SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 1962:

St. Pio of Pietrelcina

A MYSTERIOUS (FIRST) LETTER FROM
THE FAMOUS ITALIAN STIGMATIZED
CAPUCHIN, BLESSED PADRE PIO OF
PIETRELCINA, TO THE VISIONARIES
OF GARABANDAL

On this "first Saturday" of March, Conchita received a letter addressed to the four visionaries in the village. It came from Blessed Padre Pio, as the Vision would confirm to Conchita, during an ecstasy she had on the same day, telling them, among other things: "Dear children, this morning at nine, the Blessed Virgin asked me to tell you: 'O blessed little girls of San Sebastian de Garabandal! I promise that I will be with you until the end of times, and that you will be with Me until the end of the world. Then you will be united with Me in the glory of Paradise' ".

Having transmitted this very remarkable prophetic message from the Blessed Virgin, Padre Pio continued in these terms:
"I am sending you a copy of the rosary of Fatima that the Blessed Virgin asked me to send to you. This rosary was dictated by the Blessed Virgin and must be made known for the salvation of sinners and for the preservation of humanity from the worst chastisements God is threatening to send us.
"I am giving you only one advice: Pray and make others pray, for the world is on the edge of ruin.
"People do not believe you: they do not believe in your conversations with the Blessed Virgin . . .
"People will believe when it will be very, very late."

As soon as she received this letter, Conchita sent Padre Pio a personal letter, with "a secret message from the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel and addressed to him."

We do not know exactly when the famous Capuchin of San Giovanni Rotondo learned about what was going on at Garabandal. Thanks to the book by F. Sanchez-Ventura, La Vierge est-elle apparue a Garabandal? (Did the Blessed Virgin appear at Garabandal?, N.E.L. Paris, 1965), we nevertheless know the gentle "reproach" he addressed, at the beginning of the year 1962, to a group of Spanish pilgrims on the authenticity of the apparitions: "How many apparitions do you need, when they have been taking place for already eight months?"

We shall see later in this Dossier, more, much more about the extraordinary involvement of Blessed Padre Pio in Garabandal.
[Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 125]

I love mysteries, especially supernatural ones! Padre Pio, who is now a Saint, was a man of mystery! I've read many books about him, watched many movies, [I just bought a new DVD titled 'Padre Pio, Miracle Man.' It's excellent!] but we'll never know the whole story about his life until we get to Heaven. Even though the books and movies didn't tell you, there was a great connection between him and Garabandal. There is a lot more to tell, as the author said, and I know a lot too, but I'll write about it when the proper time comes in our on-going story. By the way, if you can get that book "Did the Blessed Virgin appear at Garabandal?", it's a good one to introduce you to the facts.
Roman Deacon