A Letter Written by Father Matthew Jaeger to Bishop Haywood F. Carroll, which Father Jaeger Never Mailed, Opting to Hide It in a Secret Pocket He Whittled into the Cover of His Favorite Book, From Here to Eternity

Bishop Haywood F. Carroll
Miami Diocese
Pastoral Center
9401 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami Shores, Florida

Dear Bishop Carroll:
Please forgive me for contacting you directly (astonishingly presumptive of me, I know; hopefully after reading this, you will agree I have no choice), but since Bishop Beaver isn’t expected back from Rome for another two weeks and because of the seriousness of what is occurring in my St. Augustine parish, and after much prayer, the Lord has directed me to speak to you—without the benefit of Dan’s wisdom—about a matter of urgent importance.

I offer this in a spirit of full humility and wonder.

A situation has arisen in my flock that necessitates our immediate and focused attention. It is a delicate matter, rooted in the purity of our Lord, and one about which I seek the full range of your counsel.

It is my opinion (offered humbly and with no small measure of trepidation, since I’ve been unable to speak to Dan about this at all—seems his Roman holiday is keeping him quite busy) that because of the nature of what I am about to reveal, the church must vigorously assert itself, bringing to bear all of its sanctified powers and rights in order to keep at bay the wolves who would otherwise inevitably close in, seeking profit and fed by Satan’s greed.

I don’t quite know how to approach this matter delicately, so I shall plunge ahead, asking forgiveness if my discourse appears brash. (Thank you, Bishop.)

We have here in St. Augustine a young female—a mere child, the offspring of a devout, observant, and working-class but tithing mother (the father, I’m afraid—well, frankly, I don’t know what he is)—who, simply put, is being blessed (evidently) by Christ and a fair number of saints with the most amazing visions. These wondrous moments (I shan’t call them miracles; that is for the church to decide) have resulted in what appear to be healings. Notice, Bishop, I say “appear to be,” for I in no way would proffer myself as an expert on such matters. And believe me, I understand quite thoroughly that these are delicate matters I speak of, but speak I must!

For the sake of this discourse, I will detail for you some of the mysteries that have resulted from being in the child’s presence.

A. A single male, age forty, after having shown no interest in the many lovely young ladies in our flock, has promised to find a suitable Catholic woman of similar age to marry. Since the start of the child’s “visions,” he has attended our singles’ Bible-study group regularly (no absences, not a single one).

B. A ten-year-old boy, upon witnessing the girl’s holy agony, informed his mother that he no longer needed his inhaler, and he hasn’t suffered an asthma attack since.

C. The cathedral’s janitor, a Negro who, if I venture to guess, must be seventy if a day, claims that after being in the presence of our subject, the arthritis that had plagued his hands for the past twelve years vanished. And I will personally attest to the fact that our floors have never looked better.

D. A young couple—married for well over a year and committed to their nuptial responsibilities—had been unable to have a child. After bearing witness to our subject’s agony, however, the wife is finally with child.

I have, of course, closely monitored the events taking place in St. Augustine. Indeed, I have kept copious notes (even some photographs), which I will share immediately upon request (forgive me for not sending them under this cover, but knowing how busy you are and the fact that a paper trail in these instances is most helpful, I thought it prudent to refrain from sending the material to you until you officially ask).

Bishop, here is a curious fact. The one detail I can confirm with righteous confidence is that all of our subject’s visions and agonies take place in conjunction with ecclesiastical music. Gregorian chants, to be exact. Each time she is exposed to these sacred strains—music that most certainly pleases the ear of God—she ascends to an altered state, during which time she appears to reside in the realm of Christ, the saints, and a choir of angels.

Her mother (a pious woman if ever there was one) is holding up the best she can, given the circumstances. And even though the mother limits how often the girl is exposed to the chants, I’m afraid the word is out. (As you know better than I, people have a longing, a hunger, a spirit-based craving to be in the presence of Christ.) So, despite the best efforts of both her mother and myself, I’m afraid the floodgates might soon break and we will be awash in pilgrims seeking all forms of spiritual and physical healing. And then there is that pesky aforementioned problem of wolves.

I think you will agree that the situation is urgent and demands immediate and wise guidance. Which is why I am consulting you, what with Dan off to Rome. Of course, this revelation would have come directly from Dan had he been around. As it is, with the good bishop away again, I am shouldering the full weight of this extraordinary series of events. The magnitude of what is occurring here in St. Augustine simply does not allow me the luxury of remaining silent or waiting for Dan’s return.

Bishop, I shall promote the status quo until hearing from you (and I shall pray that I’m able to keep things under control).

May God be full in the hearts of your South Florida flock. And congratulations on Miami being named an archdiocese. (Just between you and me, this is long overdue.)

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Matthew Jaeger
St. Augustine Cathedral