The three Great Graces • The Grace of God given to a dying friend • The Grace of God given to My wife’s Mother • And meeting Doris’ Uncle and Aunt at St Anne de’Beaupre
It was the week of August 15th, 2005, Doris and I had decided to go on a vacation to Canada. A close friend Elaine Johanson, at that time, was near death door with stage 4 cancer. On our way to Canada, we stopped in Waterville ME to visit my wife’s Mother in a nursing home. Come to find out she was transferred to a local Hospital with C difficile. Her doctor told us they had tried all antibiotics available to them, but none of these worked and he was not hopeful of her recovery. Doris and I debated whether to continue to Canada, the doctor reassured us she would be alive when we returned. We decided to go but made a stop at the Basilica of St. Anne de’Beaupre to pray for her mother. While at St. Anne, I decided to go to my car and get my camera. On my way back, I spotted my wife’s uncle and aunt in the parking lot, it was a complete surprise. We had not seen them for many years and spent all that day with them. Her aunt mentioned a place called St. Fredrick, a town next to where my wife once lived. She told us people were flocking there because the Virgin Mary was appearing to a family and Miracles were taking place.
On our way to visit her aunt Jeannine in Thetford Mines, we found ourselves going through the town of St. Fredrick, the place her Aunt had told us about. We decided to ask someone if they knew of this place, so we stop at the only store in that town, they all knew of the place and they told us to go back and follow the signs marked with the words, (Hail Mary full of Grace). We followed the signs there and upon arriving we got to meet the entire family.
The place was a little cul-de-sac with little humble cottages that were all family owned. In front of these little cottages was a huge cliff like rock with a small handmade church set into it and next to the church was a statue of Mary with her hands in a prayer position. This Cul-de-sac was very remote and private from the town itself. These were summer homes.
The story went like this, every day at 3:00 o’clock the three sisters with their husbands would sit on a swing in their yard facing the little statue of Mary and pray the rosary. One day one of the sisters said to the others, “did you see, she just blessed us?” the other sisters said to her, “be real it’s just a statue,” they continued to pray, just minutes later they all saw the little statue blessing them again. They were all in awe and could not believe what they all witnessed.
It was not long when rumors spread through Canada and crowds began to arrive, people were being healed. One day, a priest came to say Mass, he knelt before a little altar set up for his Mass and prayed for a sign from God to confirm this exterior sign. After Mass, on one side of the altar came forth a spring of water, his prayer was answered, and we know today many people were healed.
The Family asked If we planned to stay for the 3:00 o’clock rosary, we of course said yes and were each given a decade to recite. I had the third decade, while praying my decade a lady interrupted saying God had given her a message for us, our friend Elaine was experiencing a beautiful thing from God but could not confirm it was a healing.
After the rosary they filled bottles of holy water from the miracle spring to take with us. Arriving back in Waterville we went immediately to the Hospital to see my wife’s mother but found no improvement in her condition. We entered her room, gave her a bottle of holy water from St. Fredrick Canada and told her to drink it. Two days later, she was discharged with no more C Difficile.
Arriving home in Worcester, Ron and Diane Houle, mutual friends of Elaine and Richard Johansen, told us that Elaine was at U-Mass having tests done and on the same day we had been told by a lady in Canada something nice was happening to Elaine. Something very special from God did take place. Ron said to get all the details in proper order, we should visit Elaine that night.
That night at the Hospital we were able to visit Elaine, she explained that during the day she was getting up to go to the bathroom and looking out of her window saw the Blessed Mother with her hands placed over the heads of two people praying for them. She then realized these two people were her and her husband. Her husband had gone home to freshen up and eat and wasn’t at the hospital at the time of the visions. While at home Richard sat on the edge of their bed asking God, why was this happening to them? They were both very prayerful people and love the Lord very much.
When that first image finished, Mary returned with baby Jesus in her arms. The vision ended and afterward she returned with the Holy Family. This seemed to be the end, Elaine got up and continued to the bathroom, but looking back saw a new vision that contained Jesus with rays coming from his wounds and heart. She said in the vision Jesus had a peaceful and loving look. I asked her if the visions she had were like a silhouette and she replied, “no I could have touched her, she was flesh.” Elaine told us she was only there for tests and she was not on any medications. Elaine was a very religious person, prayed many rosaries daily, and attended Mass. She was a big advocate of her Catholic Faith. She passed away January 28th, 2006
Dick and Doris Boulette