Toledo woman uses 'gift' of channeling [Saint Padre Pio speaks through 63-year-old former nun]

The Toledo Blade ^ | July 12, 2008 | DAVID YONKE

[Alex Murphy]

Dottie Zimmerman is a 63-year-old mother of three, an award-winning religion teacher at a Toledo Catholic school, a former Ursuline nun, and a director of the Children's Theatre Workshop.

For the last five years, Mrs. Zimmerman also says she has been "channeling" Padre Pio, letting the dead Italian Catholic saint mystically speak through her.

It is a "gift," she said, and although she never asked for it she believes she must use it to help others, especially children.

Last month, Mrs. Zimmerman channeled the saint during a meeting of the Toledo Lightworkers Co-op, a group of people who explore alternative spirituality.

It was the fifth or sixth time she has publicly channeled Padre Pio, a Capuchin friar from Pietrelcina, Italy, who was known for bearing stigmata, or the wounds of Christ, on his hands and feet. He died in 1968 at age 81 and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002.

Mrs. Zimmerman said in a recent interview that although she doesn't channel Padre Pio publicly very often, she hears from him almost daily.

"He'll make these pithy little comments. He has a wonderful sense of humor," she said. "One of the things that he insists is that we breathe deeply and we laugh - love, laugh, and breathe are his three words."

An eighth-grade religion teacher at St. Patrick of Heatherdowns School for nearly 30 years, Mrs. Zimmerman said she felt as though spiritual conversations had been percolating within her for years before she began to explore her gift...

[magisterium]

Totally contrary to Catholic teaching. It is a serious sin to attempt to contact the dead on your own initiative. That is why seances, among other things, are always wrong. If, in His infinite wisdom, and through His own initiative, God chooses to send an angel or saint to appear before one of us with a message, that it one thing. But to seek this out on our own is wrong; it tempts God just as Satan tried to tempt Our Lord after He fasted for 40 days.

Consider that this "former" Ursuline nun has, like many of her now-blue haired compatriots, long since abandoned the core of the Catholic Faith for the New Age Movement. She may have some vague patina left, but it is meaningless. Just as her current activity is totally meaningless for any faithful Catholic.

[Campion]

alternative spirituality

"Heresy" is a lot shorter and easier to pronounce. :-0

[hkp7m8]

As she is able to “channel” Padre Pio as well as the Arch-Angel Gabriel. There should be no issue in conducting these interviews in impeccable Latin or Italian or just about any other language that the ex- nun has not studied. Right??

[Artemis Webb]

You are of course welcome to your obfuscations.

[the anti-liberal]

As long as gullibility comes in endless supply there will be: counterfeits.

[lastchance]

BUZZZZZ. Sorry wrong answer, “accepted Catholic practice” is not correct. I’m thinking there is a dang good reason for the word former in front of Ursuline Nun.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

nice mouth

[SumProVita]

“As long as gullibility comes in endless supply there will be: counterfeits.”

Very true and, in the spiritual realm, even those who do not SEEM so gullible can be if they do not seek the gift of discernment from God.

The article of this thread was a dead giveaway though. ;-)

[Religion Moderator]

Do not use potty language - or references to potty language - on the Religion Forum.

[SaintDismas]

I’m sorry

[HighlyOpinionated]

This activity is satanic. God does not "channel" His Saints through anyone. There's no need for God to work this way.

What is sad is that this woman is going to lead others who have weak faith away from Christ and the Church with her activity. There is no "alternate" way to be a Catholic. There's the Catholic Church, the Magisterium, the Traditions and that's it. Channeling is not listed under any sub-category.

Where is the Bishop and Archbishop? They are failing to do their jobs if they don't talk to her to give up this foolishness and return to the Catholic Faith. If she refuses, she should be PUBLICLY ex-communicated. She's the one who has publicized her little chicanery and those with weak faith need to know that she does not represent Catholicism.

WHEN will people read their Bibles, the Catechism, and go talk to a Priest before they put their faith in something "outside" the Church?

[DallasDeb]

The Bible says we should NOT speak to the dead.

[DallasDeb]

What does morbid obesity have to do with anything?

[wideawake]

What does morbid obesity have to do with anything?

The sin of gluttony.

[chuckles]

...."The Bible says we should NOT speak to the dead."....

Hmmmm, Ya mean like Mary, Peter, John, Francis, etc etc? If your Catholic, how can you have it both ways??

[wideawake]

Hmmmm, Ya mean like Mary, Peter, John, Francis, etc etc? If your Catholic, how can you have it both ways??

(1) Our Lady, St. Peter, St. John, St. Francis and the other saints aren't dead.

(2) There is a difference between asking someone in heaven to pray for you and claiming that someone in heaven is using you as a mouthpiece to communicate with others.

In other words, there is a difference between the Scripturally-approved doctrine of the communion of saints and the Scripturally-condemned practice of necromancy.

[Petronski]

Fay-ake.

[Petronski]

What does morbid obesity have to do with anything?

Too much Devil's Food?