A Visitor from Heaven, Part II: Apparitions in Northern Italy
In Part I, I recounted the life of Blessed Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, the Polish priest and martyr who was assassinated by the security services of the Polish People’s Republic in October 1984. He is said to have appeared to Francesca Sgobbi over the course of seventeen years. Now it is time for readers to become acquainted with the visionary herself.
A COUPLE LIKE ANY OTHER —AND LIKE NO OTHER
The 80-year-old Francesca, a visionary, and the 87-year-old Giorgio Sgobbi, who have lived for years in the small town of Fiumicello in northern Italy, maintain their high spirits despite having endured a great deal of suffering in their lives. However, the summer months of 2009 proved to be difficult for the couple. It was then that Giorgio received a bolt from the blue: a dramatic diagnosis of malignant prostate cancer.
He was admitted to the hospital in Palmanova, where he underwent surgery on July 6th. Yet, the doctors said that the cancer had already metastasized extensively and that he was facing certain death. His loving wife tried to support him as best she could, keeping watch by his bedside. When he fell asleep, she went to the cathedral, located about two kilometres from the hospital. On the way, she stopped at a shop for a small souvenir and decided to have it blessed while she was there. Unfortunately, she was unable to find a priest.
A GUEST FROM BEYOND
Here, earthly reality meets the supernatural.
She knelt before an image of the Virgin Mary. Unexpectedly, a young priest whom she had never seen before—or so it seemed to her at the time—approached her as she prayed. The mysterious priest blessed the souvenir she held in her hand. Just as Francesca was about to thank him, he vanished into thin air.
The following day, she returned the cathedral to pray once more and saw the same priest. Who was he, and what did he want from her? These questions kept swirling through her mind.
She mentioned this strange occurrence to Giorgio; her husband advised her to simply ask for his name if she ever saw him again. Just before Giorgio was discharged, she went to the cathedral once more. When she questioned the stranger, he replied, “Do you remember when your father watched that movie and said, ‘Popielusco, Popielusco…’? It is I who am Popiełuszko.” After these words, he smiled and vanished. Francesca recalls how she was dumbfounded in that moment.
Subsequent medical examinations revealed that the cancer had completely disappeared. “Today I know for certain that this happened through the intercession of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko. It was he who helped me and pleaded with God for the grace of my healing,” Giorgio confesses with tears in his eyes.
TOTALLY YOURS: A REFLECTION
Let us now turn to reflection, to the “Message from Heaven” in the context of Holy Scripture, specifically Matthew 13:1–23. Which kind of soil best describes the current state of your heart?
Many of us claim to have followed Jesus for years, but do we truly have the courage to surrender our will and our lives to Him without reservation? Do we renounce everything that distances us from God: false happiness, false hope, and false splendor? Some may have done so at twenty, others at forty-five, and still others in their sixties, but there are those who get cold feet and remain afraid to do so until the day they die.
As stated by the researcher of private revelations, Fr. Dr. Andrzej Baran, OFMCap, Francesca Sgobbi’s visions encompass corporeal apparitions of Blessed Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, as well as interior locutions perceived through the physical sense of hearing. One such apparition is recorded thus:
(Fumicello, November 1, 2011)
Blessed Popiełuszko appeared beside me today. As always, he smiled at me and asked, “Are you glad to see me?” I nodded my head in affirmation; I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I could hardly utter a word. He said, “Francesca, today we are praying for the Pope, for Priests, and for the rulers of the world.”
When he finished praying, he said, “Take this particularly important message and give it to your friends to read because it is a message given for everyone. When you learn about holiness you often become apprehensive and consider that it is not for you.
But the invitation to holiness is indeed possible because all the requirements can be met when you receive the Sacraments. Your engine, in fact, is running but you are afraid to shift into gear. Let yourselves be led by the hand; do not be afraid. Believe in God the Father and acknowledge Him as Lord, worship Him and live in His presence at every moment.
God has offered many wondrous gifts to all, especially in this time of arduous struggles with the Evil One. The Father wants to defend His home and to defend the few children who still follow Him in intimate love.
Satan is very strong so it will always be a tough battle as these children are lead through immense burdens and major hardships; therefore, holy soldiers are indispensable to defeat him! They need to be children of God who are called to holiness and who are firm believers in the Father Himself, and in the Mother of God. They are the ones who can confront and drive away the hosts of demons, because the Holy Spirit is always with us and Satan is absolutely powerless when confronted with God’s love […]
Francesca, tell your friends to start with small things, a small benevolent action done with kindness of heart, and the Father will take care of the rest. Francesca, the time has come for me to leave. The Father is calling me, but I will always be close to you.”
He blessed me, smiled, and departed. I remained, thanking him, and pondering on all that he had said.
While millions live etsi Deus non daretur—”as though God did not exist”—having lost their spiritual compass in such a milieu, perhaps we might seek to console the Sacred Heart of Jesus by entrusting ourselves entirely to Him.
Author’s Note: In Part 3 of this series, we will learn about the life of the Italian visionary and find out what the Messenger from Heaven wants to tell us about the thorny issue of SUFFERING.
Photo by Engjell Gjepali on Unsplash
