The sun glimmers on the horizon, shedding its golden hue across the fields
that stretch as far as the eye can see. Birds begin to sing, fireflies
blink, and the shadows of a small town become long and faded as its
skyline melts into silhouette. The shapes of farmhouses and grain bins
draw into a cluster around a prominent water tower that announces its
identity: Alexandria, South Dakota. Somewhat removed from the water tower
another structure rises above the landscape-it is the steeple of St. Mary
of Mercy Catholic Church.
<"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"> (Mt. 5:5). The
people of this place are straightforward and practical; they bring forth
their livelihood each day from what nature-aided by their own good
sense-raises out of the ground. They grin and grip your hand with firmness
and warmth; and you feel as though they are honestly glad to meet you. Six
hundred of these people inhabit Alexandria, just enough to give them their
own exit on interstate 90. And on this particular evening one of them is
out for a walk; by his stature and the length of his stride he is
unmistakably a farmer, but his clothes display that he is a laborer in
another harvest. As he strolls along he stops to talk to passers-by, or
perhaps to wave to someone across the road. People respond with respect
and affection; everyone seems to know him, indeed to know him as a
personal friend. Especially the children....
"Hi, Father Fox," the head of a little girl pokes out from around a
doorway. She wears a smile as they exchange some small conversation; she
is introducing her cousins, two small children that Fr. Fox does not yet
know. But he will.
The youth of America are bombarded with things that attempt to make a
claim on their hearts. In the midst of this there is one man who uses his
every ability to offer them his heart. Fr. Robert J. Fox has a mission to
young people, and a message to proclaim: there is another way to live,
God's way. In order to say this, however, he must demonstrate that way in
his own life. This demonstration has taken many forms, as author and
journalist, as television personality, as leader in the World Apostolate
of Fatima. In all, however, he is priest, and he touches the lives of his
people-particularly young people-by living the life of Jesus, human in its
tenderness and intimacy, divine in the fact that it knows no limit.
Fr. Fox has a truly international public that includes Cardinals and
members of the Roman Curia. Yet they have not drawn him out of his
simplicity of life and its roots in the fields and farms of South Dakota.
On the contrary he has drawn them into his simple vision, a vision of the
Mystical Body of Christ, the Christ who has known hard work, suffering,
and great love.
Such characteristics filled the household of Aloysius and Susie Emma Fox,
who ran a farm near Watertown, S.D. They were devout people, for whom the
truth that Jesus is the Son of God was as basic as the truth that the
ground freezes in winter. They had five healthy sons-a bit boisterous in
temperament, but good boys-and two daughters. Then, on Christmas Eve of
1927, Susie Emma brought forth a sixth son. Robert Joseph they named him,
and he gave-them yet another hope for an answer to that special request
that they often brought before God. The Foxes did not have a great deal
of exterior piety; their devotion, rather, was bound up with the practical
realities of daily living and solidified by a basic and essential family
spirituality. On occasion, however, Aloysius and Susie would ask God for a
gift-that at least one of their six sons would become His priest.
Robert was still a baby when his father was called to God. He never knew
his father by face, but he knew him by the tone that he had set in the
family; an attitude that his mother would carry on, and that would pull
the family through the difficult years that lay ahead. The whole family
had to pitch in to keep the farm going during those times of the Great
Depression, when nature herself seemed to have gone bankrupt and no rain
fell from the sky. Somehow there was always food on the table, though not
much of it. Clothes came from relatives in Minnesota, and heat came from
the kitchen, rising up from a large wood stove. Winters were cold, and
every day was long. Robert was already milking cows at the age of six, and
as he got older he began to run the farm equipment. The family survived;
in fact their poverty did not greatly hinder their happiness, for the home
was laden with another kind of wealth.
<"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven">
(Mt. 5:3). Every Sunday the Fox family would make the five mile trip into
Watertown for Mass. Fr. O'Meara, the pastor, offered the Eucharist with a
faith and sincerity that left a deep impression on Robert. Everyone in the
area, it seemed, was Catholic-and many of them were related. Most of
Robert's playmates were his first cousins and religion was a regular topic
of conversation between families, and a source of unity. Robert had a
sense, from a very early age, that a Catholic-wherever he might come
from-was someone he could trust; someone who shared his beliefs and
values, who had the peace of the same God in his heart. All Catholics are
united in some very special way, the boy thought.
Before Robert had his first day of school, his mother took him aside and
asked him, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" "Nothing," the
little boy answered. "I thought you might like to be another Fr. O'Meara,"
suggested his mother, recalling her constant prayer for her sons. A sudden
vision burst forth in the child's mind: How tremendous it would be to be a
priest!
This thought remained with him through the years at Immaculate Conception
school. His teachers were Franciscan nuns, and their manner and
attitude-as well as what they taught-spoke to him of the power of
humility. In fifth grade, one of the nuns taught him that the Mass is the
Sacrifice of the Cross. Not understanding the theology, Robert thought
that Jesus was suffering pain every time a Mass was said. But he loved Him
all the more. Sometimes Robert would roll up a towel and wrap it around
his neck like a roman collar in order to see what he would look like as a
priest. Then there were pictures of Padre Pio; the boy marveled at the
power of Christ's priesthood, marked by the wounds that Padre Pio suffered
in union with Jesus. The Eucharist began to be a vivid reality in Robert's
experience; he would peek into the church in Watertown and draw near to
the real presence of the Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament-a Jesus who
seemed to be calling, beckoning....
High school, however, soon approached and brought with it the inevitable
discovery of girls. Robert found that girls were really quite nice, and he
rather enjoyed going to dances. He thought that perhaps he'd like to get
married and have a family; he very much wanted a family, and besides-he'd
have sons who could be priests, lots of sons. But then there was that
special bond that draws all Catholics together-like a family. How he
longed to embrace them all in Jesus. Would a family of 6 or 8 children be
enough? No, he wanted thousands!
There was a tugging on his heart that would not go away, a fire that was
the Holy Spirit reaching within him and casting his longings far beyond
the high school, the girls, the dances, everything that fell short of
Jesus. <"Yes, Lord, you know that I love you"> (John 23:16). The desire to
be a priest, born of his parents' prayers, had taken firm hold in his
heart and it would not be uprooted.
<"Is not this the carpenter's son?"> (Mt. 26:55). Robert, however, faced
another difficulty. It was quite uncommon for South Dakota farmboys to
become priests; the pattern of life was fixed, and priests and nuns seemed
to drop out of the sky rather than come off the farm. How would he tell
his family of this seemingly strange ambition? A sudden fear took hold of
him-would they take him seriously? Would they understand what he wanted?
and why? Robert needed courage, or perhaps he would never leave the farm.
An accident with a hay rake, which broke his leg and even threatened his
life, took him away from his farm duties for several months during his
senior year of high school. This gave him time; time for prayer and
reflection, time to develop courage. Robert Fox, internationally known
leader in the apostolate, a light with the vigor of the earliest
disciples-the clarity of St. Philip, the zeal of St. Steven, the
dedication of St. Barnabas- began like them as a man afraid; even more so
because his fear was of something undefinable; it was the fear of being
misunderstood.
But the Spirit of the Lord lifted him up and his heart was filled with
fortitude. Robert decided to tell a married sister, and rely on her to
tell the rest of the family. The revelation of his desire came as a joy to
the whole family, but especially to his mother whose special request,
unknown to Robert, was now going to be fulfilled.
St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota was a center of
liturgical development during the late 40's. The atmosphere gave the sense
of a worldwide Church, and young Robert, who knew mostly plows, potato
fields, and the parish church at Watertown, was a bit bewildered at first.
The studies were formidable, and at first Robert feared that he would be
overwhelmed. He prayed that God and the Blessed Mother might take special
charge of his vocation, because he felt so powerless to do it alone.
<"Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid"> (Mt. 14:27). From that point
on his grades improved, and he began to understand the depth of the
Mystery that had called out to him from the tabernacle years ago. Among
the most beautiful of doctrines that he explored was that of the Mystical
Body of Christ-the Church as the extension of the Incarnation. Here was
the source of that powerful union that he had always sensed among
Catholics-their union as members of Christ Jesus; <"the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit . . . one God and
Father of all, who is above all, and throughout all, and in us all"> (Eph.
4:34).
After two years at St. John's, Robert advanced to St. Paul's Seminary to
conclude his studies. Here he lived an intense and structured prayer life,
the form of which he has maintained to this day. At the seminary he
learned to approach his priestly duties prayerfully, and how to reflect in
those duties the Priesthood of Christ. Also, he was moved with the desire
to preach the Word of God. During those days the seminarians would gather
around a television set-a new piece of technology in 1953-and watch as
Fulton Sheen grabbed hold of a fresh medium and claimed it for Christ.
Robert was seized by the zeal that seemed to leap out of the television
screen when Bishop Sheen spoke. "I thirst; I thirst for souls!" said the
bishop. Robert felt this thirst, and longed to quench it by proclaiming
the Gospel.
Finally ordination came on April 24,1955. Robert felt as though the very
statues in the Cathedral would come alive and cry out, "this man is
unworthy!" His unworthiness, however, gave him a greater sense of the
power of a God who <"can raise up children of Abraham from these very
stones"< (Mt. 3:9). Stone though he might be, when the bishop of Sioux
Falls laid hands on him, he was sealed with the mark of the High Priest,
who <"because he continues forever, has an everlasting priesthood"> (Heb.
7:24). After the ordination, the priests' families approached the altar
rail for a personal blessing. Susie Emma Fox shed a tear as she approached
her son; a tear in memory of her husband's prayer-and hers-now answered to
the Glory of God.
For young Fr. Fox, the priesthood meant the culmination of his devotion to
the Mystical Body of Christ. He was filled with awe and wonder at each
Mass he said; the richness of the presence of Christ and the intimacy of
the union of the Mystical Body that was expressed in the liturgy increased
his desire to "live the Mass" entirely in his priestly life-to be a
victim, always pouring himself out in service to the members of Christ.
Very early on, the basic approaches of Fr. Fox's pastoral life were
established. This life centered on preaching, which produces the faith
that makes incorporation into Christ possible and more vital. As a priest,
Fr. Fox soon saw that all of his actions-indeed everything about
himself-had a teaching significance. Mindful of this, he never failed to
appear in clerical dress, because his mere identity spoke to people: "this
man represents Jesus Christ."
From the beginning, Fr. Fox saw his preaching duties as particularly
addressed to children. As an assistant in several rural parishes in South
Dakota, he taught catechism right through the high school level. Here he
saw the strength and significance of the basics of the faith, and how
important they were to catechetical instruction. The rural people-modest,
reserved, possessed of a natural humility-opened like blossoms when the
young priest spoke of faith and devotion, and within these parishes he was
already finding the "family" he had always desired.
Moreover it was his dedication to preaching that brought about the quite
accidental series of events that launched Fr. Fox into his writing
apostolate. During the early 1960's, after Fr. Fox had become pastor in
Bristol, S.D., the <National Catholic Register> sent a letter to parish
priests all across the country asking them not to neglect the preaching of
sermons during the summer. Fr. Fox wrote a letter to the editor of the
<Register> in which he supported the <Register's> view and expounded at
some length his -own defense of the importance of preaching the Word of
God at Mass. This was something central to his ministry, so the ideas
flowed quite easily onto paper, and Fr. Fox sent the letter off without
any difficulty. He was astonished when he received a reply praising his
ideas, and suggesting that he write an article for <The Priest,> a
magazine for clergy.
Fr. Fox didn't see himself as a writer, especially one who could be
published in a national magazine. He was, after all, a pastor from the
farmland of South Dakota- journalism was the furthest thing from his mind,
and he didn't think that others would have too much interest in what he
had to say. Therefore the idea of writing for <The Priest> was quickly
forgotten.
Several months later, Fr. Fox was leafing through the latest issue of The
Priest, and he came across an article written anonymously; this was not
uncommon in the magazine which listed such articles under the pseudonym of
"Sacerdos." This particular article was about sermons. As Fr. Fox read, he
was struck by the fact that "Sacerdos" thought very much like himself
about the need for consistent and fruitful preaching. He read on
enthusiastically. Suddenly his mouth dropped open. "This is me," he
gasped, recognizing the words and structure to be the very same as the
letter he had written to the <Register.> The editor, perhaps suspecting
Fr. Fox's own reluctance, had submitted the letter as an anonymous article
to <The Priest.>
Fr. Fox was greatly encouraged by this unintentional success. Perhaps
there was a way for him to serve God in the printed medium; at least he
saw that it was possible for his writing to be published. So he began
writing articles, and soon he found that his work was in great demand.
Articles began to appear frequently in <Our Sunday Visitor,> <Homiletic
and Pastoral Review,> and the <Register,> where Fr. Fox eventually secured
a weekly column.
Fr. Fox viewed writing as a "prolongation and extension" of his preaching
task, directed to those whom he could not reach personally. Meanwhile his
primary focus continued to be personal contact in parish life. While he
was busy attending to the needs of his parish community in Bristol, his
bishop was participating in the sessions of the Second Vatican Council.
Shortly after the promulgation of the Decree on Ecumenism, Fr. Fox- with
the authorization of his bishop-conducted an ecumenical Advent prayer
service along with three Protestant denominations. The service was
attended by over six hundred people, and Bristol gained national attention
with some observers calling the young and enthusiastic pastor a "new
breed" priest.
Fr. Fox, however, was conscious that God is "ever Ancient, ever New," and
with a sense of tradition and continuity he set out to perform the work of
Vatican II. The Council revitalized his own commitment to catechesis, and
he went about with even greater zeal in teaching the faith to God's
smallest children. <"Let the little ones come to me"> (Lk. 18:18). At the
same time Fr. Fox became keenly aware of difficulties arising in modern
catechetics; people who claimed to be responding to the mandate of the
council were actually watering down Catholic doctrine in the interests of
some false sense of ecumenism or the dubious applications of certain
fashionable trends in child psychology.
Fr. Fox's observance of these difficulties led to a book: <Religious
Education; Its Effects, Its Challenges Today.> As the 1960's wore on, the
atmosphere in catechetics became increasingly confused, and Fr. Fox's book
was greeted enthusiastically by many as an answer to the rising problems,
a light in the fog. Others, however, were determined to resist his
efforts. As pastor in Milbank he sought to implement his vision of
catechetics in the Catholic school. The principal and the school board
opposed him, and tension gripped the entire parish. <"I come to bring not
peace, but the sword"> (Mt. 10:34). Fr. Fox found that his commitment was
being put to the test. Always desiring the welfare of his parish first, he
now found himself the center of a controversy that was cutting a deep
wound in his community. Perhaps it was his fault-perhaps he needed more
patience in the situation? Or was he pushing his own view too far? Fr. Fox
felt the sword within his own heart, driving him to seek a closer union
with the suffering heart of Jesus. He wanted to know that he was doing
God's will, so he asked for a sign relating to his life as a priest and
catechist: "Is my work pleasing to you, O God?" The answer came through
the Church: a few days before Christmas, Fr. Fox received a letter from
Cardinal Wright, then secretary of the Congregation for the Clergy. "Keep
writing, you are needed in America," the letter proclaimed as Cardinal
Wright requested six copies of Fr. Fox's book. By the grace of God, Fr.
Fox had found new confidence and courage-he stood with the Church.
In the midst of the crisis in the Church, Fr. Fox found his faith growing
stronger. Important aspects of the priesthood were being called into
question in the public forum, and Fr. Fox met these challenges in his
preaching and in the deepening of interior life and commitment that
resulted from it. The response to criticism of the priestly
life-particularly celibacy-required a greater understanding of who the
priest is and the nature of his ministry. Fr. Fox was drawn to reflect
more and more on celibacy, the priesthood, and the Mystical Body in order
to appreciate the Church and his own role in the troubled times following
Vatican II.
<"Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it"> (Lk. 11:28). In
Fr. Fox's reflection, the Holy Spirit drew him toward the answer to
today's crisis of faith. Modern man has forgotten how to believe; how to
go beyond himself and find his true identity in the richness of God whom
he is called to glorify in a unique fashion. All throughout his priestly
life, Fr. Fox had dedicated himself to showing people how to live in
faith. From his own work he realized the profound need for a model of the
Christian life; the response to God lived perfectly, full of power and
love.
Since his childhood, Fr. Fox had always had a generous devotion to the
Blessed Virgin Mary. Knowing that Mary brings her Son to all men and all
men to her Son because of her unique and preeminent role in the salvation
of the world, Fr. Fox had totally consecrated his priesthood to her at his
ordination, so that he might be an instrument of her fundamental mission.
When Mary was proclaimed Mother of the Church at the Second Vatican
Council, Fr. Fox saw her role as source of that mystical Christian unity
that is the Body of Christ her Son. Now, as faith was becoming more
difficult and the minds of so many were becoming troubled and confused,
Fr. Fox was drawn to Mary not only as the means-the mystery of her divine
maternity-but also as the model of Christian perfection. Mary is the Woman
of Faith; she is the Gospel lived in all its fullness, and union with her
means a complete dedication to that Gospel. Living totally in the presence
of God, and sharing and expressing in a unique way the fullness of God's
life and love, Mary's identity is intimately linked with the personal
vocation of each and every human being.
Fr. Fox sought a deeper and more formative union with the Mother of God,
one that would infuse every detail of his ministry and priestly life. When
the Pilgrim Virgin of Fatima statue came to the diocese of Sioux Falls in
1974, Fr. Fox decided to go to Fatima himself in order to find God's-and
Mary's-will for him.
The message of Fatima meant above all devotion to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, embodying the fullness of Mary's response to God, and channeling
Christ's life to each of the faithful. As he knelt in the chapel of the
Apparitions at Cova da Iria, he asked Mary "what do you want of me?" There
was no dramatic answer, no brilliant manifestation, no sudden flash of
clarity. The prayer, however, took root as a new attitude within him. As
the days wore on, an answer impressed itself upon his mind- consistent
with all of his past work, yet representing a definite enrichment, a
greater awareness: "Teach the fullness of Catholic faith to young people
everywhere possible using Fatima as a vehicle."
<"And from that hour the disciple took her into his home"> (John 19:27).
Fr. Fox returned to South Dakota with renewed zeal, and became involved
with the World Apostolate of Fatima. He produced a tape series-<To Teach
as Mary Did at Fatima>><- as an immediate application of his commitment to
preach the Gospel through the Fatima message of conversion, penance, and
the love of God.
Then, as chairman of a Fatima Youth Seminar in Detroit, Fr. Fox introduced
his ideas for making outreach to young people a vital part of the Fatima
apostolate. He founded a youth division of the World Apostolate of Fatima,
and wrote <Catholic Truth for Youth.> At this time, however, the specifics
of the task with youth remained undefined-how could he preach the Gospel
anew to young people by means of the message of Fatima?
<"Did I not promise that you would see the glory of God displayed?"> (Jn.
11:40). While leading a group of adults in a Holy Year Pilgrimage through
Fatima to Rome in 1975, Fr. Fox had an inspiration: What better way to
bring the Fatima message to young people than by bringing young people to
Fatima! A Youth Pilgrimage, run like a retreat, would provide an
opportunity for young people to meet the Lord Jesus through the conversion
of heart called for by Fatima and the Gospel it reflects. This inspiration
was the beginning of the Youth for Fatima Pilgrimages which Fr. Fox has
led each year since 1975. To this day the youth pilgrimages-one for boys
and one for girls aged 15-22- are the high point of Fr. Fox's year, filled
with tremendous spiritual fruits. On these trips many young people come to
grips for the first time with the sins that this difficult age so strongly
encourages, and these young people-filled with a newfound hope in the
merciful and transforming love of Christ-approach the Sacrament of
Reconciliation in great numbers. Fr. Fox recalls how some young
people-touched by the Holy Spirit and delivered from so much unhappiness
and confusion-will proclaim with tears in their eyes, "Thank God a priest
finally told me the truth about my sins." This truth, which because of its
difficulty is so often neglected, can only be presented with the ever-
present invitation to God's mercy, and the result is a transformation of
heart which for so many young people is the first step to their own
interior union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the perfect Christian
life.
During the most recent pilgrimages in the Summer of 1986, the Bishop of
Leiria-Fatima, Alberto Cosme do Amaral, greeted the young people at the
Cova da Iria-the site of the apparitions-and said: "You are an example to
the youth of Portugal. You are an example to the youth of the whole world.
Because Fatima is difficult, it is especially for youth." Bishop Amaral
also blessed a replica of the statue of Our Lady at Fatima for Fr. Fox,
announcing, "Wherever this statue is, there the message of Fatima will
be." Thus, Fr. Fox sees the youth pilgrimages as a particular expression
of his vocation as a catechist and minister of God's Word and the
highlight of his own call to serve God among "the little children."
It was during that same Holy Year tour in 1975 that Fr. Fox met a man who
was to have an important influence on his more recent activities. Gino
Burresi of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary-possessor of the miraculous
charism of the stigmata (the wounds of Christ)--greeted Fr. Fox and some
of his pilgrims at San Vittorino, Italy. The two men found a deep
spiritual rapport. Fr. Fox visited then-Brother Gino several times over
the next few years. He was inspired by Br. Gino's intensity of life, his
singular dedication to the Gospel, and the dramatic physical character of
his witness of suffering. As this inspiration developed, Fr. Fox conceived
the notion of writing a book on Br. Gino's life in order to communicate
his witness and charism to a wider audience. <Call of Heaven,>< now in its
second edition (which includes the ordination of Gino Burresi to the
priesthood), has strengthened the faith of many who have read it, and has
drawn some of these into the religious life.
The book on Fr. Gino, as well as the constant work with youth, brought
about for Fr. Fox an increasing involvement with vocations. Many young
men looked up to him as a strong defender of truth as well as a man of
evangelical compassion and zeal. His preaching and writing had placed the
desire for the priesthood within the hearts of many of these young men,
who often sought him out for guidance.
"Do not think that it is you who have chosen me, rather it is I who have
chosen you"> (Jn. 15:16). Directing the vocations of young men became an
increasingly prominent feature of Fr. Fox's work. This prompted him to
found a priestly formation program with a specific orientation to the
apostolate of the media-the priesthood and the media were, after all, the
two areas most familiar to him. He called his program the Sons of the
Immaculate Heart. In the fall of 1982 with the encouragement of his bishop
and a personal expression of support from Cardinal Pironio, head of the
Congregation for Religious, Fr. Fox began his program, and soon he had
seven candidates living with him at his parish in Redfield, S.D.
At this time all the "signs" indicated that the Sons of the Immaculate
Heart would be a great success, and inquiries and support poured in from
all across the country. During this time Fr. Fox also produced a video
cassette catechism course, <Sharing the Faith> ("Instructions in the
Catholic Faith"), in which he revived the style and potential of Catholic
television preaching. In addition he maintained parish work, consistent
writing, and the Fatima pilgrimages. His work schedule reflected a rich
harvest, but perhaps too rich for one man. In time the demands on his
energy began to take their toll, and his health began to decline.
<"Blessed are the sorrowful, they shall be consoled"> (Mt. 5:4). Fr. Fox
trusted that God would not allow his own limitations to hinder the
ministry of salvation that was entrusted to him. But he did not realize
that now-when it seemed that his active apostolate was so necessary-God
was calling him instead to a ministry of suffering. His health suddenly
collapsed; at Fatima he was struck with pneumonia so severe that he lost
the pattern of his voice, the very tool with which he had brought God's
word to so many. The bishop ordered the Sons of the Immaculate Heart to
disband; Fr. Fox had to retreat to a rural environment, regain his
strength, and learn to speak all over again.
Rendered dumb and helpless by the mystery of God's providence, Fr. Fox
entered into the immense darkness and smallness of "thy will be done." He
experienced a new dimension of conformity to the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
one that goes beyond particular plans and ambitions even holy
ambitions-and embraces the "fiat" simply for the sake of "magnifying the
Lord." Fr. Fox did not understand why God had taken away his strength, or
why the Sons had failed. He only knew that this was what God wanted, and
that his very helplessness was now a vehicle for God's glory.
<"For he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid"> (Lk. 1:48). In time
Fr. Fox grew well and regained his speech. He wrote a new book,
<Immaculate Heart of Mary;> True Devotion, in which he enriches the
spirituality of St. Louis de Montfort by casting it in the context of
devotion to the Immaculate Heart, a devotion that has become the very core
and substance of his own life. In 1985 he came to St. Mary of Mercy parish
in Alexandria, where he is building a shrine to Our Lady of Fatima in a
spot that is very near to the center of the North American continent. Here
Fr. Fox will host the first Marian Congress in America in September of
1987. The Bishop of Leiria-Fatima will visit the United States for the
first time to attend the Congress and dedicate the new shrine. He will
also crown the replica statue with a crown like that on the original
statue at Fatima.
Fr. Fox will also launch a new quarterly magazine in January of 1986.
The new publication is intended primarily for young people between the
ages of 16 and 25, and will use the Fatima message to inspire its readers
with greater devotion to the Church and renewed zeal for her mission in
the world. Meanwhile Fr. Fox continues his writing, preaching, and
spiritual guidance to youth all over the country. And, as always, he
remains dedicated to his parish, especially the children, all of whom he
continues to teach just as he has in every parish he has ever served.
<"What you have hidden from the learned and the clever you have revealed
to merest children"> (Lk. 10:21). Fr. Robert J. Fox "knows the Father"
because he enters with childlike simplicity into the mystery of the
Trinity. In 1979, Pope John Paul II spoke< with Fr. Fox, and encouraged
him to pattern his life after the Sermon on the Mount. The Pope's advice
points to the message of the Kingdom of God, fully revealed as the
Mystical Body of Christ and lived in union with the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, Mother of that Body, source of the deep and personal union of all
its members, and of the members to the Head. This message of unity has
been the strength and essence of Fr. Fox's priesthood, its motivation and
driving force. With and through Mary, he is present to the Person of Jesus
Christ and receives a share in the work of building the Kingdom. In this
way Fr. Fox stands as an instrument of God's power, drawing those he
encounters into the unity of love that God wills for all men; that unity
which is Jesus Christ-the Christ that his soul proclaims, the Christ in
whom he rejoices.
This is chapter one of the book, "Fishers of Men," published in
1986 by Trinity Communications.
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Voice: 703-791-2576
Fax: 703-791-4250
Data: 703-791-4336
The Catholic Resource Network is a Catholic online information and
service system. To browse CRNET or join, set your modem to 8 data
bits, 1 stop bit and no parity, and call 1-703-791-4336.
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