MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1963:

CONCHITA "LEARNS" THE DATE OF
THE GREAT EVENTS OF "D" DAY.

The Archangel St. Michael finally gave the exact date of the future "D" day to Conchita alone. She would eventually say to Maria Herrero de Gallardo of Santander, that "by Year 2000, everything will then be near . . . "

In Garabandal, whether it be about the Message or about the so-called numerous prophetic announcements, we note that their revelation and clarification always occurred in a progressive way and in a significantly established order, "D" day being no exception to this "procedure." Thus Conchita learned first about the "very great Church event" that must take place, even before being notified of the Miracle as such: a legitimate respect, also, for the Church Hierarchy action, the dimension of Faith taking over that of "signs," as it should, and as was always the case in Garabandal proper.
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 163]

God and Our Lady respects order and the Church! So when the Church gives an order, like when the local bishop forbade the visionaries from entering the tiny Garabandal church in ecstasy, Our Blessed Lady stopped them at the door and did not allow them to enter when She was with them. Mother Mary said, "Obedience to the Church gives great glory to God!"

If we mortals only believed and acted so. Imagine how holy the Church would be. Imagine how beautiful the Liturgies would be. Imagine how holy and devout all the priests and people would be! Obedience and humility are the keystones to all the virtues and the pathway to heaven! If only we could all walk that path! It's not easy being obedient to the Church! I've struggled with it myself. But thanks to excellent spiritual advice, I see the wisdom of obedience, because then we are doing God's Will, not our own, and on the road to heaven, not hell! I have to always keep in mind the words of Jesus in the Garden: "Father, if it be possible, take this chalice from me; but yet not my will, but thine be done." (Luke 22:42) [Douay-Rheims Bible]
Deacon John

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13, 1963:

Mari-Loli's last ecstasy (two months later she, as well as Conchita, will enter into the phase of her locutions). For some time already (Fall 1962), the visionary had known the very year of the future Warning, and also that "the Aviso will come less than a year before the great Miracle," furthermore that "both of these future great events might occur the very same year . . ." (Mari-Loli first public declarations, 1975).
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 162]

Like I said before, I think it's too late for the Miracle this year of 2010, but the Warning could come any day now. Just when it looks the worst for mankind, it will happen. The whole world will come to a dead stop, suspended in time for a few minutes as we all see our sins flashed before our eyes, all the bad we have done and all the good we have failed to do. It will be a mini-chastisement! There will be sufferings and some may die from having a heart-attack! Those who love God, will love Him even more! Everyone will know and believe that this supernatural event is from God!

All I can say is: Why wait? Go to confession now if you need forgiveness. Be in a state of grace so that your sins will be few, if any. Then we will get through all this peacefully, and will be able to help others in their agony!!!
Deacon John

The Angel of Garabandal Update

Dear Friends, We recently sent out an email entitled "The Angel of Garabandal" about increasing devotion to Saint Michael the Archangel. Due to nuances in inbox preference settings, some subscribers only received a banner with no message. We are working with our email service provider to address this issue. In the meantime we would like you visit the Joey's Message page of www.garabandal.us where we have posted the complete text of the email as well as the offer of a chaplet gratis. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience. The Workers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel www.garabandal.us

The Angel of Garabandal

9/29/10 Devotion to Saint Michael  “But at that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people: and a time shall come such as never was from the time that nations began even until that time.” -The Book of Daniel; Chpt. 12 vs.1 “The fact that the angel of Garabandal was the archangel Saint Michael has a special meaning. It indicated the basic theme of what was happening in this little village. St. Michael’s very presence proclaimed the great spiritual drama that was unfolding on earth and of which Garabandal was to be one of the very important acts. It heralded a gigantic struggle in the world between the forces of good and the forces of evil. Those who have taken to heart the Garabandal Message understand this and pray frequently to him whom the Church has always invoked as a powerful ally in the struggle with the devil.” -Fr. Joseph Pelletier A.A.; God Speaks at Garabandal “I, your mother, through the intercession of Saint Michael the Archangel, ask you to amend your lives.” -The Second Message of Garabandal; June 18, 1965             The Roman Catholic Church from its earliest generations has maintained a strong devotion to Saint Michael the Archangel. This devotion is rooted solidly in sacred scripture by the explicit use of his name in the prophetic books, the many works attributed to him by the inherited Hebrew tradition and complimentary exegesis by the Fathers of the Church. In the West, popular devotion to Saint Michael spread through the apparition of the Holy Angel across Europe in the darkest hours of late antiquity. At such places as Monte San Angelo and Mont San Michel, among many others, great shrines grew to become the destinations of devotional pilgrimages. They have lasted down the centuries to our own time as a testament to the Christian patrimony of Europe.  Modern devotion to Saint Michael really begins with the apparitions of a Portuguese Carmelite, the Servant of God, Antonia d’Astonac who received a series of prayers by divine inspiration which she attributed to Saint Michael. These prayers salute Saint Michael as well the nine choirs of angels. To those who faithfully recite this chaplet Saint Michael promised his constant spiritual assistance, that of all the angels, defeat of any demonic influence throughout the family, the gradual acquisition of a pure heart and when said before holy mass; an angelic escort at the time of communion. This chaplet was approved and a monthly plenary indulgence under the ordinary conditions was added to it in 1851 by His Holiness, Pius IX.    Some thirty years after this recognition, devotion to the Archangel Michael was to spread rapidly through the entire Church with the express consent of the Holy Father. In 1884, Pope Leo XIII received a mysterious revelation while attending mass which caused him great alarm. Although he did not commit the spiritual intuition to writing, his contemporaries began to circulate that the Holy Father had been granted knowledge of a gathering satanic assault of terrible force and a century’s duration directed at destroying the Catholic Church. Leo XIII, deeply concerned by the prophesy, commended the defense of the Church to Saint Michael by promulgating the following prayer: Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. Looking back at the bloody twentieth century we can surmise the ferocity of this attack which put to persecution and martyrdom millions of Catholics throughout the world at the hands of totalitarian and communist regimes - but the Church endures. As many remember, this Leonine prayer was said at the conclusion of each mass until the introduction of the Novus Ordo in 1970. Ironically, in 1984, the centennial of Leo XIII’s vision, Pope John Paul II revived by papal indult the optional use of this prayer at the conclusion of Mass. In a later address, that Great Holy Father spoke clearly, “Although this prayer is no longer recited at the end of mass, I ask everyone not to forget it and recite it to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness and against the evil spirits of this world.” This brings our narrative to the times of the apparitions at Garabandal. Here, Saint Michael is first upon the scene. His appearances commencing June 18, 1961, preceded and prepared the way for those of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. The visionaries, aged 11 and 12 at the time, described him as distinguished, smiling and hearty; in age about nine years old. Incidentally, it is not unexpected of Saint Michael to cast his appearance and age as similar to that of the young visionaries so as not to overwhelm them. This has been a recorded phenomenon in many other angelic visitations including those of Saint Catherine Laboure. Throughout the period of the apparitions, Saint Michael brought Holy Communion to the visionaries on days when mass was unavailable in the village.  It is worth recalling his instructions on reception of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Before receiving communion he requested of the children to say an Act of Contrition and before thanksgiving after reception he taught them to say the Anima Christi (“Soul of Christ”) of Saint Ignatius Loyola. When asked where the hosts they received had come from, Saint Michael responded that they were taken from tabernacles on earth because, “angels cannot consecrate.” Saint Michael was instrumental throughout the apparitions appearing often at the side of the Blessed Mother and in the company of another angel who remained anonymous. He was the minister of the visible host in the “little miracle” and was the bearer of the Second Message of Garabandal on June 18, 1965 which he committed to the visionaries in person. We do not have the opportunity here to recount in detail all the minor works of Saint Michael during the apparitions. We can only direct those interested to the original works on Garabandal contained on our website– www.garabandal.us -and available gratis. In these days surrounding the feast of the Holy Archangels and the Guardian Angels we commend this devotion to you with great enthusiasm. These are indeed times of crisis with so much swirling violence and random catastrophe we do well to heed Our Lady’s request to increase our devotion to the Prince of the Holy Angels and secure for ourselves and our families their faithful assistance and protection and deliverance from the evil of this hour. May Saint Michael the Archangel, Guardian of the People of God, patron and protector of the Church of Jesus Christ and victorious by the power of God over all His enemies uphold and defend the faithful in this present generation. In Union of Prayer, The Workers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel de Garabandal Lindenhurst, NY USA Presently, at the New York Center we have a limited supply of Saint Michael Chaplets to offer gratis to subscribers on our email list who wish to deepen their devotion to the Archangel Saint Michael as Our Lady requested at Garabandal. To receive a chaplet rosary and the accompanying prayer card please send an email to us at joey@garabandalny.org with CHAPLET in the subject line. Please include your mailing address, postal code and country in the text of the email.

P.O. Box 606, Lindenhurst, NY 11757-0606 www.Garabandal.us

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1962: CONTINUED . . .

"THERE EXIST INTELLIGENT BEINGS
ELSEWHERE THAN ON THE EARTH" . . .

"Intelligent (rational) beings in outer space . . ."

As an echo, in some way, of the lively discussion going on in the world at the time, Mercedes Salisachs, a remarkable witness, present these days at Garabandal, had Conchita ask the Blessed Virgin if there were intelligent beings in outer or interstellar space. - "Yes", was the stunning answer!

Days after, Conchita, again in ecstasy, was heard asking her Vision if these mysterious beings are like us, sinners? - "They are like men, tainted alike by sin, but also redeemed by Christ just like men," was the new astonishing answer!

These new revelations made to Conchita were to appear so exceptional to Fr. Lucio Rodrigo, S.J., when he learned about them, that, after an uneasy first impression, and then, after reflection, he went out to write that "it would well be that the Blessed Virgin, and through Her, Our Lord, were lifting the veil of a mystery which broadens in that way the dimensions of the Kingdom of Our Lord (and of the Most Blessed Virgin), so to include other rational creatures, which could, of course, not be angels (. . .)". (Letter, October 22, 1965, to the Marques de Santa Maria). True, the above revelations of this December 20, 1962, should they be confirmed by existing new documents not yet available to us, and also by Conchita herself, they would take us to give a new look at the absolute universality of Christ's redemption, but also to His unfathomable supremacy recapitulating all created realities, visible and invisible, even the mysterious Cosmic powers. So, couldn't we at least presume that the above-reported revelations were simply recalling, if also "confirming" a true kerygmatic truth, an article of the Church early Creed? Future and larger works on Garabandal, based on numerous authentic original sources, should present it all in a much more detailed way. As for the Scriptural foundation (mainly 1 Cor, Rom, Col, Eph, and Peter I and II), we can do no better for the time being than to indicate among the numerous exegetical works bearing on this still mysterious aspect of Christian faith, the major study of M. Combe, "Puissances celestes" ("Cosmic Powers,") in the Dictionnaire de la Bible-Supplement--DBS--vol. 9, col 336-381.
[From 'Garabandal' Book, pages 160-161]

You don't know how hard it was for me to type this excerpt from the 'Garabandal' Book! All my life I have denied and not believed in any other life in this universe except for us human beings! Yes, even though I'm a avid Sci Fi fan and love watching the fantasies about aliens and weird creatures. Is God trying to tell me I am wrong? Is He telling me to shut up, that I don't know everything?

Image by christian.greller via Flickr

He's right, of course, I really don't know anything other than what I have been taught. But one thing I do know is that when I get to Heaven, I will find the answers to all these mysteries! Do you want to start a discussion on whether their is "life out there"? What do you think? 
Deacon John

Image by Sarai♥Beloved Fotography via Flickr

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1962:

Pope Benedict XVI

TWO EXTRAORDINARY PROPHETIC
REVELATIONS: "ONLY THREE POPES
AFTER JOHN XXIII, THEN NO MORE" -

"The Last three Popes"

Large snowflakes were falling in the early morning of December 20, 1962, when the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, during an apparition of ninety minutes, revealed to Conchita that "after Pope John (XXIII), there will come three other Popes and after . . . there will be no more. No, four, for one of them would not really count, the Blessed Virgin told me!" For several years, Conchita kept secret this prophetic allusion to the rule of an illegitimate and false-pope, or of an anti-pope. She confided it only in 1965, to Albrecht Weber, to whom she also told that, at the same apparition (December 20, 1962), the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel revealed to her that "one of the three (legitimate Popes yet to come after John XXIII, would have a very short Pontificate." John Paul I undoubtedly! It was also explained on that Thursday to the visionary, that "after the last Pope will come the end of the times, which is not the end of the world." These formidable revelations would again be the main item on the agenda, on June 3, 1963, the very day Pope John XXIII died!
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 160]

The mystery deepens and the prophecies are getting harder to understand! Does this one about the Popes shake you up? Only time will tell what it all means. We certainly went through 3 Popes after John XXIII; Paul VI, John Paul I, and John Paul II. Now we are in the reign of Benedict XVI.

Well, actually there was a man in Spain who claimed to be the Pope, and that all the others were false. Here's a newsclip about him:

"The media overlooked the passing on March 22, 2005 of the Pope Gregory XVII - the first "antipope" since Renaissance times - at his see in southern Spain. This controversial character presided over a thriving orthodox catholic church (for want of a better term) that embraced the pre-Vatican II Tridentine Mass and other ceremonies and beliefs done away with by that assembly of prelates in the 1960s. With millions of dollars in his treasury, a monumental basilica and bishops all over Spain and even in the United States, Gregory XVII had excommunicated John Paul II early on, accusing the Bishop of Rome of being the true "antipope" (one of the first items of business for the Council of El Palmar, held in October 1980).

Before stepping into his papal slippers, Gregory XVII had been Clemente Domínguez, better known in the media as "el papa Clemente", eternally linked to the alleged apparitions of the Blessed Virgin at El Palmar de Troya in the community of Utrera (Seville)."

***************************************************************************  

So we had the three Popes and now what? I believe that during the reign of Benedict XVI we will see the climax of the Garabandal prophecies and that will be "the end of the times" as Our Lady said, and the beginning of the new Era for mankind, a time of peace and brotherhood, that was promised by Our Lady at Fatima!!! Are you ready for all this? It's gonna be a whirlpool of spectacular events, so hold on to your hat!!!
Deacon John

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, TO SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1962:

Conchita with her own doll

NEW CIRCUMSTANCES OF
THE FUTURE "D" DAY

Conchita learned on this day that an almost generalized disaffection for Garabandal would come only one week before "D" day, in other words, as early as the day following the announcement that she would make. There will be few people at the village to attend the great Miracle on site. Nevertheless, it will be seen on television, could be filmed, etc.

The visionary declared on the other hand, that, as the future great events will draw near "presumed and false manifestations of the Blessed Virgin will increase considerably." She also predicted, the same day, "the disappearance, on the day of the Miracle, of the Note Dr. Pinal had forced her to sign, in Santander, which Note was saying that the apparitions of San Sebastian de Garabandal were frauds, and that herself was mad!"

Mari-Loli and Conchita Fernandez also revealed, on December 8, to Paloma Pacheco Larrauri, another important witness, present during these days with her husband, that "you will have a son for the day of the Miracle!" The sterility of the couple, source of a long separation of the two, is a trial that will come to an end in a prodigious and miraculous way. Paloma, born in 1931, will be at least 70 years old when the prophesy will be fulfilled!
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 160]

Well, now we get to hear some controversial prophecies! This last one is strange indeed. If Paloma was born in 1931, she would be 79 years old now, if she's still living. Like some other prophecies, a supernatural answer to this question could be the answer. Maybe she had a mis-carriage and doesn't know it. She could have a son in heaven! This has happened to many women. My wife had two still-borns. I baptized them at home. I know for sure they are in heaven and I will meet them one day.

Yes, the devil loves to trick people with false apparitions. He could be doing that right now around the world with all the reported sightings of Jesus and Mary, weeping icons and statues, pictures in the clouds and on walls, windows, and even toast! The Vatican warned about a certain woman who claims to receive "Messages" from Jesus and she writes them down as if her hand is guided supernaturally. Maybe everybody will be so fed up with all these reported sightings that they will stop believing in Conchita's announcement of the Miracle.

I found out long ago to never say "Never!" So I won't say I will "never" stop believing in Garabandal, I know I believe firmly right now. St. Peter said he would "never" deny Our Lord, but we all know what happened when Jesus was arrested and was suffering his sacred Passion. St. Peter said, "I don't know the man!" And he suffered greatly for that denial . . . Let us persevere!!!
Deacon John

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1962:

Some new explanations were given Conchita about new circumstances of the future Miracle: "It will occur at 8:30 p.m." (Spanish time), "on a Thursday," truly a Eucharistic and priestly day, also a day, par excellence, of the Unity of Christians. Indeed, it was on the evening of the Last supper in the Upper Room, that Christ addressed His sublime prayer to God; "Father, that they may all be One, as You are in Me and I am in You" (John 17: 21). There are so many corresponding details - but there are others! - that lead us to think that the "D" day might "fall" on a Holy Thursday. This intuition seemed all the more valid since we know that the "D" day will fall in the month of . . . April and, to repeat it, on a very special "Thursday," although we now know that it will not be a Holy Thursday! Conchita also said that: "the Miracle will last about a quarter of an hour; it will be seen in heaven, so clearly or in such an obvious way that there will no longer exist any doubts about the existence of God and His love for mankind." "The sick present at Garabandal, the place of the Miracle, will be healed."

Finally, Conchita "will announce the date eight days prior to the Miracle." Again, according to the visionary, "it will be the greatest Miracle that Jesus will ever have performed for the world."
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 159]

Site of the future Miracle. Image by garabandal archives via Flickr

Now we are getting into some good news as the Miracle is slowly explained to us . . . Guess what? It's past April, so I doubt the Miracle will occur this year. Why? Because the Warning has to come first, to prepare the world for the Miracle. Both are supposed to happen within the same year. I could be wrong, though, so don't give up yet!

But lets think about some of the things that Conchita said about this Miracle:
1. It will occur on a Thursday evening at 8:30 P.M. Spanish time. That means about midnight for us here on the East Coast of America. I hope I'm awake to watch it on EWTN!

2. It will be Eucharistic! Could it be a vision of the Holy Mass? That's what Sister Lucia of Fatima saw in a vision!

3. It will unite all Christians into One! "Hooray!"

4. The whole world will believe in God! Goodbye Atheists and Darwin lovers!

5. All the sick present at Garabandal will be healed! Get your plane tickets ready if you have cancer, aids, TB, blind, deaf, lame, etc. for your personal miracle!

6. It will be announced 8 days in advance. Will the TV News announce it too? I think so, cause they went through the Warning and purification like the rest of us!

7. It will be the greatest Miracle Jesus will perform for the world.

That's it folks, last chance to convert before the "Second Coming of Christ"! He will do no more for us! Keep tuned for more revelations about the Miracle that is sure to come!!!
Deacon John

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1962:

Fr. Laffineur and Conchita in 1962

FATHER MATERNE LAFFINEUR (D. 1970)

Born in 1897 in Walcourt, Belgium, Fr. Materne Laffineur, O.P., was ordained to the priesthood in 1924. He was later to be involved in the canonical inquiry about the apparitions of Beuraing and become as early as 1963, the unofficial or private investigator of the Garabandal "facts," on behalf of Msgr. Beitia himself. A tireless diffuser of the Message in France and in the world, he worked without respite, so that the supernatural authenticity of the events might be recognized by the Church, gathering the most abundant documentation on the question.

In July 1965, Conchita is said to have transmitted to him, in a letter, these presumed words from the Blessed Virgin concerning the Dominican priest: "Tell . . . Fr. Laffineur in France that my Son has chosen him to spread the Message I gave to the world, tell him also my love for everyone . . . I shall always be with (him) and so will my Son." Fr. Laffineur had witnessed many ecstasies in San Sebastian de Garabandal.
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 159]

This priest was a rare man, very holy and very Marian. He was really an expert on Marian apparitions and he firmly believed in Garabandal! He was instrumental in the spreading of the Messages and events throughout Europe and America. There were other great Marian priests who also believed in the Garabandal events. We will meet them as the story continues . . . Since 1970, I have always prayed for these priests who were spreading the Message throughout the world and I continue to do so for the glory of God and the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!
Deacon John

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1962:

A PRODIGIOUS "NOVEMBER 18":
"THE COUNCIL (THEN ALSO THE
FUTURE AVISO) AND THE MIRACLE
TO COME WILL BE A POWERFUL
CONTRIBUTION TO THE CONVERSION -
EVANGELIZATION OF THE ENTIRE WORLD!"

On this Sunday, also the Feast of the Dedication or Consecration of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, the Blessed Virgin informed Conchita that "the Council and the great Miracle would help to convert the whole world!" One of the main objects of Vatican II being the perfect Unity of all Christians, it seemed logical that the Blessed Virgin would have chosen this privileged liturgical framework to clarify further to the visionary, that "the divided Churches will again become ONE . . . on the very day of the Miracle!"

Although we still do not have an absolutely explicit assurance of this, it appears very plausible that Conchita received also, on this same day, some complementary information about the exceptional circumstances that will surround the famous "D" day, the future "great Church event."

In any case, we possess an authentic sound recording of the ecstasy of this November 18, 1962. It was taken by a key-witness of prime importance attending the phenomena of Garabandal: Don Placido Ruiloba (Santander). On this tape, one can hear a voice, not the voice of Conchita, which suddenly breaks out and clearly pronounces the word . . . "COUNCIL," the only word actually recorded and preserved of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel "speaking" at San Sebastian de Garabandal!
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 158]

Unbelievable! Our Lady's voice captured on tape! I guess we would all love to hear it, even if it is only one word. I've heard recordings of the children praying the Rosary, in a very supernatural way, but haven't heard Our Lady yet!

But getting to the core of this particular day, imagine what is going to happen on the day of the great Miracle. The whole world will be converted and believe in Jesus and Mary! And this re-uniting of all Churches, WOW, I can't wait. I love our separated brethren and long for their return to the True Faith! Plus, to be honest with you, it will allow me and you, if you want, to celebrate the Eucharist in other Churches, like the Orthodox. I love their Divine Liturgy and long to receive Holy Communion at their Mass.

"Come Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth!"

Image via Wikipedia

Roman Deacon

The Prophecies Video

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1962:

THE VIRGIN OF MOUNT CARMEL AND
THE SHROUD OF TURIN: "IT IS THE DIVINE IMPRINT OF MY SON!"

On the Feastday of St. Charles Borromeo, a great architect of the Council of Trent and Cardinal Archbishop of Turin, who went four times on a pilgrimage to venerate the famous Shroud of Turin, it appears appropriate for us to deal briefly with the matter of the "Sabana Santa."

That Spanish expression means the "Shroud of Turin" . . . The Blessed Virgin at Garabandal used it formally, at least on one occasion. During an apparition She, in fact, confirmed to Conchita that "it is the divine imprint of my Son . . .", without the visionary having questioned the Vision about this and not even knowing what the expression "Sabana Santa" meant! She gave immediately an account of this remarkable episode to the Marquis and Marquess of Santa Maria, present that day at San Sebastian de Garabandal, and also witnesses of many other events occurring there. As to the "Sabana Santa" episode, I received personally the information from them.

The words of the Blessed Virgin to Conchita were also, so at least we think, confirming the identity of the mysterious crucified man. His imprint -- quite notably, the Vision said nothing about the datation of the Shroud itself -- due to an alpha radiation scientifically unexplainable, was undoubtedly left "to beckon" us to a faith of great depths! In other words, an imprint not man-made, but the work of a transcendent, divine Artist! Furthermore, the "scorching" we see on the body of the victim, as well as his members free of fractures, all that makes us recall those texts of the Book of Exodus describing the ritual of the Paschal Lamb: "You shall let none of it remain until the morning, anything that remains until the morning you shall burn." (Ex. 12:10), and "you shall not break any of its bones" (Ex. 12:46)? A Paschal mystery we will understand later . . . the extent to which, and in what a wonderful way, the "grace" of Garabandal is linked!
[From 'Garabandal' Book, pages 156-157]

When I first read about the Shroud and saw the pictures, I believed it showed Our Lord's dead body right away. I've read a number of different books and articles about this amazing piece of cloth, which is over 2000 years old. I'm also thinking about the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which was divinely painted on the tilma of Juan Diego, who is now a Saint!

Image via Wikipedia

Almighty God created the universe from nothing, and created us from the dust; why can't He continue His artistic work in creating these images also? Do you believe in them or are you troubled with the supernatural world. Even Pope John Paul II believed in them, he went to both shrines to kneel and venerate both images! He's almost a Saint also!!!
Deacon John

NOVEMBER 1 ("ALL SAINTS DAY - NOVEMBER 2 (LITURGICAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE DECEASED), 1962:

Garabandal village cemetery

THE "PRAYER FOR THE DECEASED,"
BUT ALSO THE "CREED" . . . AGAIN ON
THE AGENDA AT SAN SEBASTIAN DE
GARABANDAL

The visionaries, in ecstasy, recited the Creed apart from the Rosary at midnight, for the twelfth and last time, rather 'day.' That series of very distinctive days, indeed a very ecclesial one, was thus coming to an end on a very symbolic date: the girls were, in effect, bringing together, thanks to their Vision, in one same Profession of Faith, the Church on earth and the faithful in the process of purification in Purgatory, and those already in Eternal Life.
During the first week, that is, on the first day of that month devoted to the deceased, Mari-Loli and Conchita, in ecstasy, entered the cemetery. On their knees before the graves of Conchita's father and Maximina's relatives, the visionaries first placed their little crucifixes on them, then presented them to the Vision, and finally to Maximina accompanying them.
It was in this same month of November that we found an anecdote illustrating Conchita's sense of humor and quick temper. Pressed by questions about the great Miracle, she made the people believe that it would consist in moving objects in the air by using a magic powder . . ., "broma" (joke) she would say. This was to be, later, a source of many little disputes and "doubts."
The girls amused themselves in this way several times. For instance, they would simulate an ecstasy to be able to move away for a few moments from the crowd harassing them. But this kind of joking did not last. Furthermore, one day, in 1962, when they were 'pretending' to have an apparition, Conchita, for one, felt immediately a mysterious and terrible pain that discouraged her from ever doing this again . . .
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 154]





Actually, this is great stuff. It shows us how innocent these children are! Every kid likes to play jokes on adults, until they get caught. Then they're sorry after they get spanked . . .

Conchita was spanked a little supernaturally for making believe. She quickly learned a lesson! Another thing is that when adults try to fool us with make believe apparitions, they never joke around or play games. That would ruin their charade . . .

Notice how Our Lady led the girls to pray for the dead. She was re- enforcing the dogma of Purgatory and the Communion of Saints, which was being attacked by the modernists of that era. We don't have to enter a cemetery to pray for the dead, but if we pass by one, we could say a prayer for the Faithful departed! In New York there are a lot of cemeteries and I got into the habit of saying: "May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace,"  every time I passed one. As a truck and cab driver who was on the road most of the day, I said that prayer many times :-)
Roman Deacon

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1962:

The assembly of Bishops in St. Peter's Basilica

CONCHITA FALLS IN ECSTASY AT THE
EXACT MOMENT OF THE OPENING, IN
ROME, OF THE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL
VATICAN II

On the morning of the Opening of the Second Vatican Council, it was raining heavily in Rome. But when the Conciliar Fathers started in procession towards St. Peter's Basilica, the sky suddenly cleared up and the sun came out again.

At that same moment, another amazing phenomenon was unfolding at Garabandal; just as the radio was transmitting, at 8 a.m., the Opening of the Council and the inauguration ceremony, Conchita fell into ecstasy in her home; it lasted throughout her wandering through the lanes of the village, where witnesses could hear the seer talking of the Council with her Vision!

The visionary, who did not yet know the date, asked the apparition if the Miracle would occur during the Council. The beginning of an answer would be given to her during an important
ecstasy, on the following 18th of November.

Reverend Ramon Garcia de la Riva had spent, in the company of several other persons, the night of October 10 to 11 at Conchita's house. In order to enliven the long vigil, each had tried to guess the time when the visionary would have her ecstasy. The pastor of Barro alone found the right answer.

Msgr. Beitia was in Rome, sitting with his peers, when the newspapers published his first Note. The "aficionados" of Garabandal were obviously very disappointed. But Conchita, in a letter that she would send on that very same day to Fr. Ramon Andreu, reported, on behalf of the Blessed Virgin, that "the bishop (of Santander) in reality had a strong interior desire and real hope to discern the true origin of a matter of such gravity."
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 153]

It's interesting that God choose this important time in the history of the Church to allow Our Blessed Lady to appear in Garabandal! And just as some modernists were trying to discard many of the Traditional devotions practiced by the faithful, such as the rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady was reminding us that these devotions are God's Will for us.

I heard it with my own ears, right after the Council, that the rosary was old fashioned and they tried to discourage the faithful from praying it. They also said that the Pope was an old Italian in Rome, and people should dis-regard his teachings. Amazing how fast Satan can take something good and turn it into his own weapon to snag souls. So who do we listen to, some modernist theologian, who wants to use birth control, or the Holy Father, who represents Christ on earth? I'm sticking with the Pope, even if it means that there will be a schism!!! Personally, I think we are in one already!
Deacon John

TUEDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1962:

Jacinta is happy again.

MARI-LOLI AND JACINTA, IN TURN, LEARN,
AS EARLY AS THE DAY FOLLOWING
THE NOTA OF MSGR. BEITIA, ABOUT
THE COMING OF A VERY GREAT MIRACLE

After a month of deprivation because of a new disobedience to her parents, Jacinta began to have ecstasies again. Mary revealed to her, and to Loli as well, the existence of Msgr. Beitia's first Note, written on the previous day but which was to be made public only on the following 19th of October. In this Note, the Bishop of Santander seemed to adopt completely the position of his predecessor, Msgr. Doroteo Fernandez, renewing in it the dispositions taken by the "Special Commission," and restating, out of pastoral prudence, the interdiction and warnings concerning Garabandal.

We must nevertheless emphasize here that Msgr. Beitia, the only titular Bishop of Santander at the time of the apparitions, was to display a very remarkable tact with regard to this "matter" of Garabandal. In the face of the "adversaries of the events," he would, like the famous Gamaliel (Acts 6:1; 22:3), use the most appropriate words: "It is not necessary to use here one's fists: things that do not proceed from God, sooner or later crumble on their own" . . .

On this October 8, 1962, the two visionaries especially learned of the coming of the future great Miracle that would prove the authenticity of the Messages and the "events" occurring at San Sebastian de Garabandal.
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 151]

The Bishop was very smart to allow things to proceed so as not to put stones in the path of God's plans. If there were any signs of heresy or dis-obedience to Church rules and orders, then he would have to intervene. This happened in New York, back in the 70's, when a small group of people were following an alleged seer named Veronica Luken, who claimed to receive visions and messages from Jesus and Mary. Unfortunately, what they published was weird and totally against the Church and its official teachings, and there was a lot of dis-obedience by her and her followers. The local Bishop condemned the visions and warned everyone to stay away! There was one man, who we knew, who gave all his paycheck to the false seer. His wife had to take him to court to get him to stop. Pure fanaticism! But a good lesson for us. Test everything and make sure it is in conformity with the Roman Catholic Church's dogma and beliefs. If not, stay away!
Deacon John