Matt C. Abbott
A Catholic shrine in dispute
By Matt C. Abbott
Arline Saiki of Edmeston, New York, gives the following (edited) account of her dealings with a Catholic organization known as the Man Foundation:
"In 1999, my husband and I made an agreement with the Man Foundation to give them $70,000 to purchase a nearly 15-year-old unfinished 'church' called the Rosa Mystica for the purpose of running retreats. We had originally intended to purchase the property ourselves and divide it up, giving them only the building and the hill it is on (about 10 acres). The rest of the property — about 14 acres and bordering our house — was to be returned to us.
"However, because the money from the sale of our office was not available until the end of the year, we spoke to their lawyer and agreed to give them the money for the purchase of the property to be divided up at a later time. Our written agreement stipulates that the money is to be used for the purchase of the building, that the agreed upon property would be returned to us (taxes would simply have had to be re-filed), and that my husband, I and Noreen Von Zwehl, president and founder of the Man Foundation, plus a board to be agreed upon, would run the place as a retreat center.
"Although Man's board of directors made a resolution giving us complete control of the project, it was a constant tug of war from the outset, with the foundation keeping control of all donated monies (except those directly for the use of the retreats) and deciding that they would use initial donations to purchase the statue — $18,000 — that was originally in the building. (Much of the money donated at this time was raised by my mother and donated by her friends; we donated another $5,000 for this.)
"Since the building was in such disrepair that it was unusable, we finally started to use our own money and money donated by my uncle to fix the building to the point where we could occupy it legally (approximately another $10,000). In the meantime, we ran programs in the retreat house that we built to support this endeavor and in the local parishes. We were finally able to use the building in spring of 2001.
"We ran programs in the building from April 2001 to October 2001, with demands from the Man Foundation escalating. Finally in June or July, we asked about the return of our 14 acres and communications became rocky. We were told to come to a meeting in August in Long Island to form a board to run the Rosa Mystica House of Prayer.
"We refused, saying that such a request was contrary to our agreement. The board for this project was supposed to have been from the local population, and we had already enlisted the aid of several volunteers who had put a great deal of work into it, helping us with the repairs and with running the retreats. At that point we were told to cease holding any more programs in the building.
"Our October program having already been set, they allowed us to proceed with that. However, in November, when I went over to check the building, I found it padlocked with no previous warning to us. I sent a letter of objection to the foundation and received this reply.
"'After consulting with Judge Kunzeman and the board of directors of the Man Foundation, the decision was unanimously reached that we are justified in our decision to maintain that the shrine be used for the purpose it was originally intended. We reiterate that the title to the land is in the name of the Man Foundation and thus the land and shrine are the property of the Man Foundation. The Man Foundation is governed by its board of directors.
"'Our accountant, Robert Palumbo, has advised that, as a charitable organization, the Man Foundation cannot accept a 'conditional gift.'
"Please note that the directive that we received from the resolution of the Man Foundation's board of directors was: 'Whereas, Arline and Shinzo Saiki have requested that the Man Foundation form a division to be known as the Rosa Mystica Marian Center for the purpose of holding retreats, prayer meetings, lectures, and instruction for a moderate or no fee in the spirit of the Roman Catholic Church ... and,
"'Whereas, the Man Foundation supports the goals of the Rosa Mystica Marian Center under the directorship of Arline and Shinzo Saiki and a spiritual director (to be named) and desires to organize a division of the Man Foundation to operate as the Rosa Mystica Marian Center....'
"Noreen Von Zwehl of the Man Foundation and Father Bill McCarthy of My Father's House in Moodus, Connecticut, have been appearing on Focus TV, a Catholic television station, promoting the message of an apparition called the Rosa Mystica in Italy and the 'House of Prayer in Edmeston.' This apparition was condemned in 1997 and again in 2001 by the local bishop.
"The Man Foundation's Rosa Mystica website states that 'The Rosa Mystica House of Prayer is based on the apparitions of Montichiari that encourages us to achieve holiness, a full Catholic life, highly sacramental in union with Mary.'
"Apparently the phrase '...the shrine be used for the purpose it was originally intended' refers to the promotion of the apparition of the Rosa Mystica, as per their subsequent emphasis and change in advertising. However, we had never been advised of any such condition, had made no such condition ourselves and at no time agreed to such a condition because although we did not know the apparition had been condemned, we did know it had not been approved. The title 'Rosa Mystica' is the 2000-year-old title of Mary as Mother of the Church, which is how we were running the center.
"Our agreement was summarily dismissed, our property was not returned to us and we were never reimbursed for most of the money that we advanced them for things like the pews, the bathroom, the fire escape, etc.
"We finally got a lawyer last year. The foundation ignored his letters for several months until finally, after I contacted friends of my mother's in California who were coming here to New York to the Rosa Mystica to ask for their help, we received a letter threatening to sue us for slander if we contacted anyone else. Several more letters and $1,000 later, my lawyer tells us that they are too wealthy for us to sue.
"We used a big chunk of our retirement money to do this project and are left with a 'retreat house' that is empty most of the year as we are in an isolated area. We have been trying to get tourists from Cooperstown, but we are 25 minutes away and a last resort.
"We have appealed to the bishop (Diocese of Albany), to the foundation's spiritual directors, to its board of directors, to Focus TV, to its speakers, etc., and they have either ignored us or have told us to 'forgive and forget,' 'sour grapes,' or that we are acting out of pride. I wrote to the Better Business Bureau and they referred me to the New York State Attorney General's Office, who wrote back and said that this is a 'private dispute.'
"One more thing: We object not only to the fact that the Man Foundation took our conditional gift without honoring the conditions, but that they are appearing on national Catholic TV claiming great personal holiness, accepting large donations on that basis, and promoting an apparition that was condemned by the local bishop."
As of the time this column was submitted for posting, I had not received from the Man Foundation a formal response to Saiki's allegations. If and when I do receive such a response, I will print it.
A Catholic poem
The following is a poem composed by Susan Gorski of Naperville, Ill. It's titled "A Song of Lost and Found."
God but whispers, if we be still, we will hear Him...
In the Sacrifice of the Mass, He has chosen to be our Victim.
I asked a question of God today, "where do I belong?"
The answer came in the breeze, He said to me, "move along."
The Blessed are they who have suffered, this is the way of God.
Yet the host of all humanity readily find it odd.
"Take up your cross and follow Me," said He.
But they say it must be silently...
"Which way, Lord?" I asked rushing to His request.
Through the thorns He bid me come quickly at His behest.
I bleed and I sorrow at the thought of all my transgression.
"Come forth, and tell Me all. Make your confession."
"Mercy," I begged the Lord, "for I am a sinful one."
"Pray hard and sorrow, the last hour has not yet come."
God gave me the world, and I promised Him my life.
I did not ask for joy, instead I asked for strife.
Perhaps I did not know the depth of what it was I asked,
for suffering came quickly from the first until the last.
Living can be easy, and many go that way,
But I saw Him on the Cross and I couldn't go away.
Many walk in the world presently cold with shame,
But God has steadfastly held me back and let me share the pain.
This is what I asked for, "O Lord, let me not forget,
I wanted to share Thy suffering on the Cross to pay our debt."
I have come to see over time the cause of my waywardness.
It came to me that I desired the pleasure of worldly happiness.
As I hurried onward going nowhere, I let it slip my mind.
I wanted to forget the pain, and no longer took the time.
Soon, Love conquered me with cross upon cross to change my path.
Smitten, I finally realized the meaning I let slip passed.
"Rejoice in the Cross of Christ! Be joyful in suffering!" cried the martyrs.
But the True Love I asked for, I repelled ever more the harder.
The paradox of humanity, we truly get what we ask for.
Yet I was even unhappier than all the time that I spent before.
My nature did not want to honor the promise that I made,
That I would share His sorrows and before Him contemplate.
While there is breath in my body, I shall throw myself at His feet.
Begging to be forgiven, that I may nevermore retreat.
"Lord, bid me come to Thee!" This is the cry of my heart.
"Keep me hidden in Thy wounds that I may nevermore depart."
No one has been there for me but He, all the days I have lived.
It is time for me to make my way to the life of a contemplative.
I knew the road and all its turns would lead me there someday.
"If Thou wouldst still have me, Lord, help me make my way."
I'll take my comfort in Mary's words to Saint Bernadette,
"I can not promise you happiness in this world, only in the next
© Matt C. Abbott
Arline Saiki of Edmeston, New York, gives the following (edited) account of her dealings with a Catholic organization known as the Man Foundation:
"In 1999, my husband and I made an agreement with the Man Foundation to give them $70,000 to purchase a nearly 15-year-old unfinished 'church' called the Rosa Mystica for the purpose of running retreats. We had originally intended to purchase the property ourselves and divide it up, giving them only the building and the hill it is on (about 10 acres). The rest of the property — about 14 acres and bordering our house — was to be returned to us.
"However, because the money from the sale of our office was not available until the end of the year, we spoke to their lawyer and agreed to give them the money for the purchase of the property to be divided up at a later time. Our written agreement stipulates that the money is to be used for the purchase of the building, that the agreed upon property would be returned to us (taxes would simply have had to be re-filed), and that my husband, I and Noreen Von Zwehl, president and founder of the Man Foundation, plus a board to be agreed upon, would run the place as a retreat center.
"Although Man's board of directors made a resolution giving us complete control of the project, it was a constant tug of war from the outset, with the foundation keeping control of all donated monies (except those directly for the use of the retreats) and deciding that they would use initial donations to purchase the statue — $18,000 — that was originally in the building. (Much of the money donated at this time was raised by my mother and donated by her friends; we donated another $5,000 for this.)
"Since the building was in such disrepair that it was unusable, we finally started to use our own money and money donated by my uncle to fix the building to the point where we could occupy it legally (approximately another $10,000). In the meantime, we ran programs in the retreat house that we built to support this endeavor and in the local parishes. We were finally able to use the building in spring of 2001.
"We ran programs in the building from April 2001 to October 2001, with demands from the Man Foundation escalating. Finally in June or July, we asked about the return of our 14 acres and communications became rocky. We were told to come to a meeting in August in Long Island to form a board to run the Rosa Mystica House of Prayer.
"We refused, saying that such a request was contrary to our agreement. The board for this project was supposed to have been from the local population, and we had already enlisted the aid of several volunteers who had put a great deal of work into it, helping us with the repairs and with running the retreats. At that point we were told to cease holding any more programs in the building.
"Our October program having already been set, they allowed us to proceed with that. However, in November, when I went over to check the building, I found it padlocked with no previous warning to us. I sent a letter of objection to the foundation and received this reply.
"'After consulting with Judge Kunzeman and the board of directors of the Man Foundation, the decision was unanimously reached that we are justified in our decision to maintain that the shrine be used for the purpose it was originally intended. We reiterate that the title to the land is in the name of the Man Foundation and thus the land and shrine are the property of the Man Foundation. The Man Foundation is governed by its board of directors.
"'Our accountant, Robert Palumbo, has advised that, as a charitable organization, the Man Foundation cannot accept a 'conditional gift.'
"Please note that the directive that we received from the resolution of the Man Foundation's board of directors was: 'Whereas, Arline and Shinzo Saiki have requested that the Man Foundation form a division to be known as the Rosa Mystica Marian Center for the purpose of holding retreats, prayer meetings, lectures, and instruction for a moderate or no fee in the spirit of the Roman Catholic Church ... and,
"'Whereas, the Man Foundation supports the goals of the Rosa Mystica Marian Center under the directorship of Arline and Shinzo Saiki and a spiritual director (to be named) and desires to organize a division of the Man Foundation to operate as the Rosa Mystica Marian Center....'
"Noreen Von Zwehl of the Man Foundation and Father Bill McCarthy of My Father's House in Moodus, Connecticut, have been appearing on Focus TV, a Catholic television station, promoting the message of an apparition called the Rosa Mystica in Italy and the 'House of Prayer in Edmeston.' This apparition was condemned in 1997 and again in 2001 by the local bishop.
"The Man Foundation's Rosa Mystica website states that 'The Rosa Mystica House of Prayer is based on the apparitions of Montichiari that encourages us to achieve holiness, a full Catholic life, highly sacramental in union with Mary.'
"Apparently the phrase '...the shrine be used for the purpose it was originally intended' refers to the promotion of the apparition of the Rosa Mystica, as per their subsequent emphasis and change in advertising. However, we had never been advised of any such condition, had made no such condition ourselves and at no time agreed to such a condition because although we did not know the apparition had been condemned, we did know it had not been approved. The title 'Rosa Mystica' is the 2000-year-old title of Mary as Mother of the Church, which is how we were running the center.
"Our agreement was summarily dismissed, our property was not returned to us and we were never reimbursed for most of the money that we advanced them for things like the pews, the bathroom, the fire escape, etc.
"We finally got a lawyer last year. The foundation ignored his letters for several months until finally, after I contacted friends of my mother's in California who were coming here to New York to the Rosa Mystica to ask for their help, we received a letter threatening to sue us for slander if we contacted anyone else. Several more letters and $1,000 later, my lawyer tells us that they are too wealthy for us to sue.
"We used a big chunk of our retirement money to do this project and are left with a 'retreat house' that is empty most of the year as we are in an isolated area. We have been trying to get tourists from Cooperstown, but we are 25 minutes away and a last resort.
"We have appealed to the bishop (Diocese of Albany), to the foundation's spiritual directors, to its board of directors, to Focus TV, to its speakers, etc., and they have either ignored us or have told us to 'forgive and forget,' 'sour grapes,' or that we are acting out of pride. I wrote to the Better Business Bureau and they referred me to the New York State Attorney General's Office, who wrote back and said that this is a 'private dispute.'
"One more thing: We object not only to the fact that the Man Foundation took our conditional gift without honoring the conditions, but that they are appearing on national Catholic TV claiming great personal holiness, accepting large donations on that basis, and promoting an apparition that was condemned by the local bishop."
As of the time this column was submitted for posting, I had not received from the Man Foundation a formal response to Saiki's allegations. If and when I do receive such a response, I will print it.
A Catholic poem
The following is a poem composed by Susan Gorski of Naperville, Ill. It's titled "A Song of Lost and Found."
God but whispers, if we be still, we will hear Him...
In the Sacrifice of the Mass, He has chosen to be our Victim.
I asked a question of God today, "where do I belong?"
The answer came in the breeze, He said to me, "move along."
The Blessed are they who have suffered, this is the way of God.
Yet the host of all humanity readily find it odd.
"Take up your cross and follow Me," said He.
But they say it must be silently...
"Which way, Lord?" I asked rushing to His request.
Through the thorns He bid me come quickly at His behest.
I bleed and I sorrow at the thought of all my transgression.
"Come forth, and tell Me all. Make your confession."
"Mercy," I begged the Lord, "for I am a sinful one."
"Pray hard and sorrow, the last hour has not yet come."
God gave me the world, and I promised Him my life.
I did not ask for joy, instead I asked for strife.
Perhaps I did not know the depth of what it was I asked,
for suffering came quickly from the first until the last.
Living can be easy, and many go that way,
But I saw Him on the Cross and I couldn't go away.
Many walk in the world presently cold with shame,
But God has steadfastly held me back and let me share the pain.
This is what I asked for, "O Lord, let me not forget,
I wanted to share Thy suffering on the Cross to pay our debt."
I have come to see over time the cause of my waywardness.
It came to me that I desired the pleasure of worldly happiness.
As I hurried onward going nowhere, I let it slip my mind.
I wanted to forget the pain, and no longer took the time.
Soon, Love conquered me with cross upon cross to change my path.
Smitten, I finally realized the meaning I let slip passed.
"Rejoice in the Cross of Christ! Be joyful in suffering!" cried the martyrs.
But the True Love I asked for, I repelled ever more the harder.
The paradox of humanity, we truly get what we ask for.
Yet I was even unhappier than all the time that I spent before.
My nature did not want to honor the promise that I made,
That I would share His sorrows and before Him contemplate.
While there is breath in my body, I shall throw myself at His feet.
Begging to be forgiven, that I may nevermore retreat.
"Lord, bid me come to Thee!" This is the cry of my heart.
"Keep me hidden in Thy wounds that I may nevermore depart."
No one has been there for me but He, all the days I have lived.
It is time for me to make my way to the life of a contemplative.
I knew the road and all its turns would lead me there someday.
"If Thou wouldst still have me, Lord, help me make my way."
I'll take my comfort in Mary's words to Saint Bernadette,
"I can not promise you happiness in this world, only in the next
© Matt C. Abbott
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