“I know when you pray for me, and it is the same with all of
the other souls here in Purgatory. Very few of us here get any prayers;
the majority of us are totally abandoned, with no thought or prayers
offered for us from those on earth” (Message from a soul in Purgatory)
Over the years of studying the lives of the mystics of the Church I have
amassed a large number of eye witness accounts from various books and
manuscripts of the appearances of the souls in Purgatory to a number of
persons-- a good number of these accounts are not widely known, so I
thought it would make a very interesting study to compile a number of shorter accounts from a variety of sources for those interested in this subject.
St Padre Pio’s visions of the souls in Purgatory
In May, 1922, Padre Pio testified the following to the Bishop of Melfi,
His Excellency Alberto Costa and also the superior of the friary, Padre
Lorenzo of San Marco along with 5 other friars. One of the five friars,
Fra Alberto D' Apolito of San Giovanni Rotondo wrote down the account as
follows:
"While in the friary on a winter afternoon after a heavy snowfall, he
was sitting by the fireplace one evening in the guest room, absorbed in
prayer, when an old man, wearing an old-fashioned cloak still worn by
southern Italian peasants at the time, sat down beside him. Concerning
this man Pio states: ‘I could not imagine how he could have entered the friary at this time of night since all the doors are locked. I questioned him: 'Who are you? What do you want?'
The old man told him, "Padre Pio, I am Pietro Di Mauro, son of Nicola,
nicknamed Precoco." He went on to say, "I died in this friary on the
18th of September, 1908, in cell number 4, when it was still a
poorhouse. One night, while in bed, I fell asleep with a lighted cigar,
which ignited the mattress and I died, suffocated and burned. I am still
in Purgatory. I need a holy Mass in order to be freed. God permitted
that I come and ask you for help."
According to Padre Pio: "After listening to him, I replied, 'Rest
assured that tomorrow I will celebrate Mass for your liberation.' I
arose and accompanied him to the door of the friary, so that he could
leave. I did not realize at that moment that the door was closed and
locked: I opened it and bade him farewell The moon lit up the square,
covered with snow. When I no longer saw him in front of me, I was taken
by a sense of fear, and I closed the door, reentered the guest room, and
felt faint.”
A few days later, Padre Pio also told the story to Padre Paolino, and
the two decided to go to the town hall, where they looked at the vital
statistics for the year I908 and found that on September 18 of that
year, one Pietro Di Mauro had in fact died of burns and asphyxiation in
Room Number 4 at the friary, then used as a home for the homeless.
Around the same time, Padre Pio told Fra Alberto of another apparition
of a soul from Purgatory which also occurred around the same time. He
said:
One evening, when I was absorbed in prayer in the choir of the little
church I was shaken and disturbed by the sound of footsteps, and candles
and flower vases being moved on the main altar. Thinking that someone
must be there, I called out, "Who is it?"
No one answered. Returning to prayer, I was again disturbed by the same
noises. In fact, this time I had the impression that one of the candles,
which was in front of the statue of Our Lady of Grace, had fallen.
Wanting to see what was happening on the altar, I stood up, went close
to the grate and saw, in the shadow of the light of the Tabernacle lamp,
a young confrere doing some cleaning. I yelled out, "What are you doing
in the dark?" The little friar answered, "I am cleaning."
"You clean in the dark?" I asked. "Who are you?"
The little friar said, ‘I am a Capuchin novice, who spends his time of
Purgatory here. I am in need of prayers.’ and then he disappeared,"
Padre Pio stated that he immediately began praying for him as requested,
and it is not known if he had any further dealings with this particular
soul. However, in regards souls in Purgatory it is very interesting to
note that later in life Padre Pio once said that ‘As many souls of the
dead come up this road [to the monastery] as that of the souls of the
living.” Without a doubt, many souls from Purgatory visited Padre Pio
seeking his prayers, sacrifices and sufferings to obtain their release.
From the manuscript of Sister M. de L.C., written from 1874-1890
To get an idea of how Purgatory is arranged, we can get a good glimpse
of it from a nun from France who had died on February 22, 1871 at the
age of 36, and 2-1/2 years later (in November 1873) she began appearing
from Purgatory to a fellow nun in her convent, named Sister M. de L.C
(name kept anonymous in the manuscript to protect the nuns identity, as
the manuscript was published while the nun was still living) as related
in the booklet “An Unpublished Manuscript on Purgatory” published by The
Reparation Society of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Inc., 2002:
“I can tell you about the different degrees of Purgatory because I have
passed through them. In the great Purgatory there are several stages. In
the lowest and most painful, it is like a temporary hell, and here
there are the sinners who have committed terrible crimes during life and
whose death surprised them in that state. It was almost a miracle that
they were saved, and often by the prayers of holy parents or other pious
persons. Sometimes they did not even have time to confess their sins
and the world thought them lost, but God, whose mercy is infinite, gave
them at the moment of death the contrition necessary for their salvation
on account of one or more good actions which they performed during
life. For such souls, Purgatory is terrible. It is a real hell with this
difference, that in hell they curse God, whereas we bless Him and thank
Him for having saved us.
Next to these come the souls, who though they did not com¬mit great
crimes like the others, were indifferent to God. They did not fulfill
their Easter duties and were also converted at the point of death. Many
were unable to receive Holy Communion. They are in Purgatory for the
long years of indifference. They suffer unheard of pains and are
abandoned either without prayers or if they are said for them, they are
not allowed to profit by them. There are in this stage of Purgatory
religious of both sexes, who were tepid, neglectful of their duties,
indifferent towards Jesus, also priests who did not exercise their
sacred ministry with the reverence due to the Sovereign Majesty and who
did not instill the love of God sufficiently into the souls confided to
their care. I was in this stage of Purgatory.
In the second Purgatory are the souls of those who died with venial sins
not fully expiated before death, or with mortal sins that have been
forgiven but for which they have not made entire satisfaction to the
Divine Justice. In this part of Purgatory, there are also different
degrees according to the merits of each soul.
Thus the Purgatory of the consecrated souls or of those who have
received more abundant graces, is longer and far more painful than that
of ordinary people of the world.
Lastly, there is the Purgatory of desire which is called the Threshold.
Very few escape this. To avoid it altogether, one must ardently desire
Heaven and the vision of God. That is rare, rarer than people think,
because even pious people are afraid of God and have not, therefore, a
sufficiently strong desire of going to Heaven. This Purgatory has its
very painful martyrdom like the others. The deprivation of the sight of
our loving Jesus adds to the intense suffering.”
Another explanation of the levels in Purgatory from this same book:
Retreat, August 1878: “Great sinners who were indifferent towards God,
and religious who were not what they should have been are in the lowest
stage of Purgatory. While they are there, the prayers offered up for
them are not applied to them. Because they have ignored God during their
life, He now in His turn leaves them abandoned in order that they may
repair their neglectful and worthless lives. While on earth one truly
cannot picture or imagine what God really is, but we (in Purgatory) know
and understand Him for what He is, because our souls are freed from all
the ties that fettered them and prevented them from realizing the
holiness and majesty of God and His great mercy. We are martyrs,
consumed as it were by love. An irresistible force draws us towards God
who is our center, but at the same time another force thrusts us back to
our place of expiation.
We are in the state of being unable to satisfy our longings. Oh, what a
suffering that is, but we desire it and there is no murmuring against
God here. We desire only what God wants. You on earth, however, cannot
possibly understand what we have to endure. I am much relieved as I am
no longer in the fire. I have now only the insatiable desire to see God,
a suffering cruel enough indeed, but I feel that the end of my exile is
at hand and that I am soon to leave this place where I long for God
with all my heart. I know it well, I feel more at ease, but I cannot
tell you the day or the hour of my release. God alone knows that. It may
be that I have still many years of longing for Heaven. Continue to
pray; I will repay you later on, though I do pray a great deal for you
now.”
Why is it that I pray for you with less fervor than I pray for others and that often I forget to recommend you?
Do not trouble yourself about that. It is a punishment for me.
Even if you prayed more I should not be any the more relieved. God wills
it thus. If He wants you to pray more He will inspire you to do so. I
repeat again, do not be worried about me. You will never see me in my
sufferings. Later on, when your soul is stronger, you will see souls in
Purgatory and very awful ones, but let this not frighten you. God will
then give you the neces¬sary courage and all that you need to accomplish
His holy will.
Is this not a punishment?
No, certainly not, I am here for my relief and for your sanctification.
If you would but pay a little more attention to what I say.
That is true but these happenings are so extraordinary that I do not
know what to make of them; it is not an ordinary thing to hear you in
this way.
I
understand well your difficulty and I am aware of your sufferings on
this account. However, if God wishes it and it relieves me, you will
have pity on me, will you not? When I am released you will see that I
will do far more for you than you have ever done for me. I already pray
much for you.
Where is Sister --?
In the lowest Purgatory, where she receives no benefit from anyone's
prayers. God is often displeased, if one may speak thus, when many
religious come to die, because He has called these souls to Himself that
they might serve Him faithfully on earth and go straight to Heaven at
the moment of death, but because of their infidelity, they have to stay
long in Purgatory - far longer than people in the world who have not had
so many graces.
1879, Retreat in September. We see St. Michael as we see the angels. He
has no body. He comes to get the souls that have finished their
purification. It is he who conducts them to Heaven. He is among the
Seraphim as Monsignor said. He is the highest angel in Heaven. Our own
Guardian Angels come to see us but St. Michael is far more beautiful
than they are. As to the Blessed Virgin, we see her in the body. She
comes to Purgatory on her feasts and she goes back to Heaven with many
souls. While she is with us we do not suffer. St. Michael accompanies
her. When he comes alone, we suffer as usual. When I spoke to you of the
great and the second Purgatory, it was to try to make you understand
that there are different stages in Purgatory. Thus I call that stage of
Purgatory “great” or “worst” where the most guilty souls are, and where I
stayed for two years without being able to give a sign of the torments I
was suffering. The year when you heard me groaning, when I began to
speak to you, I was still in the same place.
In the second Purgatory, which is still Purgatory but very different
from the first, one suffers a great deal, but less than in the great
place of expiation. Then there is a third stage, which is the Purgatory
of desire, where there is no fire. The souls who did not desire Heaven
ardently enough, who did not love God suf¬ficiently, are there. It is
there that I am at this moment. Further, in these three parts of
Purgatory, there are many degrees of vari¬ation. Little by little, as
the soul becomes purified, her sufferings are changed.
You sometimes say to me that the perfecting of a soul is a long process
and you are also astonished that after so many prayers, I am so long
deprived of the sight of God. Alas, the perfecting of a soul does not
take any less time in Purgatory than upon earth. There are a number of
souls, but they are very few, who have only a few venial sins to
expiate. These do not stay long in Purgatory. A few well-said prayers, a
few sacrifices soon deliver them. But when there are souls like mine -
and that is nearly all whose lives have been so empty and who paid
little or no attention to their salvation - then their whole life has to
be begun over again in this place of expiation. The soul has to perfect
itself and love and desire Him, whom it did not love sufficiently on
earth. This is the reason why the deliverance of some souls is delayed.
God has given me a very great grace in allowing me to ask for prayers. I
did not deserve it, but without this I would have remained like most of
those here, for years and years more.”
The immense power of the Mass for the souls in Purgatory
Next, from the excellent book “Purgatory –Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints”
by Father F.X. Schouppe, S.J., Tan Books, 1986 we read the following
accounts which highlight the power and importance of offering holy
Masses for the departed. The following is a sincere testimony from the
person who experienced several visits from a soul in purgatory, and thus
she provides a detailed and frank eye-witness account with regard to
the facts:
On October 13, 1849, there died at the age of fifty-two, in the parish
of Ardoye, in Flanders, a woman named Eugenie Van de Kerckove, whose
husband, John Wybo, was a farmer. She was a pious and charitable woman
who generously gave to charity in proportionate to her means. She had,
to the end of her life, a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and
abstained from meat in her honor on the Friday and Saturday of each
week. Although her conduct was not free from certain faults, she
otherwise led a exemplary and edifying life.
Eugenie had a servant named Barbara Vennecke, aged twenty-eight, who was
known as a virtuous and devoted girl, and who had assisted her mistress
in her last sickness, and after Eugenie’s death, she continued to serve
her master, John Wybo, the widower of Eugenie.
About three weeks after her death, the deceased appeared to her servant
under circumstances which we will now relate. It was in the middle of
the night; Barbara slept soundly, when she heard herself called
distinctly three times by her name. She awoke with a start, and saw
Eugenie before her, sitting on the side of her bed, clad in a working
dress, consisting of a skirt and short jacket. At this remarkable sight,
Barbara was seized with astonishment. The apparition spoke to her:
“Barbara," she said, simply pronouncing her name. “What do you desire,
Eugenie?" replied the servant.
 |
| Power of the Mass for souls in Purgatory |
‘Please take," said the mistress, “the little rake which I often told
you to put in its place; stir the heap of sand in the little room; you
know to which one I refer. You will find there 500 franks; use it to
have Masses said, two francs for each Mass, for my intention, for I am
still suffering." “I will do so, Eugenie," replied Barbara, and at the
same moment the apparition vanished. After awhile she fell asleep again,
and reposed quietly until morning:
On awaking, Barbara thought that maybe it was all just a dream, but yet
she had been so deeply impressed, so wide awake, she had seen her old
mistress in a form so distinct, so full of life and she had received
from her lips such precise directions, that she could not help saying,
“This cannot have been a dream. I saw my mistress in person; she
presented herself to my eyes and she surely spoke to me. It is no dream,
but a reality."
She therefore immediately went and took the rake as directed, stirred
the sand, and drew out a purse containing the sum of five hundred
francs.
In such strange and extraordinary circumstances the good girl thought it
her duty to seek the advice of her pastor before spending the 500
francs on having Masses said, and went to relate to him all that had
happened. The venerable Abbe R., then parish priest of Ardoye, replied
that the Masses asked by the departed soul absolutely must be
celebrated, but, in order to dispose of the sum of money, the consent of
the husband, John Wybo, was necessary, since the money was found in his
house. The latter willingly consented that the money should be employed
for so holy a purpose, and the Masses were celebrated, being given two
francs for each Mass.
We call attention to the circumstance of the Mass donations, because it
corresponded with the pious cus¬tom of the deceased. The fee for a Mass
fixed by the diocese at that time was a franc and a half, but during her
lifetime Eugenie-through consideration and charity for the clergy, many
of whom were quite poor- always gave two francs for each Mass that she
made offerings for. Thus the extra 1/2 a frank Mass offering that she
normally made was an act of charity and additional financial support for
the priests who celebrated them.
Two months after the first apparition, while Masses were still being
said for Eugenie’s intentions, Barbara was again awakened during the
night. This time her chamber was illuminated with a bright light, and
her mistress appeared before her with a radiant smile, beautiful and
fresh in appearance as in the days of her youth, and was dressed in a
robe of dazzling whiteness—“Barbara," she said in a clear voice, “I
thank you! For I am now delivered from the place of purification.'
Saying these words, she disappeared, and the chamber became dark as
before.
The servant, amazed at what she had just seen, was full of joy, and she
soon spread the remarkable story to everyone about the town . This
apparition made the most lively impression upon her mind, and she
pre¬serves to this day the most consoling remembrance of it. It is from
her that we have these details, through the favor of the venerable Abbe
L., who was curate at Ardoye when these facts occurred.
This is but one of the many stories in regards to the power and efficacy
of the Holy Mass wherein the Son of God Himself offers Himself upon the
altar for the forgiveness of our sins, for it is a fact that of all
that we can do in favor of the souls in Purgatory, there is nothing more
powerful and precious than the offering of immolation of our Divine
Saviour upon the altar. Besides being the express doctrine of the Church
as manifested in her Councils, there are many mirac¬ulous facts,
properly authenticated, which leave no room for doubt in regard to this
point.
In evidence to this we now provide another incident, related by the
historian Ferdinand of Castile. From 1324-1327 there was at Cologne two
Dominican Religious of distinguished talent, one of whom was Blessed
Henry Suso (1295-1366). They shared the same studies, the same kind of
life, and above all the same desire for sanctity, which had caused them
to form an close friendship.
When they had finished their studies, seeing that they were about to be
separated to return each one to his own convent, they agreed and
promised one another that the first of the two who should die should be
assisted by the other for a whole year by the celebration of two Masses
each week--on Monday a Mass of Requiem, as was customary, and on Friday
that of the Passion, in so far as the Rubrics would permit. They
promised each other that they would do this, gave each other the kiss of
peace, and left Cologne.
For several years they both continued to serve God with the most
edifying fervor. The priest religious whose name is not mentioned was
the first to be called away, and Father Suso received the news with
sentiments of resignation to the Divine will. As to the contract they
had made, time had caused him to forget it. However, he prayed much for
his friend, imposing new penances upon himself and many other good
works, but he did not think of offering the Masses which he had promised
a number of years previously.
One morning, while meditating in retirement in the chapel, he suddenly
saw appear before him the soul of his departed friend, who, regarding
him with tenderness, reproached him with having been unfaithful to his
word from which he had a perfect right to rely upon with confidence.
Blessed Suso, surprised, excused his forgetfulness by relating the many
prayers and mortifications which he had offered, and still continued to
offer, for his friend, whose salvation was as dear to him as his own.
"Is it possible, my dear brother;' he added, "that so many prayers and
good works which I have of¬fered to God do not suffice for you?" "Oh
no," dear brother, replied the suffering soul, "these are not yet
sufficient. It is the Blood of Jesus Christ that is needed to extinguish
the flames by which I am consumed; it is the Holy Sacrifice which will
deliver me from these frightful torments. I implore you to keep your
word, and refuse me not that which in justice you owe me."
Blessed Suso hastened to respond to the appeal of the suffering soul; he
contacted as many priests as possible and urged them to say Masses for
his friends intentions and, to repair his fault, he celebrated, and
caused to be celebrated, a large number of Masses that very same day. On
the following day several priests, at the request of Father Suso,
united with him in offering the Holy Sacrifice for the deceased, and he
continued his act of charity for several days.
After a short time the priest friend of Suso again appeared to him, but
now in a very different condition; his countenance was joyful, and he
was surrounded with beautiful light. "Thanks be to you, my dear friend”
he said “behold, by the Blood of my Saviour I am delivered from my
sufferings. I am now going to Heaven to contemplate Him whom we so often
adored together under the Eucharistic veil."
Afterwards, Blessed Suso prostrated himself to ‘thank the God of
infinite mercy, because he now understood more than ever the inestimable
value of the Mass.’
 |
| Eugenie von der Leyen |
Modern apparitions to Eugenie von der Leyen (1867-1929)
As to Saints and Blesseds, so far we have shared stories from St Padre
Pio and Blessed Henry Suso. But there are many more canonized Saints who
have been great helpers of the suffering souls. The most well known and
recognized are St John Macias (who was known to have released literally
thousands of souls from Purgatory during his holy lifetime), St.
Augustine, St. Dom¬inic, St. Francis Xavier, St. Victor, St. Francis of
Assisi, St. Nicolas of Tolentino, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St.
Catherine of Genoa, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Gregory the Great, St.
Odilon of Cluny, St. Francesca Romana, St. Bridget of Sweden, St.
Ambrose, St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Efraim, St. Peter
Damian, St. Francis de Sales, St. Catherine of Genoa, and in modern
times the recently canon¬ized saints Gemma Galgani, St. Padre Pio, and
St Faustina Kowalska, to name but a few.
Since many of the stories of Purgatory from the above mentioned Saints
are well known, the emphasis here is to provide the lesser known and
nonetheless fascinating stories from sources and individuals not widely
known or read, because in His infinite mercy, history is full of
“everyday” persons whom on occasion God has permitted to assist the
souls in Purgatory. I will say however that the one notable thing about
such occurrences is that seers of souls from Purgatory are often
reported to be especially good and pious persons, which is logical, for
God permits a soul to appear so that it can be released from Pur¬gatory,
or at least, that its suffering be greatly lessened, and a pious,
compassionate person is more likely to respond to its requests by the
offering of fervent sacrifices, sufferings and prayers which are the
means which help the poor souls. In other words, such souls are
“saintly” persons, without of course ever becoming canonized Saints.
One such soul is Eugenie von der Leyen (1867-1929) who kept a diary of
the appearances of the souls in Purgatory to her. Eugenie was a well
educated woman of high German nobility; in fact Eugenie bore the title
of princess and lived in the ancestral castle at Waal, Bavaria, Germany.
By order of her confessor, she kept diary of her contacts with the poor
souls, which after her death was handed over to Bishop Eugenio Pacelli,
who later became Pope Pius XII.
The Shepherd named Fritz –From the diary of Eugenie von der Leyen, 1923.
June 11, 1923. At awakening, a long grayish form over me, completely
nebulous; I can't say whether man or woman, but unsym¬pathetic; I am
very frightened.
June 14. The phantom was already in my room when I wanted to sleep. Then
I said my evening-prayer aloud, during which it came very near to me.
If it hadn't been for his arms, it rather would seem a walking
tree-trunk. It stayed perhaps twenty minutes, then came back at four
o'clock.
June 16. It was very bad. It shook my shoulder. That is a horrible
moment. I struck him and said: "You may not touch me!" Where¬upon it
withdrew in a corner. At my push, I didn't feel a body, it was like a
humid, warm towel. I believed I couldn't stand such terror any longer.
June 18. Again this horrible thing; it wanted to clasp my neck. I prayed
in fear and took the particle of the Cross [a holy relic she possessed]
in my hand. Then it remained with me, staying upright and big before
me. It didn't answer questions." then it went out through the door,
which it left open.
June 19. I can recognize now that it is a man; he was only there for a short while.
June 21. The horrible man more than an hour during the night, went back
and forth continuously. He has disheveled black hair and horrific eyes.
June 22. This man from one o'clock until past five with me, it was very
bad. He repeatedly bowed over me and sat down at my bedside. I really
wept for fear, then prayed the "hours" so that I didn't need to see him.
Then he went again back and forth and moaned horribly. Now it seems to
me I must know him, however I cannot find out who it is. I have become
very cowardly, for many times it is really a decision for me to go to my
room in the evening. Yet ordinarily I am able to fall asleep very well.
June 24. He came back, seized me at my shoulder. I said: "Now tell me what you want and then don't come back."
No answer;
he went again through the room a couple of times and then was gone. My
rest however was completely destroyed. At six in the morning he came
back. In daylight he even looks more horrific, makes a disgusting
impression, belongs to the dirtiest category of ghosts who have already
come. I said: "Don't disturb me, I want to prepare myself for holy
Communion!" Then he drew very near to me and lifted his hands
imploringly. I was so sorry for him that I promised him a lot. Then I
said: "Can't you speak?" Whereupon he shook his head. "Do you have much
to suffer?" Now he moaned terribly. I gave him much holy water" and then
he was gone.
June 27. He was there again, in the night. Seems to know me; I racked my
brains as to who he might be. He is very unsympathetic.?
June 29. He was again in the room when I went to bed. It could be the
murdered shepherd Fritz. I asked him at once, but he didn't react. I
prayed with him, during which he fixed his eyes on me so angrily that I
was really frightened. I asked him to go and then he went indeed.
June 30. He came very briefly; his moaning waked me up.
July 1. Again, I really believe it is shepherd Fritz. However his face
is so black that I have difficulty recognizing him. But figure, nose,
and eyes are wholly "he," as I saw him so many times in life.
July 2. He came back, didn't look so terribly wild anymore and stayed
not for a long time. I addressed him as "shepherd Fritz," which he
apparently found quite natural.
July 3. He came very briefly. I asked: ''Are you the murdered shepherd Fritz?" Then he said distinctly: "Yes!"
July 4. He came to me in the morning, looked sadly at me and went away soon, answered nothing, too.
July 5. Now it struck me that everything about him is clearer. During prayer, he made the Sign of the Cross.
July 6. I am very happy for he can speak now. I asked him: "Why do you
always come to me?" He: "Because you have always prayed for me." (That
is right, for I had always been sorry for the poor fellow; he always
looked so particular, even as a boy.) I: "Then what saved you?" He:
"Insight and repentance." I: "Weren't you dead immediately?" He: "No."
I: "Will you be released soon?" He: "Not by far." Then I gave him
permission to continue coming to me, if it does him well. How remarkable
it is, that someone who was so rude in life speaks like that when
separated from his body. Now I am not frightened by him anymore, and
would like to help him as best I can. How merciful is the good Lord!
July 8. He came very briefly.
July 9. He came at 6:00am and by doing so woke me up. Otherwise I had
overslept. I: "Is it so important for you that I go to holy Mass?"
He:"That way, you can help me a lot."
July 11. Only came very briefly.
July 12. We prayed together," then I: "Then what do you have to suffer?"
He: "I am burning!" Then he came up to me and before I could defend
myself, he pressed a finger on my hand. I was frightened so much and it
hurt me so much, that I screamed. Now I have a red burn which I hope
will heal soon. It is a very strange feeling, to have this visible mark
from the other world.
July 24. Shepherd Fritz and the other one came two times in the night, all silent, but [the new one] not very pleasant.
July 29. Nothing special to mention. Now these two are coming every
night. The new one looks horrible, while shepherd Fritz becomes ever
more bright!!
August 10. Shepherd Fritz drew so near to me again, but looked very
friendly. So I said to him, "Don't you have to suffer so much anymore?"
He: "No." and I: "Can you pray for me yet?" He: "No." and I: "Where are
you then all the time?" He: "In the forlornness." I: "Will you still
come often to me?" He: "No." and I: "Why not?" He: "I am not allowed to
any more!" and I: "Have I been able to help you?" He: "Yes." Then he was
gone….
To close this remarkable account, Father Sebastian Wieser, Eugenie's parish priest and confessor, comments:
“The behavior of this apparition is like the echo of his earthly life. I
have known shepherd Fritz well -he was like a "billygoat" in the
parish. In him, the greatness of the mercy of God really manifests
itself. Rarely did he come to church. He had an only son, who in school
became well known for his meanness, falsehood, and deceptions and caused
many troubles to his teachers and those in authority over him. When the
boy had to be punished at school, the father pulled out all the stops
of his indignation over the schoolmaster and priest. I prophesied at
that time that someday the father himself would get a beating from this
only son!
When this son was seventeen years old and was big and quite strong, he
beat his father to death at around midnight .... Nobody knew if Fritz
was dead immediately or if he came to for a moment. The latter seems to
have been the case. The murderer had knocked him down in the hay-barn
and abandoned him to his fate. Only in the morning was the dead man
discovered ....On the sixth of July he states that: "…insight and
repentance" have saved him from damnation! On the twelfth day of July he
says, "I am burning!" and presses a finger on the hand of the princess,
which leaves a red burn which I have seen myself.” –Father Sebastian
Wieser
Another modern account: St Gemma Galgani obtains the relief of a soul in Purgatory
The final account in this article will go to the webmasters favorite
Saint: St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903). It is taken from the excellent book
“The Life of St Gemma Galgani” by Venerable Father Germanus Ruoppolo C.P.:
"Gemma knew by Divine inspiration that in the Convent of Passionist Nuns
at Corneto [Italy] there was a Religious Sister very dear to God who
was near death. She asked me about it, and on my answering that it was
so, she at once began to implore of Jesus to make that particular
Religious expiate all her faults on her deathbed, so that breathing her
last she might enter Paradise at once. Her prayer, at least in part, was
heard. The Sister suffered greatly and died in a few months. Gemma told
those in her home of it in order that they might pray for the deceased,
and she gave her name, Maria Teresa of the Infant Jesus, as she was not
known in Lucca. After her death, this soul appeared to her full of
sorrow, imploring her help as she was undergoing great torments in
Purgatory for certain defects.
Nothing more was needed to set all the fibers of Gemma's heart in
motion. From that moment she gave herself no rest: she fervently offered
prayers, tears and loving petitions to Our Lord.
"Jesus, save her," she was overheard to exclaim. "Jesus,
take Maria Teresa to Paradise without delay. She is a soul that is most
dear to Thee. Let me suffer much for her; I want her to be in heaven."
And during this time Gemma writes the following in her Diary:
"It was around 9:30 and I was reading; all of a sudden I am shaken
by a hand resting gently on my left shoulder. I turn in fright; I was
afraid and tried to call out, but I was held back. I turned and saw a
person dressed in white; I recognized it was a woman; I looked and her
expression assured me I had nothing to fear: "Gemma," she said after
some moments, "do you know me?" I said no, because that was the truth;
she responded: "I am Mother Maria Teresa of the Infant Jesus: I
thank you so very much for the great concern you have shown me because
soon I shall be able to attain my eternal happiness."
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| The extraordinary mystic, St Gemma Galgani |
All this happened while I was awake and fully aware of myself. Then
she added: "Continue still, because I still have a few days of
suffering." And in so saying she caressed me and then went away. Her
countenance, I must say, inspired much confidence in me. From that hour I
redoubled my prayers for her soul, so that soon she should reach her
objective; but my prayers are too weak; how I wish that for the souls in
Purgatory my prayers should have the strength of the saints'."
And the dear victim of expiation suffered without ceasing for sixteen
days, at the end of which God was pleased to accept her sacrifice and to
release that soul. This is how Gemma herself told me of it:
“Toward half-past one it seemed to me that the Blessed Mother
herself came to tell me that the holy hour I was making was drawing to
an end. Then almost immediately I thought I saw Sr. Maria Teresa coming
toward me clad as a Passionist, accompanied by her Guardian Angel and by
Jesus. Oh, how she was changed since the day I first saw her! Smiling,
she drew close to me and said: "I am truly happy, and I go to enjoy my Jesus forever."
She thanked me again. Then she made sign of bidding me good-bye with
her hand, several times, and with Jesus and her Guardian Angel she flew
to Heaven. It was about half-past two o'clock in the morning.”
originally from: http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2012/04/amazing-stories-from-purgatory-and.html
