TESTIMONY 11

TESTIMONY 11

Name: Mr. Balaswamy 

Surname: Boyapati S/o Basavayya (Francis) 

Date of Birth: 06-05-1940 

Profession / Occupation: Farmer 

Birth Place: St. Ann’s Hospital, Machilipatnam, West Godavari District 

Address: Pedda Avutapalli Unguturu Mandal, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh State 

Relationship: Direct Witness; native of Avutapalli village. Direct Witness. Native of Avutapally village; He was born to Boyapati Francis and Claramma. He was 6 years old when Brother Joseph Thamby died. 

When my parents were still Hindus, they had male child and died. Girl children were safe. They made many pilgrimages for a male child but in vain.

One day my parents heard about Thamby and invited home. As he reached at the entrance, he hesitated to enter the house. He said that there are evil spirits in the house. At the request and pleading of my father, he entered the house. Thamby himself told my parents about all the things that had happened and would happen in the future. My father believed in Christ and asked for baptism. Thamby told that they are Hindus and you will face sufferings. He brought Fr. Pagano, assistant priest to the house. He built an altar in my house. Mass was celebrated there. He helped them to receive baptism. Thamby himself was god-parent at baptism. At that time, Thamby told my parents that they would have a male child soon. He uses to often visit my home and pray the rosary there.

One day a great fire broke out in the village. Thamby told my parents to pray and not be afraid and nothing will happen to this house. But my parents threw somethings out of the house. The whole village was burnt but nothing happened to our house. The things thrown outside the house too were burnt to ashes.

My maternal uncle Vemuri Arogyanadham (Subbayya) was suffering from stomach pain. He used lot of medicine but was in vain. Thamby prayed over him and he was cured of his stomach pain. He and his family received baptism. 

When I was a child, I was suffering from diarrhea and was hospitalized but was not curing. My grandmother was fasting and praying for my health. Then Thamby came and prayed and made sign of the Cross and then my sickness left. 

He foretold about his death three months before. He even made the coffin and used to sleep in it and meditate about his death. He also told that he would die without receiving the sacrament of extreme unction. 

One day Thamby came home and fell at the entrance. My parents lifted him up and brought to the altar that he himself built in the house. He was praying there whole time. By evening 5 o’clock he died. 

One day I came back from the school. I took the snacks and went to the streets to watch Hindu statue being taken in the procession. My mother asked me to come away and send someone to bring me back but I did not come. Later I was brought home forcefully. At that time, from the picture of Sacred Heart of Jesus, Heart was radiating with a great light and blood was oozing from hands. It happened for long. My mother was praying at the picture for long time and then it stopped. We used to pray long hours at the altar in the house. When we don’t pray, Thamby used to remind us through different incidents in the house. In the difficulties, we used to pray the prayer of repentance. 

One day my maternal uncle Vemuri Arogyanadham and another person visited Thamby in Avutapally. They slept that night in Thamby’s house. When they got up in the early morning, they found Thamby kneeling and praying. He fed them miraculously. As he was taking food from the pot, the pot used to remain always full. Thamby also used to give away his clothes to the poor. Whenever he received new clothes he used to exchange clothes with the poor. 

Boyapati Balaswamy

Boyapati Balaswamy