“You are the God who
performs miracles; you display your
power among the peoples.”
- Psalms 77:14
This Part III and final installment about my October 2024 European Pilgrimage is my personal testimony to the power of prayer and the signal graces received by myself and others during our journey. The truth is - from the moment I signed on, I had faith that Jesus and Our Lady would bless us. There was even a wonderful event that happened in early October that seemed to foretell that we would have a grace-filled pilgrimage (see it here).
What this author didn't expect was the abundance of the graces and signs I witnessed ... and it started on the very first plane ride! Let me start there ...
🌹 WAS IT A MIRACLE?
During our flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles, one of the members of our group - "Don" - suddenly lost consciousness and turned pale. His wife's distress attracted flight attendants who attempted to revive the man using an oxygen mask, but he remained unresponsive despite their efforts. It was then that our chaplain, Fr. Paul, turned to me saying "You need to pray", after which he, myself, and a few others in our group immediately began offering intense prayers for Don (I even stood up in the central aisle with hands extended towards him) ... and amazingly, within about a minute, he opened his eyes on his own and slowly began regaining color! One may not think this significant, except for the fact that I later overheard a flight attendants telling our priest: "Father, I thought we were gonna lose him - he wasn't breathing and he had no pulse. I think it was a miracle."
Don went on to complete the entire trip with no further adverse episodes ... and, per his own words to me, he had the most unforgettable experiences of his life in Fatima and Lourdes. His "recovery" set an enthusiastic and supernatural tone for the entire pilgrimage for me ... and for Don, his wife, and several others. I sensed then that tremendous things were in-store for us and the Lord didn't disappoint.
🌹 AT FATIMA ...
At the Fatima Sanctuary, there were a few unusual incidences that I'd like to share about. The first occurred on October 9th, during the first night we were there. Our Hawaii Group was gathered at the sanctuary beginning at 9:00 PM praying the Rosary with hundreds of other pilgrims. At the beginning of the final Glorious Mystery it started raining steadily, forcing people without umbrellas or raincoats to shelter tightly under the roofing of the Chapel of the Apparitions. However, no sooner was the processional statue of Our Lady of Fatima wheeled outside the chapel at the end of our prayer then the rain immediately stopped! The timing couldn't have been more perfect ... and the rain did not resume for the duration of the 45 minutes, or so, that it took for us to walk the procession. We then returned to our hotel dry and comfortable.
Scenes from the October 9th, 2024 candlelight
procession at the Fatima Sanctuary.
I also witnessed two visible manifestations on my second night at the sanctuary, while I watched the candlelight procession from the steps of the older basilica. As the procession moved along in the plaza below, I unexpectedly heard the Lord’s voice say to me: "Pray for Fr. Shenan Boquet." (Note: Fr. Boquet is the current President of Human Life International, a pro-life/pro-family apostolate, and an acquaintance of mine.) No other words were heard and I was immediately concerned for the priest so offered a prayer, as directed ... then glancing up at the sky I was struck by the sight of the moon mysteriously transforming itself into a human fetus up above the front of the procession! The likeness was so uncanny I had to snap a photo, which I post below ...
I'm not certain what the full significance of this occurrence was, but I have no doubt it's all connected to the Pro-Life Movement and the urgent plight of the Unborn (God preserve them!) ... and keep in mind - October is Respect Life Month.
Bottom-Left: A candle flame resembling
a silhouette of the Virgin Mary.
Bottom-Right: A second mysterious
silhouette above the flame.
The other incident involved a friend/fellow pilgrim named "Lita". During the same procession, we took a selfie together and upon later reviewing the photo, we both noticed that the flame on her procession candle was unusually big ... and was in the familiar form of a silhouette of the Virgin Mary, of all things! It may have just been a coincidence except that above the flame was another discernible human-like figure (the Fatima "Angel of Peace"?). What's the odds of two seemingly holy images appearing in one pic?! Plus, it needs to be mentioned that it was also Lita's Birthday that day and she had prayed to Our Lady for a special blessing. We have no doubt she got it.
🌹 AT LOURDES ...
This next remarkable grace was granted at Lourdes during that sanctuary's candlelight procession. It was our first night there and I snapped a few pics of the massive crowd as we started to follow the shrine's large Marian statue. Later, while viewing the photos in the hotel, I was stunned to discover that one of them inadvertently captured the Blessed Virgin carrying her Divine Son! The luminous figure was strongly reminiscent of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima in the Capelinha and it just so happened to be October 13th, the anniversary of the final and most significant apparition at Fatima. Readers, I can't make this up!
to the left; enlarged below and compared
to the famous Marian statue at Fatima.
As I wrote in the first blog, the presence of our Holy Mother is strongly felt at Lourdes but to have this heavenly affirmation captured on camera is simply a priceless gift from her ... and I am humbled.
There were a couple other photos taken while we were in procession at Lourdes that appear to reveal unusual figures ... but unlike the above photo, I can't say for certain that they are actual signs, versus the natural effects of light. Nonetheless, they are quite thought-provoking ...
🌹 IN ROME ...
Lastly, in my hotel room in Rome, there was another anomaly that had me scratching my head. I wasn't looking to see anything else unusual in Rome but - BOOM - there it was on a conspicuous part of the door: a figure that looked notably like the Virgin Mary! I took a photo and showed it to several friends and prayer group members - they all see "Mama Mary" ... and some say there's even the Holy Face of Jesus on the door, but I'll let the viewer discern that.
Again, with this particular incident, I'm not claiming it's supernatural ... but what does strike me about the whole scenario is the figure's close resemblance to the statue honored at the Roman Marian apparition site of Tre Fontane that I also visited on this trip, and for which I have an affinity for. Not to mention that a similar figure was on a wall in my hotel room in Mexico City when I was on a prior pilgrimage back in April 2023 to see the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe (see the other image here).
Our Lady of Tre Fontane in Rome.
Given my prior experiences, I can't help but believe that Our Lady had a hand in arranging this moment of "spiritual serendipity", as I like to refer to it; that she was simply signaling that she was watching over me and the rest of the travel group, which is very reassuring. I love that about our Blessed Mother.
... and so ends this blog about my incredible European Pilgrimage. My heart will forever be grateful to Jesus and Mary, and the Angels and Saints, for everything I saw and experienced in Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy. God never fails to exceed our expectations when we surrender everything to His Divine Will - all Thanks and Praises be to Him!
“Who is like You, O Lord,
among the gods? Who is like You,
majestic in holiness, awesome in
glorious deeds, doing wonders?”
‐ Exodus 15:11
** To view Part I of my European Pilgrimage Blog: Apparition Shrines, click here.
** To view Part II of my European Pilgrimage Blog: Saints & Relics, click here.
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