St Michael's World Apostolate

A stunning, heart-warming

story to remember

It's a small world after all!

At the June 30, 2024 Sunday Holy Hour for Pope and clergy, Michael Mangan (SMWA President) approached a young lady who had just made her way on the holy grounds. You could see on her phone that she used GPS to locate the Vatican Pavilion site, that is Our Lady of the Roses, Mary Help of Mothers Shrine.

They exchanged brief greetings, she identified herself as Deysi Sanjur (below), and then Michael asked long-time devotee, Maria Fuentes, of Elmhurst, N.Y., to speak to her in Spanish, especially giving her the background story on Our Lady's appearances.

What ensued was amazing and belongs in the: you can't make this stuff up!

Deysi explained that she is from Panama (Central America) and she met Christina Lawrence, who is from Mumbai (India), in February, at the world-famous pilgrimage site, Assisi, in Italy. Christina introduces her to Bayside and urges her to make a pilgrimage there. She explains that it's a very holy site with abundant cure, conversion and healing with an enlightening Message from Heaven.

Voila! Four months later, Deysi emerges at Our Lady of the Roses Shrine.

The astounding universal impact

of Bayside

She Facetimes Christina in Mumbai and Michael then speaks with her face to face, giving her a little tour of the Shrine, showing the miracle-statue of Our Lady of the Roses and introducing her to some other pilgrims born and raised in far-away countries (or territories) like Guatemala, Poland, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico. Indeed Michael concluded with a quick spotlight on Hitomi Valle, born and raised in Japan and a pagan (her description), who converted to Roman Catholicism through the soul-stirring Message of Our Lady of the Roses.

Michael then asks if she happens to know Carole Gonsalves (and her brother, Joseph), long-time Organizer from Mumbai, who we all know very well and who has made many pilgrimages to Bayside through the years. Christina says that's her auntie! Egads.

Christina Lawrence (l.) and her auntie,

Carole Gonsalves

Between that and revealing this information to Deysi, it was a Eureka moment for all. Deysi was stunned that we knew so well the family of Christina, the young woman (and disciple) she just met in Italy a few months ago. In fact, Christina intends to come to Our Lady's 55th Anniversary celebration in June 2025.

After Deysi venerated the crucifix kissed by the Blessed Mother, we gifted her with a spiritual goodie bag: a Brown Scapular, rose petals, Messages and Rosaries. And then dropped her off at Citifield to watch the Mets play. Deysi is a big baseball fan, especially of the New York Yankees, presumably because of Yankee great and Hall of Famer, Mariano Rivera, who is Panamanian.

The omnipresent Message

In any event, it was spectacular to see God's Providence, the connectedness despite the thousands of miles apart, and how Our Lady's Message "is reaching to all corners of the world." (July 15, 1976).

At the end of the day, we are all God's children living in a global village all united in a common bond: a love and reverence for the Mission and Message of Our Lady of the Roses, Mary Help of Mothers.

It's a small world after all!