The Great Prince: St. Michael and Garabandal

Written by Barry Hanratty
Saint Michael is one of those amazing spiritual beings, created by God, that we call angels. They are of a higher order than humans, and not limited by space or distance, have far greater powers. And while angels number at least in the billions, they are all individuals with their own personality. At one point in their existence, their fidelity to God was put to the test and those who would remain faithful looked to one of their number to lead them—Michael. So who is this mighty angel whom billions of angels followed? How much do we really know about him, and why should we have devotion to him? Image via Wikipedia What the Fathers Say Saint Michael is commonly referred to as "Prince of the Heavenly Hosts" implying that he outranks all other angels, however, the Fathers of the Church did not all agree on that point. Saint Thomas Aquinas considered him only as the leader of the angels, the lowest of the nine choirs, (1) while Saint Bonaventure saw him as chief of the Seraphim, the highest choir. But Saint Basil and the other Greek Fathers as well as Saint Robert Bellarmine and other Latins, place Saint Michael over all the angels. They explained that he is called archangel because he is above the rest, in the same sense that an archbishop is above a bishop. This position of primacy for Michael among the angels is reflected in the Roman liturgy. He is the only angel mentioned in the unchangeable parts of the (Traditional) Mass and the Prayer to Saint Michael is included in the prayers said by the priest and people directly after low Mass. The Greek Liturgy calls him Archistrategos, "highest general." For Christians, Saint Michael's renown comes chiefly from the Book of Revelation, chapter 12: Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. As the mighty warrior angel who led the good angels in their ferocious battle against Lucifer and his cohorts, Saint Michael has been forever revered. And his name which means "Who is like God?" has come down to us as testimony of his submission to God while Lucifer's "I will not serve" recalls that great former angel's primal act of disobedience and revolt against God. The Jews also had great veneration for Michael. It is mentioned in the Book of Daniel that Michael, the great prince (a name in the old testament for angel) was Guardian of the People under the Old Law. Naturally for Christians, he became Guardian of the Church under the new dispensation. Michael is mentioned four times in holy scripture: twice in Daniel, once in Revelation and once in the Letter of Jude where he contends with the Devil over the body of Moses and says to his adversary: "May God rebuke you," words which appear in the great Prayer to Saint Michael composed by Leo XIII: "Saint Michael the Archangel defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him…" But the Fathers see Saint Michael in other passages of scripture as well even though he is not specifically mentioned by name. They say he was the cherub who stood at the gate of paradise, "to guard the way to the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24), the angel through whom God issued to his chosen people the Decalogue, the angel who stood in the way against Balaam (Numbers 22:22 seq.), the angel who routed the army of Sennacherib (IV Kings 19:35). Following these Scriptural passages, Christian tradition gives to Saint Michael four offices: • To fight against Satan. • To rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death. • To be the champion of God's people, the Jews in the Old Law, the Christians in the New Testament; therefore he was the patron of the Church, and of the orders of knights during the Middle Ages. • To call away from earth and bring men's souls to judgment. (2) Saint Michael at Garabandal What we have seen thus far from Scripture and the Fathers is that Saint Michael is an angel of important events. His appearing at Garabandal then indicates the critical nature of those happenings, and resonates with that passage from the Book of Daniel, chapter 12: At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation until that time. While the above quote, which deals with the end of the world, may not necessarily refers to Saint Michael's appearance at Garabandal, there is one point worth considering. In all the times the Blessed Virgin appeared throughout the Marian era, which began in the mid-nineteenth century, she was never accompanied by Saint Michael—until Garabandal. Fulfilling His Role Even during the Garabandal apparitions themselves, Saint Michael showed himself to be an angel of important events. He was the first to appear and thereby "opened" the events—with the all-important Message, most likely in Latin, beneath his feet. He prepared the way for Our Lady's coming, announced when she would appear and then, with another angel whom Jacinta said was Saint Gabriel, accompanied her on her first visit. He fulfilled in these events another office that the Church gives him— Guardian of the Eucharist. After instructing the seers on the proper way to receive Communion using unconsecrated hosts, He brought them Holy Communion as this excerpt from Conchita's Diary shows: One day he asked us to go to the Pines in the morning without eating anything... When we reached the Pines, the Angel appeared to us with a goblet that looked like gold. He said to us: "I am going to give you Holy Communion but this time the Hosts are consecrated. Recite the I Confess." We recited it and then he gave us Holy Communion. Afterwards, he told us that we should give thanks to God. When we had done this, he told us to recite with him the prayer Soul of Christ. This we did also. These mystical Communions, invisible to onlookers, became a regular feature at Garabandal although the Angel usually only came to give the seers Communion when there was no priest available in the village to do so. On one occasion, the Host Conchita received from Saint Michael did become visible to spectators. This "Little Miracle" as Conchita called it, which occurred on the night of July 18-19, 1962, had been announced to Conchita by the great Archangel 19 days in advance. One month prior to the Miracle of the Host, Saint Michael was again on the scene at a critical time when he appeared by himself to the visionaries— but not to give them Holy Communion. His sudden presence should have been a warning. It was June 18, 1962, the anniversary of his first appearance at Garabandal, and it was the eve of two visions at Garabandal that can only be described as shattering. On those two "Nights of Screams" (June 19-20, 1962), the visionaries screamed in terror as they saw scenes of the communist persecution to precede the Warning, and the Chastisement that will come if the world does not change. Yet another important event in which the Archangel had a hand, was the announcement of the great Miracle. It was he, and not Our Lady, who on January 15,1963, revealed the date to Conchita. On June 18, 1965, Saint Michael completed his role of being there for important events. It was four years to the day and in the same place, la calleja, where he first appeared with the Message beneath his feet. This time he had another Message, the second and last one, which he delivered to Conchita on behalf of Our Lady. Image by garabandal archives via Flickr Why Should We Have Devotion to Him? From the moment we are conceived in our mother's womb, we have an enemy. Some never even make it out of the womb, at least not alive, and the practice of abortion can only be attributed to the work of the Devil. Against this malignant spirit who throughout our lives tries to lead us away from the sure path to Heaven, God sets Our Lady—and Saint Michael, the one who drove him out of heaven. Because of the ever presence of Satan, we should not hesitate to call upon Saint Michael to "defend us in battle" against him. And the mighty Archangel can and will help us in our daily struggles. And let us not forget his other role as heavenly physician. Since God has given us such a powerful advocate, we should take advantage of this universal Guardian. It was at Garabandal that Our Lady for the first time in her many earthly appearances, asked that a chapel be built to someone other than herself—and it was to Saint Michael. When the Virgin first appeared, Saint Michael announced her coming. When he himself first appeared, his coming was announced by a clap of thunder, a sign that this manifestation of the angel of important events, the Great Prince and Guardian of the Church, was the herald of momentous happenings. Saint Michael the Archangel pray for us. Barry Hanratty is Editor of Garabandal Journal, PO Box 1796, St. Cloud, MN 56302-1796, U.S.A. This article was republished with permission from the Journal.  Notes (1) Summa la. 113.3. (2) Catholic Encyclopedia.

YEAR FOR PRIESTS: FEAST DAY OF SAINT JOHN VIANNEY

 

August 4^th, 2009

Year of the Priest

Dear Friends,

Pope Benedict XVI declared the Year for Priests to begin on June 19^th, 2009 the day after the 44^th Anniversary of the Second Message of Garabandal. He began the conclusion of his letter, “To the Most Holy Virgin I entrust this Year for Priests.”

Our Holy Father exhorts the entire Church in this year to pray for the sanctification and renewal of the clergy and for the greater communion of priests with their bishop.

In over two thousand recorded apparitions between 1961 and 1965, Our Lady taught the young visionaries of Garabandal to pray and offer sacrifices for priests and to obey lawful church authority. Through her personal instruction, Our Blessed Mother instilled in these children a sincere appreciation for the indelible nature and dignity of the priesthood drawn from the holy sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Very often through her related conversations, Our Lady revealed a preeminent love and concern for priests which was reflected in the conduct of the visionaries. In a 1990 interview, Conchita, the main visionary recounted, “Priests were the beloved children of the Virgin. In every apparition we noticed the Virgin would speak with special, very dear love about priests and I guess this was contagious; since the priests were the main objects of the Virgin’s love, they were also our most beloved persons.”

Many authors on Garabandal believe that the events pertaining to Father Luis Andreu S.J. -his vision of the Miracle and related death- are meant to honor him as a worthy priest and single out his example of devout ministry for imitation by others.

 Father Joseph Pelletier A.A. believed the heavenly motivation for the apparitions was to address a profound calamity in the Church, the cause of which was a crisis in the priesthood. The Second Message of June 18^th, 1965 contains the great warning of the “road to perdition” being tread by many priests. We have seen the fulfillment of this sad prediction in our time. We believe, with Fr. Pelletier, that the remedy for these errors is to be found in the Message of Garabandal.

Today is the feast of Saint John Mary Vianney, universal patron of priests. In union with the Holy Father’s request, we encourage our readers to pray with renewed fervor for priests.

You will find many relevant articles on our website-www.garabandal.us. We have included the link below:

Priesthood Page

Saint John Mary Vianney-pray for us and for priests!

Our Lady of Mount Carmel-pray for us!

The Workers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel  

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

Mari-Loli Obituary

A friend on Facebook sent me this obituary from the Carriage Towne News, so I thought I would post it here for you to read!
Deacon John

Maria D. Lafleur

PLAISTOW – Mrs. Maria D. (Mazon Gonzalez) Lafleur, 59, of Plaistow, died Monday evening, April 20, 2009, at her home, surrounded by her loving family, following a lengthy illness.

Born and raised in San Sebastian de Garabandal, Spain, daughter of the late Ceferino Mazon and Julia Gonzalez, she attended local schools and furthered her education in Barcelona.

A resident of Plaistow since 1981, Mrs. Lafleur moved to Haverhill, MA from Spain in 1972. She was a devoted housewife and homemaker and member of St. James Parish of Haverhill.

An accomplished cook and a devoted grandmother, Mrs. Lafleur had a daily devotion to the Rosary and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. She also enjoyed shopping and keeping in touch with her family. Always in her thoughts and prayers were her two infants that died before birth and her deceased brother, Gustavo, and deceased sister Aurora.

She is survived by her husband of thirty-five years, Francis A. “Frank” Lafleur, a son, Francis C. Lafleur of Waltham, MA, two daughters and sons-in-law, Melanie and Nate Johnston of Wilton, and Maria D. and Thomas Rosati of East Longmeadow, MA, her two brothers, Fernando and Ceferino Mazon Gonzalez, and three sisters, Amalia, Rosaura “Sari” and Guadalupe Mazon Gonzalez, all of Spain, grandsons, Nathan J. Johnston and Anthony Rosati, and several nieces and nephews. She was looking forward to the birth of her first grand-daughter Layla Rosati.

Her funeral was held on April 24, at Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in Saint James Church, Haverhill, MA. Burial was in Saint James Cemetery.

A WOMAN OF FAITH

MARI  LOLI  LAFLEUR 1949-2009

A WOMAN OF FAITH

by Barry Hanratty

Reprinted with kind permission from GARABANDAL JOURNAL March-April 2009

 She accepted God's Will in all that she had to endure in this life.

    Destined to be known throughout the world, Garabandal was a poor, isolated place on May 1, 1949, when Mari Loli first saw the light of day. She was one of eight children born to Ceferino Mazon, president of the town council, and his wife, Julia Gonzalez. They ran a tavern on the ground floor of their dwelling.

    Loli was no different from the other village girls her age until that fateful day of June 18,1961, when she became one of the four chosen ones to see the visions of Our Lady and Saint Michael. During those visions, the Virgin emphasized the importance of praying for priests and Loli, more than the others, seems to have had a special calling in this regard. Her mother recounted one of her visions: "I was alone with her when she was in ecstasy. How she cried that night! How this child cried, my God, and how she suffered! The Blessed Mother told her to pray very much for priests and that she should make a lot of sacrifices for them. Many of the priests were going bad. Things were going bad and this was something I did not like to hear. To me priests were the most sacred in the world and I was to hear my daughter say this?" Later, Loli would say that praying and making sacrifices for priests would be one of the most important things in her life.

    After the visions ended for her in January of 1963, she began having locutions, the only one besides Conchita to do so. She described them as interior communications with either Jesus or Mary. In the last ones she had with the Blessed Virgin she was reminded of the need to pray for priests: ".. .The Virgin has made me understand when a priest is in sin. She has helped me to know that he needs many prayers and sacrifices. Also she has made me understand the Crucifixion in the Holy Mass, so that I understand the humility and sacrifice for the world."

    On October 13, 1963, she wrote to Fr. Luis Retenaga about a recent locution she said she had had with Our Lady in which she asked for a cross to suffer for priests. The Virgin responded by telling her to bear everything with patience and to be humble. In this locution, perhaps for the first time, Loli would learn the trials she would have to endure in life. Again she was reminded of the need to pray for priests:

    "Am I going to die soon?"

    "No. You have to remain in the world to suffer. In whatever place you are, you will suffer."

    "Let my parents believe!"

    "They do not believe so you will have more to suffer. Suffer with patience."

    She also told me, "Pray the rosary every day. Pray for priests, since there are some who need more sacrifices for them every day."

    "Why don't my parents believe?"

    "Because you have to suffer. You have much to suffer in this world."

    "What sacrifices should I make?"

    "You have to be more obedient."

    In another locution whose date is given as February 7,1966, Loli was again told by Our Lady of the sufferings that awaited her. She wrote:

"I had a locution with the Blessed Virgin. She told me that I would have to suffer a great deal in this world, that I would experience many trials, that it would be that which would cause me to suffer most....I asked her to give my father a proof of the apparitions so that he would believe also. She said that he would believe 'very soon' and that everyone would believe also. She told me that she was very pleased with my sacrifices, but that each day I should become better and more mortified in all things, that I should recite the rosary every day as I had been doing up to now for it is a devotion that is very pleasing to her, that she loves us all very much, that she wants us to be very good so that we may soon be reunited with her in heavenly glory."

    Loli's father died on June 4, 1974, and apparently did receive a "sign" on his deathbed of the truth of the apparitions which he asked for as recounted in She Went in Haste to the Mountain.

Doubts

    According to Conchita's Diary, in the early days of the apparitions, the Virgin told them that they would come to doubt their visions. When Loli heard that she responded: "How can we say we haven't seen you when we are seeing you right now?" But this did happen beginning in 1963.

    In 1966, Loli and Jacinta were enrolled in a boarding school in Zaragoza and it was here, after her last locution with Our Lady, that the doubts that had begun a few years earlier, returned with a vengeance as she explained to Fr. Francis Benac, S.J., in 1978: "I began to again feel that everything was lies and that I was deceiving the whole world. I said to myself, 'How can I explain all this?' On the one hand I felt ashamed, while on the other I felt sad because of what my family would feel and say. I felt a sort of remorse of conscience because I felt that I had committed a grievous sin and if I happened to die, I would go to hell. In such a state I prayed throughout the night, 'Lord help me, help me to confess my sins.' During those days the students made their retreat and as you know at the end everybody feels so happy, singing and writing different things about their beautiful spiritual experience. But I said to myself, 'How lucky they are, being in a state of , grace, while I am in the state of mortal sin. I have to confess that we did not see the Virgin.' One sleepless night, I cried and cried asking God to help me to confess all this."

    The next morning, Loli asked the Mother Superior, if she could see Father Luis Luna, who had been instrumental in having her and Jacinta enrolled in the school. When Fr. Luna arrived, he found Loli in the parlor, her face bathed in tears.

    After she confessed to him that she hadn't seen Our Lady and invented the whole thing, Fr. Luna, himself a witness to the apparitions and no doubt aware that visionaries of accredited apparitions such as at Lourdes, Fatima and Pontmain had experienced doubts of their visions, nevertheless, to put her at ease, gave her absolution and a whopping penance of one Hail Mary. Loli knew he didn't take seriously what she said, but she still felt at peace for having confessed everything. But the doubts persisted and when she got back to Garabandal, she told the new pastor, Fr. Olano, that she wanted to see the Bishop and tell him all was untrue, which she did. She also signed a declaration (her father who was with her at the time refused to sign it) that she had not seen Our Lady. Jacinta and Conchita also signed similar declarations but all three later retracted their denials.

    Loli left the school in Zaragoza and returned to her village where she wasn't sure what to say when people asked her about the apparitions. But while staying with Mercedes Salisachs in Barcelona from 1969 to 1971 to study clerical and secretarial work, and English and French, she had a spiritual director. She asked him what she ought to do and he replied that she should speak about the appari tions because this was a mission that God had entrusted to her.

    Loli first came to the United States in 1972 at the invitation of Maria Saraco, well-known promoter of the Garabandal Message who at that time lived in Brockton, Massachusetts. Loli accompanied Maria on some of her conferences but didn't say or do anything except be greeted by well-wishers. Later, however, she freely granted interviews to: Fr. Joseph Pelletier, AA (early 1970s), Needlesmagazine (1975), Fr. Benac, SJ (1978), Garabandal Magazine, (1982), Fr. Jerome Palmer, OSB (1984). On a number of occasions in the 1980's she attended the annual Garabandal Seminar staged by Regina Goodyear in Columbus, Ohio. She appeared on Spanish television and attended the 1991 Australian Conference on Garabandal with her whole family.

    In 1974, Loli married Francis Lafleur whom she met at one of Maria Saraco's Holy Hours. From then on, she and Frank, a very devoted husband, saw their family grow. First came a son, Francis, and then two daughters Melanie and Maria Dolores.

    Up to this point in her life, Mari Loli had had her share of suffering with the doubts and other trials and, like any good mother, the anxieties of raising children in today's world. In the latter part of the 1980's, however, the prophecy of Our Lady that she would have much to suffer in this life, took on added meaning when tests showed she had lupus, an illness described as "a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs" (Mayo Clinic).

    Lupus was serious enough but in 2001, came something worse, possibly brought on by her lupus, when she was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a disease where air sacs in the lung are replaced by scar tissue, reducing the lung's ability to transfer oxygen to the bloodstream. At the stage of Loli's illness, life expectancy was from five to seven years. Needless to say, this was a devastating blow for the entire family. In her last several months, she was in a wheelchair and on oxygen most of the time, and had frequent coughing spells. With a raw throat and parched tongue there were very few foods that she could eat other than cough drops. Hospice had only been installed in the home a few hours when she died.

A Daughter of the Church

    Loli was a true daughter of the Church and observed all its laws. I am told that she went to daily Mass and Communion as long as she was able. In one of her locutions, the Blessed Virgin asked her to say the entire rosary every day and she did this for a while but then became lax. She told Fr. Benac in the 1978 interview: "Reflecting now over the event, it seems to me that Our Lady must have said to herself: 'This child cannot manage it alone so I better send someone to help her fulfill my wish.'" When she met Frank she learned that he was saying the fifteen decades of the rosary dairy and so in their marriage they continued the practice.

    Loli was pro-life and despite her lupus went to Washington D.C., at least on one occasion for the annual March for life.

    Whenever she was asked to make a public appearance on behalf of Garabandal, she always asked permission from Bishop of Santander, Juan Antonio del Val Gallo, with whom she had an excellent relationship. In 1982, when he was in a Santander hospital recuperating from prostate cancer, Loli went to see him and gave him her last crucifix kissed by Our Lady at Garabandal (her mother did find another one).

    Loli was self-forgetful. When Maria Saraco suffered a massive stroke while in Spain in 2003, Loli, discounting her own physical condition, flew to Spain and took accommodations for a month near the hospital where Maria was, to be with her.

She Kept Her Secret

    Loli was the only one of the four seers to know the year of the Warning. And while she was never told she could not reveal it, she always felt she shouldn't. This must have been inspired from above because she could not have done so without also revealing the proximate time of the Miracle since both events are within twelve months of one another, which we learned from Loli. She was faithful to the end in keeping her secret. And even though she was told in a locution in 1966 that she would forget everything about the apparitions, she never forgot the year of the Warning.

    She was a great asset to the Garabandal Movement by just being herself: pleasant, always with a ready smile, accommodating, sincere and humble. At the Australian Conference, she and Jacinta, who both had crucifixes kissed by Our Lady at Garabandal, were asked to hold them out so the people attending the conference, forming two long lines, could kiss them. Loli did this but looked uncomfortable being the focus of attention.

    In every respect she was perfectly normal and enjoyed the three way telephone calls with Conchita and Jacinta (I wonder who picked up the tab on those sometimes two hour calls).

    She once told Maria Saraco that whenever she was almost at the breaking point from her sufferings, "the Blessed Virgin comes with a piece of candy for me" (meaning some consolation to support her in her trial). But Loli did not complain about her illness. Jane Pigott, who was one of Loli's closest friends and used to call her on the phone regularly, told me that Loli, toward the end, never talked about her condition and it was only after some gentle cajoling that she might open up, such as when she told Jane that it hurt when she talked. Jane immediately offered to hang up, but Loli said no, that she enjoyed hearing her voice. The call ended when she began having one of her coughing spells.

    During the last apparition at Garabandal on November 13, 1965, Conchita said to the Blessed Virgin holding the Infant Jesus: "I am so happy when I see both of you. Why don't you take me now to heaven with you?" She could have been speaking for all of them when she said that, and therefore it should not come as a complete surprise what Loli once told Maria Saraco: that she was living for the day she dies.

    Our Lady once said to her that she wants us to be very good so that we may soon be reunited with her in heavenly glory.We have every reason to believe that Mari Loli is there right now while still keeping a watchful eye on her beloved family here below.

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A CLOSE FRIEND

Jane Pigott, devoted promoter of Garabandal in up state New York, also organized for many years the annual Rosary Rally at the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York, where she got to know Loli and her family, who made the four hour drive to attend the rally each year. Jane eventually became like one of the family invited to First Communions and the weddings of the girls. After some anxiety as to how she could get to Loli's funeral some six to seven hours away by car, friends Tom and Bonny Massett, came to the rescue and offered to drive her for which she is eternally grateful, being able to be with the family at this solemn time. Here is how she remembered Loli.

To those of us lucky enough to have known Mari Loli Lafleur, the most accurate way to describe her was "to know her was to love her." The most precious things in her life were faith, family and friends. She was a beautiful lady in every way, especially as a loving wife, mother, mother-in-law and grand mother

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Written by Barry Hanratty

Reprinted with kind permission from GARABANDAL JOURNAL March-April 2009

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"Certainly, It's True": Padre Pio and Garabandal

Written by Joachim Bouflet

Image via Wikipedia In July of 1968, I had invited four of my friends—like me, students at the Sorbonne—to come and spend ten days at my family's home in Germany (my mother's family is German). We were all about 20 years old and, being active in the Catholic students' movement at the university, we asked ourselves about our future which for some of us would eventually be a religious vocation. For some years I had hoped to enter the Order of Carmelite Fathers, while one of our group, the product of a totally agnostic environment, was hesitating to reveal her choice of a religious life to her parents (soon afterwards, she joined the Sisters of Bethlehem). These points indicate the atmosphere in which we found ourselves; we spoke often of religion and while in the enchanting surroundings of the Lake Constance region, we added to our relaxation the pleasure of a life rhythmically punctuated with religious practice, the recitation of the Holy Office and meditation. One of our group, Janine, was severely physically disabled. One day, in the course of conversation, she shared with us a wish: that someone would go in her name to see Padre Pio and ask him to pray for her. She was unable to go to see him, not so much because of her handicap, but because her mother, a nonbeliever, was radically opposed to it. I volunteered to go in her place. At the end of our stay in Germany, I decided to hitchhike—by cutting across Austria I thought it would be easy. And so, having spent time with my family, I set off in mid-August. It proved to be quite easy from the very beginning because a bus full of pilgrims bound for San Damiano (site of alleged apparitions) picked me up and took me all the way there (San Damiano) in one stretch. I was acquainted with the place, having been there before, but it didn't attract me very much. Nevertheless, I took advantage of the pilgrimage which was going there for August 15. Providentially, at San Damiano I met another student, Loulou, quite an extraordinary woman of about fifty, an ex-cloistered nun, who was studying Russian. When I told her of my intention to hitchhike to San Giovanni Rotondo, she declared she would accompany me and that she would not let me wander alone on the roads of southern Italy (to hear her speak one would think it was a land full of danger, a den of brigands and murderers), and that she would be useful to me since she spoke Italian, while I knew only a few words. I liked this idea and on August 16 we set off. Three days later, much to our delight although totally exhausted, we arrived at San Giovanni Rotondo. I had only one thought—to meet Padre Pio. Once there, I became disillusioned. It was not as easy as I had imagined. To tell the truth, it was even impossible. The holy priest, quite old and frail, hardly ever received visitors anymore and the waiting list for the few confessions he still heard had been pretty well full for some time. But I would at least have the grace to attend his Mass and to see him with the other men in the sacristy. When that happened, it overwhelmed me so much that I was transported with joy. I left a small note with the porter for Padre Pio explaining the reason for my coming. They assured me that all requests were delivered to him. In the afternoon of August 23, I went to the little church of Our Lady of Grace. There were only two or three persons there; the others were only passing through. A young Capuchin approached me asking me something in Italian. I couldn't understand him but from his gestures I understood what he wanted of me, that I help him carry a large paper-mache statue of Saint Louis, King of France. He took the statue by the head while I took the base and we went through a side door into a cloister. A short distance away, in the shade under the arcade, sat Padre Pio in an easy chair. He seemed to be dozing. I was filled with emotion at finding myself so close to him. But the young priest was pulling me and so, carrying the statue, we went into the new church where we placed the Saint's image beside the altar. While draping the supporting stand with a piece of cloth and arranging vases of flowers, the young Capuchin explained to me slowly, in order to make himself understood, that St. Louis was a Third Order Franciscan, that they were celebrating his feast day on the evening of the next day (Vigil) and that it was right that it was specifically me, a Frenchman, who had helped him. I guessed, more than understood what he was saying, since my Italian was very limited. Finally I asked him how to get back to the little chapel of Our Lady of Grace. With a gesture he indicated the door we had just used and I returned to the cloister to make the return trip. To be so close to Padre Pio! An opportunity like this would never come again! I bolted across the garden of the cloister and fell at his feet. He seemed surprised. At the same time, two Capuchins rushed out, crying unintelligible words. Padre Pio made a sign to them with his gloved hand and they were silent but stayed nearby. Then he gazed at me severely but I am sure there was amusement in his eyes. He put his hand on my head (I was kneeling in front of him) and he said a few words to me. The two monks retreated some distance. I listened to Padre Pio who kept his hand on my head. I understood perfectly what he said to me. I confessed my sins and he responded, commenting on what I had disclosed and then I was given the overwhelming experience of the charism attributed to him, that of his knowledge of hearts. I felt a profound peace and a profound anguish. I don't know how long this exchange lasted. Finally, he told me, "Pray to the Madonna. Consecrate yourself to the Virgin of Carmel." "Yes, Padre, I pray to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For that matter, I would like to become a Carmelite." He didn't comment on this but repeated with insistence, "Consecrate yourself to the Virgin of Carmel who appeared at Garabandal." I was somewhat dumfounded. I had vaguely heard about the events of Garabandal but I didn't attach the importance to them that Padre Pio's insistence suggested. I asked, "The apparitions at Garabandal?" He told me clearly, "Yes. So then consecrate yourself to the Virgin of Carmel who appeared at Garabandal." "So it's true?" "Certo e vero!" (Yes, it's true!) Then he said two or three personal things to me. And as I was asking for his blessing before getting up, he concluded, "And tell Janine that it's all right and that I am praying for her." I had completely forgotten why I had gone to San Giovanni Rotondo! With his supernatural delicacy the Padre was reminding me. What confusion! Then I received his blessing and got up. He looked at me seriously then closed his eyes. The two Capuchins, who had remained at a distance, escorted me to the little church of Our Lady of Grace. They amused themselves by jostling me and scolding me. I wondered whether they were serious or not but to tell the truth, it mattered little to me. Once in the chapel, I burst into tears. I wept for joy. A little later my friend Loulou arrived. She took me outside and said, "So it seems you were able to see Padre Pio!" As my surprise was obvious, she cut in, "I see that you're not used to this. Around here, everybody knows everything within a q Image via Wikipedia uarter of an hour." It wasn't long before I found out for myself. By the end of the afternoon, I had to face the curious interrogations of numerous pilgrims. I was ill at ease especially when I voiced the opinion that perhaps Padre Pio had only a little time left to suffer here below—it was a very distinct impression I had when I was with him. You would have thought I had uttered a blasphemy, as if the people were persuaded that the holy Padre was immortal or some such thing. I decided to leave the next day and Loulou concurred. In the evening I wrote down Padre Pio's words (in Italian) which I remembered exactly. I left San Giovanni Rotondo on August 24, 1968. Padre Pio was called by Our Lord one month to the day after I had seen him. Such is the account of my meeting with the Servant of God and the exact tenor of his suggestions with regard to the events of Garabandal. Joachim Bouflet received his Ph.D. in history at the University of Paris (Sorbonne) in 1972 and for several years has worked with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome as a consultant to the postulators of causes for persons being considered for beatification. This article was republished with permission from Garabandal Journal, PO Box 1796, St. Cloud, MN 56302-1796, U.S.A.

PADRE PIO AND GARABANDAL

Tom & Susan sent me this so I thought I'd post it today. 

"I knew some of this but the entire story is very interesting.  Hope you enjoy."

Susan 

When Padre Pio is officially declared a Saint by Pope John Paul II, Conchita Gonzalez will be there. She is one of hundreds of thousands who met him while he was alive, and would never be the same again. However, Conchita Gonzalez did not only meet him; she became one of the dearest persons to Padre Pio's heart. And it all began with an apparition of Our Lady.

On March 3, 1962, a letter arrived in Garabandal addressed to all four visionaries. It was written in Italian, and had an Italian stamp, but wasn't postmarked. Nor was it signed. By the handwriting, and the style of the letter, it was clear it could have only come from Padre Pio. The letter said:

"My Dear Children,

"At nine o'clock this morning the Holy Virgin told me to say to you: 'O Blessed young girls of San Sebastian de Garabandal! I promise you that I will be with you until the end of the centuries, and you will be with Me during the end of the world and later, united with Me in the Glory of Paradise.'

Padre Pio continued:

I am sending you a copy of the Holy Rosary of Fatima, which the Virgin told me to send you. The Rosary was composed by the Virgin and should be propagated for the salvation of sinners and preservation of humanity from the terrible punishments with which the good God is threatening it. I give you only one counsel: PRAY and get others to pray, because the world is at the beginning of perdition.

They do not believe in you or in your conversations with the Lady in White. BUT THEY WILL BELIEVE YOU WHEN IT WILL BE TOO LATE"

The next time the Blessed Virgin appeared to the girls later that day, Conchita showed Her the letter and asked Her who it came from. Our Lady replied that Padre Pio had sent it. With the help of the new schoolteacher in Garabandal, Conchita composed a reply and sent it to the famous stigmatist. She asked him to come soon to visit her in her village. Another letter came to Garabandal from him in which he wrote: "Do you think I can just come and go by the chimney?" (Conchita did not understand what a cloister was and didn't know Padre Pio wasn't free to travel about.)
Conchita, on making her pilgrimage to Rome in February 1967 at the request of Cardinal Ottaviani, Prefect of the Holy Office (now called the Sacred Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith), had to wait a day to see the Cardinal. So, accompanied by her mother, a spanish priest, Father Luna, a spanish professor, Enrico Medi, and Princess Cecile of Bourbon, decided to see Padre Pio. They were told Padre Pio couldn't be seen until the next morning, after he said the 5 am Mass.

After the Mass the next day, Father Luna and Professor Medi met with the stigmatist in the sacristy. When the priest told Padre Pio that the Princess from Spain was there to see him, Padre Pio replied, "I don't feel very well and won't be able to see her until later in the day." Then Professor Medi said to him, "There is another lady who wants to see you. Conchita wants to see you."
Padre Pio asked, "Conchita of Garabandal?" The professor answered "yes." Padre Pio said, "Come at eight o'clock this morning."
"When we arrived," Conchita would recount later, "we were brought into a small room, a cell, which had one bed, a chair, and a small table. I ask Padre Pio if this were his room or whether he slept here or not, and he replied, 'Oh no, you cannot see my room. This is a rich room.' At the time I did not realize what a holy man Padre Pio was, as I know him to be now. I was very young at the time. I was only 16."
The only ones with Conchita were her mother, Father Luna, and a priest from Padre Pio's monastery who spoke Spanish and was taking alot of pictures. The priest then asked Padre Pio if he could take his picture, and the stigmatist replied, "You have been taking them since you came in."
Conchita had a crucifix kissed by Our Lady with her, and she told Padre Pio what it was, and asked him to bless it. He took the crucifix from her and placed it in his left hand, over the Stigmata. Then he took Conchita's hand and placed it on top of the crucifix in his palm, and then he closed his fingers over her hand. With his right hand he blessed first Conchita's hand, and then the crucifix. He did the same thing for Aniceta Gonzalez, Conchita's mother, who brought her rosary kissed by the Virgin. The photographs taken by the priest are still at the monastery, the friars reluctant to make them public because Garabandal is not recognized by the Church yet. Nevertheless these photos are important documents that verify Conchita's meeting with Padre Pio. Although Padre Pio is going to be canonized this summer by Pope John Paul II, the photographs are still not expected to be made public until after the Church approves the apparitions, or at least not until after the Warning and the Miracle have taken place.
When Conchita found out Padre Pio died in Sept. 1968, she met his close friend, Father Bernardino Cennamo, at Lourdes, and asked him, "How is it that Our Lady told me Padre Pio would see the Miracle and he has died?" Father Cenammo responded, "Padre Pio saw the Miracle before he died. He told me himself."The priest gave Conchita one of the three veils that covered Padre Pio's face during his wake, saying that the stigmatist had requested this before he died. He told her truthfully that he personally did not believe in the authenticity of Garabandal until Padre Pio requested this of him. Conchita also was given Padre Pio's rosary, and one of the gloves he wore, stained by his stigmata. She has these treasures preserved at her home in New York.
Padre Pio never ceased recommending pilgrims who asked him about Garabandal, to make a visit there. He told Joey Lomangino, (the next most significant individual in the story of the apparitions after the visionaries) that yes, the Virgin was appearing there, and yes he should go there. That trip would change Joey's life like he would never have believed.