I was walking through my hometown on the feast of the Assumption when I happened upon this beautiful Mary shrine. I decided to take some pictures and didn’t notice the ray light until I shared them later online.
About This Episode
Podcast
Video
- To read my testimony please see OfLightAndDark.com/p/my-story.html
- To download my testimony as a free PDF please visit my author website here BarbaraGraver.com/new-age-to-catholic/
- To learn more about the SSPX please check out SSPXpodcast.com
- Watch the documentary on Archbishop Lefebvre here youtube.com/watch?v=Cf9oy7wDkms
- To subscribe to my YouTube channel please visit YouTube.com/c/BarbaraGraver
- And please don't forget to follow my podcast, New Age To Catholic, on most major podcast apps, if you don't already!
Ransomed From Darkness
I read Moira Noonan's account of her experience in the New Age in 2018.
Back then it seemed like everyone who'd ever left the New Age and occult had done so in order to become a born-again Protestant.
But Noonan had returned to the Catholic Church. Her book, Ransomed From Darkness (affiliate link), was a resource I referred to again and again. It helped me understand that I could come back to the Catholic faith I had left behind some twenty years earlier, if I chose to do so. And finally I did choose, with the help of God's providence.
So when I decided to write my testimony, I hoped that my story might play a part in someone else's return to Catholicism - the way Moira Noonan's had in mine.
My Testimony
Unfortunately, the closer I got to finishing the book, I now called New Age To Catholic, the more reservations I had about publishing it. Finally last month I realized why that was.
I'd set out to write a story about New Age and occult deception and where that deception had taken me. And I'd ended up with a book that was mostly about intelligent evil.
I'm not saying that story isn’t worth telling because maybe it is.
But it isn't my testimony.
My testimony isn't about demons or darkness or how far I fell. It's about God and God's providence and how I came back to the Catholic Church.
So I decided to just tell that story - the God and Church story - in its shortest possible form and post it here on the blog.
I will continue to talk about the dangers of the New Age and occult here, and in the podcast. But, for now at least, I am setting the full length account of my experience aside.
Which leaves me space to do other things - like work on my novel and do media and make things for my Etsy shop. And, for now, that's enough.
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To read my online testimony please see My Story.
Please note, this post contains affiliate links. This means that if you purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
The Assumption of Mary Novena is started on August 7th and finishes on August 15th. The feast day of the Assumption of Mary, which is a holy day of obligation in the Catholic Church, is on August 15th.
Novena Prayer*
Eternal Father, you graciously looked upon the humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and made her to be the Mother of the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant we beseech you that we who honor her Assumption into the Kingdom of Heaven, may by her Motherly intercession also come to share in the inheritance of those whom you have redeemed by the precious Blood of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.Most holy Immaculate Virgin and my Mother Mary, to thee who art the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the advocate, the hope, and the refuge of sinners, I have recourse today, I who am the most miserable of all. I render thee my most humble homage, O great Queen, and I thank thee for all the graces thou hast conferred on me until now. I love thee, O most amiable Lady; and for the love which I bear thee, I promise to serve thee always, and to do all in my power to make others love thee also. Dearest Mother bring before the throne of your beloved Son the prayers and intentions I ask during this novena.
(Here we mention our prayers. Pray for the intentions of our Holy Father the Pope, and for all the clergy. Pray also for the sick and dying, and for the suffering souls in purgatory)
I place in thee all my hopes; I confide my salvation to thy care. Accept me for thy servant, and receive me under thy mantle, O Mother of Mercy. And as thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or rather obtain for me the strength to triumph over them until death. Of thee I ask a perfect love for Jesus Christ. Through thee I hope to die a good death. O my Mother, by the love which thou bearest to God, I beseech thee to help me at all times, especially at the last moment of my life. Leave me not, I beseech thee, until I am safe in heaven, blessing thee, and singing thy mercies for all eternity. Amen.
The Memorare.
Assumption of Mary Prayer Card
My Experience with Light and Dark
An Study in Contrast
Talking About Angels
She shall not fear for her house in the cold of snow: for all her domestics are clothed with double garments. She hath made for herself clothing of tapestry: fine linen, and purple is her covering. Her husband is honourable in the gates, when he sitteth among the senators of the land. She made fine linen, and sold it, and delivered a girdle to the Chanaanite. Strength and beauty are her clothing, and she shall laugh in the latter day. - Proverbs 31:21-25
St. Anne is the mother of Mary, and grandmother of Jesus. To be honest, I have never actually had a much of a devotion to St. Anne but today is her feast day which leads me to ask:
Why is St. Anne so important?
A few years ago I might have said that St. Anne was important because she was the mother of Mary - and not been impressed. Because, at that time in my life, I felt a little sorry for women who seemed to lose themselves in their children.
And I very much wanted to be "more than a mother."
Today, of course, I would be happy to go back and "just" be that. But this post isn't about me, or at least not only about me. It's about women and mothers why the enemy seems so determined to destroy us.
Back to the Garden
And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods... - Genesis 3:4-5
I saw a headstone once in the cemetery where many of the members of my family are buried. Beloved Wife, it said on the front. And then on the back, engraved so lightly I almost missed it:
"And where Eve was, there was Eden."
How beautiful, I thought then. But now I think, how true.
As woman, we have the power to create or destroy our homes - practically, emotionally and spiritually. Which is probably why God did not want Israelite men to marry foreign (pagan) women.
It is also, in my opinion, why Satan has targeted women - going all the way back to the beginning.
The lie Satan told Eve was the lie that brought down a third of God's holy angels - a false promise that has been made over and over again by the occult, and the New Age, and the society we live in.
And it keeps right on repeating, telling us we can attain wisdom and enlightenment by exalting ourselves - and that freedom from authority is the key to our glory.
A Modern Application
He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. - John 8:44
The promise Satan made to Eve is a lie. But it is persistent.
In modern society, the lie is shored up by things like abortion and divorce and the proliferation of single parent families - and all of this is destructive. I know that first-hand because I got divorced when my youngest son was two and went on to head a single parent family. Sadly, in many ways, my children have paid the price.
And they are not alone.
In a 2014 article by Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Jane Anderson cites multiple studies which identify the following challenges in children whose parents divorce:
- Lost time with each parent
- Decreased economic security
- Lose of emotional security
- Decreased social and psychological maturation
- Changes in outlook on sexual behavior
- Loss of religious faith and practice (Myers 1996)
- Decreased cognitive and academic stimulation
- Diminished physical health
- Increased risk of emotional distress
There are clearly negative long-term consequences of divorce—children, parents, and society all suffer. Wallerstein's long-term study shows that many children never have full “recovery” as each special event, holiday, or celebration reminds the child of his/her loss. Given these tremendous costs borne by all individuals affected by divorce, as well as the costs to society, it is the responsibility of physicians—especially pediatricians, who care for children in the context of their families—to advocate for public health policies that promote marriage and decrease the likelihood of divorce. - Dr. Jane Anderson, MD
So why is St. Anne important?
Interestingly, even though I am now a very different person, my opinion about St. Anne hasn't really changed. I still think that St. Anne is important because she was a wife and a mother. But I no longer see that as limiting.
Instead, think it's a blessing and that, therein, lies grace.
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- To read Dr. Anderson's article in full please see The Impact of Family Structure on the Health of Children: Effects of Divorce at the National Library of Medicine website.
- For more on this topic, please see my video on Toxic Feminism. Or Listen to the audio via the podcast player below.
Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee. - Augustine of Hippo, Confessions of St. Augustine
Dark Fiction and Me
I wrote several manuscripts when I was away from the faith. And to this day, even though I am a very, though not entirely different person, I still like the one I wrote about vampires best.
The only problem is, I have no idea what to do with it. It is too dark. Too flawed. Too who-I-used-to-be.
So, you can imagine my excitement, when I learned that the Catholic Writers Guild (or CWG) 2022 online conference was offering a panel called "Harrowings: Trauma and Darkness in Catholic Fiction."
The CWG Panelists
There were four people on the Harrowings panel: a moderator, Dr. William Gonch, SciFi author, Matthew P. Schmidt, and paranormal and fantasy authors, J.B. Toner and Karen Ullo.
Although, I hadn't come to the panel to to ask about my own work, the question I found myself typing into the Q & A box was about one of my old, orphaned vampire stories. I wanted to know if it was possible to fix a story written back when I was a different person, alone in the dark.
The Advice I Was Given
Matthew P. Schmidt
When answering my question SciFi author Matthew Schmidt referenced his own book, World of Wishes, which he started seven years earlier and had just recently finished. Schmidt pointed out that the current plot of World of Wishes, hinges on a Catholic element, which wasn't even included in the original draft. This missing piece, which was added in revision, made it possible for him to finish the book.
Schmidt's comments helped me, because I realized that there were important Catholic elements missing from my story too. In the original vampire draft, I was writing from a place of faithlessness. So I hadn't even bothered to include accepted vampire lore about the power of crucifixes and other sacramentals. These were elements that I needed to add in, I realized, when I revised the storyline.
J.B. Toner
J.B. Toner, author of Whisper Music talked about Anne Rice, and the great Victorian poet Gerald Manley Hopkins who "burned the poems he wrote in his youth when he became a priest." Toner went on to say this, about Hopkins and writing and darkness:
[That Hopkin's burned his poetry] ...is kind of tragic but I get why – because I look back to things I’ve written in my life, when I was not being a good Catholic, and some of it is stuff that I am personally ashamed of because of the way it reflects on me as a person. But, that is a separate question from: Is it artistically good and could it benefit readers? And what we always have to keep doing is take ourselves out of it. Remove ourselves, remove our egos, from the process, because I’ve written this thing and if people read it it might make me look bad but it doesn’t matter…because it might help them. Go back to it with what you know now, read through it honestly - if you think that it has potential to be good - [and] maybe you can fix it in light of what you’ve learned since you wrote it - then I think it’s absolutely worth a second chance even if, maybe especially if, it’s very hard to do - because that’s really where the best writing comes from.
These comments meant a lot to me. At my core I know that ego is very much a part of this. I was struggling with some dark things when I wrote my vampire story and I do worry about what people will think about me when they read it. This is something I need to get a handle on.
And the advice and encouragement meant a lot to me.
Karen Ullo
Karen Ullo, author of Jennifer the Damned (which I loved and previously reviewed here) and editor for Chrism Press, had some excellent advice as well. She began by referencing a beautiful, literate novel (which I also loved) called City Mother. Ullo edited this book for Chrism and shared a bit about the author, Maya Sinha. As it turns out, Sinha began City Mother before she became a Catholic then went back to it after and saw there were Catholic elements already embedded there.
Ullo went on to say:
The book couldn’t be written until she became Catholic because that’s what was missing from the story. And honestly that’s what’s missing from the story of our own lives, the story of salvation… I highly recommend the Sci-Fi fantasy critique group to bring to find those elements that can be teased out - Because I suspect, just like Maya, our hearts are restless until they rest in thee - so those element of longing, those elements of looking for redemption, looking for faith are always going to be there, no matter who wrote it at what point in time – if they were being honest. So it’s there, whatever it is, it’s there you just have to find it.
I loved hearing this because I think that Karen Ullo is absolutely right. We are always waiting to be redeemed, whether we know it or not. This was my own personal experience, in fact, all through the darkness.
Of God and Darkness
In the first few months, after the conference I took a stab at editing my old work. I was trying to take myself out of my own way, as J.B. Toner had talked about. But I couldn't really do it. So I didn't make a lot of progress on my revisions.
But I did pray about what I was trying to do and, as I did, one thing became clear to me. If I was going to rewrite this particular story - evil would have to be evil. It could still be bright and sparkly and pretty and but, underneath the glitz, the bad guys would have to actually do what bad guys do.
Just as importantly, the good guys (or girls) had to really and truly oppose them.
So I took another look at the original manuscript and was surprised to see that this theme really was already there (in a confused sort of way). And I began to feel that I might have something I could work with.
I started to participate in the CWG critique group. As the weeks passed, I began to feel that putting my old vampire fiction up for discussion might be a good idea. Finally, this week, I did just that.
I have not forgotten how, in the wake of NaNoWriMo, I was absolutely convinced that returning to my old fiction was a mistake (as is on record in this video and in episode 5 of the podcast).
And, the truth is, I'm still not convinced I was wrong about that. I don't know if my vampire story is salvageable. I don't know if I will ever publish it. But, because of the Harrowings panel, I'm going to give it a shot.
As always, I will keep you in the loop.
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- Check out the Catholic Writers Guild at: CatholicWritersGuild.org
- Visit Matthew P. Schmidt's website at: MatthewPSchmidt.com
- Visit J.B. Toner's website at: JBtonerz.wixsite.com/website
- Visit Karen Ullo's website at: KarenUllo.com
In this episode of my podcast, I share my thoughts on paranormal investigation and a short but very clear EVP. While I know that a lot of people investigate the paranormal with the best of intentions, in my experience paranormal investigation was a gateway to the occult.
For more on paranormal investigation and phenomena, please check out my paranormal page. To follow my podcast, just look for New Age To Catholic on your favorite podcast app or visit my podcast page at NewAgeToCatholic.com.
A Word on Ghosts
A Catholic Friendly Approach
- Make a good confession.
- Ask you parish priest (or the faith leader of your denomination) to bless your home or location.
- Utilize the prayers from Fr. Chad Ripperger's Deliverance Prayers for the Laity (affiliate link) as recommended in the book.
- Put blessed holy objects in every room and hang a blessed crucifix over all outside doors.
- Utilize sacramentals like holy water and exorcized salt.
- Pray the Rosary daily in a central part of the house. Aloud if possible. If you understand Latin, pray at least some of the Rosary in Latin.
- Pray for the entity you have encountered and the Holy souls in purgatory
I've been thinking about writing my testimony for some time now. Not because I want to necessarily but because I feel that my experience of spiritual light and spiritual darkness is a story I need to tell in full.
When it comes to the actual writing, however, I flounder. I pray about it. I try to write it. I give up. Then the cycle starts again.
Sometimes I decide it is not worth doing and step away from it entirely. At other times I get ideas about how I might be able to make it work and start to feel like I can actually do it.
This week was an idea week.
The idea was that I could base the testimony around the dreams have influenced me the most - for better or for worse - and how sometimes that influence is supernatural in origin.
I trace the idea back to Catholic exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger and his wonderful book Dominion - where explains how angels and demons communicate with each other and with us.
Both angels and demons, according to Fr. Ripperger, can put images into our minds. But only angels can illuminate our minds so that we understand the images we've been given. This makes sense to me given the confusion that so often accompanies demonic dreams and visions.
The idea - that I could base my testimony around dreams - was intriguing because dreams have been so instrumental to my story - in both good ways and bad ways. So I decided to look at the (very few) dreams I'd shared in this blog. One was demonic. The other, I believe, was not.
Two things jumped out at me about the non-demonic dream, The first was that it was specifically about me telling my story. The second was that it also seemed to be about me accepting my authentic self, which I've been doing lately, in this blog and elsewhere, but was definitely not doing then.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this dream was angelic. But it did speak to me.
I'm not sure, to be honest, if I will ever publish my testimony. But I do feel that looking at the role dreams played in my journey is worth doing. I will be sharing some of what I learn in a future post.
UPDATE: Since writing this post I've put a short form testimony up on the blog. I'm not currently planning on publishing a full length testimony though I will be continuing to blog and podcast on the New Age and occult.
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- Read my short form testimony right here on the blog: My Story
- You can read my authentic self dream here.
- You can read about the dream that led me into the darkness here.
- To listen to my audio testimony please see my testimony post (but please keep in mind that both of these recordings were made some time ago and that I see things a little differently now)
There are Church approved books describing many instances of souls manifesting to the living to signal their need for prayer... Though souls in purgatory have been allowed to speak to the saints, that is usually not the situation for the average person.... In the cases of the saints they did not call up the spirits or seek guidance, information, or comfort from them. Once the request for prayer was made communication stopped on both sides... Any communication beyond “help me,” or some other request for prayer, is almost certainly demonic deception. - Possessions, Exorcisms and Hauntings
Where I Got My Saint Benedict Medal
About The Jubilee Medal of St. Benedict
Origin and Explanation of the Medal
Meaning of the Latin
The Letters on the Other Side of the Medal
There was a time when I was fascinated with cemeteries. When I was involved in paranormal investigation and mediumship, in fact, they were my favorite place for recording EVPs and taking spirit photos.
A Paranormal Memorial Day
Back to the Cemetery
The first rule: in persons who are going from mortal sin to mortal sin, the enemy is ordinarily accustomed to propose apparent pleasures to them, leading them to imagine sensual delights and pleasures in order to hold them more and make them grow in their vices and sins. - The Rules of St. Ignatius
Why the Interest in Spiritual Warfare & the Demonic?
I've been studying spiritual warfare and the demonic (along with a range of traditional Catholic topics) ever since I came back to the Catholic Church in May of 2020. Some of the reasons for my interest in these topics include:
- I had direct personal experience with the demonic when I was involved in the occult and I was still confused about some of the things that had happened to me.
- I was experiencing a lot of spiritual warfare (and actually still do) because of the many doors I had opened during my time in the occult and needed to learn more about how to deal with it.
- I love to read and take notes and learn new things. One of the best feelings I know is the one you get when things that didn't make sense before finally start to fall into place.
Why I Almost Didn't Blog on These Topics
I thought people would consider a blog about such topics weird or dark.
I was afraid I'd experience an uptick in spiritual warfare.
I was afraid that other Catholics would tell me I had no business writing on spiritual warfare & demonic influence
Q: How do I become a demonologist? A: Why would you want to? Many people in the paranormal community, and in the public, seem to think demonology is "cool" or "exciting" or will make them famous. These reasons fade very quickly for those who actually meet a demon. Being a demonologist is a spiritual calling that leads one to live part of their life in nightmare environments of intense physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering that people go through. People don't choose to be demonologists or exorcists; God makes people demonologists or exorcists.
I don't necessarily disagree with the points made here. Because Blai is a practicing psychologist and a demonologist, I believe that he does see a LOT of suffering and I commend him for the work that he does. While I am certainly not an expert, however, I still feel called to share my own personal experience.
I was worried that it might be a slippery slope.
Why I Decided to Blog on this Topic
The Ghost of Tauriana
Bishop Felix…said that he had been told of such a case by a saintly priest who was still living two years ago in the diocese of Centum Cellae as pastor of the Church of St. John in Tauriana [Italy]. This priest used to bathe in the hot springs of Tauriana whenever his health required. One day, as he entered the baths, he found a stranger there who showed himself most helpful in every way possible, by unlatching his shoes, taking care of his clothes, and furnishing him towels after the hot bath.After several experiences of this kind, the priest said the himself: ‘It would not do for me to appear ungrateful to this man who is so devoted in his kind services to me. I must reward him in some way.’ So one day he took along two crown-shaped loaves of bread to give him.When he arrived at the place, the man was already waiting for him and rendered the same services he had before. After the bath, when the priest was again fully dressed and ready to leave, he offered the man the present of bread, asking him kindly to accept it as a blessing, for it was offered a token of charity.But the man sighed mournfully and said, "Why do you give it to me, Father? That bread is holy and I cannot eat it. I who stand before you was once the owner of this place. It is because of my sins that I was sent back here as a servant. If you wish to do something for me, then offer this bread to almighty God, and so make intercession for me, a sinner. When you come back and do not find me here, you will know that your prayers have been heard."With these words he disappeared, thus showing that he was a spirit disguised as a man. The priest spent the entire week in prayer and tearful supplications, offering Mass for him daily. When he returned to the bath, the man was no longer to be found. This incident points out the great benefits souls derive from the Sacrifice of the Mass. Because of these benefits the dead ask us, the living, to have Masses offered for them, and even show us by signs that it was through the Mass that they were pardoned.
My Takeaway
Making Amends
Amends is a synonym of reparation. As nouns the difference between reparation and amends is that reparation is (usually in plural) a payment of time, effort or money to undo past transgression(s) while amends is compensation for a loss or injury; recompense; reparation.
Purgatory on Earth?
"A very probable opinion,” says St. Thomas, “and one which, moreover, corresponds with the words of the saints in particular revelation, is that Purgatory has a double place for expiation. The first will be destined for the generality of souls, and is situated below, near to Hell; the second will be for particular cases, and it is from thence that so many apparitions occur.” (Suppl., part. 3, ques. ult.). The holy Doctor admits, then, like so many others who share his opinions, that sometimes Divine Justice assigns a special place of purification to certain souls, and even permits them to appear either to instruct the living or to procure for the departed the suffrages of which they stand in need; sometimes also for other motives worthy of the wisdom and mercy of God.
What Spirits Want
- The conversation between the living and the dead was limited to the topic of sin, making amends and the request for prayer and Masses. The priest in the story didn't try to contact the spirit again in order to satisfy his own curiosity. Instead, this man of God immediately turned to prayer and supplication and the offering of the Mass. This, in my opinion, is a lesson to us all.
- The spirit said he had been sent to the bathhouse. This is consistent with the fact that the departed appear to us ONLY by the grace of God. They do not chose to be here. We do not summon them. Nor do we see them because we have some special ability that others lack. It is up to God to assign a departed soul to heaven, hell or purgatory. And it is up to Him to allow them to contact the living (though, judging from Luke 16:19-31, it seems that those in hell are not granted this privilege).
- The departed could not eat and, in this case, was unable to take the "holy bread." To me, this sounds like a reminder that the dead cannot receive the Host. This lines up with the Catholic teaching on purgatory, as I understand it. In contrast with our earthly life, once in purgatory we cannot actively develop virtue, but are only able to be passively purified of sin. This is why the holy souls in purgatory need our prayers!
- The Dialogues of St. Gregory (affiliate link) is available on Amazon as is Purgatory Explained (affiliate link) by Rev. Fr. F. X. Schouppe S.J. The Dialogues can also be found for free online.
- Please not that if you purchase through one of my affiliate links, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
I just finished "Death Cult" (affiliate link), the second book in Declan Finn's "Saint Tommy NYPD" Catholic horror series. And I will say this, if you don't think Catholic horror is a thing - you haven't read this series.
I began with the first book in the series - "Hell Spawn" (affiliate link). In this book Detective Tommy Nolan conducts an investigation into a serial killer, battles the MS-13 gang and has a violent show down with the demonic.
Book two (Death Cult) begins with a home invasion that threatens Tommy's own family. From that point on, the book is almost nonstop action as Tommy goes head to head with zombies, the Women's Health Core and a diabolical cult.
As a devout Catholic on the fast track to sainthood, Tommy has some pretty unusual supernatural abilities, including bilocation and the ability to smell evil. Thanks to his role as dedicated cop and family man, who relies on his faith to do a very difficult job, he is believable as well.
"Saint Tommy NYPD" is a true horror series including a high body count and some very violent scenes. In Death Cult, in fact, there is an abortion clinic scene so horrific it would be almost unbelievable - if the author hadn't reminded us of the Kermit Gosnell case a bit earlier on.*
I enjoyed both books and plan to continue on with the series! I am also going to check out the author's vampire fiction.
I'm also going to be digging a little deeper into the genre of horror from a Catholic perspective in an upcoming post, so please check back.
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* Kermit Gosnell is a former MD who was convicted of killing one female patient and three infants who were born alive during late term abortions in his Philadelphia "house of horrors" abortion clinic. Many people question why the trial received so little media coverage relative to the horrific nature of the crimes. To read more about the media response to the Gosnell trial (and the movie that came after) please see the following article in the Courier Times. It is written by JD Mullane, the journalist who took the photo of the trial's empty media seats in 2013 (below).
**Please note- this post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you purchase a book through one of my links I may earn a small commission.
This is the cover for my new Latin-English Rosary ebooklet.
The Latin-English Rosary ebooklet will be an expanded version of my shop's Latin-English Rosary trifold. The ebooklet will be available for digital download and formatted for Kindle or other ereaders. I decided to create a second Latin-English Rosary resource because, while people like the trifold, it really only works as a printable.
This will be my next nonfiction project and my first self-published ebook. Please look for it in my Etsy shop over the summer.
I also wanted to let everyone know that my new 54 Day Novena printable booklet is finished. I will be listing it in the shop next week!
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If you're interested in the Latin-English Rosary trifold, please click here: Rosary Trifold
If you want to stay updated on new blog posts and shop items please sign up for my email list here. If you're only interested in shop updates, please follow my shop, Catholic Book And Card, on Etsy!
Crystals in the Occult
- The connection between New Age ideas about the "power" of crystals and witchcraft.
- The absence of true supernatural properties within inanimate objects.
- Blessed objects and cursed objects.
- How crystals are used in spellcasting and ceremonial magic.
- The true nature of magic and how our ancestors had a better handle on this than we do.
- My own personal experience of the demonic through the application of crystals.
The Smoke and Mirrors Effect
Jennifer Carshaw would be an ordinary teenager dealing with ordinary problems - like acne, insecurity and boys - except for one thing. Jennifer is a vampire.
A not yet turned vampire orphan, attending Catholic school and living in a convent.
Because of her vampire nature Jennifer can't take part in the religious life that surrounds her, even though she has always wanted to. All she really wants is to be normal.
As a character, Jennifer is believable. It is easy to sympathize with the sense of alienation she feels. I found myself rooting for her very early on, hoping that she would somehow avoid her fate. Sadly, however, it is only a matter of time until she takes the next inevitable step.
The remainder of the story focuses on Jennifer's life as a largely sympathetic wolf among the sheep.
For me, "Jennifer the Damned" was a page turner because I sympathized with and felt invested in Jennifer herself. I also appreciated the the secondary characters. The sisters in particular really came alive for me and I found myself smiling at the quirks of their personalities.
Unavoidably, there is violence in this story but it is not gratuitous, in my opinion, and there is no overtly sexual content. The book itself is very well-written and suspenseful. It is written by a Catholic author and is, I think, a good choice for Christian readers of this genre.
I picked up the "Jennifer the Damned" after hearing the author speak on a panel on darkness in fiction writing at the Catholic Writer's Guild online conference (more on that in an upcoming post). And highly recommend the book.
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"Jennifer the Damned" is available through Amazon at the following affiliate link.
To check out the author's website please visit KarenUllo.com
Find out more about the Catholic Writers Guild here.
St. Joseph Marello is one of two churches in the combined parish near my home in Pittston PA The second is St. John the Evangelist. It was at St. John's that I made my confession and received communion upon my official return to the Catholic faith on March 7th, 2020.
Last year I was able to make my confession prior to Holy Week but had to watch the Mass on YouTube. This year, I'm happy to say that I will attending Easter Mass in person!
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