La Salette is an obscure village buried in the Alps of southeastern France. There on September 19th, 1846, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to two young cowherds, Maximin Giraud, age 11, and Melanie Mathieu (Calvat), age 14. In the center of a great circle of light the two children saw a beautiful woman seated upon a stone, her face buried in her hands. She was weeping. Then the Beautiful Lady rose and spoke: Come near, my children; do not be afraid. I am here to tell you great news. Mary’s message to the two children at La Salette was the warning of a mother concerned over her wayward children. She complained: If my people refuse to submit, I will be forced to let go the arm of my Son and more specifically: Those who drive the carts cannot swear without using my Son’s name … they labor all day Sunday … there are none who go to Mass…when they do not know what to do, they go to Mass just to make fun of religion … She warned: If the harvest is ruined, it is only on account of yourselves … If you have wheat, you must now sow it. Anything you sow the vermin will eat … A great famine is coming … She promised: If [my people] are converted, rocks and stones will turn into heaps of wheat, and potatoes will be self-sown in the fields … She pleaded: Well, my children, make this known to all my people … Mary’s apparition at La Salette is a modern-day reminder of an ancient truth: that Mary constantly intercedes for us before God; that she is the Reconciler of Sinners, calling us back to the message and way of her Son, Jesus.The La Salette Missionaries are founded upon the reconciling message and mission of this Apparition of Mary. Their congregation of brothers and priests numbers about 1,000 and the congregation of sisters numbers about 400, serving in over twenty countries around the world. This book is a brief history of the transition of the brothers and priests from France to North America.
