[Testimony of Priest] ๐ โI Have Never Once Heard of Anyone Losing Their Faith Because They Came to Naju and Prayedโ
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Raudres27 Apr 2026 20:33
Dear Fr Elsinger,
Thank you for sharing your personal testimony from Naju with such honesty and pastoral heart. Your account of the rose fragrance in the chapel, the profound spiritual emotion during the Rosary, the miraculous healing you witnessed, the extraordinary Eucharistic phenomena, and especially your careful discernment over many years moved me deeply.
What struck me most is your long experience in priestly ministry โ 37 years of guiding souls, witnessing both confusion and genuine spiritual fruits. Your observation that you have never seen anyone lose their faith or vocation because of Naju, but rather the opposite, carries great weight. It speaks to the authentic fruits of prayer and devotion there.
Your willingness to testify to the living presence of Jesus in the descending Host, even in the face of skepticism from ecclesiastical authorities, shows both courage and humble faith in Christโs sovereign power over the Eucharist.
I am grateful for your faithful witness and for encouraging deeper Eucharistic adoration and devotion to Our Lady among the faithful in Hong Kong. May the Blessed Mother continue to guide and protect your ministry, and may many souls be drawn closer to her Son through the graces you have experienced and shared.
Thank you for sharing your personal testimony from Naju with such honesty and pastoral heart. Your account of the rose fragrance in the chapel, the profound spiritual emotion during the Rosary, the miraculous healing you witnessed, the extraordinary Eucharistic phenomena, and especially your careful discernment over many years moved me deeply.
What struck me most is your long experience in priestly ministry โ 37 years of guiding souls, witnessing both confusion and genuine spiritual fruits. Your observation that you have never seen anyone lose their faith or vocation because of Naju, but rather the opposite, carries great weight. It speaks to the authentic fruits of prayer and devotion there.
Your willingness to testify to the living presence of Jesus in the descending Host, even in the face of skepticism from ecclesiastical authorities, shows both courage and humble faith in Christโs sovereign power over the Eucharist.
I am grateful for your faithful witness and for encouraging deeper Eucharistic adoration and devotion to Our Lady among the faithful in Hong Kong. May the Blessed Mother continue to guide and protect your ministry, and may many souls be drawn closer to her Son through the graces you have experienced and shared.
โI Have Never Once Heard of Anyone Losing Their Faith
Because They Came to Naju and Prayedโ
We respectfully submit the following testimony of Fr. Francis Elsinger regarding his pastoral experience and discernment in relation to Naju.
When I arrived in Naju on November 24, 1995, the first place I entered was the chapel of Naju. There, I perceived a distinct fragrance of roses. At first, I assumed it might be perfume carried through an air-conditioning system. However, I soon realized that there was no such system in the chapel.
As we began to pray the Rosary, I experienced an unexpectedly profound and overwhelming spiritual emotion while reciting the Hail Mary. The experience was so intense that I became unable to continue, and I asked another member of the faithful to lead the prayer. Even now, I find it difficult to describe that moment. In all my years of priesthood, I had never prayed the Rosary with such depth.
The following day, I became physically unwell. During the Thursday evening prayer meeting, I prayed to the Blessed Mother, asking for healing so that I might participate fully. At the moment Julia entered the chapel, a strong fragrance spread throughout the space. I briefly suspected that it might come from her, but upon approaching and verifying directly, I confirmed that the fragrance did not originate from her.
As a priest responsible for guiding the faithful, I felt it necessary to visit Naju personally to discern whether what was occurring there was authentic. Over more than twenty years of ministry in Hong Kong, including spiritual direction and retreats, I have learned to evaluate spiritual phenomena carefully. Up to the present, my discernment regarding Naju has been entirely positive, and the spiritual fruits have likewise been positive.
Over the course of 37 years in the priesthood, I have witnessed many cases of priests and religious leaving their vocation, and even departing from the Church, often due to confusion and erroneous teachings.ย
However, I have never encountered a single case of anyone abandoning their vocation or losing their faith because of Naju. On the contrary, I have not heard of anyone losing faith after coming to Naju and praying there.ย
Rather, I have observed that many people lose faith due to errors and confusion within the Church itself. I believe that the Blessed Mother is working actively to guide the faithful back to truth and to deepen their faith.
During a pilgrimage with faithful from Singapore and Malaysia, we climbed the mountain where the spring is located and celebrated Mass. At that moment, the clouds cleared and sunlight appeared suddenly.ย
After Holy Communion, many of us looked toward the sun and were able to gaze at it directly. The sun appeared similar to the Eucharist as seen in Eucharistic adoration, luminous and radiant.
Following this experience, I encouraged greater devotion to Eucharistic adoration in Hong Kong, with the approval of my bishop. Since then, we have observed increased fervor among the faithful, including experiences of fragrance during prayer before the statue of Our Lady of Naju.
I was also present during the Eucharistic event of August 27, 1997. At that time, I witnessed a consecrated Host that had descended, similar to a previous occurrence. I firmly believe that what I witnessed was truly the living presence of Jesus.
In speaking with ecclesiastical authority afterward, I encountered skepticism and reluctance to consider this testimony. It is indeed true that, according to the Church, the Eucharist is ordinarily consecrated by a validly ordained priest. However, this truth should not be interpreted in a way that would deny the sovereign freedom and power of Christ Himself.
The words of consecration belong to Christ, and the priest acts in His person. Therefore, it is not contrary to faith to acknowledge that Christ, who is Lord of the Eucharist, could grant His presence in an extraordinary manner.
I humbly submit this testimony for your consideration.
Respectfully in Christ,
Fr. Francis Elsinger, Hong Kong
June 10, 1998
๐ฅVideo of a Eucharistic Miracleย
๐On August 27, 1997, a Eucharistic miracle witnessed by Fr. Francis Elsinger.๐
โจCome and experience for yourself! โจ
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