The Christian trumpet

Front matter

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J UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. J

Preface

Some writers have to begin their prefatory introduction with an apology in behalf of the publication of another book upon subjects already treated by previous authors in the same language. Catholic authors in these circumstances usually quote St. Augustine's trite aphorism, that it is advisable to write upon an important subject in different styles, varying diction and phraseology, in the hope of inducing more numerous readers with different tastes to peruse one at least of these works.

Whilst the humble compiler of the present volume approves this idea, he considers himself dispensed from using it as his apology. He has made some inquiries to discover whether any book has ever been published in the English language upon the subjects treated in this work. Though many books of the kind have at various times been printed in other languages in several European countries, yet he could not succeed in finding one published in the English tongue, spoken at the present time by so many millions of men spread over a wide surface of the globe. In the hope and expectation of seeing this want supplied, he has been awaiting for some years, but all in vain. He is not the only person who believes that the present work will prove both interesting and profitable to the general English reader. Hence, in spite of his deeply felt shortcomings, he ventures to send it to the press for publication.

iv PREFACE.

It will cause no surprise if the compiler says a fewwords in behalf of his own work. It has cost some study and some labor. It has been written, as the variations of the style will show, amidst frequent unavoidable interruptions, and some occasional physical sufferings. He has been obliged to make translations for the First and Second Parts from different books in divers languages, of which he does not boast of being perfect master. With the aim of combining brevity consistent with order and clearness, he has found it necessary to give an entirely new form to this work. This book has been divided into three parts.

In the First Part it has been judged proper to collect and arrange those prophetical predictions, the main object of which evidently is to warn mankind about impending serious and more or less general calamities.

In the Second Part he is gratified by being able to give many prophecies of a more cheering and hopeful nature, announcing the fast-approaching universal triumph of the true faith and holy religion of Jesus Christ.

The Third Part, if more gloomy and saddening to worldlings, will prove very useful to the true believer, and full of solid hope for the virtuous Christian soul, with fervent aspirations for the end of sin, and the general resurrection to glory of the elect of God.

Though the writer of these lines is more than satisfied with the humble office and title of compiler, it will, however, in the perusal of this book, be found that it contains more than a simple translation or compilation. This is particularly the case with the Third Part. Each of the three parts is subdivided into chapters. The compiler has connected prophecies and statements made by the same person, which were found separated, not only in several books, written in divers languages,

PREFACE. V

but also scattered in different portions of the same volume. In the French works in his possession he found their respective and respected authors too strongly biassed in their political opinions, and too much disposed to accommodate different predictions to their cherished theories of human government. Whilst he sincerely respects their good intentions, and praises their worthy motives, he felt that he should not imitate their example. As it will be obvious to every intelligent mind, the compiler's aim has been directed above and beyond the earthly limits of republics, kingdoms, and empires.

When practicable, he has added a short biography of the person whose prophetical previsions are published in this book. In the arrangement of the various prophecies he has, as much as possible, tried to preserve the chronological order, which plan was not much observed in the books he used. He has, likewise, thought proper occasionally to make some short comments, in order to facilitate the intelligence of some prophetical predictions. These comments or explanations will be found enclosed within brackets, when necessary to distinguish them from text. After careful examination, the compiler has determined to omit a pretty good number of prophetical predictions, which, in his humble judgment, were not sufficiently authentic, or too obscure, or not essential to the perfection of this work. The contents of this sufficiently large volume will, for various good reasons, be found of the highest general interest to humanity. In fact, human society, the Church, dynasties, human governments, time and eternity, pass in review before these prophetical previsions. In point of time they embrace more than fifteen centuries. They have relation to popes and to bishops, to ecclesiastics and to religious, to the clergy and to the laity, to believers and

VI PKEFACE.

unbelievers, to Catholics and to Protestants, to Turks and to Pagans, to Jews and Gentiles.

It seems very evident that God desires to have these prophetical warnings made known to the w T orld at this present time. This conviction is grounded upon the remarkable fact, that in former centuries Divine revelations were almost exclusively confined to holy religious living in cloistered seclusion ; during the present century, and more especially within the last thirty years, they have been almost without exception communicated to pious persons living in the midst of society, where it is morally very difficult, if not impossible, to conceal their extraordinary Divine gifts and lights. Moreover, these privileged persons are commanded by the Divine Spirit to publish the revelations which they have received, and some continue to this very day to receive, from God. It is in consequence of this fact and of repeated commands from God that different prophetical revelations have, of late years, been published in France and in Italy, where such Divine manifestations have been very frequent.

There is another stronger and more comprehensive reason why God wills the publication of menacing prophecies as soon as possible. The perusal of this work will show, to those who like to see, that we are on the eve of startling events over the whole earth. There shall soon be terrible punishments on account of manifold sins and crimes daily committed, and hourly increasing in number, malice, and enormity. More than at any other period of human history, the earth is filled with iniquity. Hence with the Prophet Osee we may say : Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel, for the Lord shall enter into judgment tvith the inhabitants of the land. For there is no truth, and there is no mercy, and

PREFACE. Vll

there is no knowledge of God in the land. Cursing and lying and killing and theft and adultery have overflowed, and blood hath touched blood. Good God ! were these inspired words pronounced about 2,570 years ago, or in this very day ? What a truthful picture do they give of the actual state of human society ! Therefore, let us conclude with the holy prophet, — therefore shall the land mourn. (Osee iv. 1, 2.) The infinite goodness of God, however, before allowing his Divine justice to inflict the deserved punishment upon guilty humanity, previously invites, in mercy, sinners to repentance, and warns them in a clear and strong manner of the impending chastisements if they continue obstinate in their career of iniquity. Such has ever been the wise and merciful conduct of God's holy providence in the old and new dispensation.

If we believe in revelation and admit these principles, if we cannot deny that human society is corrupted and filled with iniquity, if we are convinced that voices of heavenly warning proclaim to a guilty and almost godless humanity terrible impending punishments, why should we sj-stematically attempt to stifle these charitable voices into a forced silence by refusing to them the breath of translation and the public trumpet of the press 1 Can we suppose that our affected, if not guilty, silence will be able to keep back from us the punishments so solemnly and so frequently announced by hundreds of divinely inspired prophets of eminent sanctity 1 ? or do we, like the Pharisee of old, believe ourselves different from the rest of men 1 In this manner we may through our culpable connivance accelerate its stroke, and intensify its severity, but we cannot presume to stay the uplifted hand of Divine Justice from inflicting upon us the threatened scourges.

viii PREFACE.

For the sake of the general good, in announcing salutary truths we should neither fear the sneer of the sceptic, the sarcasm of the infidel, nor the sickly condition of the effeminate and sensual Christian. 0, peruse the letters of St. Francis di Paola, and the more recent revelations of Melanie de la Salette, and then let us nobly despise the adverse criticisms of a selfish generation of morbid sensibilities, and of infidel and impious scepticism ! Let us bravely and wisely act upon the maxim of the great Pope St. Gregory, Minus jaculd feriunt, que previdentur, — Foreknowledge blunts the stroke. Whether we like it or not, the threatened punishment shall soon fall upon a guilty world. It is then more wise to listen to words of information, and still more prudent to make a timely and suitable preparation before their infliction. There is another important reflection which we wish to make in these prefatory remarks. It is a theological axiom that God is more grievously offended by infidelity than by immorality. Sins against morality are indeed a violation of God's holy law, but infidelity not only refuses to admit any Divine sanction to law, but boldly denies the very existence of the Divine Legislator. We are now arrived evidently at the unhappy epoch foretold by St. Paul in the following words : There shall be a time when they (men) will not bear sound doctrine, bid according to their own desires they ivill heap to themselves teachers having itching ears '; and vjill turn away indeed their hearing from the truth, and will be turned to fables. (2 Tim. iv. 3, 4.)

Besides the heaps of heretical teachers so emphatically foretold by the Apostle, we have in these sad days crowds of lying prophets and of bewitching prophetesses, reckless apostles of Spiritualism, deluding spirit-rappers, greedy fortune-tellers, enchanting mesmerizers, presump-

PREFACE. ix

tuous astrologers, and impious necromancers, all of whom are unhappily too much believed, admired, praised and patronized by effeminate men and silly women, and by many perverted Christians. All these and similar superstitious impieties are most injurious to the Christian faith, and most offensive to God's eternal' truth. It is evident that God wishes to confound these lying prophets and their deluded abettors by manifesting to his truly humble and faithful servants real and true supernatural revelations of certain future events, which shall infallibly take place. Our Lord moreover desires that in atonement for the credulous superstition of their fellow Christians, all sincere and virtuous Catholics should believe those truths which his Holy Spirit vouchsafes to reveal to his favorite friends for our common good and edification. It is under this deeply seated conviction that this book has with some labor been prepared for publication.

It has been objected that at this age, and especially in those countries wherein the English language is spoken, human society is so wholly taken up with matters of fact, that it will not be interested in the perusal of predictions about the future. It might, however, be doubted whether this indifference be the effect of the Saxon character, Northern climate, national habits, and domestic training, or rather the consequence of the loss, during the last three hundred years, of the true light of supernatural faith in the fulness of Christian revelation and genuine Catholic tradition. Whatsoever the cause may be, history and experience sufficiently prove that people of Saxon origin have their periods of strong religious and political excitement. This has been the fact both in Europe and America. There is perhaps

scarcely any other race of people more eager than the 1*

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Saxon to read the leading newspapers of the day, wherein the political and religious problems of the age and country are discussed in relation to the immediate future, particularly when material interests are at stake. How often the waning popularity of the Protestant preacher seeks to recruit the decreasing numbers of his dearly beloved audience by repeated vocal and printed announcements of prophetical predictions extorted through sectarian commentaries from their favorite Book of Revelations ! And who is more ready and willing than the Saxon non-Catholic mind to believe their oracles of the press and of the pulpit, when these gravely announce their desired speedy downfall of the papacy and of all Catholic power and influence in mundane affairs ! The probability of a change in the ministerial governments of England and Germany, the general or State elections in these United States, manifest very strongly the real nature of the Saxon character.

But we have just reasons to thank God that not all persons of Saxon blood are unbelievers or sceptics. Many millions of these, both in Europe and in America, are strong, sincere, and fervent Catholics. Those who can read an English book shall not be found unwilling to examine the authenticy, the nature and intended object of these prophetical predictions. Moreover, the majority of Catholics in America do not claim to be of Saxon origin, but they glory in being of Celtic race. There is no doubt that these also will be glad to have the opportunity of reading a book like the present, which is offered to the public.

Here, however, a second objection of an opposite tendency has been proposed. Some timid persons somewhat fear that the publication of a volume of previsions and predictions like those contained in this

PREFACE. XI

book may cause undue excitement and unwholesome dread in many Catholics. We cannot see any cause for this apprehension. In fact, a very large number of books of the same nature have, during the last twenty years and more abundantly during the last few years, been published in Germany, particularly in France, and in Italy. We possess some of these works, from which the present compilation has in great part been made. But it has to be heard yet that any undue or even special excitement has been produced in the mind of millions of attentive readers. On the contrary, to our edification we learn that the perusal of such books has revived in many thousands of persons their dormant Catholic faith, and has produced a salutary change in their moral conduct. Such is at present the case in France and in Italy. Moreover, these prophetical predictions or other statements contained in this volume are not proposed as articles of Christian faith, except what has been declared as such by the Catholic Church. To the rest we attach no more credence than what human authority deserves. The compiler does not and cannot expect his readers to believe these statements more than he believes them. Experience shows that the generality of Catholics will rather undervalue than overvalue the importance of a book of this nature. Superstitious enthusiasm is not the child of true Catholic belief, but rather the offspring of a corrupted faith and of infidelity.

Lastly, the attentive perusal of the present work will soon convince the intelligent reader that the punishments prophetically announced in it are neither intended nor calculated to alarm the sincere and devout Catholic believer. These events are intended by a wise and just God, and announced by him through his inxn PEEFACE.

spired prophets, as a purification for the just and for the punishment of the wicked. They should indeed he dreaded by the bad Christian, by the obstinate sinner, by the impious unbeliever, by the tyrannical oppressor and cruel persecutor of Christ's Holy Church and of our saintly and venerated Pope of Rome. Why should we conceal these truths from our enemies?

This should be kept in mind in a more special manner in reading the different announcements of the three days' darkness, of the prophecies about future m cres of ecclesiastics, religious persons, and devout Catholics, and the predictions of the schism which will, too soon, alas! be attempted in the Church by powerful and wicked men through a clandestine election of some anti-pope. We should remember that, according to St. Paul's warning, schisms and heresies must occasional^ come, that they who are reprobates may be made mani' fest amongst us. (1 Cor. xi. 9.) Again, let us reflect that the sacred blood of Christian martyrs will satisfy and appease Divine Justice in behalf of mankind, and produce more numerous and sounder children in the Catholic Church. Finally, future happy experience will show that the three days' darkness shall prove in their inevitable effects to be the three brightest days for the Catholic faith and the dismal shroud of death intended by God for the general funeral and unlamented burial of schism, heresy, infidelity, and sin. Then, on the following Holy Saturday, the Catholic Church will have an additional reason for jubilation in singing in her sublime Exultet those words : The dreaded sanctity of that awful night has banished crime and cleansed, vnth tears the stains of sin. It has restored innocence to the fallen and joy to the sad. It has extinguished hatred, humbled pride, and united regenerated humanity in the bond of harmony and peace.

PREFACE. xiii

Finally, we beg the reader to reflect that in this hook he will find more than forty prophetical predictions, made by persons of eminent holiness of life. The very nature and object of these prophecies are an internal evidence and guaranty of their sincerity. These prophetical previsions and predictions are not intended or calculated to flatter human passions or national ambition. If hope is given to the repenting sinner, terrible chastisements are fearlessly announced against the obstinate criminal. Many predictions found in this book announce great victories, glory, power, and prosperity for Prance ; but these glorious promises are made to France of the future. To France, contemporaneous with several modern prophets, her infidelities to God, her crimes, her impieties, are reproached by them in such plain and strong expressions that could only be inspired by the true spirit of God. These inspired prophets, humanly speaking, could only expect derision, contempt, and persecution from an incredulous and perverse generation reproached so severely by them. It is only power from above that could sustain their natural timidity in announcing terrible impending calamities over an entire nation, and over all mankind. However, as to what degree of authority and credence these revelations may claim, the compiler fully adopts the golden maxim of the learned Cardinal Lambertini, afterwards Pope Benedict XIV., who writes thus : Though an assent of Catholic faith be not due to such revelations, they, however, deserve a human assent, according to the rides of prudence, by which they are probable, and piously credible, as the revelations of blessed Hildegarde, St. Bridget, and, St. Catherine of Sienna. (De canoniz. sanctorum, Lib. II. chap. 32, No. 11.)

Introduction

FIRST PART.

WARNING PROPHECIES.

Chapter Page

I. Prophetical Predictions of the Solitary D'Orval relative

to the Present Condition and Future Destiny of Prance 1 1

II. Prophecy of St. Remigius 31

III. Prophecy of St. Bridget, of Sweden . . . .34

IV. Prophecy of Father Jerome Botin, a Holy Benedictine

Monk 40

V. Prophecy of Father Neckton, a Jesuit, about France . 44

VI. Prophecy of Sister Marianne, an Ursuline Nun . 48

VII. Prophecy of a Franciscan Capuchin Friar . . .54

VIII. Prophecy of George Michael Wittman ... 57

IX. Our Lady of La Salette. — Revelations of the Blessed

Virgin Mary to Melanie and Massimin . . .59

i. Preliminary Remarks 59

ii. Letter of Melanie, of La Salette . . .63 in. Letter of Melanie to a Sister of Providence . 69 iv. Portion of Melanie's Letter to M. Gerard . 71

v. Letter of Melanie to Victor C de Stenay 71

vi. Letter to the Same 74

X. Manifestation of the Secret of La Salette made by

Melanie to the Abbe Felician Bliard . . .76

i. Words of the Most Holy Virgin to Melanie . 76 ii. Words of Melanie, and Portions of some of her

Letters 82

in. Present Mode of Life of Melanie ... 83 iv. Secret of Massimin Girand . . . .84

XL Prophecy of the Venerable Abbe Viannay, Cure

d'Ars, France 85

INTENTS. xv

XII. Prophecy of the Venerable Anna Maria Taigi . . 87

XI II. Predictions of Sister Rose Colomba, a Dominican Nun 97

XIV. Predictions of Palma Maria Addolorata Matarelli . 10-t

XV. Prophecy of Jane le Royer, in Religion Sister of the

Nativity Ill

XVI. Poetical Prediction, which exists in the Public Biblioteca of Piacenza, in Italy, with some Remarks about Republican Governments . . . .113

SECOND PART.

TRIUMPH OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

I. Jesus Christ ever triumphs in and through his Church 129

II. Prophecy of St. Cesarius 145

III. Prophecy of St. Edward, King of England, and of St.

Malaehy, Archbishop of Armagh .... 147

IV. Previsions and Predictions about England, of St. Paul

of the Cross and of Domenico Savio . . . 150

V. Letters of St. Francis di Paola 155

VI. David Lazzaretti 165

VII. Prophetical Previsions and Predictions of the Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser . . . .172 VIII. Prophecy of Mary Lataste, a Religious of the Sacred

Heart 175

IX. Visions of Elizabeth Mora . . ... 180

X. Prophecy of Blessed Bobola, S. J. ... 187

XI. Prophecy of Rodolphus Gekner 189

XII. Prophecy of Magdalene Porsate .... 190

XIII. Prophetical Announcements about .the Popes, attrib-

uted to St Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland 195

XIV. Address of the Catholics to his Holiness Pope Pius IX. 204

THIRD PART.

THE LAST JUDGMENT.

I. Necessity of a General Judgment . . . .211 II. Nature of the General Judgment . . . . 217 xvi CONTENTS.

III. Signs of the approaching General Judgment . . 224

IV. Remote Signs of the General Judgment . . . 227 V. Two Other Important Signs of the approaching General Judgment, — Apostasy from Faith, and the Abolition of the Roman Empire .... 235

VI. More Signs of the approaching General Judgment 241

VII. An Objection answered 247

VIII. Prophecy of an Olivetine Monk .... 253

IX. About Antichrist 256

X. The last Prophecies and recent Facts about Antichrist 260

XI. Concluding Remarks 268

The Christian Trumpet.

INTRODUCTION.

" Extinguish not the spirit. Despise not prophecies. But prove all things, and hold that which is good." — 1 Thess. v. 19.

MAN, being composed of soul and body, has need of food for his existence. But as the sensible life of his body requires material food, so the intellectual life of his soul must be nourished with truth. Truth is eternal ; thence it embraces all time, past, present, and future. In the past we search truth in history. We seize with eagerness present events, and we experience a strong innate impulse to explore the unknown future. This hankering for knowledge in man is the appetite of the soul for her natural food, which is truth. A -desire to penetrate the future is therefore as innate to man as it is natural to him to seek after truth. Any undue interference tending to hinder man from this legitimate search is an attempt to extinguish his spirit. But St. Paul says, "Extinguish not the spirit."

These words of St. Paul possess, however, a higher import. The fact that man is composed of spirit and body, proves that he occupies a middle state in creation. As his body indicates the existence of mere material being, so his spirit demonstrates the separate existence of pure spiritual substance. In short, as there are stones, so there must be angels, because the works of

1 A

God must be- perfect in every kind and in every part. If there were material beings, and also beings composed of body and spirit, but there were not likewise purer spiritual substances, then between man and God a certain void would exist, which every law of nature abhors ; therefore, the perfection of this universe requires the existence of pure spiritual substances that we call angels.

Moreover, every creature is the expression of one or more of God's infinite attributes. Hence every creature bears some trait of likeness to the Divine Creator. Now God, who is the first cause of all beings, is a most pure Spirit, therefore in this universe there must be created agents, as St. Thomas says, who, as much as possible to a creature, are by nature like unto him, namely, pure spiritual substances.

All true Christian divines teach, that as God communicates his special lights to inferior angels, through the means of those higher and nearer to him, so God communicates supernatural lights to the soul of man through the ministry of his inferior angels. Thus, Every good and perfect gift must come from above, from the Father of light. How beautiful is this Catholic doctrine of divine economy in the government of this world ! St. Paul, therefore, for graver reasons, says : Extinguish not the spirit, despise not prophecies. Because, as the human body could not naturally exist totally separated from contact with any other material being, so the human soul is necessarily degraded, and rendered miserable, if excluded from every intercourse with superior intelligences. Hence, in every age of the world, among Jews or Gentiles, in Christian and pagan ^nations, a most firm and universal belief in these spiritual intelligences has ever existed. Moreover, it is a general conviction in the human mind that these superior intelligences occasionally commanicate to man the knowledge of hidden and future events.

Let us pass from reason to authority, and from theory to facts. Because the preceding reflections have been made for a special class of readers with a sceptical turn of mind about modern prophecies, so these persons will not dislike to hear the opinion upon this matter of the famous political philosopher, Nicolas Machiavelli. In the first book and fiftieth chapter of his lectures on Titus Livy, he writes what follows : —

" Before any extraordinary event takes place in any city or province, it is previously announced by mysterious signs, or by human prophetical predictions. I do not pretend to know the origin of this. But the examples of ancient and modern times demonstrate the fact that no grave event has ever transpired in any city or province, which has not been foretold by auguries, or by revelations, or by prodigies, or by other supernatural signs. In confirmation of this I might refer here to many examples ; but for the sake of brevity I must forbear. I shall, however, mention a fact related by Titus Livy, which occurred a short time before the Franks came to Rome. A certain man, by name Marck Leditius, told the Roman senators that about midnight, whilst he was passing through Via Nova, New Street, in the city, he heard a superhuman voice commanding him to inform the Roman magistrates that the Franks were coming to attack Rome. The event soon verified the prediction. I should not go from home for proof of this truth. Every person among us is well aware how Friar Jerome Savonarola foretold beforehand the coming to Italy of Charles VIII., king of France. Besides, over all Tuscany, it was well known that visions of armed men were seen fighting in the air above the city of

Arezzo. The cause of these events should be searched and explained by those who possess the knowledge of natural and supernatural things, which I have not. However, as some philosophers assert, it may be that the sky being full with spiritual intelligences, who by their natural power can foresee future events, these, moved by compassion for men, give them a timely warning by supernatural signs, in order that they may be prepared for the impending calamities. Whatever the cause may be, the facts are certain that before any extraordinary event transpires in any province or kingdom, preternatural signs always give the warning in anticipation."

If Machiavelli believes that angels are moved by natural compassion to give men timely notice of impending calamities, how much more should we admit that God will admonish men before he is obliged to inflict any public chastisement ! God punishes in mercy. He wills not the death, but the conversion of the sinner. If the obstinacy of the wicked forces the justice of God to chastise them publicly, yet in his divine mercy he always vouchsafes to warn men beforehand. These miraculous signs and predictions are a practical protest of his divine goodness, a sign of his predilection for the just, and a lesson for future generations. Hence the ro}^al prophet says, Thou, Lord, hast given ivarning to them that fear thee, that they may flee from, before the bow, that thy beloved may be delivered. (Ps. 1.)

Christians, who believe in the divine authority of the Bible, can find in that sacred book innumerable instances of prophetical predictions, and signs and wonders admonishing the Jewish people about impending calamity. The spirit of prophecy is not less remarkable in the Church of Jesus Christ. This fact is so evident throughout all the New Testament, that it would be a loss of time and labor to transcribe the proofs. This prophetic spirit will be more fully manifested in this last age of the world. " It shall come to pass in the last days (saith the Lord) I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And upon my servants indeed, and upon my handmaids, will I pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath ; blood and fire and vapor of smoke." (Acts ii. 17.) I have insisted longer than I intended or desired in bringing forward arguments and authorities in confirmation of the maxim laid down by Machiavelli, that, before any grave event takes place in any city, province, or kingdom, God always gives beforehand supernatural warnings to mankind. If this infidel age attempts to exclude the providence of God from the government of human society, it is the duty of every true believer to uphold on every suitable occasion this fundamental principle of our holy religion. We have now — and we Catholics shall have more in a few years — much need of these considerations.