Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Bio



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     The Providence of God calls us to work for His Kingdom in a way that is unique and particular to each of us.  He weighs the crosses and joys that will be in our life, and He guides us as we seek His Holy Will.

     Although God does His part, each of us must do our part in cooperating with His grace to find His will for us in this life.  He calls us to explore ways in which we can glorify Him on earth as it is in Heaven.  Sometimes, in spite of ourselves, the paradox in the way God works with us is that we often get nothing we ask for, but everything that we wanted.  Even if we have fallen short of the mark, He is there, always encouraging us on to take the next step in spite of the obstacles presented to us in this life.  We can all identify with this, and it is no different for me.

     The reason for this website is the hope to collaborate with others who see the value and mission of this Apostolate to glorify Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, and to help others unite their day to the Lord in the Holy Mass.  For me, it has been a journey which began from the earliest days of my childhood which led up to this work.  In various ways, and with signal graces, God set my feet upon this path where, in spite of interests I may have had in life regarding career, and all the legitimate goods one can seek in life.  God has seen fit to encourage this path as a constant journey within me and manifest His will in very clear ways by means of signal graces, as well as circumstances that confirm the same.

     This Apostolate began for me many years ago, and I had no idea it would come to pass that I would have the Apostolic Blessings of 2 Popes in support of it.

     The Eucharist was always the most important thing in life to me, even in a child’s way of understanding it, and I was always drawn to try and understand the meaning of suffering in life in light of the Cross of Christ.  I came to see clearly that suffering, as well as joys, are to be sanctified in the Holy Mass.  In fact, as a boy, I used to go to the attic of our family home which was a place and time I treasured because there was a large wooden crucifix up there which once stood upon an altar in a Church.  The body of Christ was attached to the cross only by His feet, the arms had been broken and his body swiveled on the nail in his feet.  In a child’s way, and something that remains in my heart still, I used to go there to console Jesus, to kiss Him where He was broken knowing He deserved none of the suffering He endured for us.  It was there He showed me in a simple way, in that private, very special time, that He wants our suffering to be united to His own on the Cross so it becomes sanctified suffering when He makes our suffering one with His own suffering on the cross.  I understood there is suffering in life, much that we do not ask for, and much we bring on ourselves, but in either case, He wants us to give it to Him so He can mold us in His will.

     As I grew into a young adult the Eucharist still had its place in life for me, but my mind was not so much on devoting my life to Apologetics, or anything of the sort. I loved my faith, but after High School I decided I would embark on a career in aviation.  I was taking flying lessons, flying Cessna’s, and since I was flying I thought if I am going to fly them I want to know how they work.  So, I entered into aviation mechanical training at a secular institute on an Air Force base.  I was working toward an airframe and power plant license so I would be licensed as an aircraft mechanic, with plans that after graduation I would enter the ROTC as a 2nd lieutenant to be a pilot.  That all changed when one day I felt moved to pin a small button of Our Lady and the Christ child on my jump suit lapel.  What happened in the aviation mechanical class that day put a question deep into my heart.  I was nearly done with my training for licensing, but the hostility from friends I had known for close to 2 years, and worked with daily, simply because I wore that button was shocking to me.  I needed to find out why we are here on this planet in a way that went beyond just what I wanted in life.

     I decided I would put aside the aviation career for the time and take some religious pilgrimages to find out what this was all about in a much more serious way.  I had begun to look into religious life in different places in Italy and France, but I did not feel called to where I visited.  In the providence of God I met some very special people in the heart of the Church, well known to their Bishops, and they had particular charisms by which they offer “advice.”   Certain things were told to me which kept me searching, and I decided it was time to study theology and philosophy.  So, I went to a Pontifically certified Catholic College and studied 4 years of theology and 2 years of philosophy, along with the great books.  I received Pontifical Certification by the Congregation of the Clergy in Rome to be an official Catechist of the Vatican, though I am not ordained, nor am I a member of the Clergy, or a Religious Order.  I am simply a layman of the Church. 

     The years have come and gone, and like everyone else, I endured many trials as I set out to find what God wants of me.  Yes, there were clear providential paths, and signal graces to encourage me in the journey, but there was also the wanting of family, children, and career opportunities that I had to let go of at the time because of what I knew God was asking of me.  If I pursued those legitimate goods at the time I would have had to put aside a very clear calling, and I could not do that.  I needed to keep in my heart a very specific thing God had asked of me which lead me to where I am today.

     My hope is to work with you to bring others to our Eucharistic Lord by means of this Apostolate, and by uniting our days, with all of its joys and crosses, to Our Lord in the Holy Mass.  This is where we all meet, and this is where we can all say with St. Paul, “In my own flesh, I make up what is lacking in the suffering of Christ, for the sake of His Body, the Church.”  (Colossians, 1:24)
God Bless You,

In Christ and in Our Lady,
Roger LeBlanc

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