Miraculous Medal Novena

April 28, 2003

The very first thing that came into my mind this morning when I woke up was a thought about going to St. Joseph’s tonight for the Miraculous Medal novena. The desire to go was very strong. I just laid there in the bed and thought about it and tried to think of what all I needed to do during the day. I looked over at the clock and caught a glimpse of the last fraction of a second that the display on the clock said 6:33. I laid there in bed for a little while longer then got up and got ready to go to work. I did not think about going again until just as I reached to pick up my watch off of the dresser and put it on. The time was 7:33. I did not think about it any more for the rest of the morning. Later in the day I took my lunch break and went to "Parish Church" to pray the rosary. I arrived there and glanced at my watch just as I walked in the church. The time was 12:33.

While I was praying the rosary I had a sudden urge to go to St. Joseph’s tonight for the Miraculous Medal novena. I could not help it, I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:13. When I finished the rosary I glanced at my watch just as I was walking out of the church to go back to work. It said XX:XX:33. While at work I received a copy through email of the letter Prof. Courtney Bartholomew wrote in response to the Catholic Review article. While I was reading it for the very first time I was suddenly filled with peace. Just as I read the paragraph that says “Take heart Gianna, thousands are with you. What you are suffering is nothing new in our church history”. The peace and comfort that came to me while reading this was the first real relief that would have a lasting effect and bring me out of the sadness the Catholic Review article caused. The time was 2:33.

At this instant there was absolutely no question in my mind about going to St. Joseph’s tonight. I called Ted but he still can’t go because of the move to his daughters. I called S.C.C. and told her that I planned to go. When I got off work I drove straight to St. Joseph’s. As I was walking up the front steps there was a lady right behind me. I opened and held the door open for her and then walked in behind her. As I walked in I glanced at my watch and the time was 7:13:33. Fr. Goff was hearing confessions so I went. The Miraculous Medal novena started at 7:30 followed by mass. Again during mass a halo of light formed around The Blessed Virgin Mary’s head several times.

When mass was over people formed a line to venerate a relic of St. Catherine Laboure as they do each Monday night after the novena and mass. After I went up I sat back down in the corner of the church in the very back row and continued to pray for whatever strength I would need to do whatever God wants me to do. Wayne Warthen walked by and gave me a thumbs up gesture. I told God in prayer that I am not motivated to continue on in behalf of the events at St. Joseph’s by my refusal to accept what has been published about Emmitsburg. If it would be God’s will I would be willing and relived to abandon it. Accepting the humiliation of being wrong would be much easier than continuing with the truth. I told God that my motivation comes from my first hand eye witness accounts and the fact that I now realize that He has more confidence in me than I have in myself. I am motivated by the conversions and baptisms and I pray that there will be more. I am motivated by the gift of roses that come at very special and perfect times. I am also motivated and astounded by the constant timings around 13, 33 and 333. It would be more likely to flip a coin and have it land standing up on its edge 1000 times out of 1000 times than the way this happens. I trust it because I know that I am doing nothing at all to make it happen. Absolutely nothing. It just happens. The more I ignore it the more fine tuned and frequent it becomes.

When I finished praying and saying these things to God I looked up and noticed that I was one of the last people in the church. I got up and walked out of the church. I looked at my watch as I walked out of the door and the time was 8:13:33. I talked with a few friends outside the church for a little while and when that dispersed I got in my truck to drive home. When I started the truck the time on the dash was 8:33. I glanced at my watch and the time was 8:33:33.

R_____ C___

May 7, 2003

12:33 Am