious
yet hopeful Lithuanians: "Do not abandon us; continue to help us when you
get home." Thus, on the tracks of the old Vilnius-Moscow
line, in a railway car that often seemed about to derail, the idea was born to
spiritually help the nations of Eastern
Europe by the distribution of free religious books. This project came to
be known as “Light over the East”.
The quickly changing political scene permitted
the official founding of the association in March 1991. It would be one of many
lasting achievements indebted to the Catholic activism of Prof. Plinio Corrêa
de Oliveira, who would die a few years after launching his campaign for a free
and independent Lithuania.
******************
Plinio
Corrêa de Oliveira (1908-1995)
Apostle of the Fatima message
"With the integrity of his life as an
authentic Catholic, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira offers us a confirmation of the
Church’s continuing fecundity”. - Cardinal Alfons Maria Stickler, in his
foreword to The Crusader of the Twentieth
Century, a biography of Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira by Roberto de
Mattei, professor at the University of Cassino.
His Eminence Alfons Maria Cardinal Stickler,
S.D.B., was dean of the Canon Law School at the Pontifical Salesian University
and subsequently rector. After
directing the Pontifical Institute of Higher Latin Sciences, he was named
Prefect of the Vatican Library. In 1983
John Paul II elevated him to the episcopal dignity. Afterward, upon making him a cardinal, he appointed him Librarian
and Archivist of the Holy Roman Church.
He is the author of important theological and canonical studies that
have been translated into numerous languages.
*************************
After its humble beginning, the association was faced with the problem
of where and how to begin developing its mission. Fatima provided the answer. At Fatima, Our Lady had prophesied
that Russia would spread its errors throughout the world, unleashing
persecutions against the Church. She
had also promised that Russia would be converted and that this event would be
followed by the triumph of her Immaculate Heart. The most logical thing for the association to do, then, was to
inform Russians of this message about their own nation that had been hidden
from them for over seventy years.
Light over the East therefore decided to
print Russian and Lithuanian editions of a book on Fatima that had sold
hundreds of thousands of copies in the West: Fatima: Message of Tragedy or Hope?, by Antonio Borelli. The
initiative was funded with the generous help of many apostolic Italians, and
the distribution of the book began in
Novosibirsk, in distant Siberia, in collaboration with the young
Franciscan, Fr. Pavel Bitautas, at the time the only Catholic priest in that
vast region.
A member of Light over the East shows Sister
Lucia, the only surviving Fatima seer, a Russian copy of Fatima: Message of Tragedy or Hope? Sister Lucia is a Carmelite nun in Coimbra, Portugal. She was very pleased with our
project and promised her prayers.
Ecclesiastical
support
From Rome, Cardinal Silvio Oddi ardently encouraged the project, along
with ecclesiastical authorities both in the East and the West. As a result, the light of Fatima penetrated
deeper and deeper into the darkness left by communism, reaching many
traumatised souls thirsting for the spiritual after three generations of
atheism. Within a few months Antonio
Borelli’s book on Fatima was being requested from Finland to Vladivostok. In a single day, our offices received 2,328
requests.
Difficulties
Sometimes, however, books were held for many
weeks at customs depots, where a
communist or anti-Catholic official still reigned. Some newspapers refused to publish our paid advertisements for
the Fatima book. But this did not stop
us. We obtained access to other
publications and to TV stations.
Despite the difficulties, our books were being distributed like hot
cakes in many areas, for example, Lithuania, from where Cardinal Vincentas
Sladkevicius wrote, "The book is very popular here."
The Book of
Confidence in Russian,
Lithuanian and Italian
"Voice of Christ, mysterious voice of
grace that resoundeth in the silence of our souls, Thou murmurest in the depths
of our hearts words of sweetness and
peace. In response to our miseries, Thou repeatest the counsel so
often given by the Divine Master during
His mortal life: Confidence, confidence!”
These and many other touching words written by
Fr. Raymond de Saint Laurent in his Book
of Confidence struck us as ideal to inspire supernatural confidence both in
the East and the West. Light over the
East soon made them available in pocketbook form in Russian, Lithuanian and
Italian. Free copies in the tens of
thousands have been distributed in the former Soviet Union and Italy.
Light over the East also shines in Cuba and Albania
Light over the East went on to extend its
mission to other areas. In the
island-prison of Cuba, Antonio Borelli’s Fatima book has been widely distributed. In Albania, Light over the East has distributed thousands of
copies of a book on Albania’s patroness, the Mother of Good Counsel, whose
miraculous fresco is now venerated in
Genazzano, Italy. The book has a
foreword by the former Vicar of His Holiness for Vatican City, Archbishop
Pietro Canisio van Lierde, a zealous devotee of Our Lady of Good Counsel of
Genazzano.
On Albanian television, Light over the East
narrated the history of this miraculous fresco, which came to Italy from
Scutari, Albania, centuries ago. The
program led to the making of a film recounting the wonders of Our Lady of Good
Counsel in a country that suffered under one of the world’s most brutally atheistic
regimes. Bishop Rrok Mirdita of Tirana
wrote: "This film is the rendering of a great service to Our Lady, who was
forgotten for so long because of the manipulation of our culture under
communism. I sincerely thank Light over
the East for this work".
Bible History, by St. John
Bosco: 85,000 copies distributed in Russia and Italy
From its earliest years, many people had urged
Light over the East to “do something for the youth”. Light over the East has
gone on to do so in two ways. First, by
funding Catholic youth formation programs in various parts of the world,
including India. Secondly, by
encouraging young people in Russia and Italy to read the Holy Scriptures with the guidance of St. John Bosco, one of
the Church’s greatest teachers of youth.
For this purpose, Light over the East has reprinted St. John Bosco’s Bible History. Over 60,000 free copies
have been distributed in Russia and Italy.
The story of Blessed Jacinta
Marto of Fatima for children
To transmit to the very young a notion of the
wonders of grace, Light over the East has also printed an illustrated book on
the story of Fatima using the testimony of little Jacinta. This small book has been distributed to
children in several former Soviet republics.
Pilgrimage of 40 Lithuanian seminarians to Lourdes
In 1995, Light over the East sponsored a pilgrimage of forty Lithuanian seminarians to the shrine of
Lourdes. It was the first trip abroad
for these future priests of Catholic Lithuania.
Work with Peregrinatio Mariae
As well, Light over the East has worked with Peregrinatio Mariae, organised under the
supervision of the Apostolic Administrators of Moscow, Novosibirsk and
Kazakhstan, providing printed materials for free distribution to the local
populations visited. The light of Fatima reaches ever further. Through the
special favour of Our Lady this small seed so developed that in 1997 Light over
the East helped build a Catholic centre in Kirgizia.
“Caravans” of hope
Year after year, Light over the East has sent
“caravans” to the East. These are made
up of volunteers who travel with a pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima to the
countries of Eastern Europe. Their vans
are full of religious publications, which they distribute at homes, parishes,
schools, religious communities, and retirement homes, etc.
The Rosary “caravan”
Light over the East promotes the Rosary
wherever it can. Every year, a Rosary
“caravan” travels throughout Eastern Europe.
There and elsewhere, Rosary kits containing beads and full-colour booklets
explaining the Joyful, Sorrowful and
Glorious mysteries have been distributed by the hundreds of thousands.
Italy Needs Fatima
From the beginning of our apostolate, we have
been asked to help address spiritual needs in the West, where secularism has
turned countries like Italy into missionary lands and led Pope John Paul II to
call for a “new evangelization.” Light
over the East therefore launched its Italy Needs Fatima campaign, in which we
duplicate locally what we are doing in the East.
The gaze of Mary watches over 3 million Italian families
Millions of Italian families have
enthusiastically welcomed our “Mary Queen of Hearts, Mary Queen of Families”
project, which includes the “enthronement” of a picture of Our Lady of Fatima
in the home. Our goal is that Mary will
truly be queen of every Italian heart and hearth.
The
"Apostles of Fatima" in Italy: visits to parishes, families, the
sick, earthquake victims…
Close
friends of Light over the East have
formed a group called the “Apostles of Fatima”. This group spreads the
Fatima message on a very personal level.
Its minibus carrying a pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima travels
constantly to parishes and homes. From
Piedmont to Sicily, the whole of Italy has been visited by the pilgrim Virgin. Countless are the troubled souls, the
earthquake victims, the sick, the imprisoned, who have seen the Madonna, the
Consoler of the Afflicted, in their moments of need. For more information on the activities
of the “Apostles of Fatima”, simply click on Apostles of Fatima and/or Visit
of Our Lady.
The Fatima 1917-1997 international conference in Rome
On the 80th anniversary of the Fatima
apparitions, Light over the East held its first international conference of
Fatima scholars and devotees at the Augustinianum of Rome. Many bishops and cardinals honoured it with
their presence.
Toward the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Light over the East begins the second phase of its existence with great
hope. How could it be otherwise? Already at Fatima Our Lady has told us the
future is hers: she promised the triumph of Her Immaculate Heart. We can but live and work in the expectation
of this promise’s complete realisation.
So let us keep our eyes lifted toward Mary, Queen of Hearts and of Italy. Let us pray with her a Magnificat for what
she has accomplished through Light over the East. Let us ask her to protect its work as it continues to grow under
the sign of the Cross. Let us take
courage from her Son’s own prayer: “Thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.
My Lady, give me the grace to never feel that I
am far from you. Give me the certainty
that, when it comes to you, the word “far” does not even exist. While many things are often far away, you, my
Mother, are always near.
Ov
er 1.3 million religious books distributed
Fatima in Russian 510,000
Fatima in Lithuanian 110,000
Fatima in Ukrainian 50,000
Fatima in Spanish for Cuba 10,000
Fatima in Italian 100,000
Fatima in Estonian 5,000
Fatima in Latvian 40,000
Fatima in Polish 10,000
The
Book of Confidence in Russian 100,000
Confidence in Lithuanian 50,000
Confidence in Italian 30,000
Bible
History in Russian 60,000
Bible
History in Italian 25,000
Mother
of Good Counsel in Albanian 30,000
Mother
of Good Counsel in Toskan 20,000
Mother
of Good Counsel in Italian 30,000
The
Story of Jacinta in Estonian 5,000
Story
of Jacinta in Ukrainian 10,000
Story of Jacinta in Latvian 10,000
Story
of Jacinta in Lithuanian 15,000
Story
of Jacinta in Russian 30,000
Let
us pray the Rosary in honour of the Virgin Mary in
Russian 5,000
Let
us pray the Rosary in Italian 70,000
Let
us pray the Rosary in Lithuanian 20,000
Stations
of the Cross in Italian 60,000
Fatima pamphlets 300,000
Statues of Our Lady of Fatima 8,000
Pictures of Our Lady of Fatima for framing
3,850,000
NOTES: The quarterly “Spunti”
1. “Spunti” is a quarterly newsletter of Light
over the East.
Director: Sergio Mora.
Editorial office and administration:
Via Savoia, 80 - 00198 Rome.
Tel.: 06/85352164 - Fax: 06/85345231
E-mail: luci-rm@lucisullest.it
Postal account 955005
Authorisation of the Court of Rome no. 495,
8/21/91.
Postal subscription delivery
Paragraph 20/C Art. 2 Law 662/96 – Padua Branch
Annual subscription: €. 10,00
To order Light over the East books and
religious articles, click on Books and articles.
For publications in English, contact:
AMERICA NEEDS FATIMA
P.O. Box 341
Hanover, PA 17331
Telephone: (888) 317-5571
Fax: (570) 450-6352
Website: www.ANF.org
UNITED STATES
E-mail: ANF@ANF.org
ENGLAND
Britain needs Fatima
P.O. Box 2713
GLASGOW, G62 6BR.
AUSTRALIA
E-mail: tfpaust@amaze.net.au
2. The activities outlined here are described
in detail in “Spunti”.
3. This text is transcribed from a June 1998
“Spunti” insert.
4. For coverage of upcoming activities, the
reader is referred to “Spunti”.
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Association for use of any photos from this site.
The texts, with the exception of those from
books, may be reproduced with credit given to Light over the East.