Fr. Ramon Andreu's Notes: Part Three, Post 48

Many priests came to Garabandal

Report from San Sebastián de Garabandal made by Matutano—Dec. 16, 1961

It has been about a month since the parish priest was changed. The new priest, Fr. Amador, is 35 years old and is a good psychologist. He is very concerned about the girls, not only during the apparitions when they run, but also when they are in the normal state.

His opinion is that there is nothing supernatural about these apparitions, but he is also convinced that the girls are not playing games. As a result, he believes that they are suffering from a psychological illness. He tells the girls, and he also says in his sermons to the village something that has caused disturbance in the village—that it is impossible for the Virgin Mary to descend on the earth, and for that reason the girls don’t see the Virgin, but an image. This happened when Jacinta said that the Virgin appeared with her hands together (like Fatima) and Fr. Amador said that the apparition was the same as the image of the Virgin in the parish. He said that the girls were obsessed with this image even though they always said that the Virgin appeared with her arms extended downward.

I asked if there would be a concrete, verifiable miracle produced by the girls, because then the Church would have to admit to the reality of the apparitions. They answered that the miracle would happen but that it would not prove anything. It would be done by God as a result of the faith of those who ask for it. I asked what the Church needed to give faith in the apparitions and he answered that nothing would do it.

He is convinced that Loli, Jacinta, and Conchita suffer from neurosis (he has only seen Jacinta, Conchita, and Mari Cruz having apparitions), and he is very enthusiastic about Mari Cruz (I am also) and he told me that if she was the only one having apparitions, he would be predisposed to believe in something supernatural. He negates the visions because the three girls are very vain, and this does not correspond at all with the Virgin.

View of the parochial church in San Sebastián de Garabandal, Cantabria (Spain)]] (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

He said during a sermon in the parish that the Virgin is like any another Saint and that the only path to achieve glory is through Christ. This seemed bad. He tells them that they are hypocritical and superstitious. All of this, as is logical, is said with good manners and sympathy. He works a lot, as I said before, and he teaches the young girls and boys of the village to sing Christmas carols. He teaches them to accompany him during Mass and gave them some pamphlets in Latin so that they can follow the Mass. I note that the girls listen and see during the apparitions, and the rigidness that was first apparent in their limbs has disappeared. This agrees with the reports done by the doctors of the Commission sent by the Bishop. But I think they turn their heads and I confessed as much when I asked: “How do you cure this illness?” And he told me: “I don’t know and neither do the doctors.” I asked: “How can you diagnose an illness if you are ignorant of the causes and the remedies?” He said: “I think something has to be diagnosed,” and I said to diagnose a supernatural origin. He answered: “We can’t.”