The M+G+R Foundation
Divine Protection at
Hiroshima
or why out motto is
In
God we trust and everyone else must prove himself first
PURPOSE
The purpose of this document is to share certain dramatic events which
occurred im Hiroshima that may help some see the importance of sincere
prayer in order that Psalm 91
(1)
becomes a reality in one's life.
INTRODUCTION
We requested one of our frequent visitors to research the mostly
ignored manifestation of the
Divine protection for certain individuals in Hiroshima when the atomic
bomb
was dropped
there by the allied forces. We do not need any proof to live what our
motto above proclaims but others, who "do not know the face of miguel
de Portugal", may need "a face" to believe it.
Following is the response of our frequent visitor who did the search.
Did
anyone survive the atomic blasts
at Hiroshima and Nagasaki unscathed? The short answer is yes. At
least four German Jesuits sent as
missionaries to the Japanese survived the Hiroshima blast even though
they were only 1 kilometer from Ground Zero. Not only did they
suffer
only minor injuries, but they did not have radiation sickness, nor any
other effects of radiation exposure.
The main
spokesperson for this group, Father Schiffer, apparently has been
examined by over 200 doctors without good medical explanation. He
has
spoken of this event on behalf of the Blue Army (2), and elsewhere.
Apparently,
a community called Marytown or The City of The Immaculata, located in
Nagasaki was also unscathed by the atomic blast and it, along with all
the Franciscan Friars inside, survived. This community was
founded by Saint Maximillian Kolbe.
However,
the only extended document supporting the above facts is listed below.
The story of the Jesuits
is compelling. Whether or not it was because they lived the
message of
Fatima is open to speculation. As you would say, may the Holy
Spirit
guide the reader in his evaluation.
DETAILS
NOTE: Honoring
the request of Drs. Rinehart and Hubbell we have reprinted below the
entire
document, therefore, The M+G+R Foundation is not responsible for
typographical or any other kind of errors - including dates and
misquotations.
Rosary
Miracle - Safe in the Midst of Nuclear Blast !!
February
2000
by Dr. Stephen A.
Rinehart and Dr. Richard F.
Hubbell
Please
distribute freely - but only in its
entirety only - Thanks!!
God
can and does miraculously protect those consecrated to Him -
especially
through the Rosary - even in the midst of a powerful nuclear
detonation. Every effort at meticulous and verifiable accuracy - with
as many direct sources as possible being quoted and URL's being
provided - in the preparation of this article - which originally came
about as a series of emails between the two authors.
****************************************************
Rosary Miracle at Hiroshima
- August 6th,
1945
There was a home eight blocks (about
1 kilometer) from where the A-Bomb went off in Hiroshima Japan. This
home had a church attached to it which was completely destroyed, but
the home survived, and so did the eight German Jesuit missionaries who
prayed the rosary in that house faithfully every day. These men
were missionaries to the Japanese people, they were non-military, but
because Germany and Japan were allies during WWII they were permitted
to live and minister within Japan during the war. Not only did
they all survive with (at most) relatively minor injuries, but they all
lived well past that awful day with no radiation sickness, no loss of
hearing, or any other visible long term defects or maladies.
Naturally, they were interviewed numerous times (Fr. Schiffer, a
survivor, said over 200 times) by scientists and health care people
about their remarkable experience and they say "we believe that we
survived because we were living the message of Fatima.
We lived and prayed the
rosary daily in that home." Of course the secular scientists are
speechless and incredulous at this explanation - and they are sure
there is some "real" explanation - but at the same time over 55 years
later the scientists are still absolutely bamboozled when it comes to
finding a plausible scenario to explain the missionary's unique escape
from the hellish power of that bomb.
***********************
FR. SCHIFFER
OF HIROSHIMA
by Fr. Paul Ruge,
O.F.M.I.
At 2:45 a.m. on August 6,
1945, a B-29 bomber took off from the island of Tinian to drop the
first atomic bomb on Japan. At 8:15 a.m. the bomb exploded
eight city blocks from the Jesuit Church of Our Lady's Assumption in
Hiroshima. Half a million people were annihilated. However,
the church and four Jesuit fathers stationed there survived: Fathers
Hugo Lassalle, Kleinsorge, Cieslik and Schiffer. (RH note - all
other accounts state clearly that there were eight Jesuits stationed in
this home not four - and it is well known that all eight survived - the
author of this present article apparently only had the names of four of
them, for instance Fr. Arrupe is left out of the list - and at
this writing, I have not been able to find the names of the other three
Jesuits. end of note.) According to the experts they "ought to be
dead," being within a one-mile radius of the explosion. Nine days
later on August 15, Feast of Our Lady's Assumption, U.S. forces
were ordered to cease fire.
This is the incredible
story of the late Fr. Hubert Schiffer, as retold by Fr.
Paul Ruge. [1]
I met Fr. Schiffer
in the late 70s at the Tri-City Airport in Saginaw, Michigan, as he was
going to give a talk for the Blue Army Novena/Triduum. As I
chauffeured him around he told me stories of his life, especially of
the atomic explosion at Hiroshima. On the morning of August 6,
1945, he had just finished Mass, went into the rectory and sat down at
the breakfast table, and had just sliced a grapefruit, and had just put
his spoon into the grapefruit when there was a bright flash of
light. His first thought was that it was an explosion in the
harbor (this was a major port where the Japanese refueled their
submarines.)
hen, in the words of
Fr. Schiffer: "Suddenly, a terrific explosion filled the air with
one bursting thunderstroke. An invisible force lifted me from the
chair, hurled me through the air, shook me, battered me, whirled me
'round and 'round like a leaf in a gust of autumn wind."[2] The next
thing he remembered, he opened his eyes and he was laying on the
ground. He looked around and there was NOTHING in any direction:
the railroad station and buildings in all directions were leveled to
the ground.
The only physical harm to
himself was that he could feel a few pieces of glass in the back of his
neck. As far as he could tell, there was nothing else physically
wrong with himself. Many thousands were killed or maimed by the
explosion. After the conquest of the Americans, their army
doctors and scientists explained to him that his body would begin to
deteriorate because of the radiation. Many of the Japanese people
had blisters and sores from the radiation. To the doctors
amazement, Fr. Schiffer's body contained no radiation or
ill-effects from the bomb. Fr. Schiffer attributes this to
devotion to the Blessed Mother, and his daily Fatima Rosary. He
feels that he received a protective shield from the Blessed Mother
which protected him from all radiation and ill-effects. (This
coincides with the bombing of Nagasaki where St. Maximilian Kolbe had
established a Franciscan Friary which was also unharmed because of
special protection from the Blessed Mother, as the Brothers too prayed
the daily Rosary and also had no effects from the bomb.)
CONCLUSION
The above will undoubtedly rekindle the Faith in
many while it will not impact those who do not Have eyes to See and
Ears to Hear. (3)
NOTES
(1) Psalm 91
(2)
The
Blue Army
(3) Those
who have Eyes to See and Ears to Hear
Originally
Published on February 13, 2006
Format Copyright 2006 - 2014 by The M+G+R
Foundation. All rights reserved. However, you may freely reproduce and
distribute this document as long as: (1) Appropriate credit is given as
to its source; (2) No changes are made in the text without prior
written consent; and (3) No charge is made for it.
The M+G+R Foundation
About Us and
Frequently Asked
Questions
The following
Links to the original sources were working in the year 2006, however,
they
no longer work.
From Glenn (pictures of
Hiroshima after the A-Bomb):
http://www.lclark.edu/~history/HIROSHIMA/
From Matt (accounts from
survivors): http://www.jimcorley.com/account.htm
From Dr. Stephen Rinehart
(info on the US decision to drop the bomb & military issues):
http://www.odci.gov/csi/monograph/4253605299/csi9810001.html
http://www.peak.org/~danneng/decision/usnews.html
http://www.dannen.com/decision/index.html
Their original content, which we had stored, follows.
******************
What follows
is Dr. Stephen Rinehart's commentary - presented in two parts since we
corresponded on the subject of the Hiroshima
atomic bomb blast over a few days. You may wonder why I contacted
Stephen in the first place. Within the U.S.
Department of Defense (where we both work - albeit at different
locations and for different services), Stephen is widely recognized as
international expert in this field. So in order to give you some
insight into his professional background - in addition to his
commentary - he has kindly provided us a brief resume - which I have
attached to the conclusion of his commentary.
I originally contacted
Stephen to see if he would please give us a description (from physics)
of the conditions that exisited at the Jesuit's home, estimated to be
one kilometer from the estimated 15-20 kiloton atomic blast at Hiroshima.
Stephen is also a
wonderful Catholic, and is very devoted to Our Lady and the Holy
Rosary.
....his comments
follow...
----------------------------------------
Part
1...
Richard,
I will check but quick calculation says at 1 kilometer the bulk
temperature was in excess of 20,000 to 30,000 degrees F (transients in
microseconds greater than 100,000F perhaps as high as 1,000,000 F
within 1 kilometer - depends on construction details and you are inside
the fireball) and the blast wave would have hit at sonic velocity with
pressures on building (at one kiolmeter) greater than 600 psi.
and
buildings were demolished over a mile from epicenter. The
"fireball
diameter" is probably on the order of two to four kilometers (depends
on certain definitions). No way any human could have survived nor
should anything have left been standing at one kilometer. Yet, at
about ten to fifteen kilometers I saw the brick walls standing from an
elementary school (some phasing due to bomb's pineapple construction)
and I think there were a few badly burned survivors at ten to fifteen
kilometers (all - except the Jesuits - died within fifteen years of
some form of cancer). Also, I think they were Jesuits that were
near
epicenter and a panorama view from epicenter at Shima Hospital did show
some kind of two story house totally intact (at least from what I could
make out and it look to me the windows were in place!?). Also
there
was a church with walls still standing but roof gone a few hundred
yards away!? DOD never commented officially on this and I suspect
it
was classified and never discussed in open literature. I think it
is
possible the Jesuits were asked not to say anything either at the time.
Part
2.....
The Hiroshima
atomic bomb was an airblast burst (i.e., detonated at altitude between
600 yds. to 1000 yds.) as opposed to an atomic ground burst
(i.e.,
designed to crater a certain area – possibly against deeply buried
targets). Two of these types of weapons were built and the other
was
dropped on Nagasaki.
The third weapon was larger and intended for a ground blast [Tokyo
Harbor?]
but was never used on Japan
and no target ever identified. The bombing order was against
cities not specific military targets. The cities selected were Kyoto,
Hiroshima,
Yokohama,
and Nagasaki.
In reviewing
the damage patterns and blast characteristics of the Hiroshima
blast, it appears this weapon was detonated at a height of 0.6 to 1.0
kilometers [Highest probable fireball diameter is about 1.4
kilometers]. This weapon was detonated at this height to produce
the
maximum damage area from the fireball (maximum sustained fire/airblast
damage from the propagating temperatures and airblast pressures in the
shock wave front). However, the epicenter was not the area with
the
greatest damage since the weapon was designed to “spread the fireball
effects” over a wide area. The strongest building [steel
reinforced
frame] was the Hiroshima Bank building which was gutted inside by fire
250 meters from hypocenter of bomb but its walls remained standing but
the window frames were blown away.
The
overriding conclusion from my review of the weapon effects at Hiroshima
is that this weapon was intentionally designed and deployed to kill or
maim as many humans as possible in residential housing (or unprotected
outside) over the widest possible area for the weapon’s size (while
minimizing radiation effects from contaminated debris being thrown up
into atmosphere). Since much of the Hiroshima
industrial capacity was also located in unreinforced brick structures
this type of airblast would also destroy any unreinforced masonry or
brick buildings. One of the most flammable items on a person is their
hair and clothing.
Much
of the clothing at this time was cotton (or blended cotton) which would
be considered highly flammable. I suddenly came to the
realization
that the intent of propagating a fireball at this height was to be able
to set fire to a person’s clothing (and all types of fabrics) at
relatively long distances from the blast’s epicenter. The
airblast
would be felt for miles (blowing out windows and damaging most all
structures by cracking the walls) and terrorize the remaining
population. Hence, the description by those who survived of
seeing
burned bodies everywhere (or charred skeletons) and skin that was
shredded into strips is consistent with the bombing order to hit a
populated city in the center without specific regard to military
objectives [See Remarks - located four paragraphs below].
It
appears the Jesuits (at one kilometer from the geometric epicenter) had
greater than 90% probability of being outside the atomic bomb’s
“plasma” since it was an airburst but they were on the “hairy
edge”.
Depending on the actual height of detonation, the Jesuits must have had
the edge of the fireball literally outside their window. Assuming
they
were just outside of the plasma, their residence should still have been
utterly destroyed (temp > 2000 F and airblast pressures > 100
psi). In contrast, unreinforced masonry or brick walls
(representative
of commercial construction) are destroyed at 3 psi, which will also
cause ear damage and burst windows. At ten psi, a human will
experience severe lung and heart damage, burst eardrums and at 20 psi
your limbs can be blown off. Your head will be blown off by 40 psi and
no residential or unreinforced commercial construction would be left
standing. At 80 psi even reinforced concrete is heavily damaged
and no
human would be alive because your skull would be crushed All the cotton
clothes would be on fire at 350 F (probably at 275F) and your lungs
would be inoperative within a minute breathing air (even for a few
seconds) at these temperatures.
Conclusion:
There are no physical laws to explain why the Jesuits were untouched in
the Hiroshima
airblast. There is no other actual or test data where a structure
such
as this was not totally destroyed at this standoff distance by an
atomic weapon. All who were at this range from the epicenter
should
have received enough radiation to be dead within at most a matter of
minutes if nothing else happened to them. There is no known way
to
design a uranium-235 atomic bomb, which could leave such a large
discrete area intact while destroying everything around it immediately
outside the fireball (by shaping the plasma).
From
a scientific viewpoint, what happened to those Jesuits at Hiroshima
still defies all human logic from the laws of physics as understood
today (or at any time in the future). It must be concluded that
some
other (external) force was present whose power and/or capability to
transform energy and matter as it relates to humans is beyond current
comprehension.
From the standpoint of the current universal
“string” theory in physics (relating atomic scale effects to
macroscopic world) it
suggests that the physical “strings” (i.e., bodies) of the Jesuits and
the “energy strings” representing the house’s physical matter) were
either transformed at the moment of the blast into an opposing energy
field (to cancel the weapon effects and then transformed back on a time
scale totally imperceptible to humans) or an enormous external force
field was present which precisely cancelled the weapon’s effects over
the totally irregular geometry of the residential house including
protecting the occupants. Either way it is a plausibility
argument for
the existence of a Creator who left his “calling card” at Hiroshima.
Remarks:
In 1921, a group of German optics and mechanical designers were sent
from Bausch (in Germany) to Tokyo, Japan to design the optics from
periscopes, bomb sites, binoculars, microscopes, precision machining
[aircraft engines] as well as a new generation of advanced fighters and
heavy bombers [Kate].
That’s right, the concept of the Japanese
“Zero”
and twin-engine bombers was secretly on the drawing boards in the late
1920s by German designers. Coincidentally, in 1921 German Jesuits
showed up in Japan!
In addition, Herbert Smith [famous aircraft designer for Sopwith] was
asked by Mitsubishi to come to Japan
in 1921 to design the world’s first carrier fighter. It was
called the Type 10 and was tested at a facility near Hiroshima.
The German families (and most of the German designers) did not know the
real agenda of their Governments at the time. In the late 1920s,
the
concept for large aircraft carriers [to accommodate the Zero] were also
being drawn and work was initiated on Japan’s
atomic bomb. In 1923, a massive earthquake stuck Tokyo
causing widespread destruction.
I believe this earthquake set the
Japanese war effort back two full years in recovering and much of this
design effort was relocated to Hiroshima,
Honshu and Nagasaki.
Hiroshima
had much heavy shipbuilding/aircraft manufacturing and was a key site
in development of Japan’s
aircraft carriers as well as engine/weapons development. In
addition,
there was a large University for mechanical engineering. (The
speculation being that a full-scale WWII was planned by Japan and
Germany and should have started in 1939). As a possible
consequence of
this 1923 earthquake, Japan was not yet ready to enter WWII in 1939 (in
a worldwide coordinated attack because it lacked trained aircraft
carrier pilots and the Zero’s production was just starting) when Hitler
attacked Poland [Hitler decided not to wait but to sign a peace treaty
with Russia, England and the US to keep them off guard until Japan
could finish its aircraft carriers and train carrier pilots].
This
however permitted the Allies valuable time in preparing for WWII
(especially in the US).
By late 1940, naval intelligence had identified Pearl
Harbor
as the point of a Japanese “sneak attack” by the Japanese carriers.
In
September, 1941 all dependents of the carriers Lexington and Yorktown
had been recalled to San Diego and these carriers were outfitted for
war in San Diego (summer 1941) and left in September for Pearl
Harbor.
Rumor has it the fighter pilots aboard the Lexington
and Yorktown
had been told in a “classified” briefing this country was going to war
with Japan
soon. The Lexington
and Yorktown
were ordered out of Pearl Harbor
on Thanksgiving Day in November 1941 and were three hundred miles from Pearl
Harbor (out of reach of Japanese fleet) on
Dec 07, 1941.
The War Dept has never declassified that briefing.
As previously
noted, Hiroshima
and Nagasaki
were probably not “random” targets for the drop of the atomic bomb to
just demonstrate the bomb as has been stated all these years.
These
cities may have contained key [relocated] elements of the German design
teams for both Japan’s
atomic bomb effort including critical industrial capacity for making an
atomic bomb as well as possibly working on very advanced radar and
electronics for submarines and building naval surface combatants
[carriers]. To protect key Japanese personnel [in later stages of
war
effort], the Japanese used hospitals to house both military and
engineering personnel and relocated the patients to other small
“clinics” [to spread them out]. The military personnel and
engineers
probably wore white uniforms to make it look good. Maybe it was
no
accident, the Shima
Hospital
was at the epicenter of the Hiroshima
atomic bomb. There are many unanswered questions to this day as
to why
did German Jesuits come in Japan in 1921, along with so many other
German designers!?
Speculation:
I
never thought about it until now but there are a number of striking
“coincidences” in 1921. It is not improbable that they [the
German
Jesuits] may have furnished key information on Japan’s
war-making activities back to the Vatican
[for years] and ultimately to US involving Hiroshima
and other cities where a critical part of Japan’s
industry was located in this timeframe. The German Jesuits could
easily have interfaced with the families of the German designers and
were technically astute. The Jesuits have long been actively
involved
in other country’s politics all over the world and teaching fundamental
sciences, mathematics and philosophy at a University gives them access
to a country’s brightest minds for the future!?….and who else would
come and go virtually unnoticed?
....that brings us
to the end of Dr. Rinehart's fascinating comments.
Dr. Stephen A.
Rinehart's professional resume follows....
DR. STEPHEN
A. RINEHART
EDUCATION:
Ph.D.,
Engineering Mechanics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1969 M.S.,
Engineering Mechanics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1966 B.S.,
Engineering Mechanics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1964 Awards:
ASTM (National) Robert J Painter Award (1968) in Mechanical Engineering
for Graduate Students
TITLE:
Principal Staff Member, Engineering (TRW)
Corporate
Affiliations: TRW Systems Integration Group, 1992-Present UNISYS
Defense Systems, 1987-1992 NKF Engineering, Inc., 1981-1987 Prior to
1981, Dr Rinehart worked with Boeing Vertol Div., Xerox Corp. and
Lockheed Missiles/Marine Systems and has served as a consultant to
numerous DoD contractors and Agencies since 1965 including NASA, Office
of Naval Research, Defense Nuclear Agency, Naval Sea Systems Command
(NAVSEA), Coast Guard, SPAWAR and the Air Force’s Space and Missile
Command. At Georgia Tech, he was the first graduate student to
receive
a NASA fellowship in support of Saturn-Apollo Program.
Years of Related
Professional Experience: 34+ in support of DoD Programs
EXPERIENCE:
Dr.
Rinehart was the Corporate Technical Director and Vice-President for
NKF Engineering, Washington
DC
in the 1980s. He was responsible for the administrative, marketing, and
technical operations for 40 scientists/engineers as well as two field
offices (Annapolis/Philadelphia) and a remote shock test facility
(Dynamic Testing Inc.) supporting NAVSEA located in Lynchburg,
Virginia. He has supported conventional and nuclear weapons
development for Naval and Air Force combat weapon systems for over
twenty-seven years. This includes programs involving aircraft
carriers, destroyers, missiles, mine countermeasures, VSTOL and fighter
aircraft and attack submarines.
Prior
to joining TRW, Dr. Rinehart served as the Program Manager for
the
Acoustics, Shock, Vibration, and Magnetic Silencing for the Navy's Mine
Countermeasures ship (MCM-1) including directing all the explosive
testing and acoustic analysis and classified radiated noise signature
testing at PBI Shipbuilders. Also served as the Program Manager
for
the prototype design/upgrade for the Navy's SEAL Team's SDV Vehicle as
well as the Navy’s Mine Hunter Class (MHC) and addressed special
munitions (shaped-charges, mine neutralization, CADS)
requirements. As
project engineer for DTNSRDC directed the shock design of the propulsor
and stern section for the Navy SSN-21 submarine as well as developing
torpedo countermeasures. Currently, Dr. Rinehart is
supporting the
Air Force’s Airborne Laser Program and AEF (Air Expeditionary Force)
passive force protection against air blast and fragmentation. He
also
recently served as an advisor to the Joint USAF/Israeli Civil Defense
project for passive protection of unprotected structures against
terrorist attacks.
**********************************
Interesting
correspondence received...... the absolute historical accuracy of all
the following comments can not be guaranteed but all comments were
submitted by list readers with the best and highest of intentions - and
as such they are interesting and they are greatly appreciated.
Richard
********************
1. They were
Jesuits.
2.
One of them was the future Father General, Arrupe. (Arrupe's
vocation
came as a result of seeing first hand, as a medical student, at Lourdes
a true, MIRACULOUS healing...)
Fr. Paul Basque-born Fr.
Arrupe joined the Society of Jesus in 1927. Because of the order
of expulsion by the Republican government of Spain
at the time, all Jesuits were sent into exile. Accordingly he
pursued his philosophical and theological studies in Belgium
and the Netherlands.
Ordained a priest in 1936 and sent off for doctoral studies in medical
ethics in the United
States, he was
unexpectedly sent as a missionary to Japan
in 1939.
He was
appointed Jesuit superior and the master of novices in Japan
in 1942. He was living in suburban Hiroshima
when the atomic bomb fell in August of 1945. He described that
event
as "a permanent experience outside of history, engraved on my memory."
He utilized his medical skills in the service of the wounded and the
dying, transforming the novitiate into a make-shift hospital for over
200 greviously scarred human remnants. He eventually was
appointed the
provincial superior of the Jesuits in the Japanese province.
At
the 31st General Congregation of the Society of Jesus in 1965 he was
elected to be the order's 28th Superior General. He served in
that
position from 1965 to 1981.
*****************
I've seen interviews of
survivors on TV and photos of the untouched house amid rubble.
The story is indeed true. I also heard a story regarding the attack on
Pearl Harbor. A local woman at a Rotary luncheon told one of our
instructors: She was a newly wed and complained to her husband
that he was never around to take her to mass on Sunday mornings.
He took leave and accompanied his wife to church.
She questioned all the
planes flying overhead and he explained that there must be a dignitary
visiting Pearl Harbor.
Once they were seated in
church, the priest announced that Pearl Harbor was under attack and all
military personnel should report to their duty stations. The young man
rushed to his ship, only to find it sunk with all his shipmates on
board. Going to mass saved his life.
Story to told to LT Frank
Flanagan now out of the Navy and practicing law in Newport, RI.
Ann-Marie
*******************
From Rita (who could
not locate the source.)
"During the
Second World War an atomic bomb was dropped on two Japanese
cities: Hiroshima
and Nagasaki.
An
extraordinary thing happened at Hiroshima.
A small community of Jesuit Fathers lived in a church house near the
parish church, situated only eight blocks from the center of the bomb
blast.
This
notwithstanding, when Hiroshima was destroyed by the atomic bomb, all
eight members of the small Jesuit community escaped unscathed, while
every other person who was within a radius of roughly one and a half
kilometers from the center of the explosion died. The church
house
where the Jesuits lived was still standing, while the nearby church was
completely destroyed.
Father Hubert
Shiffer was one of these. He was 30 when the atomic bomb exploded
at Hiroshima
and lived another 33 years in good health. He recounted his
experiences at Hiroshima
during the Eucharistic Congress held in Philadelphia
(USA)
in 1976. At that time, all eight members of the Jesuit community
were still alive.
Father
Shiffer was examined and questioned by more than 200 scientists who
were unable to explain how he and his companions had survived in the
midst of thousands of dead. He attributed it to the protection of
the
Madonna. He declared: 'I was in the middle of the atomic
explosion
and I am still here alive and well. I was not struck down by its
destruction.' Furthermore, Father Shiffer maintained that for several
years hundreds of experts and investigators continued to study and
investigate the scientific reasons as to why the church house was not
affected. He explained that in that house there was just one
thing
that was different: in that house the Holy Rosary was recited
together
every day."
******************
I
remember that story -- in fact, I heard it again from some fellow in
the Philippines a few years ago, who was kind enough to send a
photocopy of an article from his local paper about the event (written
in English).
As
I recall it, the story had only a few minor changes. One of the
priests was peppered with broken glass at the blast, but his injuries
were relatively minor. (I think one of them was elderly and has
already passed on.) The structure was intact but had some
damage.
They started to care for the injured as best they could after the
blast. They did attribute their safety to praying the
rosary. A truly
amazing event!
Anita
******************
Sorry,
my computer crashed in Nov/Dec. I had heard the story several
times,
however. They were Jesuits not Dominicans. St.
Francis Xavier, a
Jesuit, was the first missionary to Japan
- others of his order followed him. I know we don't picture
Jesuits praying the rosary as much as Dominicans because Our Lady first
gave the Rosary to St. Dominic.
Marion
*****************
The
house was not at ground zero - but everything around that house was
smashed flat and burnt to a cinder. If my memory serves me
correctly -
the community was Jesuit. The part about the Rosary being said is
also
true (they also have daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament).
Desmond
****************
The Church Fathers
Speak on the Rosary
St
Dominic "After the Divine Office and the Holy Mass, no homage is as
agreeable to Jesus and His Divine Mother as the fervent prayer of the
Holy Rosary, since the work of salvation began with the Angelic
Salutation (Hail Mary) the Salvation of each one of us in particular is
attached to this prayer."
St
Louis De Montfort " The Holy Rosary is not just a conglomeration of our
Fathers and Hail Marys, But on the contrary it is a Divine Summary of
the Mysteries of the Life, Passion, Death, and Glory of Jesus and
Mary."
Gregory
XVI 1831 " We are confident this prayer, so conducive to giving honor
to the Blessed Virgin in all places and at all times, will not only
continue to spread more and more everywhere because of its simplicity,
but also because made more powerful by so close a union among those who
pray, it will be most favorably accepted by God. "
Pope Puis IX 1849
"Among the devotion aproved by the Church none have been so Favored by
so many miracles as the Holy Rosary."
St Bernard "The Hail
Mary puts the devil to flight and causes Hell to Tremble with terror."
Pope
St.
Pius X 1903 " There is nothing more excellent, it seems to us, than
that numerous voices are uninterruptingly and from namy parts of the
world simultaneously lifting supplications to the Blessed Virgin Mary
as they meditate on the Christian mysteries, so that the blessings of
her maternal goodness may not cease to descend upon the Church."
Pope Puis XII "there is
no surer means of calling down God's blessing upon the family . .
St Francis de Sales ( Doctor of
Church) "The best method
of prayer is the Holy Rosary if you Say it
well."
Pope Leo XIII " A
powerful means of rendering our courage will undoubtedly be found in
the Holy Rosary".
St Teresa of Avila
"Doctor of the Church" "I
would Gladly suffer . . . Just to have the chance to
pray even one
Hail Mary in order to gain more merits before our lord."
Pope
Benedict "People who pray the Rosary are appealing to the Mother of
Mercy and so merciful is She, that She's inclined to aid spontaneously,
those who suffer. She is absolutely incapable of refusing help to
those who invoke Her. The Rosary prayed daily is the most fitting
formula for praying and meditating."
St John Neuman 1860
"The Holy Rosary is to me the most beautiful of all devotions, as it
contains all in itself."
Pope
St Puis V "The Holy Rosary was given to the Faithful in order that they
might have spiritual peace and consolation more easily."
Bishop
Hugh boyle "No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the
Rosary - either he will give up sin or he will give up the Rosary."
Pope John XXIII
". . . Therefore we are sure that Our Children and
all
their bretheren throughout the world will turn the Rosary into a school
for learning true perfection, as, with a deep spirit of recollection,
they contemplate the teachings that shine forth from the life of Christ
and of Mary Most Holy."
Pope John Paul II
"It is my favorite prayer."
Facts
of the Rosary In 1945 when the Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a
small community of eight Jesuit Fathers, only eight blocks from ground
zero remained unharmed (the people and the building itself) while
everyone else in a radius of 1.5 Km from the centre was killed.
Father
Huber Schiffer one of the eight priests told the Eucharistic Congress
of Philadelphia in 1976, when all eight members were alive and well,
that 200 scientists had carried out investigations for several years in
search of scientific explanation. He told them that there was
only one
thing that made their house different than the others: They recited the
Holy Rosary Prayer every day by living the message of Our Lady of Fatima.
Alexandre,
a girl of noble station who had been converted and enrolled by
St.
Dominic in the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. After her
death
she appeared to him and said that she had been condemned to seven
hundred years in purgatory because of her own sins and those she made
others commit by worldly ways. So she implored him to ease her
pains
by his prayers and to ask the confraterinty members to pray for the
same end. St Domonic did as she asked. Two weeks later she
appeared
to him, more radiant than the sun, having been quickly delivered from
purgatory through the prayers that the Confraternity members had said
for her. She also told him that the Holy souls in purgatory had
given
her a message to beg him to go on preaching the Holy Rosary and to beg
their relatives to offer their rosaries for them, and that they would
reward them abundantly when they came into their Glory.
One
day in 1460 Blessed Alan de la Roche was saying Mass. Our Lord,
who
wished to spur him on to preach the Rosary, spoke to him from the
Sacred Host " How can you crucify me again so Soon?" Jesus said.
What
did you say, Lord? asked blessed Alan, horrified. " You crucified
me
once before by your sins" answered Jesus, "and I would willingly be
crucified again rather than have my Father offended by the sins you
used to commit. You are crucifying me again now because you have
all
the learning and understanding that you need to preach my Mother's
Rosary and you are not doing so. If you only did this you could
teach
many souls the right path and lead them away from sin - but you are not
doing it and so you, yourself, are guilty of the sins that they
commit."
This
terrible reproach made Blessed Alan solemnly resolve to preach the
Rosary unceasingly. Our Lady too, spoke to him one day to inspire
him
to preach the Holy Rosary more and more: "You were a great sinner in
your youth," she said, "but I obtained the grace of your conversion
from my Son. Had such a thing been possible I would have liked to
have
gone through all kinds of suffering to save you because converted
sinners are a glory to me. And I would have done this also to
make you
worthy of preaching my Rosary far and wide." Saint Dominic appeared to
Blessed Alan as well and told him of the great results of his ministry:
he had preached the Holy Rosary unceasingly, his sermons had borne
great fruit and many people had been converted during his
missions. He
said to Blessed Alan:
"See
the wonderful results I have had through preaching the Holy
Rosary!
You and all those who love Our Lady ought to do the same so that, by
means of this holy practice of the Rosary, you may draw all people to
the real science of the virtues."
Briefly, then, this is the history of
how Saint Dominic established the Holy Rosary and of how Blessed Alan
de la Roche restored it.
During
his Pontificate (1566- 1572) Pope Puis V found Europe to be in a
destating State as it had been shaken by the reformation, by
corruption, and by the threat of turkish invasion. Seeing that
things
were only geting worse, he continued to say daily his Rosary.
Finally at the last minute Pius was able to call the countries of Europe
to unite and pray the Holy Rosary and succeeded in orgainzing an army
. He had a Rosary given to each and every soldier, thus on
September
the 30th 1571 against all odds, the much smaller European fleet (about
5000 Men) went
into battle against the might of the turkish fleet (about 30,000 Men),
and on the October 7th the battle of Lepanto, off Greece was Won, (by
the Divine assistance of Our Lady).
*****************
Lastly - I
have included a sampling of reading materials that can be ordered
on-line that deal with Fatima
- there are many books/pamphlets on Fatima
- these are just a few samples. I do not derive any financial benefit
whatsoever, either directly or indirectly, from the sale of any
of
these books or pamphlets. My only intent is to promote devotion to the
Holy Rosary and to also promote the message of Our Lady of Fatima,
which if we live it with devotion and zeal, we can greatly help God to
save many souls - our souls and the souls of our families included -
and we can also help Our Lady in a very real way to prevent wars and
catastrophes in the world.
If
you wish, you can also help promote these devotions by distributing
this email far and wide - as we may be sure that Our Lord Jesus and Our
Lady of Fatima will bring the graces necessary for it to be a blessing
to those who read it.
May God bless you
richly,
Richard
BEST ON FATIMA:
FATIMA
- THE GREAT SIGN. by Francis Johnston.
This is undoubtedly the
most
comprehensive and best book ever written on Fatima and all that it
entails. Our Lady holds out the power to every man, woman and
child in
this world, through the practice of her Fatima Message, to bring down
miracles of God's grace into their homes, their towns and their
countries, and thus disperse, once and for all, the threatened
nightmare of world Communism and nuclear war. This magnificent work
presents a thorough, up-to-date account of the Fatima
apparitions of 1916-1929. The author penetrates deeply into the
theology of Fatima,
especially that concerning devotion and reparation to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary. For the first time in only one volume are included
pronouncements and declarations of Popes, Cardinals, Bishops and
testimony of numerous eye-witnesses. 141pp. PB. Imprimatur.
FATIMA'S
MESSAGE FOR OUR TIMES by Msgr. Joseph A.
Cirrincione.
Fatima
has been called "a summary of the Gospels." The author of this booklet,
Msgr. Joseph A. Cirrincione, one of the most astute
students of
Fatima alive today, summarizes the Fatima messages as a return to a
life of prayer to the traditional prayer - life of the Catholic Faith,
and especially to prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, which really
embraces and includes basically all other forms of Catholic
prayer.
Taking as his point of departure a letter from Sr. Lucy of Fatima
to
her priest nephew, in which she advocates prayer before the Tabernacle,
he asks, "Where else," except before the Blessed Sacrament, "are
vocations discovered, discipleship established and missionary zeal
fired up?" But more, in a chapter he calls "The Culture of Death," he
shows by contrast in our world today the gruesome results of the
world's having abandoned prayer and the Catholic Faith.
Wide-ranging
in scope, Fatima's
Message for Our Times is a challenging, thought-provoking booklet that
leads one immediately and directly to the heart of our Holy
Religion.
72pp.
THE FORGOTTEN
SECRET OF FATIMA,
And the Silent Apostolate. Msgr. Joseph A.
Cirrincione (with Thomas
A. Nelson). Reveals the real massage of Fatima, a message of
overriding significance, a message which has caused the revelations of
the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima to be called "a summary of the
Gospel" - and that message is the importance of praying for the
salvation of souls. For, as Our Lady revealed at Fatima,
"Many souls go to Hell because there are none to sacrifice themselves
and to pray for them." This short treatise is an entirely fresh, new
look at Fatima
and its meaning and is one that is guaranteed to reward its readers
with a deeper understanding of just what it is the Blessed Mother at Fatima
has asked us all to do. 52pp.
THE
FATIMA STORY: OUR LADY OF FATIMA'S
PEACE PLAN FROM HEAVEN. A Dynamite little booklet covering every
aspect of Fatima
- the story, the message, the meaning for today. Over 5 million
sold!
Covers the appearances, vision of Hell, prophecies, miracle of the sun,
messages, subsequent vision, secrets, Church pproval, evil in America,
etc. 32pp. PB. Imprimatur.
Our
Research Department
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