By Stpehen K. Ryan
Ministry Values
December 28, 2010
http://www.ministryvalues.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1365&Itemid=125
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Pope Benedict XVI - End the Injustice “Never in the History of the Catholic Church”
As the year comes to an end, much of the news concerning the Vatican and Catholic Church has again been dominated by the sex abuse crisis. Pope Benedict XVI has called for an end to the “injustice”. But there is another injustice that has simmered for nearly twenty years. The injustice stems from the diocese of Arlington’s refusal to examine the religious events that occurred near Washington D.C. that are unprecedented in the history of the Catholic Church.
The injustice was inflicted by deeply flawed, secretive, individuals who made up the leadership of the diocese of Arlington at the time of the miraculous occurrences.
Summary of Events
On March 6, 1992, a local television affiliate of CBS news aired a story about mysterious occurrences of weeping statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary taking place in Lake Ridge, Virginia, a quite suburb twenty miles south of the Nation’s Capitol. The extraordinary events were mostly occurring at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church and its rectory.
The reported weeping Madonnas were associated with a local priest named Father Jim Bruse – they seemed to tear in his presence – who was also experiencing the “wounds of Christ” known as the Stigmata.
There were hundreds, if not thousands, of credible witnesses who saw the statues of the Virgin Mary weep before their eyes, including lawyers, military officers and government employees. Most significantly the Bishop of the Arlington Diocese, John R. Keating along with Monsignor William Reinecke both witnessed the weeping Madonnas -
Many eye-witnesses to the events and those who have investigated the incident argue that never in the entire history of the Catholic Church, has there been a more momentous occurrence of weeping statues and other physical signs of God's presence through the Blessed Virgin Mary than what took place on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. in 1991 – 1993.
Within days of the CBS news report, the story of the miraculous events would become a worldwide media sensation.
Then suddenly, the Chancery Office to the diocese of Arlington, headed by Monsignor Reinecke, concerned about the “circus atmosphere” at the Lake Ridge parish, with the blessing of the Bishop, coldly shut everything down. The statues of the Madonna, mind you, continued to weep, at times profusely, but as far as the diocese of Arlington and the Catholic Church were concerned the matter was officially over.
2011 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the miraculous events and some intrepid souls are determined to see that these events find their rightful place in history – no matter the obstacles. The events and their historical significance are simply too extraordinary to ignore.
NEVER IN THE HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Never in the history of the Catholic Church have so many ordained priests been eye witness to the miraculous phenomena of weeping statues.
Never in the history of the Catholic Church has a Bishop and his Chancellor been an eye witness to weeping statues in their own office.
Never in the History of the Church has there been an occurrence of miraculous events associated with a stigmatic priest.
Never in the history of the Catholic Church has there been a Harvard trained lawyer who not only was an eye-witness to all the miraculous events but also chronicled the occurrences in a journal in real time.
Never in the history of the Catholic Church have there been so many eye-witnesses to the weeping statues as those associated with the miracles in Virginia – over 1,000 by conservative estimates.
Never in the History of the Church has a weeping statue been captured on television.
Never in the history of the Catholic Church has there been such a spontaneous media frenzy associated with a religious event consisting of unexplained mysterious occurrences.
Never in the history of the Catholic Church has a stigmatic priest not become a Saint - The others St. Francis of Assisi and Saint Padre Pio of Italy. (There are only two other priests in the history of the Church that received the stigmata - the wounds of Christ)
Never in the history of the Catholic Church has a stigmatic priest who was associated with miraculous events undergone psychiatric tests. Most astonishing was the physician’s personal encounter with weeping statue during the examination. The doctor simply said to Father Bruse as the tears were flowing – “Your statue is crying”
Never in the History of the Catholic Church has a stigmatic priest been examined by a physician who witnessed the bleeding and determined it was unexplainable.
Despite the unprecedented unexplained marvels, the diocese of Arlington quickly silenced all references of the events and ended the Catholic Church's involvement.
The Leadership
So who were the men that silenced and ended the Catholic Churches association with these incredible events? Who ignored and dismissed “Our Lady’s” tears?
1. The Chancellors office of the diocese of Arlington headed by alleged pedophile Monsignor William Reinecke signed the decree in March of 1992 ending the Church’s association with the miraculous events. After signing the decree, Father Reinceke, a few months later, ended his own life in August of 1992 after being confronted by a victim of his molestation. Other accusers have come forward over the years. Monsignor Reinecke at the time of the miraculous events had been assigned the responsibility of monitoring other clerics and employees having a history of sexual abuse for the diocese of Arlington.
2. In 1998 Bishop Keating of the Arlington Diocese died suddenly in Rome a day after speaking with Pope John Paul II – The topic of their talk is still a secret
3. Pastor to Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church where most of the miraculous events occurred was Father Daniel Hamilton. Father Hamilton was "involved in extraordinarily graphic and incredibly disturbing sadomasochism, sexual torture, cross-dressing, transgender pornography that involved she-males. He (Hamilton) was completely addicted, daily immersed in this kind of sexual horror." 22. Deposition, p. 18
4. Homilist at Chancellor William Reinecke’s funeral Arlington Diocese "Golden Boy" and rising star Father James Verrecchia. Father Verrcchia, handpicked by Bishop Keating Impregnated a married women and parishioner while acting as “spiritual director” to the women . In a court deposition Father Haley told Bishop Levarde of Verrecchia?s extensive collection of homosexual and child pornography. Verrecchia left the Church and married women.
5. Arlington Diocese Vice ChancellorFather Rippy replaced Monsignor Reinecke as Chancellor in 1992. Washington Times reported that Father Rippy was best friends with Father Erbacher,a known homosexual priest with an extensive collection of child pornography, who according to the Washington Post, had embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from his Church. According to the Washington Times Father Rippy was rumored to be homosexual.
6. Arlington Diocese Communications director. Father Curtis Clark - Father Clark according to reports carried on affairs with adult women and is now laicized.
All the men mentioned above had leadership positions within the Arlington diocese and sadly this group quickly, without an investigation ended, the Catholic Churches interest in perhaps the greatest manifestation of the supernatural in its' history.
Why have these events been ignored? The are many answers but perhaps the most simple is that Washington D.C. thinks of itself as to "sophisticated" to believe in miracles.
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