“Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.”
— Our Lady to Juan Diego
Dear Friends,
Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Mary’s appearance to the poor Aztec, Juan Diego, marked a pivotal moment for the Church in Mexico. Prior to that time, evangelization efforts undertaken by the Franciscans were getting nowhere as pagan and vicious Aztec traditions had a firm hold of the culture. In a very short period of time after the apparition, virtually the entire country was converted to Christianity. Mary brought Jesus to that country.
It is fitting that we celebrate this feast during Advent, a time when Mary is preparing to bring us Christ once again at Christmas. He makes all the difference to us personally, but also to our country. What better way to counteract the modern paganism and viciousness of our culture than to ask Mary to bring conversion through Christ to our family, friends and country.
May her beautiful words to Juan Diego resonate in our hearts and fill us with hope and comfort in the midst of today’s anxieties! God bless and prayers.
About Fr. Charles Sikorsky, LC
President, Institute for the Psychological Sciences
www.ipsciences.edu
Fr. Charles came to the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in 2007, after finishing his Licentiate in Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. His thesis focused on various issues relating to the legal compatibility of the observance of Canon Law and Ex Corde Ecclesiae by Catholic universities in the United States of America. He also has degrees in philosophy and theology from the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Atheneum.
A native of Baltimore, MD, Fr. Charles graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law, where he founded Law Students for Life. He received a B.A. in political economy from The Johns Hopkins University where he also played college basketball. He is a graduate of Calvert Hall College High School in Towson, MD, where he played on the 1981-82 National Championship high school basketball team.
He practiced law for two years before joining the Legionaries of Christ in 1992. He did a four year apostolic internship in South America, working in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. He also spent nine years in Rome for study and ministry. He was ordained a priest in 2002.
The Institute for the Psychological Sciences is a Catholic graduate school of Psychology in Arlington, VA, offering Master’s and Doctoral degrees in psychology. The mission of the Institute is to harmonize the science of psychology with the Christian vision of the person and his or her dignity. Its programs enable graduates to grasp all the complexities of the human person, including the transcendent, spiritual and moral dimensions, so that they can help their patients to flourish as individuals created and loved by God.
