Carmelo Cortez returns to New York

(Update: this event was in the past.)

We have received notice that Carmelo Cortez soon will be attending a healing Mass in New York, as

Carmelo Cortez at healing Mass in Staten Island, NY

described below.

In recent years this blog has reported on the amazing manifestations of God's love that are produced from this faithful man's mystical ministry. Those reports can be found  HERE, HERE, HERE, and, most importantly, HERE.

We should be ever-thoughtful, however, to avoid equating Carmelo's miraculous rose petals with the substance of magician's tricks. The reason for these wonderful transformations, as I humbly suspect, has less to do with the material world than the spiritual. Through Carmelo, God shows us that His love has no bounds. He is God of both the seen and unseen. And He is a God of surprises!

Transformed rose petal, showing the defeat of Lucifer
by St. Michael the Archangel

How blessed we are to witness the miraculous transformation of rose petals but, even more, the miraculous transformations of our hearts!

Verifying the correct time and place would be wise, but our information on the upcoming event is as follows:

Saturday, August 19th, 2017 

 at St. Christopher Roman Catholic Church 

 130 Midland Avenue 

 Staten Island NY 10306 

7:30 pm Mass

 followed by healing.

One or the other...

"My God, at this hour, 
close Your eyes to my want of merit 

and open them to Your infinite merits."

St. Gemma Galgani

These days, amazing -- but artificial -- video scenes can be manipulated through computer generated imagery or digital enhancement. So, we are wise to remain faithful -- but skeptical -- whenever we find a seemingly miraculous image on the Internet. 

Yet, a recent online video has gained an enthusiastic audience, while prompting cause for a deeper investigation. Reportedly, a statue of the crucified Christ opened its eyes in a chapel in Mexico's state of Coahuila de Zaragoza. This claim is supported by a video of the statue that shows a very life-like movement of the eyes during a church service.

What is a pilgrimage and why should I go on one? (An adventure on Rome's Via Francigena.)

"Let all creation help you to praise God. 

Give yourself the rest you need. 

When you are walking alone, 

listen to the sermon preached to you 

by the flowers, the trees, the shrubs, the sky, 

the sun and the whole world. 

Notice how they preach to you a sermon 

full of love, of praise of God, 

and how they invite you to proclaim the greatness 

of the one who has given them being."

St. Paul of the Cross

Via Francigena,
the ancient pilgrim trail to Rome.

When does a leap of faith become an act of insanity? 

However, when does a predictable life of comfort lose its invigorating sense of adventure? 

These are questions I recently asked myself... but not in that order.

As I neared my 60th birthday, my lovely wife, Betsy, offered me a gift of my choosing, since she knew that family commitments would prevent us from traveling together, this time. So, after being inspired by a meaningful movie, called The Way - about an unforgettable hike on Spain's El Camino de Santiago - I chose to backpack along a similarly historic, but less known, pilgrim trail.

Via Francigena (pronounced: vee-ah fran-CHEE-jen-ah), is the ancient path to Rome that is documented to have been followed by pilgrims since 725 AD. A thousand years ago, Archbishop Segeric precisely mapped today's entire Via Francigena, beginning in Canterbury England. While that extreme journey can span almost 2,000 kilometers, I was only attempting the last, and most popular, leg of the trail: from Viterbo to Rome. 

A little reward awaits successful pilgrims at the Vatican. After verifying that at least 100 kilometers of Via Francigena have been completed, on foot, the Vatican's pilgrim office awards a "Testimonium" certificate to each successful pilgrim.

It all sounded like a welcome adventure, both intrinsically and extrinsically. But, eventually, my pilgrimage to Rome, like so many before, did not go as planned.

Carmelo Cortez returns to New York

The readers of this blog have great interest in knowing whenever Carmelo Cortez returns to America. So, I am passing on the information I just received:

Carmelo will be at Our Lady Star of the Sea,
on November 21, 2015 at 7:00 PM.

5371 Amboy Road

Staten Island, NY 10312

Parish no 718 984 0593

For more information on the miraculous ministry of Carmelo Cortez, please enter his name in the search bar at the right, and read more about it.

Is there a pattern?

"I will make your [Hagar's] descendants so numerous,” added the LORD’s angel, “that they will be too many to count.” Then the LORD’s angel said to her: “You are now pregnant and shall bear a son; you shall name him Ishmael, For the LORD has heeded your affliction. He shall be a wild ass of a man, his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; Alongside all his kindred shall he encamp.”

Genesis 16:10-12

Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

Galatians 4:28-31

[The following post was adapted from an email I recently received. Of course, there are many millions of loving, law-abiding Muslims in the world. This email, however, describes the radicals in their camp that are far too numerous. Remember: Jesus descended through Isaac; Mohammad descended through Ishmael.] 

THIS SUMS IT UP:          

• The Shoe Bomber was a Muslim
• The Beltway Snipers were Muslims
• The Fort Hood Shooter was a Muslim

++ A Rose Petal from Carmelo Cortez: Five Miracles?

UPDATE: Reportedly, Carmelo Cortez will be offering a healing service at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 16 Poplar Ave., Staten Island, New York, 10309, at 5 PM on November 2, 2014. Please verify the accuracy of this report.

This is one of those blog posts from which some readers may conclude I am either lying or nuts. So, for the benefit of doubters, I will try to focus on facts and evidence. But before getting to the (seemingly?) miraculous part, I need to provide some background.

Last November, as I rearranged various items around the house while preparing for the upcoming Christmas season, I wanted to clear a table-top area to make room for our Nativity scene. So, I moved a statue of Blessed Mother (right) to a less conspicuous location in the master bedroom. But after squeezing it into one of our display cases, I found the spot too cramped. Consequently, I removed a San Damiano Cross (below) in order to make room for the Virgin Mary statue. Then I stored the Cross in a cabinet, out of view.

[Readers might remember that the unusual San Damiano Cross was the one St. Francis was praying before when God instructed him to go out and rebuild His Church.]

The next morning, however, Betsy (my wife) did not like that I had removed the figurine of the Virgin Mary. She had developed a fondness for the statue in that location because it had been visible from where she would always say her morning prayers. When Betsy stepped over to where the object had once been placed, however, she believes she received an unmistakable message.

Standing exactly where the statue had stood, she sensed a very meaningful aroma. It was a smell that she and I have both experienced before, but only in very prayerful situations. Some call this the "odor of sanctity" - a strong, pleasant aroma, much like the scent of roses. (Briefly described here.) Sometimes it accompanies oils, for example, that exude from holy statues. Yet, at other times, the fragrance seems to manifest itself in the air without any material accompaniment.

Now, I don't want to give the impression that we insist on coordinating our lives around signs and superstitions, but Betsy was adamant that Blessed Mother wanted her statue returned to its original setting. So, both the figurine and the Cross were placed in their earlier display locations.

Then, either that afternoon or the next day - I can't remember which - I received a wonderful gift in the mail. It was from an extremely generous Catholic friend who had attended a recent prayer gathering in New York; one which I had hoped to attend, but couldn't. In addition to Holy Mass and the Rosary, the prayer meeting had included an exposition of the Spiritual Gifts of Carmelo Cortez. (For more background on this amazing Catholic mystic, read here, here, here, and here.)

A Must-Read (click the description):

I Was a Pagan, 

Hedonistic, 

Man-Hating 

Feminist. 

But Now I’m Catholic. 

This Is My Story.

+ Was it a miracle?

(Adapted from the travel book: Rome and the Vatican - Guide 4 Pilgrims by Kenneth E. & Elizabeth H. Nowell.)

In the shadow of the Pantheon, Basilica Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (left) was built over the ruins of Pompey the Great’s Temple of Minerva (50 BC). This site's first church was ordered by Pope Zacharias (741-752). In the 13th century, however, the monastery next door and that early church were given to an order of Domincan Friars. By 1370 they rebuilt the structure, making it the first Gothic church in Rome. Dominicans continue to serve the church, to this day, where Bernini’s charming little Elefantino welcomes visitors, outside.

Near the main altar is Christ the Redeemer (right) that was begun by Michelangelo, but finished by one of his students. Its bronze loin cloth is a later addition.

Medieval master artist Fra Angelico and two 16th century Medici popes are entombed here: Pope Leo X and Clement VII, one of the most unfortunate of all pontiffs, reigning during the infamous sack of 1527. Most notably, however, this church holds the sarcophagus (left) and relics of Dominican mystic St. Catherine of Siena who lived here. Her room has been preserved for viewing (right of the altar). 

On a personal note, this is a very special basilica; one we will forever remember because of an incident we witnessed here.

A papal prophecy

Photo Copyright 2013
Kenneth E. Nowell

“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. I do not think that the wide circle of the American Society, or the whole wide circle of the Christian Community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, between the Gospel and the anti-Gospel, between Christ and the anti-Christ. The confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence. It is, therefore, in God’s Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up, and face courageously…”

Pope John Paul II

Carmelo Cortez returns to New York 11/16/13

UPDATE: Reportedly, Carmelo Cortez will be offering a healing service at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 30 Poplar Ave., Staten Island, New York, at 5 PM on November 2, 2014. Please verify the accuracy of this report. (Also, for more about the rose petals of Carmelo Cortez, please go here.)

By all appearances, Carmelo Cortez is not a man who grabs one's attention. He seems quiet, mild-mannered, and not exactly someone who has a mesmerizing story to tell. But with Carmelo Cortez, appearances are deceiving.

In June of 1991, Carmelo was 21 and living in a squatters' area of Quezon City in the Philippines. Soon after being given a picture of the Madonna and Child, he heard a soft voice, along with the sound of beautiful music. He followed the voice and found that it originated from the picture in which Blessed Mother was now weeping tears of blood. Baby Jesus also appeared to be catching the drops in one hand.

Two days later, Carmelo heard the music again, and when he followed it, he met the Mother of God, who began giving him messages. Since then, he has spoken to her many times. Over a six-year period in the 1990s, for example, she appeared to him 101 times, asking him each time to "pray for priests." To Carmelo, she is known as Mother of Eucharist and Grace.

The skeptic might easily dismiss those unproven claims. However, Carmelo Cortez backs up his words with an amazing mystical ministry, convincing even cynics of the miraculous power of the Madonna and her Divine Child. Most famously, Carmelo has gained international attention for the astonishingly detailed images on rose petals that quickly materialize at his prayer services. I have seen close to 100 of them, and each one seems to be unique. However, other miracles seem to effortlessly pass through Carmello's hands, including healings, turning drinking water into rose oil, and transforming rose petals into Eucharistic bread.

Medjugorje to be named official shrine?

Medjugorje watchers have long waited on guidance from the Vatican regarding alleged mystical phenomena originating from that small town in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Though six visionaries have claimed thousands of miraculous apparitions there for over 30 years, only now does the deliberately slow process of papal investigation appear to be reaching a conclusion.

Recently, according to MedjugorjeToday.tv, the Vatican's Commission on Medjugorje requested that the pastor of St. James Church come to Rome. That church is the focal point of the administration of Sacraments in Medjugorje, most notably Mass and Confession for the millions of pilgrims who arrive from around the world.

Was this supercomputer named in prophecy?

"With respect to [the Antichrist's] name, it is not in our power to explain it exactly, as the blessed John understood it and was instructed about it, but only to give a conjectural account of it; for when he appears, the blessed one will show us what we seek to know. Yet as far as our doubtful apprehension of the matter goes, we may speak. Many names indeed we find, the letters of which are the equivalent of this number [666]: such as, for instance, the word Titan..."

St. Hippolytus

(d. 235)

In June of 2009, I suffered a serious injury while playing tennis. Fortunately, though, the rupture of my Achilles tendon produced a blessing for me. While recuperating, I finally found the solitude I needed for writing the spiritual thriller I had contemplated for over a decade. So, by the end of the year I had finished the novel that eventually became known as The Rise, along with plotting the remaining two books in The Trials and Triumph Trilogy.

Now, based on recent headlines, these works of faction (fact-based fiction) have proven surprisingly predictive. For example, on a single day this summer the Drudge Report featured 49 news reports that were relevant to the dominant warnings of the trilogy and, since then, many more related stories have been identified by Christian news aggregators like Spirit Daily.

Coincidence? Not at all.

The trilogy is based not only on prophecies of Scripture but, more pointedly, on detailed prophecies of saints over the past two millennia. The story can be read and appreciated simply as an epic Christian thriller. However, with almost 1,000 end notes documenting its prophecies, inquisitive readers have the option to delve deeper in order to separate fact from fiction. They can discover that the world in which we live was foreseen by prophets.

This is no "conspiracy theory." Each day's headlines reveal it is a "conspiracy fact."

For example:

Papal Mass attended by 3 million!

... if my people, 

who are called by my name, 

will humble themselves 

and pray 

and seek my face 

and turn from their wicked ways, 

then I will hear from heaven, 

and I will forgive their sin 

and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

In Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, the concluding Mass for World Youth Day drew a reported congregation of 3 million. In an age when young people of faith are marginalized or ignored, even mainstream media must acknowledge the enthusiastically faithful, record audience. 

It seems that every time the Catholic Church is written off, it bounces back as strong as ever.  

I tell you that you are Peter, 

and on this rock I will build my church, 

and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; 

whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, 

and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 16:18-19

January, 2015 UPDATE: Record crowd of up to 7 million welcomes Pope Francis.

++ Video: The suffering of a stigmatist

"...in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

2 Corinthians 12:7-9

For centuries, Christians have been awed or repulsed by suffering associated with the rare phenomenon of stigmata. In his letter to the Corinthians, above, could it be that St. Paul was the first to endure this special "gift"? 

The first documented stigmatist, however, was St. Francis of Assisi who lived 8 centuries ago. Since then, according to one site, over 300 people have been recorded as having experienced the phenomenon, with 90% of them being women. Though Catholic journalist Michael Brown reports the number of alleged  stigmatists is growing, the Church has never issued an infallible statement regarding the validity of this seeming miracle. 

The agony associated with this mysterious phenomenon has been observed by relatively few people through the centuries. Now, however, thanks to modern technology,  the credibility of the alleged passion of Bolivian Katya Rivas can be evaluated by anyone with access to the Internet. 

This outstanding 35 minute documentary is the product of Australian investigative journalist Michael Willesee. It is well worth seeing in its entirety. However, for those who are short on time, I offer a guide to the most important 10 minutes, or so. 

SHOCKER: Pope Benedict XVI to resign

Pope Benedict XVI has announced he will step down, effective February 28. The declaration came as a surprise for Vatican watchers around the globe because a papal resignation has not occurred since 1415.

So, now, the prophecies attributed to St. Malachy appear more ominous and pressing than ever before.

Though the exact origin of these 112 Latin phrases is clouded in controversy, there can be no doubt that they have provided some remarkably accurate descriptions of each succeeding pontiff for at least four centuries, since the time they were made public. However, many believe these short labels actually have predicted every pope since the twelfth century.

For a few examples, here are the translated descriptions of recent pontiffs:

Global Warming or God's Warning?

[4/19/14 UPDATE: Statement of Archdiocese of Dublin on Alleged Visionary "Maria Divine Mercy" declares: "... these messages and alleged visions have no ecclesiastical approval and many of the texts are in contradiction with Catholic theology."] 

You know a winter storm is dangerous when they give it a name. This one is called Nemo.

Yet, today, as we ponder just how disruptive and deadly this nor'easter will be for the people of New England, one fact is clearer than ever: the cause is not Global Warming. Recent data reveal that a 16 year planetary warming trend actually stopped 16 years ago. So, from 1997 to 2012, rounded to the nearest tenth of a degree, the average global temperature has changed exactly 0.0 degrees.

This finding is consistent with a mountain of evidence that continues to accumulate, indicating that the Global Warming alarmists were wrong:

• Russians are suffering through the coldest winter in decades with temperatures reaching minus 50 degrees Celsius.
• Alaska has chilled 2.4 degrees since 2000, causing some to fear another ice age.
• New Delhi suffered the coldest day in 44 years.
• China, too, is experiencing its coldest winter in decades.

Note that while an argument can be made that warmer oceans may cause increased snowfalls, these statistics refer to temperature, not snowfall. Now, mainstream promoters of the man-made Global Warming theory have had to recognize that planetary temperatures are stable. Even the U.N. appears poised to admit that their computer models overestimated Global Warming.

So, what in the world is going on with the weather? Why are we witnessing such tumult?

Could it be that the cause is not Global Warming, but God's Warning? It seems that what the meteorologists can't predict the mystics may have foretold.

A perspective on death in America

But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, 

but weep for yourselves and for your children. 

For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 

‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, 

and the breasts that never nursed.’ 

Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 

'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' 

For if they do these things when the tree is green, 

what will happen when it is dry?” 
Luke 23:28-31

+++ A prophet, resting in peace

Blessed Anna Maria Taigi

Standing over the glass-encased tomb of Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, one senses her serenity. With rosary in hand and eyes closed in prayer, a slight smile crosses her lips. Her seemingly peaceful slumber is comfortingly natural, even 175 years after her death.

The life of this Spiritually gifted woman, however, was not so serene.

Anna Maria Masi was born into a devout and loving Siena family in 1769. The Masis struggled financially and, even though Anna Maria worked hard to help support her family, a lack of employment opportunities in Siena forced them to move to Rome.

Eventually, she married Dominico Taigi, who was not wealthy, but from nobility. So, for a while, the newlyweds gladly experienced the pleasures of high society.

Paul Harvey's amazing prophecies from 1965

"If I were the devil..."

Fifty shades of insanity

"Chastisement will come 

when a very large number of bad books have been spread."

Sister Bertina Bouquillon

aka Nursing Nun of Bellay

As I write this, the American Library Association is celebrating its 50 state salute to banned books week. Tragically, even in our once safe libraries and the once respectable profession of publishing, today's dominant impulse is to promote mankind's prurient descent into decadence.

Consider that there was a time, not too long ago, when:

• publishers and pornographers considered themselves in distinctly different businesses;
• family-oriented stores like Walmart and Sam's Club shunned books that celebrate sadistic, sexual violence;
• public libraries had more stringent standards than big city, back alley peep shows.

Times have changed.

Over the past decade, some major publishers have particularly signaled their determination to hype and promote whatever scandalizes, titillates or outrages. As always, the edge of the slippery slope seemed harmless enough, at first.

Nine years ago, the world witnessed the marketing juggernaut of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code." Though it was widely criticized for its historical and scientific inaccuracies, the novel was marketed as if it contained a factual foundation to its ludicrous claim that the Catholic Church had murderously participated in the greatest religious conspiracy in history. Now approaching 100 million copies sold, the blockbuster helped make anti-Catholic bigotry fashionable. 

Then, just five years ago, a new breed of militant atheists became the celebrated darlings of the publishing world. Their more accurate label, however, would be "antitheist" because they not only choose not to believe in God - an arguable position, at least - but aggressively dismiss and disparage anyone who does. Even though secular liberal journals had written devastating reviews, the carnival barkers of the airwaves managed to make a number of them best sellers. 

Next, the wildly successful trilogy that included "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" proved that stories about sadistic sexual violence could produce international best sellers and major motion pictures. 

So, perhaps it is not surprising that a major publisher is now mainstreaming what the Brits affectionately call "mummy porn."