an unofficial roster has been assembled (one that is not recognized by the Church)." (Stan Griffin, Workers for Jesus) However, "Historically,...reported stigmatics...are well documented by the religious world and scientific world as well." (Is Stigmata for Real?) One of the few American stigmatists is Father Jim Bruse of Lake Ridge, just outside Washington, D.C. He was assistant priest at a suburban Catholic church. The events which took place, beginning in 1991, received a lot of publicity. Besides having pain (called "inner stigmata") in his wrists, feet, and side, his wrists bled profusely at least once; this was witnessed by his church supervisor.(Stan Griffin, Workers for Jesus)"but to date, only one stigmatic has demonstrated wounds on his wrists, and this by a modern stigmatic in Rome (Brother Gino Burresi)." (Is Stigmata for Real?) "Another trend in the evolving phenomenon--represented for example by Virginia priest James Bruse--is the location of nail wounds in the wrists." (Joe Nickell, Skeptical Inquirer)None of the material is consistent in the way that St. Francis contracted his wounds: It was 1224 when the first undisputed and best-known case of stigmata surfaced on the person of St. Francis of Assissi, one of the great Roman Catholic Church saints. Two years before his death, St. Francis was praying on Mount Alverna, a place in central Italy where he often went to be alone. He was in the middle of a 40-day fast, feeling weak, and his eyes were burning. While he was praying and concentrating on his meditations, a vision appeared to him: an angel who was carrying an image of a man nailed to a cross.When the vision disappeared, St. Francis felt sharp pains in various places on his body. Looking to find the source, he saw that he had five marks like those on Jesus' hands, feet, and sides.(Stan Griffin, Workers for Jesus)"Francis of Assissi. He wanted to be so like Christ that he began to manifest the five wounds of his Savio...
