Meeting with Fr. O’Malley Because Of The Newspaper Articles

This past January 7^th at the public apparition of Our Lady of Emmitsburg I was unexpectedly interviewed by the Frederick News Post. This is the event that has triggered these series of events. In the January 7 paper I wrote:

Because I was one of the people interviewed by the Frederick News Post at the last public apparition at the Lynfield Event Complex the Emmitsburg Dispatch also contacted me by phone and conducted another interview. Both caught me by complete surprise.

As a result of the January 8, 2007 Frederick News Post article the pastor of St. Joseph’s, Fr. Vincent O’Malley issued a statement the following Sunday in in the church bulletin that said:

“To believe in the validity of the alleged apparitions is to act contrary to the teaching of the Church.”

This is not an accurate statement. The Church says that no one is obliged to believe in any private revelation even the ones that the Church has already approved such as Lourdes and Fatima. Vatican II also says that a Catholic can believe in private revelation that has not been approved. To say otherwise is misleading and not based on the facts.

Thursday January 18

I did not go to work this morning because I have been sick with bronchitis. I did go to mass this morning and afterwards Mike Sullivan gave me some medicine from the Mission of Mercy van. I went home and rested most of the day.

Later in the day I was feeling better and I rode into Emmitsburg to pray my daily rosary at St. Joseph’s. At the instant I arrived I glanced at my watch and the time was 4:34:00. That surprised me and just as I wondered why it happened that way I noticed the CD flash 333. I sat out in the car because the church was locked and prayed the Glorious and Sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. When I finished I left and the CD flashed 33.

I had only driven 25 yards or so when I heard my named being called. I stopped and Ray Sanders jumped in my car and said The Emmitsburg Dispatch has printed the article we were both interviewed in. As Ray told me about this I glanced at my watch and the time was 5:13:33.

Ray and I rode to St. Peter’s Books and had coffee. We then rode over to Ivan P’s house for his weekly Marian Movement of Priest Cenacle. This was the first time I had ever attended. We arrived and just as the car came to a complete stop the CD flashed 333.

There were 17 people there and Sr. Mary Bernadette (Daughter of Charity) led the rosary which began at 7:13. When it was over I drove home and there was a message on my answering machine from Fr. O’Malley’s secretary saying that he wanted to see me in his office and I needed to call and make an appointment. I did call and because of my work schedule the appointment was made for 9:15 on January 27^th.

Saturday January 27

Today is the day I meet with Fr. O’Malley about the article in the Emmitsburg Dispatch. I arrived at St. Joseph’s this morning for daily mass and because of slow moving traffic on Main Street I arrived and just as the car came to a complete stop my watch said the time was 8:33:13.

I attended mass and I prayed about my upcoming meeting that was scheduled right after mass. Fr. Murphy was the priest. During the consecration I felt the peace run through me, I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:13. Mass ended and I glanced at my watch as I walked out the door and it said XX:XX:33.

I walked across the street to the rectory and rang the bell. Fr. O’Malley came to the door and invited me in. We took a seat in the parlor and he had a copy of the Emmitsburg Dispatch sitting on the table. Fr. O’Malley asked me if I knew why he asked to meet with me and I said yes because of the article in the paper.

He started by asking how I first came to Emmitsburg. I proceeded to tell him the whole sequence of events in the earliest days of my presence in Emmitsburg. I explained C.R.C.’s baptism and how I originally ended up at the Thursday Night Prayer Group. I was a little surprised that he gave me enough time to properly explain it. When I finished answering his question he simply said “Wow!”

He then asked why I said what I said in the Emmitsburg Dispatch. I told him it was because of the statement that says “To believe in the validity of the alleged apparitions is to act contrary to the teaching of the Church.” I then pointed out to him why this was a false and misleading statement that was crafted to give the false impression of Emmitsburg being condemned.

Fr. O’Malley then said that “the commission” said nothing supernatural was taking place. I then told him that to say nothing supernatural is happening does not cast Emmitsburg into a condemned status such as the condemned apparitions from Bayside New York. He said a condemned status is very difficult to get. I then told him that it should be just as an approved status is very difficult to get because there is a burden of proof.

I also told Fr. O’Malley that if he looked at the wording of the status Emmitsburg is currently in that it says “Nothing supernatural is happening OR there is not enough evidence to substantiate it. Fr. O’Malley reluctantly agreed that it says that.

Fr. O’Malley then said that Gianna Sullivan is disobedient to the church by continuing to have apparitions of Our Lady. I told Fr. O’Malley that the decree from Cardinal Keeler simply stated that it could no longer take place on the property of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. I reminded him that it has never taken place on church property since that mandate was issued back in 2000 so how is there any disobedience?

Fr. O’Malley said “I can see that I will not be able to change your mind.” Fr. O’Malley then had to step out for a moment so he could discuss some arrangements for a funeral that was taking place later in the day. While he was out of the room I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:13.

When he returned we continued our conversation for about another half hour or so. The entire meeting was a little more than an hour. When it was over Fr. O’Malley thanked me for coming and thanked me for a “Wonderful conversation”. I then got in my car to leave and as I pulled out of the parking lot I met a car with the license plate of 33.

I rode to St. Peter’s and had a cup of coffee and when I left there I rode out to the Grotto of Lourdes to pray my daily rosary with Fr. O’Malley as my intention. When I arrived the odometer was 13.3. I walked through the Grotto and when I got to the statue of Our Lady of Fatima I prayed the Joyful and Sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. When I finished and got up to leave I glanced at my watch and the time was 12:33.

I drove home and wrote out all of the bills that needed to be paid. I rode back to Emmitsburg to mail them and then stopped at St. Joseph’s to go to confession. When I arrived the odometer was 1.3 and as the car came to a complete stop I glanced at my watch and it said XX:XX:33 and the CD flashed 133.

After confession I left and as I was driving home I noticed a huge traffic backup coming the opposite direction into Emmitsburg. It was then I remembered that I was supposed to meet Phil and Aileen C at 5 pm for the St. Joseph’s spaghetti dinner. I knew I would not be able to make it back by turning around so I took the back roads and arrived back at St. Joseph’s at 4:33.

I waited in the car for Phil and Aileen. When they arrived we ate dinner in the parish hall. While we were eating Fr. O’Malley came walking back up to me and again thanked me for a “Wonderful conversation”. We left and as I walked back to my car to leave I met a car directly in front of me with the license plate of 13.