Foster addresses the recent excommunication by the archdiocese, noting that while he expected the news, it remains a difficult situation for his community and friends. The core conflict stems from the community's adherence to prophetic messages received by Sister Amapola beginning in late 2016. Foster expressed frustration that the archdiocese failed to make a serious effort to discern these messages or interview Sister Amapola. The community believes they must obey God over men, justifying their actions despite official church authority. They will not appeal the decision because they view the Vatican as corrupt. The community continues to believe that Popes Francis and Leo are usurpers rather than true authorities.
Reporter: When you received the news about your excommunication, what went through your mind?
Father John Mary Foster: We were expecting the news, but it is still very difficult.
We know that this will cause a great deal of distress for many good Catholics and for many of our friends. However, we do feel that we are doing what the Lord is asking us to do.
Reporter: Do you feel that the Archdiocese made the right decision?
Father Foster: I do not feel bitter toward the Archbishop. I think he is trying to do his duty.
However, I regret that much of this decision is based on messages that we believe we have discerned over many years—messages that the Lord has been giving to our community.
We regret that the Archdiocese never made a serious effort to discern those messages. For instance, they never interviewed Sister Amapola, who is the person receiving them.
Reporter: What messages are you referring to?
Father Foster: Our entire community is based on trying to listen to God. We believe that God continues to speak to His Church today, including through prophetic gifts.
Sister Amapola is a member of our community. I have known her for about thirty years, since we were in Mont Pelé.
At the end of 2016, she began receiving what she believed were messages from the Lord. We discerned them as a community and came to believe that they were authentic.
Very quickly, in 2017, the Lord asked us to share these messages with the Archbishop.
I would also like to say that, at their heart, these messages are messages of great hope. They speak of the Lord wanting to bring about a reconquest of the hearts of His children and a great renewal of His Church.
Reporter: Would you be willing to share some of the messages she has received?
Father Foster: She has received hundreds of messages by now. However, it was only in 2024 that we finally felt called to publish them.
As I said, they are messages of hope for God’s children, but they also call us to be aware of serious corruption in the Church and of many attacks against fidelity to the faith in Jesus Christ.
We believe that obedience is very important, but obedience must always be directed first of all toward God.
We believe that, during this grave crisis through which the Church is passing, God is asking us to take this step.
As Scripture says, we must obey God rather than men.
Reporter: Are you going to appeal the decision?
Father Foster: No, we will not appeal.
To appeal would mean appealing to the same Vatican that the Lord has told us is deeply corrupt. Therefore, we felt that there was no real purpose in appealing the decision.
Reporter: What would you like to say to the members of your church?
Father Foster: Above all, we want to say that many people are suffering today—not only because of this decision, but also because these are very difficult times.
We believe that the Lord wants to act in powerful ways during this period. These prophetic messages are part of a broader message: they are messages of hope, but they also serve to awaken people to some of the real dangers in the world today.
Above all, however, they are messages of hope in Jesus Christ and in the plans and designs of mercy that God has for our time.
We are trying to do the Lord’s work. Sometimes, as we see throughout Scripture, people have had to make unpopular decisions—decisions that went against what the authorities said—in order to denounce corruption.
We feel that this is what we are called to do today: to awaken people, while also proclaiming hope in God’s mercy.
Reporter: The Archdiocese has now announced your excommunication. What would you say to anyone in your church who is struggling with this information and wondering whether to continue coming here?
Father Foster: We believe it is important for each person, especially during these very difficult times, to discern carefully.
Since the Church is going through an unprecedented crisis, we believe it is very important for people to be awake to what is happening and to make a special effort to listen to God.
People should not simply go through the motions. They should truly listen to God and to the prophetic lights He is giving during these times.
We believe that the Lord is asking us to continue ministering here, because we feel that we are acting in obedience to God.
The Lord has told us that Francis and Leo are usurpers. I know that this is a very difficult message, but I need to state it clearly.
He does not want us to submit to usurpers who are causing much of the current problem in the Church and in the Vatican.
Therefore, we will not submit to an authority that we believe is not a true authority in the Church.
Reporter: When that belief was expressed to the Archdiocese, what was its response? Did they try to change your mind?
Father Foster: There were several communications between us and the Archdiocese.
As I said, for more than seven years we submitted these messages to them because we felt that this was a core part of our community: remaining aware that God continues to speak to the Church.
Even in a small community like ours, God can be speaking. We submitted the messages to the Archdiocese, but they essentially never took them seriously. They never made a serious effort to discern them.
We remained silent, as the Archbishop had asked us to do, for seven years. But then we felt that we needed to speak out.
That, of course, was not well received by the Archdiocese.
Reporter: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Father Foster: I think the central message we want to emphasize is that God wants to act in our time. He has not abandoned His children.
But, in order for Him to act, He needs real faith. What He is calling us to is faith—faith in Jesus Christ.
We are not presenting anything new. We are simply trying to renew the Church’s faith in the same Jesus Christ who is our Savior.
Reporter: Approximately how many people attend your church?
Father Foster: On a typical Sunday, perhaps 180 to 200 people attend Mass.
Since we began publishing the messages, however, a much larger number of people— not locally, but from other parts of the United States and from other countries—have contacted us.
Many people feel greatly encouraged by these messages because they have been sensing the same problems, but they did not have anyone speaking openly about them.
They are encouraged that someone is addressing these issues.
Reporter: Where do you go from here?
Father Foster: We are simply going to continue trying to follow the Lord’s will.
We are going to continue our ministry here because we believe it is important and that God is asking us to do so.
We believe that God has mysterious plans—good plans and plans of mercy. We do not know exactly when or how He will act, but He has given us great hope in His plan.