In the quiet moments of prayer, a man once lost to faith found his way back through a miraculous conversion that changed the course of his life forever.
Born in the mid-1960s in New York, his early experience with the Church was marred by disillusionment, leading him to abandon the faith at the tender age of 11.
For 22 years, he wandered far from the Church, living a life filled with worldly success but a profound spiritual emptiness.
It was not until a pilgrimage to Bosnia and Medjugorje that he felt the powerful pull of Our Lady, guiding him back to her Son and into the embrace of the Catholic Church.
Upon returning to Manhattan, his transformation was not instantaneous but marked by daily efforts: attending daily Mᴀss, monthly confession, and praying the rosary on his walks to work.
Yet, even with these practices, he knew something more was needed.
Encouraged by a spiritual director, he began praying a simple but profound daily prayer: “Lord, do you want me to do something different with your life?” For months, even years, the silence seemed unbroken until one Sunday morning in 2000, after receiving Communion, a voice audibly called to him, “Come follow me.
” It was Jesus Himself, inviting him into a deeper commitment and a new path.
Driven by this call, he investigated religious life, meticulously researching orders and their formation times.
Finding most religious orders took about 12 years to ordination, he sought the diocesan priesthood path, which took four years.
His journey was not without hardship; a painful divorce from a high-profile marriage left him spiritually bereft despite worldly riches.
Yet, these trials only deepened his resolve to seek God’s will.
His initial meeting with the diocesan vocation director was discouraging—a blunt rejection that could have ended his quest.
Instead, it propelled him into a period of profound purification as a contemplative hermit in the Nebraska woods, embracing suffering and penance as a path to sancтιтy.
This five-year purgative experience instilled in him the understanding that suffering has purpose and value in the spiritual life, a lesson that shaped his priestly ministry.
Ordained in 2014, he soon became an exorcist, a role that underscored the spiritual battle raging unseen in the world today.
His message to those he now ministers to is clear: the devotion to the Five First Saturdays is a powerful weapon in this battle.
This devotion, insтιтuted by Jesus and revealed to Sister Lucia of Fatima, calls the faithful to make reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the countless offenses and blasphemies committed against her.
The Five First Saturdays devotion targets five specific sins: blasphemies against Mary’s Immaculate Conception, her Perpetual Virginity, her Divine Maternity, the desecration of her images, and the neglect of teaching children to love her.
These offenses pierce her heart like thorns, and the devotion’s purpose is to console and heal her sorrowful heart.
The promise attached to this devotion is profound—final perseverance until death, peace in the world, and the salvation of souls.
In today’s world, the need for this reparation is urgent.
The speaker highlights the pervasive sins of impurity, intensified by social media, Hollywood, and cultural decay.
He recalls the stark contrast between the modesty of women at Fatima a century ago and the revealing attire common today, underscoring the moral decline and its impact on society’s spiritual health.
Our Lady’s warnings about this generation being the most sinful since Adam and Eve resonate deeply, calling for urgent repentance and prayer.
The spiritual battle is not abstract but intensely real.
The devil wages war against those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus Christ.
Those who live in faith have a target on their backs, pursued relentlessly by demonic forces.
Yet, this struggle is a badge of honor, a sign that one is fighting for the Kingdom of God.
The speaker’s own past, teetering on the edge of damnation, was turned around by the prayers and sacrifices of others, illustrating the power of intercession and grace.
The Mᴀss, he explains, is the heart of this spiritual warfare and reparation.
Through the eyes of mystics like Catalina Rivas, we glimpse the heavenly reality during the Eucharistic celebration—angels presenting the intentions of the faithful, Jesus embracing the priest, and the sacrifice of Calvary made present anew.
Understanding this transforms the Mᴀss from routine obligation into a profound encounter with divine grace.
Confession is a vital component of the Five First Saturdays devotion.
The speaker stresses the importance of sincere confession, focusing on one’s own sins without excuses or stories, and embracing the penance given as a means of repairing the damage sin causes.
Penance is not punishment but healing—a way to fill the holes sin leaves in the Body of Christ and to reduce time in purgatory.
He shares poignant stories of saints who lived in readiness for death, such as Dominic Savio, who embraced life with such holiness that he was prepared to meet Jesus at any moment, and Bishop John Fisher, who faced martyrdom with calm acceptance.
The goal of every Christian is the same: final perseverance, the grace to remain faithful until the end, ensuring entry into heaven.
The speaker calls on fathers especially to recognize their spiritual role as priests of their families.
Their faithfulness or weakness affects the entire household, making their commitment crucial.
The world desperately needs men and women willing to take up their crosses, make reparation, and live out God’s will joyfully and completely.
Peace in the world, he believes, will come when the Immaculate Heart triumphs, ushering in a new Pentecost of the Holy Spirit.
This era of peace, though not yet realized, is promised in Scripture and is the ultimate goal of our prayers and sacrifices.
Until then, the spiritual battle continues, and the call to holiness remains urgent.
In closing, the speaker exhorts all to embrace the Five First Saturdays devotion with intention, confession, communion, rosary, and meditation.
This devotion is a powerful means to console Our Lady’s heart, obtain final perseverance, and contribute to the salvation of souls and peace in the world.
It is a call to arms in the spiritual battle, a summons to live with holy boldness, and a path to eternal victory.
