Observations placeholder
Frangoise-Madeleine de la Roussie - He saw the Sacred Host fly into her mouth when he was giving her Communion
Identifier
024223
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Friar Herbert Thurston was a Catholic priest, a member of the Jesuit order and an historian. He wrote extensively on Catholic mysticism and psychic phenomena and was a member of the Society for Psychical Research. He was also widely read on this subject. He is described as ‘an honest skeptic’., and once said ‘the role of Devil’s advocate is a thankless one and does not make for popularity’.
A description of the experience
Friar Herbert Thurston - The Physical Phenomenon of Mysticism
In the year 1637-1638 Monsieur Olier, a famous French priest, venerated for his holiness and the founder of Saint Sulpice, spent some months at Nantes. He had been seriously ill, and by the invitation of the Rev. Mother took up his quarters in a gardener's cottage belonging to the Convent of the Visitation in that city. Among other members of the community at that time was a holy nun, Frangoise-Madeleine de la Roussie re, a memoir of whom was printed some years later. In this occurs the following passage:
Our Lord used to manifest in an unmistakable way the pleasure He felt in visiting this holy soul. We learned this from many priests who gave her Communion, amongst others from the late Abbe Olier, who, being in the town and lodging in our little gardener's cottage, often said Mass in our church and distributed Holy Communion to the community. One day he asked our Rev. Mother, Mere de Bressand, what was the name of one of the sisters who had a patch of red on her face (it was a mark she had had from birth);and after hearing the name he remarked that she must be a very holy soul since the sacred Host had detached itself from his fingers and had travelled of itself to the mouth of that dear sister.
Another ecclesiastic, the Rector of the parish of Nort, who is still living, said that the nun with the mark on her face was certainly a saint, and that he believed her to be such because he had seen the Sacred Host fly into her mouth when he was giving her Communion.