Introduction

There is an alleged visionary, named Christina Gallagher, of Tuam Diocese, Ireland, who has established a 'House of Prayer' in that diocese, and five additional 'chain' houses of prayer in dioceses in the United States, plus one 'chain' house of prayer in Mexico, and who has stated an intention to establish other such houses of prayer in other nations. She and her supporters encourage Catholics from around the world to make pilgrimages to her houses of prayer.

A Claim that Endangers the Soul

Christina Gallagher has publicly made the heretical claim that anyone who makes a pilgrimage to her House of Prayer in Ireland will receive the gift of Eternal Life, which they cannot possibly lose, regardless of subsequent events.

Her claim to offer the gift of Eternal Life endangers the souls of the faithful around the world. For some may seek eternal salvation by making a pilgrimage to her House of Prayer, instead of seeking salvation from Christ in the Church. Once they allegedly receive this gift of eternal life, thinking they will certainly be saved, they might neglect the care of their own souls, including the practice of going to confession to absolve serious sin. For they are convinced that they have a guarantee of eternal salvation.

Their claim is all the more serious and all the more effective, because it is said to be from the Virgin Mary:

“Those who come to My House properly disposed will receive the graces of Solace and
Eternal Life….” (message of July 16, 2001)

And just in case someone might try to interpret the above message in a way that is in accord with Catholic teaching, a further explanation is given on the main page of her official website, quoted below:

“An invitation to receive the Gift of Solace & Eternal Life”

“Christina received a message in the summer of 2001 and through the message Our Blessed Mother was inviting the people of the world and especially the youth of the world to come to Her House of Prayer on Achill Island in Ireland to receive the gift of solace and eternal life. Christina's understanding that the difference between the two gifts of the seal of the Living God and the gift of solace and eternal salvation is that those who have received the seal will not endure the suffering, brought about by the antichrist in the time to come. Those who come now to receive the gift of eternal salvation will endure much but have the gift of solace to comfort them. They will be saved in soul though they will have to endure much. When Christina was asked for how long this gift of solace and eternal salvation will be offered she said that she does not know until she receives enlightenment or a message telling her when it is to end.”
http://www.christinagallagher.org/en/

Since this “gift of solace and eternal salvation” had a beginning point, and will only be offered for so long, it is obviously not merely a way of referring to the Gospel in general, nor to the Sacraments in general. What Christina is claiming to offer is eternal life itself, not merely some prayers or teachings that might assist one in eventually obtaining eternal life.

A clear and unambiguously heretical claim is being made here: anyone who visits her House of Prayer on Achill Island, in Ireland, will certainly be saved, no matter what may happen afterwards; merely by visiting the House of Prayer, they obtain the gift of Eternal Life, which they can never lose. This claim supercedes all of the Sacraments and their role in salvation, ignores the possibility of actual mortal sin and the need for repentance, and contradicts nearly everything that the Church teaches about salvation.

A Claim that Endangers the Body

But not content with doing this grievous harm to the soul, they would harm the body also, by promising visitors protection from future sufferings and calamities. As a result, some persons might take unnecessary risks or imprudent courses of action, truly believing that God will protect them (merely because they visited a 'house of prayer'). Serious bodily harm to innocent persons could result from such risks and imprudence. In this way, these messages endanger both soul and body.

Now Gallagher was, for some time, claiming that anyone who visited the House of Prayer in Ireland, prior to July of 2001, received the gift of the Seal of the Living God (from Revelation 7) and would therefore be protected by God from various future calamities and afflictions. She is still, at the present time, claiming that visitors to her other 'chain' houses of prayer in the United States and Mexico "will be protected from all calamities." Both of these claims endanger the body, because gullible persons might believe these false promises of bodily protection, and might, as a result of that believe, take undue risks which would endanger their health and safety.

A recent mass e-mailing went out from the Texas house of prayer, claiming that visitors to any of these 'chain houses of prayer' (i.e. any of Gallagher's houses of prayer, other than her house of prayer in Ireland) would receive the following benefits:

1. She [Mary] will be present in those houses.
2. Healing will be given at the appointed time of God, and
3. Protection in body and soul in the times that are ahead.

The chain houses of prayer are located in Texas, Kansas, Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, and Mexico. But Christina Gallagher clearly intends to attempt to establish such Houses in many other places:

“I desire an extension of houses to be given over to My House of Prayer in Achill, to become a chain of My Fraternity leading to My Confraternity. These houses are to be opened not only in Ireland but throughout the world. I will be present in those houses as I am present in My House of Prayer in Achill Island. I desire that the people in those houses be called The Third Order of My Immaculate Heart and they are to wear My Matrix Medal. These houses will be protected from all calamities and the people present in them also.” (message of February 21, 2003)

Numerous Errors

Messages such as these, and many other errors, are being promoted worldwide, through a growing network of supporters and houses of prayer, through the internet, through printed material, and through the so-called 'Matrix Medal'. This medal and its associated messages call the Virgin Mary: “The Matrix.” And they ask wearers to abandon their lives to God “by means of your Matrix Medal”.

The main promoters of these errors are Christina Gallagher herself, her spiritual director, Fr. McGinnity, and a woman named Marita Wojdak, the 'House of Prayer representative' (for the United States), who is located in Exeter, New Hampshire. She promotes these houses of prayer on the official website, asks for donations to be sent to Gallagher, and organizes pilgrimages to the House of Prayer in Ireland. She also promotes the claim that anyone can receive the gift of eternal salvation by visiting the House of Prayer in Ireland.

Gallagher's messages depict Jesus as if he were continually complementing and exalting Christina, and as if he were complaining about any criticisms toward her and her houses of prayer. Gallagher claims one message from Jesus, at the Texas house of prayer, calling it “My Mother's House” and saying:

“For those who disbelieve my little one of truth, Christina, whom I have upheld before the world, I have done great things only for you to witness the fruitfulness of My Sacred Heart through her: it is given by Me for you to believe…. The houses of prayer have been played with as if it were fun and not a call from Me through My Mother for your protection and the saving of souls. You will not mock Me for long.” (message of June 23, 2006)

Gallagher also claimed another message from Jesus complaining that not enough money was being donated for the Texas house of prayer, and threatening that State with destruction, if the money was not raised:

“Jesus said 'Father McGinnity is to tell the people that if the House of Prayer in Texas is not free of debt in the 9th month (the end of the month) of this year it is to be dissolved. Nothing is to be touched or taken from it and those leaving are to shake the dust from their feet. The greater part of that State will be leveled and torn to shreds. Those in a position to respond and bring the House to fruition have persevered in mocking Me and withholding the means of completing it. The world is in great danger and My message is disregarded. The people do not recognize the danger they are in.' ” (message of July 18th, 2006)

The messages received by Christina Gallagher refer to her as 'the chosen one' and 'my messenger.'

“My children, I send to you the chosen one of the Lord. She brings to you, TRUTH.”
(message of November 3, 2006)

“The world fumigates the poison of Lucifer to blind my children and seduce them into the pit. My children that is why I have called for chain houses of prayer, the continued prayer, will draw the light and protection of Jesus, My Son. There will be great reward for those of you, my children, who have helped with my Chain Houses. You have fought against great evil in your commitment to fulfill my call for those Houses; God has permitted you one more year for the sake of you who have desired to be part in My Chain Houses. You have one year to draw many such houses together. You must not burden my messenger with any of this. She has suffered the downfall of the many who were in my name participating in My Chain Houses. You who have been responsible for her suffering will know in your heart the damage you have done.” (message of November 3, 2006)

True and False Fruits

[Matthew]
{7:15} Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
{7:16} You shall know them by their fruits. Can grapes be gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?
{7:17} So then, every good tree produces good fruit, and the evil tree produces evil fruit.
{7:18} A good tree is not able to produce evil fruit, and an evil tree is not able to produce good fruit.
{7:19} Every tree which does not produce good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire.
{7:20} Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.

The supporters of Gallagher claim that she produces true fruits, because there have been alleged healings and also spiritual conversions, associated with her houses of prayer. However, God will give grace to anyone, in almost any situation. Even if an individual is involved in a false private revelation, or visits a site of false apparitions and messages, if that person is sincerely seeking God, then God will give graces to that person, despite their involvement in false private revelation. As a result, both true and false private revelations correctly say that some persons are receiving graces and that some persons have converted; but this is due to the ubiquitous all-powerful grace of God.

Concerning the alleged healings, there are a number of reasons why healings seem to be associated even with false private revelation.

First, the fallen angels who administer false private revelation can also affect human persons. They can trick someone into thinking that they are sick, when they are not. They can afflict the body of someone, and then cease from afflicting that person, resulting in an apparent healing. They can act on the body to the extent of a skilled doctor (but not to a miraculous extent), effecting limited healing. They can and will do any of these things so as to better deceive persons into believing a false private revelation.

Second, in any large group of persons visiting a site of false private revelation, there are bound to be some who are ill, and some who subsequently get better. When the number of ill persons is large, it is inevitable that some will, sooner or later, be cured either by medicine or by the body's own natural healing abilities. Then they attribute any such healings to the visit of a site of claimed private revelation. But we do not hear about all those who were sick and were not healed. They only report those who get better.

Third, those who report claimed healings are often dishonest, or at least very biased. There was one report of someone who was said to be healed of a terminal illness by visiting Christina Gallagher's house of prayer. But soon after this claim was made, that person died. The explanation given was that she died of a second terminal illness, which God struck her with because she did not acknowledge that she was healed by the power of the house of prayer. My explanation is that she was never healed, and she died of the first terminal illness; there was no second terminal illness. (reference)

In another such example, a woman had cancer and Christina was praying for her. The woman continued to go to doctors and hospitals for many months, and she continued to suffer from her cancer. On one occasion, the doctors operated thinking to remove a tumor in a particular location (because the cancer was spreading). But on operating, they discovered that there was no tumor in that location. This kind of medical error happens from time to time. But Fr. McGinnity and Gallagher claim (in her biography) that this was a miraculous intervention. Yet the woman continued to be ill from metastatic cancer, and we are not told that she was healed of the cancer itself, nor are we told if she died.

Now true private revelation often have true miracles, including miraculous healings, associated with them. This is the case, for example, with Medjugorje. But the fruits that allow us to distinguish true from false private revelation are not these signs and wonders, but the truths or falsehoods presented in the messages. The true private revelations teach in accord with the Gospel and the teaching of the Church. The false private revelations undermine and contradict the Gospel and Church teaching. These are the fruits by which you shall know them.

The messages and claims of Christina Gallagher contradict Church teaching in many ways (see my earlier article for several examples). But perhaps the most egregious false claim is that eternal life is given out to those who visit her house of prayer. This claim contradicts nearly everything that the Church and the Gospels teach about eternal salvation. It is hard even to imagine a more harmful heretical claim, since this claim goes to the heart of the Gospel, namely, the salvation of the world. This one bad fruit is sufficient to prove that the whole tree is bad. But see my earlier article for other bad fruits from this claimed private revelation.

Conclusion

The various errors and false claims made by the alleged visionary Christina Gallagher are being spread among Catholics throughout the world. The several 'chain houses of prayer' assist in promoting these errors. Seven different dioceses, in three nations (Ireland, U.S., Mexico), already have houses of prayer, with more houses intended for other nations. In addition, Christina Gallagher and her spiritual director, Fr. Gerard McGinnity, travel to parishes and dioceses around the world, not preaching the Gospel, but spreading their various claims about Christina Gallagher, her houses of prayer, and their alleged importance to the salvation of the world.


by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
February 12, 2007