Finally...

Finally. I am here. I did it. I am now an official Associate Member of the Opus Sanctorum Angelorum!!! And I could not be happier! It has been my dream since 1992. I have waited so long and now I have really done it...
When I first read Fr. Fox's book, The World and Work of the Holy Angels, back in '91-92, I had to put the idea on the back burner so to speak...after all, I was in the middle of raising eight children...I had no time to get more involved than that.
I have prayed to my Guardian Angel all my life. I wear a gold Guardian Angel medal around my neck every day ~ along with the Holy Face medal, the Miraculous Medal and the Eucharist Medal ~ all attached to each other on the same chain.
Every day, for countless years now, I have kissed that medal, first thing in the morning and throughout the day, saying silently, "Be my Friend and Protector."
I even wrote a prayer to my Angel:
Dearest Angel, to whom God has seen fit to give authority over my life: you are my oldest and dearest friend. You have guided my steps from the very beginning. You have always been there for me; you have never failed me; you never will. I thank you now for the things you have done for me, whether or not they are known to me at this time. You will make them known in eternity. Please stay with me until I come to heaven at the last moment of my life. Please tell me what to do every moment, so that I may never lose the favor of God. Help me to always obey your wishes, for they are for my own salvation. Please meet me at the end to escort me into the presence of my Lord, Jesus Christ, that I may praise Him in person, along with His Holy Mother and all the saints. Amen.
The fact that I call him "Friend" is in no way to show him disrespect. In fact, it is quite the opposite. One must never, according to Church teaching, name one's Angel. First of all, we have no way of knowing whether or not the name we give him is the correct name. Second, since we could possibly, without knowing, give him a name that might belong to another spirit ~ and one not so friendly or helpful ~ whenever we call upon the Angel by that name we might actually be calling upon the less than desirable one, perhaps even a demon or devil.
To me, the addressing of my Angel as "Friend" shows only what I feel for him. He is my best and oldest friend. He has never failed to be there at all moments of my life. He has shown himself to be my greatest ally in my spiritual battles, my uphill climbs, my ongoing struggle to right myself before God.
He has gotten me out of more scrapes than I can ever possibly list here. He continues to lead me, guide me, admonish me in the ways of my Lord Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother, the Queen of all Angels.
As a matter of fact, if it weren't for Friend, I would be totally lost. I wouldn't know which end was up. I would be just another soul wandering around this world, not ever knowing the kindness and goodness of God ~ since Friend keeps it before my eyes at every moment, I am constantly depending upon him to show me even my smallest faults. And when he does, I feel nothing for him but more love. It is for my own good that he does this, and I hope and pray with all my heart that I will always be a faithful, obedient and grateful protege.
At the mission this past weekend when we were being instructed in the requirements to become Active members, Fr. Wolfgang Seitz, the National Director and Secretary, told us that we would be required to attend retreats ~ usually they have two or three per year here in Michigan, but the only one listed for the rest of 2008 is not until August and it is only for men. So, I will have to wait until next year to see when the next one will be; I intend to go on to become an Active member myself, and become consecrated to all the Angels, but it takes an additional three years to do so.
No other Angels could ever take Friend's place, of course, but to become an Active means to pray and offer sacrifice for the entire Church, to be a part of saving more souls for Christ ~ not just my own.
In the meantime, I intend to use this next year or so to become even more familiar with the ways of my Guardian Angel, to become even closer to him every day, and to try my best to be what he ~ and most important, what God ~ expect me to be!