The following is from a holy card distributed by the Salesians. On the front of the card is the picture below, on the back is the vision. It just so happens we have this very same large picture hanging in the back of St. Mary's.
In a vision, the Lord showed St. John Bosco the danger threatening the Church. He saw the Church, Ship of Peter, surrounded by a loyal flotilla, locked in mortal combat with superior forces which repeatedly brought it to the edge of annihilation. At a crucial moment, the Holy Father fell mortally wounded. The enemy, sensing victory, closed in for the kill.
Suddenly two columns surged from the depths of the ocean. One was surmounted by a monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament--"Salvation of Believers;" the other by a statue of Mary Immaculate--"The Help of Christians."
The sight of the columns and the election of a new pope caused the enemy to unleash a las blistering attack to prevent the pontiff from anchoring the Church between the two pillars. The assailant's plan failed, and their attack turned into a rout and total disaster.
The pope and his faithful defenders found safety anchored between the two pillars. The winds subsided and the sea grew calm. The victory was complete.
St. John Bosco assures us that when the Church is battered by enemies from within or from without, salvation can only come from JESUS IN THE EUCHARIST; MARY, THE HELP OF CHRISTIANS; and THE POPE, the vicar of Christ on earth.
From EWTN:
St. John Bosco, ora pro nobis!
In a vision, the Lord showed St. John Bosco the danger threatening the Church. He saw the Church, Ship of Peter, surrounded by a loyal flotilla, locked in mortal combat with superior forces which repeatedly brought it to the edge of annihilation. At a crucial moment, the Holy Father fell mortally wounded. The enemy, sensing victory, closed in for the kill.
Suddenly two columns surged from the depths of the ocean. One was surmounted by a monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament--"Salvation of Believers;" the other by a statue of Mary Immaculate--"The Help of Christians."
The sight of the columns and the election of a new pope caused the enemy to unleash a las blistering attack to prevent the pontiff from anchoring the Church between the two pillars. The assailant's plan failed, and their attack turned into a rout and total disaster.
The pope and his faithful defenders found safety anchored between the two pillars. The winds subsided and the sea grew calm. The victory was complete.
St. John Bosco assures us that when the Church is battered by enemies from within or from without, salvation can only come from JESUS IN THE EUCHARIST; MARY, THE HELP OF CHRISTIANS; and THE POPE, the vicar of Christ on earth.
Please join us in praying to St. John Bosco for the good of Holy Mother Church, that She may survive, as Scripture indeed assures us (Mt 16:18) She will, both internal and external onslaughts of the devil. Pray for the Diocese of Camden, the churches and priests and all the faithful in it, and for the bishop, that the path of destruction will be averted. Let's pray that the Church actually flourishes, draws souls to Herself, and engenders growth in sanctity in all its members--whether they be layman, bishop, priest, or religious.
UPDATE: We just received an email from someone who requested we mention that if you begin a novena to St. John Bosco TODAY, it will end on his feast day!
UPDATE: We just received an email from someone who requested we mention that if you begin a novena to St. John Bosco TODAY, it will end on his feast day!
From EWTN:
Fr. Don Bosco was a dedicated priest who took on
blood-thirsty revolutionaries, the Italian government and his own archbishop in his quest to rescue the homeless
children of Turin. This heroic priest's undying belief in the boys he sought to help inspired them to fulfill their
potential in the Catholic Faith. Don Bosco's lifelong effort to save the children of the street became the foundation of
the Salesians, one of the largest child care networks in the world.
St. John Bosco, ora pro nobis!