Mysterious priest performs miracle at site of Mercedes crash

[AdvanceAlways]

The way I see it, it’s a miracle either way. If it was supernatural, it was a miracle. If a priest just happened to be in the right place at the right time, God had a reason for that and it’s still a miracle.

 

[DAML72]

As I noted in the original post, this incident occurred on the feast day of St. John Vianney.

Another description, though, said he was a dark-skinned man with dark hair and dark-rimmed glasses - looking a bit like Walter Matheau (sp?). Hopefully time will tell.

Someone mentioned Bishop Fulton Sheen - I would love for it to have been Bishop Sheen also - but I doubt this would be considered a ‘miracle’ by the Church worthy of beatification or canonization.

 

[PrayRosary]

The way I see it, it’s a miracle either way. If it was supernatural, it was a miracle. If a priest just happened to be in the right place at the right time, God had a reason for that and it’s still a miracle.

This.

 

[Pat_Payne]

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2386627/The-riddle-angel-priest-Holy-man-appeared-pray-trapped-girl-rescuers-traffic-accident-told-OK-vanished.html

Pinned inside her mangled Mercedes, seriously injured and fading fast, Katie Lentz turned to her rescuers on the lonely open stretch of Missouri highway and asked them to pray.

Struck head-on by a drunk driver on Sunday morning, emergency workers had been battling for an hour and a half to free Lentz, but to no avail.

But as they joined hands a Catholic priest appeared, even though there were no bystanders and the road was blocked, who offered a prayer and an instruction to the rescuers that they would now be able to free her.

Suddenly, heavy equipment needed to cut through the metal arrived from a nearby town and Lentz was pulled from the wreck in time to be saved - but when they turned to thank the priest, he was gone.

Read more: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2386627/The-riddle-angel-priest-Holy-man-appeared-pray-trapped-girl-rescuers-traffic-accident-told-OK-vanished.html#ixzz2bOjdcQOI

Saints among us. The communities around all attested that it was not their priests who were there, and he vanished without trace after praying with her. In a way, I hope the girl or the rescue workers can remember the face of the priest enough to get an identikit or sketch of him… I’m hoping that it was Fulton J Sheen come down to help her

 

[Pat_Payne]

I just reported this to Drudge linking the several media outlets reporting it. If Drudge picks it up, it may get even more attention.

Yeah… That’s how I noticed this story… and posted it a second time… with…out… noticing that it had already been… yeah.

I absolutely second the person who hopes they could possibly ID the priest as Fulton J Sheen!

 

[Spencerian]

There is already an earlier opened thread on this topic.

 

[Pat_Payne]

There is already an earlier opened thread on this topic.

I became belatedly aware of that – I’d looked through the forum, didn’t see the topic (I missed it), and by the time I noticed there was already one, it was too late to delete.

Mods, if you wanna delete this one, feel free.

 

[Gricken]

What do you mean he “vanished”? He disappeared right in front of everyone’s eyes and they* saw *him disappear?
Or he left, and no one saw him leave?

Could he not have been a priest from another town, on a road trip traveling by at that moment? Someone who is very humble and didn’t want to draw attention to himself or had to get somewhere?
The cops said “everything happened fast”.
He could have parked his car a quarter a mile away (as per The Mail) at the blocking point, since he was prevented from driving further, and gotten out and walked over to see if he could help in any way.
He was very nice to help.I hope they find him.
Thank goodness for those “jaws of life”–they have saved so many.

.

The thing is, priests don’t just walk around in their vestments and carry oil everywhere

 

[DAML72]

The thing is, priests don’t just walk around in their vestments and carry oil everywhere

I don’t think he was in his vestments.

 

[Gricken]

I don’t think he was in his vestments.

Clerical garb. My mistake. My point is the same.

 

[ccmcmg]

I have seen many miracles in my life, and I can’t say if the story is true or not. But that is maybe not important. Something did happen and the girl was out of the wreck. However we all know how The RCC approach miracles, very carefully and with a “open mind”. Not knowing the area, I never been on US-soil except visiting your Embassy in Finland, so I don’t know if there are any roads that may be not visible from the accident site or any big boulder or large rock. maybe trees. Possibility one is that it was a genuine miracle, and let us pray it was. Possibility two is that the priest was, as someone did answer, just passing by and in the confusion with most likely to many fire-fighters and everyone focused on the victim they did miss where he went. He could have followed her in the ambulance and later on return to his car.

I so hope it is a miracle, and it was, maybe not a divine one, but a miracle we should thank God for.

All roads were blocked off, and it’s a very rural area. I don’t live in that area, but it’s very similar to my area. Tons of pictures were taken, and he was not in any of them. Surely of the dozens of people there, one would have seen him.

I don’t think that all miracles have to be ‘approved’ by the Church. Miraculous events happen all the time, every moment, somewhere. The Church uses them for saints, but there are too many God-incidences that point to one conclusion, even by the non-Catholics and non-Christians that witnessed it.

 

[Indyann]

What do you mean he “vanished”? He disappeared right in front of everyone’s eyes and they* saw *him disappear?
Or he left, and no one saw him leave?

Could he not have been a priest from another town, on a road trip traveling by at that moment? Someone who is very humble and didn’t want to draw attention to himself or had to get somewhere?
The cops said “everything happened fast”.
He could have parked his car a quarter a mile away (as per The Mail) at the blocking point, since he was prevented from driving further, and gotten out and walked over to see if he could help in any way.
He was very nice to help.I hope they find him.
Thank goodness for those “jaws of life”–they have saved so many.

.

I have to agree with this assessment. But I still think it was Divine Providence that this priest just happened to be in this place at this time.

And for those who asked, I would think that any priest who travels on the highway would have his “kit” with oil and holy water in his car.

When the priest came to the house to give my sister the last rites, he carried a small bag with everything he needed to give her the Sacrament. Similar to a doctor’s bag, but smaller.

 

[ccmcmg]

It doesn’t sound like it was an earthly priest. Unless he was in a rush to get to Mass, I can’t imagine that he would leave the scene like that - much less make promises about the equipment and the victim’s final outcome. (And I’m wondering how often priests have their anointing oil with them - anyone know?)

But regardless of whether this was a local priest just passing through or whether he was of ‘another world’, it was certainly an act of God, and will be etched in the memory of the people on the scene. I can only imagine the journey that is in store for them - so exciting!

The way I see it, it’s a miracle either way. If it was supernatural, it was a miracle. If a priest just happened to be in the right place at the right time, God had a reason for that and it’s still a miracle.

For the record, there are very few priests in the rural areas of the Midwest. While one may have been traveling to say Mass nearby, I think a parishioner would have come forward with his identity by now.

 

[ccmcmg]

Seriously, I think this is great, but…

My 2012 Chevrolet came with On-Star. If I knew a Mercedes came with an angel, I might have spent the extra money.

LOL! Love it! I can see this in their next commercial…

 

[marymary1975]

This story is beautiful and amazing. I think is specially amazing too that this happened on the day of st john maria vianney, holy patron of all priests.

 

[EoinChaver51]

The Blaze recently updated their article on it with pictures that witnesses say resemble the priest. Here’s the link theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/08/the-mystery-continues-witness-claims-priest-who-vanished-after-anointing-crash-victim-looks-like-this-hollywood-actor/

 

[humble_catholic]

I also have a feeling that they will never find this priest. This is one of those things that make the hair on our arms just stand up straight, but in a good way.
I do believe that Gods angels are here on earth watching over us.
God bless

 

[Bruised_Reed]

When I saw the corn fields in the video I thought of the movie “Field of Dreams.”

 

[ccmcmg]

FYI, here is a link with an interview with the deputy on the scene. The priest also apparently said a Rosary while there, which hasn’t been previously reported.

kmbz.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=6482726

 

[daisybee]

I found the videotaped interview provided more insight than just the text. It’s remarkable that the tools were having no effect on the layers of metal.

I also think it’s interesting (in the taped interview) that the rescue worker alludes to having received understanding in a way that he and one of his colleagues cannot explain. He indicates they are uncertain whether the understanding came directly from the priest’s intervention or not. Many Catholics would probably attribute the Spirit’s gift of understanding to the power of God provided through the grace of the sacrament of the sick the priest administered.

It seems that the man interviewed and his colleague may have experienced a kind of “inner understanding” or enlightenment through the Holy Spirit. Catholic and Protestant Christians know that the Holy Spirit sometimes pierces the darkness of our minds with a sudden, unexpected ray of understanding, especially during prayer–not necessarily all the time, and sometimes in ways that we cannot in any way attribute to ourselves. It’s impossible to explain this to those who are not open to taking a leap of faith to reach out to God–it’s something that can only be experienced.

I think the event is a significant testament to the merciful, loving power of God shared in an special way through priests, the sacraments, and the Catholic Church.