We did a pro-life conference in Kansas City KS in the summer of 2011, that was co-sponsored by Archbishop Naumann and Bishop Finn. Cardinal Burke was our keynote speaker, and all three of them attended the day long conference. I was able to speak with Bishop Finn at length over that weekend. Like Cardinal Burke, he was one of the most kind, charitable and humble churchmen I've ever met. Anyone that criticizes either of these good men is suspect (at best) in my book.
How upsetting to see that headline on Spirit Daily of Cardinal O'Malley's 60 Minutes interview concerning Bishop Robert Finn because it is not true. Then, put up after two days >>> In Defense of Bishop Finn. I need to say here as well, I am grateful to Michael Brown. Spirit Daily has strengthened me spiritually with mailbag testimonies of the Faith, all the mystical on Spirit Daily over the years. I would of never known. Thank you. Here is example from 2009, if you didn't see it at the time. This writing could be in the Spirit Daily archives. I copied it when I first read it. The divine outside of time thing. + + + MY PRIESTHOOD AND A STRANGER William Emmanuel Ketteler (1811-1877) Each of us owes gratitude for our lives and our vocations to the prayers and sacrifices of others. One of the leading figures of the German episcopacy of the 19th century, and among the founders of Catholic sociology, Bishop Ketteler owed his gratitude to a simple nun, the least and poorest lay sister of her convent. In 1869, a German diocesan bishop was sitting together with his guest, Bishop Ketteler from Mainz. During the course of their conversation, the diocesan bishop brought up his guest's extremely blessed apostolate. Bishop Ketteler explained to his host, "I owe thanks for everything that I have accomplished with God's help, to the prayer and sacrifice of someone I do not even know. I can only say that I know somebody has offered his or her whole life to our loving God for me, and I have this sacrifice to thank that I even became a priest." He continued, "Originally, I wasn't planning on becoming a priest. I had already finished my law degree and thought only about finding an important place in the world to begin acquiring honour, prestige and wealth. An extraordinary experience held me back and directed my life down a different path. "One evening I was alone in my room, considering my future plans of fame and fortune, when something happened which I cannot explain. Was I awake or asleep? Did I really see it or was it just a dream? One thing I do know, it brought about a change in my life. I saw Jesus very clearly and distinctly standing over me in a radiant cloud, showing me his Sacred Heart. A nun was kneeling before Him, her hands raised up in prayer. From His mouth, I heard the words, 'She prays unremittingly for you!' "I distinctly saw the appearance of the sister, and her traits made such an impression on me that she has remained in my memory to this day. She seemed to be quite an ordinary lay sister. Her clothing was very poor and rough. Her hands were red and calloused from hard work. Whatever it was, a dream or not, it was extraordinary. It shook me to the depths of my being so that from that moment on, I decided to consecrate myself to God in the service of the priesthood. "I withdrew to a monastery for a retreat, and I talked about everything with my confessor. Then, at the age of 30, I began studying theology. You know the rest of the story. So, if you think that I have done something admirable, now you know who really deserves the credit—a religious sister who prayed for me, maybe without even knowing who I was. I am convinced, I was prayed for and I will continue to be prayed for in secret and that without these prayers, I could never have reached the goal that God has destined for me." "Do you have any idea of the whereabouts or the identity of who has prayed for you?" asked the diocesan bishop. "No, I can only ask God each day that, while she is still on earth, he bless and repay her a thousand-fold for what she has done for me." The sister in the barn The next day, Bishop Ketteler visited a convent of sisters in a nearby city and celebrated Holy Mass in their chapel. He was distributing Holy Communion to the last row of sisters when one of them suddenly caught his eye. His face grew pale, and he stood there, motionless. Finally regaining his composure, he gave Holy Communion to the sister who was kneeling in recollection unaware of his hesitation. He then concluded the liturgy. The bishop who had invited him the previous day came and joined him at the convent for breakfast. When they had finished, Bishop Ketteler asked the Mother Superior to present to him all the sisters in the house. Before long she had gathered all the sisters together, and both bishops went to meet them. Bishop Ketteler greeted them, but it was apparent that he did not find the one he was looking for. He quietly asked the Mother Superior, "Are all the sisters really here?" She looked over the group of sisters and then said, "Your Excellency, I called them all, but, in fact, one of them is not here." "Why didn't she come?" "She works in the barn," answered the superior, "and in such a commendable way that, in her enthusiasm, she sometimes forgets other things." "I would like to see that sister," requested the Bishop. ....
... A little while later, the sister who had been summoned stepped into the room. Again Bishop Ketteler turned pale, and after a few words to all the sisters, he asked if he could be alone with the sister who had just come in. "Do you know me?" he asked her. "I have never seen Your Excellency before." "Have you ever prayed for me or offered up a good deed for me?" he wanted to know. "I do not recall that I have ever heard of Your Excellency." The Bishop was silent for a few moments and then he asked, "Do you have a particular devotion that you like?" "The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus," was the response. "You have, it seems, the most difficult task in the convent," he continued. "Oh no, Your Excellency" the sister countered, "but I cannot lie, it is unpleasant for me." "And what do you do when you have such temptations against your work?" "For things that cost me greatly, I grew accustomed to facing them with joy and enthusiasm out of love for God, and then I offer them up for one soul on earth. To whom God chooses to be gracious as a result, I have left completely up to him and I do not want to know. I also offer up my time of Eucharistic adoration every evening from 8 to 9 for this intention." "Where did you get the idea to offer up all your merits for someone totally unknown to you?" "I learned it while I was still out in the world," she replied. "At school our teacher, the parish priest, taught us how we can pray and offer our merits for our relatives. Besides that, he said that we should pray much for those who are in danger of being lost. Since only God knows who really needs prayer, it is best to put your merits at the disposition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus trusting in his wisdom and omnipotence. That is what I have done," she concluded, "and I always believed that God would find the right soul." Day of birth and day of conversion "How old are you?" Ketteler asked. "Thirty-three, Your Excellency," she answered. The Bishop paused a moment. Then he asked her, "When were you born?" The sister stated her day of birth. The Bishop gasped; her birthday was the day of his conversion! Back then he saw her exactly as she was before him now. "And have you any idea whether your prayers and sacrifices have been successful?" he asked her further. "No, Your Excellency." "Don't you want to know?" "Our dear God knows when something good happens, and that is enough," was the simple answer. The Bishop was shaken. "So continue this work in the name of the Lord," he said. The sister knelt down immediately at his feet and asked for his blessing. The Bishop solemnly raised his hands and said with great emotion, "With the power entrusted to me as a bishop, I bless your soul, I bless your hands and their work, I bless your prayers and sacrifices, your self-renunciation and your obedience. I bless especially your final hour and ask God to assist you with all his consolation." "Amen," the sister answered calmly, then stood up and left. A teaching for life The Bishop, profoundly moved, stepped over to the window in order to compose himself. Some time later, he said good-bye to the Mother Superior and returned to the apartment of his bishop friend. He confided to him, "Now I found the one I have to thank for my vocation. It is the lowest and poorest lay sister of that convent. I cannot thank God enough for his mercy because this sister has prayed for me for almost 20 years. On the day she first saw the light of the world, God worked my conversion accepting in advance her future prayers and works. "What a lesson and a reminder for me! Should I become tempted to vanity by a certain amount of success or by my good works, then I can affirm in truth: You have the prayer and sacrifice of a poor maid in a convent stall to thank. And when a small and lowly task appears of little value to me, then I will also remember the fact: what this maid does in humble obedience to God, making a sacrifice by overcoming herself, is so valuable before the Lord Our God that her merits have given rise to a bishop for the Church."
Truly wonderful. Really wonderful. What an example!! May God reward them both, She for her sacrifice. Him for his humility.
Bishop Finn brought this order of Benedictine sisters to the diocese. You might of heard of them. Cute picture.... http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/missouri-nuns-defend-finn-our-bishop-is-a-man-who-inspires-faith
Dearest Jackie What an amazing account of Gods providence and Love for both Bishop Ketteler and this very holy sister. Thank you for this. We must now ponder through this testatment and other very similar ones, that God lives in the eternal now and time and space do not limit His power. Just think, anyone of us here may be doing atonement for the sins of our distant relatives that may have died in a state of sin that kept them in a place of perpetual unknowing of whether they were saved or not; Our little yes to God may support and bring them through purgatory to heaven and maybe the sufferings of my great great great grandchildren may help me obtain heaven. Divine Mercy, Better than the heavens, I trust in Thee. Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in Thee. Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in Thee. Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in Thee. Oh Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus I trust in Thee.
josephite, Really, life is hard, we get down but that testimony of the bishop touches one's heart, makes you smile. Everything about it. Is this obvious, a given? We hear or read of someone who has died, then, offer up a Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the person even though they've already died because Our Lord is outside of time and He knows you were going to pray it?
I think part of the problem is that too many Catholics don't want to have ordinary jobs as well. But even St. Paul was a tentmaker! I'd much prefer to just read and write about Catholic spiritual matters... but I teach math and SAT Prep, too, so I can feed my family without charging people for my apostolates. Now if you're a priest, a legitimate (meaning PhD or STD) theologian, or the like, that's another matter. Anyway, Michael Brown can of course charge if he wants... but I'm not hugely appreciative of how he's going about it at the moment. He has these tempting headlines that intentionally don't even give you enough to know just what his special report will be talking about. Does anyone know just who this "famous preacher" he's referring to currently on SpiritDaily.com's headline is?
I think if there is anything of actual importance ,it will filter down to the rest of us peasants somehow. I hope if anyone is ****** enough to pay for prophecy ,they would share the gold they have received with the rest of us.
