This prompted me to begin an earnest investigation of the Roman Catholic doctrines and traditions. I found myself very much at home in what I was studying and found that my fundamental beliefs were basically the same as those of the Church. My wife had been attending various masses in the local churches and was very disappointed to find what she called 'a Protestant communion service'. It was during this time period that I happened to be having lunch with one of the local parish priest's. During the drive to our luncheon he pointed out a church, St. Hilary's, to me and made the statement that they celebrated a traditional Latin Mass. I mentioned the conversation to my wife and we drove by the church to ascertain the particulars relative to the Mass schedule and any other available information. Shortly thereafter we began attending St. Hilary's Roman Catholic Chapel. The Chapel is serviced by the missionary priests of the Society of St. Pius V. Following approximately four months of instruction in the catechism and fundamental teachings of the church and taking into consideration by background I received a Conditional Baptism and my First Communion.
God has blessed us in so many ways since we have returned to Him I cannot begin to count them. I would like to take this opportunity to relate an incident involving St. Philomena & Our Blessed Mother. I had purchased some blessed oil some time before I was scheduled for some rather serious surgery on my sinuses. I was somewhat apprehensive concerning this procedure. Prior to leaving that morning (the surgery was scheduled for 7:45 am) I blessed myself using the oil. I made the sign of cross on my forehead, my eyes and my nose. During the ride to the hospital I recited the Rosary and as I was going under the anesthesia I was reciting the Rosary. To make a long story short, the surgery lasted 3 1/2 hours. The doctor remarked how little bleeding there was during what is normally a very bloody surgery and that because of this she was able to do much more than anticipated. She warned that I might experience sever nausea, I had hardly any after effects, including very little pain. The procedure went so well that she removed the splints and packing 4 days ahead of schedule. I can only believe that our precious Saint and Blessed Mother were interceding and guiding the doctors hands.
And another incident involving the son of a very dear friend was suddenly hospitalized
with a baffling head injury. It seemed that his brain was swelling. To make a long story
short he was in the hospital for about a week. The doctors were making arrangements
to operate in an effort to relieve the pressure and to send him home. I started praying
the Rosary almost around the clock. Every waking minute that was not taken up with
business was devoted to praying for him. I would wake up in the middle of the night and
start praying for him. This went on for 3 days. At 2:20 the afternoon of the 3rd.
day I was turning into the gate at Dundalk Marine Terminal and I had the sudden
realization that he was well. That evening my wife was on the phone with his mother
who was elated that he was coming home and the doctors couldn't understand it but he
appeared to be well. I asked my wife to ask her what time she had found and she said
it was about 2:15 that afternoon.
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