"Blessings and Miracles" — Vignettes from a Secular Franciscan's Discovery of His Vocation
This page contains the personal memoir of Harvey Meier — a Secular Franciscan — recounting his spiritual journey from childhood in Sharonville, Ohio, through his years at St. Gabriel School in Glendale, his adolescence, and ultimately his deep conversion experience and discovery of his Franciscan vocation.
Chapter 1 – Early Childhood and the Seeds of Faith
Born in the shadow of the Cold War near Dayton, Ohio, Harvey's earliest memories are of helping his father with small projects around their pre-fabricated home in Sharonville. His parents met at a factory named after the Wright brothers that later became the General Electric Aircraft Engine facility. His extended family ran a small restaurant called Hideaway Lake, and his childhood was marked by a sense of warmth and togetherness.
Chapter 2 – Going to School and Meeting God
Harvey began attending St. Gabriel School in Glendale, Ohio in the fall of 1959. There he was introduced to the Catholic faith through the catechism, daily Mass in Latin, and the beautiful stained glass windows depicting scenes from salvation history. He received the sacraments of Confession, Holy Communion, and Confirmation at St. Gabriel, and recalls the profound reverence of the traditional Latin Mass celebrated by the humble Father Montanus.
Chapter 3 – The First Miracle
On the day of his First Holy Communion in the spring of 1962, Harvey lost a generous $20 gift from his great uncle Earl and aunt Ethel. After fervent prayer on the living room couch, he looked out the front window and saw the bill caught in the branches of a small shrub — returned by the wind on that blustery May day. He recognized this as a direct answer to prayer and a sign of God's love.
Chapters 4–6 – Adolescence, All Saints School, and Into the Darkness
The family moved from Sharonville to Kenwood, and Harvey transferred to All Saints School. He describes the changes brought by Vatican II, the loss of the traditional Latin Mass, and the spiritual challenges of his high school years at Sycamore High School — a public school where prayer had been banned by the Supreme Court.
Chapter 7 – The Light Shining Through the Darkness
Even in his darkest years, Harvey found consolation in his holy grandmother Catherine Stansbury Meier, whose cheerful presence and quiet faith were a beacon of hope. He also recalls the joy of Boy Scout campouts and the natural world as a place where God's presence remained palpable.
Chapter 8 – The Second Miracle
Sometime between 1976 and 1978, while Harvey was grinding through evening college and working days, his future wife Joan prayed for him without his knowledge. In that moment he experienced a remarkable physical sensation — a tingling that moved from his feet upward through his entire body — and every anxiety he had been carrying instantly vanished. He recognized this as a miraculous gift from God, granted through Joan's intercession.
Chapters 9–10 – Family Life and the Marian Years
Harvey married Joan in 1981 and graduated from the University of Cincinnati Evening College in 1982. The birth of their daughter Nicole in 1985 marked a turning point in his spiritual life. In the summer of 1993, during a period of career transition and after Joan's bout with cancer, Harvey turned to prayer with renewed intensity. He attended reported apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Northern Kentucky and witnessed what he describes as miraculous events. It was at one of these apparitions that a woman recommended he read The Mystical City of God by Sister Maria of Agreda — a recommendation that would change the course of his life.
This memoir continues across multiple chapters. Harvey Meier is a member of the Secular Franciscan Order and the founder of Mystical City Media.