Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

TWENTY-EIGIIT THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA AUGUST 2b, 194ft Soldier From Maryland Tells Slory of Agony and Ecstasy of Theresa Neumann as She Witnessed the Passion ot Christ (By N. C. W. C. News Service) BA1.TII ;ORE—A story of alter-1 Bate agony, error and rapture writ- i ten on (lie entranced face ot the German -digmatic, Theresa Neu mann. as she witnessed the passion and death of our Savior in ecstasy is told in n letter by Warrant Of ficer William Long, of Cumbe>'- land. Md., published in the Cath olic Review here. Warrant Officer Long witnessed 46 minutes of the stigmatic’s ecstasy, which usually starts' at midnight on Thursday and con tinues intil an hour after noon on Friday. Throughout her agony and 1 for the rest of Friday she is blind, he writes, and she loses much blood. However, the following day she is healthy and normal. War rant Officer Long saw Theresa sil ting erect in bed in ecstasy, with outstretched arms and her eyes completely bathed in blood. RELIVES THE PASSION "The blood and tears trickled down her cheeks,” he writes, "coursing to a point under hoi' chin, leaving a wide, deep blood trace on her checks. The ex pression on her face changes con stantly. She is so completely ab sorbed in the agony and death of Christ she is oblivious of anyone’s presence in the room. "She now sees Christ being raised on the cross,” the pastor ex plained. Then her expression changed to one of most excruciat ing pain: she wrung her hands. The pastor said she actually suf fers with Christ the agony of hang ing on the cross. “Presently she turned her head to one side and listened with rap ture. Again the pastor explained si. hears the Lord-t.lling the good thief he will be in paradise. Sud denly she turned her head to the other side and gesticulated angril 1 '. muttering something indiscernible —she heard the other thief mock ing Christ. About this time 1 noticed blood from her side, stain ing her dress. There were nine blotches of blood on her linen veil coming from the wounds on her head. Georgia Priest Visits Stigmatist SCENE ON CALVARY “During most of the time her face was upturned. Her eyes. too. which could scarcely be seen for the blood, were gazing upward. Her fingers twitched as if something was piercing tht nerves of her hands “Occasionally her head would lower as if looking at.someone just in front of her. Once she slowly moved her head as if following someone. The pastor told us she saw the Blessed Mother and heard /.’hrist address her: ‘Mother, be hold Thy Son.’ Mother, when Christ said to him: ‘Son, behold Thy Mother.' In a little while a rapturous smile came upon her face and she laughed fairly audibly. The pastor explained Our Lord was smiling at her and she was moving closer to [ the cross. ‘ When she experienced the thirsi I witli Christ, ner fact bore an ex- ‘ pression of pain. She tried several ! times to moisten her lips with her i tongue. Then suddenly she was convulsed. The pastor said: She is tasting h. hitter gall ’ i A LONG JOURNEY ■ “After a while her face assumed an expression of unutterable lone liness and she groaned ‘Abba. Abba. . . The pastor told us she feels the abandonment of Christ when He cried out. Father, Father, why hast Thou forsaken Me! "The most dramatic moment came when she was suffering with Christ on Ihe point of death She paled. Her skin was transparent and we could see the blood leave her face. We saw her make one last determined struggle for life. Suddenly she dropped back on her pillow. "She inained in this state sev eral minutes, then suddenly came out of her ecstasy. The pas'tor hur ried to her side as she said: The *■ Lord is so good and so sorrowful.’ About an lour later 1 saw her again. She was lying in bed com pletely exhausted. Her face was toll and her cheeks rosy, but she was temporally blind. An Ameri can chaplain. Father Murphy, went to her side.-and placed her hand in his. ‘A consecrated hand is touch ing me.’ she said. "Then she said to her pastor, There are American soldiers in here who have come far.across the \»ea. 1 am so happy they are here. They have liberated us.’ Then she •4ooked blindly at the soldiers in bar room an., said: ‘I, too, have Just come from a long journey where I here were many soldiers.’ ” FATHER JAMES H. GRADY AND THERESA NEUMANN In a letter received by his broth er. Hugh H. Grady, of Savannah, chaplain James H. Grady, who has been serving at a U S. Army Evac uation Hospital in Naumberg, Ger many, tells of his recent visit to Theresa Neumann, the stigmatic, in Konnersrcuth, Bavaria. Father Grady, who was pastor of St. Mary's Church, Rome, Ga., when he entered (he Army Chaplain’s Corps, writes that if you did not look closely at Theresa Neumann and see that her hair is white, you would hardly believe that she is forty-seven years old, for she. looks much younger. She was very graceful, says Father^ Grady, .or some three bund cd plastic medals which he gave her, as they were (he first she had had in years be cause the Nazis would not allow any medals to be made. Father Grady, is pictured above with Ihe Bavarian peasant woman, who has borne for years many physical murks resembling those of the Sav ior in His passion. Born in Kon- nersreuth, near the Czechoslovak ian border in 1898. Theresa was the eldest of ten children. At the age of twenty she injured her spine and became blind and paral yzed. In 1925 she regained her sight and attributed her eyre to the intercession of St. Thcrcse of Lisieux. Each week, from Thurs day midnight until the afternoon* of Friday, she is said to have suf fered an estatie agony during which drops of blood exuded through the pores of her skin Though she constantly endures physical suffering from the stig mata on her hands, l'eet, head, back and heart regions, Theresa Neumann looks quite hale and hearty and animately carries on conversations with her visitors. For years she has lived with the Most Blessed Sacrament as her only nourishment, yet her strength and i weight did not diminish. Chaplain Grady recently had the privilege and pleasure of a ten- day leave in Rome. While in Vati can City lie conversed with His Holiness Pope Pius XII and cele brated Mass in St. Peter’s Basil ica. He expects to return to this county in the near future for re assignment. Five Baptist Ministers Attend Jesuit University (By N. C. W. C. News Service) CHICAGO.— Five Baptist min isters were enrolled in the School of Philosophy at Loyola Univer sity here for the summer session At last year's Summer session, ten ministers of various denominations look courses at the Jesuit institu- I ions. ORDINATION., of unmarried women as ministers in the British Methodist Church was authorized by the Conference of Great Britain and Ireland, meeting at Notting ham last month, thus ending a twenty-year controversy over the extension to women of the full ministry. Sharp debate occurred over the question of the marriage of future women ministers, and it was finally agreed that marriage should involve the woman’s retire ment from the active ministry "except in special cases.” BELL FINANCE COMPANY 210 Southern Finance Building AUGUSTA, GA. TELEPHONE 2-2134 THE GEORGIA-CAROLINA BRICK & TILE CO. Manufacturers AUGUSTA, GEORGIA Plants at: Augusta, Ga., North Augusta, S. C., Society Hill; S. C. Offices: 748 Reynolds St. Best Wishes WARM AIR HEATING BLOW PIPE BUILT UP ROOFING MODERN ROOFING & METAL WORKS Augusta, Georgia Metal Duck Work Smoke Stacks Slate Roofs _ t „ WTT „ Skylights The Best in Roofing and "Sheet Metal Work Ventilators Tin Roofs .. * Tile Roofs Cornice 930 Walker Street Augusta, Georgia Gutters Warm Air Heating Asbestos Roofs . • Down Spouts VISIT YOUR NEAREST IL I JR SHOPT fimmt For Your New Fall Shoes STORES LOCATED AT MACON COLUMBUS SAVANNAH AUGUSTA CHARLESTON COLUMBIA SEND FOR OUR NEW FREE MAH. ORDER FOLDER Compliments of CLARA C. SHEEHAN EDWARD A. SHEEHAN MARY McA.. SHEEHAN A. B. Beverage Co. Distributors of QUALITY BEVERAGES Lombard Warehouse No. 2 11th & Fenwick Sts. Dial 2-2509 AUGUSTA, GEORGIA