Wednesday, June 25, 2014

A Strange Night

8 months ago I had an idea pop into my head.  I felt an inspiration to build a Purgatory website.  As I thought about it, I began to plan how I’d build it and what it would be like, how it would work, ect.  I had to put the site on a side burner while I discerned a vocation with a Diocese.  After my discernment period for this particular diocese came to a close (for the time being), I had a renewed interest to build the site.  Last weekend I began to visualize the design and the inner workings of the website.  Two days ago, I got hit with what felt like ‘Gold Fever’ and I began working madly on the site, spending every waking hour hammering away on it’s creation, like a mad artist flinging bits of paint in every direction attempting to create the image in the minds eye to perfection.  Ok. I had to dramatize that a bit! =)

Last evening I found myself working madly into the night and unfortunately I didn’t find myself going to bed on time.  As I prepared for bed I said my normal barrage of prayers, novenas, and parts of the rosary.   I applied my evening holy water routine which would give a fire station a run for their money.  I crawled into bed and went to sleep.  I was woken up a short time later with a strange feeling.  I can’t explain what it felt like other than to say that I felt completely remorseful for every sin I have ever committed and then that is when it happened, all of the sudden a review of my life happened.  I saw myself as a small child and I went through every single sin that I could remember that I had committed.  I felt an overwhelming sadness at each time that I had offended God and I wept bitterly.  I asked God for forgiveness and I decided right then and there that I was going to have a general confession with a Priest as soon as I could.  There are many things that I saw that I haven’t ever confessed;  that is terrible to say, but for some reason as a kid or teenager, I either didn’t think it was a sin or I intentionally didn’t confess them.  After that sadness passed I went back to sleep.  I woke up to hear the grandfather clock in the hall tolling 3am and that’s when an entirely different feeling assaulted me.  I quickly said the St. Michael the Archangel prayer, asked my guardian angel to come to my assistance and after that a calming feeling passed over and I dozed back off to sleep.

After dinner last night I told Mom that I realized after taking on a project such as this (purgatory site), that I knew I was going to be getting attacked more spiritually.  I’d better put on my armor of God ASAP and prepare myself for battle.  One great thing has already come from this, I’m going to set up that appointment with a Priest this week, I’d like to go through this before my birthday next week.. I’m turning the hallowed 33.  I can’t believe I’m almost 33, time has truly flown and it seems that life is only going that much faster.

I almost forgot, the purgatory site is still in development, so please do not attempt to submit any (souls) into the site just yet.  I have a few bugs that I am working out right now with a developer.  I hope to have the site live and working by this weekend and then I will post a live url for it so people can begin to submit their loved ones to be prayed for and they can choose a soul to adopt for a week.  Here is the site:  http://ift.tt/Vn9tDV

God Bless,

Michael

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Friday, June 20, 2014

Urgent – Westboro Baptist Church to Protest Fr. Walker Funeral Today

WBCI just received news that the crazies over at Westboro Baptist Church (God Hates Fags) are heading to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Paxico, KS to protest the funeral of Fr. Walker. Gary Michael Moran is the suspected killer of Fr. Walker who was shot by trying to save the life of his fellow Priest Fr. Terra.  Gary Moran was released from Prison in April after serving 8 years of a 10 year sentence for a violent crime similar to the one that ended in Fr. Walkers death.  I am asking that you please join me in prayer that enough people will respond to form a human chain of protection around the funeral so Fr. Walker’s family, friends, and fellow Clergy can say their goodbye’s in peace without seeing the WBC yelling and causing a scene at their families burial.  Below is an excerpt taken from the WBC website for today’s planned protest:

Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Paxico, KS    June 20, 2014  10:15 AM – 11:00 AM

WBC will picket the funeral of Assistant Pastor Kenneth Walker doomed to reside in Hell eternity after a life spent as part of the Catholic Pedophile Machine. From a young age, Walker was indoctrinated into the Priests Rape Boys religion propagated by the Catholics. As an adult, he willingly participated in furthering their satanic goals by joining a seminary and entering the priesthood.

Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

There is no scriptural justification for any of the practices of the catholic “church”. It is full of rank idolatry and superstition.

There is no hope for Catholics:

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife,  sedition, heresies,  Envying, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

May God have mercy on the souls of these people.

God Bless,

Michael

 

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Monday, June 16, 2014

Fr. Kenneth Walker Murderer Arrested

Fr. Walkers MurdererLast Wednesday a young 28 year old Priest in Phoenix Arizona was murdered in his rectory and an older Priest in the same rectory was nearly beat to death.  Fr. Kenneth Walker is being remembered as a loving young Priest who shepherded so many people in the short time he was a Priest. It is shocking to hear of the death of a Priest in such a fashion.  Even though the media has tried its hardest to destroy the Catholic Church and the Priesthood, the world still holds a Priest in high esteem and we can see through the death of this young Priest, people from all walks of life banding together to pray for justice and healing in the community.

This morning the news circuits around the country have lit up after hearing that Police have arrested a suspect in the murder of Father Walker.  The suspect is Gary Michael Moran who was released from Prison in April after serving a 10 year sentence for assault and burglary.  Gary Morans DNA was picked up at the scene of the crime and also from the car that the Priest were driving that he stole upon killing Father Walker. What we need to do now is pray for this man.  Who knows what state of mind Gary Moran was in when he killed Fr. Walker.  Perhaps it was a robbery gone wrong, maybe he was on drugs, he will have to live for the rest of his life knowing that he not only killed a person, he killed a Priest.  He needs many prayers. For more on this story, please see below: http://ift.tt/1qkV0EL

Phoenix police confirmed the arrest of a suspect in the murder of Father Kenneth Walker, a Phoenix police spokesman said Monday morning via social media. A Phoenix police spokesman confirmed that investigators arrested a 54-year-old man with a history of aggravated assault and misconduct involving weapons on suspicion of killing the 28-year-old priest found dead in a rectory near downtown Phoenix last week. The spokesman confirmed the arrest of Gary Michael Moran hours before Valley residents honored Walker with a requiem Mass.

Moran was released from prison in April after having served the majority of a 10-year sentence for burglary and aggravated assault, according to court records.  Walker was murdered late Wednesday night in the rectory of a Catholic parish west of downtown Phoenix.  Phoenix police collected physical evidence from the Catholic church Walker was killed and another critically injured Wednesday night, but investigators spent the weekend developing more information about the crimes.  Walker, 28, was shot and killed and Father Joseph Terra, 56, was wounded at a Catholic church Wednesday night near the state Capitol, a Phoenix police spokesman said.

Police were responding to a burglary call shortly after 9 p.m. near 16th Avenue and Monroe Street at the Mater Misericordiae (Mother of Mercy) Mission, said Sgt. Steve Martos, a Phoenix police spokesman. Terra, the pastor, was identified as the priest who survived but remained in stable condition. Police said Terra was “physically harmed” but not stabbed or shot. Terra called 911, police said.  A car that police were seeking in connection with the attack was found at 17th Avenue and Taylor Street, about four blocks north of the church, Martos said. The car was unoccupied when it was found.

fr-kenneth-walker-fsspWalker was an ordained priest in the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. He graduated from Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, a Catholic school located in Ontario, Canada, where he studied from 2003 to 2005 before moving to Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Neb. Walker ordained in 2012 in Nebraska. Terra comes from a family of nine children that grew up in the farming country around Lodi, Calif.  Before joining the priesthood, he worked in the honey business, hauling bees, said Father Jose Salgado, a priest who has known Terra for 23 years.  Salgado said Terra is built like a boxer and has a tough demeanor. “I wouldn’t want to take him on,” said Salgado, who celebrates the Latin Mass at St. Cecilia Church in Clarkdale.

Terra was instrumental in finding the vacant church building and making it the home of the Mother of Mercy Mission, said John Shannon, who now serves at a parish outside Topeka, Kan. The mission was established by Bishop Thomas Olmsted in 2005 to provide Latin Mass to the faithful in Arizona. The mission previously held services at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church. Its current location, west of downtown Phoenix, was dedicated in December 2010.

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Friday, June 13, 2014

2 Year Old Sees Jesus and Heaven Before Dying

Giselle-with-mom

There is a precious song that the Mom of this beautiful child wrote and sings for her little baby girl, you can see that here: http://ift.tt/1mSTtPS

June 10, 2014 By Mark Ellis

No one guessed little Giselle had a heart problem until a routine doctor’s check-up at seven months old. But her short, joy-filled life ended with visions of Jesus and heaven, a comfort to those who loved her most.

“I don’t know why Giselle was born this way,” says Tamrah Janulis, Giselle’s mother. “That’s one of the questions I will ask God.”

At seven months, doctors discovered a congenital heart defect known as tetralogy of Fallot, the most common cause of blue baby syndrome. Tamrah and husband Joe were completely surprised when doctors informed them that Giselle lacked a pulmonary valve and arteries.

“I thought there was nothing wrong,” Tamrah recalls. “I wasn’t prepared. I was at the hospital and my world completely stopped. I was in shock, speechless.”

Giselle's surgery at 9 mo.

Some medical experts said Giselle — the youngest of four children — could live to be 30, others said she should not be alive at all.

Two months later, doctors performed heart surgery and discovered the connections between Giselle’s heart and lungs looked like “a bowl of spaghetti” or “a bird’s nest,” with small thread-like veins that had sprung up, attempting to compensate for the missing arteries.

After this surgery, experts recommended a variety of additional surgical options, some rare procedures considered risky.

Tamrah and Joe decided against further surgeries, but followed doctors’ prescriptions for a litany of medicines. “I gave her meds every other hour and shots twice a day,” Tamrah says. “I carried her everywhere and never let her out of my sight.”

A bright child, Giselle learned the alphabet at 10-months-old. “Nothing stopped Giselle,” Tamrah says. “She loved going to the zoo. She rode horses with me. She did everything.”

“We’re a very musical family and Giselle was always singing,” she adds.

As the months went by, Giselle’s hands, feet, and lips began to exhibit a slight bluish hue, telltale signs her heartGiselle 1 was not working properly.

After her second birthday, she had her first vision of Jesus. It happened in their family room, only a few weeks before her passing.

“Hey Jesus. Hi. Hi Jesus,” she said, to her mom’s surprise.

“What do you see, babe? Tamrah asked.

“Hi Jesus. Hi,” little Giselle continued, her eyes wide with delight.

“Where is He?

“Right there,” she pointed.

Giselle had at least two more visions of Jesus in the weeks before her graduation to heaven. One happened in the car while they were driving and another in a store.

One day in the car, Giselle began to spontaneously sing, “Rejoice! Rejoice! (E)mmanuel…” She had not learned to pronounce ‘E’s’ so it came out as ‘Manuel.’

“How does Giselle know that Christmas song?” sister Jolie Mae wanted to know.

Hallelujah

According to Tamrah, Giselle had never heard the hymn before. Also, in the weeks leading to her passing, she would suddenly begin singing “Hallelujah” as she walked around the house.

Cindy Peterson, Giselle’s grandmother, believes the veil between heaven and earth was pulled back slightly, in preparation for her ascent to heaven. “She had a foot on earth and a foot in heaven,” Cindy believes. “She was joining with the worship in heaven.”

A week before her passing, Giselle was lying in bed, not feeling well. As Tamrah studied her daughter’s face, Giselle pointed up at a corner of the ceiling. “Hey horsey. Hi,” she said.

“Where’s the horsey?” mom asked.

“There…” she pointed.

She also pointed to a “kitty cat” but Tamrah is convinced she saw a lion, a glimpse of the wondrous menagerie of creatures inhabiting heaven.

A few days later, Tamrah and husband Joe still didn’t know her passing was imminent. But four days before the time, Giselle’s condition deteriorated.

“She was getting weaker and weaker,” Tamrah says. “Her hands and feet started tingling and the tissue started dying. Her feet, hands and lips were increasingly blue.

Giselle with her dad

Little Giselle left this world March 24th, in her mother’s arms, at home. Joe was embracing both mother and daughter on their king-sized bed.

In the minutes before her home-going, Giselle let out a soft wail. Joe thought she was crying because she was going to miss her family.

“My miracle is that she lived as happy as she did,” Tamrah says. “Every day with her was like a miracle to me.”

“It gives me hope that she saw the Lord and she is in heaven with Him. I know she is up there and she is waiting for me.”

Sister Holly holds Giselle after her passing

Sister Holly holds Giselle after her passing

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Thursday, June 05, 2014

Our Lady of the Chain

St. Jude ShrineOver Memorial Day weekend I took Mom to Baltimore, Maryland.  She recently had heard about a devotion to the Blessed Mother called ‘Our Lady of the Chain’.  Mom booked a 1 night stay right in the heart of the city next to the Orioles stadium in the Hilton.  Mom is really good with money (unlike me) and she managed to get the room for almost $200 less than what they normally charge.  We ended up buying parking 8 blocks form the hotel because it was cheaper than what the Hilton charged for their parking garage.  Granted, if we had to do it again, I’d happily pay the $65 for two days instead of hiking 8 blocks back and forth from the hotel.  It was a really interesting time.  I don’t think I have seen so many muslims in one place before.  Seriously, I had no idea how much Baltimore had been taken over by the Islamic faith, perhaps there was a conference going on or something that had to do with islam and that is why there were so many muslims walking around with their wives in burka’s walking behind them.  It was unbelievable, the only time that Mom and saw non islamic people was when the Orioles game let out.  The gates opened up and tons of people were coming out and none of them were of the islamic faith, it was an eye opening experience.

Our Lady of the ChainAnyways, so on our last day there which was memorial day, I took Mom over to the St. Jude shrine which also houses the devotion to Our Lady of the Chain.  By the time we made it in after parking the car, noon mass had already begun.  The inside of the church was nice and the Priest was from India and a member of the Pallotine Order.  I haven’t studied much on that order before and will probably be doing a little research on them later.  After mass, Mom and I went over to the statue of our lady of the chain.  The statue was beautiful as you can see in the image to the left.

So what is the devotion and where did it come from?  After doing a little research and also grabbing a few pamphlets at the shrine, I found out the info below.  I’ll also post the Novena which is beautiful.

Our Lady of the Chain Devotion

This devotion began in the 14th century in Palermo, Italy. Three young men were condemned to death by hanging. They were being led to the gallows under heavy guard when the skies grew dark and a terrible storm arose. The guards, the condemned men, and the people who had gathered to witness the execution sought shelter in the Church of St. Mary of the Port. The fierce storm continued, forcing the execution to be postponed.

The guards secured the condemned men with extra chains and secured the doors of the church. The guards eventually fell asleep. The condemned men found themselves in front of an image of Mary, and they prayed for deliverance. As they prayed, the chains they were bound with fell to the ground. The doors of the church opened by themselves, and the men heard words coming from Mary’s image: “Go, you are free, do not fear. The Divine Infant whom I hold in my arms has heard your prayers and has granted your freedom.”

When they awoke, the guards searched for and ultimately found the prisoners. The King heard about their experience in the church and granted the men their freedom, saying, “The Blessed Virgin Mary has set them free, so will I.”

News of the miracle spread throughout Italy, and the image became known as “Our Lady of the Chain”.

So dear was this devotion to the good people, that many of them, even though they had to leave their native shores to lend their strength and give their talents to this rising democracy, left everything behind them but their love for the Blessed Mother of Chain. And of all of the many immigrants, it was the people of Cefalu, Sicily, who brought with them their devotion to Baltimore, MD.

We hope and pray that many more, with the help of this story and novena prayer, will join in this rare and beautiful devotion which has brought spiritual, emotional and physical freedom to many. Devotion to our Lady of the Chain can be especially helpful for those struggling with the ‘chains’ of addiction. Whatever chains may bind us, freedom granted by our Lord Jesus can be possible through the intercession of His Mother, venerated under the title of “Our Lady of the Chain.

Novena

O Blessed Lady of the Chain, sweet hope, eternal comfort of those who with confidence call upon you; prostrate at your feet, I profess my misery and nothingness. You who are the Queen of Heaven and earth, the Mother of Our Divine Savior, O you who are so powerful before the throne of God, please obtain for me this favor which I need so much.

May the many favors and graces which you obtain daily from Jesus for those who invoke you under the title of Mother of the Chain, encourage me to have recourse to you and present to your maternal heart all my afflictions. O powerful Virgin, break the chains of sin which hold me fast. Destroy the snares of my spiritual and temporal enemies, chain me close to you and to Jesus with a lively faith, a firm hope, and a burning charity.

Encircle me with your chains and thus unite me to your heart. United in such a way to you and to Jesus, I will fear nothing. There will be no doubt of my eternal salvation, no fear of not being granted all the temporal and spiritual blessings I need to lead a devout life.

Since I am in need of help in this present affliction, O loving Mother, I have recourse to you with childlike faith, and thus I hope to obtain the favor I am now asking. [Here make your petition] I am sure that you will grant me my request with that same love with which you did grant the request of the three prisoners. I am confident you will grant this favor through your merits and the merits of your Divine Son and allow me to return soon to render to you the homage of my praises and grateful thanksgivings. Amen (Hail Holy Queen …)

As I was leaving the shrine I spoke with the Priest and discussed a little bit of the struggles I was going through at the time.  I told Father that I was a former religious novice for an order, at that, he grabbed me in a fraternal embrace and told me how much God loved me and had plans for my life.  He was such a gentle Priest and I could see how much he loved God by the way he was treating me.  He was ordained a Priest in India at the young age of 24 and had been in the states for 35 yrs.  He gave me his blessing as I left.  After I returned home I tried to say the novena everyday but lost track of time and then went through a really difficult time, in fact I am still really struggling right now.  I had a goal of something that I really felt was going to go one way and it totally didn’t go as I expected it to and now I am feeling a bit lost.  I stopped by Church on Tuesday evening for a visit and I went up and poured my heart out to God, I even asked Our Lady of the Chain if she would assist me and if I should pray the devotion.  I got up to leave and genuflected and then began making my way to the back of the Church towards the doors.  As I walked I heard a ‘fluttering’ noise that I couldn’t put my finger on until I looked around and saw the noise was coming from an open hymnal sitting on the last windowsill closest to the door.  Below the window was an air vent and upwards motion of the air conditioning was making two of the open pages flap which caused the fluttering noise.  Ok.  So I stopped and looked at it.  I thought to myself “I should just leave it there and go on home” but then I thought “Just go over there and put the book up”.  I went over and picked up the book and saw that the page that was open was on the hymn ‘Ave Maris Stella’.  As my eyes scanned down the hymn, I was surprised and then shocked to see the verse “Solve vincla reis, Loosen the chains of the guilty,”.  I couldn’t believe it.  Here I was just praying out the devotion to Our Lady of the Chain and then this happens.  I had to smile as I closed the book and put it back in the pew.  The way that God chooses to talk to us is so interesting.  We humans pride ourselves on our technological advances in technology that helps is to communicate in so many different ways and yet God communicates to us in such simplicity, that we might miss it if we don’t look.

Starting Tuesday night I began saying the Novena to Our Lady of the Chain.  I would encourage you as well to begin this devotion.

God Bless!

Michael

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