Jack S' ADC
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Experience description:  

I was 24 years old and had been in a Catholic seminary in Boston for six months.  At that time I prayed constantly for my grandmother who was suffering from cancer.  During that postulant year in the seminary there was limited communication with the outside world, no radio, television or newspapers and we could only have visitors once a month. No phone calls. Our day was one of prayer, work and reflection.        

During that time I would fall into bed exhausted and never stir until the bell went off at 5;30a.m.. "Praise be to Jesus Christ," the bell ringer would say as he flipped on the light in the dorm.  "For ever and ever amen," was the expected response but I was usually too sleepy to do anything but force my eyes open.   

Except for one night.  One night, about six months into the eighteen month stay, I sat bolt upright when I heard a voice say, "Jack. everything is wonderful, but I have to go." I heard the voice not with my ears but with my entire body,  I sat there stunned.  I had a vision of a beautiful young girl moving away from me, as if floating.  She looked over her shoulder and smiled at me and then she was gone. 

Mrs. M must have died I thought.  My mom would always say that Mrs. M, when she was young was the most beautiful person she had ever seen, thus, it must have been Mrs. M that died.  Wow, that was weird, I thought and was soon sound asleep. 

In the morning, as I descended the stairs for morning prayers, Father Slattery stopped me, "You have a call, Brother"

A call?  We were not allowed to receive calls.  Then as I was walking to the little room where the phone was it dawned on me; Grand mom died.  That beautiful girl was Grand mom.  

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Was this experience difficult to express in words?  No

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          Yes

            Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:    Jack it's wonderful but I have to go.

I heard it not with my ears but with my entire body.

            Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated?  It was as if waves of sound were covering my entire body.

            If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?           There was no Irish accent and it was a very profound voice.

            Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           None at all

            Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   None, I was in excellent health.

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?            No

none

            Was the touch familiar or unfamiliar?   none

            Was anything communicated by the touch?  none

Did you see the deceased?         Yes

the vision was of a beautiful young girl.  Grand mom was anything but young and beautiful

            How clearly did the deceased appear?            Solid but drifting away from me.

            How much of the deceased did you see?       The entire body but her beautiful face which was turned toward me as she drifted away is what I remember.

            Did the deceased appear or not appear to be the age at which they died?       not the age the old lady appeared as a young girl (i.e. eighteen years of age)

            How healthy did the deceased appear to be?            extremely healthy.

            Is there any possibility what you saw was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?           none

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased?      No

            Was the smell, scent, fragrance or odor familiar?     none

How long did the experience last?        Maybe ten seconds

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?         I was jolted out of a sound sleep and left, sitting there in bed, puzzled.  I soon went back to sleep.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?           Yes

everything was wonderful.

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  Yes, that after death, "Everything is wonderful."

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?           Experience was definitely real

            Please explain why you view the reality of your experience as real or not real:           I knew grand mom was sick but I did not expect that she would die.

Also, the experience was more real then everyday reality.

             Was the experience dream like in any way?   No

 Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:           It was as if a window had opened past space and time into heaven but I had a difficult day coming up and needed my sleep; so goodnight.

 Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience?           Yes

 Years later, after I left the seminary, (I was in for four years) I was having trouble with life and women but I remembered this instance and it helped me center my life and get back to my religion and, most of all  I married a fine lady.

 What was the best and worst part of your experience?      It's not often one gets a window into heaven.

 Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         Yes                 Describe:      In later life I drifted away from the Catholic church; reflection on the experience helped me return.