PRECIOUS BLOOD APOSTOLATE, USA

History - PRECIOUS BLOOD DEVOTION

IN HOUSTON, TEXAS -

PRECIOUS BLOOD DEVOTION SPREADS RAPIDLY TO ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD AFTER EARLY EFFORTS OF PIONEERS OF THE DEVOTION IN AMERICA WHICH LED TO THE FORMATION OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS APOSTOLATE IN HOUSTON WITH THEIR ASSOCIATES IN VIRGINIA, KENTUCKY, AND CALIFORNIA.

Currently the Precious Blood of Jesus Apostolate in Houston, Texas, under the directorship of Aurora Protomartir, is working with many countries for the spread of this devotion around the world.  On October 15, 2002 Mrs. Mary Agnes Kumar brought the first 50 prayer books for the Precious Blood Devotion to America for use in Houston.  She brought to America the Nigerian prayer book which was being printed in Singapore at that time and which is identical to the first Nigerian prayer book.  The devotion had already gone to England before it had arrived in Singapore.  A Nigerian devotee entered the Magnificat Marian Centre in Singapore where Mary Agnes was working.  He showed her the prayer book from Nigeria and the chaplet beads, and told her all about Our Lord's remarkable work to re-awaken and augment the devotion to His Most Precious Blood as the "last great devotion of the end times."  Moved by The Holy Spirit, Mary Agnes was greatly inspired to write a complete report on this alleged development in Nigeria to Pope John Paul, II and to Archbishop Nicholas Chia of Singapore.  As more developments in the devotion occurred, she kept the Pope and other Church leaders informed of Our Lord's work in Nigeria while working in Singapore and after returning to the U.S.A. 

As the first director of the Devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus out of Nigeria, Mary Agnes Kumar provides some important and relevant dates pertaining to its propagation in America and abroad beginning with October 15, 2002 when she brought to the U.S. from Singapore the first 50 prayer books for the devotion.  She handed out the books everywhere with minimal success toward getting the devotion going until a devotee in England placed her phone number on the internet on a website for the Precious Blood.  Then, people began calling her from all around the country, and she developed a book of contacts who became early pioneers of the devotion in America wherein one of them is Claire Schaefer, Publisher of California’s Queenship Publishing, many others in various states, and finally after some time Patricia Fason of Tallahassee, Florida, who got interested about the devotion and tried to become friends with Mary Agnes through telephone conversations and inform Mary Agnes of her computer skills.  During that time Mary Agnes is looking for somebody to replace her due to her family preference and thought that Patricia have a sincere heart to promote the devotion, she recommend to the Nigerian Apostolate to be the next Director of the Apostolate.  Since Nigeria rely on Mary Agnes, they name Patricia Fason to be the next director of the Apostolate provided she follow and be respective of the rules. 

During the first few months Patricia Fason helped the Nigerian Apostolate to promote the devotion, but they noticed that she argued about the publication of the book and insisted to use her own words and even refused to send royalties to the Nigeria Apostolate.  With her strange decision to change words in the prayer book, which made it difficult for Bishop Ayo-Maria Atoyebi, who provided the "Imprimatur" to the Precious Blood Book and she argued much with the Nigeria Apostolate's Secretary Fidel Odum, they decided to replace her as the director to the Precious Blood Apostolate here in America. Also, during this time, Mary Agnes had been aware of the strange attitude of Patricia, decided to look for another director to replace Patricia, and through prayers, approached Aurora Protomartir, whom she knew for over 10 years, who by then had been active in promoting the Precious Blood devotion in Houston and through her experience as the Chairperson of the known Holy Rosary Crusade here in Houston, Texas.

In her almost 27th year of chairing this Marian Ministry, and having been known by the Diocese for her sincerity for promoting the Marian devotion here in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, through prayers, Mary Agnes decided to recommend her to the Nigeria Apostolate, as the next Director of the Precious Blood Apostolate here in America, who favored her recommendation. 

With the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Aurora Protomartir accepted the position.  In 2005, the Nigeria Apostolate through Bishop ayo-Maria wrote a letter to Patricia informing her to step down and cooperate with Aurora Protomartir as the new Director of the Precious Blood Devotion of the whole America.  Patricia ignored the letter and email of Bishop Ayo-Maria and has been also disobedient to the Nigerian Apostolate by constructing her own website after she had been told not to do so, because there was already an established one run by the Nigerian Apostolate who wanted to have just one website for the devotion.  In addition, the Nigerian Apostolate removed Patricia from the directorship, for her having taken advantage of her position, by keeping the royalty money sent by the Queenship Publishing Co for the books who favored the request of Patricia to be the one to send the money to Nigeria but in truth she did not sent it and kept the money for herself.  Patricia also eliminated early pioneers of the devotion in America, such as Debra Landry (who had developed an essential data base for the devotion) and Mary Agnes Kumar with her book of contacts.  Patricia did this in order to secure complete control of the devotion in America, including complete financial control.  This hurt the apostolate greatly in America, and Patricia’s attitude of superiority over foreigners was deeply and injuriously felt in Nigeria.  Her repeated reference to Barnabas Nwoye, the visionary of the devotion, as being “illiterate” was a stab at the heart of the devotion.  Barnabas Nwoye was then a university student, who is now in the seminary studying to become a priest.

On March 19, 2005 (on the feast of St. Joseph), Aurora took a small group to St. Joseph Church in Houston to pray the Chaplet of the Precious Blood, hence the start of the Precious Blood devotion here in Houston, Texas.  With regards to the completion and edition of the Precious Blood book was done by Claire S., the publisher of the Queenship and Mary Agnes Kumar with the approval of Bishop Ayo-Maria Atoyebi of Nigeria who oversees, in every step any correction or revisons to the prayer book and with the help of the Apostolate of the Precious Blood in Nigeria. 

On March 15, 2005 the first consecration in America to the Precious Blood of Jesus occurred in Houston at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in which some four devotees were consecrated were among them were Aurora Protomartir and Fr. Peter Mastrobuono, Associate Pastor at same church.  Mary Agnes Kumar had already been consecrated in Singapore before returning to America in 2002.  During this same journey of Father Evaristus Eschiowu across our country, other devotees including Debra Landry of Virginia and Patricia Fason of Florida were also consecrated following the consecration of the Houston devotees.  On March 16, 2005, Aurora Protomartir (along with Father Evaristus Eschiowu, Father Peter Mastrobuono, and Mary Agnes Kumar) went to the Chancery Office in Houston and received the blessings of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo (then working under Archbishop Fiorenza) to continue promoting the Precious Blood of Jesus prayers from Nigeria in Houston.       

In March of 2005, the prayer book for the Devotion to the Precious Blood of Jesus was sent to print by Queenship Publishing, and it was released for sale in June 2005.  The first order placed in Houston was for 30 books and since then there are so many hundreds of Precious Blood book been ordered.  Many devotees got more interested to pray the devotion especially reaching the Spanish devotees and in year 2008, the book was translated in Spanish language.  And with the growing numbers of devotees not only English and Spanish been published this time.   At present, the Queenship publishing company, was busy preparing the book translated in French and Vietnamese.  

Gethsemane Hour prayers for the devotion in Houston first began in the house of Aurora  Protomartir, then moved by the Holy Spirit to have the Gethsemane Prayer to be held inside the Church, Aurora approach the Pastor at St. Albert church who then have 24 hour adoration at their Parish, St. Albert Church -   1st church that they held  the vigil prayer of the Gethsemane hour.  
                                                                                                                                                               people.  omoted                                                                                                                 .   e ouston first began in the house of Aurora Protomartir, then in St. Albert’s Church, and finally at Notre Dame Church where they continue to this date.  During this time, Aurora was still a coordinator representing Houston, Texas, and through prayers she made a tremendous effort to promote the devotion to her co-parishioners at St. Justin Martyr Church in Houston and to the officers and members of the Holy Rosary Crusade – a Marian group recognized by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.  Many joined the devotion, especially attending the Gethsemane Hour prayers at her home, and now her untiring work with the help of Mary Agnes never ends.  When Aurora was named the Director of the Precious Blood Apostolate for the Americas, she continued her grass roots effort to spread the devotion, encouraging priests and pastors of different churches to hold the weekly Gethsemane Hour prayers at their own parishes, and many devotees were consecrated.  Especially many Spanish devotees joined when the Spanish translation of the book was published.  Through prayers, Aurora was able to receive the favor and blessings of the pastor of Notre Dame Church in Houston to hold a bilingual Mass every 1^st Thursday night during the early morning hours of the 1^st Friday of the month, up to the present time.  Also, through the power of The Holy Spirit, Aurora uses the radio media and newspapers, including the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston newspaper called the “Texas Catholic Herald” and the Filipino Newspaper, as well as the Spanish radio, “Radio Maria,” for the promotion of the Precious Blood Devotion.  “Radio Maria” broadcasts throughout the Hispanic world.  On Radio Maria, the Precious Blood Chaplet prayer has been aired everyday at noon time and is reaching more Hispanic people.  Aurora has also a desire to spread the Precious Blood Devotion through the TV media and is waiting for Our Lord Jesus Christ to provide the right time in the days to come.      

After the first Consecration Mass to the Precious Blood of Jesus on March 15, 2005, there have been many consecrations in Houston, and inquiries continue to come in for the devotion from around the world.  Through encouragement to different leaders and coordinators in different states and other neighboring countries as well, Consecration Masses are offered at individual parishes where local pastors are encouraged to get involved and be the celebrants.  Recently, Aurora and some Precious Blood devotees joined her in the Philippines to meet Barnabas, who gave her a special letter from the Precious Blood Apostolate in Nigeria recognizing her as the Director of the Precious Blood Apostolate for the Americas, and she works in cooperation with them in a good relationship as one whole family.  Barnabas provided more books and tapes that Aurora could promote not only in the United States but to other neighboring countries with the possibility of translating into Spanish and other languages.   

Many other nations are holding their own Consecrations now and even providing their own sacramentals for the devotion to their own people, eliminating shipping costs.  Those countries into which from America the Precious Blood of Jesus devotional sacramentals and materials are going (or have gone) include so far the following:  England, Scotland, Ireland, Singapore, Australia, Canada (from where it is going into France soon), Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Venezuela, Colombia, Spain, Hungary, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Germany (from where inquiries are now coming), Argentina (from where inquiries are now coming), India, Brazil, Peru, Hong Kong, and various countries of Africa.        

After her initial early efforts to spread the devotion in Houston, Mary Agnes Kumar had only one or two prayer books left from Singapore, but through a priest from India she came to know Debra Landry in Virginia, who volunteered her services to make the Precious Blood of Jesus prayers available to the people through photocopies, chaplet cards, and through the internet finally as she developed a data base.  Debra Landry bought supplies and began making hundreds of chaplet beads for the Precious Blood Chaplet Prayer.  Within a few months, Debra was receiving requests for materials from nearly all the states in the U.S. and several countries, including Canada, Panama, the Philippines, Spain, England, and India to name a few.  Surviving from surgery, working from a wheel chair, and unable to drive, Debra's husband made all the trips to the post office, and in a short time, they were making available the Agonizing Crucifixes to the devotees everywhere also.  Debra's husband Clay makes the stands for the crucifixes.  In November 2004, Debra sent a prayer card and information sheet about the devotion to a young lady in Panama by the name of Beatriz, who began immediately printing the prayers in Spanish in Panama from where it traveled to many Hispanic countries.  The Panama book has the phone number of Mary Agnes, and so people continue to call Mary Agnes from all parts of the Hispanic world to which this Panama book has traveled.  All this work was done before the first prayer book was published by Queenship in America.  After Queenship published their first prayer book for the devotion in March 2005, Debra made and mailed off 1,000 chaplet beads to Queenship Publishing for free inclusion in each prayer book sold by Queenship.  Through Debra's investigations, we found the place to order the crowns of thorns after Nigeria could no longer keep up with the demand for the crowns of thorns.  Mary Agnes was coordinating this activity with Debra Landry at the same time she was coordinating other pioneering activities with her book full of people, including Stephen Banaszak of Wisconsin and Nevada, as well as Darlene Margaret Durbin of Indiana, but now of Kentucky. 

Darlene Margaret Durbin of Kentucky became a very pro-active pioneer for the Precious Blood of Jesus Devotion after learning about the devotion from Pat Ijames who found the information through the internet efforts of Debra Landry.  Darlene Margaret Durbin had been having inner locutions in the heart from the Blessed Mother and Jesus for 11 years in preparation for her more recent work with God The Father over the past five years in which He allegedly is trying to launch a New Prayer for people of all Faiths in preparation for the great Outpouring of The Holy Spirit.  Concurrent with Debra Landry, Darlene Margaret (whom God The Father calls as "Margaret") toiled day and night to get the Precious Blood of Jesus Devotion going in Indiana, Kentucky, and California.  Margaret began her work in Evansville, Indiana, and she, Aurora Protomartir and Debra Landry were three of the first to be consecrated to the Precious Blood in America.  Margaret's consecration with about 35 devotees was at St. Francis Borgia Church in Sturgis, Kentucky on April 20, 2005.  The devotion began spreading rapidly throughout Indiana and Kentucky.  Margaret Durbin (like Debra Landry) labored hard for Our Lord in this devotion before many others in Houston finally came aboard, and before the prayer book was even printed by Queenship Publishing.  After Queenship released for sale the prayer books, Margaret lined up St. Ann's Religious Articles Store in Morganfield to help make available the prayer books and sacramentals to the people.  She worked with Mary Agnes in Houston and with many people in Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, and California.  Margaret convinced Kathy Thomas at St. Ann's Religious Articles Store about the importance of this devotion, and Margaret persuaded Kathy Thomas of St. Ann's Religious Articles Store to have her people make the chaplet beads needed by Queenship Publishing so that they could continue offering them freely with the prayer books that people ordered from around the country.  More help was needed with the chaplet beads due to the increasing demand, and the workmanship of those at St. Ann's Religious Articles Store was superb.  St. Ann's Religious Articles Store, under the leadership of Kathy Thomas now supplies all the chaplet beads for Queenship Publishing and for people around the world.  They keep a complete supply of all the sacramentals for the devotion, and they ship them across the U.S.A. and around the world.  Margaret Durbin did all the necessary research and calling required to help Kathy at St. Ann's Religious Articles Store to manufacture and supply the "Rose of Perfect Purity," another sacramental instituted by Jesus for the devotion which is given to devotees after every three years of praying the Precious Blood prayers.

Because, other than Aurora Protomartir, I do not know of anybody else who worked harder than "Margaret" (Darlene Margaret Durbin) to get this "last great devotion of the end times" going in America, it does not surprise me that God The Father allegedly has chosen her as His instrument for introducing and teaching to the world the New Prayer that he wants to hear in preparation for the Outpouring of The Holy Spirit.  Because Margaret is so pro-active for God and outspoken by nature, she can make the necessary noise to move the people for what God wants...and she has the endurance and desire to suffer for Our Lord to achieve what He wants.  About three weeks before the Precious Blood prayer book was released by Queenship Publishing, Margaret entered her apartment one evening and saw the big Agonizing Face of Jesus in her living room with Blood dropping down to her carpet.  She wondered how she was going to get the Blood out of the carpet, because the carpet was brand new, but Jesus took care of it for her.  Crying, Margaret called Kathy Thomas with the news of what she saw, and Kathy was moved with the urgency of this devotion and went into high gear to make all the sacramentals of the devotion available to the people.  Margaret Durbin had a miraculous birth at home before her father's family members, and the doctor in her house was amazed to see that as he brought Margaret into the world, she was holding in her tight fist a small rose bud and had a small white veil over her head.  The rose bud lived for about a year, and the doctor had to circle the house several times to overcome the shock of this miraculous birth before cutting the umbilical cord.  God The Father in his messages to Margaret has recalled to her this miraculous birth, and Margaret has worked tirelessly for Him as one of the first pioneers of the Precious Blood of Jesus Devotion and now also propagates God The Father's New Prayer for the Outpouring of The Holy Spirit and the New Time on Earth.  Without the Precious Blood of Jesus Devotion (re-awakened by Our Lord Jesus Himself in Nigeria beginning in 1995) which has spread around the world, we would not be having now the bold intervention of God The Father for the Outpouring of The Holy Spirit. 

Until Queenship published the first Precious Blood of Jesus prayer book in America, we were using in our churches and homes photocopies of the prayers and also prayer cards that Debra Landry made in Virginia, Aurora Protomartir made in Houston, and Margaret made for Indiana and Kentucky.  Aurora Protomartir experienced Our Lord's request to help establish the Apostolate here in Houston.  She typed and photocopied as necessary to make the prayers available and she rounded up the people for the prayers first in English and then in Spanish, as mentioned both at St. Justin Martyr Church in Houston and at Notre Dame Church in Houston where she established the Gethsemane Hour Prayers every Thursday night from 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. Friday morning.

Soon after Queenship Publishing released the Precious Blood prayer book for sale, Patricia Fason sued Queenship Publishing, claiming herself to be the author of the prayer book.  But, Queenship was holding the copyright of the book authored in Nigeria by Jesus Himself, and God saved the authentic Church-approved prayer book of Queenship Publishing for the devotion in the United States with the outcome that the devotion has gone forward and spread from America around the world.  As mentioned earlier, since the Nigerian Apostolate could no longer work with Patricia Fason, Bishop Ayo-Maria Atoyebi, the spiritual director of the devotion, appointed Aurora Protomartir as the next director of the devotion for the Americas.  Thus, the directorship of the devotion returned to the Apostolate in Houston where it remains to date. 

Because God has chosen to save this devotion in America, the world is now benefiting from all the sacramentals and books from America.  The Universal Spanish edition of the prayer book was perfected by Maria Isabel Landers, Director of the Venezuelan Apostolate of the Precious Blood of Jesus, with her team of people who worked directly with the Houston Apostolate to achieve the Universal Spanish prayer book for all Hispanic nations.  Maria Teresa Iturralde of Mexico City, Director of the Precious Blood Apostolate in Mexico supplies all the materials for her nation and also sends materials to the U.S. and other nations who run short of supplies.  In the last consecration to the Precious Blood of Jesus in Mexico, 400 devotees were consecrated.  Also, in one church there in Mexico, as many as 500 faithful attend the Gethsemane Hour prayers.  The prayer book has been translated into Hungarian.  The Vietnamese translation is in progress.  The Tagalog translation is in progress.  Queenship Publishing is in the last stages of proofing for print next week the French translation which will reach France through Canada.  The French book is in demand in Haiti.    

We learn from Darlene Margaret Durbin who communicates with God The Father that Heaven is pleased with our efforts to prepare for the Outpouring of The Holy Spirit and the Glorious Reign of Peace on Earth.   This devotion, with the healing and peace it gives, is also moving God The Father for the Outpouring of The Holy Spirit soon, and this devotion will protect us in the days of the Anti-Christ.  This devotion carries us all the way to the coming of Christ.  Our Lord has saved His most powerful devotion to the last days in order to greater assist us in these urgent times of restoration and renewal for the Universal Church and for the world.  Praise be to the Precious Blood of Jesus for His speedy work throughout the United States to move this devotion everywhere.  May He do likewise in every country to bring the reign of Christ The King to Earth soon.

GOALS AND PLANS FOR THE YEAR 2011 & 2012

1.  Audience with his Hoiness, Pope Benedict XVI (upon receipt of letter from the Chair of Holy See).

2,  May 1, 2011- Beatification of Pope John Paul II.

3.  Sept. 8 to 19, 2011 - Pilgrimage to Nigeria - will visit the Precious Blood Shrine and different cities.

4.  Visit different states and neighboring countries for teachings about the messages given by visionary Barnabas Nwoye and continued promotion of the Precious Blood devotion to eveyone,

One of our Goals in addition to the promotion of the Precious Blood books and the Agonizing Crucifix to everyone is to encourage the devotees to promote the devotion to their own parishes, to their dioceses, and to participate in the Adoration to the Blessed Sacrament.  We believe that we can console our Lord Jesus Christ and our prayers will be pleasing to Him, especially by attending the weekly GETHSEMANE VIGIL PRAYERS IN FRONT OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, for His consolation.  Our Lord Jesus Christ is drawing us back to come and spend time with Him through the adoration to the Blessed Sacrament.  Many received graces, and prayers have been answered through this great devotion.