Christina Gallagher claims that she was just "a shy Irish housewife" when she first received a vision of a beautiful lady in January 1988. A few weeks later, she began receiving regular messages from this entity who identified herself as the Queen of Peace. This mystical lady wanted Christina to deliver messages to the world and to build a "House of Prayer" on Achill Island, Ireland.

At first the messages seemed commonplace to many of the faithful. For example, the Queen of Peace wanted people to turn back to God, repent of their sins, and pray the Rosary. Then the messages turned more apocalyptic in nature. On July 16, 1999, the Queen of Peace began offering a mark called the "Seal of the Living God," which she said was necessary to withstand the temptations of the Antichrist. This "seal" was required for salvation and could only be received at the House of Prayer. The offer expired in 2000, but that didn't prevent thousands of pilgrims from flocking to this tiny windswept island, bringing with them an estimated €850,000 annually.¹

The Queen of Peace also requested that a new medal be made and distributed for her followers' protection. It is called the "Matrix Medal," because the lady who gave Christina the vision claimed she is "the Mediatrix of all graces." Her followers were required to say an Act of Consecration stating that the medal was a "sign of surrender" into her power and protection. According to Christina, "her followers should wear the Matrix Medal at all times, place the image of Our Lady Queen of Peace in their homes, and pray the Consecration prayer daily as Our Lady has requested."²

Since that time, several newspapers have reported stories on the financial status of Christina's ministry. Reporters have been following Christina around in her seven series BMW trying to get a statement. They have accused her of accumulating considerable wealth at the expense of the elderly. The accusations arise from the purchase of a €4,000,000 mansion and another €1,000,000 property outside Ballina where her daughter resides.

After the accusations were made public, many elderly contributors came forward. One couple claims they are now living in poverty after donating their entire life savings of €90,000 to the House of Prayer at the request of Mrs. Gallagher's associates. Others have stated that Christina's messages from God have become increasingly more terrifying and threatening toward those who did not support her.³

In 1996, the Most Reverend Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam, established a commission to investigate the House of Prayer. A year later, he issued a statement saying, "I find myself obliged to state that no evidence has been presented which might prove beyond reasonable doubt the occurrence of supernatural phenomena of whatever kind in this situation." Although he found no evidence of the supernatural, Archbishop Neary allowed the House of Prayer to remain open, asking that a private association be established to deal with the disposition of funds.⁴

In response to the Archbishop's request, Christina issued a statement to the press stating that she had been harshly treated by the Archdiocese and planned to close the House of Prayer. In order to clarify this issue, Archbishop Neary issued another statement stating that he wanted to "gradually integrate the work of the House of Prayer into the life of Achill Parish and the Archdiocese," but because he had become "increasingly perturbed by an apparent absence of enthusiasm" concerning Christian's willingness to cooperate, he concluded his statement by saying, "The House of Prayer has no Church approval and the work does not enjoy the confidence of the diocesan authorities."⁵

Shortly after Christina announced the closure, the House of Prayer reopened and has expanded its operations to several other locations in the United States. Upon receiving this news, the Bishop for the Diocese of Austin, Gregory Aymond, issued the following warning: "Our Lady Queen of Peace House of Prayer, scheduled to open on June 23, 2006 in Leander, is doing so without approval. It should not be considered as sanctioned by the Catholic Church. The house of prayer is associated with Mrs. Christian Gallagher of the Tuam Archdiocese in Ireland. The Tuam Archdiocese does not recommend her or the House of Prayer as credible."⁶

For more information please visit The Queen of Peace - Christina Gallagher.