Conchita & Jesus’s comments on belief and approval of Garabandal. August 27, 1981 Conchita: “ I would also like to say about Rome that there are people there who want to put too much pressure on the Church. I believe that it is better to leave it as it is, and to do what they can. They should try to speak about the Virgin’s Message, but the rest they should leave in God’s hands.” The Lord Himself said to me: “Don’t worry about whether they believe you or not, especially in Rome. I will do everything. “ “This is what I would like to say to all those who want for Rome and the Bishop to move ahead.” Conchita’s Interview with Monsignor Francisco Garmendia, Auxiliary Bishop of New York on the date in New York on August 27, 1981. Reprinted in the GARABANDAL JOURNAL, March-April 2004
August 28, 2014, Archbishop Carlos Osoro Sierra, Archbishop of Oviedo was promoted to Archbishop of Madrid. In 2016 he was promoted to Cardinal ! Conchita received a letter, dated February12, 2007, from Archbishop Carlos Sierra of Oviedo, then the acting Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Santander, which read: “I want you to know that I am open to receiving and considering all information about Garabandal, and would like to continue—as long as our Holy Father wishes me to serve as Apostolic Administrator—the work that my brothers at the Bishopric have already done in reference to this subject. What I have just done is authorize the priests to go to Garabandal and hold Holy Mass at the Parish, at any desired time, and to administer the Sacrament of Reconciliation to anyone that wishes to receive it. I am sure the next Bishop will promote further studies to examine in depth the Garabandal events and will send the findings to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. I respect apparitions and have known of authentic conversions. How can we not always feel the need to open our heart to our Mother Mary to tell her that we need her protection, her help, her courage, her hope, her faith and her love when faced with these events! I encourage you to keep maintaining such devotion toward our Mother”. -Carlos Osoro Sierra, Archbishop of Oviedo Garabandal:New York-Center-update-May-25-2007
August 29, 1961 The day Our Lady refused to kiss a picture of Fidel Castro! “One of the cases happened on the night of August 29, 1961. Among the objects left on the table, an unknown person left a picture of FIDEL CASTRO's face. Without seeing anything, Jacinta raised it up to the VIRGIN, AND SHE RESISTED IN KISSING him, she commented to Loli: - She said that “ this person killed all the Priests”. "And all the nuns," said Jacinta, who must also have heard the Virgin's explanation.” Text extracted from "Garabandal": the final times.”, CESCA, Olivo. Editora Myrian, 1990. pp. 65-67 I spoke with Conchita and she did tell me that Fidel Castro’s sister Juanita Castro had visited Garabandal several times, as she lived in a neighboring town called Asturias , and always dressed in black, as a penance. We can only assume she was the one who left the picture. She asked for prayers for her brother Fidel.- Glenn Photo below Juanita & Fidel Castro.-Glenn
"A Call to Repentance " Reprinted with kind permission from St. Joseph Publications from the book” She Went in Haste to the Mountain” (Book 1) pg.180 Mary said : — “You should avoid the wrath of the Good God. — I want to tell you to amend your lives. — You should sacrifice yourself more. — Think of the Passion of Jesus.” We provoke the wrath of God upon ourselves by our own rebellion, our own disobedience, our own self-will. All evil consists in trying to follow our own ways, instead of seeking the ways of God.
August 31,1961 MODESTY: By Barry Hanratty Reprinted with kind permission from GARABANDAL JOURNAL July- August 2003 In her lessons at Garabandal, the Blessed Virgin impressed upon the girls the importance of modesty. She did this in a number of ways by requiring: 1) a proper code of dress; 2) proper comportment; and 3) that they not wear jewelry or cosmetics (inappropriate for young girls) especially when they were going to see her. Now there is something that can be noticed in their external manners that is not the same as the other girls. For example, in their way of sitting, they always do it with great modesty. And never have they been surprised in the least lack of purity. Their comportment in this has been in the extreme. Furthermore everyone has been able to observe in the ecstasies how they concern themselves that their dresses are in place. In She Went in Haste to the Mountain, Father Eusebio Garcia de Pesquera has this to say on the subject: "Yes, their comportment was most proper, although we should bear in mind the customs and styles of dress then prevalent in their sheltered and secluded environment. The girls from Garabandal dressed like other girls of their time and area, and because of this, they sometimes wore short skirts, as was then the style. "The Virgin called their attention to this with a mother's delicateness. In one of their ecstasies the three girls each went to their own homes separately, at the Vision's request, to change the dresses they were wearing for longer ones. Conchita was heard to say later during the trance, 'We should always wear long dresses like this, above all for coming to see you.'' To further emphasize the importance of modesty, some of the laws of physics were suspended during the ecstasies as Father Ramon Andreu observed: On August 31, one of the girls, while sitting on the ground in ecstasy, went several meters forwards toward the church and several meters backwards. The people who were watching became so filled with emotion that many cried — not so much for the action itself of going over the ground sitting down like this; but because in all the distance traveled, the girl's dress, without being disarranged, covered her to her knees. And I observed afterward that, in spite of having slid like this on the dirty ground, the dress had not become soiled. It was on this same day in August that the Virgin advised Loli to lengthen her skirt a little. "She said this smiling." —Father Ramón Andreu's report. "Another requirement of the Virgin was that dresses have long sleeves. She also told the girls not to allow themselves to be photographed with women with low necklines. We will conclude with these words of Father Eusebio: "Modesty and decency can never be neglected in genuine morality because they are required by our condition as creatures made in the image and likeness of God, and furthermore raised up to be His sons and members of the Mystical Body of Christ."
Sunday mass at Garabandal now recorded ! Francis Prendergast and Paul Martin put the webcam in the parish church in Garabandal. Now they have put a direct link to the webcam on the Garabandal website directly and also Holy Mass on Sundays are now recorded and people can listen back to Fr. Rolando saying mass. Also on the website people can select different languages to read content in the website. Link to website: https://www.garabandalparroquia.com/en/
Today in Garabandal History : September 1, 1962 The pastor of Garabandal, Don Valentin Marichalar, took notes of what he observed during his many visits to the village at the time of the apparitions. He relates an event involving a visit to the cemetery by all four girls. "At about nine in the evening, after the public rosary in the village church, Conchita went into ecstasy at the door of the church, a place where many apparitions began. A few minutes later, Our Lady appeared also to Loli and Jacinta and then after a few more minutes to Mari Cruz. In the first days of the apparitions, Our Lady always appeared to the four girls together. This pattern changed quite quickly and the Blessed Virgin began appearing to one, two or three of the girls as well as to all four together. By September of 1962, apparitions to all four girls together were rare. The girls then began an ecstatic march in which Loli and Jacinta went together while Conchita and Mari Cruz walked alone. The four girls went to the pines, followed by a large number of people. They recited the rosary and left the pines, walking backwards in ecstasy and still praying the rosary. On this return march, Conchita joined Loli and Jacinta, while Mari Cruz went alone. ALL FOUR WENT TO THE CEMETERY and from there to the church." Article by Fr. Joseph Pelletier “ Garabandal and Purgatory”.
TODAY IN GARABANDAL HISTORY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1961 PADRE RODRIGO IS "CONSULTED" Padre Lucio Rodrigo was consulted by the members of the "Special Commission . Following this encounter with the renowned Spanish theologian, Don Juan Antonio del Val, (the future bishop of Santander), (appointed by the Commission to investigate the apparitions) resigned from the "Commission." xcerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, J. Serre, page 100 What does it say about “The Bishop’s Commission”, when it’s Priest assigned to investigate the apparitions, (Del Val Gallo ) refuses to deny the validity of the apparitions, and instead resigns? Padre Lucio Rodrigo was present at a few ecstasies of the visionaries. An excellent theologian, his prudent critical spirit led him to believe firmly in the supernatural authenticity of Garabandal. He learned the nature of the great Miracle from Conchita, but not the date. His belief in the divine origin of the "events," of which he said: "If there exists in the world a window through which one can contemplate Heaven, it is Garabandal!" Below Fr. Rodigo & Bishop Del Val Gallo
SEPTEMBER 3, 1961 ST. JOSEPH IS THE GREATEST SAINT In response to Don Valentin Marichalar’s questions, the visionaries learned from the Blessed Virgin that “ St. Joseph is the greatest of all the Saints “ Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 100
September 4th, 1962 According to Fr. Valentín's annotations, toward 11:00 in the morning, Conchita fell into ecstasy at the door of the church, and there received Communion from the hand of the Angel; somewhat later, the same thing happened to Loli. The afternoon passed; the night began, and at 1:30 Conchita had an ecstasy again. She went to the graveyard, made her way through the streets of the village, prayed the rosary, sang the Salve. On entering her home, she fell on her knees and said farewell to the Vision. As she was speaking, a person near to her — not satisfied with just hearing what the girl was saying — held a microphone to her lips. What he recorded confirmed afterwards what his ears had not understood well. «You say there's going to be a miracle? . . . And the miracle is going to be that? . . . And the Virgin will be seen? . . . And when? . . . So long away? . . . With me alone . . . No. I don't want that . . . Don't do that! Perform it with the four . . .» “She went in haste to the mountain”, book 3,Chapter 4, page 73
SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 MOTHER TERESA CANONIZED. Pope Francis canonized “ Mother “ Teresa at a ceremony on September 4, 2016 in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. She was Canonized on the 4th, and her Feast day is the 5th, because she died on the 5th. The famous Foundress of the Missionaries of Charity has never expressed any doubts about her profound belief in the divine origin of Garabandal: "It was in 1970 that I heard about the apparitions of San Sebastian de Garabandal for the first time . . . From the beginning, I felt that the 'events' were authentic . . ." (Letter of November 10, 1987 to Msgr. Del Val). During her frequent trips to the United States, notably to New York, Mother Teresa had the opportunity of meeting Conchita who has lived on Long Island since 1972. This was the beginning of a strong human and spiritual friendship with Conchita and her family, that never faltered. Personally , it speaks volumes to me about the authenticity of the apparitions, that her two closest friends were St. Pio & St. Teresa.
I wonder what “With me alone…” means. Does that mean only Conchita will believe at the time of the Miracle?
NO it means that of the 4 girls, she will be the only one there for the Miracle. ( No reason is given as to why ? )
SEPTEMBER 5, 1962: ABOUT THE FUTURE MIRACLE Conchita insistently questioned her Vision about the future great Miracle to come, of which she knew since October 18, 1961: ". . . Yes, you had said that you would perform a Miracle . . . and that it would consist in what? . . . Will the Blessed Virgin be seen? And when? . . . So soon? . . . With me alone, no! I don't want it so . . . Do not do that! Do it with the four of us! . . ." The great Miracle will come about through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, but, on a certain level, Conchita, so she was also told, would be personally involved in obtaining it from God. Excerpt from 'Garabandal' Book, page 147
SEPTEMBER 2024 : GARABANDAL’S VATICAN STATUS Cardinal Fernandez placed Garabandal in the “Curatur status” under the new rules governing apparitions. Bottom line is that it is OK for private devotion, to go to the site and pray and go to the local church but nothing past that .. He said : "There are verifiable spiritual fruits connected to Garabandal". HERE IS THE TRANSLATED VIDEO:
I wonder if maybe that was a typo. My recollection of this was always that Conchita was saying the Miracle was many long years into the future.
3 Of the Girls went into convents. Many people have commented over the years “ Why didn’t the girls become Nuns after the apparitions ? Most people don’t know that actually 3 of the 4 girls did enter convents! Conchita, Jacinta, and Mari Loli did for a short time, then left for different reasons, and became boarding students instead. Mary Cruz did not go at all. On February 7,1966 Conchita (on her 17th birthday) enters the Discalced Carmelites Missionaries of Pamplona. On February 13,1966 she has a locution from Jesus, where he tells her this was not his wish to be here. Jesus said to Conchita: “ I choose you in the world, that is, in the normal condition of the faithful, so that you would remain in it. “ Both Jacinta and Mari Loli were 16 at the time they decided to enter a convent. On September 30, 1965 they left for the Sisters of Charity of St. Ann, in the Aragon town of Borja. I guess our Lord had other plans and vocations for the girls, to remain in the world, and not hidden away in a convent. Sources : “A decisive hour for Conchita” by Fr. Alfred Combe “Garabandal: Message of Hope”. Pg 227 GARABANDAL JOURNAL JAN.-FEB. 2022 PGS 4-6 below Conchita and Mother Nieves.
TODAY IN GARABANDAL HISTORY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1961: THE VIRGIN OF MOUNT CARMEL, QUESTIONED . . . REPLIES! Canon Julio Porro Cardenoso became a convinced witness of the divine authenticity of the phenomena occurring at San Sebastian de Garabandal. He was to write later several books about them. In the afternoon of his arrival, Don Valentin asked Dr. Porro to draw up some ten questions to be submitted to the Blessed Virgin through the visionaries, during their evening ecstasy. Mari-Loli took charge of this mission. Our Lady's answers are a "first" . . 1. By what sins does the Blessed Virgin feel most offended? - The mortal ones. 2. What is the Blessed Virgin urging the Spaniards to do above all to amend themselves? - That they go to confession and receive Communion. 3. What sacrifices is she asking from Spain? - That "we may be good" (totally virtuous). 4. What are the sins of young people that hurt and offend her most? - No answer. 5. What sins of the parents offend her the most? - When they quarrel. 6. What social sin wounds the Heart of Jesus the most? - No answer. 7. Is the impact of the Message greater for Spain or for the whole world? - No answer. 8. What nation fulfills the commandment of Jesus Christ the best? - Spain. 9. What nation can be presented as a model to the faithful? - No answer. 10. Is the Message for the whole world or for Spain? - For the whole world. 11. Why do these things (i.e. the apparitions) occur at night? - No answer: the face of the Vision became clouded over with sadness . . ." Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 101
