A dangerous mission “There were no problems throughout the journey and we arrived in Moscow safe and sound at 4 o’clock in the morning on 24 March. Then, there was a moment of extreme panic for me when I showed my passport to a soldier at the customs desk. He looked at me suspiciously, and then he began asking me a lot of questions but I didn’t want to let him know that I understood Russian so I answered in Italian as my passport was Italian,. The soldier didn’t understand me, but he had some serious doubts about me. He began making a series of phone calls from the guard room, but it was 5 o’clock in the morning and so nobody answered. I had to wait outside the customs office where it was -5°C. I was worried, and so I pulled out Mother Teresa’s rosary from my pocket and secretly started to pray. I could already see myself deported to Siberia. But I also had a lot of faith in Mother Teresa’s prayers. The nun had said that my journey would be accompanied by her constant prayers. I thus said: “Lord, let Your will be done! But remember that it is Mother Teresa who has sent me here.” “After nearly an hour, the soldier called me and I could see he was annoyed because he hadn’t been able to contact any of his superiors. He tried yet again to ask me whether my passport was mine and I nodded. In the end, he stamped my passport and let me go. “I joined Fr. Leo who had been waiting for me in a corner of the airport and who had also been very worried. We went to the hotel and then began visiting the city, but very discretely and separately. We found out how to enter the Kremlin, and by chance, the Kremlin was open to tourists over these few days. “The Kremlin is a citadel, surrounded by a wall within the city of Moscow. It is a type of fortress which extends over an area of 28 hectares. In ancient times, it was the civil and religious heart of the city. There were, in fact, royal palaces and some of Moscow’s most important churches, among which the Orthodox Patriarchs’ cathedral, called the ‘Church of the Dormition’ or ‘Assumption Cathedral’. After the Bolshevik revolution in 1918, these churches were closed and transformed into museums. “According to the project agreed upon with Mother Teresa: on the morning of 25 March, when the Pope was beginning his ceremony for the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I had to visit the Kremlin, as a tourist, and pause in the Assumption Cathedral. While pretending to be interested in the precious works of art contained therein, I was to begin praying and to look for a hidden spot where I could place the ‘Miraculous Medal’ Mother Teresa had given me. “It all went well, just as it was suggested to me to do, even if I was very frightened. Luckily there were lots of tourists in the Kremlin that day, and amidst such a lot of people, I felt more protected. “I visited several buildings and stopped in the Archangel Cathedral, the second largest in the Kremlin, I then entered the Assumption Cathedral. I looked around attentively to find a spot where I could deposit the medal. “It is a beautiful church, full of breath-taking works of art which is why it has been conserved for so long, even if unfortunately it is no longer a church, but a museum. “I noticed, reading my guidebook, that there were the thrones where the Tsar, Tsarina and Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia used to sit during the religious ceremonies with the Patriarch sitting in the middle. I decided that the ‘Miraculous Medal’ should be put under the throne of the Patriarch, while praying that Patriarch Alexy II would soon be able to return to celebrate religious rites in that place. “At a certain point, I found myself alone and I began concentrating on celebrating Mass secretly. I carried out the Consecration by memory using a piece of bread and some wine which I had brought with me. “This was an intensely moving and religious moment. A Mass had not been celebrated in this place for 76 years. Then, very slowly, I approached the Patriarch’s throne and I noticed a little crack in the wooden floor where I quickly dropped the ‘Miraculous Medal’. I remained there for a while longer praying and then I went back to the hotel where Fr. Leo was waiting for me. We left for Italy on the same afternoon.” A mysterious finale I asked Bishop Hnilica whether he recounted this tale to Mother Teresa. “A few months later she came to Rome and I gave her a detailed account,” replied the Slovakian bishop. “She was so delighted. She continued in her missionary work on behalf of Russia. One day, in 1988, I received a phone call at 6 o’clock in the morning from Mother Teresa who said to me: “Bishop (she used to call me this) I am leaving for Moscow. You know how important it is for me to work in Russia, so I wanted to inform you of my trip. I am leaving for the airport right now.” “Mother Teresa had been invited to Moscow for an international meeting. On that occasion she met Raissa Gorbatschowa, the wife of the Secretary General of the Soviet Union and they became friends. She confided to Mrs. Gorbachev her wish to open a few convents for nuns in Russia and Mrs. Gorbachev promised to help her. A year later, the first convent was opened. “When I met Mother Teresa some time later, she said to me: “My dream is to be able to open 15 convents in Russia: because there are 15 mysteries in the Rosary.” Instead, 20 were opened, more convents than mysteries of the Rosary. But Pope John Paul II has since added 5 more mysteries to the traditional 15, and thus there are the same number of convents in the Soviet Union as there are mysteries in the Rosary, just as Mother Teresa had wished.”
I've just been made aware of a truly fascinating talk on the subject of Russia, the Fatima third Secret, the Consecration and also St Therese of Lisieux and her connection with Russia. The talk is by a Swiss Catholic priest, Fr Rolf Schoenberger, who gave a presentation at a retreat in Mexico at the end of last year. The whole talk is spread over two videos totalling about 45 minutes but it is really worth listening to all of it because it includes much information about these topics that are often discussed on this forum. Fr Rolf has helped great numbers of people in Russia and Eastern Europe through charity work. The talk ends by Fr Rolf agreeing with those who anticipate important events occurring up to the Fatima anniversary of 2017. The videos, which follow sequentially are at:
Excellent, excellent, excellent. Thank you so much for posting this, Davidtlig. I think it is one of the most important posts I have read on the Mother of God Forum. Everyone should take time to listen and reflect.
Really good info on all of the subjects involved by someone well trusted to speak to them through his own experience. I've forwarded the videos along to some others and have already received good responses. Thanks a lot.
