By Barbara S. J.

The first week of September on the maritime Atlantic's Prince Edward Island promised an idyllic respite for me, after a year's work of child psychotherapy and classical guitar study. I had planned a week-long cycling vacation/retreat and arranged accommodations at a Catholic spirituality center in Victorian Charlottetown, the island's centrally located harbour capital, convenient to cycling and hiking day trips in all directions.

After changing planes in Halifax, Nova Scotia, my flight arrived safely in Charlottetown's little airport. Once at the spirituality center, I was greeted with the good news that I would be "bumped up" to a three room suite at the same cost, due to some third order Franciscans needing my room for their own retreat. With private bath and walk-in closet, as well as the oratory right next door, I welcomed my sudden good fortune.

Hardly had 28 hours gone by since I passed through Halifax that Swiss Flight 101 had gone down in the night waters off Peggy's Cove, killing all passengers aboard. When news reached us the next morning, I, as well as most of the Canadians I spoke with, were stunned. The women around me had tears in their eyes. "How could this happen?" seemed to be the question written on our bewildered faces. The magnitude of the tragedy set an unexpected tone for the remainder of my vacation/retreat, and I found myself being more sensitive to and pondering issues relating to angelology and individual eschatology. "Where was the Guardian Angel of that airplane?" and "Where were the Guardian Angels of the children and people who died on that flight?" were some of the questions that kept pestering me, like cross bees at a picnic. Little did I know that in a few days, I would have an experience that would amaze me to the core and restore my knowledge of and faith in God's providential care.

The light terra-cotta colored sands of Prince Edward Island invite summer dreams and have lured visual artists to paint its landscapes and seascapes for decades. Its hilly and ribbon-like interior roads share the same, ubiquitous color of the beaches, which makes for visually pleasant, yet challenging mountainbiking. On my second day trip, destination New Glasgow and its world famous Lobster Supper Restaurant, I didn't have the problem of the strong head wind that, the day before, literally cut my cycling speed in half. On this day's trip I had to deal with steep hills and dales of regular repetition. In the hot summer sun I would climb one hill after another, only to dishearteningly find another hill awaiting me a half mile away. Mentally, I found myself locking into the "cyclist's survival mode," so daunted was I by this challenge, yet so determined to reach my destination. I became so focused that I forgot to drink enough water and take enough rest stops.

Half way to New Glasgow, I rolled through a little hamlet nestled about a curved intersection. I remember turning my head to admire a crafts barn that seemed to smile down upon the crossroads. Suddenly, a dog shot out from across the street and began to chase me, barking and snapping viciously. Although a great dog lover, I was frightened to death. Still rolling, I jumped off the bike and began to yell at the dog, using the bike as a defense. He wasn't intimidated, as the jagged fan of his ivory-colored teeth showed. I am so sure he would have bitten me had it not been for a woman who heard me screaming at him and who came out of her house, just in time, to help. She called him by name and shooed him away. Because of his response to her, I erroneously assumed it was her dog, and in my terrorized state began to yell at her. "I told her I was a vacationer spending my money on her island, innocently and peacefully riding through her hamlet, then questioned "do the islanders regularly train their pets to maul the vacationers?". I was so frightened I was crying. She told me it wasn't her dog but a neighbors. I quickly apologized and thanked her for her help, but still complained that a dog like that on a heavily cycled island like PEI should be retrained or kept on a leash. She went back into her house and I quickly rode off, hypervigilant to the sounds of roadside canines the rest of the way."

I coasted for a mile downhill into picture postcard New Glasgow, a fitting end for a strenuous, 20 mile journey. I was going to have the best lobster dinner of my life. Dusk was slowly approaching as I gazed through huge glass windows, out upon a tranquil brook that ran behind the restaurant. As I was finishing my meal, I decided that I would cab it back to the spirituality center, and stuff the bike in the trunk of the taxi. I was feeling pretty good, but didn't want to overexert myself given the days events.

I spent a quiet evening listening to Canadian radio and reading from beautiful books I had brought with me for my retreat. Around 10 o'clock I began to feel a little nauseous, with a slight headache. By 10:30 my head was pounding and I was so nauseated that I felt completely weak. I recognized the symptoms of heat stroke, which I had gotten on another cycling vacation some years back, and decided to go straight to bed.

As the hours progressed, I felt sicker and sicker. The combination of nausea, weakness, and headache was so bad, that I didn't think to call for help. I just wanted to lay there until I fell asleep. At one point, I remember getting up in the dark and making sure the door was unlocked, so people could get in, in case I passed out or died in my sleep. I felt so delirious that I didn't care if I died, I just wanted relief.

I remember laying there and praying feverishly to the Archangel Raphael, the Archangel for healing and travel, to the Blessed Mother, who is the Queen of Angels, to Jesus, and especially to my Guardian Angel, to take an express message to Padre Pio in heaven, requesting him to pray for me in my hour of need. When I have been sick in the past, I have experienced Padre Pio as a powerful "spiritual satellite relay station" and have been helped through his intercession. I know that my angel loves me and I was confident that she/he would carry my prayers to their intended recipients, no matter what the outcome.

I don't know why I did this, but despite the fact that I lay there feeling so sick, I began to think about the children who died on Swiss Flight 101. Although I didn't understand it, I thanked each child's Guardian Angel for safely escorting her charge's soul to it's celestial abode at the point of bodily death. And then I covered the rest of the passengers, praying that their deaths were quick and that their angels were there to lovingly assist them in their transitions. I offered my own suffering up especially for the souls of the children.

I found out something about myself during this ordeal. Since I thought that I might die, I made my peace with God, and discovered that I really wasn't afraid of death. I did a quick life review and felt an unusual peace descend upon me. I felt so tiny, so totally dependent on God for everything, as I lay curled in the bed. I felt that I would probably go to heaven, and I felt good about the thousands of children I had helped. That's what really glowed with poignancy and meaning. I also realized that I had worried too much in life.

Unable to sleep, the hours passed as I lay in bed with my throbbing head buried in my hands. At around 1:30 AM, something told me to open my eyes. As soon as I did, I saw what looked like a person made of white light glide over from the door on my left, and hover right over me above the bed. The angel's head was right above mine, and the healing energy seemed to be concentrating there. The beautiful angel exhuded a sweetness, benevolence and goodwill that I will never forget. As soon as I saw it, I thought, "Oh, God sent me a healing angel," and as soon as I had the thought, I was completely restored to health. I mean COMPLETELY. In an instant, my symptoms vanished. The angel left as soon as I was healed.

I sat up in the bed, my mind blown. I could do nothing but sit there, in the dark, pondering what had just taken place. I could only be still and feel awe. My soul was in a very receptive state. It didn't even matter to me so much that I wasn't sick any more, although I was so truly grateful for that. It was the fact that God heard my prayers and actually sent me an angel, who, for whatever reason, allowed me to see it and feel its absolute benevolence and goodwill toward me. I will never forget this for as long as I live.

My mind is too puny to fathom God. I don't understand a lot of things in life, like why some children are saved by their Guardian Angels and others die in plane crashes. My heart, though, is where most of my spiritual activity takes place, and for most of my life I have always tried to love God above all else. I feel that God loves me back. Despite all the evil in the world, I feel that I was given another opportunity to experience God's personal and profound love for me, even when I don't understand it. Maybe I don't need to. I'm just glad it's there.

Submitted (5-31-02) 

Young woman saved from a stranger attack...

       I would like to add my personal experience of an encounter with my guardian angel. : I was a young woman living in a somewhat rural city and it was the 4th of July. It was around noon and I was walking to work on a road that is a couple of blocks back from a main highway, surrounded by trees. It was very hot and as I passed some of the parked cars (there was a park nearby), I heard a man ask me if I knew where there would be fireworks displays that night. I turned around to see a young man sitting in a small red car. Since I worked late, I said I didn't know. He asked if I would like a ride to work, since it was so hot. (It was only a few blocks away). Since I was running a bit late, against my better judgment I said ok, and began walking toward the car. After one step, I felt like someone had placed a hand on my chest and held me back firmly and said "stop". It surprised me enough to make me step back and politely say I was just going to walk afterall. I thought of that experience all day. Early next morning, as I walked out of my house, my next door neighbor, an elderly woman, came up her walkway with a newspaper in her hand and showed me a front page article. The article related several incidents along that same highway in which a friendly, young man in a red, compact car would casually strike up a conversation with a young woman, offer a ride, and proceed to attack her. I knew at that moment, and still know today, that my guardian angel held me back that day and protected me from harm. I am so grateful to God for His love of us, in spite of our foolish decisions and mistakes.

Young man saved from certain death on a train...

"I was younger then, I believe 17. Some friends and I were running on TOP of railroad cars, hopping from one car to another. On one car, I was running and just started to jump to the next car... 

 ...I stopped like I had hit something, or someone and was being held in my place... 

I was confused. I had gone to jump but it didn't happen! I looked down, and there was a ladder rung-type of thing over my foot. 
Had I jumped, or rather, not been prevented from jumping by my guardian angel, my foot would have caught on the rung, which would have thrown me down between the 2 railroad cars, head first, and would have most likely killed me! It was the weirdest thing!
I never ran on top of railroad cars after that incident!"

 Prayers of a mother save a Teenager from car accident after falling asleep at the wheel...

"When I was a young wild teenager I attended a sober dance for young people held in an auditorium.  It was about 45 minutes away from my house.  I left my friends at about 1:00 a.m. in the morning.  As I drove home in my little Chevette, I began to get very sleepy and could hardly keep my eyes open.  The next thing I knew, the car was bumping along the grass near the center of the highway divider.  By the time I was able to stop the car, I had already miraculously been steered through a very small 6 foot gap between the rails and onto the other side of the highway (not without first blowing out a tire!)  Incredibly, this was the only break in the divider rail for many many miles! I had been going about 60 and anything could have happened.  I could have hit a tree, a ditch, a bridge - and most likely flip the little car at the speed I was going.  But there I was, stunned and stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire, but most importantly - I was unharmed!  I thanked God over and over for sparing my life and asked Him to help me out of this.  The emotional impact of what happened hit me and I started to cry.  I realized my predicament was not over and I was scared.  Now what?  How would I get home?  A deserted highway in the middle of the night is no place for a young girl.

But no sooner did I start to consider the danger of my situation, then a truck stopped, and the driver began walking towards me.  I was afraid so I locked the door and only opened the window a crack.  "Are you ok kiddo?"  he said in a friendly voice.  I nodded, but wasn't about to open the door for just anyone.  Immediately thereafter, a state policeman pulled up.  I was SO relieved!  He asked me if I was ok - (but didn't even bother to ask if I was drinking - which of course I was not) and changed my tire for me while I held his flashlight!  God bless this kind soul.  Sadly, I never got his name or badge number to thank him for his great kindness.

It was 3:00 a.m. when I finally got home and I prayed my mother wasn't up worrying.  I found she was asleep.  The next day, when I related to her what happened, she said that before she went to bed, she had felt impressed to pray for me - especially for my safety! Oh, the prayers of a mother for her children must be very powerful before Our Lord!

Thank God guardian angels listen to mothers!

"This is my story of angel encounter:  My daughter when she was 6 years old was in the hallway of my home choking, I ran to her and saw she was choking in her mouth,  I didn't know what to do, I tried to slap her back but she continued to choke, all of a sudden I felt a hand take my hand and shove it down her throat and I pulled out a piece of wood. My daughter stopped choking. After seeing she was all right, I pondered about what happened. I felt a hand on my hand and  shove it to her throat. I realized then it has to be her guardian angel!!!"

 Prayers of a mother save daughter from a bad fall...

"My daughter was at her friends house after school and it was time for her to come home, they were running down the front (they are long and steep) steps of her friends apartment building when Alishia lost her step and started to fall head first down the steps. All of a sudden she felt a hand grab the back of her shirt and pull her back on to the step, when she got to the bottom she looked back and no one was there. Her friend was a couple steps ahead of her, when she got home she told me what happened and that it freaked her out I told her that at about that time I had an intense feeling to send My Guardian Angel to check up on both of my kids. The times matched up!"