The iPadre Catholic Podcast

The Apparition of Akita, Japan.

Little known is the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to a Religious Sister, and a statue that shed many tears for over six years, in a remote village of north western Japan. In 1973, a series of supernatural events began to happen to Sr. Agnes Sasagawa, in the convent chapel of the Eucharistic Handmaids of the Sacred Heart.

On June 12-14, 1973, as Sr. Agnes opened the tabernacle to expose the Blessed Sacrament for Adoration, a bright light emanated from the tabernacle and filled the chapel. This supernatural event was repeated the next three days and on the Feast of Corpus Christi. On one of the days, Sr. Agnes saw angels worshiping the Blessed Sacrament, in a semi-circle around the altar.

On June 28th, the vigil of the Feast of the Sacred Heart of the same year, Sr. Agnes saw rays of bright light coming from the Blessed Sacrament.

In July, she saw her guardian angel while in the hospital. The angel taught her the Fatima decade prayer. At that time, the Fatima prayer was little known in Japan. During the visitation of the angel, a wound appeared in Sr. Agnes’ left hand.

“O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy mercy.”

While reciting the Eucharistic prayer composed by Bishop John Ito, our lady added the word “truly.”

“Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist, I consecrate my body and my soul to be entirely one with Your Heart being sacrificed at every instant on all the altars of the world and giving praise to the Father, pleading for the coming of His Kingdom. Please receive this humble offering of myself. Use me as You will  for the glory of the Father and the salvation of souls. Most Holy Mother of God, never let me be separated from Your Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your Special Child. Amen.”

The significance of this addition to the prayer, and her appearances to Sr. Agnes, who was a member of the Eucharistic Handmaids of the Sacred Heart, is in itself a message of the importance of belief in the Real Presence.

On the same day, a bleeding wound appeared in the right hand of the statue in the convent chapel. The guardian angel of Sr. Agnes told her that the bleeding is for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for sins.

On July 6th, Sr. Agnes’ guardian angel told her:

“Do not fear. I am the one who is with you and watches over you. Do not fear. Pray with fervor not only because of your sins, but in reparation for those of all men. The world today wounds the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord by its ingratitudes and injuries. The wounds of Mary are much deeper and sorrowful than yours. Let us go and pray together in the chapel.”

The statue of Our Lady came to life and gave Sr. Agnes the following message:

“My daughter, My novice, you
have obeyed Me well in abandoning all to follow Me. Is the infirmity of your ears painful? Your deafness will be healed, be sure. Be patient. It is the last trial. Does the wound of your hand cause you to suffer? Pray in reparation for the sins of men. Each person in this community is My irreplaceable daughter. Do you say well the prayer of the Handmaids of the Eucharist? Then, let us pray it together:

‘Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist, I consecrate my body and soul to be entirely one with Your Heart, being sacrificed at every instant on all the altars of the world and giving praise to the Father, pleading for the coming of His Kingdom. Please receive this humble offering of myself. Use me as You will for the glory of the Father and the salvation of souls.’

Most Holy Mother of God. Never let me be separated from Your Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your special child. Amen.”

On September 23, 1973, the statue began to sweat from the face and the feet. Tears flowed from both of the statues eyes, and the chapel was filled with a fragrant scent. The statue wept over 101 times, in the presence of many pilgrims, including Bishop John Ito. Bishop Ito had the tears tested at a Japanese university. The test found the tears to be human tears.

Our Lady told Sr. Agnes that she wanted to gather souls who would be willing to suffer for sinners.

Sr. Agnes received a second message on August 3, 1973:

“My daughter, My novice, do you love the Lord? If you love the Lord, listen to what I have to say to you. It is very important. You will convey it to your superior.

Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with My Son, for souls who will repair, by their suffering and their poverty, for the sinners and ingrates.

In order that the world might know His anger, the Heavenly Father is preparing to inflict a great chastisement on all mankind. With My Son, I have intervened so many times to appease the wrath of the Father. I have prevented the coming of calamities by offering Him the sufferings of the Son on the Cross, His Precious Blood, and beloved souls who console Him and form a cohort of victim souls.

Prayer, penance, and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father’s anger. I desire this also from your community, that it love poverty, that it sanctify itself and pray in reparation for the ingratitude and outrages of so many men. Recite the prayer of the Handmaids of the Eucharist with awareness of its meaning; put it into practice: offer (whatever God may send) in reparation for sins. Let each one endeavor, according to her capacity and position, to offer herself entirely to the Lord.

Even in a secular institute, prayer is necessary. Already souls who wish to pray are on the way to being gathered. Without attaching too much attention to the form, be faithful and fervent in prayer to console the Master.”

On Saturday, October 13, 1973 Our Lady gave Sr. Agnes her third and most serious message:

“If men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the Bishops and the priests.

The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see Cardinals opposing Cardinals, Bishops against other Bishops. The priests who venerate Me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres (other priests). Churches and altars will be sacked. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises, and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.

The demon will be especially implacable against the souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of My sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will no longer be pardon for them.

…Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able to still save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in Me will be saved.”

Following personal experience and an eight year intensive investigation, Most Rev. John Shojiro Ito, Bishop of Niigata declared the events of Akita to be of supernatural origin and authorized the propagation of devotion to the Holy Mother of Akita in a pastoral letter that was read in every parish of the diocese on April 22, 1984, Easter Sunday. When Bishop Ito presented his findings to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger gave his approval of Bishop Ito’s decision.

Bishop Ito stated:

“I believe the third message in Akita has a deep connection with Fatima. Even after the Blessed Virgin gave the message in Fatima, the people did not repent with their lives. Our Lady had to repeat and revive the memory of Fatima again.

Eucharistic Prayer of Our Lady of Akita

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist, I consecrate my body and my soul to be entirely one with Your Heart being sacrificed at every instant on all the altars of the world and giving praise to the Father, pleading for the coming of His Kingdom. Please receive this humble offering of myself. Use me as You will for the glory of the Father and the salvation of souls. Most Holy Mother of God, never let me be separated from Your  Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your Special Child. Amen.

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Today is the 98th Anniversary of the Miracle of the sun at Fatima, Portugal. This was how our Lady completed her apparitions. It is claimed that some 100,000 people were present for this event. During the night before and during the day of 13 October 1917, there was a heavy rain. The fields were completely saturated. People who had gathered were soaked to the bone. Despite it all, they knelt in prayer waiting for the promised miracle. It was said to arrive at Noon. In their waiting, people grew discouraged, wondering if a miracle was coming or if they had been deceived. The children waited at the spot and prayed their rosaries as they usually did. finally, when the sun reached it’s climax, Our Lady appeared. After a short conversation with the children. The Lady announced that she wish a chapel to be built in her honor and that they were to pray the Rosary each day and the war would come to an end. Then, the Lady  announced: “I am the Lady of the Rosary.” When Our Lady rose up into the east for the las time, the rain stops and the clouds disappeared. In the place of the sun, the children saw St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady. They pointed to the place and all the people saw the sun begin to gyrate in the sky, loose it self from it’s axis and hurl itself toward the earth. People began to scream and run in fear that the world was about to end. Suddenly, the sun returned to the sky. The earth and everyones clothing was dry. The miracle was witnessed for miles around. Our Lady later told Sr. Lucia that if people had responded to her messages, the miracle would have been much greater. What can we learn from these great signs? God has given Our Lady power over even the elements. With prayer, especially that requested by Our Lady, the Holy Rosary, we can change world events. With the Rosary the two great wars were brought to an end. Let us respond to Our Lady’s messages and help bring about her triumph and the triumph of the King of Peace.

Although there is no Mass of Our Lady of Fatima today, I offered a votive Mass of Our Lady. The collect of Mass #8 is beautiful, requesting to “be freed by her motherly intercession from all evils on earth and merit attainment of eternal joys in heaven.” We need our heavenly mother and her powerful intercession. History shows the power of the Rosary and our Lady’s intercession. Let us change the world today with the help of Our Lady.

Today is the celebration of St. Joseph of Cupertino in the Extraordinary Form, or the Traditional Roman Rite. St. Joseph was a simple by holy Conventual Franciscan Friar who had the gift of levitation. He is the patron of students. I prayed to him every day in the seminary and credit his intercession to my success.

Two prayers to St. Joseph of Cupertino:

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favour in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. Through Christ our Lord. St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us. Amen.

O St. Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God to be asked at your examination, the only preposition you knew. Grant that I may like you succeed in the (here mention the name of Examination eg. History paper I ) examination. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. O St. Joseph of Cupertino pray for me. O Holy Ghost enlighten me. Our Lady of Good Studies pray for me. Sacred Head of Jesus, Seat of divine wisdom, enlighten me.

There is a great little move about his life called The Reluctant Saint. You can watch it below.

Time sure does fly, and not only when your having fun. I can’t believe that Mickey turns 12 years old today. A faithful and loving companion and friend. Here are a few pics from the day we went to pick him up and from this morning. We are both a little whiter.

They always say: “Don’t take the runt of the litter. They are the sickest and always a problem.” He was the last one available. When we went into the room, he was hiding in the corner behind the food tray. He got sick on the way home and has had his share of illnesses. A few years ago, he was diagnosed with indolent lymphoma. He goes to Tuft’s for checkups every three months and they can’t believe how well he’s doing. Mickey gets a blessing every night before we go to sleep. Just like me, he’s in God’s hands.

Fr. Jay Finelli with Mickey

What will the future hold for the new pup?

We’ve come a long way puppy!

Today, I hit the two year mark on the 7 Prayers of St. Bridget. I highly recommend them. They are an opportunity for people to make a commitment to praying these prayers, every day, for 12 years. Most people can’t or just do not commit to prayer. Use these prayers to make a commitment to prayer. Let them be your starting point, from which you go deeper into the life of prayer. They are also a very succinct way to meditate on the passion of our Lord. We don’t take enough time to meditation on our Lord’s passion. If all people meditated on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ for a little time each day, it would change them and change their life. The passion helps us to see that there is something much more important than the many little concerns that we have. We do an awful lot of complaining. Those small things become much small in comparison to our eternal salvation. the 12 prayers of St. Bridget are beautiful. Give them a try!

Originally posted on August 20, 2013

Many people have heard of 15 prayers of St. Bridget that focus on the passion of Our Lord. The prayers are said every day for one year. There are a list of 21 promises for those who say the prayers every day for one year. I have done the prayers two times, once while I was in the seminary and again as a priest. Recently, I have read that in 1954, The Congregation of the Holy Office prohibited the publication of the promises since the promises have no merit to them. However, the prayers are a very beautiful meditation on the passion of Our Lord and any meditation on Our Lord’s passion can only do good. A short time ago, I also discovered another set of prayers of St. Bridget called the 7 prayers. The prayers are to be said every day for 12 years. At the end of the 12 years, one would have honored each of the 5,480 blows and wounds of Our Lord’s body.

The seven prayers also have promises. I have read that the prayers and promises were approved by Popes Clement XII and Innocent X, but I can’t verify that. Again, even if the promises are not valid, the prayers in themselves are very beautiful and if prayed with devotion and love can only enhance a persons love for Our Lord.

I was moved to start the prayers during Adoration almost two years ago, but avoided that inspiration, so I began them on the Feast of St. Laurence, deacon and martyr this year (August 10).

I have made a little booklet that can be placed in your favorite prayer book, Bible or breviery. You can download it here.

The promises: