Mystical City of God Part I

This letter was received on January 16, 2007 from the former Grand Knight of the Fr. Solanus Casey Knights of Columbus

My interest in Sylvan Springs began in 1988 when I learned that the imprimatur for The Mystical City of God by Mary of Agreda bore the name of Bishop H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne Rome City Indiana. This 16th century document was translated between 1902-1912 from Spanish into English. As you may know, The Mystical City of God is the Blessed Mothers account of her life and Love of the Holy Trinity. In a larger sense, it is the literary Arc of the Covenant, the fine print unveiling Gods relationship to Our Lady and mankind. This is an epic love story of Gods greatest creation, that being Our Blessed Mother Mary.

For reasons of mercy Our Lord presents his Mother in these documents to articulate and instruct the faithful and unveil the mysteries of the Holy Bible. These books proceed beyond the usual glimpse of other private revelations in that God intends them in part as a corrective measure for the confusion in the world today.

We are moved here to mention the namesake of our Knights of Columbus Council 11276. Father Solanus Casey was made Venerable by Pope John Paul II on July 11, 1995. Venerable Solanus Casey was also a devotee of Blessed Mothers Mystical City and read it on his knees for 53 years. He always encouraged with deep humility to pray to the Holy Spirit before reading it, never read it with criticism and if all possible, read it on your knees.

Father Solanus lived a ministry of Gods miracles and many refer to him as the St. Francis of Assisi of the 20th century. Father Solanus spent the last 10 years of his life at St. Felix Friary in Huntington, Indiana and he would occasionally join other priests for a short retreat in Rome City. He died on July the 31 1957, one year following the death of Archbishop Noll, with his last prayer “I give my soul to Jesus Christ.”

What has this to do to do with Rome City and Our Lady of America? Most of our experiences of Gods Love in our lives and how he reveals himself to us is quite personal. What are the links that make so much sense to us, that we know God is speaking clearly to us? It is often difficult to express to others the force and significance of this relationship.

How can we discern Sylvan Springs and the importance it has in Gods plan of redemption? These are difficult and complex questions to answer. Many of us attempt to review the historical links and discern in prayer to the Holy Spirit what Our Lords plan is for this place. I hope to provide some information that may shed some light on this question.

Let us start with Bishop H.J. Alerding’s imprimatur of the Mystical City of God by Mary of Agreda. Bishop Alerding resided in Rome City at the time of this momentous event. On August the 24th of 1912 in the very building that Sister Mildred Neuzil received her apparitions in 1956 he issued this statement: “Rome City Indiana August 24, 1912 The Rev. George J. Blatter Dear Rev. Father: My Imprimatur is herewith granted to the English translation of the work entitled ‘ Ciduad de Dios ‘wishing you every Blessing I remain, Devotedly in Domino H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne.
We are also quite fortunate in the Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend Indiana that two other Bishops have embraced our Blessed Mothers history. Bishop John F. Noll on December 8, 1950 extended his imprimatur to “Wisdom The Woman According to Agreda by James A. Carrico and Bishop Leo A. Pursley on March 10, 1959 extended his imprimatur to “The Life of Venerable Mary of Agreda by the same author. The full force of three Fort Wayne Bishops proclaim in their imprimaturs “ Let it be read by the faithful, that there is nothing contrary in the teaching of the Holy Mother Church as regards to faith and morals.

James Carrico was also a great promoter of The Mystical City of God. For a period of time, Father Solanus was his spiritual director, encouraging his publishing of the two books mentioned. Mr. Carrico along with Father Kean published the Age of Mary magazine including the exclusive Mystical City of God issue Jan./Feb 1958. Why has God blessed and entrusted this Diocese with presenting the life of His Mother and linked it directly to Rome City Indiana?

This website is currently featuring the Life of Bishop John Noll and his involvement in Rome City and Sylvan Springs. The language of “links” on the internet is the language of our time. The information “highway” links allows us to communicate to one another in seconds unlike, as the article indicated, took Father Noll days on horse back. Father Noll’s love for Our Blessed Mother and the mission of what is now called Sylvan Springs is self evident as you read the account.