Catholic Caucus - from Siobhan

JMJ 21 May A.D. 2002 | Siobhan

[Siobhan]

Dear Catholic FReepers, I want to thank all of you for your prayers for my father (known here as history_matters). I want to ask more prayers from you because this afternoon he was taken back into ICU having suffered a TIA (transient ischemic attack) which is like a mini-stroke.

Yesterday was a rough day for Da largely because of a dream he had. I have his permission to print this dream here. I feel it is more than just a dream.

He was standing above the earth beside the Little Flower. She pointed to the USA and a number of cities lighted up; she said, "I have been here working". Then she began throwing roses down to the US as if she were trying to cover the nation. The roses landed in only a few places and all of the rest were blown from the Northeast across the nation until the roses were scattered in the Pacific Ocean . My father said he began to weep in his dream and his tears fell on the United States. St. Therese smiled at him and threw more roses, and where my father's tears struck the country there the rose from heaven seemed to take root. But again all of the other roses from St. Therese were blown from Los Angeles across the nation and into the Atlantic Ocean. My father and my sister Bernadette believe the dream means that the Little Flower like all of the saints longs to pour out roses (blessings) from heaven, but they can only find a place where there are tears of repentance.

Last night my father told my youngest brother that he had had another disturbing dream. Mother Seton was standing on a map of the US with a broom in her hand. There was a great pile of dirt where Baltimore and Washington, D.C. should have been. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton looked at my father and said, "We could use your shovel you know." And Mother Seton began sweeping filth off of the map and my father shoveled some of the filth off of the map. That dream ended.

My father was quite distressed about the dreams but believes we are being called to labor with the saints to clean up and save our Church whether it is prayers of tears or labor with our hands.

Da had the TIA about 3 pm this afternoon. He is now lucid and seems to have no serious residual symptoms from the TIA today. Nonetheless, I sincerely ask for your prayers for him. And I thank you with all my heart on behalf of my family.

Siobhan

[Siobhan]

Mary, Queen of All Saints, pray for us.

[Siobhan]

ping for prayers for my father.

[Aggie Mama]

St. Therese is my personal favorite. I can never walk by roses without thinking of her. Your father is in my prayers.

[saradippity]

My freep mail to you must have crossed paths with your post. As I said I was going to pray right then,I'm going now.Love to you all.

[JMJ333]

Prayers for your dad. I have a novena going to St. Rita as well. Please keep me informed.

[american colleen]

Thank you for the update on your Dad and the news of his dreams. Your father is a very special person and I miss him on FR every day. He is a real uplifter! My prayers are always with him in mind.

[sinkspur]

I pray for your father.

[Domestic Church]

Rosary ping for H_M!!!!!!

[Palladin]

Thank you, Siobhan, for news of your father. He is a very spiritually gifted individual. Those two dreams are heavy with meaning. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton had connections to the Baltimore and Washington areas. I have traveled often to her home in Emmitsburg, and believe she has a heart for the USA, and that she will use her intercessory powers for the Church in America. She has helped me personally through some very tough times.

I will pray to Elizabeth Ann tonight, for your Dad's recovery.

[ELS]

My father was quite distressed about the dreams but believes we are being called to labor with the saints to clean up and save our Church whether it is prayers of tears or labor with our hands.

Thanks to your father for his willingness to share his dreams with us. Prayers for your father and your family are on their way.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Siobhan, your father seems like a very kind and pure soul. I also think this was more than a dream. I'll say a special prayer for him.

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament are full of these kinds of experiences. There are so many references, but I'll share a couple of Scripture quotes from 2 Corinthians 12 in regards to revelation. They seem appropriate to your Da's situation now.

Three times I begged the Lord that this might leave me. He said to me, "My grace is enough for you, for in weakness power reaches perfection.".......Therefore I am content with weakness, with mistreatment, with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong.

[Romulus]

Amen.

[fatima]

I have a dream for your father,I see Our Lady going to Heaven,She is crowned Queen of Heaven and earth.Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror. We then looked up at Our Lady, who said to us so kindly and so sadly: "You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world".(7) The third part of the secret revealed at the Cova da Iria-Fatima, on 13 July 1917. I write in obedience to you, my God, who command me to do so through his Excellency the Bishop of Leiria and through your Most Holy Mother and mine. After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: 'Penance, Penance, Penance!'. And we saw in an immense light that is God: 'something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it' a Bishop dressed in White 'we had the impression that it was the Holy Father'. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God. Tuy-3-1-1944". Back to site map / Back to prophecies index

[Polycarp]

I just purchased The Liturgy of The Hours and prayed it for the first time today and at Perpetual Adoration tonight. I still have to finish the Night Prayers.

I had made it my intention to offer up the Daily Office for our priests, bishops (especially my own, Adamec) and Cardinals.

Until your father is fully recovered his healing will also be part of my daily office.

By the way, I just "discovered" the Liturgy of the Hours during Lent at Universalis.com. If anyone (like me, desperately!) needs a little more formality and a lot more scripture in their daily prayer life, check it out. Once you click on a few buttons, it will automatically load each day's Liturgy of the Hours when you visit their site.

Please continue to keep us updated.

[AKA Elena]

How wondrous is our God ... How mysterious His Ways.

I am filled with tears at the problems we face and am moved at the "dreams" of your Dad.

My family is also blessed with the gift of dreams and of a special mental touch when another is in need ...

Surely the need for our prayers is extreme and intercession to the Saints who seem to be the "appointed intercessors" is in order.

Tell your father that we are praying with him and FOR HIM and to try to stop fretting.

[RobbyS]

Heart of Jesus, make fervant souls advance rapidly to perfection.

[tiki]

I will be praying and I'm sure St. Therese and Elizabeth Ann Seton will be too. God heal and protect your father and heal and protect our Church.

[Askel5]

Oh Siobhan, you have my prayers.

Thank you so much for sharing the dreams with us.

I shall fast for your father tomorrow.

[nickcarraway]

Wow. Interesting dream. And prayers for your Father to recover from his temporary setback.

[Salvation]

Sioban,
Thanks for the update on history_matters. You and your dad and your family will be in my prayers tonight and in a Rosary tomorrow.

May God wrap his arms of love around your family during this difficult time.
Salvation

[patent]

Prayer bump.

[NYer]

Many, many prayers to you, your family and especially your dad.

If your dad has cable in his hospital room, please have him watch a new program from Fr. Benedict Groeschel on EWTN. It is entitled The Grassroots Project ... Part 1 aired at 10pm last night; part 2 is slotted for 5/23 and part 3 on 5/24 at 10pm. In Part 1, Fr. Groeschel addresses the problems with the church and corroborates what we have been reading from so many other sources. He clearly shows how the acceptance of homosexuals into clerical life, has brought about this crisis.

Here is the background information:

The Grassroots Renewal Project is a lay operated evangelical effort initiated and directed by the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. This work represents a sincere attempt to respond to Pope John paul II's call for a " New Evangelization"while fostering renewal and reform in the Catholic Church according to the authentic spirit of the Second Vatican Council.

Throughout Church history, the on-going work of spiritual renewal and social reform has often been faithfully and succesfully carried out through the lives of devout and commited members of the Catholic laity.Yet today we witness even greater manifestations of the Holy Spirit in an almost innumerable array of lay-run organizations and activities. some of these are directed towards youth ministry, pro-life work, or care of the poor. Others offer spiritual growth through prayer meetings,the necessary task of apologetics and evangelization has also been spearheaded by dedicated laity.


The Grassroots Renewal Project has been created in order to instruct, inspire, and motivate catholic laity to know and understand the truth, power and beauty of the Faith. At the same time, it desires to challenge them to accept their responsibility of sharing the saving work of Jesus Christ and His Church with others.By virtue of the sacrament of Holy Baptism, the lay faithful share in the Churches on-going work of salvation in the world. It is Our Divine Savior Himself Who not only calls, but sends, thereby revealing the missionary vocation of every Christian.It is the hope of the Grassroots Renewal Project that many commited laity, supported by clergy and religous,desires of reform and renewal in the Church, might participate in this new cooperative effort of evangelization.By sharing the word of God with those who are closest to us, we do our part in the Church, and to usher in the "springtime of faith" so often spoken by the Holy Father.

Back

Fr. Groeschel has set up a web site and dedicated this project to St. Francis of Assist and Our Lady of Guadeloupe. CLICK HERE

[maryz]

I was afraid something had happened when you didn't post yesterday.

You're all in my prayers.

[Catholicguy]

The prayers of the son of Agatha O'Connell will be offered for your Dad and his family...Peace be with you

[Catholicguy]

Universalis.com. Great site. God Bless you, Polycarp

[Catholicguy]

I do confess that the Douay Rheims transslation is superior to the one on Universalis. But, I'll just take the citation and read my Douay..

Psalm 85 (86) (A poor man's prayer in time of trouble) Turn your ear to me, Lord, and hear me, for I am poor and destitute. Keep my life safe, for I am faithful; O God, save your servant, who trusts in you. Take pity upon me, O Lord, for I call to you all the day long. Make your servant’s heart glad, for to you, O Lord, I have raised it. For you, Lord, are gentle and mild: you are kind to all those who call on you ...." That is how Univeralis translates today's reading.

Compare to the Douay; Inclina Domine (A prayer for God's grace to assist us to the end) Incline they ear, O Lord, and hear me: for I am needy and poor. Preserve my soul, for I am holy: save thy servant, O my God, that trusteth in thee. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I have cried to thee all the day. Give joy to the soul of they servant; for to thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul. For Thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild: and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee..

[constitutiongirl]

More prayers on the way, Siobhan.

[chatham]

I will pray for your Fathers' recovery. Thank him for all his good work.

[Polycarp]

I have my grandmother's Douay Rheims bible. I too prefer that translation, but this particluar copy desperately needs rebound, so I can't use it much. However, the Douay Rheims bible is available online.

[ThomasMore]

I will continue to offer masses for your Da and keep him in my morning offering.

[Cap'n Crunch]

I remembered your father last night, and will remember him this evening before the Blessed Sacrament.

[al_c]

I will light a candle for him at my parish, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in the Dallas Diocese and will keep you all in my prayers.

[Mike Fieschko]

However, the Douay Rheims bible is available online.

There is a free version of the Douay-Rheims (and of other versions) put out for the MS-Windows and Linux platforms by the Crosswire Bible Society's Sword Project.

It's free, as in no cost and also as in open source code. It runs nicely on my Linux and on my MS-Windows 98 machines here.

[ltlflwr]

Thank you for sharing your father's dreams with us. Your father will be in my prayers and may God bless your family during this difficult time.

Prayer to St. Therese:
O Lord, who hast said: "Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven;" grant us, we beseech Thee, so to walk in the footsteps of thy blessed Virgin Therese with a humble and single heart, that we may attain to everlasting rewards: who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

[ejo]

So sorry to hear of your father's, hopefully, minor setback. Give him my best regards, I will pray for him as he at one time prayed the rosary for me. I have not as yet completed all my medical tests and do not know what the future holds. Be strong for your father for he is one of the 'special persons' God has selected to help us all to keep our faith stronger than ever. Peace to You and your family.

[Siobhan]

God bless each and every one of you for your prayers.

This morning my father has the sweetest smile on his face. He tells me to tell all of you that he is at peace with what the Lord is doing with our Church, and he knows the Lord has accepted the offering of his suffering for the Holy Father and for our Holy Church -- although still in ICU when my sister and I went in to see him first thing this morning, there was a rose resting on top of his chest. I began crying like a baby just seeing it, and at my sister's urging pulled myself together as Da woke up to look at us and smile so sweetly. He said a sister "in a real habit" brought it to him. We don't know any other details about this rose and this sister, but we do know father is at peace and very happy for his visit with the sister. We know this is God's gift to him and to all of us.

[Siobhan]

I know my post above isn't written very clearly, please forgive, I just wanted to update everyone and to thank them from the bottom of my heart for their prayers and sacrifices. God bless all of you.

[Aggie Mama]

What a beautiful day for him. =)

[NYer]

He said a sister "in a real habit" brought it to him.
Perhaps a visit from Mother Angelica??? (wishful thinking)

Thank you for the update. How good to hear that your father has found peace. Now try to get him laughing. Laughter releases endorphins which accelerate the healing process. It cured Norman Cousins and it will work for your dad, too!! Find his funny bone and start tickling.

Pax et Bonum

[RobbyS]

What's your Dad's first name? It makes me feel more comfortable if I can personalize the prayer. Anyway, I pray for a happy death for him and for us all when our time shall come. I am a hopeless romantic ,and I feel a little silly saying this. but maybe he had a visit from the Little Flower herself.

[Siobhan]

My father's Christian names are Kieran Padraic Seamus -- about as Irish as anyone could get -- but he is called Greg by most of his friends from the Marines. Gregory is my father's Confirmation name.

[Siobhan]

I hadn't even thought of that.The Little Flower herself. What a beautiful, beautiful thought.

[EODGUY]

The Blessed Mother has interceded on my behalf all of my life and I pray that through her intercession, our Lord and Savior heals the physical ailment your father is currently enduring. Your father's soul and spirituality is enviable.

The devotion you and your family have shown to your faith and your father has to bring a smile to the face of our Lord.

God bless

EODGUY

[Siobhan]

My father is very devoted to Our Lady of Fatima. I thank you for posting Sister Lucia's revelation.

[Gophack]

My prayers are being sent to your father. God bless him, and God bless you and your entire family.

[american colleen]

...and I feel a little silly saying this. but maybe he had a visit from the Little Flower herself.

If you are silly then I am silly because I had exactly the same thought when I read Siobhan's update and before I read your response to it. Maybe h_m did indeed have a visit from a "real" nun, but the rose petal part is amazing to me.

[maryz]

Please keep the updates coming! And our prayers surely will continue for you all!

[Nubbin]

Thanks for keeping us updated on your father Siobhan.

I live in a rural community that is 95% protestant. Lately I have experienced anti-catholic sentiment from people in the community I thought were friends; some of it is subtle and some is not so subtle. The Catholic Caucus here has been like a lifeline to me, and your Da is a very special part of that fellowship.

I will continue to keep your Da and your family in my prayers. God bless you all.