Then there was Sister Mary Jo Cassidy 500 kilometers away. She ran the Way of Holiness Retreat Centre in Hinton and people from the prayer group used to carpool to see her. “Everything is going to be OK once you get to sister.” Mary Jo was a nun with leave from the motherhouse and under the local bishop’s authority. She had a chapel with the Blessed Sacrament and everything about her pointed toward Catholic authenticity. I met Mary Jo when I went with three other people from the prayer group. I took her my sick child when we ran out of medical options. So one spring morning five of us rode off to spend two days with Mary Jo. There was no healing of course and her only advice for me was to look into allergies. (Ten years later my child was diagnosed with a neurological disease)
During the course of two days we all had our private time with Mary Jo in the “upper room”. I don’t know what she told the others, but I remember my friends' euphoric state as they came out of these sessions. Then it was my turn. We sat down and Mary Jo told me about some of the things that sometimes happen in that room. “Not long ago we had Satan peering through that window over there and then we had the heavens opening up above us” She then laid her hands on my head and launched into tongues. “There is a crown on your head - she said – its quite lovely – oh, it fell down – it’s on the floor now – what did you do? – oh there is a new one – oh this is strong and firmly planted on your head – oh this one will never come off. Then she asked me some questions and went back to tongues with hands on my head. “Your mother will go straight to heaven and she will be given a high seat, but she will decline it because she is so humble, but the souls around her will insist that she take it”
So we drove 500 kilometers for a session with a spiritualist medium! But that’s the prayer group for you.
