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| Frank Kelly -Has a powerful healing ministry after a severe electrocution |
-Some examples from both living and departed mystics and visionaries
Having studied the lives of literally dozens mystics and visionaries for this website, I discovered a number of similar traits or circumstances that have occurred in many of their lives.
For sure one of the more interesting events running through the lives of many of the alleged mystics and visionaries is that quite a few of them have had severe illnesses or traumatic injuries at some point prior to having received their purported heavenly graces and revelations. With this in mind, let us look over a few examples of such persons both living, and those who have passed from this life.
A conduit to healing after a high voltage electrocution?
On Dec. 5, 1985 a construction foreman from Massachusetts named Frank Kelly climbed into a crawlspace on top of a walk-in refrigerator at a job site inside a Boston hospital. He was reaching for some pipes when his right wrist came into contact with high-voltage electrical wires protruding from a junction box. In an instant he received a large high voltage jolt of electricity that should have killed him. Instead, he survived and was given what he calls "a gift of piety" along with purportedly a special gift of healing, as related in the book "Short Circuit To God-The Electrifying Spiritual Journal of Frank Kelly".
Frank states that it all began right after being electrocuted when he felt drawn into 3-1/2 years of nearly unceasing prayer. He relates how he initially refused to accept God's role for him as a conduit to healing, however eventually he chose to respond to God's call. For a number of years now, it has been reported that God has granted a number of physical and/or spiritual healings through Frank. He states that God often tells him what saints the person needing help should pray to, and he always passes this information along to the person, so that they might seek this particular Saints heavenly help with their problem or affliction. Also on more rare occasions he is purportedly given divine messages to pass along to people, most particularly during healing Masses, like for example at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge MA. Over the years Frank Kelly's healing ministry has been carefully monitored and guided by his spiritual director, Rev. Ronald K. Tacelli, SJ, professor of philosophy at Boston College.
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| A living prophet? Charlie Johnston in July 2015 |
Another example of a traumatic injury in the life of a purported living mystic—in this case one with a alleged prophetic mission--could be Charlie Johnston of Colorado (1956-present). Charlie himself reports that during his childbirth, his mother had the mumps so they injected her with something to hold off delivery for three days. After a few days he was finally born, but when he came forth his head was "...horribly misshapen from the struggle, and the doctor warned I might have lasting brain damage because of it."
Yet, anyone who has met Charlie or read his blog would soon discover that he is in fact very intelligent and lucid, bearing in mind also that for a time he was a newspaper editor, a popular radio talk show host, and a political campaign manager among other things, so brain damage certainly never was, or is, a significant issue when evaluating his purported prophetic mission.
At 9:03AM on Good Friday in the year 2003, Charlie suffered a severe neurological event which still affects him physically to this day. Although suffering from this painful nerve damage, from Feb. 11, 2011 to Aug. 21, 2012 he walked 3,200 miles across the country, sleeping in the woods, meeting people and praying as he went. Since then he has been prophetically warning of a "Great Storm" for humanity consisting of a global economic, governmental and societal collapse coupled with a global civil war, culminating in a miraculous "Rescue" through the heavenly intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which Charlie states will be a miraculous and visible sign that all of humanity will witness, which he says will occur in late 2017. Those interested can read more about Charlie Johnston and his purported prophetic mission here.
A side note about alleged "Anonymous" visionaries
Before exploring this subject more in the lives of a few mystics who have passed from this life I would like to point out one thing in regards to alleged living mystics and visionaries since we are on the subject. A few persons have criticized the fact that I have reported about purported visionaries who are living. Well, this is a "Mystics of the Church" website after all, so I believe that one should be open to discernment of both living and departed persons who are said to be mystics/visionaries/prophets. What I will definitely NOT write about are "Anonymous" private revelations like the two purported visionaries of the "Jesus King of All Nations" devotion, or the anonymous "Locutions to the world" messages, because quite frankly I am not at all favorable in regards to visionaries who are anonymous. For sure, the recent anonymous"Maria Divine Mercy" debacle in Ireland gives one pause and much caution when it comes to such "anonymous" persons. There is something about a person identifying themselves and putting themselves and their reputation out there for all the world to discern that at least initially lends some credibility to any private revelation (like Frank Kelly or Charlie Johnston for example)---at least one can respect such a person for holding themselves publicly accountable for being the instrument of the private revelation, but with anonymous persons such is not the case, and this is why this writer is not at all favorable towards "anonymous" visionaries. And the recent scandalous fraud of "Maria Divine Mercy" aka Mary Carberry poignantly illustrates this fact, I believe.
Throughout the centuries, the prophets of the Old Testament and the authentic mystics of the Church whose mission is to relate a message from heaven have shown that when God has a message for the world, He does not hide His message or His messenger under a bushel basket, but sets It upon a lampstand for all the world to see and discern. However, "anonymous" visionaries use the darkness and cover of anonymity under the guise and false pretense of humility. While certain mystic victim souls can often be called to live a very reserved and discreetly private life during their lifetime, visionaries with a public message are not called to do so, and those that do should be dismissed, at least in this writers opinion.
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| Irving "Francis" Houle (1925-2009) |
When he was a 6 year old child, Irving “Francis” Houle (1925-2009) of Michigan fell off a horse and sustained a serious chest injury. Here are the highlights of the story from a book "A man called Francis" written by his Spiritual director, Father Robert Fox:
"When Irving was six years old, one day a work horse came home about 5 P.M. The horse was tired and thirsty. An older neighbor boy put all four boys, including six year old Francis on that work horse. Grandpa was sitting on the porch and when he noticed it hollered, 'Don't do that'. It was too late. The horse ran to the water hole after working and wanted a drink. Francis fell off onto a railroad tie onto his chest as an older boy jumped from the running horse.
"Our dad came and picked up Irving and handed him over the fence to our older brother. They called the doctor. I remember that Irving was bleeding from the mouth and nose. The skin on his side was rolled, that is, stretched like as by a finger nail had scratched it badly. There was no penetration or tear on the skin. He was unconscious. We thought he was dead.
"They took him in a car to the hospital 17 miles away. It was about 7:00 P.M. or 8:00 P.M. when they arrived at the hospital. The doctor took X-rays and said, 'I don't know if this boy will survive. He has three broken ribs. His lung is punctured by one of these broken ribs. He is hemorrhaging badly. In this condition I do not want to operate tonight. We will see what tomorrow brings. I will do nothing this night. I will leave the ribs as is.'
"Our parents called our aunt who was the nun, Sr. Speciosa, to ask if she would pray for Irving. All the nuns got up and prayed. The next morning the doctor was amazed that the ribs were no longer puncturing the lungs and the hemorrhaging had stopped and all was beginning to mend within 12 hours. With a new X-ray they could not see any place where the lungs had been punctured or any of the ribs broken."
Concerning this, Irving himself told Fr. Robert Fox that about 4AM the next morning he revived and called his mother to ask who was that "beautiful man" who stood over his crib with his hand upraised. His sudden recovery and the story of the boy was soon related to the bishop who could only conclude, "It must have been Jesus."
On Good Friday, April 8, 1993, Irving reportedly received the stigmata. He was 67 years old. In addition, it was said that Irving mystically experienced the passion of Jesus every single night of the year, including Christmas eve, Easter Sunday etc, and he was also purportedly called to a public healing ministry of laying his stigmatized hands upon people. Those interested can read more about Irving "Francis" Houle--the family man who received the stigmata
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| Therese Neumann, mystic and stigmatic |
On March 10,1918 a fire broke out in the barn of Martin Neumann, the uncle of Therese Neumann. As part of a bucket brigade, Therese was lifting pails of water to someone higher up in the stable, and to do this better, she stood on a stool. After sustained exertion, her clothes water-soaked, she slipped and fell to the floor. With very severe pains in her spine, and unable to walk alone, she was helped by a woman to reach her home nearby. The fall had caused partial paralysis of the spine, accompanied by very severe pain in her legs. Physicians were called in to evaluate her condition, but they were unable to bring any relief to her serious condition.
Not long afterwards, she suffered another fall--this time down the basement steps in her home, causing her to become completely bedridden, along with becoming partially blind, presumably due to a head injury from the fall, and as time progressed, the blindness increased until she became completely blind. But this is only the beginning or her remarkable story....
Therese Neumann had a great devotion to her namesake, Saint Therese of Lisieux. On the day of the official beatification of Therese of Lisieux (April 29, 1923), after making a 9 day novena to the "Little Flower", Therese Neumann's eyesight was completely restored after 6 long years through the heavenly intercession of Therese of Lisieux. But this was only the first miracle that God would perform in her life through the intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux.
The second miraculous intercession of St. Therese of Lisieux in the life of Therese Neumann occurred on May 17, 1925, the day when Therese of Lisieux was canonized and became officially recognized as a saint of the Catholic Church. On this day she was cured of her partial paralysis and was no longer bedridden. The following year Therese Neumann received the stigmata and in subsequent years became a very well known mystic throughout Europe.
Some of the many other mystics that can be included here that had suffered either a traumatic injury or a severe illness prior to receiving mystical gifts and/or private revelations are Blessed Alexandrina da Costa who suffered paralysis after a fall out of a window, St. Gemma Galgani who suffered from spinal meningitis, Venerable Marthe Robin who suffered paralysis and migraines from what was thought to be encephalitis, Rhoda Wise who suffered from and abdominal tumor and a severe bone damage in her leg, and the Servant of God, Luigina Sinapi who suffered from a tumor in her intestines, just to name a few of the many possible examples.
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| Bl. Alexandrina da Costa was paralyzed from the waist down |
So the question remains: Can traumatic injuries or severe illnesses open some sort of portal to mysticism in certain individuals? What exactly can we infer by from these events when looking at them together as a whole? Well, while it is certainly possible that such experiences can seem to predispose certain individuals to receiving mystical gifts and graces, we would have to also recognize the fact that mystical gifts such as private revelations are bestowed upon a person by the express will of God, and not through any will or intention of a person. In other words, a person does not choose to be a visionary or mystic, and cannot possibly become one through happenstance or ones own actions. Also, there are countless mystics and visionaries who have notably NOT had any significant illnesses or injuries prior to being called to a mystical or prophetical mission from God. So, in this writers opinion, at this point I would have to simply call it a very interesting addendum to the study of mystics and visionaries.
"O Jesus, this [suffering] is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the offences against the Immaculate Heart of Mary." -Blessed Alexandrina da Costa