WHY OUR LADY
20TH CENTURY - 1961 - OUR LADY OF GARABANDAL
GARABANDAL, SPAIN
OTHER TITLE: OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL OF GARABANDAL
VISIONARY(S): Conchita (12), Maria Cruz (11), Mari Loli (12), Jacinta (12)
NUMBER OF APPARITIONS: Over 2000
FIRST APPARITION: July 2, 1961
LAST APPARITION: November 13, 1965
APPROVED: Not Yet Approved
“We must pay many visits to the Blessed Sacrament,
but first of all we must be very good.
If we do not do this, punishment awaits us.
Already the cup is filling, and if we do not change,
we shall be punished.”
SUMMARY
In the years 1961-1965 of the 20th century, truly incredible events took place at Garabandal, Spain, in the foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain. Garabandal at the time numbered some 300 residents living in seventy roughly built stone dwellings huddled at the base of a small mountain. Isolated from other hamlets in the region, its only access was a three-and-a-half mile dirt road, cut into the side of the mountain, that stretched from Cosio, the next closest village.
While Garabandal was one of the poorest villages in the district, it was the most religious. Each evening at dusk, one of the women went through the streets ringing a bell to remind the townsfolk to pray for the dead. This was followed a short time later by another ringing, of the church bell, summoning all to the recitation of the Rosary in the village church. While there was no parish priest, the pastor of Cosio came up on weekends to say Mass and hear confessions.
The principal occupation here was raising cattle. Harvest from June into the fall was the most laborious time of the year. Sundays provided the only respite when these mountain folk could relax from the heaving farm work, and June 18, 1961, was just such a Sunday. On that Sunday evening, the Archangel Michael (St. Michael) appeared to four children, three twelve year old girls named Conchita Gonzalez, Mari Cruz Gonzalez, and MariLoli Mazon, and one eleven year old girl named Mari Cruz Gonzalez.
St. Michael made eight silent visits to them over the next twelve days. On July 1, 1961, he announced to the young girls that on the following day the Blessed Mother would appear to them as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. And she did, with a Brown Scapular around her wrist similar to her apparition at Fatima, Portugal in 1917.
During the next four years, the Blessed Virgin appeared to them more than 2,000 times. She often repeated to them that they should be obedient to their parents. She also encouraged them to make sacrifices, especially for the holiness of priests, and so that those priests who waver might persevere. She taught them to detest sin and helped them to form their consciences by responding to the thousands of questions the girls asked her. The girls affirmed that after seeing the Blessed Virgin Mary they yearned to love Jesus and Mary more and to tell everyone about the Lord and his Most Holy Mother. The simple and trusting relationship that the little girls had with their Heavenly Mother was truly exceptional. In certain occasions, she played with the girls and she often said good-bye to them with a kiss.
There were obvious connections between the prophetic messages that Our Lady gave at Quito, Ecuador hundreds of years previously and between those that would be made at Medjugorje thirty years after Garabandal. And there were connections also made between the events that had taken place at Fatima, Portugal only forty-four years previously. Like Fatima, Our Lady was asked for a sign for all to see and believe. At Fatima, Our Lady gave the Miracle of the Sun. At Garabandal, Our Lady gave the miracle of the Eucharist. Based upon the phenonema and other circumstances that took place at Garabandal, checked by thousands of eyewitnesses, from the photographs that exist by the hundreds; from the tape recordings of the dialogues and prayers in ecstasy; from the films that have been taken; from the tests made to ascertain the veracity of the ecstasies; from the medical inspections and reports; pathological
symptoms; from the miracle of the Communion announced in advance and photographed; from all the circumstances surrounding the death of Father Luis; from the graces obtained through the mediation of Our Lady at Garabandal; from the interrogations and studies undertaken by theologians and experts, etc., one indisputable fact transpires: these girls are not lying, these girls see someone who speaks to them, corrects them teaches them, informs them of things of which they are ignorant; announces to them prophesies that are fulfilled; gives them directions in order to find lost objects; permits them to gain knowledge of the state of the consciences of certain people; enables them to identify priests in lay clothes, and to answer questions framed solely in their minds.
We do not know whether the cause is preternatural or supernatural. But, in view of the type of message in question, the conversions that have taken place and the fervor aroused, we cannot help thinking, prompted by those words spoken by Jesus, “by their fruit thou shalt know them”, that the prodigies are due to supernatural causes. It is true that, for the moment, the Church has not seen fit to pass final judgment, but, on the Vision’s behalf, the children long since announced this period of contradictions, doubts and misgivings which have in fact made their appearance and which, given the proverbial prudence of the Church, were the reason for the denials in the first place.
But, over and over again, after foretelling this negative phase, the Vision insisted that the miracle will take place and people will believe. And everything that this strange Vision has said has hitherto been fulfilled to the letter.
Let us admit the truth. The question mark remains, the investigation is not over. Garabandal is still a mystery which, as Catholics and men of conscience, we are still duty-bound to follow respectfully and zealously. Only in this way, when the miracle is announced, will it find us prepared, thus avoiding the Blessed Virgin’s voice being drowned in the silence of surprise or ignorance.
May our sacrifices and our prayers, our conduct, cooperate with Heaven so that the issue of Garabandal may soon be resolved and shown to be an undeniable truth.
Having been told that the Warning would be the first event to take place, and that it would occur during Conchita’s lifetime, if the fulfillment is going to happen, then it seems that is must happen soon. MariLoli has already died (2009), whereas Conchita is now seventy-one years old (as of May, 2020), and it will be her task to announce the Miracle eight days in advance. The year 2021 is the sixtieth anniversary of the first visions at Garabandal and the fortieth anniversary of Medjugorje. Most assuredly, expectations are now mounting in some quarters. But the real message of the visions is much more urgent than the discernment of the date of the Miracle! Indeed, to focus on this issue is to miss the point altogether. Humanity was visited at Garabandal with prodigious signs and wonders so that we would turn back to the Lord with all our hearts. Are we to ignore the meaning of these signs and wonders as we speculate idly about the details of a future sign? The future Miracle will have its function and value, but let not the function and value of the original prodigies go to waste!
BEFORE THE APPARITIONS
Garabandal vs Our Lady’s other Apparitions
Included in this booklet are reports re: 30 separate apparitions, of which 22 occurred prior to the Garabandal apparition in 1961. Of these 22 apparitions, 3 occurred in the Americas, and 19 occurred in Europe.
Of these 22 apparitions that occurred prior to Garabandal, Our Lady gave us warnings and/or prophesies at 7 of them that are very, very important and serious. These 7 are:
· 1578 - Quito, Ecuador
· 1830 - Paris, France
· 1846 - La Salette, France
· 1849 - Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
· 1876 - Pellevoisin, Fatima
· 1917 - Fatima, Portugal, and
· 1945 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
A Quito, Ecuador Connection?
Late in the 16th Century and early in the 17th Century, Our Lady of Good Success appeared at Quito, Ecuador. Her apparitions there were approved by the local bishop. At Quito, she said that in the 19th Century and 20th Century, heresies would prevail not only in Ecuador but universally. She also made the following prophesies:
“Unbridled passions will give way to a total corruption of customs because Satan will reign through the Masonic sects, targeting the children in particular to ensure general corruption.”
“Unhappy, the children of those times! Seldom will they receive the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. As for the sacrament of Penance, they will confess only while attending Catholic schools, which the devil will do his utmost to destroy by means of persons in authority.”
“The same will occur with Holy Communion. Oh, how it hurts me to tell you that there will be many and enormous public and hidden sacrileges!
“In those times, the sacrament of Extreme Unction will be largely ignored.… Many will die without receiving it, being thereby deprived of innumerable graces, consolation, and strength in the great leap from time to eternity.
“The sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be thoroughly attacked and profaned. Masonry, then reigning, will implement iniquitous laws aimed at extinguishing this sacrament. They will make it easy for all to live in sin, thus multiplying the birth of illegitimate children without the Church’s blessing….
“Secular education will contribute to a scarcity of priestly and religious vocations.”
“The holy sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this both the Church and God Himself are oppressed and reviled, since He is represented by His priests.
“The devil will work to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every way, working with baneful cunning to destroy the spirit of their vocation and corrupting many. Those who will thus scandalize the Christian flock will bring upon all priests the hatred of bad Christians and the enemies of the One, Holy, Roman Catholic, and Apostolic Church. This apparent triumph of Satan will cause enormous suffering to the good pastors of the Church…and to the Supreme Pastor and Vicar of Christ on earth who, a prisoner in the Vatican, will shed secret and bitter tears in the presence of
God Our Lord, asking for light, sanctity, and perfection for all the clergy of the world, to whom he is King and Father.”
“Unhappy times will come wherein those who should fearlessly defend the rights of the Church will instead, blinded despite the light, give their hand to the Church’s enemies and do their bidding. But when [evil] seems triumphant and when authority abuses its power, committing all manner of injustice and oppressing the weak, their ruin shall be near. They will fall and crash to the ground.
“Then will the Church, joyful and triumphant like a young girl, reawaken and be comfortably cradled in the arms of my most dear and elect son of those times. If he lends an ear to the inspirations of grace–one of which will be the reading of these great mercies that my Son and I have had toward you–we shall fill him with graces and very special gifts and will make him great on earth and much greater in Heaven. There we have reserved a precious seat for him because,
heedless of men, he will have fought for truth and ceaselessly defended the rights of the Church, deserving to be called ‘martyr.’”
“At the end of the nineteenth century and throughout a great part of the twentieth, many heresies will be propagated in these lands.…
“The small number of souls who will secretly safeguard the treasure of Faith and virtues will suffer a cruel, unspeakable, and long martyrdom. Many will descend to their graves through the violence of suffering and
will be counted among the martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the country and the Church.
“To be delivered from the slavery of these heresies, those whom the merciful love of my Son has destined for this restoration will need great will-power, perseverance, courage, and confidence in God. To try the faith and trust of these just ones, there will be times when all will seem lost and paralyzed. It will then be the happy beginning of the complete restoration….
“In those times the atmosphere will be saturated with the spirit of impurity, which like a filthy sea, will engulf the streets and public places with incredible license.… Innocence will scarcely be found in children, or modesty in women.
“He who should speak seasonably will remain silent.
“There shall be scarcely any virgin souls in the world. The delicate flower of virginity will seek refuge in the cloisters.…Without virginity, fire from heaven will be needed to purify these lands.…
“Sects, having permeated all social classes, will find ways of introducing themselves into the very heart of homes to corrupt the innocence of children. The children’s hearts will be dainty morsels to regale the devil.…
“Religious communities will remain to sustain the Church and work with courage for the salvation of souls.… The secular clergy will fall far short of what is expected of them because they will not pursue their sacred duty. Losing the divine compass, they will stray from the way of priestly ministry mapped out for them by God and will become
devoted to money, seeking it too earnestly.
“Pray constantly, implore tirelessly, and weep bitter tears in the seclusion of your heart, beseeching the Eucharistic Heart of my most holy Son to take pity on His ministers and to end as soon as possible these unhappy times by sending to His Church the Prelate who shall restore the spirit of her priests.”
Unfortunately, the prophesies made by Our Lady of Good Success at Quito approximately 400 years ago were right on the money. And as a result we can see clearly why Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Garabandal said: ”Before the chalice was filling up, now it is overflowing. Many Cardinals, many Bishops and many priests are on the path to perdition, and they take many souls with them. To the Eucharist there is given less and less importance. We should avoid the wrath of God upon us.”
A Fatima Connection?
All true apparitions of Our Lady have their own uniqueness. Lourdes had its grotto; Fatima its cova; Garabandal its calleja; and Medjugorje its Podbrdo (Apparition Hill). But while the locations and characteristics of each manifestation change, the messages which the Blessed Virgin comes to deliver are similar and almost always include requests for prayer and penance.
But when Our Lady appeared at Fatima in 1917, she did something she had not done before: she addressed messages specifically to the entire world. Similarly at Garabandal we again find this universal appeal. Although Fatima and Garabandal are separate events there is continuity in the revelations and similarities in features of the events not found among the other visits of Our Lady during the Marian Age.
At both Fatima and Garabandal an angel appeared first to prepare the way for the Blessed Virgin. At Garabandal it was St. Michael the Archangel and at Fatima the Angel of Portugal. At both Fatima and Garabandal the visionaries received communion from the angel, the only two apparitions of Our Lady where this occurred.
Both Fatima and Garabandal had a visionary named Jacinta.
At Fatima in August of 1917, to prevent the young seers from going to the site of the apparitions they were detained in jail by civil authorities. At Garabandal in July of 1961, Conchita, who was thought to be the ringleader and the one influencing the others, was taken to Santander where she was detained for several days.
At Fatima, the seers saw a vision of hell. At Garabandal, the seers saw visions of hell on earth in the tribulation and chastisement.
At both Fatima and Garabandal a great miracle was/is to serve as the seal of authenticity for the events. At Fatima Our Lady said she would perform a miracle so all would believe. At Garabandal she said as a result of the miracle “all will believe.”
The Virgin appeared at Fatima as Our Lady of the Rosary thereby giving great emphasis to that powerful and important Marian prayer. At Garabandal the rosary theme continued with the visionaries being commanded by the Virgin to pray it during almost every apparition.
In the sixth apparition at Fatima on October 13, 1917, during the tableaux of visions during the Miracle of the Sun, Our Lady appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the scapular on her wrist.
On July 2, 1961, the Virgin appeared at Garabandal as Our Lady of Mount Carmel with a large brown scapular draped over her right arm.
At both Fatima and Garabandal, Russia was mentioned. At Fatima, in 1917, Our Lady warned that if people did not change, Russia would scatter her errors throughout the world. At Garabandal, in 1961, Our Lady said that if people do not change, Russia would rule the world. Our Lady never said exactly how or when Russia would accomplish their objective, but she did say her Immaculate Heart would triumph. Our Lady also said things would get much worse before they got better.
On the evening of June 18, 1921, before leaving for the convent school, Lucia left her home to pay a last visit to the Cova da Iria. She is said to have seen Our Lady standing at a spot now occupied by the lower steps of the Basilica.
At Garabandal, St. Michael first appeared to the visionaries in the evening (8:30pm) of June 18, 1961, exactly 40 years (a biblical number) to the day (and even the time of day) from the last vision at Fatima.
THE APPARITIONS
Our Lady’s First Message
It seems that Our Lady of Mount Carmel was sent to Garabandal by God Himself to deliver two very critically important messages to us through the girls. On October 18, 1961, Our Lady’s first critically important message was made public for the world through the girls:
“We must pay many visits to the Blessed Sacrament...but first of all we must be very good...If we do not do this, punishment awaits us...already the cup is filling, and if we do not change, we shall be punished.”
The apocalyptic tone of this message sounds very much like that of Akita, Medjugorje, and Rwanda. At Medjugorje and Rwanda, the messages turned out to be not only warnings but also promises.
During the first two years, the heavenly manifestations constantly increased in number. But, starting in 1963, the girls had fewer apparitions, and sometimes Our Lady, or occasionally Our Lord Himself, chose to speak to them through interior locutions. Despite all of this, pilgrims continued to come to Garabandal in great numbers, and many of the pilgrimages came from outside of Spain. The little village in the mountains received visits from important Church figures, reporters from important news agencies, diplomats, entrepreneurs, writers, etc. Notable conversions and healings, both of a physical and spiritual nature, took place in Garabandal. Our Lady of Garabandal specialized in healing hearts and souls.
Our Lady’s Last (of 2000+) Message
On January 1, 1965, Our Lady told Conchita that on the following June 18, 1965, St. Michael would deliver her final message since the people had not obeyed her first message. St. Michael then did deliver this critically important message on schedule as Our Lady promised:
“Before the chalice was filling, now it is overflowing. Many Cardinals, many Bishops, and many priests are on the path of perdition, and they take many souls with them. To the Eucharist there is given less and less importance. We should avoid the wrath of God upon us.”
A number of ideas can be gathered from this Message: Our Lady is disturbed at the lack of response to her message of October 18th, 1961; she is concerned about priests; the Holy Eucharist must be given the pride of place It deserves; it is essential that we appease God by our efforts...Our Lady promises forgiveness to those who ask for it sincerely; she tells us she will grant us our pleas; she insists that she loves us very much and desires our salvation; she asks us to make sacrifices and recommends us to reflect on the Passion of Jesus; she assures us that we are being given the last warnings, and that this is the last message.
The message, though brief, is rich in content, and describes the painful situation that the Catholic Church was living at the time, as the Second Vatican Council was about to come to a close. Several months after this message was proclaimed, Pope Paul VI published the encyclical Mysterium Fidei in which he expresses his grave concern for the doctrinal confusion regarding the greatest treasure that the Church possesses: the Eucharist.
Other Messages from Our Lady
November 13th, 1965 was a bittersweet day for Conchita. She walked alone to the Pines as the rain fell down on her. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared again to the young woman. She came with the Child Jesus, who was all smiles, but this would be the last time. Addressing Conchita, the Blessed Virgin Mary said, “Conchita, tell me, tell me about my children. I have all of them under my mantel... I love you all very much and I desire your salvation… give all you can and we will help you… This will be the last time you see me here, but I will be with you always and with all my children. Conchita, you should visit my Son more often in the Tabernacle. Why do you let yourself be led by your laziness to not visit him? He is waiting for you all, day and night.”
Conchita responded to the Blessed Virgin, “How happy I am when I see you! Why don't you take me with you right now?” She answered, “Remember what I told you on your saint's day. When you present yourself before God, you must show Him your hands filled with the good works you have done for your brothers and for the glory of God; in this moment, your hands are empty.” Those words marked the end of the visible manifestations of Our Lady in Garabandal. The happy moments the girls had spent with their Heavenly Mother had come to an end, but they continued to feel her presence and the impression she had made on their souls. Conchita said that “the apparitions left my soul full of peace and joy and gave me a great desire to overcome my defects and to love the Lord and His Most Holy Mother with all of my strength.”
Our Lady told the girls that a time would come when they would doubt the messages and even doubt that Our Lady had appeared to them. This did happen. One of them, Mari Cruz, is said to have recanted. The other girls went through a grave doubt and depression. It is obvious that extreme emotional and spiritual suffering was experienced by the girls.
Our Heavenly Mother wants to leave that same impression on all of our souls: the certainty that we have a Mother who is close to us and who looks after for us; the desire of conversion that is born in our souls through meditating on the Passion; love and veneration for the Eucharist, the greatest gift that the Church possesses. The Blessed Virgin Mary will forever be with all of her children. She promises to us the same thing that she promised to Conchita in the last apparition: “We will help you. I will be with you always and with all of my children.”
Our Lady’s Prophesies
A highlight of the apparitions was the four supernatural events that were foreshadowed for the world:
World Wide Warning
It will come from God and it will be experienced by everyone in the world. Mari-Loli knows the year of the Warning. She said “we will see it and feel it within ourselves and it will be most clear that it comes from God”, and that the Warning will occur within one year before the miracle. The warning will take place during Conchita’s lifetime.
Conchita wrote in a letter on January 1, 1965: “Our Lady said that a Warning would be given to the entire world before the Miracle in order that the world might amend itself. It will come directly from God and be visible throughout the entire world.”
Conchita also wrote on June 2, 1965: “The Warning, like the Chastisement is a fearful thing for the good as well as the wicked. It will draw the good closer to God and warn the wicked that the end of times ic coming. These are the last warnings.”
Conchita explained that the warning is a purifying event to prepare us for the Miracle. She believes that after they occur, we will be near the end of times. Each person on earth will have an interior experience of how they stand in the light of God’s Justice. Believers and non-believers alike will experience the Warning.
Jacinta has said, “The Warning is something that is first seen in the air, everywhere in the world and immediately is transmitted into the interior of our souls. It will last for a very little time, but it will seem a very long time because of its effect within us. It will be for the good of our souls, in order to see in ourselves our conscience.... the good that we have failed to do, and the bad that we have done. Then we will feel a great love towards our heavenly Parents and ask forgiveness for all our offenses. The Warning is for everybody because God wants our salvation. The Warning is for us to draw closer to Him and to increast our faith. Therefore, one should prepard for that day, but not await it with fear. God does not send things for the sake of fear but rather with justice and love. He does it for the good of all His children so they might enjoy eternal happiness and not be lost.”
Great Miracle
According to Conchita, “The Virgin told only me about the miracle. She forbade me to say what it will consist of. I cannot reveal the date either until eight days beforehand. What I am allowed to say is that it will coincide with an event in the Church, and with the feast of a saint who is a martyr of the Holy Eucharist; it will be visible to everybody in the village and on the surrounding mountainsides; the sick who are present will be cured and the incredulous will believe. It will be the greatest miracle that Jesus has worked for the world. There will not remain the slightest doubt that it comes from God and is for the good of mankind.
Russia will be converted after the Miracle. Conchita tells us in her diary that the reigning Pope would see the Miracle from wherever he is, and Padre Pio would also see the Great Miracle.
According to MariLoli, the Miracle will take place within one year after the Warning. She also said, the Blessed Mother told her a time would come when it would look like the Church was finished, when Priests would have difficulty saying Mass and talking about holy things. When she asked Our Lady how this would happen, Our Lady called it Communism.”
A Permanent Sign
After the Great Miracle, a Sign....something that has never been seen before upon the earth will remain forever (para siempre) in the “Pines” of Garabandal. It will be of supernatural origin and something that has never been seen before on earth. It will be something that people can see but not touch. Conchita has written: “A sign of the Miracle (un senal del milagro) which will be possible to film or televise, will remain forever (para siempre) at the Pines.”
The Chastisement
During July, 1962, Conchita, MariLoli and Jacinta were shown a vision of the impending chastisement. Our Lady told the visionaries that if we do not heed her warnings and mankind does not change after the Warning and Miracle, God will send the Chastisement.
In a note written by Conchita, she states: “The punishment is conditioned upon whether or not mankind heeds the messages of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the miracle.” If it does take place, then I know what it will consist of, because the Virgin told me, but I am not allowed to say. What is more, I have seen the punishment. What I can assure you is that, if it comes, it is far worse than if we were enveloped in fire; worse than if we had fire above us, and fire beneath. I do not know how long a time will elapse after the miracle, before God sends it.”
In describing the vision, MariLoli said: “It would be worse than having fire on top of us, fire underneath us and fire all around us. She saw people throwing themselves into the sea, but instead of putting the fire out it seemed to make them burn more.”
Extraordinary Phenomena at Garabandal
Some more highlights of the Garabandal apparitions were the extraordinary phenomena that took place and were unique to Garabandal including the following:
Our Lady’s arrival
The girls knew when Our Lady was going to appear to them thanks to what the girls themselves called the "llamadas,” or interior calls. They received three interior calls in which they experienced an increasing joy that preceded and announced the apparition. After the third interior call, the joy was so intense that they began to run from wherever they were towards the place of the apparition. They arrived almost simultaneously and fell onto their knees abruptly in an ecstatic trance.
Our Lady’s departure
When Our Lady would leave, the girls said: “She just vanishes into thin air.”
Ecstasies
In August of 1961, the girls began to walk during their ecstasies. With their eyes fixed upwards, they walked forwards and backwards throughout the village. The doctors were astonished to see the strange physical phenomena that accompanied the ecstasies, during which they had absolutely no sensitivity to pain, even when people poked them with needles or burned them with cigarettes. Their bodies acquired extraordinary weight which made it impossible to pick them up or even to force them to make the slightest movement. Their weight factor changed so much that two grown men had difficulty in lifting one 12 year old girl; yet the girls could lift each other while in ecstasy with the greatest of ease to offer a kiss to Our Lady. Their eyes were completely open as they contemplated the apparition, yet when cameras flashed or onlookers shined powerful lights into their eyes, their expressions did not change. They ran towards the site of the apparition and got there before everyone else, including the strong and healthy young boys. And, while the rest of the people arrived sweating and out of breath, the girls arrived without any signs of physical fatigue. They fell hard onto their knees on the stones without hurting themselves. They walked forwards and backwards during the ecstasies on the poorly paved streets of the village, or even cross-country, with their heads completely raised, and their eyes constantly fixed upwards. Though they were totally unable to see where they were going, they never fell or tripped. None of this has a natural explanation.
Locutions
Locutions are supernatural interior communications. They can be imagined, heard through the ear, or directly perceived by the intellect. Locutions were received by Conchita and Mari-Loli until February 13, 1966.
An example of the locutions received by the girls is an important locution of Our Lord with Conchita during the Mass on July 10, 1963:
“I was making my thanksgiving and praying for things. He answered me...
“I asked Him to give me a cross since I was living without suffering - except the suffering of not having a cross.” - He answered, “Yes, I will give it to you.”
“And I said, “Why is the Miracle coming - to convert many people?” - He answered: “To convert the whole world.”
“Will Russia be converted?” - “It will also be converted; and so, every one will love Our Hearts.”
“Why do you come to my poor heard, without my meriting it?” - “I certainly do not come for you; I come for all.”
“When the Miracle comes, will it be as I were the only one (of the girls) who had seen the Virgin?" - “By your sacrifices, your patience, I will allow you to intercede for the accomplishment of the Miracle.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to be, with all the others (the other 3 girls), or, if not, that you didn’t use any of us girls to intercede?” - “No!”
”Will I go to Heaven?” - “You should love much, and pray to Our Hearts.”
“What will I be?” He did not answer, but said, - “everywhere I am, I would have much to suffer.”
“Am I to die soon?” - “You have to stay on the earth to help the world.”
“I am very small. I could help in anything.” - “With your prayers and suffering, you will help the world.”
“When does one go to Heaven?” - “One never dies.”
“Is St. Peter at the Gate of Heaven to receive us?” - “No.”
He told me that now His Heart should be loved.
He told me I must pray for Priests:
1) So that they be holy;
2) So that they fulfill their duties;
3) So that they would make others believe;
4) So that they would make Me known to those who do not know Me;
5) So that they would make Me loved by those who know Me, and do not love Me.
On October 13, 1963, Mari Loli reported in a letter some comments received in recent locutions:
The Virgin:
1) Made me know when a priest is in sin, that he needs many prayers and sacrifices;
2) Told me to recognize when a person needs prayers to be said for him;
3) Told me, “Pray for Priests, since there are some who need more sacrifices for them everyday” ;
4) About Adam, that he did not descend from any animal by evolution, but from God, as a Perfect Man.
Pebbles
During the first apparitions, the girls offered pebbles to the Child Jesus, whom the Blessed Virgin sometimes brought with her, because they wanted to make Him laugh. The Child did not take the pebbles, but Our Mother did. She kissed them and requested that they be given to certain people after the ecstasy.
Religious objects
The onlookers soon began to give the girls numerous religious objects for Our Lady to kiss, or, when the girls were not present, they left the objects on tables next to the girls’ houses which were placed there for that very purpose. There was no way for the girls to know to whom each article belonged. Even so, during the ecstasies, with their faces always turned upwards and with their eyes fixed on heaven, guided by the vision, in all of the thousands of times that they returned rosaries, medals, wedding rings and other religious objects to their owners, they never made a mistake.
On a certain occasion, the girls were surprised to find a powder compact among the objects to be kissed by the Blessed Virgin. They doubted whether to present to her a seemingly secular object. But when the Blessed Virgin arrived, the first thing she asked to kiss was the compact, saying that it “belonged to her Son.” When the ecstasy ended, the owner of the compact revealed that during the Spanish Civil War, the compact had been used to take the Eucharist to prisoners and to those who were about to be executed.
Crucifix
During the ecstasies, our little protagonists always brought a crucifix which they offered to the onlookers to venerate. They normally held out the crucifix to whomever the Blessed Virgin indicated to the girls. After an ecstasy, Conchita found out that those who had kissed the crucifix, though they weren´t dressed as priests, were in reality priests. During the ecstasies, the girls recognized priests and religious on numerous occasions, though they were dressed normally, with no way for the girls to distinguish them other than through the visions.
Examinations
Little by little, as the news was spread by word of mouth, visitors began to arrive from outside of village, some from outside of Spain. 500 to 3,000 people arrived each day and joined the villagers of Garabandal in prayer as they waited for the apparition. Soon, many priests and doctors approached the girls during the ecstasies with the intention of judging whether the apparitions were genuine. Some of the first to arrive in the little mountain village were prestigious theologians, teachers, diocesan priests, and religious, some of whom held important positions in the Church… They carried out their theological and doctrinal investigations and examined the girls’ lives. They concluded that the girls were perfectly healthy and well-balanced; they did not crave attention, though at the same time they had not completely overcome their childish ways, which emphasizes the fact that they were completely normal. They verified that in the months of the apparitions, the girls did not neglect their educational obligations, household chores or labor in the fields, though during the apparitions the girls sometimes stayed in vigil until early in the morning, suffering the harsh weather: rain, cold, and snow.
Daily Communion
At Garabandal, Our Lady encouraged daily communion. When there was not mass in the town, Saint Michael the Archangel would bring the Eucharist to the girls so that they would not miss communion.
Conchita said the following in her diary: “At the beginning of the apparitions, the angel Saint Michael gave us unconsecrated hosts. We had eaten shortly before, but he gave them to us just the same. He did this to teach us how to receive Communion. One day he asked us to take a little girl with us. We took along a little girl and did what he asked us to do. When we reached the pines, the angel appeared to us with a goblet that looked like gold. He said to us: ‘I am going to give you Holy Communion but this time the Hosts are consecrated. ‘ Recite the ‘I Confess’. We recited it and then he gave us Holy Communion. Afterwards, he told us that we should give thanks to God. When we had done this, he told us to recite with him the prayer ‘Soul of Christ’. This we did also. Then he said: ‘I will give you Communion again tomorrow.’ And he went away. When we told this to the people, some didn’t believe because they said that an angel can’t consecrate. When we saw the angel again, we told him what the people had said and he answered that he took Hosts already consecrated from the tabernacles of the earth.”
The Angel gave the visionaries Communion either at the Pines, at the campucha (a small meadow near the calleja), or on the church portico. The usual time was in the morning and the angel told them to go to the designated spot without eating. At the time of the apparitions, the Eucharistic fast was three hours.
Eucharistic Miracle
One day, Saint Michael told Conchita that on a certain occasion, he would bring her communion, and the host would become visible on her tongue. Conchita did not think it was a very impressive miracle, because she thought that the host was always visible to those who were present. Conchita announced the date of the miracle 15 days in advance. When the awaited day arrived, there were hundreds of people in the village. The miracle took place on July 19th, 1962 at 1:30 am. One of the main concerns of the Blessed Virgin in Garabandal was to help us to grow in our love and veneration of the Eucharist. In that sense, it is fitting that the miracle was precisely a Eucharistic miracle. One of the witnesses was able to record on video the brief seconds in which the white host appeared in Conchita’s mouth.
Obedience
Without it no army could ever win a battle, no society could remain stable for very long, the Church could not exist, and souls could not be saved, since all of the Ten Commandments deal with it. Such is the importance of---obedience.
The saints have always given it top priority. Jesus Himself told Saint Faustina: “I obeyed My parents, I obeyed My torturers and now I obey My priests.” Christ’s obedience cost Him His life, but it was the price that had to be paid to correct the disobedience of our first parents.
Immediately after the Second Vatican Council, disobedience again became an issue when “dissenting” theologians and members of the hierarchy revolted against the Church teaching influencing many of the laity to follow suit. The results have been devastating.
At Garabandal, Our Lady anticipated this impending crisis by emphasizing the paramount importance of obedience for those who hope to be saved. She did this first by insisting upon obedience from the four visionaries and not so much to her, but to their parents and others, such as priests who had lawful authority over them.
When it came to the visionaries’ obedience to their parents, Our Lady was very firm. On one occasion when Jacinta was waiting up for the vision, she remonstrated with her father when he told her to go to bed. The Virgin’s punishment was severe as she stopped appearing to Jacinta for a month during which time the girl languished, losing her color and her appetite, while the others continued to see Our Lady on a regular basis. When the Virgin finally did appear to her, Jacinta immediately wanted to know why the Virgin hadn’t come to her for so long. The reply was instructive: “For the wrong that you did to your father on that night. How many times do I have to tell you that you must obey your parents, even before obeying me?”
Father Ramon
Amongst the many priests who went to Garabandal to study the events was Father Luis María Andreu, a Jesuit. He and his brother, also a Jesuit, Father Ramón Andreu, moved more out of curiosity than out of a hope to find something serious, visited Garabandal . They were convinced by what they saw that the girls were telling the truth. On August 8th, 1961, Father Luis María Andreu made a second visit to Garabandal. That night, when the girls fell into ecstasy, he approached them to observe them closely. Suddenly, those who were with him saw that an indescribable enthusiasm invaded the Priest. His face changed and tears began to fall down his cheeks. He suddenly cried out, “Miracle! Miracle! Miracle! Miracle!” In the car, as he returned to his residence that same night, his companions were impressed by the joy that overwhelmed him and by his complete surety as he spoke of the events of Garabandal. He repeated enthusiastically, “I’m so happy! The Blessed Virgin has given me an immense gift! We’re so lucky to have a Mother like her in Heaven! There is no doubt in my mind that the visions are true. Today is the happiest day of my life!” After that last phrase, there was silence. “Father, what’s wrong?” Father Luis María Andreu had died. He was still a young man and had no known illness. The Blessed Virgin Mary told the girls that on August 8th Father Luis María Andreu had not only seen her, but he had also seen the Great Miracle that would come.
The End of Times (and the Three Popes Remaining Prophesy)
When Pope John XXIII died, the bells of the Garabandal Church clanged out the expected news. “Listen, they are ringing the bells!” Her mother said, “It’s for the Pope.” Conchita acknowledged. “Certainly - now only three remain.” In surprise, her mother exclaimed! “What are you saying?” Conchita said firmly, “What I heard. That only three popes remain.” Her mother asked sharply, “And where did you pick that up?” And Conchita answered, “I didn’t pick it up. The Virgin told it to me.” (Referring to the locution in May when the Pope had been discussed with Our Lady). “Then, you mean the end of the world is coming”, asked her mother? “The Virgin didn’t tell me the end of the world, but, ‘the end of the times’ (St. Luke 21:24)”, said Conchita. This strange announcement passed quietly through the village, and soon worldwide.
One thing that should have been learned by now from Our Lady’s apparitions is that Our Lady says what she means and means what she says. In most of the apparitions it is pretty clear exactly what she means, and in some, not so clear. The three popes remaining prophesy is one of these. Just what exactly did Our Lady mean when she told Conchita: “’only three popes remain’, ‘and then it will be the end of the times?’”
Pope John XXIII began his pontificate in 1958. He was the Pope when both the apparitions at Garabandal (1961) and Vatican II (1962) began. Pope John XXIII died in 1963 and the next pope was Pope Paul XI (#1).
Pope Paul XI would then have been the first pope after Conchita said “only three popes remain.” On June 3, 1963, Conchita is reported to have said “Another pope will come and the Council will continue.” Pope Paul VI did not have to continue Vatican II, but he did. After Pius X opened the first Vatican Council in 1869, it was suspended in 1870 when revolutionaries took over Rome, but never closed and could have been continued by a succeeding pontiff. But it never was. It is very doubtful that Conchita had any idea what was meant by “the Council” when she repeated those words of Our Lady. Pope Paul VI died in 1978.
Pope John Paul I was installed as the next pope on September 3, 1978 but died shortly after on September 28, 1978. On November 14, 1965, Conchita is reported to have said “One (pope) will have a very short reign.” Pope John Paul I was the second pope after Conchita said “only three popes remain.”
Pope John Paul II was installed as the next pope on October 22, 1978. The Superior of the school that Conchita attended in 1966-67 remembered Conchita telling her that the last of the popes before el fin de lo tiempos (the end of the times) will be Papa Papa (this would refer to John Paul II) y muy amante de la virgen - (and a great lover of the Virgin). John Paul II was the third pope after Conchita said “only three popes remain”, and most certainly a great lover of the Virgin Mary. John Paul II died on April 2, 2005. According to the third pope prophesy then, the death of John Paul II signals the end of one epoch which is to be replaced by another (the final phase of human history?),
If we accept the third pope prophesy in which Conchita repeated Our Lady’s words that there would be three more popes and then it will be “the end of the times”, then we are now living in the “and then” period. Our Lady never said everything had to happen overnight. And how can anyone know for certain just how “the end of the times” will come about.
We are dealing with things we don’t fully understand for now nor will we understand them until some time in the future. Conchita said there would be three more popes and now we have had a fourth and fifth without any noticeable change in our times. This may appear like a contradiction, but it may not be. Conchita has received a number of revelations from Our Lady about the papacy and they have always come true. We may not see how this one is fulfilled, but God sometimes asks for trust in the face of apparent contradition. The Fathers of the Church did not always agree on everything but there is one thing they did agree on: that the Virgin Mary made a vow of charity
at a very early age. But as a temple virgin when she reached marriageable age, she was forced to leave the temple and marry. She knew what that meant. But how could it be? Hadn’t she sacrificed her virginity to God and hadn’t He accepted, even inspired her sacrifice? We can well imagine the inner turmoil she must have gone through in the face of this seeming contradiction. Then Saint Gabriel appeared and suddenly everything became clear.
Another example we can use as a guide is from Saint John’s gospel, chapter six where Our Lord was teaching in the synagogue at Caphernaum and said: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” Who, at the time, could possibly have understood what He meant since the Last Supper was still a future event? Many of His disciples said: “This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it? And they no longer remained in His company. Then Jesus said to the apostles: “Will you also go away?” And Peter replied: “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” Peter said this because of all the marvels that he and the others had already seen. Similarly, many have come to believe that the Blessed Virgin really appeared at Garabandal because of the abundance of proofs she has already given us. And just as the apostles had their Pentecost when they received from the Holy Spirit the light of understanding of all that Jesus had taught them, we can, if we so choose, look forward to our own pentecost experience, the Great Miracle, when we too will receive light for the things we now do not fully understand. We put our trust in Our Lady who said, “All will believe.”
Other Significant Issues/Events at Garabandal
Emphasis on The Holy Eucharist
Mention of the Blessed Sacrament was there at the very outset of the Garabandal events, on the sign beneath Saint Michael’s feet when he first appeared on June 18, 1961. The sign, actually the first Message, apparently was in Latin and not understood by the visionaries. On July 4, 1961, just two days after her first appearance, Our Lady explained the text of the Message to the visionaries which said among other things, that “we must visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently. “
This mandate of Our Lady to visit the Blessed Sacrament reminds us of our responsibility in that regard. The word must does not imply a suggestion but rather an obligation. In Saint Matthew’s gospel Chapter 25, Our Lord warns that Heaven can be lost to souls not only because of the wrong they’ve done but because of the good they have failed to do: (” (I was) in prison and you did not visit Me”). Jesus truly is a prisoner in the tabernacle. He can’t leave, and we should visit Him, especially since He’s there for our sakes and not for His. Anyone who visits the Blessed Sacrament on a regular basis as part of their devotional practice will tell you they wouldn’t give it up for anything.
In visiting Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we are the great beneficiaries.
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Of all the visions that Jacinta had at Garabandal, one stands out over all the rest--her vision of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It happened at the very beginning of the apparitions, in June of 1961, while the four girls were seeing Saint Michael before the Blessed Virgin appeared the first time.
According to Jacinta, in her vision, Jesus was about ten feet away standing on a small, white cloud slightly above the ground. He was incomparably beautiful; “the handsomest of men”. His hair and beard were dark and His complexion “normal”. He wore a white robe with a red outer garment that hung diagonally down across HIs body from the right shoulder. His heart, exposed off-center to His left, was a brilliant red with rays of both white and gold streaming from it. With His left hand, he pointed to His heart and with His right, He beckoned the girl to come. His entire body gave off brilliant rays that surpassed in brightness the subsequent appearances of Our Lady. The vision was set against a cloud-like background.
The most compelling part of this vision for Jacinta was the intensely loving, penetrating gaze of Jesus that transfixed her heart. That loving gaze of Our Lord was accompanied by the gestures of His hands inviting her and all of us to enter into His Sacred Heart. Jacinta’s husband, Jeff, said that even after all these years (at least thirty) Jacinta still clearly remembers her vision of the Sacred Heart and that each time whe remembers it, she feels something very spiritual.
Description of Our Lady
Our Lady wore a white robe and blue cloak and had a crown of golden stars. Her feet are not visible. Her hands are slender with a scapular on Her right wrist. The scapular is reddish-brown in color. Her face is long, Her nose is long and slender and Her mouth is delicate and very beautiful. Her lips are just a little bit full. She has a complexion that is quite dark but lighter than the angel’s. Her voice is different from the angel’s voice, it is a very beautiful voice, very unusual. Our Lady appears to be about 18. The girls report there is no woman who is quite like Our Lady, either in voice or in any way at all. Sometimes Our Lady carries the Child Jesus in Her arms. He is quite tiny, as tiny as a newborn baby. He has a round face with a sweet little mouth. His blonde hair is rather long; His hands are very small and He is dressed in a sort of sky-blue tunic. He appears to have the same complexion as Our Lady.
Rosary
An integral part of the Garabandal events was the recitation of the Rosary and the girls recited it during most of the apparitions from the very beginning. The Vision taught them how to say it properly and on tape recordings of the girls praying the Rosary in ecstasy one can her them slowly and distinctly pronouncing the words with pauses and phrases. When they said the Our Father, emphasis was placed on Hagase tu voluntad (Thy will be done). When reciting the ten Hail Marys, they paused between each individual prayer.
The Vision also taught them the mysteries. Conchita’s Aunt Maximina who usually let the daily Rosary in the village said no one in the village knew the mysteries and when they prayed the Rosary, they simply said one Our Father, ten Hail Mary’s and one Glory be five times. So they were very surprised when the visionaries knew the mysteries. The girls were also heard praying the Rosary with this modification “holy Mary Mother of God and our mother...” The Vision said she liked it, but told them not to say it unless it was approved by the Church.
The girls in ecstasy also led Rosary processions through the village and the Vision asked that the townsfolk join in. The girls themselves held no Rosary beads in their hands, but they never made a mistake in reciting the number of Hail Mary’s, since, as they said, the Vision indicated when to say the Glory Be.
Brown Scapular
The Blessed Virgin appeared at Fatima as Our Lady of the Rosary, with a brown scapular around her wrist. At Garabandal she appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also with a brown scapular hanging from her wrist. The scapular and rosary are the two great devotions and remind us of a saying attributed to Saint Dominic that “one day through the rosary and scapular she (Our Lady) would save the world.”
It is no exaggeration to say that the scapular devotion is as universal as the Church. It would be difficult to find a Catholic who has not at least heard of it for, as Pius XII says, it is in the “first rank” of popular devotions to the Blessed Mother. And yet how many there are who know little or nothing about the origin of the scapular.
The Carmelites were a group of hermits living on Mount Carmel in Palestine. They believed themselves to be the spiritual sons of Elias the Prophet, and the life they led on Mount Carmel was patterned on his life of contemplation. They were known for their devotion to God’s Mother; so devoted were they to her that they became known as the “Brothers of Mount Carmel,” a title they cherished and defended down through the years. When they made their profession, they vowed their lives to God and to her, and it was in her honor that the homage of their lives of contemplation was offered to their Lord. Mary was the Queen and Mistress of the holy mount; Carmel was her land, her vineyard, where they worked in the hope of her guidance and protection.
The words of Our Lord: “My yoke is sweet and my burden light” was the inspiration for the scapular worn by monks from the beginning of monasticism, and continues today. It was to the scapular of the Carmelites that Our Lady gave her great promise which was extended to the whole Church in the small brown scapular worn by the faithful today.
In the middle of the 13th century, the days of the Carmelites appeared numbered as an Order. In answer to Simon’s fervent plea and prayer, Our Lady gave him the scapular of his Order and said: “This shall be a sign to you and to all Carmelites: whoever dies wearing this shall not suffer eternal fire.”
The promise Mary attached to the scapular went far beyond Simon’s expectations. It saved the Order, confirmed its Marian character, and made Mary more a Mother than a Queen to it. The scapular devotion grew to be one of the leading devotions to the Mother of God. And, as a Marian devotion, it has stood the test of time, and the seven centuries that have elapsed since the vision have served to reveal its beauty. It has kept generation after generation aware of its duty to call Mary blessed, and in the homage paid to her, countless saints have come to realize that to find her is to find life in her Son and to draw salvation from Him. Obviously the Rosary and Brown Scapular are, very very important to Our Lady.
Holy Shroud
The Shroud of Turin is Christendom’s greatest relic. For centuries it has been revered by popes, saints and all classes of people. At the same time it has always been a source of great controversy. Is it really the burial cloth of Jesus or is it a fraudulent fabrication?
At Garabandal, Our Lady answered this question very succintly. It was during one of Conchita’s ecstasies when the Blessed Virgin spoke to the visionary about the Sabana Santa (Spanish for Holy Shroud). Among the spectators at that ecstasy was the Marquesa de Santa Maria, an excellent witness, and it was from her that it was learned what the Virgin said about the Shroud. The Marquesa heard Conchita repeat the words of Our Lady: “It is the divine imprint of my Son.”
In her second message of Garabandal Our Lady ends with “Think about the passion of Jesus.” This is certainly salutary advice coming from the Mother of God and there are many ways to help us call to mind the suffering of our Savior such as making the Stations of the Cross, saying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary or reciting novena prayers devoted to the passion. Another source of inspiration is the Holy Shroud. The book called A Doctor at Calvary written by surgeon Dr. Pierre Barbet, who performed the first photographs of the Shroud, gives the extent of Christ’s physical sufferings from a medical standpoint. When Cardinal Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII) heard what Dr. Barbet’s studies revealed he said, feeling both grief and compassion: “We did not know. No one ever told us that.”
With the assurance of Our Lady that the Shroud is the divine image of her Son we can confidently avail ourselves of this great treasure to help us fulfill her request at Garabandal to “Think about the passion of Jesus.”
Saint Michael
Throughout Christendom, in both the East and West, Saint Michael is greatly revered with churches and shrines built to his honor, countries claiming him as a patron, and so many men and women named after him that they would amount to a vast army for him to hopefully lead to heaven-and he is not now nor has he ever been a member of the human race.
Saint Michael is one of those amazing spiritual beings, created by God, that we call angels. They are of a higher order than humans, and not limited by space of distance, have far greater powers. And while angels number at least in the billions, they are all individuals with their own personality. At one point in their existence, their fidelity to God was put to the test and those who would remain faithful, looked to one of their number to lead them--Michael.
Saint Michael’s position of primacy among the angels is reflected in the Roman liturgy. He is the only angel mentioned in the unchangeable parts of the (Traditional) Mass and the Prayer to Saint Michael is included in the prayers said by the priest and people directly after low Mass. The Greek liturgy calls him Archistrategos, “highest general.”
For Christians, Saint Michael’s renown comes chiefly from the Book of Revelation, chapter 12:
“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
What we have seen from Scripture and the Fathers of the Church is that Saint Michael is an angel of important events. His appearing at Garabandal then indicates the critical nature of those happenings, and resonates with that passage from the book of Daniel, chapter 12:
“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation until that time.”
While the above quote, which deals with the end of the world, may not necessarily refer to Saint Michael’s appearance at Garabandal, there is one point worth considering. In all the times the Blessed Virgin appeared throughout the Marian era, which began in the mid-nineteenth century, she was never accompanied by Saint Michael---until Garabandal.
Even during the Garabandal apparitions themselves, Saint Michael showed himself to be an angel of important events. He was the first to appear and thereby “opened” the events--with the all-important Message, most likely in Latin, beneath his feet.
He prepared the way for Our Lady’s coming, announced when she would appear and then, with another angel whom Jacinta said was Saint Gabriel, accompanied her on her first visit.
He fulfilled in these events another office that the Church gives him--Guardian of the Eucharist. After instructing the seers on the proper way to receive Communion using unconsecrated hosts, he brought them Holy Communion with consecrated Hosts.
Padre Pio
Padre Pio had more charismatic gifts than anyone in the history of the Church and has been called the greatest saint of the twentieth century after being declared a Saint by Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002.
One name for Padre Pio is “A man who made God real”. Padre Pio seemed to have access to a door, as it were, in the heavens, who, like a prophet or apostle of old, could speak to Christ and the saints and angels and communicate their will and presence to the men, women, and children who sought his help--in short, a man who made God real.
Because of the highly mystical element of his ministry, there is the temptation to regard Padre Pio as a magical man so encrusted with legend, like a holy Davy Crockett, as to make it impossible to distinguish the true from the imaginery in the accounts of his life. The facts of the life of Saint Pio are, however, well-established, and well worth the time to study and learn. Only a few of Padre Pio’s numerous spiritual encounters will be discussed herein.
In August, 1918, Padre Pio wrote one of his spiritual directors: “I was hearing the confessions of our boys when suddenly I was filled with extreme horror at the sight of a heavenly Being who presented Himself to the eye of my intellect. He held some kind of weapon in His hand, something like a long, sharp-pointed steel blade, which seemed to spew out fire. At the very instant that I saw all this, I saw that Exalted Being hurl the weapon into my soul with all His might. It was only with difficulty that I did not cry out. I thought I was dying. I told the boy to leave because I felt ill and did not feel that I could continue (to hear his confession).” This experience is known as the “Transverberation of the Heart.” Saint Teresa of Avila recounted a similar experience. God’s love was felt so intensely that it manifested itself as an agonizing physical pain. In Padre Pio’s case, he began to experience an actual physical bleeding wound in the side, which he, for the time, carefully concealed.
The next month, Padre Pio had another mystical physical experience that affected him physically. He went to the “choir” that overlooked his little church to make his thanksgiving after celebrating Mass. Then, “All of a sudden, a great light shone around my eyes. In the midst of the light there appeared the wounded Christ.” He said that “beams of light with shafts of flame” came from the vision and wounded his own hands and feet. When the vision was ended, Padre Pio found himself on the floor, bleeding with the stigmata of Christ’s wounds. Padre Pio’s spiritual director, Padre Benedetto, wrote that the wounds “are not spots or blemishes, but real wounds, perforating the hands and feet.... The wound in the side is a real gash that issues either blood or bloody fluid. Although he was willing to suffer the unbelievable pain and join it to that of Christ on the cross, he did not want publicity.
Padre Pio showed no interest whatsoever in attempting to explain or justify his stigmata. When asked if they hurt, he was known to reply, “Do you think the Good Lord gave them to me for decoration?” When asked why his hand wounds were in the palms rather than in the wrists, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Oh, I guess it would be too much to have them exactly like they were in case of Our Lord.” When people suggested that the stigmata were caused by his obsession with the Passion of Christ, Padre Pio answered, “Go out to the fields and look very closely at a bull. Concentrate on him with all your might--and see if you start to grow horns.”
By the early 1920’s, Padre Pio was becoming a celebrity in southern Italy. From the very start he had earned the reputation of a “holy priest,” and the visible stigmata, for many, were a seal or proof of his authenticity as a man who shared the sufferings of Christ. He was sought for spiritual healing. He was sought for hearing confession; and it was understood that he “could see into your soul” and “tell you everything you ever did.” And, many people who went to see Padre Pio smelled a beautiful perfume (the “aroma of paradise”), which some likened to roses, violets, or other flowers, and others to other fragrances.
For the record, not everyone was enchanted by this “Miracle Man”. There were, of course, the skeptics who simply assumed that Padre Pio was a fake because they refused to believe that miracles could happen. More serious, however, was opposition from Church officials. In fact, throughout his long life he was periodically subjected to harassment from unsympathetic Church officials, brought on in part by the over-zealousness of some of the townspeople of Giovanni, “his friends”, whom he more than once declared to be a far greater pain to him than the stigmata.
Saint Padre Pio ranks among the Church’s great confessors, but for him there was something other than hearing confessions that was the center of his day--the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In Saint Pio, the Mass came to life as only it could through a crucified priest. And this was his special calling--to dramatize the sacrificial offering in its profound and incomparable mystery.
Those who went to San Giovanni for Saint Pio’s Mass would quickly realize that their day had to be reoriented since the Mass was at 5am, and was such a moving experience--the church would still be filled with people kneeling in silence a half hour after the Mass ended--that anything else during the day was anti-climactic.
Padre Pio’s anxiety before Mass was always a real torment. Sometimes as he approached the altar, he would tremble. “Why do you tremble like that,” he was asked. “Is it because you have to suffer?”
“No,” he answered. “it isn’t because of what I have to suffer, but because of what I have to offer. Don’t you realize the great mystery of the Mass? We priests are the butchers who slaughter Jesus the victim, to offer Him to our heavenly Father in payment for our sins.”
Padre Pio almost always cried throughout the Mass. The same lady asked him why he cried, and he told her: “I don’t want to shed small tears. I want to shed a flood of tears. Don’t you see the great mysterty of the Mass?”
In the early years of his priesthood, Padre Pio’s Mass lasted about three hours. He didn’t dillydally. He took so long because he was in ecstasy. He once said that: in this absorption in God, especially at the Consecration of the Mass, he saw everyone who had asked his prayers. He told his friends that they could always reach him when he was at the altar. He saw them actually, in his gaze on God.
In the united and holy family, Padre Pio saw the place where the faith can grow and develop. He said: “Divorce is the passport to hell.”
On abortion, one day Padre Pellegrino asked Padre Pio: “Father, this morning you denied absolution to a lady who confessed to an abortion. Why have you been so rigorous with this poor unfortunate”? Padre Pio said: “The day, in which people, frightened by the economic boom, from physical damages or from economic sacrifices, will lose the horror of abortion, it will be the most terrible day for humanity. Abortion is not only homicide but also suicide. And with these people we see on the point of committing two crimes...do we want to show our faith? Do we want to save them?”
“Why suicide?” Padre Pelligrino asked. “You would understand this suicide of the human race, if with the eye of reason, you could see the earth populated by old men and depopulated by children, burnt as a desert”, responded Padre Pio.
So, it is easy to see why Padre Pio has been declared a Saint which makes his favorable testimony in favor of Garabandal on a number of occasions even more significant.
On March 3, 1962, Conchita received a letter that she did not understand since it was in Italian. It had come without a signature, without a return address, but with an Italian stamp. Conchita asked a friend and schoolteacher in Garabandal to translate it for her. He did and said, “By its style, it could well be from Padre Pio.”
Conchita asked him to help her compose a letter to answer it and express her appreciation. After awhile, Conchita went into ecstasy and recited the rosary. Returning to her normal state, the teacher said to her: “Did you ask the Virgin if the letter was from Padre Pio?” Her response was “Yes, and she gave me a secret answer to send him.”
Here is what Padre Pio’s letter said:
My Dear Children,
At nine o’clock in the morning, the Holy Virgin told me to say to you: “O blessed girls of San Sebastian de Garabandal! I promise you that I will be with you until the end of the times, and you will be with me at the end of the world and later, united with me in the glory of paradise.
I am sending you a copy of the holy rosary of Fatima, which the Virgin told me to send you. The rosary was composed by the Virgin and should be propogated for the salvation of sinners and preservation of humanity from the terrible punishments with which the Good God is threatening it.
I give you only one counsel: Pray and make others pray, because the world is at the beginning of perdition. They do not believe in you or in your conversations with the Lady in white. They will believe when it is too late.”
In the latter part of 1965, Conchita was summoned by Cardinal Ottaviani, prefect of the Holy Office (now Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith). Due to complications, the trip was postponed until January 12, 1966. There would be three significant encounters for Conchita during her 10-day stay in Italy: the meeting with Pope Paul VI, her interrogation by Cardinal Ottaviani and other members of the Holy Office, and her meeting with Padre Pio.
First, Conchita met with a personal representative of the Pope, someone of considerable rank. He told her that the Pope gave her his blessing and with it that of all the Church. Quite unexpectedly, on the following day, the Holy Father himself actually received Conchita and repeated verbally what he said to her through his personal representative when he said to Conchita: “I bless you, and with me, the whole church blesses you.”
On the following morning around 8am, Padre Pio received Conchita in a small room in the monastery. While kneeling before him, she asked him to bless a crucifix kissed by the Virgin at Garabandal. Padre Pio then held the crucifix and Conchita’s hand in his left hand while with the right he made the priestly blessing over the crucifix. He also blessed a rosary for Conchita’s mother.
A couple of days later, Conchita was interviewed by Cardinal Ottaviani.
On October 16, 1968, Conchita received a telegram from Lourdes requesting that she go there the following day for something important. Father Alfred Combe from France was in Garabandal with his car and agreed to take Conchita and her mother to Lourdes. They were warmly received.
The telegram had been sent by Luigina Sinapi, who was well known to Padre Pio and entrusted with giving Conchita a letter for her dictated by Padre Pio a month before he died. Luigiana was sick in the hospital and felt a sense of urgency in seeing that Conchita got the letter. The letter dated August 22, 1968, said: “For Conchita, ‘I pray to the Most Holy Virgin to comfort you and guide you always toward sanctity, and I bless you with all my heart.’”
Luigina also gave Conchita a souvenir of Padre Pio: the veil that covered his face as he lay in state.
Conchita also received some consolation regarding what seemed to have been a failed prophesy involving Padre Pio and Garabandal. She had been told in one of her visions that Padre Pio would see the Miracle, but when he died she was perplexed. She mentioned this to Father Bernardino Cennamo, who was there and who had known Padre Pio, and he told her that Padre Pio saw the miracle before he died and that the saint had told him so himself.
Saint Padre Pio left all of us a very important legacy before he died. Just before he died he was asked what legacy he would leave his spiritual children. His answer was very simple. “The Rosary”, he said. “I leave them the Rosary.” Here was a man who was a living Crucifix, a stigmatist, a great mystic, a wonderworker, an inspiration to millions; and you would normally expect him to leave his spiritual children entire volumes filled with spiritual advice. Yet he summarized it in one thing and in one thing only for he knew that was enough: “The Rosary, I leave them the Rosary.” Towards the end of his life, he was sick, frail and bent down. When the crowds of pilgrims and penitents continued to press him for prayers and advice, he did not have the strength to speak anymore. But each time he lifted his arm and showed them his Rosary, it was an answer to every seeker of advice, to every petitioner of prayer. “Padre, my child is sick,” they told him and he showed them his Rosary. “Padre, what should I do?” they asked and he pointed to his Rosary. “Padre, I’m in trouble,” they said and the answer was the same: The Rosary. Convinced of the power of the Rosary, Padre Pio always held it in his hands. When his death was approaching, he recommended the Rosary to his spiritual children by saying; “Love Our Lady and make her loved. Always recite the Rosary.”
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor, and considered one of the 20th Century's greatest humanitarians. In 1979, Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work. She died in September, 1997, and was beatified in October, 2003. In December, 2015, Pope Francis recognized a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa, clearing the way for her to be canonized on September 4, 2016.
In her letter to the Bishop of Santander, Juan Antonio dol Val Gallo dated November 10, 1987, Mother Teresa wroth: “It was in 1970, eighteen years ago, that I first heard about the apparitions of San Sebastian de Garabandal in Spain. Sometimes it seems like a long time ago, at other as if it were yesterday. From the beginning I felt those events were authentic.”
Mother Teresa met Conchita in the 1970’s and they were friends from then on. When Mother used to come to New York she would call Conchita on the phone. In 1980, during the making of the BBC film on Garabandal, Mother became indirectly involved behind the scenes. Before leaving New York, Mother called Conchita and told her that she had been praying for the film which by the way, was a huge success when televised throughout the UK.
In January, 1992, Mother invited Jacinta to see her. She was then recovering from a serious illness in her novitiate at Tijuana, Mexico, only a few hours from the visionary’s home in Oxnard, California. Jacinta made the trip on January 19, 1992. Mother Teresa presented her to her community: “Here is Jacinta of Garabandal. Garabandal is true!”
AFTER THE APPARITIONS
After the Garabandal apparition from 1961-1965, there have been many, many more reported around the world, but only 7 have been included in this booklet. Warnings and Prophesies have been given to us at each of these 7 which include:
1. 1973 - Akita, Japan
2. 1976 - Betania, Venezuela
3. 1980 - Cuapa, Nicaragua
4. 1981 - Kibeho, Rwanda, Africa
5. 1981 - Medjugorje, Herzecovina
6. 1983 - San Nicolas, Argentina
7. 1994 - Itapiranga, Brazil
Warnings and Prophesies at Garabandal (1961-1965) vs Medjugorje (1981- Present)
1961 - At Garabandal, at her first apparition, Our Lady encouraged the visionaries:
· to pay many visits to the Blessed Sacrament...but first of all we must be very good.
Then she warned them:
· if we do not do this, punishment awaits us
· already the cup is filling, and if we do not change, we shall be punished.
1965 - At her last of over 2000 apparitions at Garabandal, Our Lady told the visionaries that:
· many Cardinals, many Bishops, and many priests are on the path to perdition, and they take many souls with them,
· to the Eucharist there is given less and less importance,
· we should avoid the wrath of God upon us, and
· cardinals would turn against cardinals; bishops against bishops; and priests against priests.
Unfortunately, she was spot on.
In between her first and last apparition at Garabandal, Our Lady gave some very serious warnings and prophesies. At Medjugorje, she also gave some very serious warnings and prophesies, but also gave us 10 Secrets of which some of the visionaries know all 10 but some have yet to be told all of them. The visionary from Garabandal playing a key role as the prophesies become realities is Conchita, while the visionary from Medjugorje playing a key role is Mirjana.
Since the warnings and prophesies at both Garabandal and Medjugorje are somewhat similar, let’s now compare what Our Lady has said at each:
Warning(s)
At Garabandal, Our Lady said that there would be a Warning that will occur within 12 months of a Miracle which will serve to correct the conscience of the world in preparation for that event. It will first be seen in the sky and then felt interiorly by everyone on earth at the same time. No one will escape it. It will be a terrible experience, but it will be for the well-being of our souls because we will see interiorly, in our conscience, the good and evil we have done. God desires our salvation; the purpose of the Warning is not to cause us to fear but to bring us closer to Him and to increase our faith.
At Medjugorje, Our Lady said that there will be three warnings in the form of events on earth. Mirjana will be a witness to them. The witness of Mirjana will be a confirmation of the apparitions and a stimulus for the conversion of the world. After the first warning (admonition) the others will follow in a short time. Thus, the people will have some time for grace and conversion.
Miracle
At Garabandal, Conchita has told us the following: “I am the only one to whom the Blessed Virgin spoke of the Miracle. She forbade me to say what it will consist of. I can’t announce the date either until 8 days before it is to occur. What I can reveal is that it will coincide with an event in the Church and with the feast of a saint, martyr of the Eucharist; that it will take place at 8:30 on a Thursday evening; that it will be visible to all those who are in the village and surrounding mountains; that the sick who are present will be cured and the incredulous will believe. It will be the greatest miracle that Jesus will have performed for the world. There won’t be the slightest doubt that it comes from God and that it is for the good of mankind. “
Sign
As a result of the Miracle at Garabandal, a visible supernatural sign will remain at the site until the end of time and a visible supernatural sign will remain at the site. Conchita has said: “The sign that will remain forever at the pines is something we will be able to photograph, televise and see, but not touch. It will be evident that it is not a thing of this world but from God.”
After the admonitions at Medjugorje, a visible sign will appear on the site of the apparitions in Medugorje for all the people to see and to call them back to the faith. After the visible sign appears, those who are still alive will have little time for conversion. For that reason, the Blessed Virgin invites us to urgent conversion and reconciliation which is meant most of all to save souls, but also to avert evil and war.
Chastisement
We have been told at Garabandal that if the world does not change after the Warning and Miracle, then the Chastisement will come. According to Conchita, ”...Moreover, I have seen the Chastisement. I can assure you that if it comes, it will be worse than being enveloped in fire, worse than having fire above and beneath you. I do not know how much time will elapse between the Miracle and the Chastisement.”
At Medjugorje, Our Lady told Mirjana to choose a priest to reveal the secrets to the world. Mirjana has chosen Father Ljubicic. Ten days before the first secret is to be revealed, Father Petar will be given a parchment containing the ten secrets. When he receives the parchment, he will only be able to read the first secret. During the following ten days, Father Petar, along with Mirjana, is to spend the first seven days in fasting and prayer. Three days before the event takes place, Father Petar is to announce it to the world. At the proper time, he will be able to see and read the second secret, and the third, etc. according to the schedule of Heaven. Mirjana has said that Father Petar doesn’t have the right to choose whether to say or not to say them. He has accepted this mission and he has to fulfill it according to God’s will.
The ninth and tenth secrets are serious and concern chastisement for the sins of the world. Punishment is inevitable, for we cannot expect the whole world to be converted. The punishment can be diminished by prayer and penance, but it cannot be eliminated. That is why the Blessed Virgin continues to encourage prayer and fasting: “You have forgotten that through prayer and fasting you can avert wars and suspend the laws of nature.”
Mirjana tells us that Our Lady does not speak a lot about the secrets, but they are an important part of Our Lady’s plans for the salvation of mankind. For those who are responding to Our Lady’s call, the secrets should not create fear in their hearts. Any good father disciplines his children. The secrets are God’s way of disciplining His wayward children back into His loving embrace.
It is not known to what degree the events at Garabandal and Medjugorje themselves and/or their timing are connected. But, Medjugorje does seem to be the logical follow-on to not only Garabandal but also to Fatima and Akita and perhaps other apparitions also. The apparitions at Fatima occurred over 100 years ago, Garabandal occurred almost 60 years ago, Akita almost 50 years ago, and Medjugorje began almost 40 years ago, and are still continuing.
At Medjugorje, Our Lady tells us time and again that we are now in a “Time of Grace”, and she has also told us that Medjugorje will be her last apparitions on earth. This sounds like serious. We are being called to conversion, and should not wait until the secrets are realized. For many, it will then be to late. So, we need to act now and embrace Our Lady’s messages at Garabandal and Medjugorje (and the other apparitions also). By accepting Our Lady’s messages we are thereby accepting God’s love and mercy during this special time of grace with Our Lady.
Vital Importance of the Garabandal Apparitions
Many of Our Lady’s prophesies at Garabandal have also already come true. It will only be a short matter of time before we find out if her remaining prophesies will come true. It would be wise for us to remember, however, that Our Lady always keeps her promises and her prophesies always come true. Normally, the only question is when? But Our Lady has given us a pretty good indication when the remaining prophesies will be coming true. Remember also that Our Lady told us: “We should avoid the wrath of God upon us.”
Garabandal is vitally important for the Church today. According to what the Blessed Virgin told the girls, the dramatic, Divine intervention that was predicted does not seem very far off. And how the world’s conscience needs to be corrected today. With such things as abortion, euthanasia, same sex “marriage”, and fetal experimentation either having already received the protection of the law in formally Christian countries, or are on the verge of doing so, we are constantly reminded of how an atheistic-humanistic world view is replacing traditional God-centered morality. And the Church, weakened by its own internal crises, has been ineffective in stemming the tide.
Healings Reported
Physical, emotional and spiritual healings have been reported occurring all over the world. One such healing involved a woman who had suffered an injury and lost one knee cap. Her name is Christian Wayo of Mkurdi, Nigeria. In July of 1961 she joined a pilgrimage to Garabandal. She had a stiff left leg and found it difficult to climb stairs.
On July 21, 1961, two girls helped her to climb the hill to the pine trees where many of the apparitions took place. They helped her in her descent from the hill as well. On that same afternoon of July 21, the group again climbed the hill but Christina stayed behind resting. Around 4pm she decided to try to climb the hill alone. She tried crawling but became exhausted. Then she made a prayer mentally to Our Lady for help. Suddenly she felt a surge of power in her left leg, and walking upright on both legs she completed the journey to the top of the hill. She prayed at the pines and made the difficult descent unaided. At the bottom people gathered around her. She found she could jump, kneel and bend her knees without difficulty.
Later, upon re-examining her left knee, it was found that she now had a kneecap on her left knee which had been surgically removed after her accident. X-rays confirmed this miracle. The details and records are in the Garabandal Miracle files in Madrid.
Approval Status
There have been two commissions convened by bishops of Santander, Spain, and both have stated that even though there were no phenomena which would authentic the events as certainly supernatural they did not condemn the message. In this regard, the first commission stated, “we have not found anything deserving of ecclesiastical censure or condemnation either in the doctrine or in the spiritual recommendations that have been published as having been addressed to the faithful.”
The bishop who called the second commission, Bishop del Val, upon retiring from office stated in an interview that the message of Garabandal was “important” and “theologically correct.” Indeed, some of the prophetic elements of the message can be found in private revelations which have been approved since the initial decision on Garabandal in the 1960s. For example, the concept of a worldwide warning can be found in the Diary of Saint Faustina (Diary n.83), and both the message of Divine Mercy given to her (Diary n.1588), and that of Akita (approved by the local bishop), speak of chastisement if mankind does not ultimately repent. Similar prophetic content can be found in the writings of Elizabeth Canori-Mora and Mary of Jesus Crucified, both of whom were beatified by Pope John Paul II, as well as in prophecies given by God to Blessed Anna Maria Taigi and St. Caspar del Bufalo. Finally, the principal promoter of Garabandal, Joey Lomangino, testifies that it was Saint Padre Pio who told him the Blessed Virgin was appearing at Garabandal and he should go.
It seems, therefore, that notwithstanding the decisions of two commissions accepted by the bishops of Santander, that there are reasonable grounds for individual Catholics to find Garabandal credible. The children themselves predicted that the message of Garabandal would be approved with difficulty, but in sufficient time to spread it. Perhaps this means that the “warning” (a clearly supernatural event) must occur first for approval to be given. Given the seriousness of the times we do well to heed the message of conversion, whether proposed by Fátima or some other source such as Garabandal, Medjugorje or another, without fear, that is, with complete confidence in God’s providence for us and the world. The future will take care of itself if we remain spiritually prepared for anything. This has always been the advice of the saints, anyway.
SOURCES
Garabandal Journal, Vol. 3, No. 2, March-April 2004, “Blessed Mother Teresa”
Garabandal Journal, Vol. 3, No, 5, September-October 2004, “The Great Prince” (Saint Michael)
Garabandal Journal, Vol. 4, No. 2, March-April 2005, “Editorial” and “Garabandal and the Holy Eucharist”
Garabandal Journal, Vol. 4, No, 3, May-June 2005, “Editorial”, “Three Popes Prophesy”, and “The
Sacred Heart at Garabandal”
Garabandal Journal, Vol. 5, No. 2, March-April 2006, “Editorial” and “Garabandal and the Holy Shroud”
Garabandal Journal, Vol. 6, No. 6, November-December 2007, “Saint Padre Pio: Part 1”
Garabandal Journal, Vol. 7, No. 1, January-February 2008, “Saint Padre Pio: Part 2”
Garabandal Journal, Vol. 19, No. 2, March-April 2020, “We Must Pray the Rosary”
Garabandal by the Garabandal Journal (P.O. Box 1796, St. Clouc, MN 56302-1796)
KEY APPARITIONS OF MOTHER MARY During the Latter Days by Albert Tumminia, Garabandal - 1961-1965
ROSES IN DECEMBER Mary’s Garden of Miracles by Dom Forker, Our Lady of Garabandal
A Guide to Apparitions of Our Blessed Virgin Mary - Part I 20th Century Apparitions - by Peter Heinz, Garabandal, Spain
GARABANDAL THE VILLAGE SPEAKS by Ramon Perez
The apparitions of GARABANDAL by F. Sanchez-Ventura Y Pascual
MEETINGS WITH MARY - Visions of the Blessed Mother by Janice T. Connell, Garabandal, Spain
A Spanish Mystic in Quito: Sor Mariana de Jesus Torres by Msgr. Luis E. Cadena y Almeida
The Foundation for a Christian Civilization, Inc., P,O. Box 341, Hanover, Penn 17331
http://www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/approved_apparitions/quito/index.html
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1164/7336/files/message-for-our-times.pdf (Taken from
“The Testament of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres” January 16th, 1635, which she read on her deathbed where she expired at 3:00pm, the same time as Our Lord.
https://forums.catholic.com/t/garabandal-status/293474