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Galatians 6.17 Paul writes, "I carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body."
"For those who believe, there is no explanation needed, for those who don't believe, no explanation will suffice."
"Pio himself showed no interest whatsoever in attempts by physicians and scientists to explain his stigmata. Whenever people suggested that the stigmata were caused by too great a concentration on Christ's passion, Padre Pio told them: "Go out to the fields and look very closely at a bull. Concentrate on him with all your might. Do this and see if horns grow on your head!" - Padre Pio: The True Story by C. Bernard Ruffin
"It is very difficult to calculate the precise number of stigmatics living at any given time. There will be some whose experiences have not become public knowledge and there will be others, who, having once been thrust into the public domain, have retreated into privacy and who have since died. However a good estimate of current cases would be 25 with the following being amongst the best known: Christina Gallagher from County Mayo; Father Jim Bruse from Virginia USA; Jane Hunt from Derbyshire in England; George Hamilton from Glasgow, Scotland; Cloretta Robinson from California, USA; Julia Kim from Korea; Sister Angus Sasagawa from Japan; Giorgio Bongiovanni from Italy; Angelica Rael from the USA; Domenica Lo Bianco from Italy; Roberto Casarin from Italy; Vera D'Agostino from Italy; Gino Burresi from Italy; Amparia Cuevas from Portugal; Georgette Faniel from Canada, Tiffany Snow from California, USA.
It is generally accepted that St Francis of Assisi was the first person to receive these strange wounds. His stigmatisation occurred in September 1224 on the Feast of Exultation of the Holy Cross." http://www.forteantimes.com
Wounds in the Hands instead of the Wrists?
For those who wonder about the wounds of Tiffany Snow and many other stigmatics who bear the wounds in their hands, instead of the newly-popular wrist postion, please note this observation from Tiffany as she describes Jesus upon the crucifix. "There are new supple leather straps that each soldier loops around the wrists of each of the condemned. It is difficult to catch the hands of the accused and this saves time and quickly allows the wrists to be caught for nailing and the arms pulled tightly into position. This in fact applied to Jesus, though he did NOT thrash about as the others did, but this quick yanking is what caused his left shoulder to dislocate, which added to his pain and also added in difficulty in catching his breath."
LINKS:
Audrey Santos - Worcestor, Mass., USA Stigmata-bearing teenager who has been in a coma and on life-support for over ten years. Reports of healing and oil weeping from statues.http://www.medjugorjeusa.org/audrey.htm
Father Zlatko Sudac - Stigmata-bearing priest from Croatia. Healings and bilocation. http://www.stjeromecroatian.org/eng/frsudac.html
Various photos and modern and ancient history of stigmata.
Very detailed, modern and ancient history, photos
One of the few American stigmatists is Father Jim Bruse of Lake Ridge, just outside Washington, D.C. He was assistant priest at a suburban Catholic church. The events which took place, beginning in 1991, received a lot of publicity. Besides having pain (called "inner stigmata") in his wrists, feet, and side, his wrists bled profusely at least once; this was witnessed by his church supervisor.
http://www.SpiritDaily.com Indeed, Father Bruse's bishop attempted to keep it low-key, but so many experienced phenomena that it even made the cover of U.S. New and World Report. What does it mean? "Something is getting ready to happen," believes Father Bruse. "The Lord is just making us aware that He is there and He is real." As for our times and especially what has happened recently, in New York as well as the Pentagon: "I see that as something getting ready to happen. I think it's a major wake-up call that's going on, and I think that all that I see -- the weird temperature, the polar caps, the earthquakes -- there's a lot going on and I think we should all be prepared. I really do. I've had a lot more come back to church and Confession. I think it's all different than a few years back. I think we're in a different era now." Most important, he stresses, is faith, and the devotions taught by the Church. Whatever doubts about God he may have had, or at least about the priesthood, are gone. "We don't have to worry about what's beyond death," he was reportedly to have said. "We know. It's total love. Christ is the real power behind all these phenomena. Christ is preparing us for the Kingdom of God, saying 'be prepared,' but shouting it out now. It's as if Christ is saying 'wake up! Let's get moving on our spirituality.' I believe it's building up to something big."
http://www.workersforjesus.com/stigmata.html "There are some interesting statistics concerning stigmatists through the past centuries. A reliable, approved list does not exist; but an "unofficial" roster has been assembled (one that is not recognized by the Church). There are approximately 300 names on it. Thirty of the people listed are currently living. Most of those on the list come from Roman Catholic countries and follow that religion. There are a few from other churches, including the Baptist and Anglican--to name only two. Seventy percent come from the same country: Italy. Ninety percent of the stigmatists are women. Many instances of stigmata have occurred to very ordinary people.
(1) St. Veronica Giuliani was Italian. In 1697 she received the stigmata in hands, side, and feet. A postmortem examination (done after death) showed the following--On her heart were imprints she had reported in her journal (and even sketched there) when she was alive; attending physicians wrote there was "a considerable curvature of the right shoulder, which bent the bones just as the weight of a heavy cross might have done."
(2) Ethel Chapman was English. In 1974 she was in a hospital, under constant medical supervision, when nurses first found her bleeding from wounds. This incident comes very close to proving that the stigmata was a completely spontaneous event. Of course, unless she was under observation 24 hours a day, it can't be considered a proven fact.
(3) Heather Woods was also English. Her experience which began in 1993 was likely the most closely documented. The wounds were videotaped and even shown on network television. There were marks on her feet and hands. In addition, a crescent-shaped red mark appeared on her right side and a cross appeared on her forehead on two separate occasions. Photographs were taken at each key moment. Heather had undergone surgery many times.
The Catholic Church has accepted the fact that stigmata can be genuine. They investigate all claims, including extensive physical examinations. They seem to realize that many times there will be no logic, that they cannot always explain events in simple terms. They seem to be prepared to accept that the miraculous does occur, but they are reluctant to be seen as condoning excessive behavior. Trying to satisfy skeptics (those who disagree and question) by explaining stigmata, is not meant to dismiss it as "illusion, superstition, or deception."All stigmatists have had to face skeptics and "doubting Thomases."
If you have additional research information and links that you feel would be of interest to those who look at this page, especially concerning modern stigmata-bearers please send them to:
Also see www.TheFourthHealing.com for Father Billy Clark's information on God's Love, the truth about hellfire, deliverance and exorcism, emotional and spiritual healing, etc. A very interesting and informational website, much of the information is from Tiffany Snow's stigmata.
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