The Mystery of the Holy Rosary

I heard once that many dying soldiers call out for their mother when they are mortally wounded. Thinking about that now, the fact is more poignant because we pray to Our Lady, the Mother given to us by her Son at the foot of the Cross, that she will pray for us 'now and at the hour of our death'. If only all soldiers knew of the power of her protection and help. We have a dear Mother who is looking out for us, her soldiers, the soldiers of her Divine Son.

Praying the Holy Rosary shouldn't really be a devotion particular to some Catholics. The Rosary is so embedded in Catholic piety and tradition that the Church promotes it as the highest form of prayer save for contemplation, the highest form of prayer outside of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Praying the Rosary is an 'optional extra' for us Catholics, but at the same time, it is an essential optional extra devotion.

This is not just because Our Lady made various promises that those who prayed the Rosary would receive Divine help and the graces necessary for salvation. There are many, many reasons why we should pray the Rosary and there are many reasons why its constant promotion is vital. It just so happens that Our Lady said that devotion to the Rosary would bring souls out of error and heresy and into the pursuit of sanctity and holiness. At this time, we have no remedy for the souls who believe those things that run totally contrary to the Most Holy Faith.

Devotion to Our Lady is a constant running through the history of the Church's multitude of Saints, many recommending the Rosary after it was given by Our Lady to St Dominic in order to convert the French from the Albigensian heresy. Popes have lived and died swearing by the efficacy of devotion to the Rosary, imploring others to pray it. Certainly our reigning Pontiff prays it and so did Blessed Pope John Paul II.

It seems to me, also, that there is a mysterious link between praying the Rosary, devotion to Our Lady and love for the Holy Father. I'm sure that our love for the Holy Father increases with our devotion and prayer of the Rosary, because of the great love in the heart of Mary for the Vicar of her Son. Our love for the Holy Father is actually a supernatural love. That is why, perhaps, some in the Church don't understand it.

At this time in the Church's history, when heresy and liberalism run rampant even among some in great authority in the Church, it is exceedingly important that more Catholics take up the Rosary in the spiritual battle in which we all find ourselves, struggling, failing, but with Our Blessed Lady, conquering. It is so important that we unite behind the Successor of St Peter, have great love for him and appreciation for his stewardship of the Church, that we pray that he will be protected against his enemies within and without the Church.

Pray for us O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ!

"The rosary is the scourge of the devil" - Pope Adrian VI.


"The Rosary is the best therapy for these distraught, unhappy, fearful, and frustrated souls, precisely because it involves the simultaneous use of three powers: the physical, the vocal, and the spiritual, and in that order. " - Archbishop Fulton Sheen


"The rosary is a treasure of graces" - Pope Paul V.


Padre Pio the stigmatic priest said "The Rosary is THE WEAPON."


Pope Leo XIII wrote 9 encyclicals on the rosary.


Pope John XXIII spoke 38 times about Our Lady and the Rosary. He prayed 15 decades daily.


St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort wrote: "The rosary is the most powerful weapon to touch the Heart of Jesus, Our Redeemer, who loves His Mother."


"One day through the Rosary and the Scapular I will save the world." Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Dominic


"Say the Rosary every day to obtain peace for the world." Our.Lady of Fatima 1917


"The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary." St. Francis de Sales


"If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I assure you that in spite of the gravity of your sins, you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory. Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in Hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and save your soul, if and mark well what I say -- if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon of your sins." St. Louis de Montfort


"Those who say the Rosary daily and wear the Brown Scapular and who do a little more, will go straight to Heaven."
St. Alphonsus Ligouri


"Among all the devotions approved by the Church none has been favored by so many miracles as the devotion of the most Holy Rosary. " Pope Pius IX


"If there were one million families praying the Rosary every day, the entire world would be saved. "
Pope St. Pius X


"There is no surer means of calling down God's blessing upon the family than the daily recitation of the Rosary." Pope Pius XII


"We put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils which afflict our times."
Pope Pius XII


"The Rosary is a school for learning true Christian perfection."
Pope John XXIII


"No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary. Either he will give up the sin or he will give up the Rosary" Bishop Patrick Boyle


"Those who say the Rosary frequently and fervently will gradually grow in grace and holiness and will enjoy the special protection of Our Lady and the abiding friendship of God." Bishop Hugh Boyle


"The Family that prays together, stays together." Father Patrick Peyton


"If families give Our Lady fifteen minutes a day by reciting the Rosary, I assure them that their homes will become, by God's grace, peaceful places."            Father Patrick Peyton


"If our age in its pride laughs at and rejects Our Lady's Rosary, a countless legion of the most saintly men of every age and of every condition have not only held it most dear and have most piously recited it but have also used it at all times as a most powerful weapon to overcome the devil, to preserve the purity of their lives, to acquire virtue more zealously, in a word, to promote peace among men."

Pope Pius XI

"When you pray Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now....., the Blessed Mother comes instantly to your side to pray with you. And she does not come alone. She brings angels with her. And not just one or two for she is the Queen of Angels, so choirs of angels come with her. And she and Jesus are joined at the heart and cannot be separated so she brings Jesus with her. And Jesus cannot be separated from the Trinity so He brings the Father and the Holy Spirit with Him. And where the Holy Trinity is all of creation is and you are surrounded by such beauty and light as you cannot imagine in this life. Your Mother comes as Our Lady of Grace with her hands out-stretched. Rays of light emit from her hands piercing your body, healing you and filling you with graces. This is your inheritance which was poured out from the heart of Jesus on the Cross, when the centurion pierced His Heart with the spear, into the only pure vessel ready to receive such graces at that time,Your Mother. Now as you pray the Rosary, or even just recite one Hail Mary, you receive your portion of these graces."He also said at this time, "Anyone who goes to Mary and prays the Rosary cannot be touched by Satan." Is it any wonder that anyone who prays the Rosary from the heart is so blessed and protected and powerful in their prayers for others?"

Father Gabriel Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican

Posted by That The Bones You Have Crushed May Thrill

Faith is like a Plant

Faith is like a plant. If we do not sprinkle water over it, with prayer, shine Christ's light on it, with Confession, feed it, with the Body and Blood of Christ, then it will wither and die, only to be crushed by the weeds of sin. If we give Faith what it needs to live, with prayer and the Sacraments, then it will thrive and live.

Posted by That The Bones You Have Crushed May Thrill

What was it like after Vatican II Daddy?

Much as it pains me to say it, I was around in 1970 and have quite a vivid recall of events at the time. I was actually all for a folksy type Mass (I was very young) and having it in English was a novelty for me because, being an altar boy since the age of five, I knew the latin backwards, upside down and inside out. English was a novelty. And, also, we did not have an awful translation, we had the straight translation from the latin; "I will go in unto the altar of God, unto God who gives joy to my youth". Beautiful even in English!
But it was a time of flux and the faithful (as well as the clergy) were confused and somewhat dazed at the disparate way that the liturgy was being chopped up and reconstituted.

Not a Bass Guitar - a Mass Guitar!

Strangely, my siblings, were very anti the changes whilst I was all for them. Now, the situation is reversed and I am the only one to pursue the EF Mass, everyone else opts for the OF Mass. I owe this change to my wife whom, when we met was a Church going Anglican - and a very strong one at that. Each Sunday, she would set off for Canterbury whilst I made my way to Rome. I do believe that it was this that strengthened my faith, without that challenge of having to 'fight my corner' I am sure that I would have joined the ranks of attrition - and those ranks were very full at that time.
After two years of marriage, my wife announced that she was interested in being catechised in the Catholic faith. This was something of a shock to me but, recovering swiftly, we made our way to our parish presbytery (where the incumbent priest was the Diocesan Catechist no less). Explaining the situation at the door we were met with the response: " Why don't you go away and find some books to read on the Catholic faith". Not so good and very humiliating for me the alleged Catholic partner. Next, we phoned up a neighbouring parish under the control of the Discalced Carmelites. There we were met with the rolling Irish accent of Fr Patrick who welcomed us with open arms. This was more like it.
We attended the Lord knows how many sessions with Fr P who had a most infectious laugh and, after making some outrageous statement such as: "I don't think anyone commits mortal sin these days" would turn to me and say: "Was that heretical?" "Yes, Father", I would reply and we would all fall on the floor laughing hysterically. We were very young, all of us.


After my wife was received into the faith (and was subjected to no less than four sacraments that night) we attended the 'house Masses' that were all the rage then. Somehow, it was deemed desirable to forsake the church building and take the Mass into the village community; it does have a certain attraction, but, let me tell you, it soon wears off. Kneeling in Mrs Boddington's front parlour with the television set in the corner and Mrs B's cat purring around one's nether regions is not good for the soul.
Now house Masses are a thing of the past; a bit like Peter and Gordon - they were great pop singers at the time but, eight weeks after they started, no one could remember them.


After some years, the Novus Ordo became an established and well loved Mass. With small children at heel we found ourselves on the fringes of Ross-on-Wye, where, just a couple of miles away was the Mill Hill Fathers' base of Courtfield and a beautiful chapel with a Welsh name (Ty Mair) - Mary's House. For a few years, all was sweetness and light; the Novus Ordo was celebrated with extreme reverence by Fr Hughes and we even formed our own choir under the strict eye of John Bevan (Catholic Books).
And there, I shall leave it. This was meant to be a snapshot of Catholic life in England in the 1970s and it will remain precisely that.
 Not contentious, just a small fragment of Catholic history that may be worth recording or, alternatively, no worries, may be chucked in the round file!

Posted By Richard Collins - Linen on the Hedgerow

Michael Voris on The Michael Coren Show

Father Corapi on Sharing our Faith to Others

Identity: A Priest - Lacordaire

To live in the midst of the world
 
without wishing its pleasures;
 
To be a member of each family,
 
yet belonging to none;
 
To share all suffering;
 
To penetrate all secrets;
 
To heal all wounds;
 
 

To go from men to God
 
and offer Him their prayers;
 

To return from God to men
 
To bring pardon and hope;
 

To have a heart of fire for Charity,
 
and a heart of bronze for Chastity
 
To teach and to pardon,
 
console and bless always.
 

My God, what a life;
 
and it is yours,
 
O priest of Jesus Christ.

"Unless you be like little children" - A Story Recounted by Archbishop Fulton Sheen

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less:

A 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. 

A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and
studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the
waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on
the table and walked away 

The boy finished the ice-cream, paid the cashier and left....  

When the waitress returned to wipe down the table she looked down and burst into tears

 
For there beside the empty bowl were stacked two nickels and five pennies.

 Had the boy bought a Sundae he would have been unable to leave a tip....

BLESSED TITUS WHO?

                                             Blessed Titus Brandsma

Some (like myself) may be a little ignorant as to whom Blessed Titus Brandsma is but a little research shows that, although dying somewhat prematurely, he made a great impact in his native Netherlands and in Dachau where he died after being injected with a lethal dose of poison.
He came from a poor family and had four sisters and one brother. As a child and even into his youth, he suffered with health problems and cut a somewhat slight figure. So much so that he was nicknamed "Shorty".
After joining a Franciscan 'Minor' Seminary he had to leave due to his poor health but, a year or two later he joined the Carmelites at Boxmeer, taking the name 'Titus'.


Her mastered several languages and was ordained in 1905, gaining a Doctorate in Philosophy from the Pontifical University of Rome in 1909.
For several years he taught at the Carmelite University at Oss and also became editor of the local daily newspaper in 1919. He was usually to be found sitting at his desk with a large cigar in his mouth.
His teaching career expanded and he also made an impact in the journalistic world being appointed ecclesiastical advisor to Catholic journalists in 1935.


As Hitler proceeded with his plans for a totalitarian state, so, Blessed Titus used the power of the pen to oppose him. He wrote an article against anti Jewish marriage laws and this brought him to the notice of the authorities. He followed up by writing that no Catholic magazine could publish Nazi literature and still call itself Catholic.


They came for him on 19th January 1942 and before long he was incarcerated in Dachau.
Daily beatings, poor food and hard labour began to take a toll on an already frail constitution but he insisted that his fellow prisoners should pray for their tormentors. Then his poor body became the subject of medical experimentation and, when he became unfit even for this purpose, they gave him a lethal injection. Before the needle was inserted into him, Blessed Titus made a gift of his rosary to his assassin.

Born 23rd February 1881 as Anno Sjoera Brandsma he died on 26th July 1942 as Titus Brandsma - Martyr.


Here is his own account of his arrest:-


January 19, 1942: Father Titus is Arrested
Having spent the night in Arnhem, I was told that I must spend another night there. With these words I was brought into cell 577 on January 20. Next morning I had to be ready at half past eight to be tried at the Hague. This would probably be finished in the afternoon, and in view of my health I would probably be allowed home. On the night of January 21, I was told that my confinement was to be prolonged in order that more evidence might be obtained. Mr. Hardegen, who tried my case in a courteous way, said that this would not be difficult for me on account of my religious life. Indeed, it was not. I remember an old stanza of Longfellow which I have retained since my college years in Megen, and it is particularly appropriate in my present situation:

In his chamber all alone,

Kneeling on a floor of stone,

Prayed a monk in deep contrition

For his sins of indecision;

Prayed for greater self-denial

In temptation and in trial.

As to that "trial," it was not so difficult as I had expected, though one has to get accustomed to many things in prison. Indeed, going to prison at the age of 60 is a strange experience. Jokingly I said so to Mr. Steffen who had arrested me, while entering the prison. His answer, however, comforted me: "It is your own fault, for you should not have taken the Archbishop's commission." Now I knew why I was here and I said to him fearlessly that I looked upon such a thing as an honour, and that I was not conscious of having done anything wrong by doing that. I said the same thing to Mr. Hardegen and I added: "On the contrary, it was an honest effort to relax the contrasts." On the one side this was accepted, on the other side it was looked upon as an organisation of resistance against the occupying power. I had to oppose this last opinion, and to stress the exclusive intention of communicating both to the press and to the Reichskommissariat the Catholic point of view about the propaganda of the National Socialist Movement, as it was pointed out by the Bishops. This point of view was to be communicated to the Reichskommissariat, even if the managers and editorial staffs of the Catholic dailies were not in agreement; but undoubtedly, they were.
The first day of my commission I asked Mr. Schlichting to go to the Reichskommissariat; on account of his journey to Rome this interview took place after mine with the Catholic press. Meanwhile I quite understand that the attitude of the Bishops and of the Catholic press is not considered agreeable, and that the commission of the Archbishop to me and carried out by me, is looked upon as some act of resistance. Our Catholic principles are at conflict with their principles; the contrast of principles is there. For this confession I joyfully suffer what is to be suffered.
My vocation to the Church and to the priesthood brought me so many grand and beautiful things that I willingly accept something unpleasant in return for it. I repeat in complete agreement with Job: We have received good things at the hand of God, why should we not receive the evil he sends us in his Providence? The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Apart from that, I have not had too bad a time. And although I do not know what will become of it, I know myself to be wholly in God's hands. Who will separate us from the love of God? I am thinking of my old motto: <Prenez les jours, comme ils arrivent, Les beaux d'un coeur reconnaissant Ft les mauvais pour ceux qui suivent, Car le malheur n'est qu'un passant>.
With Gezelle, I praise "my old breviary," which was luckily left to me and which I can say now as quietly as possible. Oh! in the morning Holy Mass and Holy Communion are missing, I know full well, but nevertheless God is near me, in me and with me. It is in him that we live, and move and have our being. "God, while so near and yet so far, is always present." The well-known couplet which was always in St. Teresa's breviary—I sent it to my colleague Professor Brom when he was in prison—is also a comfort and encouragement to me; "Let nothing disturb thee, let nothing frighten thee. All things are passing. God does not change. Who possesses God wants for nothing. God alone suffices."

Scheveningen Police-prison, January 23, 1942.

---

 

Originally posted on Linen on the Hedgerow
 

                BLESSED TITUS BRANDSMA - ORA PRO NOBIS! 

Prayer of Blessed John Henry Newman

 

GOD HAS CREATED ME

to do Him some definite service

He has committed some work to me

which He has not committed to another

I HAVE MY MISSION

I may never know it in this life

but I shall be told it in the next

I AM A LINK IN A CHAIN

A bond of connection between persons

He has not created me for naught

I shall do good - I shall do His work

I shall be an angel of peace

a preacher of truth in my own place

while not intending it

if I do but keep His commandments

THEREFORE I WILL TRUST HIM

whatever I am, I can never be thrown away

if I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him

in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him

if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him

HE DOES NOTHING IN VAIN

He knows what He is about

He may take away my friends

He may throw me among strangers

He may make me feel desolate

make my spirits sink

hide my future from me - still

HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS ABOUT

Be Not Afraid

The Prayer of St. Francis de Sales
Be at Peace :

Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life;

rather look to them with full hope as they arise.

God, whose very own you are,

will deliver you from out of them.

He has kept you hitherto,

and He will lead you safely through all things;

and when you cannot stand it,

God will bury you in his arms.

Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;

the same everlasting Father who cares for you today

will take care of you then and everyday.

He will either shield you from suffering,

or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace , and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.

The Bookmark of St Theresa

Let nothing trouble you,
Let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing;
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
He who possesses God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.

Mother of all....

Mississippi 1944 :
Claude Newman was a black man who worked the fields for a landowner. He had married when he was 17 years old to a woman of the same age. One day, two years later, he was out plowing the fields. Another worker ran to tell Claude that his wife was screaming from the house. Immediately Claude ran into his house and found a man attacking his wife. Claude saw red, grabbed an axe and split the man's head open. When they rolled the man over, they discovered that it was the favorite employee of the landowner for whom Claude worked. Claude was arrested. He was later sentenced for murder and condemned to die in the electric chair.

While he was in jail awaiting execution, he shared a cell-block of some sort with four other prisoners. One night, the five men were sitting around talking and they ran out of conversation. Claude noticed a medal on a string around another prisoner's neck. He asked what it was, and the Catholic boy told him that it was a medal. Claude said, "What is a medal?" The Catholic boy could not explain what a medal was or what its purpose was. At that point, and in anger, the Catholic boy snatched the medal from his own neck and threw it on the floor at Claude's feet with a curse and a cuss, telling him to take the thing.

Claude picked up the medal, and with permission from the prison attendants, placed it on a string around his own neck. To him it was simply a trinket, but he wanted to wear it.

During the night, sleeping on top of his cot, he was awakened with a touch on his wrist. And there stood, as Claude told the priest later, the most beautiful woman that God ever created. At first he was very frightened. The Lady calmed down Claude, and then said to him, "If you would like Me to be your Mother, and you would like to be My child, send for a priest of the Catholic Church." With that She disappeared.

Claude immediately became terrified, and started to scream, "a ghost, a ghost", and fled to the cell of one of the other prisoners. He then started screaming that he wanted a Catholic priest.

Father O'Leary , the priest who tells the story, was called first thing the next morning. He arrived and found Claude who told him of what had happened the night before. Then Claude, along with the other four men in his cell-block, asked for religious instruction, for catechism.


Initially, Father O'Leary had difficulty believing the story. The other prisoners told the priest that everything in the story was true; but of course, they neither saw nor heard the vision of the Lady.

Father O'Leary promised to teach them catechism, as they had requested. He went back to his parish, told the rector what had happened, and returned to the prison the next day to give instruction.

It was then that the priest learned that Claude Newman could neither read nor write at all. The only way he could tell if a book was right-side-up was if the book contained a picture. Claude had never been to school. And his ignorance of religion was even more profound. He knew nothing at all about religion. He did not know who Jesus was. He did not know anything except that there was a God.

Claude began receiving instructions, and the other prisoners helped him with his studies. After a few days, two of the religious Sisters from Father O'Leary's parish-school obtained permission from the warden to come to the prison. They wanted to meet Claude, and they also wanted to visit the women in the prison. On another floor of the prison, the Sisters then started to teach some of the women-prisoners catechism as well.

Several weeks passed, and it came time when Father O'Leary was going to give instructions about the Sacrament of Confession. The Sisters too sat in on the class. The priest said to the prisoners, "Okay, boys, today I'm going to teach you about the Sacrament of Confession."

Claude said, "Oh, I know about that!"


"The Lady told me," said Claude, "that when we go to confession we are kneeling down not before a priest, but we're kneeling down by the Cross of Her Son. And that when we are truly sorry for our sins, and we confess our sins, the Blood He shed flows down over us and washes us free from all sins. "

Father O'Leary and the Sisters sat stunned with their mouths wide open. Claude thought they were angry and said, "Oh don't be angry, don't be angry, I didn't mean to blurt it out."

The priest said, "We're not angry. We're just amazed. You have seen Her again?"

Claude said, "Come around the cell-block away from the others."

When they were alone, Claude said to the priest, "She told me that if you doubted me or showed hesitancy, I was to remind you that lying in a ditch in Holland, in 1940, you made a vow to Her which She's still waiting for you to keep." And, Father O'Leary recalls, "Claude told me exactly what the vow was."

This convinced Father O'Leary that Claude was telling the truth about his visions of Our Lady.

They then returned to the catechism class on Confession. And Claude kept telling the other prisoners, "You should not be afraid to go to confession. You're really telling God your sins, not this priest, or any priest. We're telling God our sins." Then Claude said, "You know, the Lady said [that Confession is] something like a telephone. We talk through the priest to God and God talks back to us through the priest."


About a week later, Father O'Leary was preparing to teach the class about the Blessed Sacrament. The Sisters were present for this too. Claude indicated that the Lady had also taught him about Holy Communion, and he asked if he could tell the priest what She said. The priest agreed immediately. Claude related, "The Lady told me that in Communion, I will only see what looks like a piece of bread. But She told me that THAT is really and truly Her Son. And that He will be with me just for a few moments as He was with Her before He was born in Bethlehem. And that I should spend my time like She did, in all Her time with Him, in loving Him, adoring Him, thanking Him, praising Him and asking Him for blessings. I shouldn't be bothered by anybody else or anything else. But I should spend those few minutes with Him."

Eventually they finished the instructions, Claude was received into the Catholic Church, and the time came for Claude to be executed. He was to be executed at five minutes after twelve, midnight.


The sheriff asked him, "Claude, you have the privilege of a last request. What do you want?"

"Well," said Claude, "you're all shook up. The jailer is all shook up. But you don't understand. I'm not going to die. Just this body. I'm going to be with Her. So, can I have a party?"

"What do you mean?", asked the sheriff.

"A Party!" said Claude. "Will you give Father permission to bring in some cakes and ice cream and will you allow the prisoners on the second floor to be turned loose in the main room so that we can all be together and have a party?"

"Somebody might attack Father," cautioned the warden.

Claude turned to the men who were standing by and said, "Oh no, they won't. Will you fellas?"


So, the priest visited a wealthy patron of the parish, and she supplied the ice cream and cake. They had their party.

Afterwards, because Claude had requested it, they made a Holy Hour. The priest had brought prayer books from the Church and they all said together the Stations of the Cross, and a had a Holy Hour, without the Blessed Sacrament.

Afterwards, the men were put back in their cells. The priest went to the chapel to get the Blessed Sacrament so that he could give Claude Holy Communion.

Father O'Leary returned to Claude's cell. Claude knelt on one side of the bars, the priest knelt on the other, and they prayer together as the clock ticked toward Claude's execution.

Fifteen minutes before the execution, the sheriff came running up the stairs shouting, "Reprieve, Reprieve, the Governor has given a two-week reprieve!" Claude had not been aware that the sheriff and the District Attorney were trying to get a stay of execution for Claude to save his life. When Claude found out, he started to cry.

The priest and the sheriff thought it was a reaction of joy because he was not going to be executed. But Claude said, "Oh you men don't know. And Father, you don't know. If you ever looked into Her face, and looked into Her eyes, you wouldn't want to live another day."

Claude then said, "What have I done wrong these past weeks that God would refuse me my going home?" And the priest said that Claude sobbed as one who was brokenhearted.

The sheriff left the room. The priest remained and gave Claude Holy Communion. Claude eventually quieted down. Then Claude said, "Why? Why must I still remain here for two weeks?"

The priest had a sudden idea.

He reminded Claude about a prisoner in the jail who hated Claude intensely. This prisoner had led a horribly immoral life, and he too was sent to be executed.



The priest said, "Maybe Our Blessed Mother wants you to offer this denial of being with Her for his conversion." The priest continued, "Why don't you offer to God every moment you are separated from Her for this prisoner so that he will not be separated from God for all eternity."

Claude agreed, and asked the priest to teach him the words to make the offering. The priest complied. At the time, the only two people who knew about this offering were Claude and Father O'Leary.

The next day, Claude said to the priest, "That prisoner hated me before, but Oh! Father, how he hates me now!" The priest said, "Well, that's a good sign."

Two weeks later, Claude was executed.

Father O'Leary remarked, "I've never seen anyone go to his death as joyfully and happily. Even the official witnesses and the newspaper reporters were amazed. They said they couldn't understand how anyone could go and sit in the electric chair actually beaming with happiness."

His last words to Father O'Leary were, "Father, I will remember you. And whenever you have a request, ask me, and I will ask Her."

Two months later, the white man, who had hated Claude, was to be executed. Father O'Leary said, "This man was the filthiest, most immoral person I had ever come across." His hatred for God, for everything spiritual," said the priest, "defied description."

Just before his execution, the county doctor pleaded with this man to at least kneel down and say the Our Father before the sheriff would come for him.

The prisoner spat in the doctor's face.

When he was strapped into the electric chair, the sheriff said to him, "If you have something to say, say it now."

The condemned man started to blaspheme.

All of a sudden the condemned man stopped, and his eyes became fixed on the corner of the room, and his face turned to one of absolute horror.

He screamed.

Turning to the sheriff, he then said, "Sheriff, get me a priest!"

Now, Father O'Leary had been in the room because the law required a clergyman to be present at executions. The priest, however, had hidden himself behind some reporters because the condemned man had threatened to curse God if he saw a clergyman at all.

Father O'Leary immediately went to the condemned man. The room was cleared of everyone else, and the priest heard the man's confession. The man said he had been a Catholic, but turned away from his religion when he was 18 because of his immoral life.


When everyone returned to the room, the sheriff asked the priest, "What made him change his mind?"

"I don't know " said Father O'Leary, "I didn't ask him."

The sheriff said, "Well, I'll never sleep if I don't."

The Sheriff turned to the condemned man and asked, "Son, what changed your mind?"

The prisoner responded, "Remember that black man ­ Claude - who I hated so much? Well he's standing there [he pointed], over in that corner. And behind him with one hand on each shoulder is the Blessed Mother. And Claude said to me, 'I offered my death in union with Christ on the Cross for your salvation. She has obtained for you this gift, to see your place in Hell if you do not repent.' I was shown my place in Hell, and that's when I screamed."

This, then, is the power of Our Lady.