Forward
This is my eye witness account of the apparitions of The Blessed Virgin Mary to Gianna Sullivan at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Emmitsburg, Maryland. My written account of these events begins with a letter I wrote to my family back on December 8, 1998. I never intended to write anything beyond that letter pertaining to the subject of Our Lady in Emmitsburg.
As time went on and I continued to attend the Thursday Night Prayer Group somewhat unusual things began to happen such as the scent of roses coming out of nowhere to mention just one. I felt compelled to come each Thursday to the apparitions of Our Lady at St. Joseph’s, for some reason I felt there was a purpose for it but I did not know what it was. I found it amazing that somehow I was able to make arrangements to attend each week while at the same time juggling a rotating shift schedule at work in my hometown of <Hometown>, Virginia 110 miles away.
The way these papers got started beyond the December 8, 1998 letter to my family was that I was talking on a regular basis to my pastor, Father L._. about these events in Emmitsburg. Nearly every time I described something that occurred at St. Joseph’s to him on Thursday nights, I would inevitably leave something I wanted to say out and whatever I told him was at least somewhat incomplete. The solution to this problem was to write everything down and give Father L. a copy. That way everything I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it was complete and worded exactly the way I wanted to say it.
As it turns out the December 8, 1998 letter was a condensed narrative of my Emmitsburg experience up to that point but in reality it began years earlier without me realizing it. I now know I should fill in the events leading up to my arrival at the apparitions of Our Lady at St. Joseph’s in Emmitsburg. I cannot and will not go back and alter any of the papers I have written in the past to better reflect the events leading up to the start of my papers, therefore this “Forward” will hopefully lay a groundwork to better understand the events taking place in Emmitsburg by making a clearer picture of how I first arrived there and the events leading up to it. Now I will start at the very beginning…
It all started back in the early summer of 1992. I wish I knew the exact date but unfortunately I don’t. I do a lot of metal detecting. I hunt for Civil War camps and when I find them I find lots of bullets, buttons off the uniforms and even belt buckles and sometimes a gun. At this point my life had become a never ending quest for finding Civil War relics.
One Sunday morning my friend David Fischer called and asked if I wanted to go to the flea market at Double Toll Gate near Front Royal, Virginia. I said no because I was going to go metal detecting. David responded “You’re going out metal detecting as hot as it is.” I said yes. He said I was crazy and we hung up. I opened my front door to go detecting and the heat hit me as if I had just opened the oven door. I changed my mind and called David back. I was about to hang up after many rings thinking he had already left. As I was hanging up my phone I heard him pick up. I told David that I changed my mind and would go to the flea market. David then told me “You just caught me. I was already in the garage getting in the car to leave.” I told him I would be at his house in about 10 minutes. I think this is very important because another few seconds and David would have been gone and I would not be going and I most likely would have never ended up at St. Joseph’s in Emmitsburg.
David and I arrived at the flea market and went our separate ways. David looks for antique junk while I keep my eye peeled for Civil War relics. Hours passed and I found nothing that interested me. At the end of the day I was rummaging through a box with lots of very old, small brass items. At the very bottom of the box I found an old brass crucifix. I flipped it over and there was an inscription on the back that read “SHRINE OF THE LITTLE FLOWER, ROYAL OAK MICH” I can’t explain it but I INSTANTLY felt a very strong attraction to it. I asked the man at the table how much he wanted for it. He said $2.00 and I paid him and put the crucifix in my pocket.
About an hour later I ran into David. He asked if I was ready to go home. We got in his truck and he showed me a pile of junk he bought. David asked me if I bought anything and I said no. Then I suddenly remembered the crucifix and pulled it out of my pocket and showed it to him. David had a stunned look on his face when he saw it and he said “That’s not like you.” I replied “I know.” David then said “I guess stranger things have happened “. With that we rode home and then I went metal detecting for the last hour or two of daylight.
Later that evening I walked downstairs to the room where I keep all the Civil War relics I have found over the years. I reached in my pocket and I clearly remember my finger snagging on something in my pocket, it hurt. It was the crucifix I bought earlier in the day at the flea market. I looked at the crucifix again and I did not want to just put it in a drawer to be forgotten. I looked around for a special place in my relic room. I noticed a Christmas time picture of my son C.R.C. taken when he was about 10 months old sitting on a cabinet. I walked over to it and the crucifix was the perfect size and thickness to fit between the frame and the glass and I instantly knew that was the perfect place for it.
Now for the first time in years I prayed and it went like this: I told God that he owed me nothing and I deserved nothing. I had not been to mass in more than 10 years maybe even longer. Despite my unworthiness I asked Him to protect C.R.C. and to keep him safe. With that I prayed from my childhood memory an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. With that I simply continued on the path I had been on for years with little thought of God in my life.
Now let’s fast forward about 2 or 3 months and the date is now August 17, 1992. I was working the evening shift at SWIFT in <Hometown> and at about 6 in the evening my phone rang. It was my wife S.C.C. saying I needed to come home NOW because something was wrong with C.R.C. I asked what but she could not tell me because she did not know. I drove home and was shocked to see my 18 month old son C.R.C. with bruises from head to toe. Within seconds of seeing C.R.C. I knew he had been beaten and beaten hard. The bruises were actually still forming. You could see choke marks around his neck. Hand and fist prints on his legs, back and face and a blood red ear. He also had a deep red bruise on his nose with 4 smaller bruises around it which turned out to be the stone in a ring and the 4 prongs holding it in. We took C.R.C. to the hospital. At the hospital the doctors confirmed that C.R.C. had been severely beaten and law enforcement had to be called.
When I left the hospital I drove directly to the <Hometown> County Sheriff’s Office and reported that my 18 month old son had been beaten by his baby sitter, the wife of a <Hometown> town police officer. She was arrested and convicted.
After leaving the sheriff’s office I drove home and arrived around midnight. I can not even begin to describe the anger within me. For the first time in my life I understood how emotions can cause someone to want to kill. It was crazy. I found myself pacing around the house. The feeling of rage was like I had never experienced. I walked into my relic room and within a second or two the phone rang. It was not a complete ring. It was one of those partial rings and it did not ring again but it was enough to get my attention and as a result I turned towards the phone. As I did I caught a glimpse of the picture of C.R.C. and the little brass crucifix in the corner of my eye. Now please don’t get me wrong, what I am about to say was not premeditated it just happened almost like an involuntary reflex.
I walked up to the crucifix and took it out of the picture frame. I held it between my thumb and index finger on my left hand and this just blurted out of my mouth, “THANKS FOR NOTHING” It just happened.
SUDDENLY AT THAT VERY INSTANT I FELT THE MOST PROFOUND FEELING OF PEACE THAT I HAD EVER EXPERIENCED IN MY LIFE. In the flash of an instant I went from the worst feeling of anger and hate to the most profound feeling of peace I had ever experienced. I felt LOVED. In that same flash of an instant I knew my prayers for C.R.C.’s protection I had prayed when I originally put the crucifix on his picture had indeed been answered. I knew C.R.C. was alive and going to recover, I knew that C.R.C. would never be in that situation again. At that point I crumpled to the ground and cried as I thanked God. That was my return to the church after many years of absence.
It was a gradual return. I started taking C.R.C. to mass on Sundays. S.C.C. did not go because she was Baptist. S.C.C did go to the Baptist church occasionally with her parents but we still had a long way to go.
Now lets fast forward 6 years. It’s now July 3, 1998 and I am on my way to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for a Civil War relic show. As I am driving North on Rt. 15 I noticed the tall, golden statue of Our Lady, The Virgin Mary at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg. I kept driving but I started thinking that if my father were driving and saw that statue he would stop and visit. I then thought about the many times I have made this trip and never stopped. It made me feel bad. I was running early so I turned around and for the first time in my life I visited the Grotto of Lourdes at Mount St. Mary’s.
I walked through the Grotto at a leisurely pace. I stopped at nearly every statue in the Grotto. I visited the Stations of the Cross as well as the Crucifixion Scene, The Lourdes Grotto and Rosary Lane. Then it happened. There was a statue of St. Therese of Lisuix and I stopped to read the inscription which read: St. Therese The Little Flower. For the very first time in my life I was able to associate the brass crucifix marked “Shrine of the Little Flower” I bought at the flea market roughly 7 years ago with St. Therese.
I stood before the statue of St. Therese as I prayed to her in heaven and this is what I said. “St. Therese I want to thank you for your intercession regarding my son C.R.C. when he was beat up by his baby sitter. I did not know it then but I know it today that you are the Little Flower inscribed on my crucifix and I want to thank you for any role you had in protecting C.R.C. back on August 17, 1992 when he was beat up by his baby sitter. I thank you very much.
At that point I suddenly felt ill, my stomach was tied in knots. A feeling of anxiety overcame me. I had never had a feeling like this in my life. The more I tried to say thank you the worse it got. Suddenly I saw my own sinfulness of my whole life. I actually remember spinning around in grief. At the same time I knew something was missing and I knew it was on my part.
SUDDENLY like a bolt out of the blue I knew exactly what it was. It was the fact that my son C.R.C. who was now 7 years old HAD NEVER BEEN BAPTISED! In the flash of another instant getting C.R.C. baptized became the number 1 priority in my life. I prayed to St. Therese to help me get this done. My wife was Baptist and I thought there were going to be many conflicts and up-hill challenges getting this done. In prayer I told St. Therese that I would get this done and that after C.R.C. was baptized I would come back to this very spot and say thank you again.
I then left and on my way out of the Grotto I stopped at the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima and repeated the same prayers and promises asking for her intersession. I then got in my truck and continued my trip to Gettysburg. I got there but was disinterested it what was going on and left early returning for another walk through the Grotto on my way home to <Hometown>.
When I got home I did not bring up the subject of getting C.R.C. baptized right away. I waited a few days until the time seemed right. I was expecting conflict but received none. I stopped a few days later at <Home Parish> and explained the situation to Fr. L. Fr. L said I needed to attend the Baptismal Preparation class. He also said it would be a good idea if S.C.C. attended. I told Fr. L that I would be there but not to expect S.C.C.. I was shocked when I asked S.C.C. if she would like to come and she said yes.
S.C.C. and I completed the classes and Fr. L said we were now clear to get C.R.C. baptized. He looked in his calendar and asked if we wanted to do it privately or at a mass. We said privately. He then said the next couple of weeks were not good with his schedule. He then asked if Sunday October 3, 1998 would be ok. S.C.C. and I said yes. We now had a date and it was not until a few weeks later we realized October 3rd was St. Therese The Little Flower’s original feast day.
It’s now September 23, 1998 and I received a call from some people who wanted to buy more Civil War bullets from me. I told them I would bring them up. I deliberately left early in order to give me time to stop at the Grotto. While there I stopped at the statue of St. Therese and in prayer I told her that C.R.C. has not yet been baptized but it’s coming up soon and that I will come back as I promised after the baptism has taken place. I then stopped by the statue of Our Lady of Fatima and I took a picture. When I took that picture I was filled with sudden and unexpected peace. It was like the night C.R.C. was beat up and I said “Thanks for nothing”. At the instant I took that picture I knew something had happened but I did not know what.
October 3rd came and C.R.C. was baptized at <Home Parish) in <Home town>. A few relatives came from Richmond for the occasion and as a baptismal gift they gave a very nice book with a lot of pictures of St. Therese. After they left to go back to Richmond on October 4th I sat down in my relic room and looked through the book. I then walked out of the basement door and when I did I was drenched in the scent of roses. It took me to my knees. The next day was October 5th and I was home alone. I felt somewhat sad. I was sad because I had very much enjoyed all of the preparations for C.R.C.’s baptism and now it was over.
SUDDENLY I HEARD A LOUD AND POWERFUL VOICE BOOM THROUGHOUT MY SOUL. IT WAS INTERIOR, SUDDEN, POWERFUL, UNEXPECTED AND NOT AT ALL WHAT I WAS THINKING AND IT SAID “NO, THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.”
Despite the fact I knew it was interior I still could not help but to look around to see where it came from.
Now that C.R.C’s baptism had taken place I knew I needed to keep my promise and drive back to the Grotto of Lourdes in Emmitsburg to thank Our Lord, Our Lady and St. Therese as I told them I would do. I had a heavy work schedule and I did not feel I was rushed to make that trip. I decided that I would just wait until I got another call for Civil War bullets and work that into an upcoming 6 day break I get from work each month.
A week or so later I got that call and I made plans to go to Gettysburg to sell more bullets on Thursday November 19, 1998 I made sure I had plenty of time to stop at the Grotto in order to keep my promise. I drove to Emmitsburg and I arrived at the Grotto and when I arrived at the statue of St. Therese I once again thanked her for her intercession in C.R.C.’s protection when he was beat up by the babysitter. There was no feeling of anxiety as it was back on July 3rd. I felt like I had finally done something in my life that I knew God fully approved of. It made me feel good.
As I was leaving the Grotto that day I stopped at the last statue before you exit the Grotto. It’s a statue of St. Joseph standing over Mary who is lying down holding the Baby Jesus. Mary’s hand is extended. I reached out to touch her hand and at THE VERY INSTANT MY FINGER CAME INTO CONTACT WITH HERS THE GROTTO BELL TOWER RANG. IT WAS LOUD AND I WAS ALMOST DIRECTLY UNDER IT. IT STARTLED ME CAUSING ME TO PULL MY HAND BACK AS AN INVOLUNTARY REFLEX TO BEING STARTLED. I then just laughed and thought to myself “I could not time that to make it happen that way again in a million years.”
I then left the Grotto and was going to continue my trip to Gettysburg. I got back on Rt. 15 and for some reason decided I would ride through the old town part of Emmitsburg. Something I had never done. I figured South Seton Ave must come right back out on Rt. 15 and I would be back on my way. I was wrong and little did I know what was coming next.
I drove through Emmitsburg. I went through the traffic light and for the first time I saw St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. I noticed the sign out front said it was established in 1793. I wanted to go in. I then noticed something was going on at the church. I could tell it was not a funeral or wedding and there were two busses parked there. I parked my car and walked up to the front door when a man (Joe Martin) stopped me and asked if I had a pass. I said no. He then said “Well the church is full, you might be able to get a seat across the street at the parish hall.” I told him I just wanted to go in for a few minutes to look around. He then said “You don’t know what’s going on here, do you? He then proceeded to tell me that “The Blessed Virgin Mary appears in this church every Thursday night to a lady named Gianna Talone Sullivan. He then paused and said “And it’s real.”
He then personally took me in the church, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed. There were about 30 people in the church and all of the pews had people’s names taped to their seats reserving their spots for the 7 PM rosary, apparition and Mass. He scooted some of the name tags down and made one for me. He then said “Now you have a seat inside the church for tonight” I was stunned at what I was hearing and seeing. He then went back to his post at the front door and I remained in the church for a while.
After an hour or so I walked outside and asked the same man for the restroom. He said there was no restroom in the church but there was one in the parish hall across the street. I walked across the street to the parish hall. As I came out of the restroom another man (Larry McLean) started talking to me. He told me about the history of the apparitions at St. Josephs. I am not saying I believed what I was being told but I knew the people telling me about these events believed it. You could hear it in their voice, see it in their eyes, just talking about it gave them joy.
After standing and talking in the parish hall for a while Larry asked me if I could do him a favor. I thought it was going to be something simple that could be done in the next few minutes. He then said he needed someone to lead the 5th decade of the rosary tonight at the apparition. This absolutely stunned me and I was going to say no. The word “No” had already formed and was at the very tip of my tongue when SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING I HEARD THE BELL TOWER RING WITHIN ME. IT WAS A PERFECT REPLAY OF EARLIER IN THE DAY WHEN I TOUCHED THE HAND OF MARY AT THE GROTTO IN PERFECT SYNCRONATION WITH THE BELL TOWER SOUNDING OFF. THE REPLAY IN MY HEAD ACTUALLY STARTLED ME AGAIN. I THEN SAID YES.
At this point I was wondering what I got myself into. My plan was to still go to Gettysburg and deliver the Civil War bullets. I was very nervous about leading the 5th decade of the rosary. I had not prayed the rosary since I was a kid. Anyway, I ended up talking to a lot of people and I was amazed throughout the day of how many people showed up. It was massive as in way beyond the capacity of the church.
Seven O’clock came and I still never made it to Gettysburg. I took my “reserved” seat at the back right side of the church. This was my first time and I did not know how things worked. I did not want to be stumbling over people when it came time for me to lead the 5 decade from the front of the church. I decided to walk up the left side isle to be closer to the front when my turn came. It turned out I was standing just a few feet from Gianna Sullivan who was in the front row flanked by priests and nuns.
There were only a few Hail Mary’s remaining in the 4 decade and while I was standing there I SUDDENLY saw a bright flash of bluish/purple light. It startled me. It left a bluish ball of light that floated towards Gianna Sullivan and at the instant it came in contact with her she bolted to her knees and the apparition began. At this point I was stunned and my knees were actually knocking almost like you would see in a cartoon. I had to take my hands and hold my knees or I think I would have fallen down. I had to lean against the wall. I also did not understand when the flash of light happened why there was no reaction from other people in the church. I was dumfounded. When the apparition ended Gianna returned to the seated position and started to write down the message Our Lady had given her. It was also at this time I went up and lead the 5th decade of the rosary. I do not remember anything about the transition from being a nervous wreck to being completely at peace but that transformation did take place.
After the apparition was over Fr. Michael Kennedy C.M. read the message to the overflow crowd at St. Joseph’s then mass began. Mass ended and people walked over to the parish hall for coffee and doughnuts. When that was over I got in my truck and drove home to <Hometown>.
Now in order to better understand the papers I have written it is imperative to explain what happened after I got home that night. I hated the thought of having to explain to S.C.C. where I had been and why I was so late. I went to bed and S.C.C. asked where I had been. I simply said to her that it’s hard to explain and I will just have to tell you later. I was stunned when she accepted that and simply said “okay” and went back to sleep. I then fell off to sleep and I must say that NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I EVER HAD A DREAM ABOUT JESUS CHRIST BUT TONIGHT I DID AND IT WENT LIKE THIS: In this dream I was standing outside looking at a mountain range off in the distance. The sun was setting behind the mountains and rays of golden light were streaming across the sky. At the instant the top portion of the sun dropped behind the mountain all you could see were the rays of light. Suddenly there was a cross where the sun had been and the rays of light were now coming from the cross. Off in the distance I could see that there was someone hanging on that cross. At the instant I realized someone was on the cross I was SUDDENLY pulled with great force at a very high rate of speed to the cross. While in transit to the foot of the cross I could feel the force pulling me, like taking off in a jet.
I am now standing at the foot of the Cross and Jesus in hanging from the cross. He is wearing a purple garment around his waist. It’s so clear that I can see each individual hair on his legs. There was no blood. In the dream I responded in what I would think was a very immature response. Instead of falling to my knees I jumped up and down pointing my index finger at him and yelling to people I thought were standing behind me to look. I said “Look, Look, Look! I then looked behind me only to see nobody was behind me. I then turned back towards the cross and when I did Jesus was still there and this time he was crucified backwards, face in to the cross and I was now looking at his back. He then turned his head around and gestured to me by moving his head in a way that I clearly understood to mean “Follow Me” At that instant I woke up and instantly saw the digital clock next to the bed and the time was 3:33.
The reason I remember the time is because the transition from the dream to suddenly being awake was such a seamless transition that it became part of the experience. I don’t know how else to describe it. Exactly one week later on Thursday November 26, 1998 I was working the 4 to 12 evening shift at SWIFT. I remember looking up at the clock at the very instant it turned to 7:00. I instantly thought about the Prayer Group in Emmitsburg and the fact that it was starting at this very moment. I wanted to be there and at that instant I decided that I would be going next week and every possible week after that.
It’s now a week later, Thursday December 3, 1998 and I am going to go to the Thursday Night Prayer Group for the 2nd time. I left early to get a seat in the church. I arrived and the same guy (Joe Martin) was sitting at the door again and he looked at me and said “Your back, I just knew you would be back.” I got a seat in the church and put my name on it. At 7 PM the rosary began and I will tell you I had my eyes peeled for that bluish, purplish flash of light that occurred while I was standing next to Gianna two weeks ago but it did not happen. After mass ended I went across the street to the parish hall for coffee before heading back home to <Hometown>.
When I got home S.C.C. woke up and just like the last time she asked where I had been. Again I simply said “I will have to tell you later” again she simple said “okay” and went back to sleep. At this point I had still never told S.C.C. where I had been or what I was doing. I planned on telling her when I felt the time was right but most amazing to me was the fact she was not pressuring me to tell her about these late nights. Anyway I went to bed and for the 2nd time in my life I had another dream about Jesus. This one is very easy to describe. It went like this:
I found myself in pitch dark. It was the darkest darkness I had ever experienced. In the dream I actually waved my hand in front of my face and could see absolutely nothing. Suddenly in the dead center of this intense darkness I saw a small pinpoint of light. This pinpoint of light was coming directly towards me at a fast and constant rate of speed. As the light got closer it got bigger and the darkness got smaller. As the light got closer and closer I could see it was the side profile of the face of Jesus Christ. The light continued to advance towards me until all of the darkness was gone and replaced with the light of His Face. It never slowed down and traveled straight through me. In the dream it was my natural reaction to turn around and watch Him go the other direction but that was not to be. I instantly woke up and again the time on the digital clock next to the bed was 3:33.
After these two dreams of Jesus I started to notice that each Thursday when I arrived at St. Josephs for the apparition I would arrive and in one form or another I was ALWAYS met with the number 333. It might be the time on my watch or the clock on the dash of my car. If it was not the time it would be the odometer on the car. If it was not that I would meet an oncoming car coming from the opposite direction directly in front of St. Joseph’s with the license plate of 333. It never failed. I then started to notice that upon my arrival home the same thing would happen. I would get home and the time would be 33 minutes after the hour and at the same time the odometer would be 333.
After this started to happen other things that seemed to be related began to happen. For example, I would go to bed at night and suddenly wake up in the middle of the night thinking of Jesus. I would look over at the clock and it would always be 33 minutes after whatever hour or 3:33. I would say a few prayers and go back to sleep. On the nights this happened when I woke up later to start the day the clock would always be whatever hour and 33 minutes.
It does not stop there. When I would write the papers for Fr. L describing the events in Emmitsburg, upon completion of the paper it would be 33 minutes after the hour. I did not mention this in the earlier papers because I did not know how to describe or explain it. I just knew it was happening.
Suddenly everything changed. One night in St. Joseph’s during the silence of the apparition I found myself offering my assistance to Our Lady. I clearly remember my prayer that night. I said “Blessed Mother the last shred of doubt of your being here no longer exist in my soul. Thank you. I now realize that you have one of the hardest jobs in the history of salvation and even now 2000 years later you are still tirelessly working for the salvation of souls. I said I know I can’t do much but whatever I can do I will do for you.
Starting immediately the 33’s and the 333’s STOPPED and from this point onward every time I arrived at St. Josephs for the Thursday night apparition I was met with a 13 in one form or another. Usually it was the time but if not it would be the odometer and if it was not that it would be another oncoming car from the opposite direction meeting me directly in front of the church with the license plate of 13. The Thursday Night Prayer Group would end and I would drive home to <Hometown> and pull into my driveway and the time would be 13 minutes after the hour or the odometer would be 13.
Now after this started to happen I would wake up in the middle of the night thinking about Mary or wake up half way through a Hail Mary that I obviously began in my sleep. I would look over at the clock when this happened and it would be whatever hour and 13 minutes.
This continued for a while then SUDDENLY it changed and about 50 percent of the time I would arrive at St. Josephs met with 33 or 333 and the other half of the time I would arrive and be met with 13. This continues to this day. The same with writing the papers. I will complete them either 13 or 33 minutes after the hour. Everytime.
With these very unusual events now taking place in my life I have to tell you that I was at peace with it. It never made me feel threatened or fearful but I certainly had questions. One night during the silence of the apparition I prayed to Our Lady to in some way explain these events that I am experiencing. The following week at the next Thursday Night Prayer Group and apparition of Our Lady a nun named Sister Claire Mahoney walked right up to me and gave me a copy of Fr. Stephano Gobbi’s book, “To The Priest Our Lady’s Beloved Sons.” I thanked her and put the book in my car. I had never heard of this book. It was new to me. Later in the same week, I believe it was Wednesday I picked up the book and started to just flip through it. I landed on page 610 and it said in part:
"The number, 333, indicates the divinity. Lucifer rebels against God through pride, because he wants to put himself above God. 333 is the number which indicates the mystery of God. He who wants to put himself above God bears the sign, 666, and consequently this number indicates the name of Lucifer, Satan, that is to say, of him who, sets himself against Christ, of the antichrist.
"333 indicated once, that is to say, for the first time, expresses the mystery of the unity of God. 333 indicated twice, that is to say, for the second time, indicates the two natures, that of the Divine Person of Jesus Christ. 333 indicated thrice, that is to say, for the third time, indicates the mystery of the Three Divine Persons, that is to say, it expresses the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Thus the number, 333, expressed one, two and three times, expresses the principal mysteries of the Catholic faith, which are: (1) the Unity and the Trinity of God, (2) the incarnation, the passion and death, the resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
I remember reading this for the first time and glancing at my watch and the time was 3:33:33. I also remember reading that Our Lady of Fatima appeared on the 13th of the month because the number 13 is symbolic of the Holy Trinity, One God and Three Divine Persons.
All of this astounded me. How could I pray for an explanation of the events happening to me on Thursday night at St. Joseph’s and have the answer delivered to me and explained before the next prayer group even took place the following Thursday? I was numb and still am 20 years later and all of these events are still happening to this day.
I think this information will better explain and bring into clearer focus the papers I have written in regard to the apparitions of Our Lady in Emmitsburg. Despite the earlier papers making little or no reference to the 13’s 33’s and 333’s it was happening. I just did not know how to explain it or incorporate it into the papers I was writing so I left it out. The first time I did make a real attempt to explain it and include it in my papers was Ash Wednesday 2002. I don’t think I would be able to write these papers if this were not happening. I think the “Forward” will make it easier to read and understand the papers I have written regarding my eyewitness account of Our Lady of Emmitsburg.
R.C.
Jan. 22, 2019
6:13 PM
