May 21, 2020
Please let me introduce myself. My name is Cathy Grinn. I met Dan Lynch with the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1991 at the Chicago Marian Conference when I was a young journalist. Our Lady of Guadalupe changed my life and I have been devoted to her ever since.
I am married with a beautiful family now. I started working in education and became a Principal as I continued to host Visitations of the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as a Guardian almost every year since then. Now that I have raised my family, I have more time to help Our Lady of Guadalupe fulfill her mission of bringing conversions, a Culture of Life and a Civilization of Love and Truth.
Dan has now authorized me to coordinate Visitations of the Missionary Image and to speak and write in support of her mission. He asked me to tell you that “he has my back” and has the same confidence in me that Our Lady of Guadalupe had in St. Juan Diego when she told him, “Now you may go off as my Ambassador worthy of my confidence in you!”
Please consider your hosting of a Visitation of the Missionary Image, especially in these uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please help Our Lady of Guadalupe exercise her role as “Health of the Sick”, as Saint John Paul II called her.
Recently, I hosted the Missionary Image as its Guardian on a Visitation throughout Southeast Michigan for a few weeks. During the COVID-19 Pandemic the churches were closed, but we were innovative and did whatever was possible to enable Our Lady to visit her children.
Our Lady brought her grace and presence and was a blessing to many people in countless ways. She continues to be so as she starts her next schedule of Home Visits and drive-up Church Visits. As I read the many words that people shared with me after their Home Visits, I was struck by the words of St. Therese of Liseux, “Be his hands and feet!” As we share Our Lady in our homes or take the Image where she is needed in our circle of family and friends, her blessings, conversions and healings continue to reach so many!
While I had the Missionary Image at my home, I felt her presence very deeply with a sense of pure love, yet a sadness that tears at your heart. As I sat with Our Lady praying, I was struck with a profound feeling of fear and sadness, then courage and strength all in the same moment.
As I was praying, a specific man came to mind quite strongly. The man I was thinking of stood next to Our Lady in a red military uniform, ready to defend Our Lady and walk with her into battle. It was such a strong moment. I sent the man’s wife a text, telling her I was praying for her husband, although I wasn’t sure what he needed prayers for. I later found out the man had been hospitalized with the Coronavirus and was on his death bed.
His wife was told by his doctor that he could go either way that night. He was fighting for his life and Our Lady was with him. I continued to pray for him, asking Our Lady’s intercession, as did many other people in his life. This man made a turn for the better soon after and was later released from the hospital with a long road to recovery. He stood at death’s door and Our Lady brought him back to his family, as I’m sure she has for so many during these difficult times. His story will be one of victory, with Our Lady guiding him as Jesus healed him. His witness of faith in the hospital through this difficult time touched more people than he realized, as his story will also.
So many more testimonies were sent to me as the Guardian, and I am blessed to share them with you. Our Lady brought peace to a man who was at home with hospice. His cousin wrote, “During Our Lady’s stay with me, I heard that my cousin Tom was at home with hospice after 9 months in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s disease. I made arrangements with his wife to leave the Missionary Image overnight with them. Their family gathered for a time of praise and worship (outside his bedroom window:) His wife commented Tom slept peacefully the whole time she was there. Thank you! My family is grateful for the Visitation that we received from Our Lady of Guadalupe. Her presence was felt and needed so much. Thank you for allowing her to be with us. She is such a blessing.”
A couple who have a beautiful prayer and music ministry hosted Our Lady and wrote, “Dearest Cathy, It was with great appreciation that we were blessed to have Our dear Mother of Guadalupe here with us in our home for a few days these past few weeks of quarantine. We were so blessed to share her with a live virtual prayer meeting! Our Lady is very special to us and we are humbly her servants. We always welcome her to our home with joy! We love to sing praise songs with her. May God richly reward you for bringing her into our lives. Thanks ever so much.”
A family who has a very strong devotion to Our Lady shared with me, “Cathy, I wanted to write to let you know that Our Lady has been blessing us during her last visit. Saturday morning was a beautiful day and while praying with her I started to smell roses. I was conscious that there were no roses in my home, outside or anywhere around us. I looked at Our Lady, got up went to her and realized it was her. The room smelled like roses. My wife Ilene came home about an hour later, walked into the prayer room where we were and I asked her, “Notice anything different?” She said, “It smells like roses.” We then prayed together and thanked Our Lady for a long while. Our prayer room continued to smell like roses the whole time she was here. There was much peace with us, our home and our families, while she remained with us. Thank you again Cathy and God Bless you and your family always. You and Our Lady mean so much to us and so many.”
This beautiful image of Our Lady is still with us after many years, yet we must always remember the reverence and love we felt the first time we saw her in this Image. The tender love, her mission for life, conversion and healing has not changed and it is up to us to continue this amazing journey with her! Without our continued willingness to host a Visitation, Our Lady’s mission cannot be maintained.
Saint John Paul II tells us, “God’s love does not impose burdens upon us that we cannot carry, nor make demand of us that we cannot fulfill. For whatever He asks of us, He provides the help that is needed.” If you are called to host a Visitation, please answer that call and God will provide what you need. If her visit changes one life, it is worth it! We cannot be complacent in what the Lord is asking of us, we must be vigilant in our Yes! to God and to Our Lady and believe that they will take care of the rest. The peace and love that radiates from this Image is only a fraction of the peace and love that Our Lady pours out upon us every day, but what a profound and inspiring moment it is to be in her presence and bring her to others.
During these uncertain times, the one constant we have is the love of Our Blessed Mother and her words to St. Juan Diego, “I am your Mother. What else do you need?” Our Lady radiates peace and calm strength in this beautiful Image. Help me bring that gift to your community by hosting a Visitation.
Please pray about this and when you feel called to host Our Lady in your area, contact me by email at cathyOLOG@gmail.com to host a Visitation and I will start the process and help you plan your visit!
Perhaps Our Lady is Calling YOU to Host a Visitation with
The Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Images visit churches and wherever else Our Lady’s motherly love is needed. The Images bring works of mercy to convents, prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and abortion centers. Because of the presence of the Image, many abortions have been prevented and over twenty abortion centers have closed through Our Lady’s intercession.
St. John Paul II asked Our Lady of Guadalupe “to ‘visit’ as a ‘pilgrim of faith’ each and every diocese, parish and family in America.” In response to this, the Missionary Images have journeyed on Visitations throughout the world and to each state of the United States to over 1000 parishes. They have received the veneration of hundreds of thousands.
Our apostolate coordinates Visitations of the Images and trains Guardian Teams to prepare for the Visitations in cooperation with their local pastors. The Team plans and implements the Visitation.
The Visitations include Holy Hours of Prayer for Life, Peace and Protection from a booklet with the recitation of the Rosary and veneration of the Image. There is a talk explaining the Image and the messages of Our Lady. Religious goods are available for sale to promote the devotion.
PERHAPS OUR LADY IS CALLING YOU TO HOST AN IMAGE FOR HER.
Please email Cathy at cathyOLOG@gmail.com to host a Visitation.
You may learn more about the Miraculous Image and the Missionary Image here.
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