Better Than Realtors and eBay

by Thomas A. Droleskey

Although many of those we have been privileged to know of the years have drifted away for one reason or another, which is, of course, entirely within the Providence of God, we still do have a few good souls who remain on friendly terms with us.

One of these good people informed us over two years ago about Father Leo Franklin McNamara, who was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in Rome on July 6, 1913, and died on October 26, 1973, and his remarkable intercessory power to sell homes and to help with temporal needs.

As our friend is a woman without guile who has a deep life of prayer, we flew unto the intercessory power of Father McNamara at once, and he helped us to ell a manufactured house in Indiana in 2011 within two months. And it was on April 30, 2013, that prayers to Father McNamara were answered as two autographed baseballs and a collection of authentic 1968 baseball hats were sold by an auction company. Although it took until recently the proceeds from the auction, which permitted me to pay back one of our few remaining donors who was good enough to provide a loan to cover a particularly pressing need, Father McNamara did his job, for which, of course, we are very grateful.

I had promised Father McNamara that I would write about him if the house in Indiana sold. However, I could not find any substantial information about him other than that he had never staged the Protestant and Masonic Novus Ordo service and had suffered great persecution from the authorities of the Archdiocese of Chicago under the nefarious John "Cardinal" Cody (a true bishop but a phony cardinal), the predecessor of Joseph "Cardinal" Bernardin.

It was about ten or eleven months ago that I discovered website devoted to the life and mystical experiences of Father Leo Franklin McNamara. Here is but a brief excerpt about this holy mystic and stigmatist as posed by a man who calls himself "Pablo the Mexican:"

Fr. McNamara slept on a daybed, lived in a loft at St. Adrian’s Church, not in the rectory.

He did not eat meat for 45 years, never had a housekeeper. Was always faithful to his priestly vows and the true Mass.

Ordained in Rome on July 6, 1913, first Mass on July 7, 1913.

In 1928 he was assigned to St. Adrian’s parish in south Chicago. Established a beautiful church and school. Remained there until death on October 26, 1973.

He had a Crucifix that bled 12 times, the first time on September 17th, 1937 and the last time in 1941. The first time the five wounds bled he was blessing Sacred Heart badges, which he gave out by the barrel full. The corpus bled profusely and the corpus became life-sized and sat on the edge of Fr. McNamara’s bed. Jesus said, “Seeing is believing. I put you to the test.” “When you speak for me, I will answer for thee.” Jesus said this to him.

Fr. McNamara calls his torments from the devil “The Evil One.”

Cooking story: fellow priests did gourmet cooking on Saturday nights. The Little Flower appeared to him and laid before him his life. She said, “What a waste.” Fr. gave up the group after that.

Dying nun in Chicago: He went to visit her at the nun’s request. When he arrived she asked why he didn’t bring the Crucifix. Jesus had told the nun about the bleeding crucifix. He went back to the church to get it. The nun asked him to leave it with her and he did. She had it held up so she could venerate it, and the cross bled all over her bed spread and clothes so that they were soaked. Other nuns witnessed this event.

About the 6th time the Crucifix bled, he reported it to his superiors. They kept vigilance on him. Many called him crazy. To justify his sanity, Fr. kept three medical affidavits by three independent doctors, one a Catholic, one Jewish doctor, and one protestant specialist. The complete physicals done proved his medical stability. No history of mental illness, yet he was persecuted concerning the crucifix and other miracles.

Fr. McNamara told this story to narrator Mary: Two burly priests and some of Cardinal Cody’s henchmen came to harass him. He showed the medical evaluations as proof.

Fr. McNamara was called by a mother whose son was a seminarian. The son found out he had tuberculosis and could not become a priest. The man was distraught to the point of taking his own life. Fr. made a trip to see the young man. On the road to meet him, Fr. picked up a young man (who looked like the young priest) hitchhiking. The figure had a red thumb, and really was the devil when he entered Fr’s vehicle. Fr. McNamara immediately felt a burning pain in the back of his neck. He reached into his bag and took out a small crucifix, and put it to the sore area on his neck. The devil figure disappeared.

Fr. continued on to the mother’s house, but the son had gone to bed, and they decided Fr. would speak to him in the morning. The lady showed Fr. to another bedroom for the night. Fr. woke up tied with chains to the bed by the devil. Christ came alive again and released him from the chains. The next day Fr. talked to the young man and consoled him.

Fr. was supposed to take a trip with his mother to St. Louis, but she became ill and he went on the trip without her. The devil entered his car again. The devil told him to have a car accident and end his life because the people Fr. was going to meet with wouldn’t believe what he would say anyway. Disturbed, he drove to a place that would have a crucifix, so he went to the Bishop’s home, but the Bishop wasn’t home. So instead he went to a motel. While looking out the window at the motel, he saw what looked like an ocean, and out of the water the devil appeared as a serpent and tried to climb up the motel wall to get to him. The devil was constantly tormenting Fr. McNamara.

A mother in Chicago with an afflicted daughter: The mother borrowed money to take the daughter to see Padre Pio. Padre Pio asked the mother why she came all the way to Europe when there was a priest on the south side of Chicago she could have taken the daughter to. Padre Pio was referring to and named Fr. McNamara. (Father Leo Franklin McNamara.)

 

Father Leo Franklin McNamara thus comes with quite a "letter of recommendation," one that is directly from Padre Pio himself.

Father McNamara's Crucifix bled for the first time on September 17, 1937, the Feast of the Impression of the Stigmata on Saint Francis of Assisi. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that he was also favored with locutions from Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Himself, something that was the case with the late Father Vincent Bowes, O.C.D., who died on Low Sunday, April 19, 2009 (see Bookended From Birth to Birth.)

 

Father Leo F. McNamara
Christmas Night 1952

Oh frail joy of My heart, tonight I lift thee up over the hearts of all men, that My Father may bestow upon thee a great joy. Thou alone hast in thy heart the celestial knowledge of My Divine Incarnation. Most men know me only superficially, but to thee hast been given the inner-most secrets of the Word Incarnate. Thou hast known Me fully, as the Son of God and the Son of man, thy brother in all, save sin.

My most tender shadow, how great is Mary's love for thee, because thou hast embraced My doctrine of love and of suffering. Behold I build upon thee an eternal shrine.

Oh thou most piteous and dear, it shalt be said of thee that thou art a burning light which shalt enkindle the fire of My love in the most tepid souls.

Weary soul, tonight I hold thee close, that I may breathe My sweetness upon thee, that I may make thee again aware of the mysterious Oneness that is Ours, and which enables thee to share in the supreme dignity which is Mine and My Heavenly Father's.

This gift given unto thee on this great day of giving shalt be multiplied in thee a hundred fold. Thy sanctification and My gift shalt be co-related even as tonight we art One in the realm of Our Hypostatic Union.

Thou art essential to Me as My priest, and I art essential to thee by My divinity.

Together We art One in willing submission, unto eternity to the divine will of My Father, out of whose bosom I hath taken thee cycles before thy angelic time.  (Father Leo Franklin McNamara.)

 

Although I am not one prone to believe every report of locutions and mystical experiences, manly priests such as Father Leo Franklin McNamara and Father Vincent Bowes are not ones given over to frivolous claims. It appears to be the case that Father McNamara kept a record of the locutions with which he had been favored. However, he did not publicize those locutions in his own lifetime as he was content to suffer direct assaults from the devil and the humiliations to which he was subjected by the thuggish agents of John "Cardinal" Cody. He was truly a priest and a victim in the pattern of the One to Whose Priesthood and Victimhood his immortal soul had been conformed at the time of his priestly ordination on July 6, 1913, which is just over one hundred years ago now.

Divine Providence saw to it that Father Leo Franklin McNamara was given quite a helper to assist him in his work. He repaid this helper, Saint Maximina, by making her known to those around him as she produced untold benefits in their lives.

Here are two excerpts on the website devoted Father McNamara concerning the way in which Saint Maxima assisted him, starting with an account of the saint's glorious martyrdom:

At the time when Diocletian's persecution broke out, St. Maximina and her husband Montanus, a priest, were living in Belgrade, in the Roman province of Illyria, the ancient name for Yugoslavia. This was long before the law of celibacy was introduced in the Western Church. It is not known if the young priest and his lovely wife were born in Belgrade, or when they came to live there. All that is recorded concerning this, is that they were living there when the vicious and cruel persecution of Diocletian raged, in 304 A.D. The Emperor's edict obliged every Christian without distinction to offer sacrifice to the Emperor and the gods. It is the teaching of the Gospel that Christians are not to seek martyrdom.

Christ said, "When they persecute you in one city, flee into another." And St. Polycarp wrote in 156 A.D., "We do not commend those who volunteer to come forward, since this is not the teaching of the Gospels. Martyrdom was to take place according to the will of God."

It was with this in mind that Maximina and Montanus fled the community at Belgrade and started towards Sirmium, about forty miles distant. They were overtaken by Roman soldiers, and led to stand trial on a high bridge above the Sava River. Probus, Governor of Pannonia, was the judge who tried them. The captives were given the choice of rejecting Christ or rejecting life. History records the bravery of Montanus, though heroism in a priest was to be expected. What deeply moved the great crowd gathered on that bridge was the fidelity and apostolic courage of Maximina. In fact, she defended her faith so well that Probus quickly terminated the trial. The sentence was death by beheading, to be carried out immediately.

The sword flashed. Montanus was beheaded first, head and body falling into the Sava. A moment after, St. Maximina laid down her life in the same way. Their remains were lovingly removed from the river a few kilometers distant from Sirmium, and transported to Rome, to the Catacomb of St. Priscilla, where they were interred. Here the relics remained for 1,500 years.

In 1804 many tombs in St. Priscilla's were opened, and the relics presented to the churches of Rome and elsewhere. With the special permission of Pope Pius VII the relics of St. Maximina with a phial of her blood were presented to the Sinibaldi family, and placed in the altar of their private chapel. For more than a hundred years they were venerated in this chapel. In 1927 the Sinibaldi family presented the relics to the Poor Clares of San Lorenzo in Panisperna, Rome. They, in turn, with permission of Pope Pius XI, sent them to the Poor Clares in Chicago in 1929. By a special rescript, dated June 18, 1929, the Sacred Congregation of Rites declared these relics to be truly those of St. Maximina, Martyr. For forty years St. Maximina had a place of honor in the relic chapel of the Chicago Monastery.

When the Poor Clares moved to Hickory Hills, the relics were given to Fr. Joseph Lauro for his missions in South America. However, because of the illness of Fr. Lauro, the relics were given into the custody of Fr. Leo McNamara, of St. Adrian's Parish in Chicago. Fr. McNamara rightly felt that St. Maximina provided a much needed example, and he did all in his power to make her known. The response was unprecedented. Many clients claim to have received favors through the intercession of the martyr. Possibly the greatest consequence of devotion to her has been the impact of her example. In our time of confusion and defection, the visible presence, so to say, of the remains of a woman who confronted evil with courage and gave her young life for Christ, has given countless people the desire to live by faith. There can be no doubt that St. Maximina has charm, and she seems also to have great influence over those who invoke her. (Father Leo Franklin McNamara.)

In small way, therefore, this brief reflection is attempting to make the gifts and the work of Father Leo Franklin McNamara as displayed on the website that exists for this cause better known so that this great Heavenly intercessor will be employed to great effect by those who read the articles on my own website.

As could be expected, Father Leo Franklin McNamara was very tenderly devoted to Our Lady, whom we honor tomorrow under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Himself explained to him in 1953 that the Age of Mary was just beginning. Father McNamara recorded the following words as being spoken to him by Our Lord on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, December 8, 1973:

Oh frail, tender love of My heart, know ye that the storm clouds art gathering from the hearts of all nations, and soon thou shalt be plunged into the greatest apocalyptic destruction of all time.

Soon, oh frail love, thy flock shalt pay dearly for not heeding the last warning of My Immaculate Mother.

In this hour, oh weary one, then doth begin the era of Mary, not as so many say the Marian year, but the last era of time, the Marian age. Now in these, learn they who seek the Heart of Christ must seek it thru the Immaculate Heart of My so Sorrowful Mother.

She who so constantly intercedes for thee now, ask her help in these hours proceeding the deluge of retribution, which mankind hast called down upon themselves; they who shalt wither away art even now a revolting repugnance in My Mother's eyes.

Oh piteous and dear, know ye how powerful is the Mediatrix of all grace, whom We both call Mother.

Oh My love, in secret shalt She work miracles in thy soul tonight, that thou may without fear cry out to thy world, who hath consecrated its peoples to Her Immaculate Heart, and demand that thy world live this consecration in fact and in reality.

Exhort thy people, oh fearless love, for the hour of My Immaculate Mother has already dawned.

And thru thee, shalt She destroy the image of the beast in the heart of mankind.

Thru thee shalt the star of the infernal regime be destroyed forever.

Thru thee shalt countless miracles of grace abound in preparation for the uncertain days ahead.

Oh white chastabled love, My Mother's promise to thee is absolute; let thy people's promise to Her be as such.

Oh frail joy of My burdened heart, that which is accomplished thru thee now, shalt be the prelude to Mary's eternal triumph in heaven.

Be thou the true ambassador of Mary's Immaculate Heart.

Be then, from the beginning of Mary's reign, the ardent apostle of Her every wish and desire.

Pray, oh holy Levite, pray unceasing; for thy prayers ascend as sweet incense before the Throne of My Father in heaven, who sends upon thee a great out-pouring of love and graces.

Oh piteous and dear, be thou the whip of My justice, and I shalt send thee balm to heal all wounds. (Father Leo Franklin McNamara.)

Yes, far better than realtors and eBay, Father Leo Franklin McNamara can provide help with temporal needs. More importantly, though, as one charged by Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to spread devotion to Our Lady's Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, Father Leo Franklin McNamara can help prepare the way for the establishment of the City of Mary Immaculate in this life as a preparation to enjoying her company in the glory of the Beatific Vision of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost for all eternity in Heaven.

May we remember to thank Our Lady in the next Rosary we pray for the priestly zeal and devotion to her that was exhibited by Father Leo Franklin McNamara, whose intercession has helped many, including us, in this life and, we hope and pray, for a good end to enjoy eternal glories in the next.

 

Father Leo McNamara, pray for us!

 

Viva Cristo Rey! Vivat Christus Rex!

.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Saint John the Evangelist, pray for us.

Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us.

Saints Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, pray for us.

Saint Henry the Emperor, pray for us.

Saint Maximina, pray for us.

Saint Aidan, pray for us.

See also: A Litany of Saints

From an Article in The Angelus, 2006

The Valiant Fr. McNamara

(Author Not Listed)

There are few important people in the world. God places one here, one there, sometimes for a long while, sometimes for a little while; and always with a purpose known only to God. The lives of countless thousands are always affected by these people. Father "Mac", as he was affectionately known, was one of these people.

I first met Father quite by accident. It was a simple on-the-way-home meeting. I must confess that at first I did not understand him. He seemed so paradoxical that he left me bewildered. It was not until several meetings later that I became impressed with his Catholicity, his integrity, and his grit. He had a Catholic viewpoint that was unknown amongst our run-of-the-mill, collectivized clergy. It was simply electrifying to have him sit in his big black chair and speak of these clergy as "wrong way Corrigans," "pinkies," and Jews in disguise. "There must be at least fifty thousand phonies in the Catholic Church today," he would say, "How many do you know?," he would chuckle. I have often thought of this question, how many do I know, and I still do not have an exact numerical answer.

At first I did not realize that I was dealing with a mystic, and this made our conversations difficult. For Father Mac was foremost a mystic, a true Catholic mystic. And I knew absolutely nothing of Catholic mystics. Yes, I knew that there were many mystics in Catholic history, but as far as I was concerned most of them existed in history books only. They were like a musty cobweb army that we could read about, but never experience. They seemed to exist in another time, another locale; certainly not in front of us in a flesh and blood person. But here was a mystic, a gentle humorous mystic, telling me to take some more onions home, or take a little goose-grease from a bottle that he had as a cure for a sore back, or to take home the bottle of liquor that was resting on the lower step in the hallway. It was a little bewildering.

Father Mac was a great giver. He gave, and gave, and gave., His greatest gift was, of course, the gift of faith which he re-inflamed in those who were receptive enough to receive it. His next greatest gift was himself, for he freely availed himself all hours of the day or night each one of the seven days of the week. He loved people, souls, and he was working for souls. The purpose of interviews was to save souls. It was not to promote this organization or that organization which some people mistakenly thought was his purpose. He was primarily interested in the spiritual welfare of the person before him, and he gauged his conversation to enhance the Catholicity of the person. Many people falsely attributed an endorsement of their current program to Father whereas, in truth, Father was endorsing the sincerity and Catholicity of the person. He knew that the person was concerned enough to wish to do something for their faith, and to Father there was more Catholicism in this than an army of robots who once a week climbed the steps of the parish church.

There are many who feel that Father Mac, indeed, had the power of prophecy. A few years back Father was talking to everyone about the powers of the devil. "We know very little about the devil", he said, "yet, he is very real. He is very active today." Father could see the pervasive influence of the devil everywhere. Yet very few believed him. Talk of the devil, and of his powers of possession was like a lesson in spiritual academics. It somehow did not seem real. Some people regarded it as nothing more than a good conversation piece. But Father knew better. He persisted with the subject of the devil and of possession and obsession powers that the devil was showing. He once showed me a letter that he said was written to him by a possessed man. I did not understand possession at the time. The man cursed Father with the vilest language that he could put on paper. A genuine fanatical hatred of Father was shown by the writings. I am afraid that the attempts of Father to instruct us in the power of the devil were not very fruitful. It took an absurd movie and a million dollar promotional program to let our country know that the devil is very active and powerful today, and a power to be watched. My wife and I have avoided this movie as a possible source of devil contamination. But Father Mac was years ahead of the movie by warning us that we are living in times when the devil is extremely active.

Fr. McNamara and an altar boy at Mass

Most influential men are either excellent public speakers or skillful writers, or a combination of both. Father was neither a gifted speaker or a writer, but in the identical manner of Padre Pio he excelled in counseling ability. Let me unveil a very personal story that will illustrate this. For a long time before meeting Father Mac I had promoted a Catholic priest who barnstormed across our country telling everyone that he was fighting for the true Catholic Mass and for Catholic orthodoxy. Then one day, after months of actively and successfully promoting his work, I received a letter from the priest threatening 'legal action' unless I ceased and desisted all of my activities. I was dumbfounded. I was quite hurt. I rather liked the priest. I told Father Mac the story.

"He isn't a Catholic," Father said simply, "Catholics do not sue each other!"

The answer was so obvious, and so plain, and so direct that I had missed it. Immediately the mystery as to why this particular priest wanted to sue me disappeared. He was simply either not a true priest or a priest bankrupt of any Catholic moralizing influence. Of course, I reasoned, true Catholics do not sue each other. They get together, talk the problem out, and arrive at a just Catholic solution. They exhibit love, not hate. From that day forward it was an easy matter to adjudge the Catholicity of those running around threatening lawsuits.

The true Catholic Mass was forever championed by Father Mac. In anticipation of his death, Father Mac left specific instructions designed so that the Chancery office, Cody included, would not be able to desecrate his body with a communal Protestant service. The Chancery office attempted to have a 'service' over his body, but Father Mac had left specific instructions that his body was to go directly to a private burial site that his family had previously purchased. The Chancery office arranged on their own a Tuesday morning 'service' without a body and Cody was present. But at no time was the Chancery office allowed to blaspheme his body with a 'service' that Father said was not only a sham but a sacrilege. Even unto death, Father was magnificently defiant. He was always teaching us a lesson, and this was his final lesson.

There are many books written on the life of Padre Pio. These books have done much to help spread not only the work of Padre Pio, but also the Catholic cause as well. To date no books exist on Father Mac. Perhaps our times are too turbulent, too filled with fears and persecutions for anyone to attempt the job. The true Catholic Mass has been banned in the most brutal manner and I am sure that many of us who are adhering to the true Catholic Faith are standing on the threshold of persecutions undreamed.

For awhile I foolishly dreamt of attempting to publish a book on my memories of Father Mac. I gathered considerable material for it. One day I knew that Father would die. Unfortunately there are thousands of Catholics who never met Father. Their introduction to him could only be made, as it has been with Padre Pio, via the printed word. But a book is a major undertaking. It is fraught with all kinds of problems. Let me simply say that I have sadly, very sadly, abandoned the project.