‘Hear My Word’: Fr. Michael Scanlan’s 1980 Prophecy

by | Jun 22, 2020

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The above photo of Fr. Michael Scanlan addressing a crowd was found on the Franciscan University of Steubenville Flickr site. Date and location were not specified.


The following prophecy, given by Fr. Michael Scanlan, was shared in a New Covenant magazine article by Kevin and Dorothy Ranaghan in May of 1980 (see pages 769-772 in link).


The Lord God says, “Hear My Word: The time that has been marked by My blessings and gifts is being replaced now by the period to be marked by my judgment and purification. What I have not accomplished by blessings and gifts, I will accomplish by judgment and purification.

My people, My Church is desperately in need of this judgment. They have continued in an adulterous relationship with the spirit of the world. They are not only infected with sin, but they teach sin, embrace sin, dismiss sin. Their leadership has been unable to handle this. There is fragmentation, confusion, throughout the ranks. Satan goes where he will and infects whom he will. He has free access throughout my people—and I will not stand for this.

My people specially blessed in this renewal are more under the spirit of the world than they are under the Spirit of My baptism. They are more determined by fear of what others will think of them—fears of failure and rejection in the world, loss of respect of neighbors and superiors and those around them—than they are determined by fear of me and fear of infidelity to my word.

Therefore, your situation is very, very weak. Your power is so limited. You cannot be considered at this point in the center of the battle and the conflict that is going on.

So this time is now come upon all of you: a time of judgment and of purification. Sin will be called sin. Satan will be unmasked. Fidelity will be held up for what it is and should be. My faithful servants will be seen and will come together. They will not be many in number. It will be a difficult and a necessary time. There will be collapse, difficulties throughout the world.

But more to the issue, there will be purification and persecution among my people. You will have to stand for what you believe. You will have to choose between the world and me. You will have to choose what word you will follow and whom you will respect.

And in that choice, what has not been accomplished by the time of blessing and gifts will be accomplished. What has not been accomplished in the baptism and the flooding of gifts of my Spirit will be accomplished in a baptism of fire. The fire will move among you and it will burn out what is chaff. The fire will move among you individually, corporately, in groups, and around the world.

I will not tolerate the situation that is going on. I will not tolerate the mixture and the adulterous treating of gifts and graces and blessings with infidelity, sin, and prostitution. My time is now among you.

What you need to do is to come before Me in total submission to My Word, in total submission to My plan, in the total submission in this new hour. What you need to do is to drop the things that are your own, those things of the past. What you need to do is to see yourselves and those whom you have responsibility for in light of this hour of judgment and purification. You need to see them in that way and do for them what will best help them to stand strong and be among My faithful servants.

For there will be casualties. It will not be easy, but it is necessary. It is necessary that My people be, in fact, my people; that My Church be, in fact, My Church; and that My Spirit, in fact, bring forth the purity of life, the purity and fidelity to the Gospel.


This prophecy is also available in the following languages: Arabic | French | German | Japanese | Polish | Slovak | Slovenian


About the Author

<a href="https://www.renewalministries.net/author/staffnick/" target="_self">Renewal Ministries Staff</a>

Renewal Ministries Staff

Renewal Ministries seeks to foster renewal in the Catholic Church by helping people grow in holiness and equipping them for evangelization and ministry with the power of the Holy Spirit. We pray that these blog posts will encourage and strengthen you!

25 Comments

  1. Segomotsi Kamore

    I am in awe, let God’s will be done

    Reply
  2. NS

    What a coincidence. Your thoughts & insights were also on my mind this morning. We are encouraged to not be anxious about anything but in all things in supplication and Thanksgiving to God. Amen

    Reply
    • Paula

      Strange. I have felt for a while now a gathering sense of unease around me and it was making me look over my shoulder sometimes to see where it’s coming from. I’m not prophetic by any means but there are times I have heard people say things before that left me not just in disbelief, but fearful. This makes sense now.

      Reply
  3. Michael Cowley

    Thank You Father God. Your love for life is absolute. Thank You.

    Reply
  4. JR

    So has the 10- years of God allowing the devil to attack the world over? Or are what we are seeing the devil’s last strong efforts of leading us away from God?

    Reply
  5. Patricia M

    What is charity in today’s discourse? How is anger about the deception and errors coming from Church leaders to be expressed? How do we discuss with loved ones who, while claiming fidelity to church teaching, are following the wrong voices? Is charity always synonymous with niceness? How are we to be kind and gentle when pointing out evil?

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      To Patricia M – Your answer is in the prophetic word – to follow the Gospel in love. Jesus set the example, we are to follow Him.

      Reply
    • Cindy Johnson

      Father James Altman says”charity is clarity” saying what is true doctrine. Clarity is not niceness.
      I have the same problem w my family members. I wonder if I should say the truth even though they don’t ask?😍❤️🇺🇸

      Reply
      • Paul

        @Cindy Johnson
        The problem with Fr. James Altman is that he is too proud and not obedient to his bishop, William Callahan. Altman may be right in all of his assessments of the many problems and sins among the hierarchy of the Church. But Altman was and is acting as if he himself is a bishop. I heard him publicly denigrate his own bishop and call him names. That’s not the way a priest should treat his bishop. Not at all. Even Bishop Strickland of Tyler said that one can never go wrong by being obedient.
        Bishop Callahan even said in his letter to Altman that the diocese wanted to have meetings with him to rectify whatever the differences or concerns he had. And it doesn’t matter if Bishop Callahan seems weak to Altman or to anyone. He’s not preaching heresy or giving scandal. Also, you may have noticed that no priests have come to Altman’s defense. At least none from his diocese, and to my knowledge, none from other dioceses, except one or two who are not in any ministry. That should tell us something. The only ones that support him are angry lay Catholics.
        Being angry at sins and failures, even egregious ones among leaders in the Church may be justified. But we can’t be angry and try to tear the whole thing down. That’s not the way to reform the Church. In fact, historically that approach has resulted in schisms and heretical sects.

        Altman came to a gathering in Chicago last month sponsored by an organization that may have good intentions, but they speak publicly very disrespectfully to and about bishops. As much as we don’t like certain bishops, even if they are promoting heresy, we still should speak respectfully about them, at least among others. Altman even said something very demeaning about Cardinal Cupich. I personally can’t stand him myself. But if I were a priest, I wouldn’t go to another diocese and get up on a podium before a group of laity and denigrate the local bishop, -or my own bishop. If Altman is so justified in what he’s said and done, then why aren’t there other priests speaking up in the same manner?

        Let us recall St. Pio of Pietrelcina, who was suppressed from offering public Masses and Sacraments for, I believe, 12 years. He was always obedient. And his obedience was his silent witness. I’m emphasizing obedience. I’m not saying that we should be silent in the face of egregious moral failures among church leaders. But there is a right way and a wrong way to go about speaking up.

        Let us also recall the admonition of St. Jacinta of Fatima:

        “Speak ill of no-one and avoid the company of those who talk (ill) about their neighbours.”

        There is no simple or easy answer to the ubiquitous crisis in the Catholic Church. The prophecy of Fr. Scanlan, if true, indicates that the Lord may use persecutions to purify the Church. We have seen lesser persecutions the past 18 months. But these are nothing compared with the persecutions of the early Church. We may well see in our lifetime severe persecutions of Christians and others who simply want to practice their faith and our God given freedoms which are recognized in our Constitution (of the USA).

        Reply
  6. mary prochilo

    I dont think John the Baptist was kind and gentle😁

    Reply
    • Cynthia Engel

      Thank you, Mary, for your insight. Given the upside-down state of our current society? If John the Baptist arrived in our churches, dressed in camel skins, subsisting on locust and wild honey while shouting “Make straight the way of the Lord!’— I don’t know who American Christians would notify first; the police or “the men in the little white coats!” (Kyrie eleison…) 🙏

      Reply
  7. John Goh

    My Lord and my God, have mercy on us for we have not lived up to your Word and Command.

    Reply
  8. Liz

    Pray for all of us to be strong, and not deny God out of fear.

    Reply
    • Tamra Wright

      Agreed. And now after 40 years we have not honored God. We all know that 40 years is trial and testing. Now comes God’s right hand of judgement. May God be merciful to the righteous and just to the wicked. Amen.

      Reply
  9. Frank Kohlmann

    This is an astonishing word given 40 years ago. We can clearly see how things have developed until now- Corona pandemic and closed churches, fearful clergy and confused believers. Faithful God who stands forevermore.

    Reply
  10. Mary Scott

    Put on your Armor every day Ephesians 6:10, and take up your sword daily (the word of God) and the powerful weapon: the Holy Rosary to make the enemy tremble. Remember to stay in the state of grace and use the sacrament of confession regularly to stay that way. Be battle ready and Be Not Afraid. Amen!

    Reply
  11. Geraldine Ridgway

    This Words right on. We need to truly examine our consciences and repent ASAP!
    Lord Have Mercy!

    Reply
  12. Betsy

    Thank you for publishing this, it is help along the way (food for the journey!) in encouragement and truth. It is also very specific confirmation of right direction, for which I am most grateful! Amen

    Reply
  13. Kelle Côs

    Does anyone know where these prophecies came from? We they in prayer or locutions?

    Reply
  14. susan sherwin

    I could be wrong, but I feel this change from grace to purification has been happening in my life. Thank you very much for this, I had not known about this prophecy, but I believe.

    Reply
  15. Marie

    Praise be Jesus Christ. First step, I will pray more Rosaries. Mary, our Mother and our Queen, pray for us and guide us.

    Reply
  16. Theresa Huether

    The message is sobering. Fr. Michael pray for us. 40 years later, it’s a new season upon us. Jesus went often to the mountain to be with His Father. It’s time we go often to the Eucharist so we can hear and see.

    Reply
  17. Credit Repair Chicago

    Very good information. Lucky me I came across your website by accident (stumbleupon).

    I’ve bookmarked it for later!

    Reply
    • Renewal Ministries Staff

      Wonderful! God bless you!

      Reply
  18. Joan McGann

    Thank you, God bless you, and Mother Mary love you for your faithfulness and continuance of the grace and mission God has given you. I am blessed to find this Word from the Lord 42 years after it was given to Father Michael Scanlon. My gift in Medjugorje in 1989 was in the Confessional through these words: “When you go home, you will be emptied and some of it will be painful, but pray to Mary every day and She will be with you.” Six weeks later, I became aware of a blockage to peace within me – and my life since then has been a continuing conversion through repentance and prayer. I am grateful to find these Words today and encouraged to trust God in this spiritual battle. My burdens are so small, but they are all I have to offer to Our Dear Lord of Merciful Love.

    Reply

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