My purpose in putting together this page of extraordinary or unusual conversions is not to provide fuel for the presumptuous to be even more presumptuous. It is the height of folly and stupidity to play with one's salvation. The stakes are high - and if you lose, you'll never be able to finish paying off the debt.

No, the three-fold purpose of this page is: (1) to give glory to God for his wondrous mercies; (2) to edify the elect and to spur them to greater service and prayer for the salvation of souls; and (3) to give hope to the despairing and the faint-hearted who feel crushed by the weight of their sins.

May the Blessed Mother Mary and St. Joseph (Patron of a Happy Death) pray for all who visit this webpage!

"[Jesus said] For the Son of Man came to save what was lost." (Matt 18:11, cf. Luke 19:10)

"... God our Saviour... wishes all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Tim 2:3-4)

And again, when God sent forth missionaries to convert sinners, heretics, infidels, whither did they go to obtain their conversion? Certainly to that place where He resides who can change all hearts, how hardened soever they may be. We read in the life of St. Francis de Sales, that nine hundred heretics presented themselves to him to abjure their heresy after he had prayed with the faithful during the Forty Hours' Devotion. A few days after, having prayed with the people most humbly and fervently for the same object, a great number of heretics of the suburbs of Focigni came to abjure their heresy. Their example was followed by three hundred more of the parish of Belevaux and three hundred of the parish of St. Sergues. Therefore, one of the best means to convert sinners is to recommend them to Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

Another Scapular story that bears repeating took place in 1845. In the late summer of that year, the English ship, "King of the Ocean" found itself in the middle of a wild hurricane. As wind and sea mercilessly lashed the ship, a Protestant minister, together with his wife and children and other passengers, struggled to the deck to pray for mercy and forgiveness, as the end seemed at hand. Among the crew was a young Irishman, John McAuliffe. On seeing the urgency of the situation, the youth opened his shirt, took off his Scapular, and, making the Sign of the Cross with it over the raging waves, tossed it into the ocean. At that very moment, the wind calmed. Only one more wave washed the deck, bringing with it the Scapular which came to rest at the boy's feet. All the while the minister (a Mr Fisher) had been carefully observing McAuliffe's actions and the miraculous effect of those actions. Upon questioning the young man, they were told about the Holy Virgin and Her Scapular. Mr Fisher and his family were so impressed that they were determined to enter the Catholic Church as soon as possible, and thereby enjoy the same protection of Our Lady's Scapular.

The following facts, which appeared some years ago in The Irish Catholic, although treating of a young priest, might have been your experience or mine. They are illustrative of this power at our disposal in the Scapular.

"Doctor Francis Zaldia, former President of the Republic of Colombia, was an eminent lawyer very much opposed to the Catholic Church. He always belonged to the liberal party, which in that country, as in most countries, is hostile to the Church. To him, partly, the expulsion of the Jesuits has to be ascribed. Nevertheless, he had a son who was educated very carefully and finished his studies at the American College at Rome. The young Colombian studied for the priesthood and was particularly devoted to the most holy Virgin. Although he prayed to Our Lady incessantly for the conversion of his father, all his efforts seemed in vain.

"After the young cleric had been ordained a priest, he returned to his native country. A few years after his son's return, the old ex-President became hopelessly sick, but gave no indication that he wished to die as a Christian; on the contrary he awaited death unconcernedly. This almost exasperated the priestly son who stood near the dying father's bed. Making a final effort, the young priest said painfully: 'Dear Father, what human skill could do has been done. Do you not want any spiritual assistance whatever? Please, take this Scapular!' The dying president, accepting the offered Scapular, soon made his confession and declared that he wished to die a son of Mother Church!" [Footnote: Cf. Carm. Rev., V, pg. 184]

FATHER MILLERIOT, of the Society of Jesus, used often to recount a certain incident that is illustrative of the meaning of Mary's [Brown Scapular] Promise to a missionary.

A certain woman, who had received some favors from the celebrated Jesuit, violated the principles of honor. When, out of dread and shame, she determined upon taking her life, she made known her terrible intention to Father Milleriot. The Jesuit used every argument to dissuade her. Utterly blinded by shame and fear, however, the woman was so possessed by the temptation that the missioner's words had no effect. Finally, he administered his reserved coup.

"At least," he said in a lowered voice, "at least you will do one little thing for me. Let me give you the Scapular and then promise me that you will not take it off."

For a moment, the sinner hesitated. Then she replied, "I will promise you, Father. I could not refuse one who has been so kind to me."

As she left, wearing the livery of Our Lady, Father Milleriot smiled inwardly and said, "My friend, I have you now. Try as you may to take your life, you shall not succeed." [Footnote: Enciclopedia, pg. 227; Carm. Rev., III, pg. 323]

Haunted by the temptation, the poor woman actually did go to the Seine and throw herself into its waters. She was rescued. The next day, she tried again. Again someone saw her fall into the water and again she was unwillingly dragged from the river. This time a severe illness followed. As she lay between life and death, still wearing that miraculous Scapular, grace touched her soul and she realized the horror of what she had been about to do. Father Milleriot found, after her recovery, that in the place of an abandoned sinner was a repentant saint. He signified this great victory over Satan by simply stating the case: "She remained a devout and fervent client of the Blessed Virgin throughout the rest of her life." [Footnote: Carm. Rev., III, pg. 323]

A priest relates how one day in a town near Chicago he was called to the bedside of a man who had been away from the Sacraments for many years. "The man did not want to see me: he would not talk. Then I asked him to look at the little Scapular I was holding. 'Will you wear this if I put this on you? I ask nothing more.' He agreed to wear it, and within the hour he wanted to go to confession and make his peace with God. This did not surprise me, because for over 700 years Our Lady has been working in this way through Her Scapular."

There are many examples of the Scapular Promise working its wonders in the souls of non-Catholics. A very recent one occurred at the Bellevue Hospital in New York. The prior of the house of studies of a religious Order, a very close friend of the present author, solemnly testifies to an incident which inaugurated his administration of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction there. He had just come back from Rome and was at once appointed to duty at the Bellevue. The morning came when, for the first time, the older priest left him alone to take care of any sick-calls. He was hoping against hope there would not be any. But one came. Nervously he prepared for it and was then led into a certain ward to the bed of a patient who, he believed, had called for the priest. Approaching the bed he asked the dying man if he wished to make his confession. "I am not a Catholic," came the surprising reply!

Confused, the young priest went to the nurse and said, "Nurse, there must be some mistake; this man says that he is not a Catholic!"

"Well, he is wearing the Scapular, Father," the nurse rejoined.

The priest returned to the bed. "If you are not a Catholic," he inquired, "why are you wearing the Scapular?"

"Because some Catholic sisters, who begged alms near our factory, asked me to wear it," came the slow answer.

"Well, would you like to be a Catholic?" asked the priest.

"Father," came the unusual answer, "there is nothing I would like better!" And he died, newly baptized, a few days later.

We should even give the Scapular to non-Catholics for Our Lady will bring conversions to those who will wear it and say one Hail Mary each day, as the following true story will show. An old man was rushed to St. Simon Stock Hospital in New York City, unconscious and dying. The nurse, seeing the Brown Scapular on the patient, called the priest. As the prayers were being said for the dying man, he became conscious and spoke up: "Father, I am not a Catholic." "Then why are you wearing the Brown Scapular?" asked the priest. "I promised my friends to wear it," the patient explained, "and say one Hail Mary a day." "You are dying," the priest told him. "Do you want to become a Catholic?" "All my life I wanted to be one," the dying man replied. He was baptized, received the Last Rites, and died in peace. Our Lady took another soul under Her mantle through Her Scapular!

During the Spanish civil war in the 1930's, seven Communists were sentenced to death because of their crimes. A Carmelite priest tried to prepare the men for death; they refused. As a last resort, he brought the men cigarettes, food and wine, assuring them that he would not talk religion. In a short while, they were all friendly, so he asked them for one small favor: "Will you permit me to place a Scapular on each of you?" Six agreed; one refused. Soon all Scapular wearers went to confession. The seventh continued to refuse. Only to please them, he put on a Scapular, he would do nothing more. Morning came, and as the moment of execution drew near, the seventh man made it clear that he was not going to ask for the priest. Although wearing the Scapular, he was determined to go to his own death an enemy of God. Finally, the command was given, the firing squad did its deadly work, and seven lifeless bodies lay sprawled in the dust. Mysteriously, a Scapular was found approximately 50 paces from the bodies. Six men died WITH Mary's Scapular; the seventh died WITHOUT the Scapular. Blessed Claude gives us the solution to the mystery of the missing Scapular: "You ask, 'What if I desire to die in my sins?' I answer, 'Then you will die in your sins. BUT YOU WILL NOT DIE IN YOUR SCAPULAR.'"

On the very day that Our Lady gave the Scapular to St. Simon Stock, he was hurriedly called by Lord Peter of Linton: "Come quickly, Father, my brother is dying in despair!" St. Simon Stock left at once for the bedside of the dying man. Upon arrival he placed his large Scapular over the man, asking Our Blessed Mother to keep her promise. Immediately the man repented, and died in the grace and friendship of God. That night the dead man appeared to his brother and said, "I have been saved through the most powerful Queen and the habit of that man as a shield."

One of the most extraordinary of all Scapular incidents took place right here in the United States. It happened around the turn of the century in the town of Ashtabula, Ohio, that a man was cut in two by a train; he was wearing the Scapular. Instead of dying instantly, as is usual, he remained alive AND CONSCIOUS for 45 minutes -- just enough time until a priest could arrive to administer the Last Sacraments. These, and other such incidents, tell us that Our Blessed Mother will take personal care of us in the hour of death. So great and powerful a Mother is Mary that She will never fail to keep the Scapular contract, i.e., to see that we die in God's grace, etc.

In the life of St. Catherine of Siena we read of the conversion of two great criminals. The Saint had gone to visit one of her friends. As they heard, in the streets below, a loud noise, her friend looked through the window. Two condemned men were being led to execution. Their jailers were tormenting them with nails heated red-hot, while the condemned men blasphemed and cried. St. Catherine, inside the house, fell to prayer, with her arms extended in the form of a cross. At once the wicked men ceased to blaspheme and asked for a confessor. People in the street could not understand this sudden change. They did not know that a nearby saint had obtained this double conversion.

We read in the life of St. Clare of Montefalco that she once prayed for a certain person who was laden with the guilt of many crimes, and had delayed his conversion now to the last years of his life. Once and again, when she began to pray, she felt herself repelled from prayer by a hidden violence, and she heard an interior voice telling her not to pray for that wretch, as she would not be heard. She returned, however, a third time to her prayer, and obtained his conversion in the following manner. She placed herself before Christ the Judge, as if she herself were laden with all this man's sins, and, as so laden, she obliged herself to make satisfaction for him, and to bear all the punishment which the order of Divine Justice should desire and exact, until the Divine Goodness should deign to convert that soul. This act so pleased Our Lord that the obstinate sinner was suddenly converted, and led a good life from that time forth.

St. Gertrude, complaining one time to Our Lord of the small number of the elect - if we might judge from those who were leading lives likely to lead to Heaven - was told by Our Lord that she was mistaken and that the number of the elect was not so small as she imagined. Might He not mean - Our Dear Lord - that He in His mercy accords a good death to some whose lives did not warrant His doing so, that He allows Himself to be persuaded, if we may so speak, that He listens to the prayers, the penances, the ardent supplications of His servants, and shows mercy? Do we not read that His favored servant, St. Francis of Assisi, saw the fate of one of his disciples, saw the sentence of damnation that awaited him, and yet, in answer to His loved servant, Our Lord revoked the sentence?

The feast of Our Lady of Angels was a day on which Marie Denise generally obtained the liberation of many souls from Purgatory. Once after Communion on that day, she felt a strong interior movement, as if Our Lord was taking her soul out of her body and leading her to the shore of Purgatory. There He pointed out to her the soul of a powerful prince who had been killed in a duel, but to whom God had given the grace to make an act of contrition before he breathed his last; and she was ordered to pray for him especially… She was so overcome by this vision of his soul that the Superioress perceived that something extraordinary had happened to her. She related the vision, and added, "Yes, my dear mother! I have seen that soul in Purgatory… Oh, my mother!" she continued, weeping, "how good is God in His justice! How has this prince followed the spirit of the world and the lights of the flesh! How little anxiety has he had for his soul, and how little devotion in the use of the Sacraments!"

(…)

"Any yet, my dear mother, I am not so much moved at the lamentable state of suffering in which I have seen his soul, as I am struck with wonder at the blessed moment of grace which accomplished his salvation. That happy instant seems to me an outflow of the infinity of God's goodness, sweetness and love. The action in which he died, deserved Hell. It was no attention to God on his own part which won from Heaven that precious moment of grace. It was an effect of the Communion of Saints, by the participation which he had in the prayers that were made for him. The Divine Omnipotence lovingly allowed itself to be turned by some good soul and in that grace acted beyond its wont.

"Ah, my dear Mother! henceforth we must teach all the world to beg of God, our blessed Lady, and the Saints, that final instant of grace and mercy for the hour of death, and also to pave the way for it by good works; because though Our Lord may sometimes derogate from His ordinary providence, we must never presume on that privilege in our own case… A million souls have been lost in the very action in which the prince was saved. He had but one instant of life in the free possession of his mind, in order to cooperate with the precious moment of grace; that moment inspired him with a real contrition, which enabled him to make an act of true repentance… as the prince had not lost the faith, he was like a match ready to take fire; so that when the spark of merciful grace touched the Christian center of his soul, the fire of charity was kindled, and brought forth a saving act."

1797 Today, the Lord came to me [ie. Bl. Faustina Kowalska] and said, "My daughter, help Me to save souls. You will go to a dying sinner, and you will continue to recite the chaplet, and in this way, you will obtain for him trust in My mercy, for he is already in despair."

1798 Suddenly, I found myself in a strange cottage where an elderly man was dying amidst great torments. All about the bed was a multitude of demons and the family, who were crying. When I began to pray, the spirits of darkness fled, with hissing and threats directed at me. The soul became calm and, filled with trust, rested in the Lord.

At the same moment, I found myself again in my own room. How this happens... I do not know.

809. During the night, I [ie. Bl. Faustina Kowalska] was suddenly awakened and knew that some soul was asking me for prayer, and that it was in much need of prayer. Briefly, but with all my soul, I asked the Lord for grace for her.

810. The following afternoon, when I entered the ward, I saw someone dying, and learned that the agony had started during the night. When I verified it - it had been at the time when I had been asked for prayer. And just then, I heard a voice in my soul: "Say the chaplet which I taught you." I ran to fetch my rosary and knelt down by the dying person and, with all the ardor of my soul, I began to say the chaplet. Suddenly the dying person opened her eyes and looked at me; I had not managed to finish the entire chaplet when she died, with extraordinary peace. I fervently asked the Lord to fulfill the promise He had given me for the recitation of the chaplet. The Lord gave me to know that the soul had been granted the grace He had promised me. That was the first soul to receive the benefit of the Lord's promise. I could feel the power of mercy envelop that soul.

811. When I entered my solitude, I heard these words: "At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the indulgence is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God's anger is placated, and unfathomable mercy envelops the soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy will be moved for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son."

Oh, if only everyone realized how great the Lord's mercy is and how much we all need that mercy, especially at that crucial hour!

1565 When I entered the chapel for a moment, the Lord said to me [ie. Bl. Faustina Kowalska], "My daughter, help me to save a certain dying sinner, Say the chaplet that I have taught you for him." When I began to say the chaplet, I saw the man dying in the midst of terrible torment and struggle. His Guardian Angel was defending, but he was, as it were, powerless against the enormity of the soul's misery. A multitude of devils was waiting for the soul. But while I was saying the chaplet, I saw Jesus just as He is depicted in the image. The rays which issued from Jesus' Heart enveloped the sick man, and the powers of darkness fled in panic. The sick man peacefully breathed his last. When I came to myself, I understood how very important the chaplet was for the dying. It appeases the anger of God.

1035 This evening, a certain young man was dying; he was suffering terribly. For his intention, I [ie. Bl. Faustina Kowalska] began to say the chaplet which the Lord had taught me. I said it all, but the agony continued. I wanted to start the Litany of the Saints, but suddenly I heard the words, "Say the chaplet." I understood that the soul needed the special help of prayers and great mercy. And so I locked myself in my room and fell prostrate before God and begged for mercy upon that soul. Then I felt the great majesty of God and His great justice. I trembled with fear, but did not stop begging the Lord's mercy for that soul. Then I took the cross off my breast, the crucifix I had received when making my vows, and I put it on the chest of the dying man and said to the Lord, "Jesus, look on this soul with the same love with which You looked on my holocaust on the day of my perpetual vows, and by the power of the promise which You made to me in respect to the dying and those who would invoke Your mercy on them, [grant this man the grace of a happy death]." His suffering then ceased, and he died peacefully. Oh, how much we should pray for the dying! Let us take advantage of mercy while there is still time for mercy.

873 January 8. (...) After Holy Communion, I [ie. Bl. Faustina Kowalska] turned my gaze with trust toward the Lord and told him, "Jesus, I so much desire to tell You something." And the Lord looked at me with love and said, "And what is it that you desire to tell Me?"

"Jesus, I beg You, by the inconceivable power of Your mercy, that all the souls who will die today escape the fire of hell, even if they have been the greatest sinners. Today is Friday, the memorial of Your bitter agony on the Cross; because Your mercy is inconceivable, the Angels will not be surprised at this." Jesus pressed me to His Heart and said, "My beloved daughter, you have come to know well the depths of My mercy. I will do what you ask, but unite yourself continually with My agonizing Heart and make reparation to My justice. Know that you have asked Me for a great thing, but I see that this was dictated by your pure love for Me; that is why I am complying with your requests."

And when they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified [Jesus] there, and the robbers, one on his right hand and the other on his left. (...) Now one of those robbers who were hanged was abusing [Jesus], saying, "If thou art the Christ, save thyself and us!" But the other [ie. St. Dismas] in answer rebuked him and said, "Dost not even thou fear God, seeing that thou art under the same sentence? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what our deeds deserved; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise."

1783 When I [ie. Bl. Faustina Kowalska] immersed myself in prayer and united myself with all the Masses that were being celebrated all over the world at that time, I implored God, for the sake of all these Holy Masses, to have mercy on poor sinners and especially on poor sinners who were dying at that moment. At the same instant, I received an interior answer from God that a thousand souls had received grace through the prayerful meditation I had offered to God. We do not know the number of souls that is ours to save through our prayers and sacrifices; therefore, let us always pray for sinners.

For you must know that the holy souls are so grateful to their benefactors that, when once in heaven, they constitute themselves their advocates, nor will they ever rest till they also see them in possession of glory. It would seem that an unworthy woman in Rome experienced this. Utterly forgetful of her eternal salvation, she had no other heed than to give vent to her evil passions, and to ruin youth; nor did she do any good, except that every few days she would get a Mass for souls in purgatory. It was they, as we may well believe, who so interceded for their benefactress that one day she was overtaken by vehement contrition for her sins. Abandoning her infamous dwelling, she sped to the feet of a zealous confessor, made her general confession, and soon after died in such good dispositions that she afforded to one and all clear signs of eternal salvation. This grace altogether so miraculous was generally attributed to the virtue of those Masses celebrated at her request, in behalf of the blessed souls in purgatory. Let us then awake, and heed lest we permit that publicani et meretrices praecedent nos in regnum Dei - "lest publicans and the harlots shall go into the kingdom of God before us" (St. Matt. xxi. 31).

Our Lady blesses not only those who preach her Rosary, but she highly rewards all those who get others to say it by their example.

Alphonsus, King of Leon and Galicia, very much wanted all his servants to honor the Blessed Virgin by saying the Rosary. So he used to hang a large rosary on his belt and always wore it, but unfortunately never said it himself. Nevertheless his wearing it encouraged his courtiers to say the Rosary very devoutly.

One day the King fell seriously ill and when he was given up for dead he found himself, in a vision, before the judgment seat of Our Lord. Many devils were there accusing him of all the sins he had committed and Our Lord as Sovereign Judge was just about to condemn him to hell when Our Lady appeared to intercede for him. She called for a pair of scales and had his sins placed in one of the balances whereas she put the rosary that he had always worn on the other scale, together with all the Rosaries that had been said because of his example. It was found that the Rosaries weighed more than his sins.

Looking at him with great kindness Our Lady said: "As a reward for this little honor that you paid me in wearing my Rosary, I have obtained a great grace for you from my Son. Your life will be spared for a few more years. See that you spend these years wisely, and do penance."

When the King regained consciousness he cried out: "Blessed by the Rosary of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, by which I have been delivered from eternal damnation!"

After he had recovered his health he spent the rest of his life in spreading devotion to the Holy Rosary and said it faithfully every day.

People who love the Blessed Virgin ought to follow the example of King Alphonsus and that of the saints whom I have mentioned so that they too may win other souls for the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. They will then receive great graces on earth and eternal life later on. "They that explain me shall have life everlasting." [Footnote: Ecclus. 24:31]

Whatever you do, do not be like a certain pious but self-willed lady in Rome, so often referred to when speaking about the Rosary. She was so devout and so fervent that she put to shame by her holy life, even the strictest religious in the Church.

Having decided to ask Saint Dominic's advice about her spiritual life she asked him to hear her confession. For penance he gave her one whole Rosary to say and advised her to say it every day. She said that she had no time to say it, excusing herself on the grounds that she made the Stations [Footnote: This is a devotion that originated in the very early Church; it consists in visiting certain stational churches in Rome and saying prescribed prayers in each one. This practice was usually penitential (Catholic Encyclopedia) M.B.] of Rome every day, that she wore sack-cloth and also a hair shirt, that she gave herself the discipline several times a week, that she carried out so many penances and fasted so much. Saint Dominic urged her over and over again to take his advice and say the Rosary, but she would not hear of it. She left the confessional, horrified at the tactics of this new spiritual director who had tried so hard to persuade her to take on a devotion that was not at all to her liking.

Later on when she was in prayer she fell into ecstasy and had a vision of her soul appearing before Our Lord's Judgment Seat. Saint Michael put all her penances and other prayers onto one balance of the scales and all her sins and imperfections onto the other. The tray of her good works was greatly outweighed by that of her sins and imperfections.

Filled with terror she cried for mercy, imploring the help of the Blessed Virgin, her gracious Advocate, who took the one and only Rosary that she had said for her penance and dropped it onto the tray of her good works. This one Rosary was so heavy that it weighed more than all her sins as well as all her good works. Our Lady then reproved her for having refused to follow the counsel of her servant Dominic and for not saying the Rosary every day.

As soon as she came to herself she rushed and threw herself at the feet of Saint Dominic and told him all that had happened, begged his forgiveness for her unbelief and promised to say the Rosary faithfully every day. By this means she rose to Christian perfection and finally to the glory of everlasting life.

You who are people of prayer - learn from this how tremendous is the power, the value and the importance of this devotion of the Most Holy Rosary when it is said together with meditations on the mysteries.

A Polish prince, exiled from his country, bought a beautiful castle and property in France.

Unfortunately, he lost the faith of his childhood, and at the time of our story he was engaged in writing a book against God and the existence of a future life.

Strolling one evening in his garden, he came upon a poor woman weeping bitterly. He questioned her as to the cause of her grief. "Ah, prince," she replied, "I am the wife of Jean Marie, your former steward who died two years ago. He was a good husband to me and a faithful servant to your highness. His sickness was long, and I spent all our savings on the doctor. Now I have nothing left to have Masses said for his soul."

Touched by her grief, the prince said a few kind words, and although he professed no longer believing in a future life, he gave her some gold coins to have Masses said for her husband's soul.

Some time after, it was again evening, the prince was in his study working feverishly on his book. He heard a loud rap at the door, and without looking up he called out to the visitor to come in. The door slowly opened, and a man entered and stood facing the prince's writing table. "Prince," he said, "I have come to thank you for the Masses you enabled my wife to have said for my soul. Thanks to the saving blood of Christ which was offered for me, I am now on my way to Heaven. God has allowed me to come and thank you for your generous alms." He added impressively: "Prince, there is a future life, a Heaven and a Hell." [Footnote: O'SULLIVAN P. (FATHER), O.P., Read Me or Rue It, pp. 6-7] Having said these words, he disappeared. The prince fell on his knees and poured forth a fervent Credo.

A group of priests were called to Rome to discuss a crucial business matter. They were bearers of important documents and a large sum of money which was entrusted to them by the Holy Father.

Aware that the Apennines, over which they had to pass, were infested by daring bandits, they chose a trusty driver. There was no tunnel through the mountains; no train in those days. They placed themselves under the protection of the Holy Souls and decided to say a De Profundis every hour for them.

When right in the heart of the mountains, the driver gave the alarm and lashed the horses into a furious gallop. Looking around, the priests saw fierce bandits on each side of the road with rifles pointed, ready to fire. They were amazed that no shots rang out, for they were completely at the mercy of the bandits.

After a one-hour headlong flight, the driver stopped. He looked at the priests and said: "I cannot understand how we escaped. Those desperados never spare anybody." The priests were convinced that they owed their safety to the Holy Souls, a fact which was later confirmed beyond reasonable doubt.

When their business was concluded in Rome, one of them was detained in the Eternal City where he was appointed chaplain to a prison. Not long after, one of the fiercest brigands in Italy was captured. Condemned to death for a series of murders, he awaited execution in the prison. The chaplain was anxious to gain his confidence and spoke to him of several adventures he himself had had, and finally of his recent escape in the Apennines. The criminal manifested the greatest interest in this story. When it was ended, he exclaimed: "I was the leader of that band. We thought you had money and we were determined to rob and murder you. An invisible force prevented each one of us from firing, as we assuredly would have done if we had been able." [Footnote: O'SULLIVAN P. (FATHER), O.P., Read Me or Rue It, pp. 27-28]

The chaplain then told him of how they had placed themselves under the protection of the Holy Souls and they attributed their deliverance to their protection. The bandit found no difficulty in believing this, and he died full of repentance.

The great graces that the Mother of God has dispensed to those who do this [ie. fasting on Saturdays and the vigils of her feasts] are recorded by Father Auriemma in his little work. [Footnote: Aff. p. 1, c. 17] Let one example suffice: it is that of a famous captain of brigands, who, on account of this devotion, was preserved in life after his head had been cut off, and was thus enabled to make his confession; for the unfortunate creature was in a state of sin. After confession, he declared that, on account of this devotion, the Blessed Virgin had obtained for him so great a grace, and immediately expired.

In an hospital [sic] the same Father [ie. Fr. Jerome Lopez] found a sinner, who had not been to confession for fifty-five years; and the only devotion he practised was, that when he saw an image of Mary he saluted her, and begged her that she would not allow him to die in mortal sin. He then told him, that on an occasion, when fighting with an enemy, his sword was broken; and, turning to our blessed Lady, he cried out: "Oh, I shall be killed and lost for eternity; Mother of sinners, help me." Scarcely had he said the words than he found himself transported to a place of safety. After making a general confession he died, full of confidence. [Footnote: Patrign. Menol. 2. Feb.]

A great sinner, in the kingdom of Valencia, who, having become desperate, and, in order not to fall into the hands of justice, had determined on becoming a Mahometan, was on the point of embarking for the purpose, when, by chance, he passed before a church in which Father Jerome Lopez was preaching on the mercy of God. On hearing the sermon he was converted, and made his confession to the Father, who asked him whether he had ever practised any devotion, on account of which God might have shown him so great mercy; he replied, that his only devotion was a prayer to the Blessed Virgin, in which he daily begged her not to abandon him.

A certain licentious writer, Armand Sylvestre, promised his mother when she was dying to say a Hail Mary every day. He kept his promise. Out of the swamp in which he lived, he daily lifted up to God this one little flower. Pneumonia brought him to the hospital, served by religious, who said to him: "Do you wish a priest?" "Certainly," he answered. And he received absolution, probably with sufficient attrition [imperfect contrition], through a special grace obtained for him by the Blessed Mother, though we can hardly doubt he underwent a long and heavy Purgatory.

Several years ago the chaplain in a prison in Nancy had the reputation of converting all criminals whom he had accompanied to the guillotine. On one occasion he found himself alone, shut up with an assassin who refused to go to confession before death. The cart, with the condemned man, passed before the sanctuary of Our Lady of Refuge. The old chaplain prayed: "Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who had recourse to thy intercession was abandoned. Convert this criminal of mine: otherwise I will say that it has been heard that you have not heard." At once the criminal was converted.

It is also the opinion of many theologians, and of St. Thomas in particular, that for many who have died in mortal sin the divine Mother has obtained from God a suspension of their sentence and a return to life to do penance.

Trustworthy authors give us many instances in which this has occurred. Amongst others. Flodoardus, who lived about the ninth century, relates in his Chronicles, [Footnote: Chron. eccl. Rem. anno. 934] that a certain deacon named Adelman, who was apparently dead, and was being buried, returned to life, and said "that he had seen hell, to which he was condemned, but that, at the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, he had been sent back to this world to do penance."

Surius relates a similar case [Footnote: 4 Dec. S. Ann. l. 1, c. 35] of a Roman citizen named Andrew, who had died impenitent, and for whom Mary had obtained that he should come to life again, that he might be pardoned. Pelbertus [Footnote: Stellar, B. V. l. 12, p. 2, a. 1] says, "that in his time, when the Emperor Sigismund was crossing the Alps with his army, a voice was heard coming from a skeleton, asking for a confessor, and declaring that the Mother of God, for whom he had had a tender devotion when a soldier, had obtained that he should thus live until he had been able to make his confession; and, having done so, the soul departed." [Footnote: This is undoubtedly a very strange fact. However, who will dispute it, either by limiting the power of God or the influence of the Blessed Virgin, or by refusing to believe the authority of a writer such as Father Pelbart, who, in a book dedicated to Pope Sixtus IV., relates in detail this prodigy as having happened at this time in the presence of an illustrious emperor and the members of his court, several of whom, as they were yet living, could have convicted him of falsehood, if he had not told the truth?]

As regards the intervention of Our Lady, we have the word of the saints, and it should be enough to refer to the revelations of Saint Alphonsus Liguori:

A holy religious, he tells us, called Sister Catherine of Saint Augustine, had the beautiful habit of praying for the Holy Souls, both known and unknown to her. However, in the town where she lived, there was a woman known for her bad conduct. Her name was Mary. When this woman died, everybody presumed that she was damned; and as a result her funeral was less than edifying. Not only this, but not even Sister Catherine bothered to pray for her, for she, too, assumed that she was lost.

Four years passed. One day the pious nun saw a soul from Purgatory who said to her: "Sister Catherine, you have had the pious habit of praying for the dead. Do not make an exception in my case."

"Who are you?", asked the sister. "I am poor Mary who died all abandoned." "But what do you mean? Are you saved?" "Yes," she answered. "I have been saved, thanks to the intercession of Our Lady. I realized I was about to die alone and without assistance, so I turned to the Madonna. I said: 'O my Queen! You are the refuge of sinners and of the abandoned. Look on my state of complete abandonment at this moment and help me.'

"The most holy Virgin heard my prayer and came to my aid and obtained for me the grace of an act of perfect contrition so that I was saved on my death-bed. But the divine mother's mercy wasn't limited to this. When I was before the Judge, she obtained from her Son the grace that my time in Purgatory be noticeably shortened. And because God's justice cannot be in conflict with His rights, I suffer more intensely, but for a shorter period, in order that my debt be paid. At this moment I am in need of nothing other than some Masses. As soon as these are celebrated, I shall be released from my suffering. Please be merciful toward me and have them said for my intention. I promise that I shall not cease to pray to God and the holy Virgin for you." [Footnote: LOUVET P., Il Purgatorio secondo le rivelazioni dei santi, pp. 23-25]

Sister Catherine hurried to have the Masses celebrated, and a few days later she saw her ascend to Heaven and thank her for her charity.

We read in the life of the servant of God, Sister Seraphina of Capri, that once during the novena of the Assumption of Mary she asked our blessed Lady for the conversion of a thousand sinners, but afterwards thought that she had asked too much; and then the Blessed Virgin appeared to her, and corrected her for her ungrounded anxiety, saying, "Why dost thou fear? Is it that I am not sufficiently powerful to obtain from my Son the conversion of a thousand sinners? See, I have already obtained the favor." With these words she took her in spirit to heaven, and there showed her innumerable souls that had deserved hell, but had been saved through her intercession, and were already enjoying eternal happiness.

St. Antoninus relates [Footnote: P. 4, t. 15, c. 5, § 1] that there was a sinner who was in enmity with God, and who had a vision in which he found himself before the dread tribunal; the devil accused him, and Mary defended him. The enemy produced the catalogue of his sins; it was thrown into the scales of divine justice, and weighed far more than all his good works. But then her great advocate, extending her sweet hand, placed it on the balance, and so caused it to turn in favor of her client; giving him thereby to understand that she would obtain his pardon if he changed his life; and this he did after the vision, and was entirely converted.

This loving Queen takes [the souls of the dying] under her mantle, and thus presents them to the Judge, her Son, and most certainly obtains their salvation. This really happened to Charles, the son of St. Bridget, [Footnote: Rev. l. 7, c. 13] who died in the army, far away from his mother. She feared much for his salvation on account of the dangers to which young men are exposed in a military career; but the Blessed Virgin revealed to her that he was saved on account of his love for her, and that in consequence she herself had assisted him at death, and had suggested to him the acts that should be made at that terrible moment. At the same time the saint saw Jesus on His throne, and the devil bringing two accusations against the Blessed Virgin: the first was, that Mary had prevented him from tempting Charles at the moment of death; and the second was, that the Blessed Virgin had herself presented his soul to the Judge, and so saved it without even giving him the opportunity of exposing the grounds on which he claimed it. She then saw the Judge drive the devil away, and Charles's soul carried to heaven.

A sinner may be converted at that last minute in such fashion that God alone can know it. The holy Curé of Ars [ie. St. John Vianney], divinely enlightened, said to a weeping widow: "Your prayer, Madame, has been heard. Your husband is saved. When he threw himself into the Rhone, the Blessed Virgin obtained for him the grace of conversion just before he died. Recall how, a month before, in your garden, he plucked the most beautiful rose and said to you, 'Carry this to the altar of the Blessed Virgin.' She has not forgotten."

The first [condition] is that when we offer her [ie. the Blessed Mother] our devotions our souls should be free from sin; otherwise she would address us as she addressed a wicked soldier spoken of by St. Peter Celestine. [Footnote: Opusc. 6, c. 23] This soldier everyday performed some devotion in honor of our Blessed Lady. One day he was suffering greatly from hunger, when Mary appeared to him and offered him some most delicious meats, but in so filthy a vessel that he could not bring himself to taste them. "I am the mother of God," the Blessed Virgin then said, "and am come to satisfy thy hunger." "But, O Lady," he answered, "I cannot eat out of so dirty a vessel." "And how," replied Mary, "canst thou expect that I should accept thy devotions offered to me with so defiled a soul as thine?" On hearing this the soldier was converted, became a hermit and lived in the desert for thirty years. At death the Blessed Virgin again appeared to him and took him herself to heaven.

A certain nobleman, despairing of his salvation on account of his many crimes, was encouraged by a monk to have recourse to the most blessed Virgin, and for this purpose to visit a venerated statue of Mary in a particular church. He went there, and, on seeing the image, he felt as if she invited him to cast himself at her feet and to have confidence. He hastened to prostrate himself and to kiss her feet, when Mary extended her hand, gave it to him to kiss, and on it he saw written these words: "I will deliver thee from those who oppress thee"; as though she had said, my son, despair not, for I will deliver thee from the sins and sorrows that weigh so heavily on thee. On reading these sweet words, this poor sinner was filled with such sorrow for his sins, and, at the same time, with so ardent a love for God and His tender Mother, that he instantly expired at the feet of Mary.

I [ie. Ven. Mother Mary Potter] well remember hearing the case of a priest being surprised one night, after his duties of the day were over, by a boy coming and earnestly requesting to have his confession heard and stating, by way of explanation for his coming at such an unwonted hour, that having committed a mortal sin, he had gone to bed as usual, but the thought of what he had once heard kept coming to his mind, viz., that you should never go to sleep in mortal sin. At last, not being able to sleep, yielding to an impulse of grace, he had gotten up and come to the priest, hoping that he would hear him, though it was so late. The priest, of course, complied, spoke kindly to him, heard his confession and, having blessed him, dismissed him. The boy returned home and was found the next morning dead in his bed.

I was, as you may suppose, much struck with the account. We see from it not only the danger of sleeping in mortal sin, but the danger also which we incur when we neglect an inspiration of grace. If the boy had not yielded to the good impulse and put himself to some trouble to obey it, what in all probability would have been the fate of his soul?

Padre Aurelio, from Sant'Elia a Pianisi, tells us that one evening he spent some time with Padre Pio in his room, along with Doctor Sanguinetti, and Lupi, the builder of the hospital. As they were talking about this and that, Padre Pio abruptly interrupted the conversation and said: "Let us pray for the King of England." As was his usual habit, he rested his head on his arms, which in turn were resting on the little table in his room.

"We looked at one another; amazed," Padre Aurelio tells us, "and mentally we joined in prayer with the padre. The following morning the first news bulletin told us that Edward VI, King of England, had died." [Footnote: CAPOBIANCO C. (PADRE), Detti e Aneddoti di Padre Pio, pp. 41-42]

The following is related to us by Mrs. Florence Fine Ehrman, a very good friend of mine and a devoted follower of Padre Pio:

In 1965 my father became seriously ill with what is commonly called in the United States "Lou Gehrig's disease." Medically it is termed "amyothropic lateral sclerosis," and its outcome is always fatal. I had written to Padre Pio, asking him to pray for the cure of my father, who was a very kind and good husband and father, as well as a generous and humble man. He believed strongly in God and lived all his life in the Jewish faith which he practised. The reply I received a short time later was that Padre Pio would pray for the well-being of my father, and that he would take him under his protection.

In February 1966 my father died, but for some reason, amazing to me at that time, I was completely calm and at peace inside. This was quite a surprise to me, since we had been very close, and I always loved him more than anybody I could think of, except perhaps my own children. As a young child and while growing up, I thought that I could never stand for him to die, especially before me.

After some time had passed, I began to worry about whether or not my father had been saved. This fear came about because I began to hear many people, Protestants and Catholics alike, say that unless a person had been baptized they could not be saved. Therefore, this thought began to disturb me very much, and I began to lose the peace that I had previously enjoyed. When in October 1967 I came again to San Giovanni Rotondo for my second visit to Padre Pio, a personal friend of mine told me to write down any questions I might have, and this friend, in turn, would present my letter to her friar-friend.

Since my father was so much on my mind, I decided to put it into the letter how concerned I was about my dear father who had died without ever having been baptized, mentioning what a good and gentle man he had been. Later I received my reply, and what a surprise it was for me to read: "Julius Fine is saved, but it is necessary to pray much for him."

My peace returned, for this indicated that my father surely was among the Holy Souls in Purgatory. How necessary it is to pray for all those souls in need of purification, so that they might enter Heaven. If a soul is already in Heaven, then there is no need to pray for that soul. If a soul is in Hell, then it is too late. But if a soul is in Purgatory, how much our prayers must be needed! My heart filled once again with deep emotion at the miracle of learning such news. For by what else other than a gift of the Holy Spirit could any person know and make such a sure and definite statement, unless it be by fear and trembling before the living God. [Footnote: EHRMAN F.T.F., ms. 3]

This story is from Nina Campanile:

At the beginning of September 1916, Padre Pio arrived at San Giovanni Rotondo, and word immediately got around the village: "A saintly friar has arrived! A saintly friar has arrived!"

At that time, a sad event had shaken our family. Our brother Pasqualino died in battle on the sixteenth of the same month. One day my mother, who was worried about the fate of her son, said to me, "Go and ask Padre Pio if your brother has saved his soul."

I refused categorically: "The saints are in Heaven, not on earth!" But my mother insisted more and more, so I asked the schoolteacher, Vittorina Ventrella, to accompany me to the friary. I saw Padre Pio on 5 October, and Miss Ventrella explained the reason for my visit as she introduced me. The padre looked at me rather severely and said to me: "If the mercy of God were as you believe it to be, all men would be in Hell. Yes, he is saved and needs prayers."

In the meantime, I became Padre Pio's spiritual child and began to frequent the friary regularly, but I never mentioned my brother again. On the night of Christmas 1918, I decided to break the silence. While we waited in the sacristy for midnight, I said: "Padre, where is my brother now?" He replied, "He is up there (in Paradise)." You can imagine the joy I felt. [Footnote: IASANZANIRO M. (PADRE), ms. 1-2]

One of those politicians who had a close relationship with him [ie. Padre Pio] was the Honorable de Caro, a member of the Italian Parliament. He himself told the following story:

(...)

One day I recommended to him the soul of an author I had enjoyed reading in my youth. I said no more. I didn't even mention his name. The padre, however, understood perfectly to whom I was referring. He went red in the face as if distressed, sorry for the sufferings of others. Then he said: "He loved creatures too much!"

I asked him how long that soul would stay in Purgatory, and he replied: "At least one hundred years. We must pray for the souls in Purgatory. It is unbelievable what they can do for our spiritual good, out of the gratitude they have toward those on earth who remember to pray for them."

Other souls, too, have been converted in extremis, souls that could barely recall a few religious acts in the course of their life. A sailor, for example, preserved the practice of uncovering his head when he passed before a church. He did not know even the Our Father or the Hail Mary, but the lifting of his hat kept him from departing definitively from God.

In the life of the saintly Bishop Bertau of Tulle, friend of Louis Veuillot, a poor girl in that city, who had once been chanter in the cathedral, fell first into misery, then into misconduct, and finally became a public sinner. She was assassinated at night, in one of the streets of Tulle. Police found her dying and carried her to a hospital. While she was dying, she cried out: "Jesus, Jesus." Could she be granted Church burial? The Bishop answered: "Yes, because she died pronouncing the name of Jesus. But bury her early in the morning without incense." In the room of this poor woman was found a portrait of the holy Bishop, on the back of which was written: "The best of Fathers." Fallen though she was, she still recognized the holiness of her bishop and preserved in her heart the memory of the goodness of Our Lord.