The Apostles of the Last Days
Our Lady of La Salette gave to the seer Mélanie Calvat word for word a rule for the founding of a religious order by the name of “the Apostles of Latter Times” at the conclusion a secret apparition on 19th of September 1846 on the mountain of La Salette in France.
During a verbal examination on October 3rd 1876 Mélanie answered Abbé F. Bliard thus: “(. . ) This order embraces: 1. priests who will be missionaries of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostles of Latter Times; 2. religious of the holy order who are subordinate to the missionaries; 3. the worldly Faithful who wish to unite themselves to and be incorporated into this work. The goal of this religious order is to work for the sanctification of the clergy, the salvation of souls and to spread the Kingdom of God all over the world. The religious have the vocation like the missionaries to work with zeal for the salvation of souls through prayer and spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The spirit of the order is to be that of the spirit of the first apostles. The Blessed Virgin described this spirit to me sufficiently, whether it be in the rule which she gave me or in the appeal to the Apostles of Latter Times which finished off the secret.”
“( . . ) I call upon the Apostles of Last Days, the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ who have lead lives in contempt of the world and of themselves, in poverty and humility, in contempt and in silence, in prayer and mortification, in chastity and in union with God, in suffering, this unknown to the world. The time has come for them to go out into the world in order to enlighten it ( . . ).”
On the same 19th of September 1846 Mélanie had a vision: “I saw the Apostles of Last Days in the habit of their order.” They are very similar to the habits of priests at that time. “On one end of the belt there were seen three letters in red: M.P.J. (Mourir Pour Jésus – to die for Jesus). On the other end of the belt there were three letters in blue: E.D.M. (Enfant de Marie – Mary’s child).”
The Rule
Our Lady of La Salette said to Mélanie on 19th of September 1846: “Mélanie, what I am going to say to you now will not be a secret. These are the rules that you will follow exactly, my daughters, who are here present, when the rule will have been approved by your superiors. My missionaries follow the same rule.
1. The members of the order of the Mother of God will love God above all things and their neighbour as themselves out of pure love of God.
2. The spirit of the order is no other than the spirit of Jesus Christ in itself and the spirit of Jesus Christ in the souls.
3. The members of this order will apply themselves to the study of Jesus Christ and to the imitation of Him. The more Jesus is known the more will they humble themselves at the sight of their nothingness, of their weakness, of their
incapacity for doing real good in the souls without divine grace.
4. They will practise perfect obedience in everything and everywhere.
5. Each one will safeguard himself in great chastity of body and spirit so that Jesus Christ may make his abode in them.
6. The members of this order will be of one heart and one soul in the love of Jesus Christ.
7. None of them will have the ownership of anything. Everything will be common property, no one will strive in the least for the possession of transient things. I want my children to be free, to renounce all things.
8. They will have limitless charity. They will suffer unto themselves all things from everybody, following the example of their divine Master and they will not cause suffering to others.
9. The members of the order will obey their superiors and they will honour and respect them which is their due, with great simplicity of heart.
10. The Mother Superior is to keep alert that the rule is obeyed. From time to time she will discuss matters with the Father of the Mission who will have the care of your souls, so that she will be assisted in governing the house wisely. She will be the humblest of all and stricter with herself than with others. She will correct the faults of the sisters with great gentleness and prudence. She will always raise her soul up to God before she corrects a sister.
11. The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed in the chapel day and night during the months of September, February and May, at which time the members of the order will joyously spend happy hours in so far as charity or the salvation of souls does not keep them from doing so.
12. They will lead an inner life and at the same time they will have outwardly works to do. They will unite the contemplative life with the active. They will make themselves completely victims of Jesus and of the crucified Jesus.
13. Everyday they will receive the Bread of Life with true piety. You could, however, withhold communion to some members if you see that they are not following in the steps of the crucified Jesus.
14. In addition to the fasting commanded by the Church they will also keep the months of September, February and May in fasting, making use of some instruments of penance. Those who are too delicate and not able to carry out the works of penance will offer up to Jesus in all humility and meekness their frailty.
15. They will fast every Friday and carry out some penance. All these works they will sacrifice for the souls in Purgatory, for the conversion of sinners and towards their own progress in the love of God.
16. The members of the order will act with great humility and gentleness toward the secular and will receive them with great kindness. The most humble will have the first place in the Heart of Jesus as well as in Mine.
17. The members will be of one soul and one heart; Not one will hold fast to his own will.
18. They will be of angelic purity; they will observe everywhere and in everything a great modesty.
19. All will observe profound silence, careful to avoid useless conversation with strangers.
20. Those who wish to be admitted must have a sincere willingness to give themselves totally to God and to sacrifice themselves for His love. They will grow fond of obedience which will lead them to Heaven.
21. They will not be admitted to the postulants until they have completed the twelve days of spiritual exercises, whereby they will have made a general confession to the Father of the Mission, the Father Confessor of the communal order. If they are willing to work with all effort to sanctify themselves and to acquire the virtues which are characteristic of a victim who wants to immolate himself every day for the God of Heaven and earth, they will be admitted to the novitiate, three months before taking the habit of the order. And they will well remember that they have only been admitted to the house of the Mother of God in order to work towards their own sanctification through prayer, penance and all works which aim to achieve the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
22. My missionaries will be the Apostles of the Last Days. They will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all its purity all over the world.
23. They will have an untiring ardour; they will preach the reform of hearts, penance and the observance of God’s laws; they will preach of the necessity for prayer, of contempt for the things of this earth, about death, judgement, paradise and hell, about life and death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They will fortify faith in the people so that when the devil will arrive a great number of people will not be lead astray.
24. Newcomers will be educated in Christian values as well as in the practise of humility, charity, renunciation and gentleness.
25. The novitiate will last six years. Those who will have given evidence of solid virtue and want to be gathered in the number of combatants for Jesus Christ in this order, will beseech this grace from their superior on their knees. And after you will have them acknowledge their obligation to follow the rule which I give you and they will promise to faithfully observe it, then they may be received into the order.
26. The prayer is to be observed communaly in the chapel at a suitable and appointed hour.
27. One is to eat in community in the refectory which is necessary for to live and work towards the glory of God. At the same time the body is being fed that which is befitting, the soul will be fortified by a spiritual reading during the meal.
28. One will have greatest care for the infirm and ill members in the order.
29. If one member should offend another by word or deed he is to make good his fault as soon as possible.
30. All members of the order are to genuflect before the tabernacle when passing, for in it resides Jesus Christ.
31. Every time they encounter one another the one is to say: “May Jesus be loved by all hearts” and the other is to answer: “Amen”.
32. The religious are to pray the office as the religious of Correnc near Grenoble do; chapters and other exercises are to be observed in the same way.
33. All members will wear (bear) a cross like My Own.
Source and bibliography
René Laurentin / Michel Corteville, Découverte du Secret de la Salette, Ed. Fayard, Paris 2002, ISBN 2213 6128 38
Ametur Jesus ab omnibus cordibus! Amen!
Have you heard of the HOLY RULE which dictated our Lady of LA SALETTE (Apparation approved by the Roman Catholic Church) in 1846 to Mélanie? It is a Rule for a religious order of the apostles oft the last days. The Rule is spiritually very profound and is, because of that, interesting FOR EVERY FAITHFULL to read.
This special Rule has been almost unknown to the public until 1999. In that time Michel Corteville did research in the archives of the Vatican and found after a few months the Rule of our Lady of La Salette.
He published a book in french in 2002 called: „The Discovery of the Secret of La Salette“, which contained also the Rule for the missionaries or apostles of the last days. (This book hasn't been translated as far as I know).
We do need people who live according to this Holy Rule! We need people who live Holy and can save many Souls by their holyness!
Mélanie, in her time, has done her utmost to found a religious order in the neighbourhood of Grenoble in France, but it failed.
Our Lady requested for this order for the end of times, and those time has come NOW! Let we do all we can do to save as many Souls as possible!!
You, who have financial means: please, try to found a group of people who are willing to live according this Rule, so that many Souls can be converted. The founder will get a considerable amount of merits for the Eternity! But DO NOT WAIT too long, because the dollar will collapse VERY SOON (probably in a couple of months)!!
You, who are of a religious community: Try to live also, as far as your own Rule will allow, according to this Rule of La Salette. Remember: Our Lady herself gave us this Rule!! Only by living Holy and pray, you can save many Souls!!
You, who pray, please pray that this wish of our mother Mary will be accomplished as much as possible!! The prayer of a Holy person is so much worth: think of what the Saints have accomplished!!
You, who believe: try to make this Rule to be known by printing or simply by referring to the Internet! Above all make known to the religious!!
