Heavenly Sign: Rainbow Emitted from Statue of Archangel Michael | Guideposts

Joan Wester Anderson

Heavenly Sign: Rainbow Emitted from Statue of Archangel Michael Guideposts

Over the Rainbow

Michael offers a colorful sign just in time for Feast of the Archangels

By Joan Wester Anderson

Hi, angel friends,

You may know that, in the Catholic calendar, September 29th is the Feast of the Archangels.

In fact, the entire month of October is dedicated to angels. I doubt they are more active during October than any other time, but it’s nice to have an entire month to think about the joy and the mystery of these very special beings.

I especially love Michael the Archangel, who comes to do battle for us. I wonder how often he and his fellow Archangels prevent accidents, encourage us and even keep us away from temptations, and we don’t even know it!

A friend of mine, Loci Lenar, recently found himself at the Church of St. Michael in Netcong, New Jersey. Being an angel fan like me, he stopped in to say a prayer.

He was immediately taken with the beautiful stain glass image in the front of the church, depicting Michael holding his sword. Michael was in front of a colorful window, with an even more vibrant rainbow behind him.

Loci snapped a few pictures. “In order to capture the rainbow colors seen on the stained glass behind the statue,” he says, “I photographed the image without using a flash, even though the indoor lighting was dim. The only light was from some church windows nearby—best described as faint.”

Photo by Loci B. Lenar

But if you examine the photograph, Loci points out, it appears as if Archangel Michael is creating a trail of rainbow colors as he lands on top of the serpent and crushes its head.

And yet there doesn’t seem to be a source for this rainbow. He observes, “The Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways.”

Check out the window at Loci’s site, and see what you think. Where is the rainbow light coming from?

See why I love angels?


Joan W. Anderson has been involved with angels for many years and has authored numerous angel books, including Guardian Angels: True Stories of Answered Prayers.

Visit her website or, if you have a question about angels, you can email it to her at: janderson@guideposts.com.

Vatican probe next after Diocese of Metuchen reviews possible miracle

Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory

(Diocese of Metuchen)

Vatican probe next after Diocese of Metuchen reviews possible miracle / mycentraljersey.com
 
The following article from MyCentralJersey.com is written by Jeff Grant:
 
PISCATAWAY — The path to possible sainthood for a Carmelite nun whose case was investigated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen now heads to the Vatican.

A 20-minute ceremony inside the St. John Neumann Pastoral Center at diocesan headquarters formally concluded the local inquiry Monday. The case involving Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory next will be reviewed by the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

"I'm pleased that the investigation was completed within four months," said Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski. "We were honored to be asked by the Vatican to investigate the possible miracle," Bootkoski added.

The case in question involves a family in the general diocesan area who has not been identified for reasons of privacy, according to diocesan spokeswoman Joanne Ward. The diocese includes parishes in Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties.

The family had prayed to McCrory — the foundress of The Carmelite Sisters For the Aged and Infirm in Germantown, N.Y. — to intercede with God after their unborn child was diagnosed with a genetic abnormality. When the baby was born, the defect was not present in the degree that it had been expected. The miracle and the birth occurred in the Diocese of Oakland, Calif., although few other details, including the date of the birth as well as when the family first prayed, were unavailable Monday.

McCrory was considered a woman of great faith, and spent her life caring for the elderly and ailing in long-term care facilities operated by the order, which runs 17 facilities around the country. She died in 1984 at age 91.

The diocese's review of the case, begun in May, involved interviews with doctors and other witnesses, including people who knew the medical facts of the case and people who prayed for the miracle, according to Lori Albanese, chancellor of the diocese and notary of the investigation. A total of 10 to 15 individuals were interviewed in all, Albanese said.

"We were very pleased with the quality of testimony," she said. "The witnesses were very accessible."