People of all faiths have varying beliefs as to what happens to us after we die. Even people without any particular faith tradition have their own thoughts on the topic. What if I told you there was a museum in Rome dedicated to the souls in Purgatory, complete with some strange evidence that may point to people trying to send us a sign from beyond? CryptoVille investigates!

The story begins in 1897 when a small chapel, built on the banks of the River Tiber near the Vatican, caught fire and was badly burned. The locals got the fire put out and it was then that Fr. Victor Jouët looked around at the damage. To his surprise, he saw the image of a “sad, suffering face” left behind on a church wall.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Fr. Jouët was devoted to the Suffering Souls in Purgatory, so when he saw this image, he felt sure it was a sign that one of the suffering souls was asking him for prayers.

The Church of the Sacred Heart of Suffrage in Prati was subsequently built over that spot and Fr. Jouët dedicated it to the souls in Purgatory. In order to fund the building of the Church, Fr. Jouët traveled around Europe asking for donations while also seeking any evidence that people had been visited by souls in purgatory.

Fr. Domenico Santangini, the current priest at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Suffrage and curator of the museum, said that the evidence displayed in the museum today has been deemed authentic.

 The Evidence

Scorched Imprint of a Hand on a Desk: There is a piece of wood from an old desk that bears the scorched hand mark believed to belong to the deceased Abbot, Fr. Panzini, of the Benedictine Olivetan Order in Mantua. The desk belonged to Ven. Mother Isabella Fornari who was the Abbess of The Poor Clares Monastery of St. Francis in Todi. (Ven. Stands for Venerable and it means that her cause to be declared a Saint in the Catholic Church has been progressing. The Venerable stage is the third of five steps to be declared a Saint.)

Mother Isabella told her confessor that at the same time as scorching the desk, Fr. Panzini touched her arm, scorching her sleeve leaving a hole behind. Both the piece of the desk and scorched garment are in the museum collection. The incident occurred in November, 1731.

Handprint on a Nightshirt: It seems the mother of Joseph Leleux wasn’t happy with him. The year was 1789. For 11 nights in a row, he was bothered by noises that puzzled him. Finally, on June 21, 1789, his mother appeared to him and reminded him to have masses said for her and his late father. Then she pressed her hand against his nightshirt and this left an imprint behind on the shirt. It’s said that after some time Leleux converted and founded a religious congregation made up of pious lay people.

Handprint on a Book: How would you feel if your mother-in-law returned from the dead to ask you a favor? It happened to Margherite Demmerle of Metz, France in 1815. The older woman had died 30 years before and asked Margherite to have two Masses said for her so that she would finally be able to attain entrance to Heaven. She also requested that her daughter-in-law make a pilgrimage. Margherite was unsure if this visitation was real, so she asked her mother-in-law for a sign. When she looked down, she saw that the book she had been reading had a hand imprinted on it.

Burnt Fingerprints on a Nightcap: Luisa Le Senechal of Ducey, France, died in 1875. Two years later, she appeared to her husband Luigi and asked that he pray for her and have Masses said in her name. As proof she was really there, she left the imprint of five fingers burnt onto his nightcap.

Conclusion

Belief in purgatory is a matter of faith, one that many people around the world embrace. Fr. Santangini said, “The relics in the museum are signs that tell us that we need to believe in Purgatory, that this place of suffering exists, that so many souls pass through it, and also that there are so many souls that are there and forgotten. We need to pray for them.”

So, what do you think? Would you want to come back from the dead to ask for prayers?  Would you be afraid to see a relative, friend, or acquaintance appear to you?

References

http://www.usccb.org/about/public-affairs/backgrounders/saints-backgrounder.cfm

https://aleteia.org/2018/10/30/eerie-messages-from-the-dead-at-the-museum-of-the-souls-of-purgatory/