Our Lady of Ransom

In the thirteenth century, Spain was conquered by a Muslim group of fundamentalists known as the Almohads. This allowed the Berbers to extend their power base from North Africa to the portals of Spain, which would bring untold misery to many.

But things would take a turn for the worse, for the Islamic invaders when many Christian nations united to defeat this formidable foe. It was the decisive battle at Las Navas de Tolosa, which led to the defeat of Islamic rule in Europe.

But though the Spanish nation suffered much under the harsh rule of the Berber's still they prayed to God to save them from their enemies.

And it was in 1218, that our Lady appeared before Peter Nolasco, and his confessor Raymund of Pennafort and requested that a Religious Order be instituted for the release of Christians being held captive by the Berber invaders.

Our Lady requested that this Order would venerate her mercy towards all those who were in captivity. This would touch both Peter and Raymund deeply and they both undertook the duty of spreading this devotion to all the peoples.

These two holy men were also very willing to take the place of those who had been kidnapped in order for the release of the poor prisoners, who had been taken hostage by the Moor's.

It would be Pope Gregory IX who would approve this Order which would become known as Our Lady of Mercy, and it was then that Peter Nolasco, took his Vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

Raymund also spoke with great love and devotion to all who would listen to him of our Lady's appearance to him, and of our Lady offering two bags of coins to pay the ransom for the imprisoned people. He spoke so eloquently and with such conviction that it moved the crowds to tears and also touched the hearts of Kings.

But it was Fr. Peter Nolasco who would be chosen as the Commander General of this Divine Mission to save those who were imprisoned by the cruel Moors, and who were suffering under terrible conditions.

And as the Muslim invaders were pushed further and further back, this meant more young men joining this Order from which they would be known as 'Mercedarians'. And it was these brave Priests who would engage the Moor's to pay ransoms for the freedom of their brothers held in captivity.

Unfortunately the founder of this Order Fr. Peter died in 1256, but his Mission lived on through the Grace of God and the guidance of our Lady.

The Mercedarians would reach countries such as, France, Germany, America, Mexico and many other nations.

Our Lady of Ransom teaches us all to be merciful to those kept in captivity and exhorts all to help and aid those who are wrongfully imprisoned.

I would encourage all to read more about Our Lady of Ransom, also known as Our Lady of Mercy.

Peace of Christ to you ALL

Copyright © 2006 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.

The Prophecies of Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser

Bartholomew Holzhauser was born in the year 1613 in the region of Bavaria Germany. He belonged to a poor but devout family, his father, Leonard was a shoe maker and his mother, Catherine was a home maker in charge of raising her large brood of 11 children.

So from the beginning there was nothing auspicious about Bartholomew that would bring him to the notice of anyone. But even at an early age he desired to enter the Priesthood, something his parents encouraged. He went to school for a time till ill health intervened and upon recovering the Jesuits allowed Bartholomew to continue his studies with them.

Even though there was nothing grand about Bartholomew, he took the notice of many by his truly humble and meek manner, his courtesy to everyone he met and obvious piety as he continued his studies. So it was that in 1636 Bartholomew earned his degree in Philosophy and theology this was followed by acceptance to the Priesthood and he was ordained in 1639.

And as Fr Bartholomew continued his Priestly duties few were aware of this heroic soul being the recipient of Divine revelations, for Father Bartholomew never drew attention to himself but rather continued to serve others for the love of God.

During these visions Father Bartholomew was told, "The fifth period of the Church, which began circa 1520, will end with the arrival of the holy Pope and of the powerful Monarch who is called 'Help From God' because he will restore everything. The fifth period is one of affliction, desolation, humiliation, and poverty for the Church. Jesus Christ will purify His people through cruel wars, famines, plagues, epidemics, and other horrible calamities. He will also afflict and weaken the Latin Church with many heresies. It is a period of defections, calamities and exterminations. Those Christians who survive the sword, plague and famines, will be few on earth."

These visions troubled the young Priest as he continued to receive them as it continues, "During this period, many men will abuse of the freedom of conscience conceded to them. It is of such men that Jude the Apostle spoke when he said: 'These men blaspheme whatever they do not understand; and they corrupt whatever they know naturally as irrational animals do... They will ridicule Christian simplicity; they will call it folly and nonsense, but they will have the highest regard for advanced knowledge, and for the skill by which the axioms of law, the precepts of morality, the Holy Canons and religious dogmas are clouded by senseless questions and elaborate arguments."

This message to the world finally ended with this warning if man did not amend his ways, "These are the evil times, a century full of dangers and calamities. Heresy is everywhere, and the followers of heresy are in power almost everywhere...But God will permit a great evil against His Church: Heretics and tyrants will come suddenly and unexpectedly; they will break into the Church...They will enter Italy and lay Rome waste; they will burn down churches and destroy everything."

Though Father Bartholomew was upset at what had been revealed to him, this did not affect his Faith, if anything it strengthened his great love for God and Church. This devout son of the Church went on to found an Order known then as the 'Bartholomistes', and though he founded it Bartholomew did not live to see it gain recognition by Pope Innocent XI.

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser died in 1658.

But in all things let us look to the Traditions of our Church and its Teachings and the study of Scripture.

I encourage all to read further on the life and prophecies of Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser.

Peace of Christ to ALL

Copyright © 2006 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.

Our Lady of Coromoto

Our Lady of Coromoto

The Spaniards arrived at the region of Guanare, around 1591. The native Indians not wanting to have anything to do with the new settlers decided to move the tribe deeper into the forest and settled along the Tucupido River. The new settlers brought the Catholic religion to them but they refused to be converted. Fifty years passed and both groups lived in peace, the Coromoto Indians refusing to accept the Gospel that the Spaniards preached.

In 1651, the chief of the Coromotos and his wife see an extraordinary vision: in the ravine of the Tucupido River, upon the waters, a beautiful lady is looking at them with a loving expression on her face; the small child she carries also smiles amiably. The mysterious lady summons the Indian chief and orders him: "leave the forest with your people and go to the white men in order to receive the water on the head so as to be able to enter heaven".

The chief impressed by what he has seen and heard decides to obey the beautiful lady and leaves with his tribe to be schooled in the Christian religion by the Spaniards. The Indians being used to freedom find it very difficult to adjust to this new way of life. They leave after a short time and return to their village. The lady appears again, this time at the chief’s humble hut. Although the Virgin presents herself surrounded by a luminous aura whose rays fill the hut with fire, she does not succeed in moving the chief, who, annoyed, tries to throw her out and even takes his weapons in hand with the intention of threatening the inopportune lady. Smiling all the way, the Virgin approaches the chief gently and when he stretches out his hand angrily to catch her, she disappears before his eyes. A small holy card, where the image of the Lady was printed, was left in the Coromoto Indian's closed fist.

The Indians finally did what the lady asked of them being baptized and accepting the Catholic faith. This is how the Catholic faith was spread throughout Venezuela and today Venezuela is 95 % Catholic, the people having very devout devotions to Our Lady, especially to Our Lady of Coromoto.

The Virgin of Coromoto is a tiny relic that measures 27 millimeters high and 22 millimeters wide. The Virgin is painted seated, and on her lap sits the Child Jesus. It seems to have been drawn with a fine pen, sketched as a portrait done in Indian ink with dots and dashes. The Virgin and Child are looking straight ahead; their heads erect with royal crowns upon them. The back of the throne which supports them has two columns joined together by an arch. The Virgin's shoulders are covered by a crimson cloak with dark purple reflections, and a white veil falls symmetrically over her hair. She wears a straw colored tunic and the Child a white one. The image is kept inside a richly adorned monstrance where it is presented for the veneration of the faithful.

At the request of the nation's bishops, on October 7, 1944 Pius XII declared her "Patroness of the Republic of Venezuela" and her canonical coronation was celebrated on the third centenary of her apparition, on September 11, 1952. His Eminence Cardinal Manuel Arteaga Betancourt, Archbishop of Havana, representing Pope Pius XII, crowned the sacred image of Our Lady of Coromoto. The Venezuelans celebrate their patroness each year on three different occasions: February 2 and September 8 and 11. The National Sanctuary of the Virgin of Coromoto, a meeting place of great pilgrimages, was declared a Basilica by Pope Pius XII on May 24, 1949.

The Prophecies of St. Malachy

In the year 1130 upon the death of Pope Honorius II, Gregorio Papereschi was elected as Pope, and chose the name Innocent II.

Unfortunately for Pope Innocent II, not all the Cardinals agreed with his succession and so a defacto anti-pope was also elected who took the name Anacletus II.

These were troubling times for the reigning Pontiff as he led the Church through these difficult years. Pope Innocent II also decided to call a Tenth Ecumenical Council in 1139, to ratify his position and declare null and void the position which the usurper Anacletus II had taken.

It was during this time that Archbishop Malachy of Armagh met with Pope Innocent II, and it was also during this visit to Rome that Malachy would be the recipient of revelations of the future reigning Pontiffs.

Upon seeing this vision, Malachy wrote down what he had seen and then gave them to Pope Innocent II. This manuscript of Archbishop Malachy would then be relegated to the Vatican archives where they would lay undisturbed for centuries.

And even years later when St. Bernard wrote about the life of St. Malachy no mention was made of the prophetic manuscript which Malachy had given to Pope Innocent II. This has led to confusion over the authenticity of the particular manuscript accredited to St. Malachy.

Although the prophecies are not encrypted, they do bear a signature code in that the future Popes are not named, but in symbolic language the manuscript hints at the titles and names of the future Popes.

Let us now examine the prophecies of St. Malachy, which were found in the Vatican archives.

St. Malachy in the last portion says, "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The end."

But the prophecies begin with...

Pope No: 167 Celestine II (1143-1144) 1 Ex castro Tyberis(from a castle on the Tiber)Hist.: Celestin II was born in Citta di Castello, Toscany, on the shores of the Tiber

168 Lucius II (1144-1145) 2 Inimicus expulsus

169 Eugene III (1145-1153) 3 Ex magnitudine montis(Of the greatness of the mount)Hist.: Born in the castle of Grammont (latin: mons magnus), his family name was Montemagno

170 Anastasius IV (1153-1154) 4 Abbas Suburranus

171 Adrian IV (1154-1159) 5 De rure albo(field of Albe)Hist.: Born in the town of Saint-Alban

171 Adrian IV (1154-1159) 5 De rure albo(field of Albe)Hist.: Born in the town of Saint-Alban

Antipope Victor IV (1159-1164) 6 Ex tetro carcere Antipope Paschal III (1164-1168) 7 Via trans-Tyberina Antipope Calistus III (1168-1178) 8 De Pannonia Tusciæ

172 Alexander III (1159-1181) 9 Ex ansere custode

173 Lucius III (1181-1185) 10 Lux in ostio

174 Urban III (1185-1187) 11 Sus in cribo

175 Gregory VIII (1187) 12 Ensis Laurentii

176 Clement III (1187-1191) 13 De schola exiet

177 Celestine III (1191-1198) 14 De rure bovensi

178 Innocent III (1198-1216) 15 Comes signatus(signed Count)Hist.: descendant of the noble Signy, later called Segni family

179 Honorius III (1216-1227) 16 Canonicus de latere

180 Gregory IX (1227-1241) 17 Avis Ostiensis(Bird of Ostia)Hist.: before his election he was Cardinal of Ostia

The list continues to more recent times;

262 Pius XII (1939-1958) 106 Pastor angelicus(Angelic Shepherd)Hist.: This Pope was very mystical, and is believed to have received visions. People would kneel when they received telephone calls from him. His encyclicals add enormously to the understanding of Catholic beliefs (even if they are now overlooked because of focus on the Second Vatican Council, which occurred so soon after his reign).

263 John XXIII (1958-1963) 107 Pastor et Nauta(pastor and marine)Hist.: prior to his election he was patriarch of Venice, a marine city, home of the gondolas

264 Paul VI (1963-1978) 108 Flos florum(flower of flowers)Hist.: his arms displayed three lilies.

265 John Paul I (1978) 109 De medietate Lunæ(of the half of the moon)Hist.: Albino Luciani, born in Canale d'Agardo, diocese of Belluno, (beautiful moon) Elected pope on August 26, his reign lasted about a month, from half a moon to the next half...

266 John Paul II (1978-2005) 110 De labore Solis(of the eclipse of the sun, or from the labour of the sun)Hist.: Karol Wojtyla was born on May 18, 1920 during a solar eclipse. He also comes from behind the former Iron Curtain (the East, where the Sun rises). He might also be seen to be the fruit of the intercession of the Woman Clothed with the Sun labouring in Revelation 12 (because of his devotion to the Virgin Mary). His Funeral occurred on 8 April, 2005 when there was a solar eclipse visible in the Americas.

267 Benedict XVI (2005-) 111 Gloria olivæThe Benedictine order traditionally said this Pope would come from their order, since a branch of the Benedictine order is called the Olivetans. St Benedict is said to have prophesied that before the end of the world, a member of his order would be Pope and would triumphantly lead the Church in its fight against evil. While the Holy Father chose the name "Benedict", this does not seem enough to fulfil the prophecy. Nor is it clear how Benedict XVI (a Bavarian) is "Glory of the Olives". Since he is said to have remarked in the Conclave after saying he would take the name Benedict that it was partly to honour Benedict XV, a pope of peace and reconciliation, perhaps Benedict XVI will be a peacemaker in the Church or in the World, and thus carry the olive branch.

And then as stated above we come to the last Pope listed, which will herald in a great time of persecution for the Church before the Judge will judge his people.

There is much controversy surrounding this particular Prophecy as no names have been mentioned and therefore this has led to more speculation over the meaning of the prophecies written down by St. Malachy.

And many are also debating whether the prophecies were actually written by this Saint, or by another person who came many years later.

I encourage all to read these prophecies, with due care and discernment, and to place their confidence in the Word of God and the Teachings of the Catholic Church.

Peace of Christ to ALL

Copyright © 2005 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.