Our Lady of Emmitsburg

Gives A Special Message on The Ninth Anniversary of The Picture Of Our Lady of Fatima I Took At The Grotto in Emmitsburg and B. E. T. is Baptized.

Sunday September 23, 2007

It does not seem possible, but it has been nine years since I took the picture of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima at the Grotto of Lourdes in Emmitsburg. After realizing a miraculous event took place after developing the picture and seeing the face of Christ in the burst of light I promised God I would go to the Grotto every year on this date. So far I have kept that promise.

When we lived in "hometown" I would go to Our Lady of The Blue Ridge in Madison Virginia every Wednesday after I got off from work because they had Eucharistic Adoration that day. I came to know and pray with Jim T who was a parishioner there and several years later I was stunned to run into him and his wife Susan at St. Joseph’s in Taneytown. They were there to attend a public apparition of Our Lady of Emmitsburg at Karen and Mick Major’s farm.

Jim and Susan knew Gianna Sullivan and were present at the apparitions with Gianna back when they were taking place in Scottsdale, Arizona. Since then Jim and Susan have moved here to the Emmitsburg area. We are in the same Jesus of Mercy Prayer Group with Gianna and Mike Sullivan. It still amazes both Jim and I how long we had known each other from Our Lady of The Blue Ridge and never realized we had the same connection to Our Lady through Emmitsburg.

Today was one of those special days that I would describe based on my experience as intense. It was one of those days where I could feel the presence of Our Lady in such a strong way that I knew something about today was special. It was the kind of feeling that would have caused me to come to Emmitsburg if I had been anywhere else. This is the only way I know how to describe it.

C.R.C. had a alter server meeting this morning at St. Mary’s in Fairfield. After the meeting we all went to the 10:30 mass. Fr. Mike was the priest and I glanced at my watch as mass ended and the time was 11:33.

We drove home and did a few things before going back to St. Mary’s for the 1 pm baptism of Jim and Susan T’s new daughter, B. E. T. When we arrived back at St. Mary’s I glanced at my watch as the car came to a complete stop and it said XX:X:13.

The baptism began at 1 pm and Deacon Robert Malagesi who will be ordained priest on November 3, 2007 officiated. Gianna and Mike Sullivan were the God parents. Gianna went up and read the reading from the podium and it was at that time I looked over and there was a halo of light surrounding the head of the statue of St. Joseph. I knew to glance at my watch and the time this took place was 1:13. Deacon Robert then performed the baptism and it ended at 1:33.

A nice dinner followed downstairs in the parish hall. There were a lot of people there. When everything was over we drove home. We dropped C.R.C. off at the house and I said I was going to go to the Grotto (to keep my promise) and S.C.C. said she would like to go too just for the ride. S.C.C. and I arrived at the Grotto of Lourdes and the time on the dash was 3:13.

S.C.C. said she just wanted to sit in the car because her leg was giving her some pain. I went to the statue of Our Lady of Fatima where I took the picture nine years ago today and prayed the Glorious mysteries of the rosary. When I finished the rosary I looked at my watch and the time was 3:33.

At that point I had a lot of things run through my mind that have taken place over the past nine years and I would not trade them for anything. Emmitsburg was and remains the most wonderful event of my life. In prayer I then re-offered myself to Our Lady of Emmitsburg for anything She wishes. I then just took a walk through the Grotto and returned to the car.

S.C.C. and I then left and I was going to go home but S.C.C. said she would like some ice cream from McDonald’s so we drove there and got it. On the way home we stopped by St. Joseph’s to say a few prayers and at the very instant we arrived at the front of the church another car approached us from the opposite direction with the license plate of 013. As we parked we noticed the car next to us had the license plate of 33. S.C.C. and I prayed and did not pay any attention to the time. We finished and I glanced at my watch as we pulled out to leave and the time was 4:13:13.

Friday September 28, 2007

Like I just said above, September 23, 2007 was a very strong day in regards to what has been happening to me for years now and the full impact was felt today when I received a copy of a special message Our Lady gave Gianna that day.

S.C.C. had a medical appointment with plastic surgeons at Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa this morning and I took the day off to get her there. They looked at her wound and determined that no further surgery would be required. This was certainly very good news. We drove home and when we got there Federal Express and dropped off a box of 2500 DVD’s we had made of the January 7, 2007 apparition of Our Lady. As I realized the DVD’s had arrived I glanced at my watch and the time was 2:13:13.

I took the box of DVDs to St. Peter’s book store and Mary Blanchard and I sat there and stuffed them in the paper DVD sleeves. While we were stuffing Mary told me that Our Lady had given Gianna a very special message this past Sunday that was very powerful. Mary then said she would give me a copy. Mary got up from the table and printed a copy for me. As I started to read it I felt the peace and glanced at my watch and the time was 3:33.