Tim Francis leads people to the Church through miracles, mom and science

By Christina Galeone
CFP Correspondent

    WORCESTER – One of the ways that God brings people to faith and restores their faith is through miracles.  Knowing this, Tim Francis, the founder of “You Shall Believe,” has conducted more than 400 “Science Tests Faith” parish missions to re-ignite the faith of non-practicing Catholics, bring non-Catholics to faith and give practicing Catholics the tools needed to help loved ones return to the Church. At the 2019 Worcester Catholic Women’s Conference, he gave the last presentation of the day – a glimpse into science-tested miracles that he wants people to know about and a glimpse into why his mission means so much to him.
    In a rapid-fire, no-nonsense style, peppered with humor and raw emotions, he began the talk by showing a couple of family photos. One of them was of his mom praying inside a church on the day that Mr. Francis got married. He said his presentation should be called the “Power of a Mother’s Prayer.” He shared how he grew up in a good home with five siblings and devoted, loving parents. But even though his parents lived their faith, the family attended Mass every week and he was an altar boy, going to college pulled him away from all that and led him to a life of drugs and alcohol.     
    He shared how after he and his wife got married and had kids, they both went “from the bar scene to the Bible scene.” But even though he started going to a Protestant megachurch, his mom – a devout Catholic – still hoped and prayed he would return to the Catholic Church. Over the years, she encouraged her son and sent him a recording of “Signs from God – Science Tests Faith” and one of “The Journey Home,” a TV show hosted by Marcus Grodi, a Protestant pastor who converted to Catholicism.     Mr. Francis eventually brought his wife and family to two different churches – the megachurch, which his kids called the fun church, and a Catholic church, which they called the boring one. Then, he read the book “Reason to Believe” by Ron Tesoriero, and it changed his life. He started attending daily Mass and going to eucharistic adoration.        
    After reading about what are considered to be science-tested eucharistic miracles in the book – including one in Argentina in which the Communion host turned to flesh and blood after being consecrated – and reading about a woman named Katya (Catalina) Rivas who has written Church-approved messages, in various languages, that she says Jesus gives to her, he was astounded. He shared how blood from what is believed to be a eucharistic miracle was blindly tested and found to have belonged to the heart of a man who had been severely beaten but is still alive. He further showed a video of Katya Rivas experiencing the full stigmata (the wounds on Christ’s head, hands and feet) on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, as she said that Jesus said would happen. Mr. Francis told the audience “I said ‘How come nobody knows about this?’”  
    He also stressed the importance of going to confession and shared how he believed his mom went to confession regularly even though he said that she “was the nicest soul in the entire world.” Near the end of his presentation, he once again showed the photo of his mom praying inside a church on his wedding day. He soon broke down emotionally. “Everything that Mom said’s true,” he struggled to say, noting the importance of the rosary and suffering for Jesus. “She said: ‘Go to adoration, and go to daily Mass.’ God bless her.”    
    In concluding his presentation, Mr. Francis – who was scheduled to speak at St. Bernadette Parish in Northborough the day after the conference – said that he would be honored to speak at other local parishes as well. “I’m here to bring your kids back,” he told the audience before pausing and amending what he said. “Not me. The Holy Spirit.”

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