WOODSTOCK—The second McHenry County Catholic Prayer Breakfast Youth Rally held on the evening of Nov. 6 at Marian Central Catholic High School, here, tackled the tough questions of salvation.
In his opening remarks, Brian Kelly, vice chairman of the McHenry County Catholic Prayer Breakfast board and coordinator of the youth rally, set the stage. He asked the crowd, “What is the most important question for you?”
“Is it how are the Cubs going to do next year? Or is it, how about my salvation? Our number one goal is to get to heaven and to bring along as many people along the way with Jesus Christ. How do we get to heaven? By the stairs, the escalator or the elevator?”
With more than 250 young people and adults in attendance, the answers were presented through the personal testimony of Father Michael Gaitley, MIC, who also was the keynote speaker at the Saturday morning prayer breakfast.
He is a member of the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception and director of the Association of Marian Helpers.
As the author of several popular books, Father Gaitley’s message focused on “33 Days to Morning Glory,” his modern adaptation of St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to Mary.” Father Gaitley challenged all present to commit themselves to total consecration to Jesus through Mary and the power of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
“Tonight we will show you the one button to help us to get to heaven by choosing the elevator for spiritual life,” he said.
He shared his own experiences and the secret weapons of consecration to Jesus through Mary and the undeniable power of the Divine Mercy.
“Saint John Paul said that we are living in a time of great evil; an unprecedented evil of great darkness,” said Father Gaitley. “He also said that during this time God will give us more graces. I believe there is total envy up in heaven as the saints are looking down on us during these times.”
Growing up in Orange County, California, Father Gaitley had ambitions to become a professional beach volleyball player and to attend UCLA. “My family was Catholic, but nobody went to church,” Father Gaitley said. “I would go to Mass occasionally but lived the party lifestyle.”
“One day my mother went to Mass in the inner city of Los Angeles. The parish and the priests were a real diamond in the rough and my mother caught on fire with the faith. She took my brother Joe and I to church and it set us on fire, too.”
Father Gaitley admitted he was lackadaisical in his faith but one of the priests at the church inspired him and helped him to be confirmed. “He gave me books on the saints and all of a sudden my faith seemed real, true and beautiful. Then he advised me to attend Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio to strengthen my faith. I still wanted to go to UCLA.”
Father Gaitley pondered the challenge and prayed to St. Therese the Little Flower for nine days. “I asked her to give me a sign with roses. If I get a red rose, it’s UCLA. If I get a yellow rose, which isn’t easy to find, I’ll go to Steubenville.”
“Without going into detail, I received a shower of yellow roses,” Father Gaitley exclaimed. He held to his bargain and went to Franciscan University, but was depressed. “People were praying the rosary all of the time. I’d ask myself what planet they were from, but they all looked happy.”
He then encountered a huge turning point in his life. A friend gave him the book “True Devotion to Mary- a 33 day total consecration to Jesus through Mary” by Saint Louis de Montfort. “I did the 33 days before December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception.”
While at Franciscan University, Father Gaitley recalled his struggles with being called to the priesthood. “I had a roommate who was an ex-Marine. We went into monk mode and called ourselves Mary’s Marines.”
Further complications arose when he met a young woman at the university from France, named Blanche. “We were in love. I distracted myself and wrestled with my vocation. I went to the university’s program in Austria and was angry and confused, but in my heart Jesus said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you’.” Father Gaitley’s 15 year journey to the priesthood began.
In this journey, Father Gaitley discovered the super grace of the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy message and devotion, based on the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska, who received extraordinary messages from Jesus. “The heart of the gospel is mercy which equals love,” Father Gaitley added. “When you see someone suffering, hurting or broken, know that God loves us.”
Father Gaitley shared the affect of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on his own family. “My father was ill with cancer. I prayed the Chaplet all day on Divine Mercy Sunday, the second Sunday after Easter.”
“Then my mother called me to say that my father went to confession and that his cancer was gone. He would sit by the photo of the Divine Mercy in church and said he could feel the rays of the Divine Mercy healing his cancer.”
At the end of his presentation, Father Gaitley asked the crowd if anyone had already done the consecration. “I was astounded to see so many young people raise their hands,” he said afterwards.
“Mary is real,” he said. “I receive so many letters and emails. Amazing things happen. Consecration to Mary gives her permission to take charge of our lives.”
Father Gaitley urged everyone to begin their consecration. “Start tonight,” he said. It’s a page of prayer per day and you will be finished on December 8. I know we’re cheating, but read the first two pages tonight, and you’ll be all caught up to continue tomorrow.”
Pope Francis has designated the Time of Divine Mercy to begin on December 8 this year. “This will be a huge year,” added Father Gaitley, “that will bring us great blessings as Mary brings us to Jesus Christ.”
The rally concluded with a video presentation of “I am Catholic” and a request to sign up and attend the March for Life Chicago on January 17, 2016.
As the attendees left the auditorium, each received a copy of Father Gaitley’s “33 Days to Morning Glory” and a Chaplet of the Divine Mercy prayer card. Many stood in line to meet him and have their copy personally signed.
Before the rally began, Nate Frank of McHenry, a sophomore at Marian Central Catholic High School, said his mother listens to Father Gaitley on the radio and he was attending with his friends to get the experience. “He sounded pretty good,” Frank said.
Cindy Govekar attended with her husband Gary and daughter Elizabeth Nusser, one of their ten children. “Father Gaitley’s story is important for the young to hear,” she said. “He is approachable and his strong devotion to the Divine Mercy is powerful,” said Cindy. “As I tell my children, prayer is the original wireless communication.”
As for Blanche? She received her own call to vocation and became a nun in France. She is now Sister Bernadette and totally devotes her life in prayer for priests, vocations and, in particular, for Father Michael Gaitley.