Thanks to the intuition of the 15-year-old Blessed Carlo Acutis, who died in
the concept of sanctity in October 2006 (www.carloacutis.com),
and to the generous and diligent research by the writer and journalist
Nicola Gori, it was possible to realize this exhibition, which, for the
first time, brings together 131 testimonies of visions and apparitions
of Angels and Demons in the lives of the Saints. The exhibition is the
fruit of careful and thorough research carried out on an international
scale. It draws also from various historical documents in the "Positiones"
of persons whose cause of canonization is pending before the Congregation
for the Causes of Saints. The experiences collected in the exhibition
encompass all the centuries of the Christian Era.
At the exhibition, visitors will find points for reflection on the presence
of the Angels and Demons in people’s lives. In the various testimonies we see the
Angels portrayed as messengers of God and guardians of men and women and the
Demons as tempters and instigators of rebellion against God. Some people will
be surprised to learn that the testimonies of the existence of the Angels
and Demons confirm that, after death, there is a world to which every human
being is called. Now it is up to us to visit the exhibition and immerse ourselves
in it with mind and heart open to the challenges these episodes will bring
up.
Why Speak of Angels and Demons?
To speak of Angels to modern man and woman is often very hard, if not altogether
anachronistic. In fact, while in other times people’s relationship with the
sacred and transcendental was often the subject of frequent discussion, today
people are more inclined to the immanent and have lost this familiarity with
the divine. So, discovering the role of the Angels in the economy of salvation
means renewing our faith in Eternal Life. It also means putting our trust
in these heavenly creatures that God has put at our side.
The experience of the Angels in the lives of the Saints is one of the topics
that most challenges our own existence, precisely because it also involves
us. “The Angels are purely spiritual creatures, incorporeal, invisible, immortal,
and personal beings endowed with intelligence and will. They ceaselessly contemplate
God face-to-face and they glorify him. They serve him and are his messengers
in the accomplishment of the saving mission to all” (Compendium, n. 60).
The existence of the Angels and Demons is a truth of faith: these are beings
created by God, as is attested in the Dogmatic Constitution, “De Fide Cattolica”
of the Fourth Lateran Council (November 30, 1215): “We firmly believe and openly
confess that the true God is one alone#133;. that He is the only source of the
universe, the creator of all things visible and invisible, spiritual and material.
With His all-powerful force He – from the very beginning of time – created from
nothing both orders of creatures: the spiritual and the material, namely, Angels
and the earthly world. Then he created human beings as sharers, as it were,
of both one and the other, composed of body and soul. In fact, the Devil and
the Demons were created by God naturally good, but on their own they transformed
themselves into wicked beings. Then man sinned through the instigation of the
Demon.”
The sin of the fallen Angels is worse than that of man because their spiritual
perfections, the knowledge of their Angelic intellect, their freedom and closeness
to God were greater. By rejecting the truth about God with an act of his own
free will, Satan becomes “the cosmic liar” and “the father of lies.” (See Jn
8:4). The French writer, Charles Baudelaire used to say that the most insidious
cunning of Satan consists in persuading us that he doesn’t exist. John Paul
II used to say that Satan “lives in a radical and irreversible negation of God
and tries to impose on creation, on the other beings created in the image of
God, and in particular on human beings, his tragic ‘Lie about the Good,’ which
is God.”
In certain situations God “permits” the Devil to “torment” people but does
not allow the Devil to try them beyond their strength. In fact, we know by faith
that God is always able to draw from this “evil” an even greater good because,
with His grace, the heart is purified by trial and faith becomes stronger.
In the stories of these Saints we can see that the Devil generally works with
temptation, deceit and deception. This topic has to do also with us because
the Demons have always tried to ensnare men and women with a thousand acts of
cunning. However, we know that Jesus Christ has – once and for all – conquered
Satan, smashing the power of the evil spirit: “Have faith in me, for I have
conquered the world,” the Lord tells us (Jn 16:33). “Those who trust in the
Lord are like Mount Zion, which is immovable; which forever stands” (Ps 125).
- Saint Agnes Martyr
- (Circa III Century) (PDF: 566k)
- Venerable Anna of St. Augustine
- (1555-1624) (PDF: 544k)
- Maria of Jesus of Agreda
- (1602-1665) (PDF: 529k)
- Saint Catherine of Alexandria
- (Circa III - IV Century) (PDF: 656k)
- Servant of God, Mary Josephine of Jesus (Luisa Cepollini d'Alto)
- (1880-1917) (PDF: 4470k)
- Saint Anthony the Abbot
- (Circa III - IV Century) (PDF: 4210k)
- Saint Anthony of Padua
- (1195-1231) (PDF: 491k)
- Blessed Maria Angela Astorch
- (1592-1665) (PDF: 495k)
- Saint José Maria Escrivá of Balaguer
- (1902-1975) (PDF: 341k)
- Saint Paschal Baylon
- (1540-1592) (PDF: 679k)
- Saint Robert Bellarmine
- (1542-1621) (PDF: 400k)
- Saint Benedict
- (Circa 480 - 547) (PDF: 428k)
- Saint Philip Benizi
- (1233-1285) (PDF: 608k)
- Servant of God Anfrosina Berardi
- (1920-1933) (PDF: 522k)
- Saint Louis Bertrand
- (1526-1581) (PDF: 438k)
- Blessed Emilia Bicchieri
- (1238-1314) (PDF: 681k)
- Blessed Veronica of Binasco
- (1445-1497) (PDF: 4160k)
- Umile of Bisignano
- (1582-1637) (PDF: 593k)
- Servant of God Maria Bolognesi
- (1924-1980) (PDF: 625k)
- Saint Bonaventure
- (1217-1274) (PDF: 665k)
- Saint John Bosco
- (1815-1888) (PDF: 401k)
- Blessed Maria Bernarda (Verena Butler)
- (1848-1924) (PDF: 668k)
- Blessed Gerard Cagnoli
- (1267-1342) (PDF: 653k)
- Saint John Calabria
- (1873-1954) (PDF: 475k)
- Saint Felix of Cantalice
- (1515-1587) (PDF: 464k)
- Servant of God Edvige Carboni
- (1880-1952) (PDF: 494k)
- Servant of God Giulio Castelli
- (1846-1926) (PDF: 520k)
- Saint Catherine of Siena
- (1347-1380) (PDF: 492k)
- Saint Cecilia
- (Circa II - III Century) (PDF: 480k)
- Saint Clare of Assisi
- (1193-1253) (PDF: 3720k)
- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
- (1090-1153) (PDF: 466k)
- Blessed Alix Le Clerc
- (1576-1622) (PDF: 581k)
- Servant of God Maria Consiglia of the Holy Spirit
- (1845-1900) (PDF: 769k)
- Saint Joseph of Cupertino, O.F.M.Conv.
- (1603-1663) (PDF: 424k)
- Saint Colletta of Corbie
- (1381-1447) (PDF: 648k)
- Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa
- (1904-1955) (PDF: 502k)
- Saint Domenic Abbot
- (951-1031) (PDF: 570k)
- Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
- (1774-1824) (PDF: 563k)
- Blessed Nicholas Factor
- (1520-1583) (PDF: 674k)
- The Apparitions of the Angel at Fatima 1
- (1916) (PDF: 516k)
- The Apparitions of the Angel at Fatima 2
- (1916) (PDF: 600k)
- Saint Nicholas of Flüe
- (1417-1487) (PDF: 597k)
- Blessed Angela of Foligno
- (1248-1309) (PDF: 474k)
- Saint Francis of Assisi
- (1181-1226) (PDF: 651k)
- Saint Francis de Sales
- (1567-1622) (PDF: 392k)
- Blessed Francisca of the Dolors of the Mother of God
- (1781-1855) (PDF: 624k)
- Saint Gemma Galgani
- (1878-1903) (PDF: 677k)
- Blessed Maria of Jesus Crucified
- (1846-1878) (PDF: 526k)
- Saint John of the Cross
- (1542-1591) (PDF: 524k)
- Saint John of God
- (1495-1550) (PDF: 432k)
- Pope Saint Gregory the Great
- (540-604) (PDF: 508k)
- Blessed Vincenzo Grossi
- (1845-1917) (PDF: 616k)
- Maria Josefa of the Heart of Jesus Sancho de Guerra
- (1842-1912) (PDF: 695k)
- Saint Dominic of Guzman
- (Circa 1172-1221) (PDF: 558k)
- Saint Mechtilde of Hackeborn (or of Helfta)
- (1240-1298) (PDF: 624k)
- Teresa Higginson
- (1844-1905) (PDF: 641k)
- Saint Stanislaus Kostka
- (1550-1568) (PDF: 497k)
- Saint Faustina Kowalska
- (1905-1938) (PDF: 443k)
- Saint Catherine Labouré
- (1806-1876) (PDF: 424k)
- Father Lamy
- (1853-1931) (PDF: 4010k)
- Blessed Agnes of Jesus Galand de Langeac
- (1602-1634) (PDF: 408k)
- Venerable Veronica Laparelli
- (1537-1620) (PDF: 2860k)
- Servant of God, Domenica Lazzeri
- (1815-1848) (PDF: 726k)
- Saint Joseph (Desideri) of Leonessa
- (1556-1612) (PDF: 467k)
- Pope Leo XIII
- (1810-1903) (PDF: 725k)
- Saint Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori
- (1696-1787) (PDF: 593k)
- Anne Josephine Lindmayr
- (1657-1726) (PDF: 585k)
- Saint Ignatius of Loyola
- (1491-1556) (PDF: 481k)
- Blessed Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation
- (1770-1824) (PDF: 501k)
- Saint Gerard Majella
- (1726-1755) (PDF: 3180k)
- Saint Lawrence Majoranus
- (V - VI Century) (PDF: 3580k)
- Yvonne-Aimée of Malestroit
- (1901-1951) (PDF: 636k)
- Blessed Maria of the Passion
- (1866-1912) (PDF: 478k)
- Blessed Maria of the Incarnation
- (1566-1618) (PDF: 676k)
- Saint Martin of Tours
- (317 circa - 397) (PDF: 462k)
- Saint John of Matera
- (1070-1139) (PDF: 4170k)
- Saint John of Matha
- (1154-1213) (PDF: 4040k)
- Blessed Maria of Mattias
- (1805-1866) (PDF: 576k)
- Servant of God, Sister Josefa Menendéz
- (1890-1923) (PDF: 411k)
- Saint Angela Merici
- (1474-1540) (PDF: 593k)
- Servant of God, Clotilde Micheli (Maria Serafina of the Sacred Heart)
- (1849-1911) (PDF: 499k)
- Saint Gudula of Moorsel
- (650 - circa 712) (PDF: 3800k)
- Blessed Elisabetta Canori Mora
- (1774-1825) (PDF: 422k)
- Saint Philip Neri
- (1515-1595) (PDF: 497k)
- Marie Thérèse Augustine Noblet
- (1889-1930) (PDF: 3750k)
- Saint Felix of Nola
- (III- IV Century) (PDF: 619k)
- Saint Raymond Nonnatus
- (1200-1240) (PDF: 568k)
- Mother Holy Mary (Henriette Le Forestier d' Osseville)
- (1803-1858) (PDF: 596k)
- Saint Henry of Osso y Cervello
- (1840-1896) (PDF: 497k)
- Saint Rosalie of Palermo
- (XII Century) (PDF: 596k)
- Maria Concetta Pantuso
- (1894-1953) (PDF: 720k)
- Saint Francis of Paola
- (1416-1507) (PDF: 486k)
- Saint Paul of the Cross
- (1694-1775) (PDF: 3450k)
- Servant of God Maria Angela Mastroti of Papasidero
- (1851-1896) (PDF: 583k)
- Venerable Domenica of Paradiso
- (1473-1553) (PDF: 621k)
- Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
- (1796-1868) (PDF: 432k)
- Blessed Michelina (Metelli Malatesta) of Pesaro
- (1300-1356) (PDF: 597k)
- Saint Pio of Pietralcina
- (1887-1968) (PDF: 440k)
- Saint Martin of Porres
- (1579-1639) (PDF: 4410k)
- Maria Esperanza González Puig
- (1823-1885) (PDF: 750k)
- Rosalie Püt
- (1868-1919) (PDF: 616k)
- Saint Peter Regalado
- (1390-1456) (PDF: 488k)
- Saint John Francis Regis
- (1597-1640) (PDF: 518k)
- Venerable Benedetta Rencurel
- (1647-1718) (PDF: 722k)
- Father John Baptist Reus
- (1868-1947) (PDF: 524k)
- Maria Dolores Inglese Servant of Mary Reparatrix
- (1866-1928) (PDF: 566k)
- Saint Rita of Cascia
- (1381-1457) (PDF: 560k)
- Saint Frances of Rome
- (1384-1440) (PDF: 549k)
- Juan Grande Roman
- (1546-1600) (PDF: 600k)
- Blessed Aniela Salawa
- (1881-1922) (PDF: 420k)
- Saint Dominic Savio
- (1842-1857) (PDF: 605k)
- Blessed Anna Schäffer
- (1882-1925) (PDF: 545k)
- Saint Ludwina of Schiedam
- (1380-1433) (PDF: 4370k)
- Saint Elizabeth of Schönau
- (1129-1164) (PDF: 453k)
- Blessed Sebastian of the Apparition
- (1502-1600) (PDF: 556k)
- Saint Secondo
- (III - IV Century) (PDF: 481k)
- Servant of God Luigina Sinapi
- (1916-1978) (PDF: 556k)
- Blessed Cristina of Stommeln
- (1242-1312) (PDF: 569k)
- Saint Bridget of Sweden
- (1303-1373) (PDF: 478k)
- Blessed Anna Maria Taigi
- (1769-1837) (PDF: 576k)
- Saint Catherine Thomas
- (1531-1574) (PDF: 456k)
- Saint Nicholas of Tolentino
- (1245-1305) (PDF: 499k)
- Bernard Tolomei
- (1272-1348) (PDF: 754k)
- Saint Thomas Aquinas
- (1224/25-1274) (PDF: 593k)
- Venerable Mother Speranza of Jesus Alhama Valera
- (1893-1983) (PDF: 652k)
- Blessed Camilla Battista Da Varano
- (1458-1524) (PDF: 423k)
- Saint Peter of Verona
- (1205-1252) (PDF: 483k)
- Saint John Maria Vianney
- (1786-1858) (PDF: 423k)
- Saint Catherine (Vigri) of Bologna
- (1413-1463) (PDF: 588k)
- Blessed Maria Fortunata Viti
- (1827-1922) (PDF: 506k)
- Saint Zita
- (1218-1278) (PDF: 4360k)
Italiano - Apparizioni di Angeli e Demoni
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