Messiah/The Final Warning

As I was getting ready to leave she called me aside and told me that I was playing in Satan's backyard, and He's watching me through the window...I better be real careful !  She also told me I was the boys leader and I'd better watch out for these young musicians because Satan knows I'm strong and they are weak, and He will use them to destroy me if possible!  She scared the hell out of me that evening, but I left realizing I was at war with the leader of the angelic choir, Lucifer!                                                                                                                                                                                                       I saw Gail once more before We took a two week vacation. The musicians and road crew would be on vacation for two weeks and then we would meet back in Beaumont, Texas to put the Final Warning Show together. This time when I met Gail, things we even more spooky. I spent the evening with her and her husband (who was at work the first time I met Gail - at Sunday dinner) along with John and Danny and his girlfriend. She explained her ministry to us, which basically was her expelling the demons from people and having the evil spirit come into her. She would than do battle with the spirit because she was better equipped to fight this force - than the person she was helping! We held hands and we all prayed for a safe two week vacation. As we were praying, Gail started acting weird. She suddenly turned to me and looked me in the eyes, she had no life in her black eyes and when she spoke to me her voice was changed - deeper and she said "I know who you are, I'm watching you, I'm always watching you!" At this point her husband, Rodney yelled she has a demon on her - hold her while I get the Holy Water. I pinned Gail to the ground on her stomach and sat on her so she couldn't get up. All the while she was grabbing anything she could get her hands on, screaming and kicking and telling me I will never accomplish my goals, I will never amount to anything, I think I'm Holier than Thou and I am only joking myself - because I am nothing. At this point Rodney came back into the room with Holy Water and some rosary beads and prayer cards. He told us not to listen to the demon and lets join in prayer as a group and recite the rosary out loud. Gail was kicking and shouting obscenities and then as we prayed she fell silent. Finally she said "let me up, it's over, it's ok now".  Something didn't seem right to me and I said I don't believe you - If the demon is gone prove it to me by saying the prayer with us. Then, all hell broke loose and the demon almost threw me off her, if it wasn't for everyone else helping me I believe she would have over powered me. Obscenities, Kicking and Biting, this thing was mad, but eventually as we continued to pray, Gail calmed down and started to pray with us. I know a demon is not going to pray and invoke the name of Jesus, so I knew the evil spirit was gone and I let Gail up! After a few minute to gain her composure, Gail told us this was a very powerful demon and the hatred it had for me was intense, and if it wasn't for the fact that I had help she thinks it would have over powered me. For never battling a demon before she said I was very calm and smart and not afraid - and the demon could sense this. She said the next time he comes back he'll bring reinforcements. She said that was very clever trying to get the demon to pray, and again she spoke about  St. Michael and my birth name being Charles Michael Gugel - I dropped my last name for my stage career and became Charles Michael to the entertainment world! After that night I definitely needed a two week vacation. As I left, Gail made me promise to call her collect when I got home. She worried something might happen and needed to hear my voice when I arrived in Detroit.

 While in Detroit, I got caught up visiting relatives and friends and completely forgot to call Gail for the first week of my vacation. When I finally did call her she was so excited to hear from me. She told me she visited a Church and Shrine with some friends and felt the strangest attraction to this Saint. She said all she could think of was me coming here and visiting this holy place. She felt the strongest pull and attraction to me and this place, and said I needed to come here when I got back. She didn't know why but just knew I needed to come here soon. I asked her where this Church and Shrine was at and she told me the town of Grand Coteau, Louisiana. She said it was only a couple of hours from Lake Charles, Louisiana where Gail lived. I asked her the name of the Shrine and she told me it was St. John Berchmans. I had goose bumps when I hung up the phone. That was the name of the Church and Grade School I attended and High School I graduated from. I was an alter boy for 6 years at St. John Berchmans Catholic Church. St. John Berchman is the patron Saint of alter boys!  This is too coincidental, especially because I never told her, we never talked about where I went to school or of being an alter boy or anything connected to St. John Berchmans in Detroit, Michigan. I was so blown away I called John, who was also home in Detroit on vacation also. I asked him if he ever mentioned the school we went to or anything to do with St. John Berchmans in a conversation with Gail - he said No! Why, he asked. I proceeded to tell him about my phone call with Gail and he was just as shocked and blown away as I was!

 The above two pictures were obtained at the Sacred Heart Convent - Shrine of St. John Berchmans - Grand Coteau, Louisiana

I must have had some heavenly protection around me, because I remember one club in particular that I played - had gotten out of hand. The audience was riled up that evening and we were on break getting ready to do the "Final Warning" Show. Some people were in line outside the dressing room door wanting pictures and autographs. As I was talking to a small group of people I looked down the line and my eyes caught the eyes of an agitated man who was starring a whole through me. I sensed trouble and caught a roadie walking past and quitely told him to go get security, I had a feeling there was going to be trouble!  I started to dismiss myself , telling people I had to get ready for the show - but that they were welcome to come back after the show if they wanted. Of course everyone started to leave and go back to their seats, except this one guy. Security was already standing near by and were watching this person as he started confronting me about the "Final Warning" show. On who's authority was I doing this show, It was blasphemous - the work of the devil - I was going to hell. I told him I got the idea for the show out of the Bible, specifically from the book of Revelations. He started yelling that I had no right taking something out of the Bible and performing it in a night club. I asked him where he thought the message of the show should be told, where would it have the most impact - in a Church where they hear the message of God every week or in a night club where the message of God is never heard? The man became irate and started getting in my face yelling, so security grabbed him by each arm and started dragging him to the front door. I could hear him yelling over the D.J's music " If God don't get you, I will - you'd better watch you back!" Meanwhile the audience is soaking this up and it was causing more excitement.  The show went off without any problems and people lined up for autographs and to chat and ask questions. But finally the club owner had to turn off the lights and lock the doors becuase it was closing time, so people had to leave. Someone yelled in the door that the guy was back with his pick-up truck and a rifle shooting out the club marquee with the name Messiah on it - then he drove off. We waited a few minutes to be sure the guy was gone and then the club owner walked me to my vehicle. He was mad because he had to wait for the police to come to file a report for the insurance company and he was tired and wanted to go home. All of a sudden the truck pulled up squeeling his tires and out jumps the guy with his rifle in his hand and starts shooting. The club owner jumped on me and forced me back in the club and locked the front door! A bartender had called the police before when the guy was shooting out the club marquee so they were due to show up at any moment. The club owner was yelling for everyone to get away from the front door, a bullet might penetrate the door and hit someone - all the while I could here the guy yelling snd shooting his rifle outside in the parking lot. Then silence for a brief second, and then tires squeeling - police sirens and a whole lot of yelling. Then came a knock at the door and a voice said "Police open up"!  When the club owner opened the door there must of been 4 squad cars surrounding this guys pick-up truck. He was in handcuffs and sitting in the back of a squad car. Needless to say, I was glad this was our last night in town and we were gone, on our way to our next gig.

It seemed like strange, unusual circumstances surrounded me my whole life.  I'm not implying that I was blessed, because a lot of these things were not good, but many of them were good!  When things came to an end in Texas I headed back to Detroit, Michigan (my home) with my tail between my legs. I was through with music - or so I thought! I had no idea of what to do with my life, so I started back to Church - daily 8 a.m. Mass. I would walk 1 mile to church everyday praying all the way there and back. I wasn't asking God for anything in particular, just guide me towards whatever He wanted me to do. I started talking to neighbors who were interested in scripture - debating things about the Church and her teachings - talking about reconciliation and forgiveness with God.  In the course of my conversations I talked about the Bayside, New York vigil site I attended and the Miracle Of The Sun  that I saw on the bus ride home. Soon my friends were begging me to organize another trip to Bayside - they wanted to go! I called Agnes who headed a chapter in the Detroit area, and found out that there was a 3 day trip being planned in a few months.  Anyone who wanted to go had to reserve their seat on the bus. The trip included the ride there and back a stop over at the Fatima Shrine in New Jersey and a Saturday night stay at a motel in Bayside, NY (after the 8 p.m. vigil) and the Sunday morning Rosary at 12 noon at the vigil site: Cost $399.00 per person + bring your own food money and spending money. My neighbor friends and I were very disappointed because we didn't have that kind of money. I was sad seeing the look on their faces because I could tell this trip ment a lot to them. They were getting right with God and trying to turn their lives around and a trip like this could have a lasting impact on them, especially if God touches them the way he did me when I took my first trip. I kept praying and walking to Church each morning and decided I would see how much a passenger van would cost to rent for three or four days. There were 9 of us and we figured we could each come up with $100.00 apiece. I found a place that would rent us a 12 seat passenger van for $100 a day + we pay the insurance and gas. Cost $550.00 + I called to rent two motel rooms for the night - 20 miles outside the city limits. Cost $100.00 for two rooms. This was great! We were actually saving money and still going to Bayside and going to meet up with Agnes and the Detroit Chapter at the vigil site! I prayed and thanked Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary all the way to Church and back everyday, until a week before we were ready to leave. The company that had the passenger vans called and told me the engine had blown in the particular van we were getting, and the other van they had rented out wouldn't be returned until Monday morning  -  which was too late!  Everyone was very disappointed again. The next morning, as I walked to church and back, I prayed a different prayer this time. I was asking Jesus why He would let this happen, especially when I was bringing people to see the Blessed Virgin Mary - His Mother! They were all so happy to be going and now this had to happen. There was no time left for me to start calling around looking for another van, so I gave up and called Agnes and told her I wouldn't be able to make it.  The name "Gary" kept running through my brain and after awhile I finally figured it out. My cousin Gary drove the Church van around and I thought he would lend it to me for 4 days and I would give him $500.00! He said absolutely NOT. It is only insured in Michigan and only if he drives it and he's not taking a bunch of strangers across the country in the parish owned van. He hung up!  Why was I getting the name Gary running around my head only to be turned down! I was depressed, it looked like there was no way we were going. That evening I received a phone call from someone named Gary who lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He told me Agnes was talking with him because he leads the Grand Rapids Chapter and they were coordinating the trip. He told her a group of ten people just canceled and she told him about our group of nine people looking for a way to Bayside, NY. I told him we couldn't afford the $399.00 cost per person, and he said the trip was already paid for so we could donate whatever we could and come along.  That evening my brother introduced me to the tenth person who filled the last seat on the bus. His name was Scott and he became the person most responsible for talking me into putting Messiah back together. Scott became the guitar player and co-song writer and my best friend. When they say "God Works In Mysterious Ways", they are not kidding!!! 

A footnote to this story is that when the vigil site was ending, they let people come up to the statue of Mary and get a picture taken, or some people got on their knees and kissed the hand of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary while others just made the sign of the cross and genuflected in front of the statue. When it was my turn, I kissed the out stretched hand of Mary wishing She were really there and thanking her for making this trip possible, and asking Her to touch the lives of the nine people I brought to her! I ended my prayer saying: "I Love You Mama"  I left knowing it was just a statue, but I felt like She was really there...the emotions I felt were unexplainable - after all it was just a statue!         I found out afterward that these people set up and tore down the small PA System, Risers, Statues and lights each night because vandells come and deface and break these things. What a mean thing to do.                                                                                                                When we were back on the bus to leave, our fearless leader - Gary wanted a group picture and so someone took one from the front of the bus looking toward the back of the bus. It was an Instamatic Camera and the picture developed right away. Someone noticed the white light  or doves that seemed to circle my head and end with a pink light. Someone called it a crown and interpreted to be a crown of blessings with one thorn in it! Another lady on the bus had taken a picture of me when I was in front of the statue praying to Mary and thanking Her for the trip made possible. She gave me the picture to keep because she said it was a message strictly for me from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Even today, when I look back at the picture I get all choked up. At the moment this lady snapped the picture I remember I was saying in my heart  "Thank You, - I love You Mama".  In the picture a rainbow of light seems to leave the statue's hands and surrounds my body and ends at my heart.  I have posted the two pictures below for you to see, that God does indeed work in mysterious ways!

    That's me in the white beret with the blond hair and that's our fearless leader, Gary - kneeling beside me.  Notice the circle of light above my head,  looks like white doves and someones finger pointing, very strange!

    Again, that is me standing in front of the statue of The Blessed Virgin Mary. This time there is a light leaving the statues hands and surrounding my body , ending up at my heart!  This is mind blowing considering what I was saying in prayer at that exact moment!

 Soon after the trip to New York, Scott convinced me to reform Messiah!  Throughout the audition process Scott and I continued going to daily Mass at different Churches throughout the Metro, Detroit area. We became friends with a group that traveled to Bayside, NY also,  and we agreed to form a prayer group and meet once a week! I learned of a Holy Priest at St. Edwards Church in Port Huron, Michigan from my new found friends - the Bayside prayer group! Scott and I took a trip up to St. Edwards Church for Mass and Holy Hour one Sunday. It was a 2hr drive but well worth it because the service was just beautiful and Fr. Hogan was a great  spiritual speaker. Scott and I decided we would go to Mass at St. Edwards at least once a month! We made friends with some of the parishioners  with whom we ate dinner at their homes, when we came up to St. Edwards.  They learned of our trip to Bayside, NY and of our Bayside  prayer group and of course about the band Messiah we were reforming! They told us about a Holy Woman named Ivanna from Ohio, who had the stigmata and attended Mass at St. Edwards once in a great while. She would pass out when Fr. Hogan gave Her communion.  She would go into ecstasy when praying in front of the Our Lady Of Fatima statue in the Church! They also told us that Ivanna has had apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and that She was good friends with Fr. Hogan who confirmed Her visions were real!  Back in Detroit, I told my Bayside prayer group about Ivanna, and a few of us decided to go down and see Her! I wanted to get a few moments alone with Ivanna and talk to her about this new mission I was about to start with the new Messiah band. I needed financial backing in order to get this project off the ground. I thought if Ivanna would pray to the Virgin Mary on my behalf She would get an answer. I was attending daily Mass and petitioning God to give me insight. I had a weekly prayer group praying for our cause, I even had a prayer group in Port Huron praying at Holy Hour for insight into the Messiah project. I knew Scripture and i knew the verse where Jesus said: "Whenever two or three are gathered in prayer in my name, it shall be answered".  And "where ever to or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them". So with all these prayers going out, and now with Ivanna, a person who sees and talks to the Virgin Mary, I felt my petitions would be answered. But Sometimes, when God does answer, you don't realize it because it's not the answer you want.  The answer could be starring you in the face and you don't see it or hear it because you're expecting something else! I was very impressed with Ivanna, even though I didn't get the chance to speak with her personally. Our group wasn't the only group of people that showed up that day. A bus load of people showed up also and a priest said Mass outside in Her beautiful garden. When I left I made my mind up that I was coming back, and this time I would call Her first to make sure I would have time with Her!                                                                                                                                                                   Scott and I found ourselves back in Port Huron, Michigan at St. Edwards Church for Sunday Mass and Holy Hour the weekend after our trip to see Ivanna. Fr. Hogan was giving a sermon and I was hanging on His every word, so much so, that I didn't realize he was talking about Scott and I at first. He was talking about a common problem some parishioners were having with their teenage- kids and music. Parents were upset with the demonic lyrics of songs their kids were listening too. Such as, "I'm on a highway to hell".  He pointed Scott and I out and asked us to stand up. He then told parents to talk to us after Mass, because we were musicians who were trying to spread the word of God through our music and maybe we could offer some advice. After Mass we usually went to eat and then came back for Holy Hour, but not this Sunday because Fr. Hogan opened up a volatile topic between parents and kids and we were swamped at the back of the Church. Parents and kids arguing about Parental Rights and Teen Privacy and Demonic Music! There must have been 50 parents and kids standing around and listening to what I was saying. I lost track of time and the next thing I knew Fr. Hogan was coming in the door to get ready for Holy Hour! He said, I only wanted for you to give a couple of parents some advice on how to convince their kids about todays music...I didn't expect it to be a town hall meeting! Then He suggested I give a presentation in the parish hall on music, and parents  and kids of all ages can attend and ask questions. Everyone loved the idea and parents and kids alike started begging Scott and I to do it. Naturally I got my foot stuck in my mouth and now had to produce, so I said Yes!  One good thing was that Scott and I got to sit in the rectory after Holy Hour and have a one on one with Fr. Hogan. He was convinced I was the right man for the job and we set a date for the presentation.                                                                                                                          It took me 6 weeks to draft the presentation, get slides made, and make recordings for the presentation, and make cassette tapes to sell at the presentation to pay for slides and cassette tapes (remember were talking back in 1983)!  Below is a typical poster that was hung around Schools and Churches where this rock seminar was being presented.

 The night of my first rock seminar at St. Edwards was a huge success. So much so, that the parish hall was over crowded and people were turned away, Parents and teenagers and even grade school kids showed up. When it was over, I sold out of cassette tapes and had to take orders. Fr. Hogan had to book another date because so many people were turned away. He also passed the collection plate around and handed me $300.00!  Later in the week I started getting calls from parish Priests at other Catholic Churches. They were friends of  Fr. Hogan and had received a high recommendation. From 1983 on through 1984 I must have done 45 seminars at different schools, Churches, and even at Sacred Heart Seminary, a college where they taught young men to be  Jesuit Priests!  The Rock Seminars, and the band Messiah, were all conceived because of a paragraph I read in a newspaper announcing The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Bayside, New York....... Below is that clipping.

 I sent a poster and the testimony below to all Catholic Churches and Schools around Detroit!

 The response to the above flyer was incredible, and with Fr. Hogan as a reference I was booked constantly. During the day in class rooms and evenings in school auditoriums. Scott and I were getting famous from doing these Rock Seminars, and in our spare time we were putting together the band, the new "Messiah"                                                           This next story goes on to prove I was doing something good, something to help the young people to recognize the good and bad in popular music, and at that time, the symbolism, lyrics, and backward masking done by the popular bands! I must have been doing something that the forces of evil felt needed to be stopped because things were starting to get down right spooky.                                                                                                                                                                I received a phone call from the parish Priest at a local church I was scheduled to do a seminar at later that week. He was calling to make sure I was still going to show up! I said: " Yes, why wouldn't I show up"?  Father said, I guess I thought you'd cancel after you saw the incident at our parish on the 6 o'clock news! I told Father I wasn't aware of any incident and He began to explain what happened. It seems police broke up a seance, with a group of students, around midnight last weekend behind the church in the parking lot. Police said it was complete with animal blood, candles, and a pentagram drawn on the cement! Father said he had spoke to the students involved and they were trying to stop the Rock Seminar from taking place later that week. He said it was on the news, and thought I'd seen it and might have second thoughts about coming. I replied saying "Yes I'm still coming - these are some of the very people these seminars are aimed at"!  He was glad to,here I was still going to present the Rock Seminar and told me he would pray that it would be a success. I found last weekends newspaper and also found the story about the seance. It even had a picture of the pentagram drawn on the cement, with candles around it. I don't know why, but my gut was telling me I was going to have problems with this particular event!                                                                                                                         Early the day of the event I drove my dads car over to Scott's house to load equipment for the seminar that evening. I had just purchased an old station wagon that needed plates and insurance put on it before I could drive it, I bought it for the purpose of moving the equipment needed to do these rock seminars. When I pulled into Scott's driveway and turned the engine off on my dads car, thick black smoke started coming out from under the hood of the engine compartment. I opened the hood and saw the engine was on fire, it had just started so the flames were not that big yet, so I was able to put it out with wet towels. It seems the power steering hose broke and spayed power steering fluid on the hot engine causing the smoke and flames! I nursed the car back home and loaded the equipment into the station wagon. I put my dads plates on the station wagon and prayed I wouldn't be stopped by the police. I had no insurance and the wrong plates on the car, a definite recipe for a ticket and fine, or quite possibly a night in jail, or both! So I was nervous about going, but I had already committed and this was definitely one seminar that needed to be done in lieu of what happened last weekend with the seance.                                                                                                                                        When I arrived at the church, I asked the Priest to allow me to go to Confession and receive Holy Communion before the event, and to lead the audience in the prayer to St. Michael, and to bless the auditorium with Holy Water. If evil was present, this should put a damper on it for this evening.             Below Is The Prayer To St. Michael The Archangel

 The place was so crowded, and the people were so receptive to the presentation, that  after the 90 minute seminar the question and answer period lasted over an hour and Father had too put and end to the presentation, as it was getting late! We were invited back to the rectory and Father talked to Scott and I for at least another hour! He told us the same thing I had heard once before..."You're playing in the devils back yard, and he's watching you through the window"!     I told the Priest I had heard that once before and wondered what it meant. He explained, that I'm doing good work in an area that Satan prides himself on owning...and he doesn't like the fact that I'm there and doing battle for souls he feels are already his!  I understood what he meant and realized I'm walking on thin ice and I best be careful where I step!           It was a good night, and as I departed, Father told me he would be calling in 3 to 4 weeks to set up another date. He felt good things were accomplished this evening and after he got feed back from the parishioners he would get in touch with me.                                                                                                                                                                                                                It was too late, so Scott and I decided to unload the equipment from the car the next morning.  When I woke up, I drove over to Scott's house.  When I pulled in his driveway he must have seen me coming because he was already walking out the front door - so I turned the engine off on the car and got out.  As I did I heard a boom and black smoke and flames were coming out from under the front hood! Scott ran and got a fire extinguisher and put out the flames. He then turned to me and said, "I'm not driving with you today, and I think I'm also going to stand a few feet away from you because I don't want to be by you when lightening strikes"!  I looked at him and we both started to laugh, but it was a nervous laugh at best.