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Editor’s Note:  Tom and Sue Melillo traveled extensively to Catholic shrines and have graciously shared their experiences with us via their daily “trip reports”.  Sadly, Tom is no longer with us, but his trip reports live on…and so do the memories of this faith-filled man.

 

Bueno Dias:

Sure you thought we were going to take the day off, we almost did but  it’s Sunday and going to Mass every day doesn’t count as much as we just wanted to stay in our apartment.  We woke up fully refreshed, as Susan slept on the large sofa and I had the bed. I think she got the better  deal.   I made breakfast with the vulture eggs we bought and some ham and cheese and toast and a pot of coffee and we headed out at 9 AM  in order to make the 10:30 Mass.

This shrine was only 24 miles away but we didn’t know what to expect as far as the drive.  It was a good thing we left early, the road was awful although the ride was beautiful along the northern coast of Spain. The narrow roads were treacherous and the bikers and walkers didn’t make it any easier.  Susan developed a headache early on and I  also did 1/2 way through.

This ride made the Amalfi Coast look tame with so many blind corners,  S-Turns and the like …  that at the end I just wanted to jump out of the car. We had to park over a mile from the Basilica of Our Lady  of Lekeitio and walk back.  I didn’t care, I was out of the car yet,  I was plotting our course back for the next 2 hours, there had to be a  better way.

The church was quite spectacular and old, right near the  ocean.  Today wastheir First Holy Communion Service and the children were precious…..Theadults, another story.  Mass was hard to follow  since the priest kept stoppingat the most important parts and would talk for 5 minutes.  We were hoping he was instructing the children if not  he needs a friend to talk to.

The children went to receive Communion the same time everyone went to  theside altars to receive from the EMOCH’s.  They needed some guidance  fromsome of the ushers to pull this off properly but Susan and I kept  our mouths shut and sat there.

At the end of Mass they began the procession of the Blessed Sacrament intothe town.  We took a couple of photos before the church emptied, saw thefamous miraculous statue of sailors and made our way along the route. Wesnapped a couple of photos in the Basilica Plaza but we  didn’t want to spendanymore time than we had to because we had another 2  stops so we made our way back to the car and headed out, gratefully via  another route.

The next stop was only 12 miles away in Markina-Xemein (The Parish Hermitage of San Michel the ArchAngel and Saint Pallonia (the local Saint).  Butit took forever with construction and treacherous “S  Turn” (Welcome toBasque Country roads).  I think we were both thinking it’s time to go home to our cozy apartment.

We were glad we went to this famous shrine, where it is said that St. Michael cast Satan into hell and placed the rocks on top that are believed to be 40  million years old.  As I walked under them, I was hopeful that they had  at least another 1/2 hour to go before they crumbled.
(See  Photos.)

Our next stop that we had planned … we skipped.  We were done for the day.  We headed back to our “hacienda apartment” and arrived by 2:00 P.M. after 5 hours it took us to attend Sunday Mass and drive a total  of 60 miles.

Our first line of business after arriving “home” was a Sunday cocktail  to get rid of the terror shakes from the drive up and down.  Susan then  began to expedite the drying of our laundry via the hair drying in our  apartment. Our laundry had been out on the “dry rack” for two days and  was still wet.

I began preparing for our dinner this evening before I “faded” and Susancontinued trying to type as I lie here on the couch “chilling” after a  grueling drive.  I realize I love this sofa … maybe I’ll let Susan have the bed tonight and I’ll take the oversized couch with my “body  pillow”.

We had a great dinner of steak, mushrooms (for me), corn (for Susan on her potato), nuked potatoes and a nice bottle of 2008 “something Tinto”.

After cleaning up, we locked up our apartment for the last evening, sat andtried to find English speaking TV for about 30 seconds and retired for the evening … looking forward to tomorrow.

In the morning, we are back in France.

So, Au Revoir … Adios from  Espana!

Hail, White Lily of the ever peaceful  and glorious Trinity! Hail Vermilion
Rose, the Delight of Heaven, of whom, the  King of Heaven was born, and by
whose milk He was nourished! Do thou forever  feed our souls by the
effusions of your divine influences.
Amen.

Love Susan &  Tom

 

Bueno Dias:
 
Sure you thought we were going to take the day off, we almost did but  it’s Sunday and going to Mass every day doesn’t count as much as we just wanted to stay in our apartment.  We woke up fully refreshed, as Susan slept on the large sofa and I had the bed. I think she got the better  deal.   I made breakfast with the vulture eggs we bought and some ham and cheese and toast and a pot of coffee and we headed out at 9 AM  in order to make the 10:30 Mass.
 
This shrine was only 24 miles away but we didn’t know what to expect as far as the drive.  It was a good thing we left early, the road was awful although the ride was beautiful along the northern coast of Spain. The narrow roads were treacherous and the bikers and walkers didn’t make it any easier.  Susan developed a headache early on and I  also did 1/2 way through.
 
This ride made the Amalfi Coast look tame with so many blind corners,  S-Turns and the like …  that at the end I just wanted to jump out of the car. We had to park over a mile from the Basilica of Our Lady  of Lekeitio and walk back.  I didn’t care, I was out of the car yet,  I was plotting our course back for the next 2 hours, there had to be a  better way.
 

The church was quite spectacular and old, right near the  ocean.  Today was their First Holy Communion Service and the children were precious…..The adults, another story.  Mass was hard to follow  since the priest kept stopping at the most important parts and would talk for 5 minutes.  We were hoping he was instructing the children if not  he needs a friend to talk to.
 
The children went to receive Communion the same time everyone went to  the side altars to receive from the EMOCH’s.  They needed some guidance  from some of the ushers to pull this off properly but Susan and I kept  our mouths shut and sat there.
 

At the end of Mass they began the procession of the Blessed Sacrament into the town.  We took a couple of photos before the church emptied, saw the famous miraculous statue of sailors and made our way along the route. We snapped a couple of photos in the Basilica Plaza but we  didn’t want to spend anymore time than we had to because we had another 2  stops so we made our way back to the car and headed out, gratefully via  another route. 
 

The next stop was only 12 miles away in Markina-Xemein (The Parish  Hermitage of San Michel the ArchAngel and Saint Pallonia (the local Saint).  But it took forever with construction and treacherous “S  Turn” (Welcome to Basque Country roads).  I think we were both thinking it’s time to go home to our cozy apartment. 

We were glad we went to this famous shrine, where it is said that St. Michael cast Satan into hell and placed the rocks on top that are believed to be 40  million years old.  As I walked under them, I was hopeful that they had  at least another 1/2 hour to go before they crumbled.   
(See  Photos.)
 
Our next stop that we had planned … we skipped.  We were done for the day.  We headed back to our “hacienda apartment” and arrived by 2:00 P.M. after 5 hours it took us to attend Sunday Mass and drive a total  of 60 miles.
 
Our first line of business after arriving “home” was a Sunday cocktail  to get rid of the terror shakes from the drive up and down.  Susan then  began to expedite the drying of our laundry via the hair drying in our  apartment. Our laundry had been out on the “dry rack” for two days and  was still wet.
 

I began preparing for our dinner this evening before I “faded” and Susan continued trying to type as I lie here on the couch “chilling” after a  grueling drive.  I realize I love this sofa … maybe I’ll let Susan have the bed tonight and I’ll take the oversized couch with my “body  pillow”.
 

We had a great dinner of steak, mushrooms (for me), corn (for Susan on her potato), nuked potatoes and a nice bottle of 2008 “something Tinto”. 

After cleaning up, we locked up our apartment for the last evening, sat and tried to find English speaking TV for about 30 seconds and retired for the evening … looking forward to tomorrow.
 
In the morning, we are back in France.
 
So, Au Revoir … Adios from  Espana!

 
Hail, White Lily of the ever peaceful  and glorious Trinity! Hail Vermilion
Rose, the Delight of Heaven, of whom, the  King of Heaven was born, and by
whose milk He was nourished! Do thou forever  feed our souls by the
effusions of your divine influences.
Amen.
 
Love Susan &  Tom
 

Buenos Dias:

The 4 of us did well in the bed last night although 1/2 of our pillows spent most of the night on the floor.  I think we fell asleep that way and didn’t move.  We were still tired at 9 AM when we awoke.  At  11:00, I made eggs and toast and our second pot of coffee.  We weren’t moving fast today, if at all.  We needed a break and 3 nights in this perfect B&B was what the doctor ordered.

We needed food since tomorrow was Sunday and everything is closed on Sundays, so we decided to go back to the store we went to yesterday and get what we needed.  The store was in Azpetia, the birthplace of St. Ignatius, and only 15 minutes away. We arrived there just before it re-opened at 3:30, and by the time we walked to the Basilica, the door was open.

We went in to say our morning prayers and Divine Mercy, it was cold in  there, so we decided to say the Rosary on the way home.

We lit a candle  for your intentions and departed for the store.

We stocked up for 2 days. We bought some calamari and fettuccine for tonight and a couple steaks for tomorrow. They with both go well with the  salad I was going to make with Rosa’s lettuce. We were home by 5:15 and still exhausted.  Susan typed yesterday’s report as I dictated and cooked.

Dinner came out delicioso, if I do say so myself.

There was enough left over so we gave it to Rosa and Mike, later she brought us over desert.

 

During the cooking, I put laundry in with what I thought was detergent and was surprised when the black socks came out brown and my gray cargo’s are now rust colored. LOL, I  had bought bleach!  The whites came out fine … I had laundered them separately.

After dinner we crashed and tonight Susan ended up on the huge sofa since the bed seemed to have shrunk and the body pillows were fighting each other.
Buenos Noches with Amor!

O most Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of  gentleness and mercy, I, an unworthy sinner, fly to you with sentiments of  confidence and love. I begyou who stood close to your most beloved Son as He  hung upon the cross, graciously to remain near me, a miserable sinner, and  near all priests who throughout the whole Church will offer Holy Mass this  day. By your gracious favor help me to offer a sacrifice which is worthy and acceptable in sight of the most high and undivided Trinity.
Amen.

Love Susan and  Tom

 

 

Editor’s Note:

Tom and Sue Melillo were indepedent travelers who visited many shrines in Europe and the Holy Land.  They kindly posted daily reports of their travels and we are pleased to include them here.

Buenos  Dias:

Before I begin today’s report, Susan  and I want to thank those of you who have sent your well wishes, Prayer request  updates, new Prayer Requests and just communications, in general, to let us know you are thinking of us. As much as we are enjoying our “personal  pilgrimage”, it is so great to hear from loved ones … makes us feel wanted, I  suppose (and, Kler, every time we get an email from a loved one, we say YEAH (as  Kler would  say!).

So back to Monzon de Campos … 6:00  AM came early … That’s pretty stupid … it usually does.  There was no hesitation about getting up and getting going. Beatriz told us she would have  coffee and juice and something for us to eat in the salon at the hotel. She’s no  dummy getting up at that hour. As she promised it was ready and we made coffee for there and a large shot of caffeine for the road and headed  out.

Barring any road delays, we were going to make Mass in Garabandal on time. The drive was two hours and forty-five minutes to and over the Cantabrian Mountain Ranges.  The first forty  minutes got us more than two-thirds of the way there.  The rest of the time you  can ask Susan about.  I was in Heaven … Susan was much warmer.   Susan did manage to take 100 pictures of our trek over the mountains but she has to remember to keep her eyes open. LOL

We pulled into Garabandal with twenty  minutes to spare before Mass and we parked at Sari’s and Papa’s  restaurant/Posada.   We saw papa on our way up walking down the 3 mile drive from Garabandal to Cosio (which he does every day).  We laughed later when we found out he gets a ride back to Garabandal from Coscio.  He looked great, and Susan decided to walk more, maybe not here but in the next  life.

We walked to church for the 10 AM mass and saw Father Rolando out front and got a wonderful warm greeting as he welcomed us.  We went into the church to say our morning prayers and  when I saw the  Statue of Our Lady, the tears flowed.  This is a  happy place for us and a very, very “special memory of The Virgin Mary” for  me!

Just as Mass was going to start Fr. Rolando left the church and a few minutes later he returned with a Monstrance. In the meanwhile, the sacristan was scurrying around to get ready for Adoration and put the Intention box in the Sanctuary near the altar.

Susan and I agreed that we should  place all the intentions we have been carrying and praying for in the Intention Box to Our Lady of Garabandal and offer your Intentions to God through her Intercession.  Susan filled the Special Intention Box with some difficulty  since we had so many.  We could  both sense something special.  Mass  that day (and as always with Padre Rolando) was as special and sacred as  always.  After saying his Prayerful welcome to the Congregation in Spanish,  Father turned to us and Prayed the welcome to us in English.  We were  astonished.

After Mass, Benediction started and  we all prayed for twenty minutes for all the intentions left for Our Lady.  We knew and later confirmed that this was done every Thursday and people wondered why it was done today on Wednesday.  We were very touched because we had  emailed Padre Rolando long before our journey to tell him of our return to Garabandal. He knows that on our many previous pilgrimages to Garabandal, we carry many intentions and we knowand are grateful that Father Rolando did this today … especially for all of you and your  Intentions.  I know Our Mother had a hand in it.

We have some very special shrines yet to go and some very special intentions we will still deliver even though we know that your and our prayers will be answered in God’s way and time.  We  saw Father after Mass and thanked him for that special moment when we knew him  and everyone else in the church were praying for you.  We talked a little and, surprisingly, I understood him and he told us Mass tomorrow was at 7:30 PM.

We headed back to the car and Hotel  to check in and Sari and Papa where there and we hugged and kissed.  It  felt like we never left. There was a new addition.  Another secret kept from us before our return … BABY Alan, just 2 months old and adorable.    I couldn’t find flowers on the way so I gave Sari a present of laundry  soap.  We all cracked  up.

We got everything to the same room she always gives us with a view of the pines and rosary mountain.  We  weren’t planning on the climb today, we just wanted to have lunch and explore  the new developments and changes that hadoccurred since our last visit 3 years  ago. The first business was lunch and Sari didn’t disappoint.  We could  hardly move after lunch but forced ourselves to walk the village and visit the old and the new.  After 3 PM Divine Mercy and the rosary in the church we  went back to the room and unpacked and rested for a few minutes.  We used  the Salon downstairs as our computer room and caught up on reports and  e-mails.

Before we knew it … it was  time for dinner back at Sari & Papa’s wonderful restaurant.  We were  both still full but we weren’t going to eat again until tomorrow night so we  forced it down.  All of it! (It was great and we have never hungered at  Sari & Papa’s in  Garabandal.

After a great dinner, we returned to the “Salon” to  continue to do computer work.  It was like we were in our own four story home … so peaceful and comfortable and quiet.  We worked for a while and  went upstairs to retire for the evening …. so happy to be back at our “Casa de  San Sebastian de Garabandal” and looking forward to our full day in Garabandal, at Los Pinos, hopefully the Rosary Path and all that Garabandal has in store.

May God bless all of you …  Always!

I love thee, most lovable Lady, By the  love which I bear thee, I promise 
ever to serve thee, and to do as much  as I can, that thou be loved by others also. I put all my hopes in  thee, all my salvation.  Receive me as thy 
servant and cover me with the mantle of thy  protection, thou the Mother  of 
mercy!

Amen.

Love  Susan & Tom

Click here to learn more about Garabandal

 

 

Well these 2 days were very busy and extremely special to both of us. We were out and running at 8 AM and getting back to our hotel at 9 PM.  It was still light out so it didn’t feel so bad, until the morning.

We had breakfast at our hotel (more vulture eggs) and headed towards Madrid to finally meet Consuela and Humberto.  We found a parking space on these packed, narrow streets right in front of their home.  It was a wonderful  moment after 3 years of communicating, and Consuela being our messenger to Florita,  and all the people at Prado Nuevo.

I wasn’t sure what to expect today since the translations that we sent each other were not the best.  I was down right amazed at the English they could speak and the Spanish we could follow.  We laughed and joked  and had the best time with them, we never stopped talking.  Consuela was preparing lunch for us and we brought the wine.

She made a  wonderful Paella of chicken and calamari with lots of onions and tomatoes over a small pasta noodle.(it was enough for 10 but we managed to leave them a few leftovers). It was hard to leave but we had to find our hotel and get to Prado Nuevo in time for the Rosary and Mass that began at 5.

Our hotel was unbelievable with your own private garage, a king size bed and a dumb waiter in your room for room service so they didn’t bother  you.  I felt like a cloistered Nun. Of course no one spoke English but  they were warm, friendly and helpful.  We dropped ALL our bags after we lugged them up the stairs from the garage, not realizing they had an elevator in the lobby.  DUH.

We then headed out to Prado Nuevo running just a late since we  made the wrong turn onto the highway and had to go 10 miles before we could  turn around. My fault not the Queens’.  (ed note:  the Queen is what the Melillos have named their GPS device)

Father Guillermo saw us coming thru the field and ran to greet us.  We hadn’t seen him in 3 years, when he was a Deacon and spent so much time telling us of the miraculous stories that happened at this Sacred Shrine.  Our Lady told Amparo, the visionary and stigmatist, that this shrine would be one of the greatest in the world, the likes of Lourdes  and Fatima and people would come from all over to visit. We believe it……it is so very Holy and special and seems more so on this our 3 rd visit.

Fr. Guillermo introduced us to his parents, who were assigned as our guides. He warned us that neither spoke any English but it didn’t matter we all made do. The woman talked and Tony and I laughed.  They were to  stay with us for the Rosary and Mass and then take us to visit the grave of  Florita.  That we opted out of until the next afternoon, we wanted to  bring her flowers.

Mass was special in this little chapel packed with the devout, not to mention the 100 or so people outside in chairs that couldn’t fit in the  chapel.  They are going to have to expand soon with another larger church especially since the approval of the apparition is moving forward rather  quickly.  They need prayers, so please remember them even though I know Our Lady is watching over them.

After Mass we went with Maria Del Carmen and Antonio AKA Tony, the parents of Fr. Guillermo to the old church and gift store and then headed to the Foundation, and the home for the aged that the Blessed Mother requested fromAmparo, were we first met and made Florita part of our family  They now have 5 such homes.

Sister Pilar met us at the gate and took us in to the residence to see andintroduce us to everyone. Most remembered Florita  and we  remembered a few of them from our last visit, especially Thomas I think  is his name.

He is the only man in residence, since he lives with and  helps take care of his wife.  3 years ago we had a nice conservation, he  reminded me of my mom and dad and the love they had for each other.

Sister was great and we got to talk to many of them and exchanged lots of hugs and kisses.  You can see the joy on the Sisters’ faces as they serve the residents.  We stayed until Fr. Guillermo came and we made our plan to meet his mom and dad on Mon at 4 PM at the Shrine to go to Florita’s grave, then the Rosary and Mass.

We bid them all a good night and made it back to our hotel just as the  sun was going down, 9:30 p.m., with lots to do to get organized we poured a glass of wine and managed an hour before it was lights outs.

Hasta Manana:

My Queen, My Mother, I  offer myself entirely to thee. 
And to show my devotion to thee, I offer thee this day, my eyes, 
my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without  reserve. 
Wherefore, good Mother, as I am thine own, keep me, guard me as thy  property and possession. 
Amen.
 
 
In Loving Memory 
of 
Our Florita

Thank you for sharing our 2015 “Personal Pilgrimage” with  us!
Tom & Susan Melillo
Palm Beach Gardens, FL  33418 (USA)
E-Mail:

_TSMelillo13@aol.com_ (mailto:TSMelillo13@aol.com)

 

 

Buenos Dias (again as I will explain)

As I was about to end this trip report I lost the whole thing some how.  I wanted to scream and yet had to laugh.  The Author of the Mystical City of God, and who was commanded by God to write it, had written it twice before the final writing as she was told to burn it by two temporary confessors. She got me!  Read this story below it is worth you  time and get the book, which is proclaimed as the second most important book  after the Bible.

As I stated before, we set the alarm for 6 AM wanting to make the 7 AM mass at Our Lady of the Pillar.  We passed through the town with only a dozen youths hanging around, who were drunk and apparently had partied all night and this one old lady who walked faster than us to get  to the Pillar on time.  That wasn’t going to happen so we got behind her  and managed to keep pace.

Mass was again so very special for us in this most Sacred Shrine to Our Lady. (I hope you read the story).  After mass we lit more candles and headed for breakfast at the hotel.  They had meat and cheese but it is Saturday and we don’t eat meat on Saturdays.  We thought about a doggie bag but gave up the idea.  Wired  from our coffee and some toast we got our bags and went down to the lobby and  I went down to the garage.  This wasn’t any fun since some idiot parked in a no parking area.  All cars are assigned a spot and this was not a  spot.  Some people also trying to leave had a problem negotiating their exit and scratched their car as they finally got up the ramp.

The guy was right behind me and it took almost 15 minutes of back and forth to get clear enough to approach the ramp.  Well, a few scratches on both sides of the car later, I did get out….trying patiently to remember that I had just gone to Mass. (as much as I wanted to YELL at this lazy so-and-so)

We headed to Agreda and I was calmed as we said our morning prayers and Susan then re-read the story of this marvelous woman we were about to  see.  We arrived at the shrine, which is also a convent of cloistered nuns, and our instructions from Sister Patricia was to ring the bell and she would  tend to us.  How good is that!

As we waited for this sweet old lady to finish with another person we decided what we wanted to buy in the case before us.  We then tried to explain to her what we wanted and the man she was waiting on helped her to understand.

After she understood she escorted us to a small room with an opening to another room but had a bar and curtain.  We weren’t sure what  to expect sowe waited and in a few moments the curtain opened and our Angel  of the day appeared, Sister Patricia of the Trinity. She was lovely and  warming and answered all our questions after we all greeted each other thru the bars.

She taught us how to buy things in the gift shop and where to  go to seeVenerable Maria De Jesus. We talked for a while, and knowing they were preparing for a big festival tonight, we reluctantly bid farewell.

The turnstile worked perfectly in the gift shop, as I told Susan the items  and the Sister on the other side delivered them.  She sent the bill and we sent the money and they returned the change.  Great system  I  think some of the stores we go to should adopt.

Into the Chapel we went to venerate this Saintly Woman, who has been denied Sainthood for 350 years because of her book, which was dictated to her by the Blessed Virgin Mary, is not in sync with the overwhelming understanding of the Divine by man.  She was beautiful and encased in glass, and very tiny as most Saintly incorrupt people are except for Saint Pio. (sorry  Pio)  We prayed before her to pray for all of you and you intentions. I  know she heard us!

As usual, we left our prayer intentions…. for us and for all of you.

I have read this book 3 times and I will read it again and  again.  It is the most influential thing that has happened to me  for the understanding of our faith.  I cried on the way there  and cried when I left.

We visited the cemetery after we left next to the Shrine hoping to find the grave site of the family but gave up for it was so big and headed for our overnight about an hour and a half away.  This was Susan’s kind of drive, a few hills and mostly flat as we were allowed 80 MPH.  We arrived to this quaint little village and our hotel  which was bustling with visitors.

After checking we went for a walk thru the town and checked each rest. menu we saw for non-meat items.  We were hungry.  We settled for a restaurant down from our hotel and dined on Sardines (again), Queso (cheese) (again) and then I had Baclava (salted cod) and  Susan had eggs, the size of a vultures, and I didn’t even get a bite before  she devoured it all.  As we dined outside, storms swept into the valley from all sides, and we only got a couple drops before we finished.

A  group of priests and deacons and seminarians came to the restaurant and we conversed and laughed since they all knew how to cook as we told them of our seminarian  cooking classes.

We are back at the room and Susan is finishing yesterday’s story as I finish this one.  Tomorrow we are in Madrid and Prado Nuevo, to meet a Counsuelo and her husband Humberto for lunch at their house.  We have been communicating with her for 3 years and she would bring messages to Florita and the nuns at the nursing home for us. We can’t wait to  meet them.   Later at Prado Nuevo when we go to Mass we  hope to see Padre Besan and Padre Guillermo, who was  a seminarian when we first met him and was just ordained, as well as the Sisters, Priest and elderly at this Shrine to Our Lady that we hold dear to  our hearts.

Ok this is it, it’s 7 PM and we will relax and and read for awhile and lights out.

Adios amigos,

O Mary Immaculate, Virgin so  fair
Mother of Our  Savior, please hear my prayer
Intercede, dearest Mother
to Your Heavenly Son.
Tell Him I am truly sorry for all the wrongs I  have done.
Ask Him to  guide me by the Gifts of The Holy Spirit
in all of my deeds and  way.
So that I may give  Him glory, honour and praise at the end of my days.
Amen.

Love to you all

Susan & Tom

The victory of  Christ over hell
As reported by Mary of Agreda
Venerable Mary of Agreda was born on April 2, 1602, in Agreda,  Spain.
Christened Maria Fernandez Coronel, she took the blue habit and made  her vows as a nun in the Franciscan order, and in 1627 she became abbess of  the Agreda Franciscan monastery until her death on May 24, 1665. The process  to declare her a saint began almost immediately after her death, in 1672, as  she had lived a life of evident holiness in the eyes of her contemporaries.

During her life, she had experienced mystical phenomena including privaterevelations.  The most famous of these writings is the Mystical  City of God: Divine History of the Virgin, Mother of God, which had been  dictated by the Virgin Mary Herself. Even after death, Sister Agreda continues  to defy the rationalists and non-believers: her body, kept in her convent, is  incorrupt. Like asmall number of deceased mystics and Catholic saints, the  nun’s body refuses to naturally decay, even after 339 long  years.

SISTER MARIA JESUS AGREDA

THE BLUE NUN
SOURCE: _The Mysterious  Valley_
(http://shell.amigo.net/~tmv/Special_Inv4.html)

JUST A NUN FROM AGREDA
Another notable character on our journey  is Sister Marie de Jesus Agreda, born April 2, 1602, in Agreda, Spain.  Christened Maria Fernandez Coronel, she donned the blue habit and took her  vows as a nun in the Franciscan order, and in 1627 she became abbess of the  Agreda Franciscan monastery until her death in 1665. The Encyclopedia  Britannica states:

“Her  virtues and holy life were universally acknowledged, but controversy arose  over her mystical writings, her political influence, and her
missionary  activities (my italics). Her best known work is The Mystical City of God (1670), a life of the Virgin Mary ostensibly based on divine revelations granted to Maria. It was placed on the Index Libroum Prohibitorum in 1681, but  the ban was lifted in 1747.”

THE 502 RAPTURES

In 1620,  teenaged Sister Maria of Agreda, began having unnerving visions, or raptures.  Cloistered in the convent, she would meditate for hours,
sometimes all day,  and return and tell her fellow sisters wondrous stories of her “over 500”  spiritual travels to a faraway land, meeting savages and
telling them of the  Word of Christ. She experienced many of these episodes ofrapturous meditation  and bi-location, and word began to spread of the young nun in the convent.  Finally, convinced of the reality of her experiences, she wrote a book in  which she described, in great detail, her missionary work bringing the Word of  Christ to the savages of The New World. In early Fifteenth-Century Spain, this  was not a prudent claim to make during the height of the Holy Inquisition,  which quickly put to death untold thousands found “guilty” of witchcraft and  dealings with demonic forces.

Before long the Inquisition took a pointed  interest in the good Sister of Agreda, and she found herself at the center of  a dangerous, whirling controversy. She insisted to the Father Inquisitor that  she was indeed bi-locating and doing God’s work, but to no avail. A very  public trial ensued with the full brunt of the powerful Church bearing down on  the poor nun from Agreda. During the height of her trial, a newly returned  expedition of conquistadors and friars arrived in Spain with a wondrous  tale.

A PUZZLING SCENARIO

It seems that the Spanish explorers, while in the unexplored region north of Mexico, had encountered numerous Native  American tribes in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas who had already been  converted to Christianity, and somehow knew of “Jesus Christ” the Savior. Even  more fantastic were the Indian’s claims of being visited by a white-skinned  “Blue Lady” who appeared to many, drifting in a blue haze while she preached  the word of the Lord in their native languages. She helped them to build crosses and places of worship,and even handed out rosaries and religious objects.

“From 1620  to approximately 1631 the Spanish nun flew from Spain to the North American  State of New Mexico on more than 500 occasions. Thus it was established in the open case of the Holy Inquisition against the nun in 1635, in which it was  affirmed further that no one in the convent noticed her absence during those  flights. On occasion they would happen twice during the same day. . . How then  can we explain a woman of scarcely eighteen years of age that could bi-locate  to New Mexico, and while there, she would dedicate herself to distribute among  the natives rosaries and other liturgical objects as she instructed them about  the truth of the Christian faith. . . Her trips occurred shortly before the  diocese of Mexico decided to send evangelizers [north] towards those  unexplored territories. Her visits made their
efforts considerably easier.  11”

POSSIBLE EXPLANATION FOR THE CONQUEST OF NEW MEXICO

These first Spanish explorers to the  Southwest were amazed by the Natives knowledge of Christianity and were  baffled by the rosaries they were shown and by their earnest descriptions of  the “Blue Lady” that had come from afar and preached to them.

“Finally,  when the first Franciscans, led by Friar Benvenedes, arrived [at the Isleta  Pueblo] they discovered a singular spectacle. Thousands of
Indians approached  the Franciscans and asked earnestly for baptism. Benvenedes  wrote later of the Spaniard’s efforts to ascertain how the
Indians had  foreknowledge of Christianity:

“‘When  those Indians were asked to tell us what was the reason for which, with so  much affection, they asked for baptism and religious
indoctrination, they  answered that a woman had come and preached to each one of them in
their own  tongue.

The rapid  Spanish conquest and control of New Mexico in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth  Centuries may have partially been due to Sister Agreda’s solo
missionary  efforts on behalf of a bewildered Catholic Church.

“Only in  New Mexico did the Franciscans baptize more than 50,000 people in record time  and rapidly install twenty-five missions and minister to more than ninety  towns. The Indians remembered with special veneration the Blue Lady, the one  whom they gave this name due to her blue mantle of celestial tones she wore on  her back. 14” During the mid-Sixteen-hundreds, the celebrated bi-locating nun  from Agreda garnered national notoriety. King Philip of Spain may have  enlisted her help in foreign affairs, and it is firmly documented that the king carried on a life-long correspondence with her. It is surmised by some  that Sister Agreda may have even bi-located to foreign courts on covert  foreign-policy missions on behalf of Spain. Now one would think that this  story, alone, is compelling, but the unbelievable saga of our talented nun and  her doppleganger-twin does not end there.

INCORRUPTIBLE IN DEATH

Even in death, Sister Agreda defies the  rationalists and supplies non-believers and the faithful with evidence of her  fantastic talents. In a
secluded crypt on the grounds of the convent we find  what proves to be the latestdramatic chapter to her unbelievable story.  Sister Marie Jesus Agreda’s body, it turns out, is incorruptible. Like a small  number of deceased mystics and Catholic saints, the nun’s body refuses to  naturally decay, even after 335 long years. The flush of her cheeks and her  life-like features still baffle the Catholic Church and modern science. During  an opening of her casket in 1909, a cursory scientific examination was  performed on the pristine body in peaceful repose, astounding the scientists  and doctors who were allowed to perform the examination. In 1989 a Spanish  physician named Andreas Medina participated in another examination of Sister  Maria Jesus Agreda as she lay in the convent of the Conceptionist nuns, the  same monastery where she had lived in the 1600s.

 

 

 

Bonsoir once again (tomorrow it will be Buenos  Dias … off to Spain in
the morning!):

We have been longing for Mass and missing the Eucharist we arose  early, foregoing breakfast (I made a pot of coffee as we got ready), and headed to the Grotto for the Mass For The Infirm.  This has been a  very difficult trip this year as far as Masses go.  There is not a lack of Churches around, for every little village we pass through has a Church.  There are just not enough Priests to Celebrate Masses on a daily basis.

We headed to the Grotto, rushing a little since we thought we were  going to be late.  I decided to take a short-cut on our walk and it  didn’t turn out very well, since we had to climb up a hill and then walk down flights of stairs to get to St. Joseph’s Gate at the Basilica.

Huffing and puffing from our quick walk, we entered the Grotto area  and avery, very long caravan of carts/wheelchairs carrying the infirm were stillprocessing in.  Susan was off on the Mass time by 15  minutes so we had time to spare.

We love attending the Mass for the Infirm when we are in  Lourdes.  It is amost humbling experience to see so many who are  suffering and who comehere to Lourdes with “hope of healing).  It  makes us so very grateful since our “pain du jours” do not even come  close to the suffering we see all around us here.

Mass at the Grotto, as always, was spiritually rewarding.  It  was celebrated in Spanish (I didn’t know that until Susan just told me  … I’m so confused with languages!).  We brought our daily “cheat  sheet” so, at least, we had the Reading of the Day, the Psalm & the  Gospel to read for the day.

During the Homily, Susan and I always split up your list of Special Intentions that we carry and we read each one to Our Blessed Mother and  offer them up to Her intercession.  It usually takes each of us  10-15 minutes to quietly read our half of your Special Intentions.   This morning we finished well in time to listen to the remainder of the 30 MINUTE HOMILY the Priest gave (he made Father Tom look GREAT! …  LOL).

When it was time for Communion, we had the opportunity to receive  Our Lordin the actual front of the Grotto and underneath Our Lady’s  Statue.  It was very special to both of us.

Before the Final Blessing, some Special Prayers (we think as it was in Spanish) and we awaited the Final Blessing, after which we all sang the Ave Maria (I think that was in Spanish, too … I’ll have to ask  Susan  ).

We are cheating a little this year at Lourdes because we are  sending you some photos from previous trips here.  Most of you have  been “traveling” with us for many years now so you have seen them.   For those who have not, wewanted to send some photos from our previous pilgrimages to Lourdes so that those of you who have never been to  Lourdes can see the inside of the Basilica and the different Shrines on  the three levels.

We were thirsty after Mass and had not brought a water bottle with us, so we stopped at the Holy Water Fountain to refresh ourselves by hand and drinkfrom the Fountain.  We walked to our favorite restaurant,  planning to have an early lunch/dinner but they were not opening until  Noon.  We didn’t want to wait for half an hour so we decided to  come back for dinner this evening.

We returned to our hotel for a little cheese & pate’ to hold us  over and we each took a short “power nap” because today will run  late.  Susan’s “battery was on low” so her power nap took a little  longer than mine.  I got up and finished yesterday’s Trip Report to  all of you.

Now, we are really caught up because in our next venture to the  Basilica,
we’ll have to find more things to share with you … we are  now in “present
time” with our Trip  Reports.

In our down time I marked up the map for our first 11 days (photo  enclosed).  We have traveled almost 1200 miles on 30 gal. of gas that  is around $5 a gal.  This is a far cry from the $9 we paid on our last  trip. We have been in and out of 8 B&B’s and 2 hotels’ have been to 20  shrines and had a few bottles of wine, And you wonder why we look so  tired.  Spain will be different:  for the 11 nights we are there, only 3  hotels and 3 B&B’s. and a lot less miles and shrines.

We went back to the Grotto at 5 so we could do the stations of the cross and go to Eucharistic Adoration and confession.  Unfortunately,  Susan mis-caculated the time as 5 hours difference from home instead of 6, and we missed it all.  I had to get some ammo at the bank, so we walked  into town and on the way back stopped for dinner at a Restaustarant where we ate with Fr. Yves in 2009.  The food was still as good and we enjoyed a night away from the sandwhich routine. We never thought we would eat it all but we did and headed back to the Grotto for the 9 PM Rosary procession.  We wanted to collect some water, leave another copy of all of your intentions under the Grotto of Our Lady and light a candle.  We did this with  great success.

At the Grotto they were taking the very infirm into it and helping  them touch the rocks and the water that constantly flows lightly from under the site of the apparition.  Again very humbleing to watch the faith of these people who don’t seem to have a chaqnce of survival.  We were  more upset than they were, they seemed to be at total peace and trust with  Our Lord.

We gathered for the procession behind all the infirmed.  We usually are in the very end, but we felt like being close to them tonight.  We offered up our prayers for them and for you, for nothing  is impossible for God.

On the way to the Grotto, the streets were empty.  They must have  all been hiding behind trees, because when the Procession began, it was PACKED which was a great thing.  We love Praying our Rosary during the RosaryProcession at Lourdes with so many people sharing in the Prayers of  the Rosary … I am sure She loves it too.

When we finished the Rosary Procession, it was finally dark and we  began
to head back to our hotel for the evening.  I did notice at the Grotto that there were a lot of people who were not Praying aloud and/or  they had left early which was sad … possibly an “early bird special in  town”?  I think we Prayed for them as well for them to have wasted an evening not giving Praise to our God and to our Blessed Mother for a short  period of time.  It
makes us very sad.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped for our second beer since we  have been on our “journey”.  We sat at our cafe table on the street and said “hello” to people as they, too, returned to their rooms.  This is  one of only two places (Fatima being the second) that we stay out past dark  to Pray … it was about 10:30 P.M. when we reached our room.

As tired as we were, Susan worked on some real estate business while I  worked on our Trip Report.  Then she joined me and began typing to save  time.  I was dictating as I laid on our bed (which was very  dangerous) but I
survived.

It is almost midnight and we have lots to do in the A.M.before heading out toward Zaragoza, Spain and some very wonderful places we will be visiting and meeting up with friends and/or new friends …from our previous pilgrimages.

I would like to leave you with this very special Hymn of Lourdes:

Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

Oh Mary, Our Mother, We come to this place,
Where you, who are sinless, appeared “Full of  Grace”.

As Bernadette waited, there came to her sight,
A radiant Lady … surrounded by light.

She gave her a message … “Let Penance Be Done,
and Pray that all sinners, May turn to My Son.”

“Come here in Procession, to Praise God and sing,
to Wash in these Waters, and Drink at this Spring”.

She asked that a Chapel be built in this place,
that all be encouraged to Pray for God’s Grace.

The Lady responded, when asked for Her name:
“Conceived Without Sin Is The Title I Claim”!

Love Susan & Tom
Palm Beach Gardens, FL  33418 (USA)
E-Mail: TSMelillo13@aol.com