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A legacy prompted by a vision of a priest in a Church
Identifier
027093
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
From The Mystery of the Human Double – Ralph Shirley
As told to Miss Goodrich Freer, a Member of the Psychical Research Society to FWH Myers
"Lately," (recorded the lady in question), "I was talking to Dr. Gasquet about the .old church at Brighton, the one at Kemptown which was for many years the only Catholic church there. It was one of the old-fashioned churches with a gallery for the organ at the end. There was no attempt at ornament of any kind; it was a plain square building like a lecture room. He told me that it had been decorated and improved in every way.
I said: 'How did you manage to get it done?' I knew the congregation at that end of Brighton was mostly composed of poor people. He said: 'We did what we could by subscription, but the beginning and in fact the chief part of the expense was from some money left by Miss X who recently died in that part of the town.' He then said: 'There is a curious story connected with this legacy which the psychical people ought to get hold of.' This is the story as he told it to me:
‘Miss X- had been ill for a long time, but was not in immediate danger. She was visited by Father Johnson, the priest of the mission. One night she was awake between twelve and one o'clock and had a vision in which she saw quite distinctly Father Johnson in the church, at the foot of the altar, and heard him say:
"I have loved the beauty of Thy House and the place where Thy Glory dwelleth."
This vision was so vivid that she at once got up and put some money which she had by her (approximately £70) in an envelope directed to Father Johnson and inside wrote the date and hour of her vision and what she heard him say, and left the letter among her papers where after her death it was found by her sister who gave it to Father Johnson.
When he read the note and saw the date he said: 'But I was actually there then and did say those exact words.' It appears that he was late on that particular night and went the last thing into the church to make sure that all was safe."