Friar who died and spent 3 hours in purgatory named venerable
Credit: fot. Wikimedia Commons | MICHI abba - praca własna | CC BY-SA 4.0
Brother Daniele Natale was a spiritual son of St. Padre Pio and after dying, he spent some time in purgatory, but was sent back to live another 42 years.
On October 24, another spiritual son of St. Padre Pio was recognized as "venerable" in the Catholic Church. His name is Brother Daniele Natale and he was very close to Padre Pio, the famous mystic, during his life, having been born in the same town of San Giovanni Rotondo and later spending time with him when he became a lay brother in his same religious order.
Being declared, "venerable," means that Brother Daniele lived a life of heroic virtue and is currently a candidate for beatification and canonization. What needs to happen next is for a miracle to be attributed to the intercession of Brother Daniele, opening the door to him behind declared a "blessed" and then a "saint."
At first glance an eventual canonization seems likely, especially with the many miracles that happened during his life.
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3 Hours in purgatory
In 1952, Brother Daniele was diagnosed with a type of spleen cancer. He was referred to a doctor in Rome, who examined Brother Daniele and initially did not want to operate on him. The doctor believed the cancer was too advanced and that there would be no chance of survival.
Eventually, various doctors on the case agreed to operate, but after the operation, Brother Daniele slipped into a coma and was pronounced "dead."
What happened next sounds like it came out of a movie.
Anna Gębalska-Berekets describes the remarkable experience Brother Daniele had in an article for Aleteia:
Relatives gathered around his body to pray. But three hours later, the friar removed the sheet covering his body, stood up, and began to speak.
He said that after death, he stood before God. He saw him as a loving Father, not a judge who was only waiting to hold him accountable for all the sins he’d committed on earth. Brother Natale realized that the Creator cared for him every day, even though he didn’t always respond to that love.
The Capuchin was then sentenced to three hours of Purgatory. The pain was terrible and intense, “especially in the senses of the body, which most offended God.” The most painful thing was the feeling of separation from the Creator.
Not only that, "The Capuchin also saw the Blessed Virgin Mary. Brother Daniele asked the Mother of God to intercede for him with God the Father and give him the opportunity to return to earth. Suddenly, Padre Pio appeared next to Mary and asked Our Lady to ease his friend's pain. Natale was pardoned. This experience led Brother Daniele to carry out a unique mission of converting hearts after his return to earth."
Brother Daniele would go on to live for 42 more years, dying in 1994.
For the remainder of his life he organized Prayer Groups and devoted himself to his ministry. He specifically chose not to become a priest, and so was appointed a variety of tasks at the monastery, such as cook, sacristan, and porter.
Brother Daniele was well-known for his sanctity, ministering to the poor and suffering, as well as assisting others in their spiritual lives.
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