The Journey Vol. 02, 2022

The Illuminated Path

Col. J.J. Hansbrough says he spent much of his life blissfully unaware of God’s plan for him. He had fallen away from the Church for more than three decades, but is now an active parishioner in his parish and supporter of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. His early Catholic education with the Sisters and the influence of Sister Rose William continue to impact his life today.

“We were poor, but my family managed to send my older brother and me to Catholic school, where we both excelled academically,” Hansbrough said of his early years.

“The Sisters of Charity loved me,” he said of his 10 years of Catholic education at Our Lady of Nazareth. “My biggest fan was Sister Rose William, who was both my mentor and protector.”

Hansbrough recalls how one morning in the third grade, Sister Rose became very frustrated with the students’ misbehavior and ordered the entire class to stay after school and write her an apology.

“When the final bell rang, every pupil scrambled for the door and left, except for me. I nervously approached her desk and issued a heartfelt apology. She immediately hugged me and thanked me, noting that I was the only one in the class to do the right thing. Later that evening, she called my mother to tell her about her wonderful son. I’d never seen my mother so proud.” Hansbrough said the story of his good deed soon spread around the convent, and his future at Our Lady of Nazareth “became pure gold,” he said. “In the Italian military, they refer to this as ‘the illuminated path.’ Even when I fell away from the Church,

I always remembered this incident as a high point in my life.”

Hansbrough thoroughly enjoyed his time with the Sisters, but in his tenth-grade year, his family moved out of the city. After the move, Hansbrough began to shift away from his Catholic upbringing.

While Hansbrough found companionship with those of the Catholic faith during his time in the Air Force, including an army assistant and a young Monsignor, he remained steadfast in his new beliefs – or lack thereof – when it came to God.

It wasn’t until he retired from military service that Hansbrough changed his outlook on religion. In December 1997, Hansbrough fell ill with an infection and pneumonia.

“Journeys of faith are often circuitous. Mine has been a long and twisted path, with lots of missteps, stumbles and long detours onto dead-end streets,” he said. “Through the mercy of God and the prayers of known and unknown loved ones, I was once again placed on the main highway in a miraculous event that still mystifies me today.”

Shortly after a Christmas visit with family, Hansbrough became very ill. He found himself exhausted, in agony and caught between what he describes as earth and hell.

“I was isolated in a place without time or color, with a landscape similar to the moon, but without any sun, stars or planets in the sky. … Everything was cold, barren, black and gray, and silent.”

Distraught, Hansbrough began to pray, “What can I do to get out of this place?”

The reply he heard was to return to the church of his youth.

Hansbrough awoke, thinking that he had never had such a terrifying or realistic dream. He knew, however, that God was sending a clear message that his experience was no dream. He tossed around on the bed, shivering and sweating and desperately trying to remember the words of the Act of Contrition.

He explained that Sister Rose’s presence in the room was palpable and at some point, Hansbrough finally fell asleep. As Hansbrough’s condition slowly began to improve in the days that followed, he considered his next steps, including visiting churches in his area to experience Mass. Soon he would receive HolyCommunion for the first time in 35 years.

He remembered how a terrible stormformed outside the church as he visitedthe Monsignor to confess his sins. As themorning progressed, though, he felt achange in and around him.

“I walked out of the church, into thesunshine,” he said. “The storm was overand I was back.”

Hansbrough and his wife have become active in their parish and work in several ministries. His encounter with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and Sister RoseWilliam occurred early on in his young life, but those influences remained with him, even if dormant for a time. Today, he feels that he has returned to Christ, and faithfully supports the Sisters' mission.

Hansbrough hopes to pass on a message that it is never too late, “No matter what you have done or how long you might have been estranged … even if you have abandoned God, God has not abandoned you.”