Locked in the Confessional

    There are some things that are uniquely Catholic.  Going to confession is one of these. This sacramental gift that Jesus gave to his apostles on his first appearance after his resurrection, bonds us with our Catholic family.  We share in the amazing grace and sometimes, things happen that only a Catholic can understand.  
                                                          

      Celia Sattler often takes advantage of the confession offered prior to daily Mass.  On one occasion, by the time it was her turn, Father Thomas Richter, a newly ordained priest, apologized saying he had run out of time to hear her confession but would be glad to do so after the service. After Mass, Celia waited in the pews until she saw the green light over the confessional door, signaling that Fr. Tom had returned.  It was a Friday, the usual day for church cleaning, so during confession the sounds of a vacuum cleaner reverberated through the door. 

Never Say Never, A Padre Pio Miracle by Susan Brinkmann

   

l Walsh was 17 years old when the car he was driving hit a tree on Chester Pike in suburban Piladelphia on an icy December night in 1983. One doctor described his head injuries as the equivalent of dropping an egg on a cement sidewalk. Not only was his skull shattered, every bone in his face was broken and there was a tear in his brain. Doctors at Crozier Chester Medical Center said he was irreversibly brain damaged and would never regain consciousness.  But as the old saying goes, “never say never.”

Deliver Us From Bullies by Nellie Edwards

   

     Raising a family in a town rife with gang crime was a constant concern for my husband and me.  Almost daily there were drive-by shootings and other assorted acts of violence.  In 1994, our town, nestled in Central Washington (less than 10,000 population) made the national news for "more violent crime per capita than New York City!"

     We prayed to God to be delivered from such an environment, where our children were not safe to play in the nearby city park.  We prayed intensely after the police knocked on our door one night, telling us, "Lock up tight. We're after a violent gang." It was right behind our home!