From the Philippines 2/2019
I learned about the apostolate two years ago, while listening to an interview on EWTN radio program on my smartphone. Since then, I invited friends many of them homebound like me. At first, we simply downloaded the prayers from the website until an aunt brought home the booklets.
I realized the urgency and importance of the apostolate so I made a commitment to do the holy hour daily at 3pm. Since I cannot go to the Adoration Chapel, I set up a picture of the Blessed Sacrament on my smartphone on top of my table. My list of names of the sick and dying have become longer. When they pass away, I transfer them to another list of souls to pray for. I thank the Lord for this privilege of praying for the living and the dead (one of the spiritual works of mercy).
Sandy P.,
Davao City, Philippines
A beautiful testimony 10/2018
First of all, thank you for sending me the book The Hidden Sufferings of Christ. I thought I was a good and strong catholic, but this book was a real awakening for me. I started reading the book one meditation at a time for 31 days, but it was so good that read it again each day.
After reading the book two times, I knew I needed to go to confession A.S.A.P.. This book has been an eye opener for me. I ordered more books and you sent me the “Meditations on The Five Wounds of Christ, for the Dying”; “Lord Jesus, as we ponder Your great suffering, we see Your Five Precious Wounds like five glorious doors through which sinners may find salvation.” I kiss each wound as I go through the prayers for the dying each morning.
Also, the “Way of the Cross” book you sent me is outstanding. I would just think about Jesus on the way and all that pain, but not the suffering in His mind. The more I read these books the deeper my thought are over Jesus sorrows. You have changed my life and turned it around 90%. Thank you for opening my eyes. People at church just love it. God bless, Phil
Donald's testimony 4/2/18:
I found out about The Way of the Cross book from Father Ignatius Mary Okoroji. I had to contact you so that I could buy these books. I was with a group of people on Holy Saturday at a cemetery praying for the dead with Father Ignatius. Father prayed for the souls using The Way of the Cross book. We went through each Station with Father. I have never seen such a book on the Stations of the Cross that has a reflection and also a meditation of Jesus. It is a beautiful and powerful book. Father Ignatius intends to have a prayer service for the souls every year on Holy Saturday, and is also contemplating an additional service on All Souls Day.
Testimonial from Anthony Joseph, T.O Carm,
"I cannot thank you enough for the magnificent booklets that you publish. I take one meditation a day from one of the books and with each repeated reading a renewed fervor and love burst forth in my heart. Thank you! A million times thank you! I pray for you and all who use your booklet each time I pick up a book."
Testimony from Y.B.:
I started praying the Holy Hour Devotion for the Dying on my
holy hour., Wednesday, 6/28/2017 for a specific friend, R., with terminal
cancer-and another friend, J, with advanced cancer which is now affecting her
lungs and kidneys. Prayed the devotion again on 6/30/2017 and 7/1/2017 holy
hours. On 7/2/2017, Sunday, J passed away. I’m so glad for the booklet as I’m assured
that I prayed the divine Mercy Chaplet before J passed away on 7/2/2017. Thank you!
Prayer Group at St. Helen from 3-4 every Tuesday afternoon. St. Helen Church - 2700 E
University Ave, Georgetown, TX 78626 · (512) 863-3041
Another Beautiful Testimony From a Holy Group
Our members really enjoy your booklet “Holy Hour Devotion for
the Dying” We look forward to saying the prayers every day. Their
need for help goes beyond words. This devotion needs to be propagated in the world.
My prayers are with you, your loved ones and your beautiful ministry.
Love and God’s blessings
E. S.
A Thank You Letter
Thank you. What a
beautiful apostolate for the dying. When we look at the tragedies that
occur daily; with the terrorist attacks; with so many that die suddenly in sin
without warning and without the benefits of the sacraments, many souls are
lost. But with prayer, in Gods perfection may His hand of justice be tempered
with His merciful love as He listens to the pleadings of those, who out of love
for souls pray for their salvation. So many are in darkness and grave sin, this
may be their only chance through the grace that is derived from these unselfish
and devout prayers. May God continue to bless this apostolate and bring many
others to this devotion for the salvation of our brothers and sisters who have
lost their way.
"Bob"
A Spiritual Connection
In 2009, my sister-in-law, Adelaide, who lived in Portugal, was very sick. We didn’t think at all that she was dying. On the day she died, I was in Washington DC visiting my daughter, and at 7am I woke up with a strong, odd feeling that I should get up and pray a Holy Hour just for her. While praying I felt very strongly that these prayers were very important and something which God wanted. Halfway through the Holy Hour I had a feeling that she had died and I started to cry. I prayed that if all this was a sign, that she will have in fact died during that Holy Hour. I also felt at that moment that she was going to have white roses at her funeral. I have no idea why I thought that, but in fact, I came to find out that indeed she did die during that Holy Hour and that there were white roses at her funeral.
Fernanda Moreira
Prayed for Three People
"Thank you very much for writing this booklet. I was able to pray with a close friend dying from cancer, an aunt dying from pneumonia and my mother, who suffered a stroke 4 days earlier. What comfort to me to read your story and know that I was doing what needed to be done. I just felt compelled to do it. That's all the matters during that last hour -- to pray."
Jan H.
Thank You Letter from Bishop
November 9, 2011
Dear Fernanda,
Thank you for the copy of the revised booklet “Holy Hour, Devotion for the Dying”. I will use it in my prayer, especially for those who are near death. Many people will benefit from your kindness and concern!
May the good Lord Bless you and keep you! Happy Thanksgiving!
Bishop Joe (Binzer)
Cincinnati, OH
A Second Testimony
"As my friend Debbie and I pray for the dying each night, saying the St. Joseph prayer, we find comfort as we hear of people around town or friends of relatives -- and relatives -- who have died during the day or over night. We are confident that St. Joseph is speaking for them.
I was most moved by the words of the prayer in which those who are dying cannot speak for themselves.... As I sat with my mother who had a stroke and in a coma for 4 days before she died, she couldn't speak, and the comfort of St. Joseph speaking for those who have lost their ability to speak really has meaning to me."
Jan H.
God Does Work in Mysterious Ways
My best friend’s sister passed away and her family called asking if we had a special prayer, which they wanted on her memorial card. They were asking for the Prayer for the Dying. My friend told me that they had been saying this prayer as her sister passed away and wanted to put it in her card. That same day, shortly after the phone call, I received an email from the Apostolate for the Dying, which included the Holy Hour; Devotion for the Dying prayers.
Linda R.
“I Prayed for Him Anyway”
Most of my friends pray the three beautiful prayers from the “Pieta Prayer Book”. Six years ago, late January, 2005, I was beginning to say the prayers when I had the thought that I should pray them for my former husband. I had not seen him for a number of years, which made me feel a little strange about doing this, but I prayed for him anyway. This continued for approximately a week to ten days and when I would go to mass, I’d find myself begging God to help him. At the end of this time, I knew it was no longer needed. The next day or so, I received a call from a friend asking if I heard about Bob. She told me he had been killed as a result of a motor cycle accident in the Philippines. I called his family and was told the details… the injuries caused respiratory distress and loss of kidney function leading to dialysis, and finally cardiac arrest when he could not be revived. All this took place during the time I was praying for him and saying the three beautiful prayers for him. I feel this was a testimony to the importance of prayer and also the very special prayers for the dying.
Cyndy
God’s Unconditional Love – A “Visit” by a Prayerful Friend
Fred was raised in the Catholic faith and in a large Midwestern town. He was blessed in his life with a faithful wife, devoted children, and many friends who were enamored by his kindness and his wonderful sense of humor. Although the reason is irrelevant and likely unknown to Fred’s family and closest friends, he abandoned his Catholic faith during his later years well before, and throughout all but his final stages of a terminal illness that required his stay at a hospice care facility until his death in 2008.
Judy was a family friend and a devout Catholic who was involved in a multitude of religious activities that included, but not limited to, a 45-minute weekly gathering of faith filled women who prayed together each Saturday morning for known and unknown sick and dying people throughout the world. Fred was likely at the top of Judy’s prayer list, since she knew him and his entire family for many years and was well aware Fred was in the final days of his beautiful life.
Since Fred declined the sacraments later in life, one of his dearest friends visited him a couple weeks prior to his death and requested Fred’s permission to allow a Catholic priest, to make a visit. Fred was open and consented to the priest’s visit, likely because he didn’t want to create ill-will with his friend, who was also the priest’s brother. Although many aspects of the priest’s visit with Fred are private, Fred indicated he voluntarily received several sacraments (Anointing of the Sick, Confession) and later received Holy Communion on each of the remaining 18 days of his life.
On the final Saturday before Fred’s death, he immediately informed his wife upon her arrival at the hospice care room that Judy had visited him for about 45 minutes earlier that morning. However, Judy later advised Fred’s wife that she had not visited him that Saturday morning due to her commitment to her weekly prayer gathering for the dying that just happened to be the same 45 minute duration of her “visit” with Fred. It is certainly beyond human comprehension, but somehow God graced Fred with a “visit” by Judy while she was praying for him at a remote location during her weekly Saturday prayer gathering. Judy and her entire group of faith-filled women were also graced with the knowledge God hears their prayers and brings images of comfort and consolation to those who are within reach of their “life-long visit” with a God who welcomes home his Prodigal sons and daughters with unconditional love.
By Judy’s friend Linda, from Judy’s testimony. March, 2011.
Message from the Philipines
Congratulations for your prayer booklet! I am sure that it is such a blessing especially for those who are passing over from this vale of tears to the joys of heaven. Truly, prayer booklets like "Holy Hour Devotion for the Dying" will help a lot in transporting souls to heaven.
Please be rest assured that our community, the Company of St. Dominic, will pray the Holy Hour for the dying. Our Order has devotion to the dying and for the poor souls ins Purgatory.
I am keeping you and your apostolate in my prayers.
God bless you!
MARWIL N. LLASOS, O.P.essage from the Phillipines
A testimony from Portugal
Armandina, went to bed on a Friday night, very sad, thinking about her sister dying with cancer in the hospital. She was not expecting to see her alive in the morning, that is how bad her sister was. She tried so hard to fall asleep but she could not; with such sadness in her mind!
That’s when in her heart, she felt the strong inspiration to pray the Holy Hour prayers for the dying. So she got up and prayed all the prayers in the booklet! At the end, she felt such appreciation and love for this little booklet! It gave her peace and the certainty of having done something good. However, God is full of surprises and his ways are far above our ways. She was there for an unexpected surprise: her sister did not die, and in fact got much better. Instead, an uncle who was not even sick died suddenly on that very night! Did God, use her sister’s sickness to have these prayers to take her uncle to eternal life? Who knows? May we always know how to respond to His inspirations!
June, 2012
The Comfort of Prayer at the Time of Death
Mary went to see a lady at Hospice and she (patient) told her something just out of the blue. She was praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet while she was in bed resting. When the patient was starting to wake up she said “When people are dying, we just don’t have the strength at times to pray." Mary told her to not worry, "that’s why we are here; to pray for you." She also read from the little booklet while she slept again and did some prayers from it.
Mary, November, 2014