Stories

Mary was willing to grant his wish and again consoled him with her presence; but because this loving queen can never do harm to anyone, when she appeared the second time she not only did not take his other eye, she even restored to him the eye he had lost.

At the bottom was the signature of the Virgin Mary. We can easily imagine the thanks those good friars gave to the Mother of God, and how strongly they were stirred to love and serve her for the rest of their lives.

Then the scene changed: the woman appeared robed as a queen and surrounded with light, and the child shone like a sun. He took the flowers and scattered them over her head. She understood at once that these were Jesus and Mary, and fell down to adore them, and the vision ended. Domenica later took the Dominican habit and died in 1553 with the reputation of a saint.

Then the Blessed Virgin began to sing with such sweetness that the monk lost his senses and fell face down on the ground. When the matins bell rang and the monks gathered, Thomas was missing; they searched his cell and the rest of the monastery, and at last found him in the garden, seemingly lifeless. When his superior commanded him to tell what had happened, he came to himself and, under obedience, recounted all the favors the Mother of God had shown him.

Fifteen days later Alexandra's soul appeared to St. Dominic, beautiful and shining like a star, and told him that one of the greatest reliefs for the souls in purgatory is the rosary said for them, and that as soon as those souls reach paradise they pray for whoever offered them these prayers. With that, St. Dominic saw her happy soul rise in triumph to heaven.

She was saved, her time in purgatory was shortened, and only a few Masses were needed to release her. Catherine had the Masses said, and the soul returned once more, shining, on its way to paradise.