TRUTH AND ADVERTISING

Bruce Jackson’s comments on the Seneca Gaming Commission buying advertising on Newstalk 1270’s airwaves (“Casino Chronicles #11,” Artvoice v5n22) were remarkably ill-informed for a man who has spent so much time teaching about the importance of integrity in journalism. Instead of relying on the very public statements we made on the air, or even contacting me directly, he instead chose to rely on third-party interpretations. Far from doing “exactly what the SGC told it to do,” we are the only media outlet supporting an ongoing debate about the casino, allowing all voices to speak, before, during and after the ads ran on our station. Bruce, like other folks from Erie to Toronto who listen to our “tiny” radio station, was welcome to call on-air and challenge the statements in the ads. As for why the Seneca ran their pro-casino ads on Newstalk 1270, one of the primary reason’s they cited was because we offer Native Americans of all political stripes a place where they can speak both to themselves and the wider community (on Native Views, for example, which can be heard every Wednesday at 9-10pm). Bruce may not like that we carried those ads, but that’s no excuse for his lack of homework on how we’ve approached the issue.

Brian Brown-Cashdollar

President, Niagara Independent Media

Buffalo

ARCH REPLY

I don’t mind a little ribbing over my “fantasy” of building a monumental arch honoring Mary, on Buffalo’s waterfront (“Streetvoice,” Artvoice v5n22). After all, any Christian afraid of being called foolish is in the wrong line of work, because “the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God” and vice versa (1 Cor. 3:18-20). A few facts may interest your readers, however.

This is not my “fantasy” alone; rather, thousands of fine people across the USA, Canada and the world have come to share this vision already, and I believe their number will grow to millions before very long. Regarding the passage of five years without a shovel turning earth as yet, such delays are usual for spiritual works of this kind. A society with goals similar to ours—including a temple that would recall people to their spiritual roots and affirm the importance of family life—was founded in Barcelona, Spain in 1865. It was 16 years before they were able to buy land and many more before construction began on the world-famous Sagrada Familia church, which draws millions of tourists and pilgrims every year.

Venerable Nelson Baker “fantasized” about building a church honoring Our Lady of Victory, probably since his famous 1874 visit to Notre Dame des Victoires in Paris. He did not begin to build the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna until 1931. Blessed Brother Andre of Montreal cherished his dream of a church honoring St. Joseph for many years before it became a reality. Today the Oratory of St. Joseph, high on Mount Royal, attracts millions of visitors yearly, inspiring many to renewed faith and zeal for living.

Yes, it is a Catholic Christian project, but hardly “narrow” in its appeal to area residents. More persons here than in any other US city—nearly 70 percent—identify themselves as Catholic. This great shrine would bring honor to Mary, whom Moslems revere as the Virgin Mother of Christ (she is frequently named in the Koran, is indeed the only woman mentioned there by name). Mary was Jewish by birth, and our shrine will emphasize her Jewish heritage. For such reasons, Mary has a power truly unique to unify persons of diverse beliefs and backgrounds and move them toward a new appreciation for each other, and for the love that God has shown to them. So, this great shrine will resonate well with every person of faith in this area and will be appreciated by many of no particular faith, as well.

This great shrine is indeed connected to an important part of Buffalo’s history. It was through Buffalo, the “Queen City,” that Mary entered America triumphally in 1947, represented by the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, an historic event retold in To Shake the World, by the late John Haffert, founder of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima.

Fatima seer Sister Lucia had commissioned the statue and charged Haffert to carry it westward until finally it could enter Russia. Mary prophesied at Fatima in 1917, “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph, Russia will be converted, and the world will know a period of peace.” Because the Archdiocese of New York City would not admit the pilgrim statue, Haffert brought it into America through Buffalo, causing “the greatest traffic congestion ever recorded,” according to Haffert. The Web site of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue, www.pilgrimvirginstatue.com, reports, “At Buffalo 200,000 people lined the streets and welcomed Our Lady on that occasion.” Buffalo’s bishop crowned Mary’s statue in a grand ceremony on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8, 1947. Exactly 100 years earlier, in 1847, Mary, under that same title, was named Patroness of the United States.

Buffalo may have an unexpectedly great destiny because of the faithfulness of our ancestors. If we today will honor both them, and the faith that made them strong, a future of limitless possibilities may be ours.

For the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart,

Laurence D. Behr

Executive Director, Association for the Arch of Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and International Shrine of the Holy Innocents, Inc.

Buffalo