Page 23 - Sword-Bishop - His Personal Development

Sword-Bishop – His Personal Development

GOD, in greatest desperation and distress I must cry out to You: if by
tomorrow no priest arrives, I will have to pack my suitcase and go
home, because I just have no more strength to put all those people off
with the hope that soon the salvation of their souls will be provided for
through the worthy administration of the Sacraments and the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass, the way that You wish it to be!“ and so forth, and
so on. „So many people come to me and confess their transgressions
to me, and so on, and I cannot give them the absolution. Neither do I
have a priest here who could do so.“»

The following morning, he was sitting anxiously at the table in his cell,
when there was a knock at his door, and he was told to come quickly to
the reception room, a bishop was there! And indeed, a bishop in
bishop’s garb stood there and greeted him. It was Bishop Gerard
Franck, a former Old Roman Catholic bishop, but who converted to the
Roman Catholic faith. The first question Nikolaus asked was: «What
does this bishop want from me?» The answer was that Archbishop
Lefèbvre was expected nearby to consecrate a chapel. This bishop now
wanted to greet the archbishop and express his affection for him. As he
was looking for accommodation towards evening, he could not find
any in the vicinity. Someone let him know that he would surely find a
place in the Ark (house in Spaubeek). This bishop was thus led to him.
Nikolaus showed the bishop around the whole house and complained,
amongst other things, that he was looking so badly for a priest. This
bishop had been praying to GOD for a long time that He may give him
a house where he could be working. For the Vatican had not given him
a diocese, as he held fast to the Tridentine Sacrifice of the Mass. As
Nikolaus invited him to take up residence here, the bishop, after
heartfelt prayer, accepted.
Since GOD gave Nikolaus the grace to read the hearts of people, he
also recognised that the bishop had a dark past. Cautiously, yet
straightforwardly, he asked him about this in private. And the bishop
answered him just as clearly: «See in me a case similar to that of St Au-
gustine.» We only know that Nikolaus learnt about the bishop’s whole
life through him and that he informed his people as much as necessary:
«This bishop had once led a bad life. Through the influence of the
Mother of GOD he found his way back to the Church. Or is there

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