I came to know of St. Philomena in 1995, from that minute she captured me. I prayed to her every day. My family doubled in size, I was granted some of the best experiences in my life through her intercession and she has also helped me carry some heavy crosses through this time. She has brought me to a life in Jesus Christ which I never knew existed before her intercession and a love and closeness to Our Blessed Mother Mary I had never experienced before.
I visited the Sanctuary of St Philomena, Italy in 1997 taking my fourth child there before a kidney operation and instantly formed an attachment and love for this sacred place and knew I would return there again. Since then I return several times each year to the Sanctuary to pray and to work. I began to spread devotion to St Philomena more so after my first visit and by 2000 had formed an official centre of the Universal Archconfraternity in Scotland with the help of my husband David, Rosemary Campbell, Fr Peter Lennon and Michael Malley. The devotion has grown and flourished. Msgr. Giovanni Braschi, Rector of the Sanctuary has educated me on the various aspects of the devotion to St Philomena and he continues to guide me. By August 2000 I was organising a meeting for the USA centres of the Archconfraternity and November 2000 Msgr, Braschi introduced me at the meeting as Director General of the Archconfraternity worldwide.
Since then I have done my best to help develop and organise the devotion worldwide, assisting with the request and wishes of Msgr. Braschi, being obedient to the Church and its teaching and daily growing to love this wonderworking Saint more than before.
