Claim of Miraculous Healing at First Official Pilgrimage

The first official pilgrimage to the site of the origination of the Our Lady of America messages was held this past July 14-15, 2006 at Sylvan Springs in Rome City, IN. Sponsored by Our Lady The Immaculate Virgin, Inc., all rooms set aside for this event sold out in less than 72 hours after it was announced. More than 150 people attended the overnight retreat which consisted of prayer services, topical speakers, Holy Mass, Confession, and an hour of Adoration along with private time for discernment and fellowship among the participants.

After dinner and orientation, a prayer service was held in the main chapel where Our Lady first appeared to Sr. Mildred Ephrem Neuzil as Our Lady of Lourdes on September 25, 1956. This prayer service commenced with The Prayer to The Immaculate Conception penned by Sr. Neuzil at Our Lady’s request which was followed by a 15 decade rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

A wonderful presentation was given by Mr. Irvin Kloska on the topic of the Our Lady of America messages. Along with a general outline of Our Lady’s messages, special attention was placed on the responsibility of faithful fathers in taking the spiritual lead in their family’s development. A very special statue was also placed on display during the presentation. It was a statue of Our Lady of America that had been carved out of a solid piece of alabaster by Mr. Kloska at what he felt was Our Lady’s urging. He said he had never attempted anything like it before, and hoped that he would never have to do it again. He said he felt it was, just as he carved it, miraculous in nature and would somehow play a role in his healing ministry. It was, by all accounts, a very passionate and moving experience for all in attendance.

A healing service was then held. It was during this healing service that one of the pilgrims reported he was healed of a long-time affliction with neuropathy in his hands. He gives credit for his cure to the intervention of Our Lady of America. His account of the events of that evening were written down in a letter to Mr. Kloska a few weeks after the event. The full letter is provided for your discernment with the permission of the author.

July 21, 2006

Irv,

Thanks for your interest in my physical state regarding the numbness and tingling in my hands and feet. I'll try to summarize my condition and what I feel transpired at our recent " Our Lady of America Pilgrimage" at Sylvan Springs in Rome City, Indiana.

First of all, I'm 75 years old; born in Defiance, Ohio on September 1, 1930 and have been in good health with no significant health problems during my life. A couple of years ago, I began experiencing some numbness and tingling in my toes and feet and a little later in time, the same feeling in my hands and fingers developed. I've been seeing a Neurologist at the Elkhart Clinic for the condition for some time now, and have had quite a few diagnostic tests done to determine the cause. To date, no cause has been found. Some people with this condition experience a lot of pain, but I haven't had much pain usually associated with it; just the sensation that I'm "walking on water" at times - but only Jesus was able to do that!

Last Friday, July 14th, after praying the Rosary with the Pilgrims in the main Chapel at Sylvan Springs and listening to your talk about the statue of Our Lady of America, that you sculptured, and exposed on the table in front of the chapel, I was inspired to pray for a special healing through her intercession, after you stated that you thought the statue was somehow miraculous but that you didn't know yet just how it was to be so. I didn't participate in your healing prayers, as did many of the Pilgrims there, (I'm not sure why; I guess I wasn't drawn to do that for some unexplainable reason) but during your healing prayers with the Pilgrims, I was thinking about what you said about the potential miraculous healing power of the statue. So when you finished with your healing service, I felt the need to approach the statue, at which time I placed my left hand on the back of her shoulders, rubbing them lightly, and silently praying for healing of my numbness and tingling in the fingers, and returned to the back of the chapel for a short period of meditative prayer. In a couple of minutes, I noticed that the numbness and tingling in the left hand had disappeared and a normal feeling returned. Somewhat startled, I consciously approached the statue again and placed my right hand on her shoulders, as I had done with my left, and returned to the rear of the chapel again. Soon thereafter, the numbness and tingling in my right hand had disappeared as well. That same evening in the lobby of the facility there, is when I mentioned to you what had happened. The next morning before leaving the facility, Ann and I returned to the statue in the chapel, and after approaching the statue, I place both hands on her shoulders and thanked her for her intercessional healing. We then left the chapel and returned home after a very remarkable and prayer filled overnight stay at the Miraculous Site of Sylvan Springs.

This evening, it will be one week since the numbness and tingling of the fingers is gone from my hands. At first, with my "weak faith", I thought the change would be short lived; but with prayer for the continued intercession of our Lady, I'm hopeful that her healing powers will be eternal and that with Faith, I'll be blessed with a healing of my feet as well, if that is to be! I still have the pain in the thumb of the right hand due to an arthritic joint there, that I've had for a couple of years as well, but I treat that as my little purgatory here on earth and endure for the Poor Souls in Purgatory, as my dear deceased Mother told us over and over again in our lifetime with her.

Irv, Ann and I are hopeful and prayerful, that in the near future, sometime soon, that tarnished Tabernacle back of the curtains in the front of the chapel, 'with that open door', will soon again contained Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and adorn that chapel on an altar there once again!

I hope this information has been helpful to you and that I haven't been to detailed in my explanation of "my special healing".

God Bless,

Chris

A few days later, Chris sent a follow-up letter

Irv,

Good morning. Thought you would like to know that my hands are still normal, after that miraculous healing thru the intercession of Our Lady of America at Sylvan Springs. To further update my situation regarding the numbness and tingling in the toes of my feet, yesterday after receiving Communion at the 11:00 Mass at St. Mary's, in my prayers of thanksgiving, I thanked Our Lady for her healing and asked her, if it is to be, could she also heal my feet of the same problem. Shortly thereafter, the feeling of numbness and tingling of the toes in my feet was no more, and they felt normal again, which I haven't experienced for more than 2 years.

Hope you haven't heard about my recent healing from someone else first. Have a good day and may God's Blessing be with you and your family. I continue to pray for Bobby and for healing from his cancer.

Chris