By Andrew Rabel
A filipino man who says Jesus Christ appears to him in dreams in the image of the Divine Mercy has just concluded a national tour of Australia.
Although he is married with 13 children he is usually known as Br Stanley Villavicencio (a term used in the Philippines for someone who devotes himself to evangelisation).
The Divine Mercy devotion approved by Pope John Paul II is based on revelations given to the Polish nun, St Faustina Kowalska, who the late pope canonised in 2000.
Brother Stanley’s story starts on March 2, 1993 in Cebu City, when he was placed on life support in an intensive care unit after suffering a number of seizures and convulsions.
Whilst in this state, Stanley saw a bright light and someone standing in front of him and when he looked at the face he recognised the figure as Jesus with the pale and red rays emanating from Him (as one would see in images of the Divine Mercy).
He was then shown his entire life from birth to present together with all his deeds and all his sins. Jesus then told him to go back to work for Him. Br Stanley woke up, miraculously in a perfect healthy state.
The doctors at the intensive care unit of the Chong Hua Hospital were amazed. One of the doctors who had treated him later became a priest.
Brother Stanley claims to have received 37 messages from Our Lord since this time, always while in a dream state.
Prior to these events, Stanley was a government worker dealing with security issues at the international airport in Cebu.
He now travels the world, speaking about the importance of the message of Divine Mercy.
His work has received the official endorsement of Cardinal Ricardo Vidal of Cebu City.
The vicar general of the archdiocese says in a letter of introduction, “This is to reiterate the endorsement given by His Eminence, who is in the apostolate of spreading the messages of The Divine Mercy, following the canonisation of St Faustina Kowalska”.
Stanley maintains that every message he receives from Jesus is submitted to his spiritual director, Mgr Cris Garcia, of the archdiocese of Cebu City.
It was Mgr Garcia who had advised Br Stanley of the need of a spiritual director when the phenomena began. Br Stanley claims Mgr Cris also receives the grace of knowing the messages he receives by his own internal locution, as well.
Each message is submitted to Cardinal Vidal for approval before being released.
Br Stanley says Mgr Garcia was picked for this role by Jesus himself.
The most recent of the claimed messages on November 21, 2011 dealt with the end of the world.
According to Br Stanley Jesus said, “My son, my son, the world will not end. Only humanity has an end. That’s why, as I said, to be ready is not tomorrow, to be ready should start now because tomorrow never comes, because when tomorrow comes that is today. That’s why if you received anything negative, reject it because it didn’t come from me. I am the source of love and nothing comes from me except perfect love. So please persevere in prayers. And please thank your team for leading so many lost souls to heaven”.
Brother Stanley repeatedly insists on the importance of the message of Divine Mercy.
At his talk in Melbourne, he said there would be no more devotions approved after the Divine Mercy because after mercy, there will be justice.
Large crowds have turned out to hear him speak in Australia. His talks usually start with the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy followed by Brother Stanley’s account of how his life has changed.
Those who attend his talk have the opportunity to venerate the image of Divine Mercy which travels with him together with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn, to whom Brother Stanley is also devoted.
Some have been profoundly touched by his apostolate.
On one occasion in the USA, a Baptist woman who attended his talk gave a testimony that she was going to have an abortion but, hearing the Divine Mercy message decided to give her unborn child the gift of life.
Brother Stanley has travelled to many countries in order to spread this message.
“Before coming to Australia I was just back home in Cebu, and I will return there again after this trip, but then I will be going to Japan,” he told The Record.
He says he doesn’t call the long absences from his family “… a suffering, but an offering.”
He has spoken to numerous crowds in the US and has appeared on the popular Catholic satellite television station EWTN.
Other countries he has visited to spread the Divine Mercy message include Canada, Ireland, Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
His work is supported by donations, with 60 per cent of the funds submitted to the archbishop of Cebu City to allocate to a variety of charitable projects such as supporting street children.
The other 40 per cent of the funds goes to the Villavicencio family’s upkeep of Br Stanley’s ministry.
In 2000, Brother Stanley met the individual (after St Faustina) who, more than anybody else, has been responsible for fostering the Divine Mercy devotion all around the world – Pope John Paul II. He says the Holy Father said to him, “You cannot expect everybody to believe you. So be like a horse, as a horse has a blinder … they cannot be distracted. You must go on, and go on. If you have someone to distract you, you cannot reach your destination”.
In a seemingly increasingly tumultuous world, Br Stanley stresses the importance of Divine Mercy. In the message of February 22, 2005, he says that Jesus told him: “My son, just go on proclaiming my mercy. Time is ripe, it won’t be long. They can refuse or reject my mercy, but I assure you, nobody can escape my justice. So please persevere”.
“That,” Br Stanley says, “is why I don’t just talk to Catholics about this, because God’s mercy is for everybody”.
At a time when reported visionaries and mystics appear to proliferate, Brother Stanley decries the lack of obedience among some of these to ecclesiastical authority.
If he encounters any he says he will often ask them, “Do you have an authorised spiritual director?”
Sometimes he finds the answer is in the negative.
For him, however, the wisdom of the Old Testament counsel stands true: “Obedience is better than sacrifice”.