Spirits ask for prayers in Rome

(Translation and notes by Mr. Henrique Domingues).  A voice from beyond, sad and pleading, broke the silence of the convent to reveal its secret.  “I am a soul who has been suffering for forty years and I find myself in ‘purgatory’ for having wasted ecclesiastical assets.”  And for several days in a row, he left ten lire on the “wheel” that he himself made to spin, then disappearing.  None of the nuns were surprised, although all the sacristy doors were closed, and no human being could enter that gloomy room.

It was not the first time that the nuns had seen the “wheel” turn, finding the ten-lire note in it, without the intervention of any human hand.  In fact, this had already become commonplace in the Italian monastery of Saint Leonardo de Montefalco and they had already nicknamed that suffering soul “animucha”.

Since August 18, 1918, when Sister Maria de Jesus was elected “prior”, this singular visit was repeated twenty-eight times over fourteen months, leaving a total sum of 300 lira, equivalent to more than 300,000 lira today.  During the first appearances, the voice was not very explicit, limiting itself to ringing the sacristy bell and leaving a donation, making the “wheel” turn.  His voice was brief: “I must leave these alms here”; “Prayer is always good”; “I leave a request for prayers for a deceased person…”

At first, the nuns thought that this was due to some intruder who had managed to penetrate the peace of the cloister, although no one had ever managed to do that.  They also refused to collect the money, fearing that it was a trick of the “devil”.  Although accepting that a penitent soul could produce noises, words and move the “wheel”, how could it “transport” a normal currency note?

The “authoritative” words of the Jesuit theologian Father Bianchi managed to reassure those fearful servants of the Lord, explaining to them that “matter can dematerialize, participating in the quality of the abstract, and condense again in such a way that it is possible to preserve its original appearance”.  Modern parapsychology calls these materializations “contributions” and studies them as phenomena of “hyloclasty” (from the Greek “hyle” = matter + “klástes” = to break or submit).

In the literature about this kind of phenomenon, cases of “contributions” of the most diverse objects and materials have been recorded, such as stones, perfumes, flowers, twigs, leaves, coins, carnations, etc.  Thus, the Jesuit priest ruled out the possibility of the “devil” intervening in these facts, which were confirmed by officials of the Catholic Church and published with the “imprimatur” of the vicar general of Vatican City.

The mark of the souls in purgatory?

The documentation of the case above and other shocking cases is found in an unusual private museum, located next to the sacristy of the Church of the Sacred Heart of Suffrage, in Rome.  It is not easy to be allowed to visit it, much less to photograph it.  The aim is to prevent mere curious people from seeing this precious evidence of the action of Spirits on matter, thus guarding against frivolous judgments lacking a minimum of scientific rigor regarding the men who believed in the authenticity of the evidence on display.

Regarding the delicate issue of the validity of documents and testimonies, Monsignor Benedectti, one of the priests who was in charge of the Museum, said that it is necessary to avoid people who at first simply shrug their shoulders with a smile of incredulity when faced with the sensitive manifestations of the afterlife, categorically denying the fact.  These people – he continues – act frivolously.  Without prior examination, it is not fair to reject the testimony of credible people, whose virtues have been recognized by the Roman Church.  The possibility of communication with the souls in purgatory, with divine permission, cannot be denied.  On the other hand, there are people who admittedly encounter the supernatural always and everywhere, inclined to an almost unhealthy devotion.  They strive to see supernatural manifestations, visions, and revelations anytime and everywhere.  “Neither intransigence, nor fanaticism, nor indifference,” concludes Monsignor Benedectti, “but seriousness and respect for the sincerity of those who honestly report and confirm those phenomena for the benefit of those who study, investigate, and examine them”.

A tormented face appears in the fire

And how did this small “museum of the Spirits”, of the souls in purgatory come into being?  Apparently, the idea for the museum came from Father Jonet, when, after a “small fire” that broke out in the old church on September 15, 1897, he noticed that, in the chapel dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary, the flames had formed the image of a tormented face on the burning wood.  Visitors began to ask about that suspicious image, with a hard facial expression, which had a pointed formation on top like a cassock collar in use at the time and a demonic-looking ear.  Was it a whim of nature?  Intervention of unknown forces?  The truth is that the appearance of that disturbing figure set in motion, as a sign of Providence, an ambitious search and research operations in France, Germany, and Italy for visible signs of the souls in purgatory.

If we carefully analyze the different cases exhibited in the Museum, a total of 280, it is possible to prove that everything is related to the sign of fire.  In fact, apart from the case reported at the beginning of this work, all the facts have in common the marks of fire left by “apparitions” on pious books, clothing, objects of common use, paper, and fabrics.  Fire, once again, is the protagonist of the mysterious facts connected with the transcendental.

A ghost’s pitiful moan

A ghost with the appearance of a woman appears to Margarita Demmerlé.  Between the arcades full of shadow, it brings a sad look.  Through the folds of her lips, a pitiful moan can be heard.  The figure covered in a pilgrim’s outfit remains on the stairs with a terrible gesture of supplication.  Margarita goes out in fear looking for the parish priest, and he advises her to put herself in communication with that tormented being and ask her for a clearly visible sign.  Margarita returns to her house and, with a fearful voice, asks her to say what she wants.  “I am your mother-in-law who died in childbirth thirty years ago.  Go on a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Marlenthal and have two masses celebrated for me.”

Mrs. Demmerlé, who effectively confirmed the nature of her mother-in-law’s death, complied with the request of the “apparition,” who spoke again to say that she had freed herself from purgatory.  Then, she placed her hand on the book Imitation of Christ and left on one of its pages strange burnt spots corresponding to the tips of her five fingers, which roughly indicated the end of a chapter which said: “[…] I am loaded with sins , enveloped in temptations, and there is no one who will help me, who will free me and save me, except You.”

The impression of the “hand of fire” was so strong that it spanned five to nine pages.  The ecclesiastical authorities consider this and other similar phenomena as absolutely real, since they are backed by testimonies of protagonists of undisputed integrity.

She appeared dressed as Clarissa

In the Italian monastery of the Saint Clare Basilica, there is a detailed documentation of case No. 6 of the Museum.  In the convent, Sister Maria de São Luiz Gonzaga lay in bed, panting from severe pain and fever, cough, and asthma; her sufferings became so great that she wanted to die.  After a few days, she actually died, precisely on June 5, 1894.  On the same night, she appeared dressed as Clarissa, being clearly recognized by sister Margarida of the Sacred Heart, to whom she mentioned that she was in purgatory, where she would have to remain for twenty days more to atone for her desire to die sooner than she should to shorten her agony.  She asked for prayers and promised to return, leaving a fiery mark of her index finger on a pillow.

Another deceased sister also appeared to a frightened nun, leaving a mark of fire on her apron.  There are many facts like these; their story would fill a book.  As we leave the museum, a little dazed by the strange world that we were able to have a quick access, a question comes to our mind: what does the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church say about all this?  Officially, they have not yet spoken out, but the fact that they keep these manifestations under their care, without a doubt, leads us to believe that they do not exclude the fact as normal or supernatural.

Father Ernesto, the priest who currently directs the Museum, explains to us: “The Church condemns the possibility of evoking the Spirits of the deceased through with the help of mediums.  What we see here is about something else.  They are Spirits that spontaneously manifest themselves to ask for prayers and left marks of their passage.”  The priest ends by remembering a passage from the life of Saint John Bosco, which is no different from those described here.  This is what happened to Don Bosco when he became friends with a schoolboy called Camollo.  The two agreed that whoever died first would come to reassure the other about eternal salvation.  Camollo died first, and one night Don Bosco, being worried about the fate of his friend’s soul, heard the noise of a cart that shook the walls.  The noise was so loud that the other clerics even abandoned their beds.  In the midst of that noise, the deceased was clearly heard three times shouting: “Bosco, I’m saved.!.”  In his confessions D. Bosco said that this fact made him sick.