Unexpected Trip to St. Joseph’s

February 12, 2004

 

I attended mass this morning at Our Lady of the Blue Ridge because there was no mass at "Parish Church". I then went to work in "hometown". I was fairly busy most of the morning and had just finished all of the things that had to be done before lunch. My phone rang and it was S.C.C. saying that Catherine G had just called because they wanted me to come to the nursing home because Bob was dieing and only had a few minutes left. I stopped what I was doing and left immediately. I looked at my watch as I left and the time was 11:13.

I pulled out of the SWIFT parking lot and for some reason I felt like I should go by "Parish Church" first and get the Eucharist. I do not know what made me think that he would be able to receive it. When I arrived Bob was talking to one of his sons on the phone. Barbara then said “I am sorry for calling you out here for this false alarm. When we called you Bob had stopped breathing and his eyes rolled back in his head and he turned gray. We thought for sure he was going to die when suddenly he just snapped out of it.”

I told Barbara that I did not mind coming and that I would have been coming in a little while to bring Bob the Eucharist like I do everyday. I then asked Bob if he was ready to receive the Eucharist and he said yes. I gave the Eucharist to Bob and could not help but to notice that at the very instant I placed the host on his tongue my watch said 11:33.

Bob thanked me for bringing the Eucharist and told us that he was going to die soon, he drank a little water and then Bob stopped breathing and became totally limp again. We thought he had just died when again he suddenly snapped out of it.

When Bob revived he said he would like to pray the rosary. We started the Luminous mysteries and when we finished the 2nd decade the phone rang and it was Bob’s son M___ who lives in Seattle. They talked for a while and Bob told M___ that he would try to hang on until he got here on Saturday.

We then continued the rosary and shortly after we finished Bob stopped breathing again and Catherine said she could not feel a pulse. We thought that was it. After about a minute he snapped out of it again. I then left and as I was walking out the door Bob’s good friend Bob McM was walking in. The time was 12:33.

I drove back to work and nobody even noticed I had been gone. I thought about going to lunch and I was ready to eat when suddenly this very clear thought crashed through my mind that the best way to pray and help Bob today is to fast. It was so strong and sudden that I knew I had to look at my watch and the time was 1:13:33.

I did not go to lunch or eat anything else the rest of the day. Later while I was sitting at my desk working I had a very strong urge to say a few prayers for Bob. I looked at my watch and the time was 2:13. I said a few prayers and the same thing happened again at 3:13:33 and then again at 3:33:13. An hour later while my mind was preoccupied with work related matters I suddenly thought of how S.C.C.’s fathers death, my Uncle Frank’s death and Bob’s daughter in-law Dawn’s death were preparing me to be able to describe Bob G’s upcoming death. This thought was so strong and chilling that it caused me to again look at my watch and the time was 4:33:33.

Later in the day when I got off from work I was driving home when very suddenly I had the out of nowhere urge to go to "Parish Church" and pray the rosary. I glanced at my watch at the very instant I arrived and the time was 5:13:33. About half way through the rosary Fr. ___ came in the church. When I finished the rosary I looked at my watch as I was walking out of the church and the time was 5:33. I was walking towards my truck when I was suddenly stopped with another sudden and strong thought that I should tell Fr. ___ about what happened to Bob today. I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:13. It was at this time that I also had a strong urge and desire to go to St. Joseph’s tonight to pray for Bob.

I walked back in the church and waited in the back pew for Fr. ___ to come out. I then told him about Bob and that it was strong enough today that I was going to go to Emmitsburg tonight. I drove to America House and asked Mary G to do the Legion of Mary work tonight without me. I then drove straight to St. Joseph’s and at the very instant the truck came to a complete stop the time on the dash switched to 8:13. I prayed the entire rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy as I walked around the church. It was cold but not to bad. When I finished I returned to my truck and I glanced at my watch as I was leaving and the time was 9:13:13. I drove home and pulled in my driveway at 11:33.

R_____ C___

February 16, 2004

2:13 Pm