WHAT IS GARABANDAL?: FROM O.L.M.C. NEW YORK

Sunday, May 4, 2008

FROM O.L.M.C. NEW YORK

“Our Lady of Garabandal has sustained my priestly life all these years. With joy and gratitude I present my testimony…”

These are the words of Fr. Richard W. Gilsdorf taken from an article written for GARABANDAL Magazine in July 1990. Fr. Gilsdorf, who passed away in 2005, spent a life of priestly service to the people of the Diocese of Green Bay Wisconsin. He was a supremely well educated scripture scholar holding degrees from Columbia University and the Sorbonne and actively involved in the debate on the course of the Catholic Church in America. As a published author his articles appeared in the Homiletic and Pastoral Review and The Wanderer and have been collected in a recently released work The Signs of the Times: Understanding the Church since Vatican II. He was the founder and first president of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy. Like Father John Hardon, he was also a firm believer in the Garabandal events, spreading the tenets of Our Lady’s Message through his priestly ministry. We are most fortunate to have the certainty that many of the initial impressions of the Garabandal events were recorded and interpreted by holy priests.

We preserve on our website the published writings of Fathers Pelletier, Turner, Benac, Laffineur and de Pesquera as the primary historical documents which chronicle the apparitions and maintain their interpretations of the prophecies. Among these priests, we would highlight this work by Fr. Gilsdorf for its emphasis on the dignity of the priesthood which is derived from the central role of the Eucharist in the Church and also for the comparison of the Garabandal prophecies to the revelations of St. Faustina Kowalska. In the wake of Our Holy Father’s successful visit to America, we echo Fr. Gilsdorf’s plea to renew the priestly life and the life of the Church throughout the world by drawing nearer to Our Lady and living her Message more fully in our daily lives. To read Fr. Richard W. Gilsdorf's article in click here
P.O. Box 606, Lindenhurst, NY 11757-0606
www.Garabandal.us

No comments:

UPDATE: THE CHURCH"S POSITION ON GARABANDAL

The magazine "Garabandal Journal" has updated some information regarding the village of Garabandal, the current Bishop and Pastor.
For many years, while never being condemned, the Garabandal events were under a dark cloud as some of the first bishops (but not all) opposed the events. But the tide started to change with Bishop Juan Antonio del Val Gallo (1971-1991). While he at first did not believe in the apparitions he took a more open position. In 1981, he became a believer and during his reign, he lifted the ban on priests going up to the village and allowed them to celebrate Mass in the village church with the permission of the village pastor. The next bishop, Jose Vilaplana Blasco, was a non-believer, but left in place the positive changes made by Bishop del Val. In 2006, he was transferred to another diocese in southern Spain and Archbishop of Oviedo, Carlos Osoro Sierra, was made Apostolic Administrator of Santander. The Archbishop, building on the positive measures taken by Bishop Del Val, allowed priests visiting Garabandal to celebrate Mass in the village church even if the pastor was not there (he ministered to a number of other villages and was not always in Garabandal). The Archbishop also gave visiting priests faculties to hear confessions.
In 2007, Ed Kelly from the United States, wrote to the Archbishop requesting the current status of Garabandal and received a letter from the prelate, under his own stationary and signed by him dated May 7, 2007, in which he said: "I respect the apparitions and have known of authentic conversions. In light of these events, how can we not always feel the need to open our heart to our mother Mary to tell her that we need her protection, help, spirit, desire, hope and love! I encourage you to continue maintaining this devotion to our Mother."
In 2011, two 50th anniversaries were celebrated in Garabandal (1) for the first appearance of St. Michael on June 18, 1961, and (2) the first vision of Our Lady on July 2, 1961. The celebrations were conducted under the auspices of the Santander Diocese represented by the village pastor Fr. Rolando Cabeza (also dean of the area). During the celebrations, another ban was lifted when Fr. Cabeza, spoke of the apparitions from the pulpit, and read the two formal Messages of Our Lady at Garabandal.
On May 6, 2012, current Bishop of Santander, Vecente Jimenez Zamora (installed in 2007) celebrated a Mass in Garabandal in commemoration of the completion of a restoration project of the village church. In a refreshments period after Mass, he was open and most cordial with all the villagers and visitors. On May1, 2013, the Bishop again celebrated Mass in the village church of Garabandal and prior to the Mass, kissed a crucifix belonging to villager David Toribio that was kissed by the Blessed Virgin at Garabandal. We don't know if the Bishop knew that but we suspect he did.
Bishop Jimenez's Masses in Garabandal were firsts, since no Bishop of Santander had ever said Mass in the village church from the time the apparitions began in 1961.
Deacon John

Subscribe to Garabandal Journal Magazine to keep updated!
GARABANDAL JOURNAL
PO BOX 1796
ST CLOUD MN 56302-1796
SPECIAL OFFER $16.00 (1 year)

WHAT IS GARABANDAL?

Sunday, May 4, 2008

FROM O.L.M.C. NEW YORK

No comments:

Post a Comment

PRO-LIFE RING