Three stories about Damned Souls popped up and bit me recently and I would like to go over them and tell a story about a certain Damned Soul I encountered myself once years and years ago. The Feast of St Bruno was recent, he was founder of the Carthusians and is Patron Saint of Exorcists. Anyway Bruno was heading for Great Career in the Church, he was superbly well educated and was heading well up the ladder as a priest. But he had a sudden radical conversion experience when they were having funeral rites for a guy called Raymond who sat up in his coffin the Church three days running and told all and sundry he was off to hell. As can be imagined this shook both Bruno and all of Paris in an unroar and set Bruno on the path to Sainthood.
The second harrowing story came from St Bridget of Sweden who was permitted in a Mystical vision to see a poor soul condemned to hell.
Another story which is pretty well guaranteed to scare you half to death is very famous modern tale. A young Catholic lady in Germany had a friend who gave up the Faith and died in a car accident after leading an immoral life.. After her death ,she was permitted to communicate from Hell.
These stories all reminded me of something that happened to me in London years and years ago and taught me to take the thought of Damnation and Hell very seriously indeed. I was staying with my brother Ciaran at the time and he happened to be a very great reader with loads and loads of wonderful book. One of the books was a large and beautifully illustrated book on the American Underworld, especially the Mafia. One of the stories showed the death seen of Albert Anastasia, the founder of Murder Incorporated. Albert personally killed no one will ever know how many poor people, it may be in the hundreds. Not only that he oversaw an organistaion of hitmen whose profession was killers for hire. You may recall him from the film, 'The Godfather' , where the character Luca Brasi (he sleeps with the fishes) was based on Alberto. Anyway there was large picture in the book of Umberto lying dead in Barbers chair were he had been gunned to death. I though to myself, if anyone needs prayers for his soul it is this poor guy. But when I started to pray the Lord told me at once to stop, saying quite clearly, 'He is in the place were prayers and mercy cannot reach'.
I have heard of the modern one with the car accident. I listened to a very well produced video on YT and it struck such a chord in me, I downloaded it to my mp3 player and listened to it over and over. There is a rather tiny but amazing museum in Rome that contains artifacts of people whom have been visited by souls from Purgatory. I think it is called The Museum of the Holy Souls in Purgatory https://search.brave.com/images?q=museum of the holy souls in purgatory
While on the topic of spooky things, I watched this video yesterday on what Padre Pio said about ghosts, elves, aliens, etc. It was very interesting. I had never head this before but makes a lot of sense to me. He also talks about many encounters with souls from purgatory.
I visited it but it was closed. If you ever visit Rome call in. It is just round the corner from St Peter's round beside Castel San Angelo. But it has weird opening hours check on line first. It is a little Gothic Church very similiar to the ones we have in Ireland. It stands out because Rome is not exactly coming down with Gothic Churches. I spoke to some of the parishioners to get me let in but they were very unwelcoming. I take it they are typical Modernists and don't have it with Purgatory. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museum-holy-souls-purgatory
I'll tell you a real true story about a Mafiosi I read and this happened not so long ago. The guy was under the FBI witness protection programme in upstate New York and they had him, his wife and teenage son and daughter squirreled away in a safe house in the middle of nowhere preparatory to a big Trial where he was going to squeal his head off about his former associates. Two FBI officers were living in house with the family to do minders. The agents , multiple agents reported strange, very strange going on in the house. Objects moving on their own. Strange noises. An atmosphere of clinging darkness. Worst of all was the family themselves whom the agents reported were the most evil group of people they had ever encountered even the children. It got so bad they had to shorten the various agent's shifts. The FBI guys were terrified at what they were witnessing.
It must be because Hollow'een is creeping up on us but I recall a story and English Exorcist priest told me many, many years ago concerning two damned souls who happened to have been real Satanists and died went to hell and showed up at an exorcisms years and years later. There was a sweet old lady in the Parish who was a very devout Catholic who went to Mass every day, regular as clock work and who kept herself and her house in pristine condition. She had never married and all her time was devoted to Church work. A really exemplar Catholic. Well anyhow this woman stopped showing up for Mass and the Parish Priest, concerned called round to see her. Usually when the priest or any priest called at home they were treated like visiting Royalty but the lady was reluctant to let him in. When he did get in both herself and the place was a mess. One of the things he noticed was that she had been eating cold baked beans out of the can with her bare fingers and the marks to the juice were on her mouth, chin and clothes. This from a woman and house that usually shone. The Father asked her about if was OK and why she had not been to Church. The lady was very evasive, which was very not like her and the Father did not know quite what to make of it. So the Parish Priest offered to bring her Communion the next day. Even more curious, the old lady seemed very reluctant for him to do this but eventually went along with it. The next day the Father showed up and noticed the woman was quite agitated. At the very moment that he went to place the Host in her mouth she shouted out in a very loud deep bass voice, (Pardon my French): 'Take that F****g thing away from me!' So of course the Father knew at once what was up, as you well may guess. It's a wonder he did not drop dead of a heart attack with shock right on the very spot. The Exorcist, A Passionist Priest and very experienced exorcist who told me the story said that her uncle and aunt who had both been Satanists had consecrated her to Satan as a baby. During the course of the Exorcism this gruesome twosome put in an appearance. They confirmed what they had done , though the poor woman never knew any of this had gone on. The name of the chief Devil began with a, 'V' I recall but I forget it now. It's probably just as well, I had a run in with him one time, a very, very, bad one. Anyhow demons who are damned souls turn up regularly in exorcisms. Two really regular ones are Judas and Kind Herod amongst others.
