TODAY IN GARABANDAL HISTORY: MAY 1, Mari “Loli” Mazon LaFluer, Birthday. María Dolores Mazón González was born on May 1st, 1949. She went by the name “Loli” and was the second of Ceferino and Julia’s six children. Ceferino was the village mayor, and, in addition to working in the fields, the family owned a small shop and bar. Loli married Francis Lafleur in Massachusetts, U.S.A., in 1974, and they had 3 children: Francis, María Melanie and María Dolores. For 7 years, she suffered from “lupus erythematosus” in her respiratory system, which eventually caused her death on April 20th, 2009, at age 59. She died in her home in Plaistow, Massachusetts (U.S.A.). Mari loli was the only visionary that knew the year of the future Warning. I was told by Conchita the two never spoke about the dates each were given. Loli was also responsible for giving us a most important piece of information, that the “Warning and Miracle are in the same year “! That information came from an interview on July 27, 1975 . The interview appeared in the magazine “Needles “ AUTUMN 1975 issue, pages 6 & 7 .
MAY, THE MONTH OF MARY For centuries, the Catholic Church has set aside the entire month of May to honor Mary, Mother of God. Not just a day in May, mind you, but the entire month, showing her importance and role in salvation to all Catholics. This custom of dedicating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin arose at the end of the 13th century. In the 16th century, books appeared and fostered this devotion. Two Popes that supported Garabandal have commented on this feast month. Pope Paul VI wrote “Mense maio” which is an encyclical promulgated on 29 April 1965, which focused on the Virgin Mary, to whom traditionally the month of May is dedicated as the Mother of God. Using the Month of Mary devotion as a means of obtaining prayers for peace. He urged the faithful to make use of this practice which is "gladdening and consoling" and by which the Blessed Virgin Mary is honored and the Christian people are enriched with spiritual gifts" . In May of 2002 Pope John Paul II said, "Today we begin the month dedicated to Our Lady a favorite of popular devotion. In accord with a long-standing tradition of devotion, parishes and families continue to make the month of May a 'Marian' month, celebrating it with many devout liturgical, catechetical and pastoral initiatives!" Mary always encouraged the devotion to the Rosary, and stressed that devotion at Garabandal. It was the first thing she taught the girls. So I encourage you now to try and say the rosary on a daily basis. It honors her, and is also our greatest weapon against evil, and to obtain the favors we ask of our Heavenly Mother. .
Garabandal & Fatima I feel ,as many do, that Garabandal is the continuation of Fatima. At Garabandal, Saint Michael first appeared to the visionaries in the evening (8:30 P.M.) of June 18, 1961, exactly 40 years (a biblical number) to the day (and even the same time of day) from the last vision at Fatima. In the sixth apparition at Fatima on October 13, 1917, during the tableaux of visions during the Miracle of the Sun, Our Lady appeared as Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the scapular on her wrist. On July 2, 1961, the Virgin appeared at Garabandal as Our Lady of Mount Carmel with a large brown scapular draped over her right arm. When Our Lady appeared at Fatima in 1917 she did something she had not done before: she addressed messages specifically to the entire world. While she appeared again after Fatima at Beauraing (1932-33) and Banneux (1933), she did not speak to the world at either of those places. But at Garabandal we again find this universal appeal. Although Fatima and Garabandal are separate events there is continuity in the revelations and similarities in features of the events not found among the other visits of Our Lady during the Marian Age. Father Malachi Martin stated that Our Lady came to Garabandal, because the Third Secret was not released in 1960 as She had requested. As a result, Our Lady appeared in Garabandal in 1961 , one year after the Vatican failed to release the Third Secret , and she basically released the Secret to the four children at Garabandal, within the message of Garabandal.The 3rd secret of Fatima seems to mirror the Garabandal prophecy of the " Chastisement", both speak of world wide punishment. See how the world did not heed Mary's Fatima warnings, so she stated them more profoundly at Garabandal.
Apart from the new road that goes up to the pine trees, they are also fixing some streets in the village. Click on photo to enlarge.
I am in Garabandal at the moment. Is there anything I should do or see before I leave tomorrow apart from going up to the pines? One of the villagers has shown me the location of the visionaries houses.
MOG member. garabandal, visited last year: https://motheofgod.com/threads/the-royal-road-to-garabandal.21627/
The Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in San Sebastian de Garabandal by Serafín González, Conchita’s Brother. Serafín says: “When I came here, the Apparitions had already been going on for many days. The first day, I saw them at the “cuadro.” When I came it was already called “el cuadro”. Those The “cuadro” is a place in the road that leads up to the Pines; it was where the first Apparitions took place. It is called the “cuadro” (square) because they put some logs in a square shaped section to protect the girls. The ecstasies were the same, only that there were ecstasies on their knees, there were ecstatic marches, Some where they ran a lot and some where they remained in the same place. For me, all of the Apparitions were important and impressive but the one that impressed me most, although it wasn’t very important, was one time when we went up to the Pines at night. There were three or four of us. Conchita was in ecstasy and when leaving the Pines she knelt and descended on her knees all the way to where the first apparitions had occurred. I thought that her knees would be destroyed. I descended with a lantern and I could see where she was landing her knees. Sometimes she hit her knee against some edge that should have cut her, I said to myself: “the Virgin has to leave us in peace, for this cannot be tolerated. The strikes against those rocks have to destroy the knees.” The ecstasy ended, and I looked at her knees, and they were completely unmarked, without a single bruise. I thought to myself: “Well! Here we must follow where she commands.” The Virgin must have placed her hands underneath, because if not, it was impossible. FROM: stjosephpublications testimonies page PHOTO: Serafín with his wife Paquita to the left and their four children to the right, at the door of Serafín’s house
TODAY IN GARABANDAL HISTORY: MAY 6 On May 6,2012, Bishop of Santandar Vecente Jimenez Zamora, celebrated mass in Garabandal in commemoration of the completion of the restoration of the village church. This was the first time a Bishop celebrated Mass in Garabandal, since the apparitions began ! The fact the came himself, and did not send someone in his place,and the fact that he returned again on May 1 of 2013 ,and kissed a crucifix belonging to villager David Toribio that was kissed by the Blessed Virgin at Garabandal, were signs of his acceptance and personal approval of the apparitions.
I am going to Garabandal on the 16th of this month and was wondering what things I should go to see there? Thanks (Also people)
The graveyard is an interesting burial ground where I went to pray for the Holy Souls. Very peaceful.
Garabandal is really small - the main 'attractions' are all marked by holy pictures or signs of where the major events happened. I must look back at my photos and post them for you Padraig. That is why it is a power-house of prayer because literally there is nothing else to do lol and that is why I loved it because you have to enjoy peace and quiet. The Mass is wonderful in the morning - bring any holy sacramentals you buy in the holy shops as the priest blesses them after mass and he is pretty liberal with the holy water!
I heard there is a place were very few people ever go high up above the pines which gives a great view? Were there many Irish or English speaking pilgrims there?
Yes there is a rosary walk or camino up a steep hill with a cross on the top well worth doing. It is behind the main apparition spot at the Pines. Would be worth doing early before it gets hotter the views are gorgeous. When I went it was quiet with only a handful of Irish & English speakers.
I now have a new prayer friend living there who runs a retreat centre in the village. There is a regular flow of Irish and American groups going there every few weeks. I had just missed one the previous week and there is another group coming tomorrow.
I think Mass is 10am every day. I got to confession with Fr Fitzgerald the Irish priest I would ask about him when you are there he loves to meet Irish pilgrims. PS - make sure you talk to Michael (Hottinger) the director of the Garabandal visitor centre hes a font of knowledge on Fatima & Garabandal and very approachable - he allowed me to leave a copy of my book at the centre for posterity. P.S I concur with Glenn the Pines is a most special place where the veil is thin. I actually cried a lot there when praying the rosary as our Lady felt so close. It was electric.
The “Chastisement” and the 3 “Days of Darkness” Many people ask me to compare the prophecy of the term "Three Days of Darkness" attributed to the late mystic, Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, and the “CHASTISEMENT” mentioned at Garabandal. (The term "3 days" was NEVER used in Garabandal.) A quote from Blessed Anna's is “Fire will rain forth from the sky”. From Mari Loli: "That was horrible to see. We were really frightened, and I know no words that could explain it. We saw rivers change into blood.... Fire fell from the sky.... And something much worse still, which I'm not able to reveal now." From : (SHE WENT IN HASTE TO THE MOUNTAIN) BK 2 Ch.7 pg. 196 Conchita said : “ I can assure you that if it comes, it will be worse than being enveloped in fire, worse than having fire above and beneath you. " THE APPARITIONS OF GARABANDAL”, Francisco Sanchez-Venture y Pascual . Ch. 12 pg. 179 So by using these quotes in comparison, I believe they are the same event. They do have the common theme of “ FIRE”. Remember that Mary did say that the Chastisement is "conditional, upon our response to the Warning & Miracle.
