PREAMBLE, A FEW, YET MOST RELAVANT DATA

"Did the Blessed Virgin tell you WHY She appeared to you under the title (and form) of Our Lady of Mount Carmel?" -- "No, Father, She didn't." (Conchita, answering, in 1968, to Fr. Alfred Combe).

"The Blessed Virgin warned us ("nos ha avisado"): with this one (Garabandal), three times She did ("son tres veces": Fatima, Lourdes and, of course, Garabandal) . . ." (from Conchita's many couplets sung, in ecstasy,, March 25, 1962: see post on that date).

"(. . .) The Aviso (Warning) will be a purification, (a) preparation for the Miracle (. . .)" (Conchita, to Sr. Maria Nieves, in Burgos, on November 1, 1966), "so that the world comply with the Message," as the seers would go repeating very often.

"Before the future events (of "D" day), a SYNOD will take place." (from a handwritten letter of Conchita, in Fr. Laffineur's Archives).

"(. . .) She (Conchita) told us that (, , ,) 'before the Miracle, but the very same day, there will be a very great event in the Church, and very good for Her, (and) that there had been another one, similar, before she was born' (. . .)" (Carmen Cavestany -- she with Dr. Jean Caux had spent more than fifteen days, in August 1963, in Garabandal, with Conchita --, report sent to Fr. Ramon Maria Andreu, 1963; idem: Conchita, Interview, February 7, 1974.)

"(. . .) She (the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel) has also said: 'The separated (Churches or Christians) will be reunited'. There will be, then, only one (Christian) religion. --Are you sure of that? replied Aniceta (Conchita's mother). --Yes, was the clear and firm answer of Conchita (. . .)." (Albrecht Weber, German editor, present in Garabandal, on November 13-14, 1965, where he could interview and talk freely with Conchita, other persons, among them Aniceta, being also present).

"Yes, in one of Her apparitions, the Blessed Virgin (of Mount Carmel) said that 'the Church will recognize Garabandal' (. . .)" (Conchita to A. Weber, as reported in his book, Garabandal, Der Zeigefinger Gottes, 2000).

"Dear little girls, today, the White Lady (the Most Blessed Virgin Mary) talked to me about your apparitions. She (also) told me to tell you that 'I will be with you until the end of (the) times, then you will be with me until the end of the world and, last, reunited with me in (the) glory of Paradise' (. . .)." (Blessed Padre Pio, letter to the little seers, received by Conchita, March 3, 1962, in Garabandal).

"In the end (por fim), the Holy Father (and all the Bishops with him, ibid.) will consecrate to My Immaculate Heart Russia, which will be saved through that means, and also be converted, and thereafter the world will have PEACE for some period of time (por algum tempo) . . ." (Our Lady of the Rosary to Sr. Lucia (Fatima)., July 13, 1917 and June 13, 1929).

"Humankind will not find PEACE as long as it will not turn itself, with confidence, towards My (Divine) Mercy." (Our Lord to Saint Faustina Kowalska, in 1934, Little Diary n. 300; idem. n. 699, Sept. 24, 1936).
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 251]

Wow! Where to begin. There is so much info here and it needs to be sorted out and reread so as to absorb it all . . . Basically, as I said before, Garabandal is a continuation of Fatima with a link to Lourdes, remembering St. Bernadette crying out "Penance, penance, penance!" She was repeating what Our Lady said to her during one of the apparitions.

I believe also that Our Lady's last appearance to Bernadette was on July 16, which is the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Then at Fatima, at the last apparition on October 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, holding out the Brown Scapular to the world. And finally, when Mary appeared at Garabandal, it was as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, wearing the Brown Scapular on Her wrist! Could the connection get any plainer?

Before the Future events take place a SYNOD or great event in the Church will take place. Could that be the proclamation of the final dogma for Our lady under the title of Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all Graces and Advocate? Many people, including myself, have petitioned Rome and prayed for this to happen!

The Churches will reunite! This is also a dream and hope that we and Our Holy father Pope Benedict pray for. He's trying very hard to unite the Orthodox Church with us, but I believe the Miracle will make it happen, and not only the Orthodox, but all the protestant churches too! What a great day that will be! And of course Garabandal will be approved and will become a great Marian Pilgrimage Holy Shrine!
More to come . . .
Roman Deacon

A WIDELY OPEN CONCLUSION

TOWARDS A BETTER COMPREHENSION OF GARABANDAL
AND THE ECCLESIASTICAL 'RECOGNITION' OF THIS
(ULTIMATE) GREAT APPARITION OF MARY
AS "OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL"

Rather than presenting here a brief conclusion to this present book, we intend to give, as briefly as possible, a reflective look at some of its essential moments - Beauty, the Message, the exceptional ecclesiastical circumstances of the future authentification of Garabandal's prophetico-eschatological perspective. Last, but not least, some brief insights will be given on the too often neglected dimension of the "Merciful Love of God" permeating that ultimate
"great Marian Apparition."
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 251, to be continued]

More tomorrow!
Roman Deacon

JULY 1988:

MARI-LOLI AND HER FAMILY ARE
PRESENTED TO POPE JOHN PAUL II

In this Marian year 1987-1988, the couple and their children made a pilgrimage to the main shrines of the Blessed Virgin, with the purpose of "checking out" young Francis's vocation to the priesthood. They were arriving in Rome from San Sebastian de Garabandal where, a few days earlier, July 16, on the very Feastday of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Maria Dolores and Melanie had received their First Communion from the hands of the present pastor, Don Juan Gonzalez himself!

Fr. Robert Francis Lee Graves had previously arranged the stay of the LaFleur's in Rome, and especially their meeting with the Pope. A member of the High Anglican Church, the latter, then a cadet of nineteen years at the prestigious Military Academy of West Point (New York, U.S.A.) had converted to Catholicism on Good Friday 1974.

Because of her role as one of the main protagonists of Garabandal, Mari-Loli was apprehensive about the interview with the Holy Father. But Mother Teresa of Calcutta once again had intervened to comfort the visionary, promising to pray for a positive outcome of her initiative . . . Ordained priest in June 1987 in St. Peter's Basilica by John Paul II himself, Fr. Lee Graves, on this July 23, 1988, presented Mari-Loli and her family to the Pope, addressing the Sovereign Pontiff in these words: "Your Holiness, a special blessing for the smallest of your children who come from San Sebastian de Garabandal." John Paul II then exclaimed: "GARABANDAL!" Then he kissed straight away the two little girls, Maria Dolores and Melanie, blessed the young Francis, and thereafter opening out his arms as if to embrace the whole family!

Without endorsing Garabandal openly, the Pope's attitude, might we presume, was expressing here at least some form of a positive spiritual discernment, just like acting also 'personally,' as he had already done the previous year, when receiving Joey Lomangino and his family during their own stopover in Rome on the occasion of the same Marian Year.
[From 'Garabandal' Book, pages 244-245]

There's some great photos of this meeting with the Pope and Mari-Loli and her family in this book, like the one above. Someday I hope to get copies of them all and post them. There is another photo of Mother Teresa encouraging Mari-Loli before she left for Rome. By the way, her children are adorable!

That's the end of the story except for a few pages of reflection on what we have been posting here. I'll try to post some of the important events and words of the seers and also recap with a run down of what the Warning, the Miracle and the Great Sign will consist of. And there is the conditional chastisement. So we are not finished yet!!! Care to comment?
Roman Deacon

WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE VISIONARIES?

All four of the visionaries are married and have left the village.

Mari-Cruz married Ignacio Caballero in May 1970. They live at Aviles in the Asturias. They have four children, Ignacio-Manuel, Maria- Lourdes, Juan-Carlos and Gabriel.

On May 26, 1973, Conchita married Patrick J. Keena in Long Island (N.Y.), where they live. The visionary also has four children: Maria- Conception, Miriam Fatima, Ana Maria-Josefa, and Patrick Joseph Maria.

Mari-Loli married Francis LaFleur in Brockton, Massachusetts, on February 2, 1974. They live in that State of the U.S.A. They have three children - a fourth having died at an early age: Francis, Melanie Maria and Maria Dolores.

Jacinta married Jeffrey Moynihan, a Californian, at Garabandal, on February 21, 1976. They settled in California. They have a daughter, Maria.
[Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 236]

Remembering that what was written here about the visionaries was from the year 2001, so I really don't know what and where they are now. I get a few magazines concerning Garabandal and the May-June 2007 issue of "Garabandal International" has a short story about Conchita buying a home in Fatima, Portugal, where she hopes to announce the Great Miracle under the protection of Our Lady of Fatima! I will try to keep you posted of any other updates on these things.
Roman Deacon

PAUL VI (1898 - AUGUST 6, 1978)

"Servant of God," whose Cause for beatification has already been introduced in Rome, Paul VI died on August 6, 1978, the very Feastday of the Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, this was a prophetic liturgical day, since he had published his famous Encyclical Ecclesiam Suam (during Vatican II Council), which was to lead to its complete achievement on August 6, 1964. It is no surprise that if this great, very sensitive and cultivated Pope--a "man of genius" as he would also be so described by John Paul II--more a true witness of the Gospel, expressed on many occasions his own personal belief in Garabandal.
[Excerpt from 'Garabandal' Book page 234]

Yes, Pope Paul VI was a great man and I have to thank him with my prayers, each day, for my being a deacon, by petitioning the Lord for his beatification! If he didn't continue the Council after Pope John XXIII died, there would be no married deacons who want to serve the Church!

Another of his great works was Humanae Vitae, which confirmed the Church's rules regarding contraception and also warned about the disrespect of human life and that mass abortions was coming next, something unheard of in those days. He also warned that "the smoke of Satan has entered the sanctuary", in regard to all the modernism that was raging through the Church at that time. He suffered greatly because of these scandals and dis-obedience with many clergy. May he be beatified and canonized soon!
Roman Deacon

[Coming up: "WHAT HAS BECOME OF THE VISIONARIES?]

CARDINAL AFRED OTTAVIANI (DIED 1979)

Prefect for more than twenty years of the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, which, in 1966, became the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ottaviani was, in his special function of "guardian of the faith," in a good position to evaluate the risks of manipulations and travesties of the Evil One, something that very often occurs in those particular matters of apparitions, visions, revelations, etc. . . These had already begun to multiply rapidly . . . when the Cardinal made, in February 1951, a resounding declaration addressed to the faithful, enjoining them "not to rush!" He maintained this firm position at the time of the Council, when more
particularly in charge of directing the discussions on Divine Revelation . . .

It was therefore, with prudence, that, one might remember, he first listened to Conchita in January 1966, at the Vatican. The initiatives that the Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith took, right after his conversations with the visionary, facilitating her meeting Pope Paul VI, in private, allows us to suppose, however, that his opinion was already favorable. . . Not, however, without mentioning how Jacinta herself was to be introduced to Cardinal Ottaviani, in 1975, for we know the astonishing exhortation he then addressed to her: "We must pray a great deal, Jacinta, so that the Church may acknowledge Garabandal," after . . . having told her that 'he believed in the supernatural character of Garabandal'!
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 234]

So, there you have one of the most highest officials, next to the Pope himself, believing in the events of Garabandal! When will the Church approve these apparitions? Not until the Miracle, and the Great Sign, which will prove to the whole world the truth of Garabandal. So we wait, and in the meantime, we are allowed to believe and even go there on pilgrimage because the Church has never condemned Garabandal, but awaits the fulfillment of the prophecies too! By the way, the 101 Foundation does have an extensive Pilgrimage Program regarding Garabandal and even has reservations set aside for plane trips for the Miracle! Check them out at http://www.101foundation.com/ for more information . . .
Roman Deacon

JACINTA AND MOTHER TERESA, JANUARY 19, 1992

Conchita & Mother Teresa

In January 1992, Mother Teresa invited Jacinta to come see her. She was then recovering from a serious illness in her noviciate of Tijuanna (Mexico), only a few hours away from the visionary's home at Pasadena (California, U.S.A.). Jacinta thus made the trip on January 19, 1992, on the eve of the Feast of St. Sebastian. The religious Sister enthusiastically presented her to her community: "Here is Jacinta of Garabandal. Garabandal is authentic!" Then, before everybody, she expressed her keen interest for the works and research done on the "events," even inquiring about the new Bishop, Msgr. Vilaplana. Mother Teresa then asked the visionary to pray for her Institute for, she said, "You have only one house, I have dozens of them to take care of."

The famous Foundress, who had already met Jacinta in New York, recalled with her many of the graces received by the visionary, notably the one of seeing the Sacred Heart, for Whom Mother Teresa had a great devotion. Her death, which occurred on September 5, 1997, just a few weeks after having met for the last time, in New York, with Conchita, was to arouse an immense chorus of praise and true admiration.
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 233]

Both Conchita and Jacinta married Americans and that's why they live here in the U.S.A. We'll here more about that soon.

I would have loved to have met Mother Teresa. It would have been one of the highlights of my life, next to the time I assisted as Deacon at Pope John Paul II's outdoor Mass in Queens, New York. I was one of the deacons assigned to hold a ciborium as the Holy Father celebrated Mass and consecrated thousands of Hosts. Then I went into the crowds and distributed Holy Communion to the faithful. What a day! Who could forget an event like that!
Roman Deacon