On Dr. Miravalle
I want to, first of all, thank everyone for the outpouring of support after my last post. I wrote it with much trepidation, for I did not relish the thought of having to write an article against an author I greatly respect (indeed, I would like to reiterate my respect for Dr. Miravalle). But at the end of the day I must follow my conscience and never succumb to the vice of respect of persons, and Dr. Miravalle’s article contained serious problems that simply, in justice, had to be publicly and quickly addressed, and Providence seemed to have placed me in the position to do that.
Note: My own Fifth Point (in response to Dr. Miravalle’s Fifth Point), was not clear: please see the addendum now posted at the bottom of my post if you are interested in a clarification.
On Fr. Michel
Unfortunately, some headlines that linked to my last post did so by referring to me as a “promoter” of Fr. Michel or a “strong defender” of him, or something of the sort. This isn’t really true. Yes, I’ve mentioned his prophecies as being worthy of consideration in a couple posts here. Yes, I wholeheartedly contribute to and endorse CTTK, which hosts several of his talks. Yes, I defended him against the 10 unjust accusations levied against him by Dr. Mark Miravalle (I will gladly defend anyone against unjust accusations — whether or not that person happens to be an authentic prophet).
But I haven’t even had time to watch most of Fr. Michel’s videos. I haven’t had the time to deeply study his messages. Dr. Miravalle’s 10 Points were so deeply flawed that they were rather straightforward to answer, but I do not have the answers to the multitude of other questions I get regarding Fr. Michel. I would recommend that, if you have an urgent question or concern regarding Fr. Michel, you contact Christine Watkins, who is the CTTK contributor who knows the most about him and who has posted the material on CTTK that pertains to him. As for me, Fr. Michel is just one of countless living prophets; one whom (like so many others) I have only had time to briefly look into and who appears authentic based on what I’ve seen so far. As I mentioned in my last post, I am not claiming certainty in his authenticity, and I am not even claiming conviction in his prophecies. He seems authentic to me and I believe he should be listened to and taken seriously. That is all I really have to say about that matter. I really cannot devote much more time to the matter than to say that; my mission is the revelations on the Divine Will given to the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta, and that is what I must focus on.
However, I’d like to quickly clarify one Fr. Michel issue right now:
Fr. Michel does not say the Warning will be this Fall.
Fr. Michel hasn’t said the Warning won’t be Fall 2020, either. He simply hasn’t said when it will be (to my knowledge, at least). He’s only saying that the Purification (i.e. the Chastisements) will pick up by this Fall. I’m guessing that the Chastisements will need to be in full swing for a while before the Warning itself comes, as God’s Permissive Will in this case is to bring humanity to its knees in order to be best disposed for the grace of the Warning. In pain, we are much more receptive to grace than in comfort.
Indeed, Fr. Michel said that “the month of the Rosary [October] will see great things,” but it shouldn’t be assumed that this is a reference to the Warning.
Remember what I constantly say: when it comes to your zeal for Salvation and Sanctification, have the sense of urgency that comes from assuming these timetables are correct. When it comes to continuing to undertake well the duties of your state in life, assume that the Time of Mercy will be extended yet again and that Fr. Michel’s prophetic timetable will not transpire. That advice never fails; and, indeed, the only point of prophecy is to help us to better respond to what Heaven is asking of us (proclaim the Divine Mercy, Live in the Divine Will, pray the Rosary, frequent the Sacraments, consecrate yourself/family/home to the Holy Family, etc.). Prophecy doesn’t exist to just arbitrarily give us knowledge of the future and it certainly doesn’t exist to fuel aimless speculation.
On my Credentials
[The following will be very boring and ought only be read by those who, for some reason, care about this issue!]
I have become aware that a few busybodies have been spreading slander about me online, accusing me of making up being a professor of philosophy and a PhD student. Indeed, this is nothing but calumny, and I suppose I should be glad to see their antics descend so low, since resorting to such low-blows shows they have no good arguments for their erroneous conclusions against the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta and the Prophetic Consensus in general, thus their employment of baseless ad-hominem attacks.
I am a professor of philosophy and religion, and a PhD student. Luckily for these busybodies, I have no desire for money, and I have no time! (Because if I wanted money and had time I could sue them for defamation.)
I have never been at all quiet or secretive about the details of my credentials: I am very proud to be very close to the bottom of the Totem pole of higher education (I like it there!):
I am adjunct faculty at a community college (HVCC) that itself is part of the State University of New York (SUNY).
(Where I teach, even many full time professors who already have their PhDs are also — along with adjuncts — referred to as “Instructors,” which, in this context, does not mean that the instructor is not also a “professor.” Here, “instructor” is simply a broader category akin to “teacher,” a category that includes “professor” within it. Yes, I am in some HVCC documentation referred to as “Instructor.” This does not mean that I am not a professor!)
Unfortunately, there have apparently been some blurbs about me on some materials — blurbs not written by me — that may not have always been the clearest about my credentials (For example, unfortunately, due to an evident miscommunication, the blurb about me on The Warning book — a blurb I am only really taking note of now — simply says “Professor of Philosophy, State University, New York.” This indeed is confusing and inaccurate — for one, there is no “State University, New York,” and I am a professor of philosophy at a State University of New York college, not at “the” “State University, New York.” I have never described myself to anyone, either in public or in private, as “Professor of Philosophy, State University, New York” so please feel free to correct anyone who refers to me as this and, if you like, direct them to this post.) But I have never contradicted these facts or knowingly cooperated with anyone else contradicting them; and I have always been completely open about the facts themselves: I have long promoted http://www.DOCphilosophy.com, where I make the details of my credentials clear. I have mentioned in past posts on this very blog that I am an adjunct. My public LinkedIn profile, which I’ve had for my entire time as a professor, makes it very clear that I am an adjunct (and where I am an adjunct) and that I am only a doctoral student (and where I am a doctoral student).
I have never said or implied that I am an assistant, associate, or full professor. I have never said or implied I am tenure or tenure track. I have never said or implied that I have a PhD. I have never said or implied that I am “Dr. O’Connor.” It is worth noting that, despite the fact that I am an adjunct on paper (that is, “part timer”), I nevertheless teach more courses than most “full-time” tenure professors. The courses I teach are in the subject areas of philosophy and religion. I have taught hundreds upon hundreds of students now in these matters and am in my fourth continuous year of doing so:
Yes, I am a professor of philosophy and religion. That is a fact. A community college is a college. An adjunct professor is a professor.
If, in your view, dear busybodies mentioned above, you believe that the word “professor” may only be used for a tenured professor at a 4-year-plus College or University; then you are entitled to that opinion, but I disagree with it and I will not be bound in my speech by your opinion.
[Long, boring remarks on the “PhD Candidate” question!]: I occasionally allow myself to be referred to as “PhD Candidate.” I am aware that some people use the phrase “PhD Candidate” to refer to a PhD student who is in the ABD (“All But Dissertation”) phase of studies (which I am not yet in, as I still have coursework remaining). But I am not aware of any strict rules only allowing the phrase “PhD Candidate” to be referred to someone in such a position. If any such strict rules exist, please alert me to them and direct me to an authoritative academic source regulating the phrase as such, and moving forward I’ll do my best to try to make sure that websites are not referring to me as “PhD Candidate.” Personally, I generally simply refer to myself as a “PhD Student” if asked. I tolerate the “Candidate” phrase being used, however, as I’m not exactly “just” a PhD student. I already have my Master’s degree (in Philosophical Theology), which I received over 7 years ago, and I am now entering my third year of PhD studies (a program I was explicitly accepted into, with a scholarship, as being solely directed toward a PhD). Notwithstanding the fact that I still have coursework left, I am, in fact — looking at the definitions of the words in question — a candidate for a PhD. A PhD is the expected result of the program that I, 1) Was accepted into, 2) Have been continually active in since, and 3) Now have years behind me in. Therefore I do not see any inaccuracy in referring to me as a “PhD Candidate.”
In general, however — as anyone who has read this blog knows (feel free to peruse its pages now if you have not) — I don’t like titles and credentials at all. I don’t want people to believe what I say “because a professor says so,” or “because someone with a Master’s in Theology says so,” rather, I want people to believe what I say because of the force of the arguments themselves. I prefer to simply go by “Daniel” (or, if you prefer, “Dan” or “Danny”); although I do not make a fuss if those I collaborate with prefer to refer to me as “Professor” or to add my credentials after my name. I only ask to go by anything other than my simple first name with my students, in class, during which time I go by “Mr. O’Connor.” So, please know that you can simply call me “Daniel,” and, in fact, I’d prefer that!
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