- A Heavenly Visitation
September 19, 2019
Feast of Our Lady of La Salette
On August 28th of last year, I was in Cuenca, Ecuador, for the 30th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady, Guardian of the Faith, to a teenage girl named Patricia “Pachi” Talbot (the messages have been approved by her bishop, as has the building of a massive new shrine). After the beautiful Mass with the bishop, for which Pachi had earnestly asked me to sing when visiting the U.S. months earlier, she came over and hugged me. I whispered a question that had been burning in my heart,
- “Why me?”
After all, she’s met so many lovely singers as she’s traveled the world setting up Prayer Cenacles (Our Lady’s request), and she had wonderful singers there in Cuenca.
- Her response shocked and startled me.
“Because Our Lady loves you so much, and because you have a mission to save the world with your voice.”
“Is that from you or from her?” I asked. “From her,” she replied.
I wasn’t sure what that meant or what that would look like, but tears filled my eyes as I contemplated the gravity of her words.
Pachi and me in CuencaThree weeks ago (exactly one year later), on the Feast of Our Lady, Guardian of the Faith, August 28, 2019, I was driving home from singing for my second funeral in three days, thinking that I needed to do more works of mercy for the sick and dying. Perhaps I should start visiting nursing homes and hospitals to sing for people? Then I heard a voice say to my soul, “Give your music away to the poor, the elderly, the sick and the dying. No one should suffer or die without consolation.“
Inspiration came quickly, like a download from Heaven, which I believe was the start of the fulfillment of Pachi’s prophetic words to me:
–Buy 1,000 digital music players to start;
–Download them with your music; and
–Give them away to Catholic parishes for the sick and homebound, to Hospice care, to the homeless…
–Stay small, but think BIG.
After getting the ball rolling with manufacturers overseas and polling my friends on Facebook, we decided to call the project “Sounds of Peace.” My daughter, Cecilia, designed this beautiful logo for me:
Last week another inspiration came: offer my Miracle of Divine Mercy CDs for free to Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, to be given away with his new book After Suicide: There’s Hope for Them and For You. When he excitedly asked how many I could donate, I was surprised to hear myself say “12,000!” I don’t actually have the money to buy that many, but I do have the credit.
Those CDs arrived at his office in Stockbridge, MA, today, which also happens to be my birthday (yay!). It’s the least I could do in thanksgiving for the gift of my life and as a consolation to all those who suffer in the tragic wake of suicide.
And so now I ask you, my friends, will you help me fulfill this mission?
For every $25 donation, I will donate to a Catholic parish or other people in need:
—One rechargeable digital music player (see photo below), PLUS
–Headphones, a charging cable, and a blue velvet gift bag with the Sounds of peace logo, PLUS
–$100.00 worth of my music and prayer, PLUS
–A card listing all 109 tracks, plus a place to write your personalized prayer request, which we will put in the velvet bag with the other items so that the recipient can pray for you.
For a $250 donation, I will send ten (10) sets to the U.S. parish or charity of your designation (or as many as you want over 10 for $25 each, e.g. for a $1,000 donation, we would donate 40 units on your behalf). Any money received for this project will go towards purchasing and distributing more units, which I’m hoping will be in the tens (or hundreds) of thousands.
Our digital music player
- If you would like to purchase one for yourself or a loved one, you can do so on maybe Etsy shop. With every one you purchase at $100, we donate three to the needy and poor!
My plan is to launch the project on Sunday, December 15, 2019, at my 2:00 p.m. concert at St. Aloysius in Baton Rouge, LA (please come!). I hope to have at least 1,000 units ready to go.
And if you would like to help me defray the cost of the 12,000 Divine Mercy CDs I gave to Fr. Chris to go with his book After Suicide: There’s Hope for Them and For You, please make a note to that effect.
How to help:
1) Checks: payable to Christiaria, LLC if you don’t need a tax receipt; or payable to Carrick Ministries if you do need a tax receipt (I pay a 5-10% administrative fee) with a memo about your intention for the donation.
Please mail the check to:
Christiaria, LLC, PO Box 843, Madisonville, LA, 70447
2) PayPal: Send via “Friends and Family” to orders@kittycleveland.com with a memo about your intention for the donation.
3) Venmo: Send to @Kitty-Cleveland with a memo about your intention for the donation.
Most of all, please pray for the success of this project, that no one will suffer or die without the consolation of music and prayer to help in their time of need.
So many people have used my CDs to help ease their anxieties or to help their loved ones pass peacefully into the arms of God, and many of you share in the merits of those graces by having donated your time, talent, and treasure to help make those recordings a reality (70 different songs, plus the rosary CD, children’s rosary CD, and Divine Mercy CD!). I thank God for you.
With love and joy,
Beautiful Inspiration, Kitty! We got to see and hear you at Our Lady of Mt Carmel in Seekonk! Your voice is amazing! God bless you!
Thank you, Jo Ann! It was a joy to be with you.