INTRODUCTION From the preface of
"HERALD of the FATIMA APPARITIONS:
JOHN M. HAFFERT"
Written by Edna McGrew (2009, Infinity Publishing)
"Based on John Haffert’s numerous books on Fatima, as well as his writings on the new and divine holiness, the Second Coming and the Era of Peace, it is clear that John is not only co-founder of the World Apostolate of Fatima [Blue Army], but also one of the major prophets of our times...Haffert has been described as one of the most renowned Catholic laymen of the 20th Century not only in the United States where he resided, but also across the entire globe. Surprisingly, John’s life was one of high adventure, even though many might think that a life devoted to spreading a spiritual message in this day and age might well be uneventful.
In 1917 the Blessed Mother appeared to three young shepherds in Fatima, Portugal and promised that she would perform a miracle on a specified date at a specified time. On Oct. 13, 1917, what has been called “The Miracle of the Sun” was witnessed by over a hundred thousand people gathered together on the mountain of Fatima. It was seen as far away as thirty two miles. This happening was witnessed and accurately written about by the two most powerful, quasi-atheistic newspapers in Portugal, O Seculo and O Dia. With regard to the Miracle of the Sun, John makes this amazing statement: “It was the first miracle in the history of the world at a predicted time and place ‘so that everyone might believe.’”
Until the mid 1940's, John had only a vague idea concerning the apparitions and messages of Our Lady of Fatima. Because he was a well known Catholic author and journalist, John was allowed to interview the last living visionary, Sr. Lucia. John’s visit to Fatima and his interview with Sr. Lucia changed his whole life.
John realized that few people were responding to Our Lady of Fatima’s requests. Therefore, John teamed up with Msgr. Colgan to found the Blue Army Apostolate for the purpose of promoting the Fatima message throughout the world. John and Sr. Lucia had developed a pledge for people to make as a sign of their commitment to respond to the requests of Our Lady of Fatima. The primary objective of the Blue Army was to make the Fatima messages known throughout the world and to urge that this pledge, which became known as the Blue Army Pledge, be made by as many people as possible in reparation to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. When the Blue Army had collected twenty five million pledges, they stopped counting. However, in 1983 when more than five million pledges were signed in the Philippines in just one year, this record was indeed noted.
In the 1980's, when the Blue Army was encountering serious organizational problems, believing that the Blue Army was important to the Church, Pope John Paul II became personally involved. The Pope sent: “Bishop Edward Egan [subsequently Cardinal Archbishop of NY] to integrate the World Apostolate of Fatima [Blue Army] into the structure of the Church.” Since then, the World Apostolate of Fatima [WAF] has become an International Association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right, which was established by the Holy See on Oct. 7, 2005.
The WAF international headquarters and secretariat is located in Fatima, Portugal. The WAF is present in five continents and includes six Regional Centers. These are North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. There are millions of members in more than one hundred countries worldwide. According to the international magazine of the WAF: “The mission of the World Apostolate of Fatima is to contribute to the ‘new evangelization’ of the world through the diffusion and living of the Fatima message.”
END
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NJ, SOUL magazine, the official voice of the World Apostolate of Fatima recently released a review of Edna Mcgrew's biography of John Haffert– a man many consider a saint.
John Haffert was co-founder of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, a Marian Society with millions of members worldwide. They promote the urgent requests made by the Blessed Virgin Mary in six apparitions to three little shepherds at Fatima, Portugal in 1917, which apparitions were approved by the Catholic Church.
Pope Benedict XVI, who is scheduled to make a Papal visit to the Shrine in Fatima on May 13, 2010, wrote a Theological Commentary on the meaning of the Fatima messages. The Pope explains that these private revelations: "Help us to understand the SIGNS OF THE TIMES and to respond to them rightly in faith." He points out that the children's vision of an Angel with a flaming sword corresponds to a similar image in the Book of Revelation and that the flaming sword: "represents the threat of judgment which looms over the world. Today the prospect that the world might be reduced to ashes by a sea of fire no longer seems pure fantasy: man himself, with his inventions, has forged the flaming sword."
Canonization of the layman who founded the World Apostolate of Fatima is seen as an important step in highlighting the continued urgency and seriousness of Our Lady of Fatima's messages.
Dr. Thomas Petroski, author of the "Fatima Prophecies," recently wrote to Ms. McGrew: "Congratulations on the publishing of your pivotal work on the life of John Haffert. May the Holy Spirit use it to further advance John's inevitable canonization in harmony with Mary's inevitable Triumph." |
