BL.
CATHERINE OF RACCONIGI (1486– 1574) was born in the
Piedmont region of Italy into an impoverished household in
the Province of Cuneo. Intermittent conflicts in the area brought
widespread poverty. Her parents were Giorgio and Bilia de Ferrari
Mattei. Her father was an unemployed tool-maker, while her mother was
a weaver who was able to support the family. Her father was often
despondent and quarrelsome, as a result the family environment was
usually one of conflict.
About the age of nine she had a vision
of Jesus who appeared to her as a boy of about ten. She would also
begin to have visions of other saints such as St. Catherine of Siena
and St. Peter Martyr. The Virgin told her that Jesus wanted to have
her as his Bride, as a token of which she was given a wedding ring,
which she had all her life but which only she could see. She began to
have frequent ecstasies and visions of Jesus, who always appeared to
her as the same age she was at the time of the vision.
Many miracles would result from her
visions: a broken dish was made whole again, and money and food would
be provided when the family's poverty was extreme. In times of trial
she received great consolation from the aspiration, "Jesus is my
only hope!"
Bl. Catherine eventually joined the
Dominican Order but her desire to enter the order was opposed by her
family. As a result, instead of entering a monastery of the
cloistered nuns, she became a tertiary of the Order, continuing to
live with her family. As the visions increased she received the
stigmata, although, the wounds were not visible until after her
death.
Her mystical experiences roused a storm
of malicious talk among her neighbors, who were terrified at the
lights and sounds that came from her home; even the Dominican friars
began to shun her. Eventually she was forced out of the town and
settled in the city of Racconigi. During her lifetime, Bl. Catherine
was sought for counsel and prayer. She was especially devoted to
praying for the salvation of soldiers who were dying in battle.
Many miracles took place before and after her death and her
detractors came to acknowledge the holiness of her life. She was
beatified in 1810 by Pope Pius VII.
Most of the information regarding
Catherine Mattei is derived from a biography written by her friend,
John Francis Pico, Prince of Mirandola. Regarding her prophecies of
future I have discovered extracts of Prince Pico's biography in the
Italian text “The Future Destiny of State and Nations” (Turin
1864), which I have attempted to translate. Any explanations of mine
regarding the translations and observations, etc. will be in
parentheses.
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“She saw once, rapt up in spirit (in an ecstasy), Christ call to Himself three angels from a great multitude, and give them three spears as He had in his hand, and tell them that they should avenge Him of His enemies; one of these was dressed in white, to whom He commanded revenge against the lustful (as in punish); another was dressed in red to whom He commissioned vengeance against the tenacious avaricious; the third was shown in different colors, and ordered that He should take revenge against the proud.
Once again she saw Jesus Christ on a
horse with a mace in one hand and in the other a whip, and He
scourged different peoples, who, though they tried to escape here and
there, could not find where they could surely hide. Catherine ran
behind Christ's shoulders, praying for those peoples, (but) she was
not heard.
(Note: these are visions of Our Lord
chastising the earth in the future, apparently when the time of Mercy has
passed. He will not allow His Mercy to be appealed to until the
chastisements are finished. This has also been foretold to other
mystics such as Marie-Julie Jahenny.)
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About the
year 1517, Bl. Catherine (was in ecstasy) on the feast day of St.
Peter and St. Paul, she saw our Saviour as (if) unchained (I.e, no
longer held back against) against the prelates of the Holy Church,
she saw the two Apostles praying to the Lord, who imitating
Catherine in praying, was not heard. (i.e. Our Lord would not hear
their prayers.) Seven days later (she) then saw the ship of Holy
Church set among the rocks, being badly attacked by winds, so that at
times it seemed to be planted in the mud of the sea; but (by)
remaining always with the ship (one is saved), many fell from it to
their ruin in the waters; the ship in the presence of St. Peter was
led by St. Gregory. She saw on the shore of the sea a great leader
with a great crowd, already for a great time passed from the mortal
state. (i.e. A great leader long since dead?) Part of the mob turned
its face to the ground, (note: apparently this part of the crowd
turns from the leader) there they curled up and took great amusement,
others handled denari (i.e. ancient Roman silver coins, money): and
together she saw a female dressed in virile (masculine) clothes, saw
the licentious living of the nobles and their leaders, and knew their
afflictions which they had to suffer, as she always knew to the last
of her life. She said in those days that the future renewal of the
Church through the scourges was near; likewise that the Turks would
come to Italy; who, after they had conquered it, would fight each
other.
Finally
after (receiving) the knowledge of the scourges of the Holy Church,
she saw the future tranquillity of the same, although she did not want
to say the determined time. So she saw this ship first arrive at the
port, from which she came down alone; after a short time her friends
also went down. Finally the Holy Church achieved a peaceful state and
rest. And when, reader, you wish to understand where and when this
renewal should spread widely, the following vision will satisfy your
desire. She saw Jesus Christ of armed in resplendent in arms,
standing over a horse. He carried a large world of three colours in
his hand; a red part, the second (colour) a light blue part and the
third one was white; He gave it into the hand of Catherine: the
weight was so great that she seemed to have the whole world in her
hands. The great weight afflicted her in all parts of her body, and
so she returned it to Jesus Christ. Once He had received it, the
Lord turned to the east, to the north and to the south, He did not
turn His face to the western part. I never intended that Catherine
declare this vision, (or, I never asked her to reveal the meaning of
this vision) but if the turning of the Savior, if His (turning) to
the three parts of the world, blind to the light of the holy faith,
is similar to that when He considered converting Peter when he had
denied Him, this means the conversion of the said three parts to the
holy faith, so that they are finally illuminated by the same light of
faith, from which the western part is illuminated.” (Possible
explanation: as St. Peter denied Christ thrice, he was made to
express his love again thrice before he was made the first Pope by
Christ, 'Feed My lambs, feed my sheep.' The three parts of the world
that are blind to the Catholic Faith generally situated in the West
of the world will all one day be converted by Christ.)
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Her (Bl. Catherine's) mother Bilia
appeared in 1528 and told her: "Be in prayer, my daughter, for
great tribulations of horrendous wars and hunger and pestilence are
near, and you will suffer many things, but you will win everything by
a gift of God." several times and in different ways the future
scourges of the whole Church, of which some tasks are already present
at the present time.
She saw Christ Jesus several times
accompanied by three angels armed and prepared to take revenge on
sinners. He had three angels in his company, (also) St. Peter and
St. Paul, who prayed with great authority for the Church; Saint Peter
Martyr preached for Lombardy, Saint Vincent for Spain, an angel or
archangel with a lily in his hand for France, and Catherine prayed
especially for Piedmont. The Saviour did not want to hear any of
them, (but after) having many years of mercy He said that the time
had come when He wanted to do justice.
(I.e. it appears she was seeing a
future time when the promised years of Mercy are over and it will be
time to execute the foretold Time of Justice, the chastisements. The
archangel with the Lily could be St. Michael as Our Lord later
revealed to Marie-Julie Jahenny that He would send St. Michael to
bring the lily back to France.)
He (Our Lord) saw Catherine three
continuous years, that is from 1526 until 1529, (in) the Host in the
holy Mass, (the colour of) which was half black and the other part
white; it was disclosed to her that the Host meant justice, and there
show what God wished to make of the good and the wicked. The black
part signified the villains, who were and would be black, therefore
they would go to the fire of eternal fire; the white part meant the
good, which would be purged and made white with innocence.
She saw again, rapt up in the spirit
(in an ecstasy), led into a Church, the walls of which apparelled in
black, and she saw herself dressed in black colour, marvelling that she
did not have her own clothes. She saw the Virgin Mother coming to
her, who, coming to her side, sat down and talked to her in this way:
"Do not be surprised, daughter, that you see the Church veiled
in this black colour; this is done for the sins of those who govern
it, for whom the people withdraw from the service of God; they do not
esteem the blood of my Son, not thanking Him, nor confiding in Him,
but following their own pleasures. You are also dressed in black,
because with great sadness of mind you will tire yourself by seeing
the tribulations that God wants to send over His deformed Church.”
And behold, two men presented
themselves, who placed themselves at the command to fight together,
one of which of horrible appearance, was dressed in black, the other
more human and more beautiful, he seemed dressed in white and red and
he had a sword, in the pommel of which was carved in image of Jesus
Christ, (and with it) he was victorious over the other.
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Very much
already since the year of thirty seven (1537) in ecstasy, Catherine
saw Christ when He was in the middle of a plain (flat land) connected
to a column, and having known there many of the assistants, of
supreme, middle and low state. There was an innumerable multitude
standing there, besides those whom she knew by name; each of them was
dressed in a white robe, which had two holes in front of his eyes to
be able to see. (The translation here is difficult: apparently she
saw hooded robes) Each of them attended before the Savior in their
wickedness. Some of them showed with their own hands very dirty
deeds, others drew forth their beards, others their hair, some showed
their bare backsides, turning their backs, their naked nudes; the
others all awaited money, and for various other wickedness, and to
say the same thing in words, she saw all the sins of Christians so
enormous that she was horrified to tell them. Finally she saw all
this multitude being chastised by Christ. She knew the greatness of
the scourges, which the Church had to suffer, and she saw
particularly her country of Piedmont. Placed in this ecstasy she
twice screamed, mercy! so that the companion hearing the voice: soon
brought her into her room. She remained for many days with such
affliction, that she could only breathe with difficulty. In those
days, I tell you that the group of clerics, since it will be the
last, will be more serious than the others. (Possible explanation:
the sins of the clerics in the last age will be more serious than
the first?)
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At various times the conflicts that
preceded the future renewal of the Holy Church were shown to the
virgin. (I.e. Bl. Catherine) I remember her having said that she
would not see the greatest afflictions of the Church while living in
mortal flesh. The year of forty-three (1543) she saw a shapely and
venerable person in white clothing, who had in his hand a sword of
only one handle, but of three blades of wood, and with it threatened
great harm to the peoples. The day following in ecstasy in her
bedroom, she saw a green grass; the person who carried the sword in
his hand was (represented) the Holy Trinity, which had deliberately
reduced the Holy Church to the primitive (its original) and verdant
state of virtue with many scourges.
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(…)
After some years (that is, several years after 1544, she) saw a
branch of a lily with its flowers not yet opened; they meant the
royal victories of the king of France, (i.e. Francis I) Some of them
seemed to come closer to flowering, or one of them opened up in
obtained victory; the others will do the same. After three hundred
years, she said that this prince's son (i.e the descendant of Francis
I) would of necessity be raised up as Charlemagne. She spoke in the
manner embodied in the Holy Scriptures, which he usually calls for
sons the nephews of nephews and other descendants, as seen in that
talk of the Holy Gospel: 'Son of David, have mercy on me” and
since she has proclaimed more things that have to do with many
princes, also with some lands, cities and particular domains.
(i.e. Apparently, Blessed Catherine was
hinting in her manner of speaking that when the Great Monarch comes,
he will be a direct descendant of Francis I, but, the royal line will
pass to a brother and his sons according to the Biblical manner of
counting nephews as direct descendants when an elder brother dies in
order that children may be raised up in his name. This has indeed
come to pass when Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were murdered
in the Revolution. The throne of France passed to the direct side
branches of the Bourbon family. Bl Catherine's prophecy points to
the Great Monarch appearing sometime the mid 1800s. BOTH OF THESE
PROPHECIES HAVE COME TO PASS. See the prophecies of Marie-Julie Jahenny and Henry V, the 'Miracle Child', click here.)
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Prince Pico
De Mirandola then reveals:
About the year 1555 I said to Catherine
that I was expecting the general council to be done soon; she
answered me “you will not have made a perfect council at the time,
(not until) when that most holy pontiff will come who awaits in the
future the renewal of the Church when the infidels turn with great
fervor of spirit to the holy faith.”
(I.e. This
appears to be a prediction of the Angelic Pontiff. The Council of
Trent would be not be perfected in its aim as the infidel will not
return until he comes to renew the Church.)
Pico de
Mirandola continues:
After these
words the sacred council was called; it had its beginning, it was
interrupted, it was transferred to different cities of Italy, to
Mantua, Vicenza, Trento, Bologna, while Catherine (...) had foreseen
the thing.
Finally the
council was resumed in the city of Trent, where a long time the
German nation was expected, (i.e the Lutherans) which was the main
cause, as Paul III confesses in the Bull, which called the council
that was convened by it. After many holy decrees were established
there, it did not bring the German nation to the council, not even
wanting to return to the obedience of the Holy Roman Church, it was
necessary, leaving the imperfect thing, to finish the council, as we
read to the last but one last session, what part begins: So much
has been the calamity of these times.
Catherine,
having always foreseen the future while the council was celebrated,
was in this judgement: these things, the divisions of the Holy Church,
not having accommodated to the Council, which indeed the heresy of
Lutherans must increase in Italy until at that time, when the Turk is
in Italy .... when (the Turk) enters it will be afflicted by the
second scourge of the plague. In those days she told me of empire of
the Christians, who after the modern emperor Charles V the Holy
Church would not crown another emperor, who before does not make new
statutes about the emperor. And this will not be (in my opinion says
Pico de Mirandola) until the conversion of the Turks to the Catholic
faith … .
(Explanation:
Bl Catherine foretold the Council of Trent would not see the
conversion of the Lutherans / Protestants back to the Faith as it was
hoped at that time, hence the aim of the Council would be left
'imperfect' until the pontiff destined to renew the Church comes in
the future, i.e. the Angelic Pontiff. The heresy of the Lutherans /
Protestants would increase. The Turks would invade when plague is
raging in Italy and the Church would not crown another Holy Roman
Emperor until the renewal. This has also come to pass – while
there were successive Holy Roman Emperors until 1806 when the Holy
Roman Empire was dissolved, the last Holy Roman Emperor crowned by
the Pope as head of the Church was Charles V. Napoleon doesn't
count as he crowned himself and made himself Emperor of France, not
Holy Roman Emperor. As Bl Catherine foretold, the Great Monarch must
be raised up like another Charlemagne, who was the first Holy Roman
Emperor, and indeed, other prophecies state the Great Monarch will
indeed be crowned by the Angelic Pontiff and rule as the last Holy
Roman Emperor.)
