I was recently present at my Diocese's Diaconal Council which meets a few times annually. Our Bishop was present and specifically spoke about this synodal process: 1) Fall 2021 -Diocesan Level discernment in how to better renew the local Church. 2) Fall 2022 -Episcopal Conference Level discernment (referencing the prior year's Diocesan input) 3) Fall 2023 -Rome Synod Level discernment (referencing input from the Episcopal Conferences) The close of the Rome Synod might reasonably tie in with a 2024 Miracle. Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!
What More Do I Need to Believe? Many times during the apparitions Our Blessed Mother would kiss wedding rings. With this gesture she shows us, without using any words, the importance she gave to marriage and the family. Many people had conversions seeing the quantity of rings that were given to Our Lady to kiss and how each ring always went back to the right person. Among many of the stories we know, we bring to you a story which was told by Maximina Gonzalez about a ring that belonged to Maria Luisa Salazar and her husband from Bilbao. This couple reached Garabandal when the apparition had already begun. Everyone knew that once the apparition had started, the girls did not collect any more objects to be kissed. However, seeing that this couple had come from so far away, Maximina Gonzalez, a lady from the town, made her way through the crowd and placed Maria Luisa’s husbands’ ring in Conchita’s jacket pocket. “She did not see me put the ring in her pocket, nor did anyone else. I stayed close behind her and I heard her say, ‘I have a ring in my pocket?’ And she put her hand in it. ‘Who put it there?... Oh, kiss it!’ And it seems that Our Lady kissed it. She stopped walking in the direction that she was going in her ecstasy and started to walk backwards, further and further, a few feet in total, until she reached the man. She took his hand and put the ring on his finger. The man said, ‘My God, what more do I need to believe?’”
Fr. Ramon M. Andreu's Cross - Found ! Fr. Ramon M. Andreu noted this extraordinary event of which he himself was a witness. "On August 15 [1961] one of the girls prayed the Rosary with a rosary I had given her. Later, when she returned it to me, we observed that the cross was missing. It had fallen off and was lost. It was useless to search for it in those streets, paths and lanes... Twenty days later, on September 5, it occurred to me to tell the girls to ask the Virgin Mary for my Rosary's cross... I myself heard the dialogue in which they asked Her and how the exact spot was specified. Once the trance concluded, we went without any hesitation to the indicated spot, and there was the little cross beneath a stone in the mud." This event, and many others like it, left the witnesses surprised, for it was so obvious that it was impossible for the girls to know where the objects were. In the mud, stones and grass, they found the lost objects and gave them back to their owners. Moreover, the girls in ecstasy went their way in an absolutely accurate manner, not hesitating, to the exact spot in which the objects were without lowering their gaze.
The Double Proof for Sarín David Toribio was one of the young men that guarded the girls in the famous “cuadro” (square) of the “Calleja” and impeded the avalanche of people from surrounding them. He was a witness to the unforgettable ecstasies, which he remembers with great detail, thanks to his extraordinary memory. David ran into Sarín, a neighbor from Cosío. Cosío is the closest village to Garabandal, in the valley. Pilgrims were obliged to pass through Cosío on their way to Garabandal. It was there that the road ended and the trail began that led to San Sebastian of Garbandal from the foot of the “Jormazu.” Shortly after greeting one another, Sarín asked him, “Oh, Davizuco! Do you remember what happened in the village in ’61?” David answered, “Of course I remember.” Sarín continued, “And do you still believe it? Are you convinced of it?” David affirmed with certitude, “Completely, Sarín. More and more every day.” The woman responded, “Me too. But you can’t imagine how hard it was for me when the letters came out in the newspapers – the articles that said they came from the Bishop’s office…” Sarín opened up her heart to David. Many years had gone by since that summer in 1961, but the elderly lady still trembled when she remembered it. As a young girl, she had a good and timid nature, and was pious and hardworking. Sarín was not the type of person to read newspapers, but some of her friends did. One afternoon, after having finished the work of the day, she went out for a walk with some of her friends. Her friends told her what the newspapers had said about what was happening in Garabandal: that it could all be explained by natural causes; that it was not anything more than a childish game; that the ecclesiastical authorities recommended that no one go up to the little village… Sarín could not believe it. They had been living such beautiful things surrounding the girls’ ecstasies. But for the simple people of the village, what the newspapers said had authority, because it was said “by those who knew,” by “instructed” people. The declarations made by the local papers, sowed doubt and confusion in the heart of Sarín, which she confided to David. “I became so sad that I couldn’t sleep that night.” Indeed, Sarín spent the entire night thinking about how she could recover her previous certitude. The next day, she was determined to go up to Garabandal to resolve her doubts. However, she did not go up with the other young women of Cosío. Normally, they went up together, after finishing their work at home and in the fields. That afternoon, Sarín went up alone. Halfway up, she sat beneath the shade of an immense oak tree. She did nothing more than think about what sign she could ask the Virgin Mary to prove that she was really appearing there. Lost in her thoughts she said, “Oh, my Lord! Oh, Virgin of Carmel! What do I ask of the girls? What do I ask for?” All of the sudden, it occurred to her: the chain. She felt around for it on her chest until she found it among her layers of clothing and clutched it tightly between her fingers. If the Virgin Mary really has been appearing in Garabandal, she would know because of the chain. She continued on her way again until she reached the village. Upon entering Garabandal, she ran into Mari Cruz, who had just come out of her house. Mari Cruz recognized her and greeted her with affection. - Oh, Sarín. Did you come up alone? - Yes. - But, don’t many of you come up together? - Well, yes. But some went to Torrelavega, others went out to the fields… Are you going to have an apparition? - Yes, I think so. - Oh, c’mon. Don’t you want to wear my chain? - Why not?! Mari Cruz put on Sarín’s chain and went on her way. She had to fetch water for her mother from the fountain and bring it to her house before the apparition began. The little visionaries continued to be just as responsible for their work as always. Every day, the girls received an authentic, mountainous pile of medals, chains, rosaries, wedding rings… that they wore hanging around their necks and arms when they had apparitions. They presented them to the Virgin Mary so that she could kiss them. Two things were commonly known by everyone and had been proven over and over again. First of all, the Virgin Mary returned the kissed objects to their owners with perfect accuracy. Secondly, she never kissed the things that she had previously kissed before. Sarín’s medal was already kissed by her. However, with all the medals that were presented to the Virgin Mary every day, it was impossible for the girls to remember which of them were kissed and which of them were not. It could have been a different medal, or perhaps one of her relatives could have given it to her since they could not come… When the girl went away, Sarín recollected herself and humbly prayed, “Virgin of Carmel, Virgin of Garabandal, I am going to hide. The girl should not only come to say to me that it’s already been kissed, but she should come and find me where I’m hiding.” Sarín confessed to David with embarrassment: “I dared to do all that.” The village was full of outsiders waiting for the trance to begin. In the midst of the bustle, no one realized what Sarín was doing. With agility and discretion, she hid her little body in a lost corner. From her hiding place, Sarín waited to see what would happen. She knew when the girls had begun to return the kissed objects because of the pilgrims’ shouts of surprise and joy. All of the sudden, she saw Mari Cruz direct her steps towards the place where she was. She instinctively curled up in an attempt to remain unseen, but it served for nothing. The girl continued forward until she was in front of Sarín. With a quick gesture – her head always looking upwards and her eyes fixed above – she placed the chain around her neck and said in a low voice, “Sarín, the Virgin Mary said to me that it has already been kissed.” Her doubts were completely cleared up. The two proofs she had asked for had been granted. David finished his account with a cry of joy, “This is incredible! They are pure miracles! Miracles as clear as day!”
After reading this inspiring post, I'm inclined to send into "retirement" the patronage of St. Anthony of Padua in the case of lost items - which, by the way, seems to be an increasingly common happening in my life.
PADRE PIO'S BELIEF IN GARABANDAL : Joey Lomangino’s recall of the when he talked to Padre Pio: “We made arrangements to come back again that same day and greeted Padre Pio in the cloister. When we knelt down, we said to him, “Padre Pio, is it true that the Virgin is appearing to the four girls of Garabandal?” And he said, “Yes.” We said, “Padre Pio, should we go there? He said, “Yes, why not?” And that’s how it happened. Because I received the assurance from Padre Pio that the Virgin was appearing and that he permitted me to go, then I wasn’t afraid and I went. “ Saint (Padre) Pio affirms Garabandal to a PH.D in confession. Joachim Bouflet,PH.D. went to Padre Pio for confession in July of 1968. Padre Pio told him "Pray to the Madonna. Consecrate yourself to the Virgin of Carmel." "Yes, Padre, I pray to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For that matter, I would like to become a Carmelite." He didn't comment on this but repeated with insistence, "Consecrate yourself to the Virgin of Carmel who appeared at Garabandal." Bouflet:"So it's true?" Padre Pio : "Certo e vero!" ("Yes, it's true!") “While he was living, the same Padre Pio guaranteed the authenticity of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin. He met Conchita at San Giovanni Rotondo. Even during the last days of his life he talked about this to his brothers in religious life and left a personal message for the principle personage of the apparitions. “ Fr. Pelletier -“Our Lady comes to Garabandal” page 219 From the book “The Final Hour “ page 141 On the topic of Padre Pio ‘s belief in Garabandal: “Asked on another occasion about its authenticity, he answered curtly, ”How many times must she appear there to be believed ? “ From the book “Thunder of Justice “ page 163 : An incident which confirms Padre Pio’s belief in Garabandal occurred early in 1966. Conchita, who was only 16 years old, was visiting Rome with her mother and Fr. Luna. She had been invited by Cardinal Ottaviani, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. During the visit, Conchita met privately with Padre Pio. On this occasion, he took Conchita’s hand and her crucifix that Our Lady had kissed in Garabandal and held them both in his own two hands. The crucifix had passed through the hands of the child Jesus, during the apparition of November 13,1965. Upon Padre Pio’s death in 1968 ,his close friend Father Bernardino Cennamo,was instructed to give Conchita several of his personal items. The priest gave Conchita one of the three veils that covered Padre Pio's face during his wake, saying that the stigmatist had requested this before he died. Conchita also was given Padre Pio's rosary, and one of the gloves he wore, stained by his stigmata. Conchita recounts: “I had the veil in front of me, as I was writing later that evening. When suddenly the whole room became filled with fragrance, the perfume so strong I started to cry.” The Emotion of Padre Pio about Conchita and his own words : Poor Conchita as she has suffers ... Loving the Blessed Virgin Mary with all his heart, belong to Her and working for Her, Our Lady of Garabandal, She is the one who has set her foot on the Mountain ... She is the Star on the Mountain (Father Laffineur has used Padre Pio words to call his own book “She is the Star on the Mountain) ...Padre Pio also added, We must support the seers of Garabandal…… March 3, 1962 ( Padre Pio wrote the girls a letter "My Dear Children, "At nine o'clock this morning the Holy Virgin told me to say to you: 'O Blessed young girls of San Sebastian de Garabandal! I promise you that I will be with you until the end of the centuries, and you will be with Me during the end of the world and later, united with Me in the Glory of Paradise.' Padre Pio continued: 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 propagated 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 get others to 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. BUT THEY WILL BELIEVE YOU WHEN IT WILL BE TOO LATE"
From what I have read of this synod, the core of the proposals will be the decision-making power of bishops and laity on issues affecting the life of the church, this made me wonder if it is possible that the process of choosing the next pope could be changed with the participation of bishops and laity, for example.
MAY 26, 1962 TWO NEW COMMUNIONS GIVEN BY ST. MICHAEL, AT THE PINES, TO CONCHITA The Communions given by the Angel to Conchita at the Pines, on May 16 and 26, were another proof of the extent to which, in Garabandal, there is an essential link between the Eucharist and the Priesthood. As a complement to what has already been pointed out, may we add here that St. Simon Stock, whose Feast day falls on May 16, received the "rule of the Carmelites" in Palestine, from St. Albert of Jerusalem. As to St. Philip Neri, whose Feast was celebrated on May 26, he founded his famous Oratory at the end of the sixteenth century; an exceptional example of Marian piety and cheerful holiness, he advocated frequent Communion, even for children, and was even so consumed body and soul, by the fire of the Holy Spirit, that after his death, physicians performing his autopsy discovered that his heart was . . . split open! (In the church of Garabandal, one can contemplate two central themes in the apparitions: the pelican sculptured on the door of the tabernacle being one of them, the other being quite properly the lamb.) From 'Garabandal' Book, J. Serre. page 133
"I burst into tears and asked God to forgive my disbelief" Dr. José de la Vega asks God for a sign to make him believe. Dr. José recalls what happened: Half of the village and all the outsiders, including children, followed her astonished by what was happening. We'd just seen her in her modest village kitchen, chatting with us, even though she was half asleep because it was 4 o’clock in the morning, and now we were seeing her suddenly in ecstasy and falling down upon the hot kitchen stone floor without burning herself. As if carried by angels, she got up and began to walk around the village. We followed her, tripping here and there because it was dark, and getting dirty with the mud. I asked God with ardent faith to be able to believe, like everyone else, in the miracle. Following her, as she went lighting the path as it were, we went down almost all the streets in the village, to the church, to the graveyard, to the hill where they'd seen the Virgin Mary for the first time. The path was difficult, it was dark and my clumsiness meant that I tripped on every lose stone and little by little I lost heart. I couldn't go on so I decided to just wait for them to come back. My wife didn't want to stop, despite the fact that she was exhausted, and kept on praying for a remedy to my disbelief. Suddenly, the girl stopped before reaching the top of the hill, and started walking backwards. She sort of slid over the stony path, smiling with her eyes looking upwards. When she reached where I was waiting she stopped and fell to the ground. Her knees hit the ground hard, yet she did herself no harm. It was as if she had fallen on a carpet. She lifted the Cross upwards and then gave it to me to kiss. Around her neck she wore the medals and rosaries of all those who were there. She tried to pick out a necklace and said out loud to the invisible apparition, "Tell me which one it is". She lifted up with her hand a medal for the Virgin to kiss. We heard her repeat: "Well, tell me which one it is". Without further ado, she turned to a woman there, opened the gold necklace and placed it round her neck. Overwhelmed and crying the woman fell to her knees, as I did myself and many others who witnessed the beautiful scene. The girl made her kiss the medal kissed by the Virgin and helped her to get up off the ground with an angelic smile that we'll never forget. In the same way and with similar words, she put my own medal kissed by Our Lady around my neck. I couldn't contain myself and burst into tears falling to my knees. In that moment I found the explanation of everything that I hadn't understood till then. In the girl's heavenly expression I saw reflected the invisible presence of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Kneeling down I burst into tears and asked God to forgive my disbelief. https://www.garabandal.it/en/about/...o-tears-and-asked-god-to-forgive-my-disbelief
“I Saw the Whole Communion” (The Little Miracle") Josefina Cuenca was 91 years old when I met her. I remember her seated in her armchair, almost blind and barely able to move, but very well taken care of by her youngest daughter. As I entered the room, her daughter spoke with a loud voice into her ear, “Mom, some people have come to see you. They want to hear you talk about the apparitions, if you want to.” Josefina lifted up her head, and her face was transfigured with a radiant smile, beautiful, almost unbelievable considering her poor health. She began to speak with her cracked voice and very slowly, as she did in the last stage of her life. Very emotional, she said, “I saw the whole Communion.” I sat down on a stool by her side and asked her, “And what was it like? There were lots of people who saw it, right?” She responded, “Our Lady made it happen.” She kept silent for a few seconds… it seemed as if the scenes from the night of July 18, 1962 were being replayed before her eyes. It touches me to see how the experiences lived in those years remain engraved in the hearts of the witnesses. That night, the Blessed Virgin had agreed to do a miracle, as the girls had asked of her. She was true to her promise to make the Communion that Conchita would receive from the hands of St. Michael visible to all the bystanders. The funny part is that, while everyone was astounded by this announcement when what would happen was revealed to Conchita, to her it seemed so small that she referred to it as “the little miracle.” It seemed so insignificant to her that she dared to say to the angel, “So, I guess the miracle is going to be small then.” Josefina lived very close to Conchita’s house and was a good friend of her mother, Aniceta. She had often accompanied Conchita and her mother to pray the rosary in the “Cuadro” in the dead of winter, before daybreak. Our Lady had asked the girls to make this sacrifice, and they did so morning after morning, although many times it rained and sometimes even snowed. But Josefina was a young housewife with small children. If her husband or her mother were not able to stay with the kids, she could not leave the house to run after the girls in their ecstasy. That is why on the night of July 18, 1962, she had resigned herself to the idea of staying home and hoped that her husband would tell her all about the apparition when he returned. At one point during the evening, she opened her front door. Maybe she was hoping to hear that way what was happening in town. “And what a coincidence!” Josefina said amusingly, that when she opened her door she saw her cousin coming to her house to speak with her. Josefina stepped outside so as not to wake up the children with the sound of their voices. Her cousin, who had just been at Conchita’s house, was saying, “What’s going to happen? Will there be a miracle or not?” Josefina, very confident, responded, “Oh yes, there will be.” Her cousin agreed, “That’s what I think, but it sure is taking a long time.” Her eyes turned towards Conchita’s house in the exact moment in which the young girl, in ecstasy, walked out onto the street. Her cousin said, “Let’s go and see if we can find a spot up front.” They started walking when Conchita suddenly fell to her knees right in front of them. They could see her face perfectly; there was no obstacle between them. Josefina was right. The fact that she could be a witness of “the little miracle,” was certainly something that Our Lady made happen. There were about five thousand people in the village, and she was not even going to leave her house that night… but there she was, about three steps away from Conchita, face to face with her. A ring of people formed around the girl in ecstasy. Josefina emotionally remembered the profound silence that encompassed everything, a silence full of respect for the faith and for that which is sacred. Full of expectation, she watched Conchita as she stuck her tongue out of her mouth. She held it in that position long enough for Josefina to assure that there was absolutely nothing on it. It was if time had stopped. Conchita’s movements poured forth devotion. A large white host appeared on the girl’s tongue. Josefina was amazed to see that the host was larger than what they received in each Eucharist from the hands of their priest. Also, the instrument with which the host was pressed made it look like it had a thicker border around it. The host was so white that it gave her the impression that it was radiating light. Suddenly, someone in the crowd could not contain her impatience, and stepped right in front of Josefina to get a better look at what was happening. Josefina was very displeased, but since she was a woman of profound faith, she remembered that she was before the Blessed Sacrament, and that it was neither the time nor the place to complain and make a fuss. “In the presence of what was in front of me, I remained quiet and I just let her be. I said, ‘I saw it,’ and that was essential for me.” As she lost sight of the girl, she noticed the presence of a man she did not know- an “outsider,” as they say in Garabandal- who was trying to take a photograph, but was unable to turn on his camera because he was so nervous. Now, at 91 years of age, she laughed remembering the predicament of the poor man: “He kept pushing buttons but it just wouldn’t work.” After telling her story, Josefina leaned back in her armchair and murmured, “That sure was something. It was really incredible.”
Retirement of St. Anthony of Padua? Goodness gracious no! I can't tell you how many times in my life I have lost things and called on him and bingo I find the lost object within a short time. I am simply amazed, baffled, bewildered at how powerful he is. And he answers so quickly a sinner like me! Maybe he answers so quickly and so consistently because I was baptized in St. Anthony of Padua Church many years ago. He is my go to saint!
Can they ask Our Lady for greater miracles than these? The news that Our Lady was appearing in San Sebastián de Garabandal spread quickly, which meant that before long, people from the surrounding villages also began to frequent the apparitions. Some went up with a mixed feeling of curiosity and expectation, while others were sure that what was happening was true. Consuelo Díaz, who was 13 at the time, lived in Puentenansa, a village about 9 kilometers from Garabandal. She began to go up to Garabandal on a regular basis with her mother and her aunt. As Consuelo was a young girl with a lively character, she often managed to get to the front of the crowds to be able to see up close everything that went on during the apparitions. Today's story took place during the first weeks of the apparitions, probably towards the end of July or beginnings of August 1961. The villagers and outsiders all crowded around the girls. People from further and further away began to go to Garabandal to see the extraordinary events that were taking place, and on the afternoon in question, there was a great number of people waiting for the apparition. Young men from the village were in charge of making sure that the girls were well protected, and they did not allow anyone except the local police, priests and doctors to stay in the "Calleja" during the apparition. They made everyone pass into the fields that were at the right and left hand side of the "Calleja" while the ecstasy took place. Consuelo managed to get to the front row and had a good spot. It was getting late and the sun was already going down. At Consuelo's side was a lady who had come to Garabandal for the first time with her husband, son and daughter-in-law. The girls suddenly arrived, but they were not in ecstasy yet. The lady went up to Conchita to give her four medals so that Our Lady could kiss them. Conchita kindly took the medals and hung them around her neck where she had already hung a great number of other objects. The apparition began and at certain moment during Conchita's conversation with Our Lady, she began to solemnly pass her the medals to kiss them one by one, so that it was almost night when she had finished kissing them. Suddenly Conchita, still in ecstasy, got up and went towards where the people were gathered to watch the scene in respectful silence. She went into the field and headed straight to where the lady was. Her head was looking upward the whole time as she walked through the field full of people without tripping even once. Without really seeing her, she stopped in front of the lady who was situated at Consuelo's side. The lady held her breath full of emotion. Conchita began to take one of the medals off her neck without it getting tangled up with all the others she was wearing. Consuelo could see clearly everything that was taking place. Conchita placed the lady's medal over her neck, and it was indeed hers. Then she went up to the lady's husband and gave him his medal, then to her son and did the same taking his medal and hanging it over his neck just like she'd done with others, without looking and without it getting tangled up with the other medals. Finally, she went up to the lady's daughter-in-law and gave her back the correct medal. Consuelo still recalls how the lady began to cry out, touched by an uncontainable emotion because of the supernatural happenings taking place: "She didn't know my husband, nor my son, nor my daughter in law… she hadn't even seen them. I gave her these four medals altogether, she only saw me, and she didn't know who they belonged to. I gave them to her at the same time… How could she know whose was whose? What other miracle could they ask for? What more can we ask our Lady for?" Consuelo never forgot what she saw and it was certainly a scene worth remembering. If it wasn't Our Lady who was indicating the girls, what explanation is there? And how can we explain that not just once, nor twice, nor three times did this take place but on daily basis? Hundreds of times, hundreds of objects were given back in this way without any error taking place. The girls always knew to whom the medal belonged and where the owner was among a multitude of people. Furthermore, they always returned the correct medal to its owner without them ever getting tangled, although the sun had already gone down and darkness surrounded them. What other sign can we ask Our Lady for?
GLENN’S 3 RECENT INTERVIEWS “Garabandal Interview “ with Glenn Hudson Easter podcast” 4-4-21"The Midnight Truck Stop" https://www.buzzsprout.com/1640764/8266150 My latest interview from 2-2-2021 with Carol Kelso from " Being Catholic Media",in the UK https://www.beingcatholicmedia.org/.../garabandal-the.../... My June 26, 2020 Garabandal Q&A session with noted Author Regan Long, I hope it is helpful in answering some basic questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwCMkAGObl0...
Alberto's "alpargatas" Alberto Mazón was not in the village when the apparitions began. Like many of the villagers in San Sebastián de Garabandal, when the apparitions began on June 18, 1961, Alberto was in the barns or shelters, along with his wife, Manolita, and the three daughters that the young couple had at that moment. The shelter was a simple two-story building made out of stone. They had the mangers and used to tie up the cows on the ground level. At the entrance of the shelter, where the most light came in, there was an area with a fire that was lit for cooking. Gathered around the fire was where the meals were eaten, and some handcrafted objects were made. The shelters were constructed by each family on their own lands: fields that were kept to grow grass that would later be used for feeding the cattle. A great deal of grass was needed in order to feed the cattle, up to 30 or 40 cows, throughout a whole year. Since grass doesn't grow in winter, summertime was the moment to cut, dry and bundle up enough grass and store it in the shelters. The first fields to work on were those closest to village; in Garabandal they called it the "harvest." When that work was finished, they headed off to other more distant fields. To walk 4 or 6 or even more kilometers every day to get to the lands where they had to work would be a waste of time, because the work was urgent and it would be too dark to get back home. That's why the easiest thing for the family to do was to move there during the summer months. As the oldest members of the village still remember, "from St. Peter to St. Michael" was the time that they would be in the shelters. When they had finished cutting and collecting the grass from one field, they would move on to the next, and continue to cut and collect until all the grass was gathered together. If life was tough in the village, it was even more so in the fields. The little comfort they had in the village was left behind when they would take off for the mountain. So there in the shelter of "Jortigal" was Alberto along with his family. One day Ismael, Alberto's nephew, turned up with an expression of complete shock on his face because of the news of what was happening in the village: “The girls say that they've seen an angel.” Alberto and Manolita were taken aback. Ismael was a good lad, surely he wasn't lying, but at the same time it was hard to believe. His nephew was incapable of going back to the shelter alone that night. He continued to say over and over, “Oh my goodness, that's scary, that's scary.” He said it so often that he was nicknamed, "the scared one". Of all that happened during the ecstasies, one of the things that caught the attention of the villagers the most was how quickly the girls would run when they were in ecstasy. When they were out of ecstasy, they ran normally like any mountain girls would run, girls that were used to working hard, but they didn't run any faster than all the rest. However, when they were in ecstasy, they ran incredibly fast. They seemed to be taking normal steps, without running in any exaggerated manner. They didn't fly either, because their feet were touching the ground. Whoever tried to follow their pace found it to be impossible; not even the youngest, fittest boys in the whole village were able to keep up with them. When they were finally able to catch up, the girls were as if they'd made no effort whatsoever, while everyone else was sweating and out of breath. If that weren’t enough, as the girls were running, they didn't even look at the ground, which was all stones and mud, uneven and full of things to trip on. Their head was always looking up towards the vision. Alberto was a young man at the summit of his physical strength. He was famous for being the fastest runner in the village. When the neighbors in the other shelters went down to the village to buy bread, salted sardines, or other non-perishable goods, they came back up talking about how fast the girls would run, and how nobody was able to keep up with them. Alberto found that odd, and one day he said to his wife “Manolita, get my ‘alpargatas’ together; tonight I'm going to run alongside the girls.” Alpargatas are a type of shoe, with a sole made of esparto grass that was typical during the summer in Garabandal. Normally in Garabandal, everyone would use clogs - a rustic wooden shoe that protected from the cold and the mud - but to able to run, the "alpargatas" were the best thing to wear. That night, the girls had already received two interior calls from the Blessed Virgin. At any moment, they would leave their houses in ecstasy. With his "alpargatas" well tied, Alberto was waiting outside Loli's house ready to get running. When Loli's father, Ceferino, saw him he said, “Make sure your ‘alpargatas’ are well tied because you're going to need them.” Alberto replied very full of himself, “What for?” Ceferino said jokingly, “Because you're going to lose.” “We'll see about that,” replied Alberto. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the girls leaving their houses. Alberto took off running as fast as he could, but he had only reached Rosarito's house (about 20 feet from Ceferino's) when he lost sight of the girl, who was already passing by Avelina’s house on the outskirts of the village, close to the sight where the visible Communion took place. Since Alberto had an upright and noble heart, he had no problem in recognizing that he had lost. What was very clear to him afterwards was that once the girls had entered into ecstasy their bodies were capable of more than what was normal for the human nature. This didn't happen just once or twice, but during every apparition. As the villagers say, “Miracles? We saw pure miracles every single night.”
"Then I will believe" It was the afternoon of October 16, 1961. Among the numerous spectators present that day were two priests from Asturias (Spain), but since they were not wearing their clerical attire nobody realized that they were priests. When Conchita arrived in ecstasy, she held out the crucifix so that the people could kiss it. The two priests, not believing in the apparitions, left the group to see what would happen from the upstairs window of a nearby house. The girl followed them. She climbed the stairs quickly in the typical posture with her head thrown backwards. Everyone was impressed to see with what ease she was able to go up the stairs without seeing where she was going. She offered them the crucifix to kiss but they refused. While still looking upwards she made the sign of the cross over the first but he again refused to kiss the crucifix. The same happened with the second. Conchita began to go down the stairs but she suddenly turned back and again offered them the crucifix to kiss, and once more they refused to do so. The bystanders were shocked; they didn’t know that they were priests. One of the priests thought to himself: “My God, if what is happening is really supernatural, let the girl come towards me again and let the ecstasy suddenly end; if so then I will believe.” It happened just as he requested. Conchita came out of the ecstasy and began to walk home, but before having even reached the square, she fell into ecstasy again and began to retrace her steps. This was in answer to another petition made by the priest: “If the reason the girl came to me before was because it had been supernaturally revealed to her that I am a priest, let her demonstrate it to me again, and come and hold out the crucifix once more so I can kiss it, and let her make the sign of the cross over me several times.” When the ecstasy ended, they gave her a holy card to sign. In the note the girl surprised everyone present when she made a specific reference to their priesthood. There were numerous episodes similar to this one in Garabandal that emphasize the importance and the dignity of the priesthood. https://www.garabandal.it/en/about/stories/829-then-i-will-believe
Hi Glenn. I was told by someone that St. Padre Pio said that Conchita would live to see the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Can you kindly confirm this? Thanks much.
TODAY IN GARABANDAL HISTORY: MAY 31, 1962: A MOST SIGNIFICANT MARIAN INVOCATION On this Feast, then, of the Ascension of the Lord, but also of Mary as Queen, the visionaries altered the traditional Santanderinian invocation of "Our Lady Truly Appeared ("Bien aparecida"), Queen and Mother of the Mountain." Instead they addressed her as "Our Lady Truly Appeared, Queen and Sovereign of Everything Created, pray for us." This invocation, celebrating Mary's unparalleled participation in the Kingship of her Son, was in fact the perfect echo of the patristic thought, that had already (1954) allowed Pope Pius XII to attribute this new title to the Blessed Virgin (Encyclical Letter 1955 'Ad Coeli Reginam'), the successor of St. Peter relying abundantly on the very rich doctrine ad hoc contained in the Divine Revelation (Holy Scriptures and Apostolic Tradition). [From 'Garabandal' Book,by J. Serre, page 133]
