Emmitsburg has held the attention of many since the
September 8th directive of the Archdiocese of Baltimore to
discontinue Thursday evening prayer services at St Joseph’s
Catholic Church where crowds of 600 to 1000 participated each
week. The services, according to the archdiocese, were the
platform for the alleged apparitions of the Blessed Virgin
Mary to Gianna Talone-Sullivan. The reason for the prolonged
attention has been due to a message of July 13, 2000, which
predicted "a sign for this October." Many waited in
anticipation for a miraculous event up to the midnight hour of
Tuesday October 31st. A group of about 40 people, myself, a
Washington DC reporter and cameraman, and Mercy Foundation
camera crew waited in anticipation. In the final hour, the
group standing under the streetlight outside the sanctuary
entrance of St. Joseph’s church prayed the rosary in
30-degree temperatures.
Questions are raised in regard to why there was no sign in
the way many people anticipated. Were the apparitions false?
Did the messenger (Sullivan) misunderstand? Was the sign
diminished because the prayer services were halted? Or was it
allegedly as Our Lady of Emmitsburg said in her message of
July 20, 2000, "Be gentle and show acts of love and
charity or you will not be able to recognize any sign from
heaven because of your own pride and arrogance."
The phrase "a sign for this October" could have
many interpretations. The message did not say miracle. Did
many misinterpret what "a sign" meant? Individuals
speculating that the October sign did, in fact, occur have
concluded that the sign was Pope John Paul II’s "Act of
Entrustment" of the church, the world, and new millennium
to the Blessed Virgin Mary on October 8th.
The headline of a press release issued by Caritas of
Birmingham stated, "The world will change for the next
1000 years on October 8, 2000." The non-profit
organization and community located in Birmingham, Alabama is
dedicated to living and spreading the message of "Our
Lady of Medjugorje." The press release quoted the
scripture verse Rev 20: 1-3 and encouraged people to be part
of this event which it said, "is beyond historic."
On October 7th and 8th the Vatican celebrated the Jubilee of
Bishops. On October 8th, after the celebration of the mass,
bishops united with the Holy Father in an "Act of
Entrustment" to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In a newsletter
numbered vol.63 and entitled "Words of the
Harvesters" Caritas of Birmingham described the events,
"In Rome, those from our community who were present
expressed to us that there was a strong sense of something in
the air, something like what one feels awaiting Christmas.
Everyone felt it. Even many of the Cardinals, Bishops and
Priests expressed the same. There were 1,156 Bishops and 80
Cardinals present from every corner of the world. Not since
the time of the Second Vatican Council has there been so vast
a representation of a gathering of the world’s Bishops. The
Universal Church was truly present in this historic
event." The publication went further to say, "We
believe this moment of entrustment was the moment Our Lady was
given the graces to crush the power of Satan. This will lead
to the moment of triumph, the victory of Her Immaculate Heart.
In time, we will see the physical manifestation appear of what
has already taken place in the spiritual realm, a complete
victory over all hearts who desire Jesus to rule as
King."
On the evening of October 7, 2000 there was a local
gathering of the faithful that was well attended at the
Basilica of St Elizabeth Ann Seton. They participated in a
candle light procession with the pilgrim statue of Fatima and
recited a similar consecration in union with the Holy Father,
and the bishops in Rome. Those speculating that this "Act
of Entrustment" was the sign, tied the event to the
message of July 13 in which allegedly Our Lady of Emmitsburg
said, "Satan’s reign is ending this year and now I am
moving swiftly on his turf to reclaim all those who were
deceived and lost. I am determined to bring all of my children
back to my son." She repeated the prophecy ending the
message in the words, "Watch and see for I am about to
meet Satan on his own turf and extinguish his ways forever.
Watch and see."
Some speculate the sign was the Sullivans unscheduled
private audience with the Holy Father. They rationed the
meeting to be extra ordinary sighting the normal formalities
which one needs to overcome in order to see Pope John Paul II
are difficult enough. They believe this due to the fact that
their meeting was unscheduled, private, and occurred on
October 13th, the same day of the miracle, which authenticated
the apparitions at Fatima. The Sullivans, in their commitment
of obedience to the archdiocese, continue to remain silent and
are unwilling to confirm or deny any speculation in regard to
the sign.
Time will provide enlightenment to these events that have
occurred here in Emmitsburg for the past seven years. One
thing does remain, Gianna Talone-Sullivan truly believes she
sees the Blessed Virgin Mary and many others believe this as
well. Since the prayer services were discontinued, both
parishioners and pilgrims have continued to gather every
Thursday evening at various homes in Emmitsburg to pray. At
one particular parishioner’s home, crowds between 60 and 180
have gathered each week. On November 2nd, the first Thursday
after October, a group of approximately 90 people gathered.
Most had their own personal stories and convictions about the
events but their primary reason for gathering was to continue
to pray. Several stated, "a sign isn’t necessary or
needed for us to believe."
The Archdiocese of Baltimore took no action against the
majority of the messages; 221 of the 302 are published in the
last two books of a six-volume set entitled "I am Your
Jesus of Mercy." The action that was taken, however, was
directly concerned with the prophetic and apocalyptic aspects,
which the July 13th message was apart. The Archdiocese,
speaking about the messages, stated, "it finds elements
in them that cannot be reconciled with the teaching of the
Church, including material that deals with predictions for the
future and visions of an apocalyptic nature." The
material contained in the messages prior to their statement of
September 8 were not strong enough to provoke any action. The
church likes to give events like these the benefit of time.
Only in time do we understand the fullness of mystical
experiences. The apparitions at Fatima occurred over 80 years
ago, were authenticated with the "miracle of the
sun," and approved by a formal commission study of the
church, but it wasn’t until May of this year that part of
the message referred to as "the third secret" was
revealed by the church and given explanation. No one knows
without doubt all the answers to the questions surrounding
these events in Emmitsburg, but in time the answers will
become clear. We continue to watch and see.
