Thoughts on this First Holy Week Since Alex's Death...
Christine - The Way of the Cross

As we approach Holy Week, I can't help but remember Alex and the sufferings that he experienced during this season. I was never with him during those times, but there are many who were and they were changed forever as they witnessed Christ's sacrifice through him. I have pulled together two stories for this newsletter from our archives. I hope they resonate with you as they have with me. (I would love to add your story for future newsletters.)

Meeting with Alex
I met Alex in summer of 2005. Alex was visiting Freedom, Wisconsin. My friend, Barb, told me about Alex in December of 2004. She called me to tell me that he was coming to Freedom. My husband was in a motorcycle accident in June 2005 and I needed to pray especially for his spiritual and physical recovery. At that meeting Alex was going through the Passion. I was sitting in the front row and I could visibly see him on the deck. We started to pray the rosary and I started to pray to the Sacred Heart so that Alex would not go through so much pain. As I continued to pray, Alex turned his head to look at me. As he turned his head, his face turned into the face of Jesus during His passion. I gasped at the sight of Jesus' face. I received the message from Jesus "I died for your sins." I wept at the feeling of forgiveness of my sins and for the pain that Alex and Jesus went through during the Passion.
I know that God heard my prayers that evening. Since that eveining, I continue to pray the rosary for Alex. I feel such great gratitude to God for giving Alex to me during that time of great pain in my life.

Thank you and with great love,
Kim P.

The Donners Remember Alex
My husband, 3 daughters, and I originally met Alex Avendano at Guy Murphy's Lenten Retreat in March 2006 in Hillside when we were singing at this conference. We were setting our musical equipment up and Alex came over to talk to me. He noticed and was impressed with a picture my 10 year old daughter, Meagan, drew of Our Lady of Guadalupe that was on the cover of her music book. He commented that this is how he saw Our Lady with Her deep green eyes. He asked if he could have a copy of it. That evening, Meagan drew another picture like the first one and gave it to Alex the next day at the 2 day retreat. He was thrilled. We were blessed to meet with Alex months later at the Cross at the Queen of Heaven Mausoleum in Hillside, and on his own, Alex told us that he still had Meagan's picture. It totally slipped my mind, but Alex remembered.
Alex also had a good sense of humor. I asked Alex if I could take some photos of him. He replied, "Sure you can, but you have to promise me that you will not sell them on E-Bay." I promised him that I never would sell these photos on E-Bay. By the way, the photos that you will be viewing on the attached video are the photos that I took of Alex at the Cross in Hillside. On the feast of the Assumption, August 15th, 2006, Alex returned to the Cross in Hillside and he had another apparition of Mary. My daughters and I sang at the prayer service at the Cross and while we were singing "On That Holy Mountain," Alex turned to us, nodded and gave us such a beautiful smile that I never will forget. Before he left to journey back home, we got a chance to talk to him. I told him about 2 classes "Mary, the First Disciple" and "I Live My Faith" that I wanted to start-up and teach at my parish, but I did not know how well they would be received. He encouraged me to teach these classes to the youth in my parish. He also said he would pray for me and my ministry in singing and teaching.
Each one of my daughters wanted to make something very special for Alex before his departure back home to Utah. All three girls wanted to make something for Alex that would remind him of the Cross in Hillside and his visit with all of the friends he made in Illinois. My eldest daughter, Mary, made Alex a cross out of all things found as she said in "God's Nature." She used wood, rocks, and sand. My middle daughter, Meagan said that she wanted to make Alex something out of roses to remind him of Our Lady. So, she cut some roses from our garden and ones that were on rose bushes surrounding the Cross in Hillside, dried them, and made rose stationery for Alex. Faith, my youngest, also decided to make a cross out of an iron together bead set for Alex that he could hang up in his home. When my daughters gave these items to him, it was like he received the best gifts ever. He took the time to look at and compliment each one. He commented that he loved the smell of the roses. With a tear in his eyes, he blessed each of the girls and gave each one a big hug and "thank you."
One of my friend's asked Alex, "What is the greatest message you can give to us." Alex simply replied, "Be humble." I believe he tried to practice this in his own life. Simple things like children making him gifts made him happy.
In a million years, I never would have guessed that this was going to be the last time I would see Alex on this earth, but I know that Alex is interceding for us from above. I also know that Alex was praying for the 2 religious programs I so badly wanted to teach because both of them have been greatly received and have gone so smoothly-- without a single hitch. And during the course of setting up these programs, some things have happened that only Alex knew about and I knew about concerning getting these religious programs off of the ground. The young people of my parish are enjoying learning more about Jesus and His beloved Mother, Mary, and I am having an enjoyable time teaching them about Our Lord and Our Lady. What a great combination!! My students are literally begging me to take them back, each week that we meet, to our Adoration Chapel to adore, pray to, and talk to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. When I am with them in the Chapel, it feels like the closest thing to heaven. All of us wish that we could stay there forever. I also have told my students about Alex, and when he passed away, all of them prayed for him.
My family and I hope that you enjoy the attached video my husband, Jim, put together. We sang "On That Holy Mountain" at the 2007 Lenten Retreat in Hillside in memory of Alex Avendano. Alex lives on in all of the hearts and souls that he has touched on this earth and he continues to carry on his love of Jesus and Mary through others that have had the blessed opportunity to meet him.

In Our Lord's and Our Lady's Love,
Celeste, Jim, Mary, Meagan, and Faith Donner

If you are interested in seeing the video, please click here.

Fr. Dennis Ryan Celebrates a Memorial Mass for Alex Avendano in Florida
St. Peter Church, Eustis, Florida - February 14, 2007

“Fr. Dennis Ryan recently celebrated a Memorial Mass for Alex Avendano in Florida.  He desires to share his message with all who loved Alex and who desire to share in his ministry of spreading the message of the Gospel, the love of Jesus and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He invites you to continue to pray for the successful completion of the mission Alex was sent to us to perform.

Thanks so much
Fr. Dennis

As we begin to reflect on the life of Alex Avendano, I think of the poem of Jessica Powers, entitled, “The Master Beggar”, in which she asks the question, “What would you ask of me, O Jesus Christ?” Alex was asked this question through the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his life was forever changed. He was asked to love the Lord with his whole heart, his whole soul and with all of his strength. What a challenge! We listen to the scripture readings of today realizing that our life is filled with many challenges: the challenge of growing up in a family, the challenge of learning to love our brothers and sisters, the challenge of trying to decide how we will use our talents. When we are baptized we are also asked how we will follow Jesus. Alex showed us how much Jesus loved us as he talked about how he experienced the love of Jesus through the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and the Saints. I believe that Alex gave us three gifts as he lived his life and ministry. The first gift is that the cross of Christ is a cross of forgiveness. The cross is real today, just as it was on the day that Jesus hung upon it suffering and dying. Alex has taught us our Catholic belief that Jesus is still suffering because of our sins and still wants to forgive our sins today as we commit them. The gift of Adam and Eve is the gift of temptation to turn away from the love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Their saying yes to the temptation sent them out of the Garden of Eden. When we enter into temptation and sin, we make Jesus suffer on the cross. The power that temptation has of turning us away from Jesus is never ending. We find ourselves not able to resist the temptation and sin. JESUS IS IN NEED OF FORGIVING OUR SINS, IF WE ARE GOING TO GET TO HEAVEN.

Secondly, The devil and his legion of fallen angels are real. The stories about them are not storybook tales, science fiction, or some made up story to entertain us. The actions of the devil and demons are real. They continue in small and great ways to turn us away from Jesus, Heaven and the life of the Saints. We must ever recognize their presence, their influence and destructive power.

Thirdly, we are to continue to live the life of Jesus in our own life. The best way we can enter into Jesus’ life is through the Eucharist. At Liturgy, we hear the words, "this is my body, and this is my blood." We say that we are apart of the Mystical Body, and the community of the Church, and we receive the bread that has come down from Heaven. We must continue to tell ourselves that when we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we are the closest we can be to Him on earth. Alex loved to receive the Eucharist. He yearned to receive it.

We come now to remember Alex, hoping that he shares in the fullness of the life of Heaven. Our prayer is of hope and petition. I ask you to pray along with me Psalm 5. Let me sing it for you. (Psalm 5, by Bill Sprouse, Jr.) “Give ear to my words, O, Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto my voice of my cry, my King and my God: for unto Thee will I pray. My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning. O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up.” Alex’s mission is not done or ended. We need to proclaim the message he has given to us through the Blessed Virgin Mary, which will fulfill the mission of Jesus.

Jesus Speaks to His Apostles
Jesus speaks to us through "Anne" a lay apostle (www.directionforourtimes.com) about the value of suffering, the crosses in our lives and His thoughts in the Garden of Gesthemenee.

Jesus - September 27, 2004

"My servants often have difficulty overcoming their self-will. Brothers and sisters, self-will does not lead to Me. Self-will leads away from Me. That concept is very simple. You may hear souls saying, what is His will? Help Me to know His will. Well, truly, if I am asked, I will answer. Your Jesus, who calls you so firmly into service right now, will not leave you wondering. Be certain you are asking Me to show you My will in the silence of contemplation. There are times when souls know My will but find it repugnant. You must know that I understand this revulsion for the self-sacrificing that often accompanies My will. But children of the All Powerful God, know that this offering of your will can make you a saint quite quickly. I did not want to suffer great torture and pain in My body. Believe Me when I say that I shuddered in contemplation of the cross. Yet, the cross was the Father's will for Me. So be it. I shouldered My cross in humility and obedience and through the cross I redeemed you. You are worth the sacrifice. And it was temporary. The sacrifices you are being asked to make are also temporary. You are not and will not be asked to relinquish anything for eternity. Your eternity, based on the beautiful merits of your sacrifices and service, will be filled with joy and reward. So you, like Me, are being asked to carry this cross or that cross, make this sacrifice or that sacrifice, for a short time, so that I, through your obedience and cooperation, can bring other souls to heaven.

Consider how important each soul is to Me. Consider Me, Jesus, in the form of My humanity. As I suffered anguish in the Garden, I was tempted with every form of temptation. Let us say that the enemy offered Me every soul on earth, but one. For stepping away from the chance of saving this one soul, I could escape the cross. Add to the consideration that this one soul might reject Me and be lost anyway. Would I be tempted? Would you?

Now consider that this one soul was yours. What do you think I would say? I assure you, My beloved, I said NO. Do not hold back from Me, little servants. Do not sidestep the Divine Will. Your family needs you and I need you."

Jesus - April 1, 2007 

My beloved apostles rest in My heart each time they pray. Truly, when you come to Me, I am there. There are times when you feel abandoned as I felt abandoned. I allow this so that you can share My experience. In this way, by sharing My experience of abandonment, you come to know Me more completely. Through this intimacy you become more like Me. My dear ones, it is through sharing My experiences that you learn to love others who carry crosses. There are times when your humanity leads you to judge another but because you have suffered, you offer compassion instead of condemnation. Each experience in your life, shared with Me, increases your holiness and your capacity for compassion. Think of the times when someone treated you with compassion when you expected condemnation. Think of the times in your life when someone treated you with kindness and support, overlooking a failure or a flaw. My friends, you do not always understand but it is the crosses you carry that enhance these heavenly capabilities in your soul. I know you struggle. I accept your weaknesses. Do not think that your anguish is a measure of your holiness. Do not think that because you find your cross heavy, you are not making progress. I am with you and I am advancing you, even while you groan with weariness. The Kingdom will make the best possible use of the inevitable suffering that accompanies your humanity. Your decision to serve is all that is necessary to draw graces for others from your life. Be at peace that I understand your suffering and your movement to holiness. I am with you in each moment. I take the greatest joy in accepting your suffering and rewarding it with heavenly gains, both in your soul and in the world. You are My beloved ones. You are My chosen ones. The greatest care is taken with each of your little souls. Your progress is apparent from My vantage point. You must trust Me and allow Me to access others through you. Think back on our walk together. Think of the great graces I have flowed through you in the past. This flow of grace is increasing by the moment and is not dependant on your perfection but on My perfection. My presence in your soul brings a perfume into the world that is irreplaceable. I need you. Our unity, yours and Mine, brings unique benefits to the Kingdom. Yes, you are important to Me and to your heavenly family. Rest against your Jesus now as I send you courage and strength and heavenly calm.