Monday, November 18, 2019

Garabandal


Conchita Gonzales, one of the four alleged seers of Garabandal, in a color photo taken circa 1961 
There have been thousands upon thousands of reported apparitions to various individuals from the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and various saints. Holy Mother Church, in Her wisdom, would investigate any such serious claim and declare it "worthy of belief," reject the apparition as false, or render no judgement pending further proof. To show how solicitous the Church is for the eternal welfare of Her members, very few apparitions have met with approval. The manifest weight of the credible evidence must fall down squarely on the side that Heaven has spoken, so that no one should be lead astray by frauds, the mentally ill, or the deceits of Satan. Only the following Marian apparitions have Church approval pre-Vatican II (since there is currently no authority to pass judgement during the Great Apostasy) and notice how few there are; only ten (10):

1. Our Lady of Guadalupe (took place 1531; approved 1555)
2. Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (took place 1830; approved 1837)
3. Our Lady of LaSalette (took place 1846; approved 1851)
4. Our Lady of Lourdes (took place 1856; approved 1862)
5. Our Lady of Knock (took place 1879; approved 1879)
6. Our Lady of Fatima (took place 1917; approved 1930 by the local bishop and in 1940 by Pope Pius XII)
7. Our Lady of the Good Event aka Our Lady of Quito (took place 1594-1634; approved 1611 while still taking place)
8. Our Lady of Hope (took place 1871; approved 1872)
9. Our Lady of Beauraing (took place 1932-1933; approved 1949)
10. Our Lady of Banneux (took place 1933; approved 1949)

There are seven cases where the Holy See and local Ordinary have not pronounced directly on the supernatural character of the apparition, yet have implicitly attested to their veracity by approving the public religious activity inspired by the apparition and/or authorizing liturgical veneration:

1. Our Lady of the Pillar (took place 40 AD while Mary was still alive; considered the first Marian apparition wherein Our Blessed Mother assisted the Apostle St. James the Greater)
2. Our Lady of Walsingham (took place 1061)
3. Our Lady of Mount Carmel (took place 1251)
4. Our Lady of the Watch (took place 1490)
5. Our Lady of Siluva (took place 1608)
6. Our Lady of Pellevoisin (took place 1876)
7. Our Lady of Zion (took place 1842)

Hence, from the year 40 AD to 1958, we have only 17 apparitions of Mary that have explicit or implicit Church approval. Since the Great Apostasy, ushered in by the Robber Council of Vatican II, has Mary stopped appearing? The majority of these approved sightings took place in the 19th and 20th centuries. Could it be that the end is at hand, which is why she appeared then and now appears no more? Perhaps she is appearing, but we have no authority to declare them worthy of our belief?  I have frequently wrote against those I label "Apparitionists:" They are people who exalt private revelations and apparitions whether approved by the Church (such as Our Lady of Fatima) or not (such as Our Lady of the Roses) over the teaching of the Church. They obsess over the alleged "true meanings" of messages (as if salvation depended on them), or even accept them to the exclusion of authentic Church doctrines in some area(s). The late "Fr." Gruner falls squarely in this category.

Personally, I don't think Traditionalists should concern themselves over private revelations. To make the terminology clear, "private revelation" has nothing to do with the number of persons that claim to have seen and/or experienced something. "Public Revelation" refers to the Divine Deposit of Revelation given to the Church for all human being to believe, so that they may be saved. Public Revelation ended with the death of the last Apostle, St. John, in 100 AD. Private revelation refers to all communication by God (directly or indirectly) with humans after Public Revelation ended. I can't stress strongly enough that no private revelation, including those deemed "worthy of belief" by the Church, need to be accepted by Catholics. You can reject any or all of the above Marian apparitions and you would not be a heretic, nor would you commit a sin.

This does not mean that private revelations are "useless." Obviously, if the Church approves something as worthy of belief, we can believe it without fear of sinning against faith or morals. God communicates to us for a reason. However, I refuse to get drawn into arguments over what a particular apparition or a particular revelation "really means." Moreover, it is by studying the approved theologians that we can learn the One True Faith and make our Catholic way the best we can through these most difficult times.To be certain, I believe in approved apparitions without making them the focus point of faith. I have devotion to Our Lady of Hope and Our Lady of Fatima. I wear the Five-fold Scapular, pray the Rosary daily, insert the "Fatima Prayer" at the end of each Rosary decade, and try to attend Mass every First Saturday of the month. These are great Catholic devotions all Traditionalists should try to maintain. I do not view "Consecrating Russia" as some panacea to the Great Apostasy. Nor will I quibble over specific sayings Our Lady is supposed to have said.

I found myself thinking about private revelations recently, when a good and faithful Traditionalist priest I know told me that a couple of years ago, he visited Garabandal, Spain, to pray where the alleged apparitions of Our Blessed Mother occurred from 1961-1965. I was quite surprised he believed in their authenticity. Garabandal happened on the cusp of the Robber Council. Roncalli was the false pope at the start of these "apparitions," yet no formal heresy had yet been declared, and most bishops had Ordinary jurisdiction. By November 21, 1964, the Vatican II sect would be formally established with the signing of the heretical document Lumen Gentium by Montini (Paul VI), and the supposed apparitions would end the same year as Vatican II in 1965. Garabandal was neither approved nor condemned at the time. The Vatican II sect made the following declaration in 1970 through the so-called "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (sic):

The Holy See has always held that the conclusions and dispositions of the Bishop of Santander [Garabandal lies in the Diocese of Santander] were sufficiently secure guidelines for the Christian people and indications for the Bishops to order to dissuade people from participating in pilgrimages and other acts of devotion that are based on claims connected with or founded on the presumed apparitions and messages of Garabandal. In order to reply to certain doubts that you expressed in your letter this Sacred Congregation wishes to assert: that the Holy See has never approved even indirectly the Garabandal movement, that it has never encouraged or blessed Garabandal promoters or centers. Rather the Holy See deplores the fact that certain persons and Institutions persist in formatting the movement in obvious contradiction with the dispositions of ecclesiastical authority and thus disseminate confusion among the people especially among the simple and defenseless. 

While it states clearly that the sect has never approved Garabandal, it has never been condemned by them, as was the case in many false apparitions, such as the (obviously fake) "Our Lady of the Roses" originating in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

My purpose in writing this post is twofold:
1. To set forth the criteria of the Church regarding how She judges private revelations, and
2. To apply this set of criteria to the alleged apparitions of Garabandal

In so doing, I hope for my readers to understand how spiritually dangerous it is to be overly concerned about private revelations, and why I personally (when applying the criteria of the Church) reject Garabandal. I have used two main sources in the compilation of this post: Visions, Revelations, and the Church [1961] by theologian Volken, and The Mystery of Garabandal [2015] by L.R. Walker. Walker is a "conservative" convert to the Vatican II sect, who believes in Garabandal, yet does an excellent job of presenting all aspects of the case. The book is thoroughly researched, including interviews with the still living seers and other first-hand accounts.

Garabandal: A Brief Background
The village of San Sebastian de Garabandal, Spain was a quaint place of about 75 houses in 1961. It was thoroughly Catholic, as one could only expect from the Spanish pre-Vatican II. The villagers stopped work every day to pray five decades of the Rosary together, and every evening a different villager would walk the streets and ring a hand bell to call the people to pray for the repose of the souls in Purgatory, and recite family nighttime prayers immediately after. Going to daily Mass was the norm.

It was in this place on June 18th that four young girls (three 12 year olds and one eleven year old) were involved in stealing apples from a teacher's tree that evening. The girls were Mari Loli Mazon (b. 1949 – d. 2009), Jacinta Gonzalez (b.1949), Mari Cruz Gonzalez (b.1950) and Maria "Conchita" Concepción Gonzalez (b.1949). Gonzales was a common name. Jacinta was the cousin of Conchita; there was no other relationship. Conchita was considered the smartest, prettiest, and most mischievous. She would be considered the "principle seer" of these private revelations, just as Lucia was so considered at Fatima.

According to an "official" Garabandal website, the girls suddenly heard a sound like thunder.

There before them was a radiant angel. He said nothing and soon vanished. Pale and visibly shaken, they ran to the village church and told of the apparition. Over the next few days, the girls continued to see the angel. On July 1st he spoke: "Do you know why I have come? It is to announce to you that tomorrow the Blessed Virgin will appear to you as Our Lady of Mount Carmel." (See https://www.garabandal.us/garabandal)

The main message from "Mary" was this:

We must make many sacrifices, perform much penance, and visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently. But first, we must lead good lives. 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.

There are predicted three great events that will befall humanity:

  • The Great Warning, when all living people will see their sins, as if reflected in a mirror, and will understand what they must do to repent
  • The Great Miracle, which will take place within one year of the Great Warning. It will leave a permanent sign in Garabandal, which can be seen and photographed, but not touched or explained by science
  • The Great Chastisement, which is something horrible that will befall the world if humanity does not properly respond to the Warning and Miracle.
The parents of the girls were skeptical, but soon the whole village was believing, and people began flocking to the tiny village to find out what the messages were all about, and hoping to see something supernatural. On June 18, 1965, Conchita received the "final message" of Garabandal exactly four years later. She was now 16 years old, and the Robber Council would close on December 8th. The message was made public on or about July 2, 1965. It read:

As my Message of the 18th of October has not been complied with, and as it has not been made known to the world, I am telling you that this is the last one. Previously, the Cup was filling; now, it is brimming over. Many priests are following the road to perdition, and with them they are taking many more souls. Ever less importance is being given to the Holy Eucharist. We should turn the wrath of God away from us by our own efforts. If you ask His forgiveness with a sincere heart. He will pardon you. I, your Mother, through the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel, wish to tell you that you should make amends. You are now being given the last warnings. I love you very much, and I do not want your condemnation. Ask Us sincerely and We shall grant your plea. You must make more sacrifices. Reflect on the Passion of Jesus.

On the surface, there seems to be nothing contrary to faith and morals. It looks like there will be scary things ahead for the evils perpetrated by modern society. There even appears to be a stinging indictment of Vatican II with "priests... following the road to perdition, and with them... taking many more souls." However, there are many (and disturbing) facts left out from this sanitized version of the story which Garabandal supporters will hide. The only believer in the apparitions who has even attempted to explain these serious problems away, is the aforementioned author, L.R. Walker (who is intellectually honest, but whose defense of Garabandal fails). Before turning to the particular problems, the teaching of the Church on private revelations will be set forth next. 

The Criteria of the Church When Discerning Private Revelations
As explained by theologian Volksen in detail, and reproduced by me in outline form, some of the pertinent criteria in discerning private revelations are:

1. Every revelation must be rejected a priori if its context is opposed to Church teaching. In places where the Scripture speaks most explicitly of the discernment of spirits and where it urges Christians to "try the spirits if they be of God," it gives only one criterion which is of a doctrinal nature. "By this the spirit of God is known:every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God: and every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God." (1 John 4: 2-3). That must be understood as teaching that every private revelation which does not confess Christ as God, and in anyway derogates ("dissolveth") Him by rejecting the teaching of His One True Church, is not of God and must be rejected.

2. A medical examination of all seers should be had to determine physical and psychological soundness. If the seers are healthy in mind and body, this constitutes support for a favorable judgement. If it can be established that the seer(s) showed all the symptoms of hysteria or other mental illness when receiving the revelations, a favorable judgement cannot be reached.

3. The seers should have deep humility (not seeking self-glorification), be obedient to proper ecclesiastical authority, and have fortitude. Fortitude is necessary, as the seer(s) will be pressured to recant and in many cases persecuted/threatened (e.g., St. Bernadette and the three children of Fatima). While they need not be saints, they should display innocence and piety.

4. The revelations must be of a serious nature and not frivolous or overly concerned with mundane things.

5. Any indication of natural explanations and/or fraud must be ruled out to allow for a supernatural character.

The (Disturbing) Facts of Garabandal

1. On the Garabandal website, https://www.garabandal.us/, it says, "On June 18, 1961, four girls, Conchita Gonzalez (12), Mari Cruz Gonzalez (11) Jacinta Gonzalez (12), and Mari Loli Mazon (12) were playing on the outskirts of the village when they heard a sound like thunder." 
Problems:
  • The girls were not "playing"--they had committed sin by stealing apples. 
  • They had felt guilty and decided to "throw stones at the devil" who is "to the left side"
  • When they heard the thunder they felt thrust onto their knees as if by some unseen force
When they went into "ecstasy" and had visions, they were bent over backwards and walked that way so quickly, many of the villagers had a hard time keeping up by running forwards. Last year a movie about Garabandal was released (see https://www.garabandalthemovie.com/en/). The movie accurately displays how Conchita looked in this state--see picture below:
Immediately, it reminded me about a movie poster from a horror movie concerning possession:


Walking and doing things backwards is also a sign of the Satanic. Moving backwards is exactly what occultist Aleister Crowley wrote about in his book Magick in Theory and Practice:

 First Method. Let the Exempt Adept first train himself to think backwards by external means, as set forth here following.

(“a”) Let him learn to write backwards, with either hand.
(“b”) Let him learn to walk backwards.
(“c”) Let him constantly watch, if convenient, cinematograph films, and listen to phonograph records, reversed, and let him so accustom himself to these that they appear natural, and appreciable as a whole.
(“d”) Let him practice speaking backwards; thus for “I am He” let him say, “Eh ma I”.
(“e”) Let him learn to read backwards. In this it is difficult to avoid cheating one’s self, as an expert reader sees a sentence at a glance. Let his disciple read aloud to him backwards, slowly at first, then more quickly.
(“f”) Of his own ingenium, let him devise other methods. 
(See online at http://www.sacred-texts.com/oto/lib913.htm; Emphasis mine)

2. The “Virgin” asked that the girls not bring blessed sacramentals [rosaries, crucifixes, etc.], because she wanted to bless these objects herself. The vision is reported to have blessed and kissed hundreds of objects, such as pebbles, which were treated as "sacramentals." This is troubling for two reasons: first, because only blessed sacramentals affect the devil and fallen angels; second, the Blessed Virgin Mary is not a priest and therefore she cannot confer a priestly blessing--especially upon mundane objects like pebbles.

3. A priest, Fr. Luis Andreu, went with the children as they marched backwards into the woods like they had "wings on their heels." He then claimed he believed in the apparitions and was "overwhelmed with joy." While telling all this to Fr. Valentin, the pastor of the village church, Fr. Andreu suddenly declared that he felt sleepy, lowered his head, coughed, and died on the spot. The priest was young (not more than 40 years old), and had no history of heart problems, no family history of heart problems, and had not been seriously ill. Garabandal supporters claim he "died from joy." It was claimed by the seers his body would be found incorrupt.  When his body was exhumed, it was decomposing normally. Defenders of the apparitions claim that his body will become incorrupt after "The Great Miracle." My readers can correct me, but I've never heard of a saint's body going from corruption to incorruption. Moreover, the seers never said this beforehand, it was made up post factum upon finding his body in a state of corruption.

4. At the death of Roncalli (John XXIII), many people wished the Council to end. Conchita said that she knew that the next "pope" would continue the Council, and she was happy about it.

5.  Conchita and the seers were often found in contradictions regarding the dates of the alleged "Great" miracle, warning, chastisement, etc. 

6. The children would often open their mouths and stick out their tongues while St. Michael the Archangel would give them "invisible Holy Communion." To end the incredulity of some, Conchita claimed God would prove this was true. On July 18, 1962, during a nighttime ecstasy, there is film footage of what appears to be a Communion Host appearing on Conchita's tongue which she then consumes. Conchita reportedly admitted to Father J. Pelletier that she herself had stolen the Host from the tabernacle of the Church and placed It on the roof of her mouth, letting It drop down on her tongue for the so-called "mystical Communion." 

7. Many men testified that while in their ecstasies and on their knees bent backwards, the girls were rigid and impossible to move. It was if they were frozen and weighed hundreds of pounds. The men of the village could neither lift or move small, thin girls. 

8. Conchita reportedly said the Blessed Mother "played hide and seek" with her.

9. All four children signed a document with the Vatican II bishop agreeing with the findings of the  Counterfeit Church and promising never to promote the apparitions again. Does that sound like something real seers would do? The children at Fatima refused to retract what they had seen and heard even when an evil man threatened to kill them unless they did so. The girls at Garabandal later retracted their retraction. 

10. The Night of the Screams: This point is worthy of special mention as those who accept Garabandal use it to assert the apparitions were a warning against Vatican II. This event was actually over two nights; June 18 and 19, 1962. Two of the seers, Mari-Loli and Jacinta went into the woods on the edge of town. They went into ecstasy on their knees and they shouted to "Mary," --"Don't tell us these things!" They then screamed all night in such a terrifying manner that the whole village was up and afraid to approach them. The other two seers remained in the village. The sounds were so frightening, here's what a burly villager said in an interview: "Look, I don't want to brag, but I'm a man, it might be said, who doesn't know fear..but on those nights of the screams, with everyone together in darkness, in silence, hearing the girls' sobbing and screeching in the distance, I shook so that my knees knocked against each other so much I couldn't stop them. You can't imagine what it was. I have never experienced anything like it." (Testimony of Mr. Pepe Diez, stonemason in Garabandal).

On the second night, Conchita joined them in the screams. Only the prayers of the villagers made the screams subside. Every single resident of Garabandal asked their priest to hear their Confession the next day. What caused the screaming? They were allegedly told that prior to the three "Great" events, the Church would be nearly destroyed and the Mass would nearly disappear. They also saw the "reappearance"  of Communism.

Was this a vision of Vatican II, and a major resurgence of Communism post 1989? Consider this: What could be more frightening than seeing Hell? Yet when the three children at Fatima were shown Hell by the Blessed Mother, there was no screaming. And why would the Blessed Mother inflict such fear for two whole nights? I can only imagine how frightening seeing little girls bent backwards in the woods at night screaming at the sky with unearthly sounds for hours must be.

11. At the last appearance in 1965, Conchita claimed that Archangel Michael had to tell her the message because "Mary was too upset to speak." She stood under the Cross of Her Son, but couldn't deliver a message from Heaven?

12. In 1966 Conchita wanted to enter the Carmelite Convent in Pamplona. "Jesus" told her to go back to the world (!) The Garabandal messages acknowledge the validity of Vatican II, the false religion it created, and its false popes.

13. Joseph Lomangino, a blind man, was promised by "Our Lady" that she would restore his sight on the day of the "Great Miracle." Mr. Lomangino died on June 18, 2014 at the age of 86 at his home in New York. Rather than admit this "prophesy" was false, promoters and defenders of Garabandal point to the fact that he died on June 18th--exactly 53 years after the first "apparition" and there is some "mystical significance." Perhaps he recovered his sight spiritually, not physically, etc.  Yet the Great Miracle did not occur, and they can't escape that fact.

14. Two of the "seers" admitted to hiding a statue of the Blessed Mother in the woods so they could claim Mary told them where to go and find it. They did this (allegedly) because they were jealous that "Mary" talked to Conchita the most.

15. Where are the seers today? Mari Loli Mazon came to the United States and lived in New Hampshire until her death in 2009, just before turning 60 years old. Jacinta González became Jacinta Moynihan and lives with her husband and daughter in California. Mari Cruz González lives in Aviles, Spain with her husband and four children. Conchita made a museum of her house in Garabandal. She has since sold that house and owns a house in New York with her husband and a flat in Fatima as well. Compare that with St. Bernadette in Lourdes. Conchita (like the others) all attend the Vatican II sect. Sadly, Conchita lives within an hour of the SSPV, SSPX, and Fr. DePauw's Ave Maria Chapel, none of which she will attend, because she fully accepts Vatican II.

Conclusion
I hope that it is clear why I reject Garabandal, and equally clear why giving undue emphasis on private revelations in spiritually dangerous. We have the teachings of the Church, as well as the True Mass and sacraments, to lead us to Heaven. Yet there are people trapped in the Vatican II sect because Garabandal tells them to remain there. Was Garabandal the work of the devil, a fraud, or both? Who knows and who cares? What's really important is learning the Faith through the approved pre-Vatican II theologians.

As to the Traditionalist priest I know, I don't understand his reasoning. I'm not at liberty to say more about what he said, but he will not loose his faith because he knows that private revelations are not dogma and should not dictate what we believe and what we do. For that we turn to Holy Mother Church. 

58 comments:

  1. Straight from Hell!
    -Andrew

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    Replies
    1. Andrew,
      Definitely some demonic activity going on!!

      God Bless,

      —-Introibo

      Delete
  2. They were screaming for two nights in a row because they were being told about communism? Maybe they were seeing a prophetic vision of AOC speaking in front of Congress.

    Seriously, though, what do you make of that strange vision? If you don't think they were seeing Hell, what do you think it was? Do you think the whole thing was an act?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reading about that episode sounded like demonic
      possession.
      -Andrew

      Delete
    2. @anon5:56
      [I laughed out loud with your AOC comment! ]
      In my opinion, and that’s all it is, an opinion, Garabandal was the perfect storm of children who were interested in attention, and it began with demonic influence. That fed into their feeling of self-importance and caused some fraudulent acts perpetrated by the girls.

      One doctor suggested the girls were ill. Screaming like that for two nights is either demonic (most probably) and/or a psychotic episode. I don’t think fraud alone could make the screams sound so unearthly as to cause grown men to tremble with fear all night.

      Garabandal is bad news.

      God Bless,

      —-Introibo

      Delete
    3. The Devil began attacking young Women in the 1960's.
      Who knows,maybe these girls were a dry run testing phase for his Feminist
      Revolution?
      -Andrew

      Delete
    4. Andrew,
      You could be right.

      —-Introibo

      Delete
    5. The fact that even strong working men who lived in the village weren't able to lift these children off the ground seems to suggest preternatural activity, i.e. satanic involvement, rather than a simple childish hoax.

      And the fact that they asked people not to bring blessed objects to the apparitions?? Seriously?! That didn't ring any alarm bells with anyone there? I mean, I know it was almost Vatican 2 time there so maybe they were not well instructed, but at least the clergy should have known right away the devil was involved if blessed articles were going to be a problem. The first thing people are told who see apparitions is to sprinkle holy water on them. I think St. Catherine Laboure's confessor told her to do that as soon as she told him she thought she was seeing Our Lady.

      Delete
    6. @anon12:13
      I definitely agree there was some degree of demonic activity. Of this I have no doubt.

      God Bless,

      —-Introibo

      Delete
    7. I seriously doubt that all the girl's were having a simultaneous psychotic break. It had to have been demonic.

      Delete
    8. Andrew,
      "The Devil began attacking young
      Women in the 1960's.
      Who knows,maybe these girls were a dry run testing phase for his Feminist
      Revolution?"
      When did the Devil begin attacking young men? I remember working as a Typist in a government office in the mid-70's and the treatment of the female office staff by the male Administration was horrific. The men bosses couldn't even tell you to type a letter without sexualizing it. I can't even begin to tell you on this blog the verbal and, sometimes, physical mistreatment the women were subjected to. There was nothing us women could do about it as the Administration was all male and all guilty. We had to put up and shut up, or leave the job. It seems everytime something goes amiss in this society or culture, the men start alluding to "Feminism" as the cause. How about the men's treating women as sex objects, even in the work place as one of the major causes for Feminism to begin with. Don't tell me I shouldn't have been working or I wouldn't have been subjected to the mistreatment on the job. I was single and needed to support myself!!

      Delete
    9. Your Presumption is
      extremely dishonest.
      Stop attacking Men over words and ideas they NEVER stated nor implied.
      Have a nice day.
      God bless.
      -Andrew

      Delete
    10. The Devil began attacking men and women after The Fall.

      If the story you told actually happened to you and is not something you read on a feminist blog then I can empathize with your situation. Men indeed are prone to lust. Men and women like to blame each other for their problems or if something goes wrong but neither wants to take responsibility for at least half, which is usually the truth in almost every situation. If one looks at things unbiased they will see that often both are to blame equally.

      Men are very visual creatures and we often fall with our eyes, while women are very audial and often fall with their ears. This being said...women tend to dress provacatively to entice men and to get men to see them as attractive and they like the validation they receive from it, they only complain about it if the guy "checking them out" is not attractive or they don't like them for whatever reason. If women really wanted to decrease the chances of being harrassed or sexualized then they would dress modestly at the workplace, and not wear makeup. This is the half that is the women's fault.

      Men are more prone to lust than women and they fall with the eyes easily and men are attracted to beauty and instead of just enjoying it for what it is men in their fallen state will want to satisfy their carnal urges with that woman. If a woman dresses modestly and doesn't "doll" herself up men will have a very decreased chance of being sexually excited or aroused.

      Try to make an effort to understand how men think and what their weaknesses are and don't exploit them and just tell them "well they should be able to control themselves!" Even though that is true if you want to do your part then dress modestly. If one doesn't dress provacatively and is modest in their speech, dress and deportment then it is entirely the mans fault if he advances in an aggressive manner, as the woman is doing her part.

      Likewise it is important for men to understand women and their weakeesses and how they think so they can do their part in avoiding issues or problems as well. For instance a man shouldn't just go up to woman and tell her she's fat and ugly even if that's what he's thinking, he needs to realize that women are more emotion based and more audial and hearing that will send her over the edge in anger at the man, insecurity, self-hatred or a combination of them. I'm not saying he should lie to her either but he needs to be tangible enough to know how to approach the subject in a manner that is constructive.

      There are hundreds of more examples I could get into. Long story short....it's not usually just the man's fault, it's not usually just the woman's fault...it's usually both that are at fault and usually results from the other not knowing how the other thinks or processes daily life. Men and women need to learn how the other thinks and operates to have any sort of meaningful relationship.

      Delete
  3. Where did you get your information? I suspect from a Garabandal hating source.
    Fr. Luis Andreu did not die the way you describe. So the fact that you published this error, means you didn’t know yourself and depended on a third source. You did not do your own research. Please do so. Fr. Andreu came from a very saintly family. His mother became a nun after he died and 2 of his brothers were priests. Please correct this. I could correct you, but it is better if you research this yourself.

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    Replies
    1. @anon7:08
      I’m not attacking Fr Andreu. My information comes from Walker’s book who SUPPORTS Garabandal. He cites many primary sources in his work and the death of Fr Andreu is described in other Garabandal sources as “death from joy.”

      Just because someone’s body is not incorrupt, does not mean they were not saintly. Some Very great saints were not incorrupt. From all I’ve read, Fr Andreu was a holy priest. There were many vocations in his family.

      The way he died was highly unusual and he seems to have accepted Garabandal early on. He probably would have changed his mind.

      —-Introibo

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    2. I won't speak for Introibo, but what I understood him to mean in giving the incident about the priest who dropped dead was not that that reflects badly on the priest who died, but that it reflects badly on the apparition that seems to have killed him.

      Usually people get cured at apparitions of Our Lady. They don't usually get killed at them. This was sort of an "anti-miracle".

      If you have different information about this horrifying incident connected to this "apparition", perhaps you could bother to share it with us while you're accusing Introibo of getting the facts wrong.

      Delete
    3. @anon12:07
      You are correct. I believe Fr. Andreu was a good and holy priest from every source I’ve read. There is no bad reflection on the priest, only on the “apparition.”

      God Bless,

      —-Introibo

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  4. Thank you for this great post. I got wrapped up into this apparition many years ago and if I had continued believing in it as strongly as I believe in true Marian apparitions, I think I would still be in the Novus Ordo religion today. Is it of the devil? I believe it is with all the descriptions of what happened such as walking backwards, the supposed "BVM" not wanting the children to bring a sacramental etc. This is a perfect deception to use Our Lady to keep sincere people in what they think is "the Church" when it's everything of the opposite of the true Catholic Church.

    One thing I want to add to your post is Joseph "Joey" Lomangino received Padre Pio's permission and approval to go to Garabandal after he received his sense of smell back from him. I don't want to change course of the point of this article but Padre Pio has a lot of influence in the Novus ordo too and yet even the Dimond brothers have a book that tells what a holy person he was. I have my doubts though about him, not just because of his approval of Garabandal but because of his meeting with JPII saying he would be great one day, how he approved of a book like the "Poem of the Man God" which was put on the index of forbidden books in the late 40's, how he said the Mass facing the people (even though at the time it had not been the new Mass yet).

    Another thing I want to mention as far as approved Marian devotions is Ven. Mary of Agreda. Why are so many trads against her books the Mystical City of God? Here is a list of Papal approvals of this book from the past. http://www.neemcog.com/OfficialPapalApproval.htm plus here is a great story about her https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4vJ_M32mDU and she has an in-corrupt body.

    Lee

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    1. Lee,
      I asked Fr DePauw what he thought of Padre Pio, and he said “There are so many conflicting reports, I honestly don’t know who or what to believe. He will never be one of my favorite so-called saints.” His brother was actually sent by the Vatican to investigate Padre Pio. See my post for the whole story and my doubts:
      http://introiboadaltaredei2.blogspot.com/2017/01/was-padre-pio-ecumenist.html?m=1

      I personally have nothing against the Mystical City Of God. The only problem I have is when certain people claim it is “equal to” the Bible!

      God Bless,

      —-Introibo

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    2. Thank you. I'll check your other post out. Yes, I agree nobody should say it is equal to the bible.

      Lee

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  5. Intro
    This is a very informative post. Thank you.
    I had, some time ago, received an email forward originated by an anti-Fatima individual (or individuals) who claimed that the Fatima seers were under demonic influence and that the apparition was false. One point was that the seers said Our Lady wore an immodest knee length dress in her appearances. Another was that the children gigglingly claimed that when they said the Rosary they ran through it by simply reciting the words "Our Father", "Hail Mary", and "Glory Be" rather than say each prayer in entirety; all because the children were undisciplined and disobedient. It explained away the miracle of the sun by positing that the whole world should have been able to see it - not just those in attendance. Of course that part is ridiculous because the whole world did not see the miracles of the Apostles. It didnt see the miracles of Christ, either, yet they are believed by the faithful, as they must be.
    So I don't know, but it seems to me the Devil is working both sides of Apparitions, claiming fraud on the genuine ones and genuineness on the frauds.
    Oh, I saw that Francis has a new booklet out that instructs the faithful how to say prayers that engage Satan directly in battle. Oh brother that seems dangerous to me! I hope people do not fall for this as some type of possession could take place doing that, don't you think?.

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    1. Jannie,
      ANYTHING that is pushed by Bergoglio can’t be any good! He’s Satan’s best helper. Possession from using his prayers? I don’t have any authority to say such, but would I consider it a possibility? Unless it’s a mere compilation of traditional approved prayers (e.g. Prayer after Low Mass to St Michael the Archangel, etc), I would say it is possible for diabolical obsession or possession to occur.

      God Bless,

      —-Introibo

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  6. Thanks, Intro!
    I wont belabor it since it is off the original topic, but the prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII asks us to beg St Michael and God Himself to do the binding and repudiating whereas the Bergoglian "prayer" has laymen engaging with the evil one on their own. Seems like now that the office of exorcist is basically defunct, its all kind of scary. I admit I haven't seen his book myself, but reliable sources say the instruction in it is ill advised.

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    1. Francis' book sounds like something right out of the Protestant Pentecostal playbook.

      Delete
    2. Jannie and anon3:03
      I didn’t realize this was a book on “How to Exorcise at Home.” That’s for Protestants not Catholics!

      —-Introibo

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    3. Introibo,
      Isn't the Francis book dangerous if people try to cast out demons at home? Shouldn't the book be on a list of forbidden books?

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    4. @anon10:47
      Yes, it is dangerous and if there was a real pope, I believe it would be on the Index of Forbidden Books.

      —-Introibo

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  7. Great article! The biggest problem in my opinion was the prophecy that there will be 3 more popes and then will be the end of time. Even if the Vat2 antipopes were the ones referred to, the end of time didn't happen after JP2. Garabandal is proven false by this alone.

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    1. Saddlery Tack,
      Yes, another failed prophecy. In 2005 when Wojtyla died, Garabandal supporters claimed that JP1 had a reign “too short to count.” Since Ratzinger is still alive, the “3 popes left” prophecy is kept going! What excuses; like the R&R do to save the “papacy” Of Bergoglio.

      God Bless,

      —-Introibo

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  8. If this "good and faithful Traditionalist priest" believes in a lie, which God detests, how can you be so sure he won't lose his Faith?

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    1. @anon8:27
      He wasn’t aware of the whole story. He’s rethinking his position. He said that, in any case, he would never believe or do anything based on a private revelation.

      —-Introibo

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  9. Introibo,
    Never heard of Garabandal before, but am fairly new. I did, however, run across something called "3 days of darkness" recently. Didn't pay it much attention, but the article stated that " Traditional Catholics" and "Sedevacantists" were the major adherents. Is this true? Also, article stated Padre Pio was an adherent.
    JoAnn

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    1. Joann,
      See my post on the “Three Days Of Darkness”
      http://introiboadaltaredei2.blogspot.com/2015/09/shedding-some-light-on-three-days-of.html?m=1

      —-Introibo

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  10. I make it a habit to avoid all discussions about any of these revelations. Say the Rosary, do the First Friday and Saturday devotions, but please stop trying to figure out the end of the world. Today we are one day closer to the end of the world than we were yesterday and tomorrow we will be one day closer than we were today. Be ready, be prepared, and you will have nothing to fear. Only those who are not prepared will be upset. Remember the parable about the virgins who did not have their lamps ready?

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    1. Well said Tom A.

      Lee

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    2. Even for the approved apparitions, individuals and organizations can become obsessed with the messages. We must remember that those who witnesses the apparitions and reported messages are not protected by the Holy Ghost in the manner that Sacred Scripture is inspired or Popes protected. There messages may become muddled over the years and translations. Also there is nothing in those messages that adds anything new to the deposit of faith. The messages are calls to individual piety, and not meant for gnostic understanding of the end times.

      Delete
  11. Also, I entirely agree with you Introibo, this “apparition” can not be from heaven

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    1. Tom,
      Upon reading all the facts from people who believe in Garabandal and first hand accounts (subjecting them in the light most favorable to the alleged apparitions), I honestly don’t know how anyone could believe these are authentic apparitions from Heaven.

      —-Introibo

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  12. So many terrifying facts that I wonder Hellywood didn't make a Garabandal-based horror movie. A curiodity: while the true Our Lady appeared to Santa Bernadete, it is said that in a neighboring town other children saw the disguised Devil of Our Lady doing indecent acts.

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    1. @anon12:16
      Yes, the devil will even try to sabotage approved apparitions!

      God Bless,

      —-Introibo

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  13. Hi Introibo, another great article! Just a random question, my wife is a Filipina and her family is still currently in the Philippines. I'm just wondering if you are aware of any Traditional parishes that offer valid sacraments in the Philippines or if you know of a trusted link I could check? I believe they have some SSPX churches but just wondering if there are any sedevecantist ones which would obviously be preferred.

    Thank you
    David.

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    1. David,
      Unfortunately my friend, I’m only aware of some SSPX Chapels. I’m unaware of any others. If my readers know of such, please pass the information on so that I may publish it and help David.

      God Bless,

      —-Introibo

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    2. No worries buddy, thanks for the reply. I have seen a few websites that give links to Latin masses over there but they dont really give affiliations so I dont want to recomend an FSSP or similiar church to my in-laws.

      God bless you as well.
      David.

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    3. I actually just found a source from the CMRI website actually, they have a traditional chapel in Las Pinas City.

      I feel so bad for the Filipinos, they have such deep rooted faith and Catholic culture but have been so betrayed by the modernist.

      David.

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    4. David,
      I’m happy you found a Chapel! The poor Filipinos. More Victims of Vatican II.

      —-Introibo

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    5. David, the CMRI ordained a Phillipino priest a couple years ago. Email CMRI.

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  14. Medjugorje next Monday? Haha

    Good analysis, Intro.

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    1. Kemper,
      Thank you my friend! You know exposing the fraud of Medjugorje isn’t a bad idea! However, not next Monday anyway.

      God Bless,

      —-Introibo

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  15. Strong evidence that Garabandal was from the devil from beginning to end: https://avoicefromthedesert.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/garabandal-apparition-of-the-devil-1961/

    The false Garabandal messages have at least 2 important purposes:

    1. to fill the supernatural vacuum left by the de-supernaturalized and Masonic-inspired Vatican II "counterfeit church of darkness" (Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich's vision of the future); and

    2. to promote the idea that the Vatican II church is the true church and that the Vatican II antipopes or papal pretenders are true popes. I'm convinced that Cardinal Siri was validly elected 2 days before John XXIII (5 min. of white smoke) and threatened into invalid abdication, as https://whitesmoke1958.com gives evidence of.

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  16. WALKING BACKWARDS FROM TABERNACLE- from Glenn Hudson
    THE HOLY EUCHARIST: Without a healthy devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the very heart of Catholicism, the Church cannot thrive, and for more than three decades, we have witnesses the systematic dismantling of Eucharistic devotion.
    In her second Message of Garabandal dated June 18, 1965, the Blessed Virgin warned us of what was coming when she said "less and less importance is being given to the Eucharist."
    There have been some disturbing stories of priests who did not believe the Real Presence remained in the Hosts after Mass. But at Garabandal, Our Lady left little room for doubt when in the first Message of June 18, 1961, she said we must "visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently."
    During the events, once the ambulatory ecstasies began, the Virgin always led the seers to the village church where they would kneel and pray before the tabernacle. When they were asked why they went to the church so often, they replied that Our Lady said she liked being near her Son. On those occasions, the visionaries, in ecstasy led by the Virgin, would leave the church walking backwards. As a sign of profound respect, they never turned their backs to the tabernacle.

    “Affirmations of the Faith at Garabandal”
    from GARABANDAL JOURNAL Nov-Dec. 2002
    THIS IS A GREAT REBUTTLE TO THOSE WHO WRONGLY ACCUSE GARBANDAL OF BEING DEMONIC BECAUSE THE GIRLS WALKED BACKWARDS. NOW YOU KNOW WHY THEY DID ! THEY WERE LED BT OUR BLESSED MOTHER TO DO SO

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    1. @anon5:59
      The "Blessed Mother" had nothing to do with this false apparition. The "Blessed Virgin" also asked them to walk backwards during "ecstasy" which had nothing to do with the Blessed Sacrament? Compare to real seers at Fatima who walked forwards. These girls at Garabandal were thieves, liars, promoters of Vatican II, and lead worldly lives. "By their fruits thou shalt know them." (St. Matthew 7:16-20).

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

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    2. @Anonymous
      "When they were asked why they went to the church so often, they replied that Our Lady said she liked being near her Son."

      Do you really think Our Lady would say something like that? She is the Queen of Heaven completely immersed in the Holy Trinity.

      The devil can use Scripture against the Church and to deceive (Protestantism), he can use the rosary against the Church and to deceive (Medjugorje and others), he can use devotion to the Eucharist as well, especially when "Our Lady" is defending the Novus Ordo counter-church. Here is the widely suppressed truth about the so-called "Saint" Paul VI who authorized all the spiritually destructive changes:
      https://catholicendtimetruths.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Chiesa-viva-441-S-en-OK-1.pdf (Communist asset: p.18; Accomplice to murder: p.21; Freemason: p.30; Homosexual: p.55)

      The author, Fr Luigi Villa (d. 2012(, was a spiritual son of Padre Pio and was given a special Papal Mandate by Pius XII to expose Masonic infiltration into the Church hierarchy.

      And here's what Paul VI did to invalidate Holy Orders:
      https://novusordowatch.org/2018/06/unholy-orders-50-years-invalid-ordinations

      There's a reason why Sr Lucia in her last public words in 1957 before being "disappeared" did not mention the Eucharist when she said:

      "[Our Lady of Fatima] told me, as well as my cousins, that God is giving two last remedies to the world: the Holy Rosary and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. And, being the last remedies, that is to say, they are the final ones, means that there will be no others." (Sr Lucia; Conversation with Fr Augustin Fuentes, December 26, 1957)
      http://radtradthomist.chojnowski.me/2019/03/is-this-interview-that-caused-her.html

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    3. The doctors, priests and others who investigated Garabandal easily dismissed satanic influence in Garabandal. This would include the five members commissioned by Bishop Doroteo Fernandez to study the events. This Commission gave other causes for it not being supernatural. The Devil, a fallen angel can do much to deceive us. But he can't read minds or tell the future. These were common with the Garabandal visionaries. If Garabandal were false, the Church would have declared it so by now. See the work of Fr. Jose M. Saiz, member of the Bishop's commission on this.

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    4. edgara,
      The Vatican II sect is not the Catholic Church. When these (false) apparitions began in 1961, there was no pope. Roncalli had usurped the Throne of St. Peter. There is so much wrong here, if the Church had not been driven underground, there would have been a formal condemnation.

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

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    5. I appreciate your allowing those who attempt to correct you to post to your followers. Your first statements provide an accurate summary of what happened at this village. However, I wonder how you can from a distance, judge these apparitions false, when those close to the scene including ten bishops (including the present one installed in January of this year) and the official commission of three priests and two doctors have not done so. The judgement of all but one of them since 1970 has been that “it isn’t certain whether the apparitions are of a supernatural origin or not.” Archbishop Carlos Osoro, then acting as Apostolic Administrator of Santander wrote to me on May 7, 1970 (and probably to more than one other) expressing a more positive opinion.

      From your writing it seems unlikely that you witnessed the girls in ecstasy or talked with them or any of the eye- witnesses. You don’t mention any books or primary source articles you consulted.

      You write: “that no private revelation, including those deemed "worthy of belief" by the Church, need to be accepted by Catholics.” I agree that the Church might not oblige belief. But it seems in the case of Garabandal that God (in the first sentence of his second message) wants us to believe and to tell others about what we saw, heard and felt in this village. “As my Message of the 18th of October has not been complied with, and as it has not been made known to the world, I am telling you that this is the last one.”


      Re: “To apply this set of criteria to the alleged apparitions of Garabandal” From what I know from spending time with the visionaries, the eye witnesses, four of the five members of the original bishop’s Official Investigating Commission, and reading dozens of books on the subject in Spanish and English, it seems like Garabandal does very well. For example, your #1) Santander Bishop Eugenio Beitia ruled in his second note in 1965, that nothing taught at Garabandal was contrary to traditional Church teaching. #2 Well qualified medical examiners Dr. Ortiz and Puncernau, among others who spent much time examining the girls ruled them perfectly sane. It amazed the doctors that the girls were so happy and healthy despite working so hard in the fields and being deprived of sleep by attending visits by the Virgin.
      #3 Spanish Seminary professor Fr. Retenaga states in his published paper that during the apparitions the visionaries made heroic (extraordinary) growth in virtue. He lists specific examples of this especially in their growth in humility.
      #4 “The revelations must be of a serious nature.” A Worldwide Warning, about which the then prefect for the Congregation of the faith, told Jacinta during her meeting with him in 1975, “that this and the other prophecies were of transcendental importance for the whole world.” This sounds serious and not frivolous.

      You “The Blessed Virgin Mary is not a priest and therefore she cannot confer a priestly blessing--especially upon mundane objects like pebbles.” I have never heard that The Virgin blessed anything. She kissed religious articles. During the early apparitions, people reported seeing the girls lift up pebbles to their visitor and these would fall to the ground. If you have evidence that the Virgin blessed anything, or kissed pebbles, please inform.

      You, “While telling all this to Fr. Valentin, the pastor of the village church, Fr. Andreu suddenly declared that he felt sleepy, lowered his head, coughed, and died on the spot.” Your source for this? Those who accompanied Fr. Andreu on his return from the village to their home report that he talked with them on the trip. When they reached Reynosa, they tried to wake him up. A nurse confirmed that he was dead.

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    6. edgara,
      I will once more repeat:
      This is a sedevacantist blog. The Vatican II sect is NOT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. "The bishop installed this year..." is not a bishop just as Jorge Bergoglio is NOT pope. I can judge these apparitions false primarily as they uphold the Vatican II sect as the true Catholic Church; that cannot be of God.

      Other reasons:
      * The girls had the first alleged vision after committing the sin of stealing

      *"Kissing pebbles" and "playing hide and seek" are mundane and not of a serious nature

      *Conchita admitted she STOLE A HOST FROM THE TABERNACLE to make it seem like "invisible Communion" appeared on her tongue

      *I saw a black and white film of the girls walking backwards. It was like a Michael Jackson video only much creepier. Why would God want such a thing?

      *The "Night of the Screams" was something demonic. The children at Fatima saw Hell itself, yet there was no long screams--the Blessed Mother protected them. Here, there is fearful screams for two days??

      *Many men testified that while in their ecstasies and on their knees bent backwards, the girls were rigid and impossible to move. It was if they were frozen and weighed hundreds of pounds. The men of the village could neither lift or move small, thin girls.

      *Joseph Lomangino, a blind man, was promised by "Our Lady" that she would restore his sight on the day of the "Great Miracle." Mr. Lomangino died on June 18, 2014 at the age of 86 at his home in New York. Rather than admit this "prophesy" was false, promoters and defenders of Garabandal point to the fact that he died on June 18th--exactly 53 years after the first "apparition" and there is some "mystical significance." Perhaps he recovered his sight spiritually, not physically, etc. Yet the Great Miracle did not occur, and they can't escape that fact.

      *The seers led worldly lives. Mari Loli Mazon came to the United States and lived in New Hampshire until her death in 2009, just before turning 60 years old. Jacinta González became Jacinta Moynihan and lives with her husband and daughter in California. Mari Cruz González lives in Aviles, Spain with her husband and four children. Conchita made a museum of her house in Garabandal. She has since sold that house and owns a house in New York with her husband and a flat in Fatima as well. Compare that with St. Bernadette in Lourdes. Conchita (like the others) all attend the Vatican II sect. Sadly, Conchita lives within an hour of the SSPV, SSPX, and Fr. DePauw's Ave Maria Chapel, none of which she will attend, because she fully accepts Vatican II.

      *I knew one of Conchita's bodyguards personally. He was a former boxer, and shielded her from people when she first came to the United States. He admitted what was apparent: The Garabandal messages acknowledge the validity of Vatican II, the false religion it created, and its false popes.

      This is enough to prove the apparitions totally false.

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

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