Volume XXVII, Number 25
December 5, 2023

Help Us Survive—and Thrive!

It's simple. To keep our doors open for another year, I truly need you to participate this Christmas. I only ask once a year. Without the help of just about everyone reading this, we'll be in big trouble. Donate Now

And I believe this is exactly how our heavenly Father wants it. He decides if we keep our doors open through your generosity.

We have a bold plan to reach ten times as many people next year, but we can't turn plans into concrete reality without your help today.

It only takes a few minutes to make a gift. Moreover, the Bible teaches that "almsgiving atones for sins."

Therefore, on behalf of Our Lady, I warmly invite you to make a personal sacrifice this year—to atone for our own sins and those of our fallen-away loved ones and fellow countrymen.

God alone knows what constitutes true self-denial in your particular situation, which is why I always ask you to pray about your gift. I'm confident Our Lady will whisper in your heart after you click on the donate button.

Cross and Resurrection

You and I have been denying ourselves, praying, and carrying the True Cross for two long years, and now it's bearing incredible fruit!

Many of you don't need a bunch of reasons to donate.

You just need this once-a-year reminder that our Heavenly Father keeps this apostolate alive through your annual Christmas gift.

Please give whatever amount the Holy Spirit inspires this year—then have a happy and holy Christmas and New Year!

Make Your Christmas Gift

This year I have surprising reflections on the spiritual foundations of supporting any Catholic apostolate—our daring plans to reach millions of new people in 2024, the "seven ways" your gift helps souls, our famous Same Three Things, and a group prayer at the end.

I just returned from Adoration, where I implored Jesus to guide your response to my heartfelt invitation to share in the joy of keeping our doors open.

We're in Big Financial Trouble

And it's the best kind of trouble—we've been growing like crazy and we're reaching more people than ever—with a plan to reach many times more. In fact, we're scrambling to bring on new workers, which costs money.

And It's Your Fault

We've doubled in size because of your hard work, prayer, and sacrifice. My young coworkers and I are grateful and humbled—they depend on your generosity to keep working here.

So whatever you've been up to as part of our mission—prayer, distributing materials, donations—please keep up the good work!

Ideas for Challenging Yourself

Ponder What Money Is

Money can't save souls sitting in a bank—it is a blessing from God that can be "converted" into real-world action, tools for evangelization, and prayer movements.

Enter into the Joy of Your Lord

In the Parable of the Talents, the Master rewarded those who earned a return—on money He originally gave them—by saying, "Enter into the joy of your Lord."

The return God seeks from our money is the salvation of souls. Our reward is sharing in the divine interior delight of God Himself. That's why it feels so good to make a donation—it is God's joy we experience.

Adding a Zero

This is elegantly simple: whatever the amount, ask Our Lady if she wants you to "add a zero" when you fill in the online donation box or write your check. (I've done this before and I've grown to love it.)

Pray for a Percentage

This approach came to me in prayer a few years ago. Consider giving a specific percentage of your savings or net worth—in the big picture, you might never even need it.

Sacrifice a Good Thing

A holy nun once told me during an annual Christmas appeal that "the grace that saves souls never comes cheap." Sacrifice something good. Vacations are valuable. Getting a coffee on the way to work is a good thing. Investment gains are a blessing.

In other words, big or small, consider postponing or giving up something you desire or love for the sake of gathering treasure in heaven.

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Mail Your Donation
The Mary Foundation, PO Box 26101, Fairview Park, OH 44126
(check, cash, or money order) Make payable to "The Mary Foundation"

You Are Everybody Else

I've been doing this for a long time. It's human nature to assume "everybody else" is taking care of the Mary Foundation's financial needs.

As much as I long for every reader to join in, only a relatively small percentage help keep our doors open.

Please, please don't leave it to everybody else. You are "everybody else."

I'm not complaining—but without hundreds of new participants this Christmas, we will likely have to cancel new projects, lose skilled workers, and could even shut down by next summer.

Yet I'm so grateful that we have a chance to survive for one more year.

Seriously. It's exciting (if not a bit nerve-wracking for me personally) because we run the tightest little ship in the Catholic world.

The following are just plain facts:

Your gift will not be a drop in the bucket.

Over the past 33 years, we've received millions in what the world considers "small gifts."

Remember, Our Lord sees the sacrifice, not the amount.

So please, take a minute and join the others. (No one ever regrets it!)

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The Same Three Things

You guys are the best! Once a year I ask you for the same three things:

1. Share in the joy of keeping our doors open!

2. Invest in amazing new projects like Operation True Cross.

3. Reach millions of souls while changing history.

For reasons known only to heaven, Our Lady has chosen her little Mary Foundation and you to do the crucial, humble, and hidden reparation needed for God to deliver America from evil.

I follow the same simple principles she gave me thirty-three years ago...

We virtually never advertise. We have zero social media. We give most of our high-quality materials away either for free or for ridiculously low donations. We have no "fundraising" department.

We treat everyone with personal kindness—as individuals.

No other apostolate does the things we do.

Joy in Atonement

Of course, as I wrote above, making a donation can bring divine joy. As a good Catholic, you know this. And even better, "almsgiving atones for sins," both our own sins and the sins of our nation. (Sirach 3:30)

So I really do beg of you, ask Our Loving Father to reveal whatever amount constitutes true-self denial in your own unique situation.

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Much More in '24

I believe our rapid growth is a direct supernatural result of answering Immaculate Mary's century-long call to embrace penance and prayer to rescue poor sinners from being dragged into hell before her coming Triumph.

As you probably know, our grueling and unprecedented 4,500-mile cruciform walking pilgrimage has been completed.

As a result, hundreds of thousands have now joined our Operation True Cross national prayer movement to implore God to deliver America from evil.

Our Young Adult network has grown to over 1,200 groups and twice as many leaders. The conversions and solid Catholic marriages I promised would happen have begun.

Our regular podcasts are converting, training, and inspiring hearts and minds.

In practically no time at all you've distributed over 110,000 Three Angelus Cure cards—which quickly deliver individuals from demonic influence—the first of millions if we keep our doors open for another year.

Yet without bringing in more "on-fire" workers, we will not be able to reach huge numbers of new people (possibly millions before next fall) through partnerships we're planning with dozens of Catholic podcasts and life-changing spokesman like Ed Jozsa, "the mystic next door."

Suffering Saves Souls

As I fasted while carrying an actual fragment of the True Cross around my shoulders with my fellow Cyrenes—walking for thousands of miles, month after month, day after day, from sunrise to sunset—our main intention was for God to deliver America from diabolical bondage. (And He will.)

And, of course, to offer reparation in union with Christ Crucified for our fallen-away loved ones.

I just spoke with Father John Anthony Boughton (head of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal), who cofounded Operation True Cross. He is reporting significant signs all over America of the Great Awakening we have been asking heaven to grant—although you won't see it on the corrupt mainstream media.

What we've been doing together is working. Onward to victory!

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Seven Ways You'll Help Souls

1. A Conversion Tool for Millions

Since the dawn of the Internet in 1996, our website has been there in good times and bad, for every minute of every day, 365 days a year.

Our dominant position in search engines helps millions of curious, lukewarm, young and old visitors find us every year—it's a chance for God's grace to work through our Catholic content, books, booklets, scapulars, and podcasts.

2. Heaven Knows

Only in heaven will we see how God's providence works by the Mary Foundation "being there" for seekers. Even as the founder, I see only tiny slice of the supernatural ripple-effect of our work together. Here's one...

...decades ago, our website sparked the dramatic conversion of a teenage boy in the far reaches of northern Canada. He contacted me personally and I sent him everything we had.

He became a Catholic and then converted his entire family before moving to America to become one of the holiest priests I've ever known—today he is the superior general of a religious congregation ministering to countless people!

This is what your donation today can do, by God's pure grace.

3. A Hidden Rosary Apostolate

With your help we have produced tens of millions of tools for evangelization.

For instance, we have distributed more Rosary recordings than any organization in all of human history. Hundreds of millions of Holy Rosaries, Divine Mercy Chaplets, and other history-changing daily prayers have been offered to heaven.

Our Lady made that happen—through you.

4. Prayer Movements and Pilgrimages

In addition to Operation True Cross, since 2015, many of you participated spiritually when we physically (and permanently) delivered your intentions to dozens of holy places in Rome, the Holy Land, Fatima, Canada, France, and national shrines all over America.

5. Reaching the Unreachable

Everything we offer—every book, every podcast, medal, evangelization card, and every webpage—is designed to inspire the luke-warm and the fallen-away.

At this point, for instance, there is no way to keep track of all the Catholic children who have been born after their parents converted! That blows my mind.

6. Creative Initiatives

Many of our newer benefactors are not aware of some of our other creative initiatives and services:

- CatholicYoungAdultGroups.org
- a top "Catholic Prayer" page
- the #1 Catholic Baby Names page
- the entire Catholic Encyclopedia
- the Catechism Simplified
- the Baltimore Catechism
- the most popular online Guide to the Rosary
- the Archbishop Viganò Archive

Not to mention the oldest Catholic email message on earth, from yours truly, which I began writing just months after the World Wide Web went live twenty-eight years ago.

7. Our Lady's "Little Project"

I believe Our Lady sent you to us. All this miraculous activity happens because she is the true founder of this hidden little project consecrated to her Immaculate Heart.

It was her plan to pin her mantle over America in 2020. As Our Lady of Sorrows, she is the reason why this broken-down 60-year-old was able to carry a relic of the True Cross in a geographical crucifix over our county with the other Cyrenes for nine endless months.

I really believe helping us this Christmas helps the Mother of God.

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Catholic Quotations

"Fasting is better than prayer and almsgiving is better than both."
- Pope Saint Clement I

"Almsgiving, according to the Gospel, is not mere philanthropy. Rather it is a concrete expression of charity, a theological virtue that demands interior conversion to love of God and neighbor, in imitation of Jesus Christ, who, dying on the cross, gave his entire self for us."
- Pope Benedict XVI

"As water extinguishes a blazing fire, so almsgiving atones for sin."
- Sirach 3:30

"It is only by sacrificing and suffering, offered as penance, that you will be able, by the grace of God, to convert sinners."
- Saint John Vianney

Pray with Us

Let us, all over the world, begin in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...

We cry out to you, O Generous Father, "Abba!" We are but children who depend on You for all things, And wish only to serve well the Mother of your only begotten Son, Jesus.

Please, Father, direct me, and all those
who have received this appeal,
if it is within Your sovereign will,
to respond prayerfully, happily, humbly, and sacrificially,
for the sake of the many souls the Mary Foundation
influences in so many hidden ways,
in accord with your holy and unfathomable plans.

O Saint Joseph, head of the Holy Family, guide us!
O Immaculate Mary, Help of Christians,
we beg you to dispense overwhelming graces
to convert our loved ones and our nation—
oppressed as we are at all sides
by the forces of darkness!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, king of our hearts,
bring forth the greatest of Great Awakenings!
Give us the desire and power to love the Father
more and as perfectly as possible,
by doing only His will, as you did on earth
since your humble birth on the first Christmas,
and lovingly rule us from your heavenly throne,
through the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever.
Amen.

And amen. Thank you, thank you, for being a part of my life and a part of this extraordinary work of Our Lady. The short version of everything I wrote above is:

We need you.
Souls need you.
Our nation needs you.
Our Lady needs you.

Never lose hope. Never give up. Be not afraid.

The Lord, in prayer, has been sending me a steady message for three years: "Build the army. Don't lose your nerve. It's for the whole world."

Our advantage is hidden suffering and sacrifice. Let's go for it! My expanding crew and I are looking forward to sending out a whole bunch of "thank you" letters, so pour it on!

May God grant us all a grace-adorned, peaceful, and truly Merry Christmas!

With the Holy Family,

Bud Macfarlane Founder

Make a Credit Card Donation

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Mail Your Donation
The Mary Foundation, PO Box 26101, Fairview Park, OH 44126
(check, cash, or money order) Make payable to "The Mary Foundation"

Our supporters have distributed tens of millions of life-changing Catholic gifts since 1991, making us America's largest producer of high-quality, super-affordable tools for evangelization. Join our work today!

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