Sunday, July 2,1961 : Dr. Morales, tries to prevent apparition ! The Calleja is full of people praying the rosary. Everyone wants to be there when the ecstasy happens. The second in command of the Nansa Electrical Company, Mr. Rocha, was next to me. He had come up to the village with Dr. Morales and Dr. Piñal, both of whom had been sent as part of the Committee organized by Bishop Fernández. I remember that Mr. Rocha told me, “This afternoon, the visionaries won’t go up to the Cuadro to see the vision.” I responded that in supernatural affairs, the doctor doesn’t get any say in the matter. I went around the bend in the Calleja and saw that they were about halfway up the path. I stayed there waiting for them to go up to the Cuadro because Dr. Morales was going to try to impede the apparition. However, to Mr. Rocha’s surprise the visionaries went up to the Cuadro unaffected by Dr. Morales’ attempt to hypnotize them. All four of them, on their knees, began to pray the first mystery of the rosary and right away they had the vision. Dr. Morales arrived on the scene and wasn’t able to prevent the apparition. The four visionaries cried out together, “The Blessed Virgin!” At first they thought that it was Our Lady of Perpetual Help, but later they realized that it was Our Lady of Mount Carmel, because she carried the Child Jesus and had a scapular on her wrist. The Blessed Virgin was surrounded by six angels, whom Conchita counted out-loud. Conchita also said “what an eye!” and after the vision we learned that it was the Most Holy Trinity, in the form of an eye. During the vision the girls started to cry, Mari Cruz more than the others. One of the doctors grabbed her by the neck to try to turn her face away but he wasn’t able to. I thought that he hurt her because I heard her neck crack, but she was unharmed. (Witness, Juan Seco, General of the Civil Guard )
THIS DAY IN GARABANDAL - JULY 3,1961 “ The Calls” The Visionaries mention their * “interior calls” for the first time. Fr. Valentin separates the girls, Mary Loli and Jacinta are in Loli’s house while Mari Cruz and Conchita are in Conchita’s, Although they are totally ignorant of the time, they all arrive at the cuadro at exactly the same moment. They are holding out pious objects such as medals, rosaries, wedding rings and pious pictures to be kissed by the Virgin. * There are 3 successive calls prior to the ecstasy, which make up the “interior calls”. “ The Village Speaks“ , pg 21
THIS DAY IN GARABANDAL HISTORY: JULY 4, 1961 There is a 35 minute ecstasy in the evening. The Virgin Mary explains the meaning of the plaque which represents the first part of an important message which the four girls must make known publicly on October 18,1961. The Blessed Virgin gives the text of the Message to the four girls. Here is the first question the Blessed Virgin had asked the children on the previous 2nd of July: "Do you know the meaning of the notice the Angel had under his feet?" - "No, we don't." "It was a Message that I am going to tell you and that you will repeat in public on October 18" (1961): "WE MUST MAKE MANY SACRIFICES, PERFORM MUCH PENANCE, AND VISIT THE BLESSED SACRAMENT FREQUENTLY. BUT, FIRST, WE MUST BE VERY GOOD. IF WE DO NOT, A CHASTISEMENT WILL BEFALL US. THE CUP IS ALREADY FILLING UP, AND IF WE DO NOT CHANGE, A VERY GREAT CHASTISEMENT WILL COME UPON US." It was from this day on that Our Lady gradually initiated the young visionaries in a motherly way to the meaning and scope of this Message.] Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, J. Serre, page 55.
MODESTY By Barry Hanratty Reprinted with kind permission from GARABANDAL JOURNAL July- August 2003 In her lessons at Garabandal, the Blessed Virgin impressed upon the girls the importance of modesty. She did this in a number of ways by requiring: 1) a proper code of dress; 2) proper comportment (The manner in which one behaves or conducts oneself ) 3) that they not wear jewelry or cosmetics (inappropriate for young girls) especially when they were going to see her. PHOTO: From left: Conchita, Mari Loli, Jacinta and Mari Cruz. Although short dresses for girls were the style of the time and area, the Blessed Virgin told them to wear longer ones.
Carolyn, I know Mari Loli passed away in 2009 shortly before her 60th birthday. May she rest in peace!
Mari Loli passed away in 2009, and Mary Cruz does not. Conchita & Jacinta (are 2nd cousins) are still stay in touch.
I was asked “Why does Conchita look drastically different in July of 1961, from just a month prior ?” CONCHITA’s HAIR WAS CUT OFF! The Commission was so desperate to discredit the apparitions, and especially Conchita that they actually removed Conchita from her home, brought her to another town, CUT MOST OF HER HAIR OFF ( THEY THOUGHT IT HAD "MAGICAL POWERS) and had a priest ,Fr. Luis Gonzalez threaten her by saying: “If you persist in talking about apparitions, you will be disgraced. We will declare you crazy and lock you in a mad house. And your parents will go to jail.” Doctor Pinal tried to hypnotize Conchita to "find out the magic fluid from which she held her power of suggestion over her little playmates," 'concluding' that this was coming . . . from her braids! (so they cut them off ! ) This outrageous behavior today would be called “Criminal Child abuse” !
GARABANDAL : "AWAITING APPROVAL " Some Anti-Garabandal people say this apparition is “not approved”, that is NOT true. There has been NO Official ruling for approval or condemnation by the current local Bishop AND no official Vatican ruling yet because in 1966 Conchita was summoned by the Vatican and questioned by Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani and his staff (which included the Pope’s Personal Secretary) for over 2 hours, convinced or her story, they requested a meeting with Pope Paul VI. Conchita and her Mother, and Dr. Medi met the Pope in a private meeting the next day. At the end of that meeting, the Holy Father came to her and announced joyfully in a clear voice, "Conchita, I, the Pope, bless you and with me the whole Church blesses you." Another quote from Pope Paul VI from another conversation: "It doesn't matter; tell these gentlemen that it is the Pope who has said that it is most important and most urgent to make these messages known to the world." There can be no ruling until after the Miracle date that Conchita gave to the Vatican, then the Vatican can and will confirm it's validity. I pray it happens under this Pontiff.
TODAY IN GARABANDAL HISTORY: JULY 8,1961 The four children learned from the Angel (St. Michael) how to receive Communion the correct way. It prepared the visionaries to receive their first real Communion from the Angel on the following July 16th, the very day of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Until then, St. Michael had given them only hosts that were not consecrated. This exercise lasted about a week. “Garabandal” by J. Serre pg.57
Saint (Padre) Pio affirms Garabandal to a PH.D in confession. Joachim Bouflet,PH.D. went to Padre Pio for confession in July of 1968. Padre Pio told him "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." Bouflet:"So it's true?" Padre Pio : "Certo e vero!" ("Yes, it's true!") “While he was living, the same Padre Pio guaranteed the authenticity of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin. He met Conchita at San Giovanni Rotondo. Even during the last days of his life he talked about this to his brothers in religious life and left a personal message for the principle personage of the apparitions. “ Fr. Pelletier -“Our Lady comes to Garabandal” page 219
TODAY IN GARABANDAL HISTORY: JULY 10, 1963: CHRIST'S FIRST LOCUTION TO CONCHITA. TOWARDS THE "CONVERSION OF RUSSIA AND THE WHOLE WORLD . . ." The first of the two very remarkable locutions of Christ to Conchita occurred in the village church. Conchita: "As I was giving thanks to God and asking Him for certain things, He replied. "I asked Him to give me a cross, for I experience no suffering in my life, except that of not having any crosses. As I was asking Him for that, Jesus replied: "Yes, I will give you a Cross." Very moved, I kept on asking for other things and I said to Him: "Why is the Miracle coming? To convert many people?" And He replied: "to convert the entire world -Para convertir al mundo entero" - [Our Lord was thus indicating the importance of the events of Garabandal.] "Will Russia be converted?" "Yes, it will be converted; thus everyone - todos - will love our Hearts." "Will the chastisement come after that?" He gave no reply. "Why do You come into my poor heart without any merit on my part?" "Because I do not come for you; I come for the whole world." "When the Miracle takes place, people will think I am the only one to have seen the Blessed Virgin." He replied: "I let you be the one who, by your sacrifices and patience in trials, will intercede with Me to perform the Miracle." And I said to Him, "Is it not better that I be with the four or that You take none of us for the intercession?" And He said, "No." "Will I go to Heaven?" And He replied, "Will you love our Hearts a great deal and will you pray to them?" "When will you give me the cross?" He did not answer me. "What will I be?" And He did not reply. He only told me that, wherever I am and whatever I am doing, I will have much to suffer. And I asked Him, "Will I die soon?" And He replied, "You must stay on earth to help people." And I said to Him, "I am of little importance, I will be unable to help You in any way." "Through your prayers and your suffering, you will help the world." "When we go to Heaven, are we dead when we go there?" And He said to me, "One never dies." I thought that we did not go to Heaven before we rose up again. I asked Him if St. Peter was at the door to greet us and He said, "No." When I was thus in prayer or in a conversation with God, I felt I was outside this world. Jesus told me that "Now more people love My Heart." On the subject of priests, he told me that I ought to pray a great deal for them, so that they may be saints and fulfill their duty well and make others better. "May they make Me known to those who do not know Me and make Me loved by those who know Me and do not love Me." From 'Garabandal' Book, by J. Serre, pages 175-176
I have been asked this question a lot lately. Will everyone be healed on the day of the “Great Miracle ? “ Now I always take into account God’s boundless mercy, so he can exceed what was already promised at Garabandal if he choses, but all I can say with certainty is what Mary told Conchita. Conchita said : “that it will be visible to all those who are in the village and surrounding mountains; that the sick who are present will be cured and the incredulous will believe. It will be the greatest miracle that Jesus will have performed for the world.” So going by this prophecy, I can only say that you must be present in those areas of Garabandal to be healed. Without mentioning "any other apparition", I can not promise any healing in other palces, only Garabandal. I'll leave it at that.
“The coming Warning and great Miracle” by Anthony Ambrosio “NEEDLES” magazine July-September 1977 ,page 8 Asking Conchita Q. Would you repeat for us what you know about the Warning? Conchita: "What I remember now is that the Virgin told me that before the Miracle God will be sending us a Warning, so as to purify us or prepare us to see the Miracle, and in this way we may draw enough Grace to change our lives towards God. She told me what the Warning consists of but not its date. I am not able to say what it consists of but I am able to say what it will be like, more or less. It is a phenomenon which will be seen and felt in all the world and everywhere I have always put as an example that of two stars that collide. This phenomenon will not cause physical damage, but will horrify us because at the very moment we will see our souls and the harm we have done, it is as though we were in agony but we will not die by its effects or perhaps we will die of fright or shock to see ourselves. May the virgin forgive me if I do not explain it the way it is but I am trying to tell you, after knowing, what the Warning will be like that day."
MARY PREDICTED : GARABANDAL PROMOTED WITH PERMISSION She predicted that one day Garabandal would be promoted, with the permission of the Church. "She will give time for the Message to be spread with the permission of the Church." [Garcia de Pesquera, Eusebio , from “ She Went In Haste To The Mountain” , pg 207 In 1965, in response to those eager to spread the message of Garabandal, Conchita writes; "This is agreeable to the Blessed Virgin. She is very pleased to have us work to spread the message. That is what She wants. But she wants us to obey the Church, for in this way we will give greater glory to God. She will provide time for the message to be spread with the permission of the Church." “SHE WENT IN HASTE TO THE MOUNTAIN Pope Paul VI granted the Apostolic Blessing to the work of diffusion or promulgation of the Garabandal messages on June 12th, 1967. At an audience given to Fr. Xavier Escalda, S.J., the latter mentioned there were many opponents of the apparitions even amongst his own people. His Holiness promptly rejoined: "It doesn't matter; tell these gentlemen that it is the Pope who has said that it is most important and most urgent to make these messages known to the world."
