Vision Of Roiling Ocean: Does It Connect To Prophecy Of Storm And Third Secret?

By Michael H. Brown

An enigmatic saint -- John Bosco. Born 1815 in the small Italian village of Becchi, he experienced sixty years of visions that one could compare in flourish to those of John in Revelation.

None is more famous, of course, than St. Bosco's prophecy of two columns in a stormy ocean -- one representing the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the other symbolizing the Eucharist (see above), as a Pope guides a venerable "ship," the Church, safely between them.

The question: who is the Pope? Which pontiff is at the helm? And does the tumultuous ocean relate in any way to the third secret of Fatima?

St. Bosco narrated his vision on May 30, 1862, and in it he vividly described not only the turbulent water but also persecution: enemy boats attacking the ship as the Pope sought to bring the ship between the two columns (one with a statue of the Virgin, labeled Auxilium Christianorum, or "help of Christians," the second, much taller, with a Host, labeled Salus Credentium, or "salvation of the faithful").

This of course sounds much like John Paul II -- who has promoted both the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother and who just recently established new mysteries of the Rosary, which were followed by an historic encyclical on the Eucharist. Those are certainly "pillars."

Still, St. Bosco's prophecy is not straightforward, leaving us to discern who the Pope is and when the vision might materialize.

There are indications that it relates to more than one pope -- that it is a composite image -- although it certainly seems related to our current pontiff. In the midst of the struggle, says Bosco's prophecy, "the Pope falls gravely wounded" and immediately, those who are with him run to help him and they lift him up.

This of course calls to mind the shooting of John Paul on May 13, 1981, in St. Peter's Square. We all remember the gravity of his wounds and how everyone rushed to help him, spiriting him to Agostino Gemelli Hospital, where he underwent five hours of surgery.

But then there is the further prediction that "a second time the Pope is struck, he falls again and dies. A shout of victory and of joy rings out amongst the enemies; from their ships an unspeakable mockery arises. But hardly is the Pontiff dead than another Pope takes his place."

It is this new Pope, the one who succeeds the stricken pontiff, who puts the enemies to rout and steers the ship to its final safe harbor between the columns.

If it is a composite image it could relate to both John Paul II and his immediate predecessor, John Paul I, both of whom were stricken. It may symbolize the way Pope John Paul I came in, served for only 33 days, and then died in 1979 (some believe suspiciously) -- succeeded by the current Pope, who as we just said has promoted the Blessed Mother and the Eucharist as few pontiffs have.

He certainly has had a steady helm in the storm-tossed waves.

The problem is that as spelled out by St. Bosco, the devotion to the Eucharist and Blessed Mother relates to the first pope (not the one who anchors the boat safely), and in his short tenor John Paul I did not have the time to make a mark with either devotion.

Thus, the question arises as to whether John Paul II is the first pope in the vision and whether the prophecy still pertains to the future.

In this regard we compare it to the third secret of Fatima. That prophecy, granted to Sister Lucia dos Santos in 1917 during the famous apparitions in Portugal, contains the image of a "bishop in white" -- the Pope as bishop of Rome -- climbing a mountain toward a cross and "having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross, he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him."

That certainly connects in many ways to what St. Bosco foresaw, and because John Paul II was shot on May 13 -- the Fatima anniversary -- many speculate that he is the Pope of the Fatima secret. The Vatican itself identifies him as such and chose May 13, 2000, as the date upon which to release the secret.

But the Bosco prophecy has the Pope struck on two occasions. Again, John Paul was struck during a single event. Thus, we must wonder: Does his vision meld the chronology in the way that prophecy is often chronologically nebulous, combining both the death of John Paul I with the later shooting of the current Pope? Is it indeed a composite?

Or does it pertain to the future? Is Pope John Paul II the only pope who is "shot" in St. Bosco's visions, to be followed by a pope who takes the ship to its final destination between the pillars?

Of course, the vision could relate to the past or a time period in the further future. But with seas, as rough as they are now, we naturally relate it to the present. We also note the recent alleged visions of a seer named Charles Johnston of Belleville, Illinois -- who claims that for forty years he has been shown a coming great storm that bears resemblances to the Bosco vision. Johnston, a former radio host and fundamentalist, now a Catholic, believes the third secret symbolized the current Pope heading up the mountain as he completes his mission of preparing the Church for the coming storm, which he sees as breaking in the way of terrorism, war, persecution, and great technological disruptions that will occur soon after John Paul II passes.

This might fit with Bosco's visions, which foretold of a "great convulsion" after the Pope brings the 'ship" to anchorage.

We don't put much stock in dates, but it is peculiar that Johnston speculates that the "great storm" will occur by 2017 while a correspondent informs us of another Bosco prophecy that said: "Things follow too slowly upon each other, but the great Queen of Heaven is at hand; the Lord's power is Hers. Like mist She shall scatter Her enemies. She shall vest the Venerable Old Man with all his former garments. There shall yet come a violent hurricane. Iniquity is at an end, sin shall cease, and before two full moons shall have shone in the month of flowers, the rainbow of peace shall appear on the earth."

As our correspondent indicates, "in regard to the timeline set out in your 'radio host' posting, re-read St. John Bosco's prophecy about things quieting down prior to the month of flowers. I was told this refers to March having two full moons. That will happen in 2018 (see U.S. Naval Observatory astronomical calendar)."

[resources: The Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco, Catholic Prophecy]