First Saturday and First Sunday Public Apparition of Our Lady of Emmitsburg

October 1 & 2, 2005

I have known for several weeks that my old "hometown" Legion of Mary co-worker, Mary G was planning on coming to visit and attend the October 2nd public apparition of Our Lady of Emmitsburg. Ted Szymanski had also said he would like to come. Mary was planning on arriving at our house on Saturday October 1 and I was planning on driving down to Leesburg to pick up Ted on Sunday morning October 2nd.

It was a fairly busy weekend which started with our monthly LMC meeting at St. Mary’s. We attended the 8 a.m. mass. After mass Fr. M____ asked if we could start the meeting directly after mass and postpone the rosary until after the meeting was over. We had the meeting and the main topic of discussion was the upcoming Lay Missionaries of Charity retreat with Fr. _______ ______ MC. After the meeting we returned to the church and prayed the rosary as a group, at the very instant we finished I glanced at my watch as I kissed the crucifix and it said XX:XX:33.

I then left and rode home and did a few things around the house before I was supposed to meet Mary at St. Joseph’s at 4 p.m. I also had a few errands I needed to run in preparation for tomorrows public apparition of Our Lady at Karen and Mick Major’s farm.

After finishing what I needed to do around the house I rode out to Karen and Mick’s to return a tent that was borrowed for the Mission of Mercy Golf Tournament. The tent needed to be returned before Sunday because it is used at the apparition each month. I arrived there and Nick Masser was also there helping get ready for tomorrow. We unloaded the tent from the back of my truck and I left.

I then rode back to Emmitsburg and stopped at St. Joseph’s to pray my daily rosary. When I arrived the odometer was 13 and the trip meter said 3.3. I glanced at my watch as the truck came to a complete stop and it said XX:XX:13. I walked in the front door of St. Joseph’s and looked at my watch and the time was 3:13.

There were a few people in the church and I went up towards the front and prayed the Glorious Mysteries. At the instant I completed the rosary and kissed the crucifix I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:13. I left and as I was walking out I noticed the priest were hearing confessions. I glanced at my watch as I walked out of the church and the time was 3:33. I had the desire to go to confession so I turned around and walked back in the church and the time was still 3:33. After confession I left again and this time the first thing I saw as I walked out of the church was a car directly in my view with the license plate of 33.

I got in my truck and decided that I might as well just sit there and wait for Mary to arrive because she should be there in about 10 minutes. Just as I had decided to sit there my cell phone rang and it was C.R.C. saying I needed to bring him some money because the Ferguson’s were going to pick him up in 10 minutes to go to the homecoming dance at Delone Catholic High School. I had no choice but to drive home and give him the money he needed and then drive back to meet Mary. That’s what I did and when I arrived back at St. Joseph’s to pick up Mary the time on the dash was 4:13.

Mary was there when I arrived and followed me back to our house. On the way to the house Mary missed a turn and we got separated and S.C.C. and I had to go out and look for her. After finding Mary we spent the rest of the evening just sitting and talking in the living room. At one point Mary got up and excused herself and walked out of the room. It was at that instant the feeling of peace hit causing me to know Mary’s presence was part of Our Lady’s plan. It was so strong I glanced at my watch and the time was 8:33:13.

October 2

Today is the public apparition of Our Lady of Emmitsburg. When I woke up this morning I looked over at the clock and the time was 8:13. I went downstairs and had a cup of coffee and both S.C.C. and Mary said they would like to attend the outside noon mass today at the Grotto of Lourdes before going to the farm for the apparition of Our Lady. I needed to go to Leesburg to pick up Ted and as I thought about this I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:13.

I told S.C.C. and Mary that I was leaving to pick up Ted and I would just meet them and C.R.C. at the Grotto for mass. I left and stopped at St. Joseph’s to say a few prayers first and when I arrived I glanced at my watch as I walked in the church and the time was 9:33. I prayed for a few minutes and left. As I walked out of the church I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:33. I started the car to leave and the CD flashed 13.

I drove to Leesburg and met Ted at Walmart. I don’t get to see Ted as much as I did before we moved here. It was good to see him looking so good. Ted turned 86 in August. We left my car parked at Walmart and rode back to Emmitsburg in Ted’s car. We arrived at the Grotto and the time on his dash was 11:33.

Ted and I walked through the Grotto and then went and got seats for the outside mass. S.C.C., C.R.C. and Mary arrived just a few minutes before mass began. This was the first time I ever attended the outside mass at the Grotto. Fr. Jack Lombardi was the priest. Mass ended and we all walked through the Grotto. When we finished at the Grotto we decided to eat lunch at the Ott House. We got in the car and I glanced at my watch as we left the Grotto and the time was 1:33:13.

Ted and I drove to St. Joseph’s and parked there because it is so close to the Ott House. At the very instant the car came to a complete stop the CD counter in Ted’s car flashed 33. I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:33.

We ran into Ray Sanders and invited him to join us for lunch. We were going to pick him up and give him a ride to the farm anyway. We met up with S.C.C., C.R.C. and Mary and I had a nice lunch. After we finished eating we left to go to the farm for the apparition of Our Lady of Emmitsburg. Just as we walked out of the restaurant Jim O’Brien yelled from across the street saying he had missed his ride to the farm and wanted to know if he could ride with us. We said yes. We got in Ted’s car and when I started it to leave the time on the dash was 2:33.

We rode out to the farm. S.C.C., C.R.C. and Mary followed. There was a good crowd there considering there were many other things going on in and around Emmitsburg this weekend. Mike Sullivan announced that it was time to begin the prayers and I looked at my watch when he said that and the time was 3:13.

Our Lady came during the 4th decade of the rosary and I glanced down at my watch and the apparition began at 3:41 and lasted about 5 or 6 minutes. It was good to see my friend Frank K and his wife Corrine there again this month. When everything was over Jim asked if he could ride with me to Leesburg to take Ted back. I said yes and we left after all the prayers were over. We drove Ted back to Walmart in Leesburg and said goodbye. We then got in my car for the ride home and when I started it the time on the dash was 6:33.

Jim and I rode back to Emmitsburg and I dropped him off at his house. I then stopped at St. Joseph’s just to say thank You for such a nice day. When I arrived the odometer was 1.3 and I glanced at my watch at the instant the car came to a complete stop and it said 7:33:00

R_____ C___

October 9, 2005

9:33 Pm