First Friday, Saturday & Sunday

June 3-5, 2005

It has now been 3 years since I saw the Face of Jesus appear in St. Joseph’s in Emmitsburg. I always remember the anniversary of this on the 1st Friday of June and June 7/8 and also whatever date the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus followed by The Immaculate Heart of Mary falls on. I can still see the image as clear now as when it happened.

This was a very busy weekend here in Emmitsburg because of First Friday and Peter Blanchard and Mary Miller’s wedding on Saturday. Peter and Mary own St. Peter’s Books. That was followed by the public apparition of Our Lady of Emmitsburg which now takes place on the first Sunday of each and every month.

First Friday

June 3

It was pouring down rain when I left the house this morning to go to work. Like each morning I stopped at St. Joseph’s to say a few prayers before leaving for work. I arrived at St. Joseph’s, sat in the car and said my prayers. At the instant I completed the prayers I suddenly felt the peace hit me. I then noticed the clock on the dash was 6:13.

While driving to work there were several times that sudden, out of nowhere thoughts would come to the top of my mind. The first one was the instant I remembered that today was First Friday and there would be all night adoration at St. Joseph’s. At the instant I remembered this I noticed the odometer was 33. I was also struck with a sudden thought that I should write a paper about Gwen L’s painting of Our Lady of Emmitsburg. When this sudden thought hit I noticed the odometer was 1.3. Before I arrived in Manassas I was again hit with a strong, peaceful thought of tonight being adoration at St. Joseph’s and now the odometer was 3.3.

I arrived at All Saint’s for mass and when I arrived the CD counter was 13. Fr. Cilinski was the priest. It was the mass for the school children. When I received Holy Communion I returned to my pew and again was struck with peace. I glanced at my watch and the time was 9:13. Mass ended and when I started my car to go across the street to work the CD counter again flashed 13.

Later in the day I took my lunch break after the completion of some work I was doing. The time I finished this work depended on the output from other people. I then drove across the street to All Saint’s to pray the rosary and arrived there at 12:33. I prayed the Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries of the rosary. When I finished I left and as I pulled out of the parking lot I was met by another car with the license plate of 33. I arrived back at work and glanced at my watch at the instant the car came to a complete stop and it said XX:XX:33.

I had hoped to be able to get off work a little early today because I wanted to attend C.R.C.’s 8th grade graduation at St. Francis Xavier School in Gettysburg however because other people were off it was impossible. When I did get off work I drove back to Emmitsburg and stopped at St. Joseph’s. I glanced at my watch just as I arrived and it was 7:33:33. I then glanced at my watch as I walked in the church and it said XX:XX:33.

The First Friday Holy Hour started at 8’oclock and Fr. Steve was the priest. There were about 15 people there. There was silent prayer followed by Liturgy of the Hours and prayers for vocations followed by more silent prayer. When the holy hour ended all night adoration began. At that point I left and as I walked out of the church I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:13. I drove home and at the very instant the car came to a complete stop in my driveway I glanced at my watch and the time was 9:13:59 .

S.C.C. and C.R.C. were not yet home from the graduation in Gettysburg and I just sat down and relaxed for a while. I was fairly tired. A little later they arrived home. I then sat down and caught up my daily journal notes from the digital recorder I use. When I finished that I suddenly felt like going back to St. Joseph’s to finish the rosary I started earlier today at All Saint’s. I never looked at the time. I arrived at St. Joseph’s and the time on the dash was 12:13.

As I walked up to the church I could only think about it being 3 years ago that I saw the Face of Jesus in St. Joseph’s. I glanced at my watch as I walked in the church and it said XX:XX:33. I completed the rosary by praying the Joyful and Luminous mysteries before The Blessed Sacrament. When I finished I left and glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:13. I drove home and just as I arrived the CD flashed 33. I went straight to bed.

First Saturday June 4

Peter and Mary’s Wedding

When I got up this morning I went to the 8 AM mass at St. Mary’s. After mass the LMC group started our monthly meeting with the Glorious mysteries of the rosary. When that was completed we continued our meeting in a class room. During the meeting Fr. Messaro announced that an adoration chapel was going to be added to the House of Studies next to St. Mary’s for perpetual adoration. He also said that a Lutheran church was going to donate an old stained glass window of Our Lady that would be used in the adoration chapel. The meeting ended and I drove home. When I arrived the odometer was 3.3.

I had not been home long when S.C.C. called from work saying that Sr. Mary Bernadette DC had called and wanted to know if I could pick her up at the Basilica to take her to Peter and Mary’s wedding today at St. Mary’s. S.C.C. told Sr. Mary Bernadette that I would be there to pick her up at 2:00. The wedding started at 2:30.

Later I left the house to go pick up Sister and as I pulled out I noticed the odometer was 3.3 from where I returned from the LMC meeting this morning and the CD counter flashed 33. I arrived at the Basilica and helped Sr. Mary Bernadette in the car. We then left I had the desire to stop at St. Joseph’s on the way to the wedding just to say a quick prayer and when we arrived the time was 12:13.

We then drove to St. Mary’s and while we were riding Sr. Mary Bernadette said “Robert, I just have to tell you something that happened this morning at mass”. Sr. Mary Bernadette then told me that during the homily the priest at the basilica talked about it being the Feast of The Sacred Heart of Jesus yesterday and The Feast of The Immaculate Heart of Mary today. He then went on to say that “I have heard it said that Emmitsburg is the Center of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and I believe it”. Sr. Mary Bernadette was overjoyed that the priest made this statement during mass. When we arrived at St. Mary’s I pulled up to the front of the church and helped Sister out of the car. I then parked and as I walked in the church I suddenly felt the peace. I glanced at my watch and the time was 2:33:33.

The wedding began and Fr. William Spacek was the priest along with Fr. Casimer Peterson and Fr. Edwardo Montemayor. It was a beautiful wedding and Peter and Mary were united in marriage standing directly in front of Gianna Sullivan’s statue of Our Lady of Fatima at 3:13.

Gianna Sullivan was a bridal attendant and Michael Sullivan was a groomsman. During the wedding a litany of saints was prayed which also invoked the intercessory prayers of Sr. Genevieve Walsh. When the wedding was over I helped Sr. Mary Bernadette in the car and we all drove to the Gettysburg Hotel for the reception. Again I helped Sister out of the car and glanced at my watch as I walked in the door to the reception. The time was 4:33:59.

The reception was very nice and there were a lot of people there. Later in the evening S.C.C. said she was ready to go home. A few minutes later Sr. Mary Bernadette came up to me and said she was almost ready to go too. We left a little after 8 o’clock and we drove Sister back to the basilica. We arrived and as I was getting out of the car to help Sister I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:13. We then drove home and just as the car came to a complete stop the CD counter flashed 13.

First Sunday Public Apparition of Our Lady of Emmitsburg

33 Caught on Tape At Instant of Apparition

June 5

Today marks the beginning of the Thursday Night Prayer Group meeting on a regular basis on the 1st Sunday of every month at Karen and Mick Majors farm in Taneytown which is about 10 miles from Emmitsburg.

I woke up this morning and knew it was going to be a busy day but I really had no idea just how busy it was really going to be. Like always, after the day is over it is easy to look back and see how Our Lady is tirelessly working through so many people around here to make things happen just right.

When I got up this morning and got dressed I thought about the things I needed to do today before the prayer group. I wondered how I was going to get it all done when just as I was putting on my watch I felt the peace of knowing it was not for me to worry about. The time on the watch as I put it on was 8:33.

A little later in the morning Jim O’Brien called asking if I could pick him up at St. Catherine’s at 2 o’clock to go to the prayer group at the farm. This was inconvenient because I was supposed to meet Frank and Corrine K at St. Joseph’s at 1:15 so we could be at St. Joseph’s in Taneytown at 2 pm. I told Jim that I would pick him up. I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:33.

I changed my plans of attending the 2 PM mass at St. Joseph’s in Taneytown (because I had to pick up Jim at 2) and decided that I would go to the 12 noon mass at St. Joseph’s. I then sat down at my computer and started writing the May 20th paper. After working on it for a while I suddenly realized that I needed to stop and get ready for mass at noon. I glanced at my watch and the time was 11:33.

I got ready and drove to St. Joseph’s and at the very instant I arrived and the car came to a complete stop the CD flashed 13. Fr. O’Malley was the priest. At the completion of the reading of the Gospel I suddenly felt a strong feeling of peace run through me. I glanced at my watch as I sat down and the time was 12:13.

Mass ended shortly after 1 PM and I just waited at St. Joseph’s for Frank and Corrine to arrive. Ray Sanders was there and he also asked for a ride to the farm today. I told Ray that somehow we would make it work. A few minutes later Frank and Corrine arrived and they prayed for a few minutes. Frank then asked me to show him the Face of Jesus in the wood grain of the pew because I had told him about it and showed him a picture. Both Frank and Corrine saw the image and were stunned. Frank then said “Let’s go” and just as he said that I glanced at my watch and the time was 1:33:59. I glanced at my watch again just as we walked out the door and it said XX:XX:13.

Since I had to pick up Jim at 2 o’clock and Frank and Corrine needed to be at St. Joseph’s at 2 o’clock for mass I suggested that Frank drive to St. Joseph’s in Taneytown and Ray could ride with them and show them the way. That is what we did. I picked up Jim and we rode to St. Joseph’s in Taneytown and mass was already in progress when we arrived. I glanced at my watch as I walked in the door and it said XX:XX:33.

Fr. Marty Fields was the priest. The 2 o’clock mass does not really have anything to do with the prayer group at the farm but it is convenient to have this mass available before attending the apparition of Our Lady. When mass was over we drove out to the farm and at the very instant the car came to a complete stop the CD flashed 13.

It was my job to line up the 5 people who would lead the rosary today and I gave the 3rd decade to Frank’s wife Corrine. Our Lady appeared to Gianna during the 4th decade and I glanced at my watch and the time was 3:50. The apparition ended at 3:57.

Sometime during this time Corrine lost her glasses and Frank and I started searching for them. Frank found the glasses in the field and I glanced at my watch and the time was 4:33. Frank and Corrine then left to go back to Virginia.

The apparition of Our Lady of Emmitsburg was video taped today because there are some priest who wanted the tape. Sherry M made the video. I stayed after everything was over and helped clean up and put things away. I was then invited to stay for dinner. During this time we watched the video of the apparition and when it got to the 3rd decade where Corrine K was leading the rosary I suddenly was struck with a very strong sense of peace. I glanced at my watch as the peace hit me and the time was 6:33:13.

We continued watching the tape and the time and date option was set on the video recorder so the time was displayed on the tape as it played back. At the very instant Gianna went to her knees because the apparition had begun the counter on the tape that was displayed on the screen was 3:50:33.

When we finished watching the tape I left. When I started my car to leave the time on the dash was 7:13. When I passed St. Joseph’s in Taneytown the odometer was 3.3. When I arrived back in Emmitsburg I stopped at St. Joseph’s just to say thank You and when I arrived the time was 7:33 and the CD flashed 33.

I then drove home and at the very instant I turned the car off I noticed the counter on the CD player was 13. I then completed writing the May 20th paper and finished at 10:33.

R_____ C___

 June 9, 2005

 10:33 Pm