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