TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1961: Doctor Celestino Ortiz Perez, taking Conchita's pulse. FIRST CLIMB TO SAN SEBASTIAN DE GARABANDAL BY A PEDIATRICIAN FROM SANTANDER, A GREAT WITNESS OF THE "EVENTS" A major scientific witness, Dr. Ortiz was the first physician to study the Garabandal phenomena seriously. Author of a report dated October 1962, of which a part was published, the pediatrician would spend about fifty days observing the visionaries. He always affirmed that they were "normal from every point of view." [Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 91.]
August 15,1961 (and August 16 evening) Fr. Luis Andreau speaks from beyond the grave, but not permitted to on the "Assumption" because of tourists behavior. On August 15th, the Feast of Our Lady, there were many tourists who had come to amuse themselves and they were causing scandal. That was the day that the Virgin told us we would talk with Fr. Luís María Andreu. But since there was a scandal, he didn’t come. At 4 in the morning on the next day, at the same time that Fr. Luís had died, the Virgin appeared to me in my kitchen and said to me: “Father will not come today, but he will come tomorrow.” On the next day between 8 and 9 at night, the Virgin appeared to us, smiling very much as usual, and she said to the four of us: ─ “Fr. Luís will come now and speak to you.” After a while he came and called us one after the other. But we didn’t see him; we only heard his voice. It was exactly the same as when he spoke on Earth when he would give us advice. He also told us something for his brother Fr. Ramón María Andreu. He taught us words in French and how to pray in Greek. He also taught us words in English and German. After a while, we didn’t hear his voice anymore. Then the Virgin spoke to us and stayed with us for a moment before leaving. " CONCHITA'S DIARY " PG 32
Today in Garabandal History: AUGUST 16, 1961 ( From Conchita’s Diary ) FR. LUIS ANDREU SPEAKS FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE ! “Between 8:00 or 9:00 the Virgin appeared to us, smiling very much as usual, and said to the four of us, “ Fr. Luis will come now and speak to you” And after a while he came , and he called us one after the other. But we didn’t see him, we only heard his voice. It was exactly the same as when he spoke on Earth. And after giving us advice ,he also told us something for his brother Fr. Ramon. More importantly, he sent a consoling message through them to his elderly mother, for whom news of his early death had come as a great shock. ‘Be happy and content,’ he said, ‘for I am in Heaven and see you every day.’ He taught us words in French, and even to pray in Greek. He taught us words in German, and in English too. After a while, we didn’t hear his voice anymore. And the Virgin spoke to us and stayed for a moment and left.”
Recollections of Benjamin Gómez A man who witnessed several miracles at Garabandal He tried to lift the girls in ecstasy and couldn’t He saw a man in Purgatory He was cured when near death He saw Mary at the foot of his death bed He taped the girls saying the rosary and heard Mary’s voice He saw the Host appear on Conchita’s tongue “the Little Miracle “ https://ourlady.ca/about/en/witnesses/097-recollections-of-benjamin-gomez/
LUNCH WITH CONCHITA . September 29, 2012 I had the extraordinary blessing today of having a long lunch with Conchita, and learning some invaluable life lessons. I wrote down alot on napkins to be accurate. The first was, I talked to her in general terms about the Warning ( because so many people are concerned and worried about it, I never discuss dates ). Her advice was amazingly simple and profound ! She said " Have faith and do not worry. If you have faith, you have everything ! " , Pray and don’t worry “. Her concise advice demonstrates how to live a simple happy life. God bless her and her example to us. Lunch lesson#2. We were discussing how so many people are going to psychiatrists, or take drugs or drink to fight lonliness, and she said " Do people realize how lucky they are, that there are churches everywhere, where God is waiting to talk to them ? " Brilliant ! Lunch lesson#3. We talked about how the world's perception of happiness is linked to consumerism. Here is her idea of "happiness". She said (I'm paraphrasing) If you seek money, money is not happiness, if you seek health, it is not happiness, if you seek Heaven, Heaven IS Happiness ! Lunch Lesson#4. On the topic of how to pray. We talked about how to "ask" God for help with a particular intention. We tend to " tell him " what we want, instead of realizing he already knows what we want, or really need. We have to learn to submit ourselves to his will, trusting in him and he will provide what we truly need, and what we need to do to draw ourselves closer to him. I know I'm as guilty as the next guy that "thinks I know what’s best for me ". I am still learning how to completely trust God in everything, don't feel bad, I'm a work in progress too,lol. Lunch lesson#5. Suffering . Who wants it ?? You know when you're in the presence of a true holy person when they embrace suffering, almost joyfully. Padre Pio said "if you knew the value of suffering, you'd never give it up ". I listened on how she described the purpose of suffering, and "taking up your cross" has so much spiritual value, we truly don't comprehend it sometimes. We talked about there is so much cancer in the world, and the suffering it brings, and again there was a simple profound thought ,is it possible the illness is allowed by God, and maybe this person will actually benefit from the illness by bringing them closer to God then they would have ever been. Lets face it, when you are really sick ,what is the first thing you think about ,praying to get well ! Her little story was simple, inspiring ,and brilliant. She said (again I’m paraphrasing the long story), There was a sheep herder, who each day would tend to his flock, and each day one of his sheep would run toward the edge of a mountain cliff, and almost fall over. Each day he would pull him back, but the sheep "wanted to run toward the edge of the cliff". Finally the Sheepherder decided to break a leg on the sheep, well knowing this was painful, and would prevent the sheep from walking. Each day though, he would pick up the sheep and carry it on his shoulders as he went out into the field. This allowed the sheep to still be outside, but more importantly the two of them bonded and became closer because the sheep was dependant on the herder. The herder knew that this the right thing to do, even though I’m sure it was not what the sheep wanted, but in the end, he healed, walked again , and the two were closer than ever. I will never look at suffering again the same way. I'll offer it up and ask God to draw me closer to him, for he knows best.
ARE YOUR HANDS EMPTY ? The Last Apparition at Garabandal November 13, 1965, was a day mixed with joy and sadness for Conchita. The Virgin appeared with her Child to the teenager but it was to be for the last time at Garabandal. As Mary had already indicated this was to be a special apparition for kissing religious objects and Conchita had many with her. After kissing the articles, the Virgin said: 'Through the kiss I have bestowed on these objects, my Son will perform prodigies. Distribute them to others. Talk to me, Conchita, talk to me about my children. I hold them all beneath my mantle. This will be the last time you will see me here but I shall always be with you and with all my children. Conchita, why don't you go and visit my Son in the tabernacle? He waits for you night and day." Conchita said to the Virgin, "I am so happy when I see both of you. Why don't you take me now to heaven with you?" She replied, "Remember what I told you on your patronal feast day? " When you present yourself before God, your hands must be filled with good deeds done for your brothers and for His glory. At the present time, your hands are empty."
Next Saturday I will fly back to Garabandal for a few days. From my annual stays (2009 - 2017), I selected the most beautiful shots and created a movie on YouTube:
Today in Garabandal history AUGUST 18, 1961: DEPTH OF PRAYER AT SAN SEBASTIAN DE GARABANDAL "Prayer holds an important place in Garabandal. Magnificent, varied, profound, it runs through the "events" on the whole as never in any other great Marian Apparition . . . . The girls devoted a great deal of their time to prayer. What is especially striking is the quality of their ecstatic prayer: a meditation filled with presence, moved to the extreme; a slow, poised recitation inspiring the full meaning of words as simple as "Mary," "blessed," "grace," "Jesus." " (Robert Francois Turner, 'I, Your Mother,' ch. 18). The children spontaneously recited first the Rosary, then the Litanies, the Creed, the Our Father, the Salve Regina, in short what they knew. The Blessed Virgin had taught the visionaries all these prayers and, then, had gradually helped the girls to pronounce them clearly. So, on this August 18, the first thing Our Lady undertook was to recite the rosary with them: "I'll start the prayer and you will answer, very slowly," She suggested to the children. The visionaries postures induced the crowds to be quiet and recollected. "They would fall on their knees in the tiniest fraction of a second, sometimes adopting an overwhelming attitude of petition, their faces turned to heaven" . "To sing is to pray twice over" . . . The children improvised various hymns. From their songs there emanated a strange meekness and always a beautiful harmony. The Blessed Virgin taught the girls to make correctly the various signs of the cross used in Spain. They made them with unmatched dignity. Many films testify to this. [Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 93.]
Skip to the 1:10 minute mark to see the blessing , it only lasts for 20 seconds then no more on this video.
Glenn, please are you able to explain what is meant by Pope Paul VI's statement "it is also the second sojourn of the most Holy Virgin on this earth"? I find this sentence very confusing, as there are many many approved apparitions of our Blessed Mother in Church history. Thank you
DM, I hope you and Glenn don't mind that I am answering this question but I believe what Pope Paul VI meant is that the Holy Virgin's first sojourn on earth was in the physical and her second sojourn consists of all of her apparitions not just those in San Sebastian de Garabandal, Spain. This is how I interpret this statement.
One instance from Garabandal that I like very much, involves a Protestant man. Didn't the Virgin tell the girls that he was her son, too?
gracia, Glenn may recall exactly what you are referring to but when the Blessed Mother refers to all of her children I believe that she is referring to everyone which I really do like. I also like the story of a woman named Muriel who received a "symbolic" baptism from the Blessed Mother. I included Glenn's posts above for reference. I hope this helps. I truly believe in this apparition and I believe that many people will convert as a result of the Warning and the Miracle.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 1961: Conchita in ecstasy presents her doll to her Vision. "GAMES" OF THE VISIONARIES . . . IN ECSTASY. "THREE SECRETS" TO COME . . . FOR THREE MYSTERIOUS YEARS RELATED TO THE LITURGICAL FEAST OF THE DAY? TO THE THREE (PAST) YEARS OF IMMEDIATE PREPARATION TO THE GREAT JUBILEE 2000? The Blessed Virgin played hide-and-go-seek several times with the children, something that amused them a great deal. At the time of the ecstasy on this Saturday evening, August 19, 1961, Feast of St. John Eudes, the four visionaries spoke of "three secrets for three years," of "three secret messages that they were to make public each year," but which they did not know at the time . . . It does not seem advisable for us to interpret here those "secrets." However, the biblical theme of the "secret" being always linked to that of the "Heart" of God (and of Mary), it appears necessary for us to connect this revelation made to the visionaries with the work of St. John Eudes. Living in the seventeenth century, he was later to be officially recognized as "the Father, the Apostle and the Doctor of the public cult given to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary." Indwelt by a prayer of universal dimensions, Marie des Vallees was a source of major inspiration for St. John Eudes for fifteen years. This astonishing mystic enjoyed the benefits of admirable prophetic insights of an eschatological nature, of which some remain "secret" to this day. Marie des Vallees already proclaimed that, before the end of times, there would occur here, on Earth, a "general conversion," a "deluge of fire," work of the Holy Spirit, and that "everything in the mission would be accomplished by the Blessed Virgin." On the other hand, what the girls of Garabandal were told on that evening corroborates the Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in August 1917, which occurred for well-known reasons, not on the 13th of the month, as usual, but on the 19th, precisely on the Feast of St. John Eudes. The prophetic (and eschatological) dimension of Fatima being not totally fulfilled yet, couldn't we consider this "delayed rendezvous" of the Blessed Virgin as the manifestation of the divine plan and desire of setting up in the world, some day, a joint devotion and cult to the (Divine) Heart of Jesus and the (Immaculate) Heart of Mary? [Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 94.]
In Garabandal the Virgin Mary wanted to reveal herself above all as a MOTHER. She is a Mother that does not abandon her children. On the contrary, she worries about her children. She said to Conchita, “I have them all beneath my mantle”, and to all of us, “I love you a lot and I desire your salvation”. A Protestant asked the children if the Lady would bless an object for him; her reply to the children was, "He is my son, too."
Today in Garabandal history, August 19,1961 The Blessed Virgin Mary kisses the girls for the first time. Individual ecstasies begin to occur. Conchita revealed : “ Up to then, in all the ecstasies, we have been the four together. Jacinta, Mary Cruz, Mary Loli, and myself. But then we started to have ecstasies separately, each one in her home. And so the Most Holy Virgin called us even though we were not together but separated. But we always saw the Most Holy Virgin in ecstasy. “ Father Jose Ramon Garcia de la RivaMemoirs of a Spanish Country Pastor
Those of you on my facebook page, I am having another free Padre Pio relic card raffle this week if you're interested.
Conchita in convent- “A decisive hour for Conchita” http://www.garabandal.us/category/new-york-center-archive/conchita-gonzalez/
