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Jane Dobry;

It’s hard to sleep here if you don’t have black out shades and you have to go (you know where). The light came in my room at 5:30, Susan had black out shades.(sort of).  I quickly did my thing and Susan stirred so I told her to get into the little bed with me and we could hug and may sleep to a reasonable hour.  That was about 6:30.  I got up and sent out a trip report and before I was finished Susan crawled out of bed.  We forgot we had bought instant coffee so we showered and packed and left.  TOD almost  8.

It was almost 9 by the time we found a place to stop for café and it was needed. We had made a cheese sandwhich (no meat today, we are abstaining) from the leftovers from our dinner and were  finally were fully awake and refreshed. We continued on our 2 ½ hour ride to Our Lady of Skepe.  Our friends here in Poland, including Fr. Tomasz, don’t even know about this shrine.  It’s a beautiful story so click here to read it.

We arrived around 10:45 and there were 3 cars in the huge parking area and we figured that they worked there, because we were the only ones in the shrine except for the maintenance man. The Miraculous Statue dates back to the 1400’s and has been the source of many miracles as they are listed on the wall outside the main church.  Miracles still continue to this day so we prayed very hard for all of you.

Editors note: You can still send prayer intentions to Tom & Sue for them to leave at the various shrines they will be visiting on their pilgrimage, which does not end until June 22.  Send them to tsmelillo13@aol.com

The old church is being restored and the outcome so far is beautiful.  We felt a great warmth and comfort here and spent a lot of time in prayer and reflection.  The Statue of Our Lady is very beautiful and mesmerizing.  We spent a lot of time here and when we took a break before praying our Rosary we took a walk.  They were kind enough to open the gift shop which was closed and the monk sitting in there was very sick with flu like symptoms.  We purchased a few things and tried to communicate with him but he didn’t understand or didn’t care.  We said thank you in Polish reading from our big cheat sheet and he smiled and Susan handed it to him.  He gave it back and said something and we said God Bless in English and left.

We walked the grounds and there are some very old frescos and paintings to enjoy as well as the grounds.  Back to the church we sat and prayed the Rosary and we disturbed by 6 people who came in so un-reverant and loud.  We realized they were the group doing the restorations. They finally left and we finished our Rosary and went back to the altar for one last prayer before Our Lady.  This Statue of Her is very special as is this place.

Another special day in Poland….it doesn’t get any better than this.  Each day has had something special to offer and we just started.

Our hotel was only 20 minutes away and we talked all the way about this beautiful experience.  When we arrived it was just after 2 and our room was not quite ready so we unloaded the car with our overnight bags and by time we got in she gave us the key.

There was no elevator here so we had to take everything up to the 1^st floor (which is really the second floor at home).  I booked a room for the first floor only, they must have laughed when they got it.  This was the earliest time we ever got to a stop and had time to relax and get caught up on things again.  Day-to-day moving is a little grueling but that is how we do our pilgrimages.  Tomorrow we spend 2 nights and Susan gets to do laundry again.

We had dinner at the hotel and it was great.  Bedtime was at 8:30 PM and it was still light out but we had black out shades. That’s all I remember.

May God bless all or you always and Blessed Mother hear our prayers.

Love Susan & Tom

 

HE asked life of thee; thou gravest it to him,  Length of days forever and ever.

His glory is great through thy help; splendor and majesty you do bestow upon Him.

Hea, you make Him most Blessed forever.

— Psalm 21: 4-6

 

Buenos noches:

We all got up early this morning.  It was time to pack and leave Garabandal even though none of us wanted to go and we couldn’t have stayed anyway since the hotel was over booked for tonight.  It was so nice to see so much activity in the village, finally.

Time flew by here and we met so many new friends even a couple from Arizona that knew my cousin Jan as he was their priest at their parish for many years.  Most of us went to mass after a wonderful breakfast of café con leche and stale bread.  Sacrifice is the key word, small beds and rooms, meager meals, no lunch, because you spend most of the day in the pines but there is lots of love and excitement that overcomes all these hardships.

Mass was celebrated by Fr. Rolando,  Fr. Kingsly from London, but a native of India, and a French priest that drove in from somewhere to also concelebrate the mass.  After the mass there was benediction and all the petitions from the week were offered up to Our Blessed Mother.  It all so beautiful and the church was packed.

We spent some time saying good-bye to everyone and got on the road for Prado Nuevo hoping to make the 6 PM mass at the shrine since our good friend Fr. Guillermo was presiding.  We have never been to one of his masses and were hoping to end that drought today but it took over five hours with traffic and we didn’t arrive in time.

We made it to our apartment without a hitch and were greeted by Luis the concierge, he didn’t speak a word of English but we got by.  Luis took all our luggage up and showed us around.  There is no penance in this place; it has all the comforts of home.  Susan unpacked and organized our lives as Sam and I went to the market to get something for dinner and breakfast that wouldn’t hurt our teeth. We were hungry since our last meal, 10 hours earlier, was hard bread and coffee. We did split a bag of chips on the way since we didn’t stop to eat as we were trying to get to mass.

We snacked on cheese and fresh fruit and bread and some fish sticks we could have done without.  None of us eat meat on Wed. for Our Lady and the brown scapular and we no choice in Garabandal since chicken was the menu Wed. night. So we switched to Thurs.  Tomorrow we will make up for it I am sure.

We finished dinner around 10 and ½ hour later we started migrating to bed.  That’s all I remember.

May God bless all of you

Love

Susan & Tom

And when they met Her, they all Blessed Her

with one accord and said to Her, “You are the exaltation of Jerusalem,

You are the Great Glory of Israel,

You are the great pride of our nation.

 

— Judith 15:9

 

The Beginning
Garabandal is a small village in northern Spain, in the Santander province, near the Picos de Europa mountains, a rugged and beautiful setting. Its full name is San Sebastian of Garabandal. It is located 600 meters above sea level, some 57 miles from the capital of the province. To get there one must climb steep, poor roads. No more than 300 people live in Garabandal. The town is impressively quiet. There is no doctor in the town and no resident pastor at the parish church. The pastor from Cosio, the next town down the road, used to celebrate Mass there on Sunday.

In the evening of June 18, 1961, four girls were playing on the outskirts of the town – Conchita Gonzalez, Maria Dolores (Mari-loli) Mazon, Jacinta Gonzalez and Maria Cruz Gonzalez (not related despite having the same name.) Maria Cruz was eleven, the others twelve, and all were from poor families.

Suddenly they heard a loud noise, like thunder, and saw before them the bright figure of the Archangel Michael. On the following days the Archangel appeared to them again in the same place. He announced that on July 2 they would see Our Lady. This was the beginning of the Garabandal events.

Our Lady of Carmel
The news spread quickly through the region. July 2 was a Sunday and the town was crowded. There were people from all social levels and very many from out of town, among them several physicians and priests. At six in the evening the girls went to the place where the Angel had appeared, and to the surprise of the crowd they entered into ecstasy. Our Lady appeared to them accompanied by two angels, one being St. Michael. The girls described the vision as follows:

“She is dressed in a white robe with a blue mantle and a crown of golden stars. Her hands are slender. There is a brown scapular on her right arm, except when she carried the Child Jesus in her arms. Her hair, deep nut-brown, is parted in the center. Her face is long, with a fine nose. Her mouth is very pretty with lips a bit thin. She looks like a girl of eighteen. She is rather tall. There is no voice like hers. No woman is just like her, either in the voice or the face or anything else. ” Our Lady Manifested herself as Our Lady of Carmel.”

At times the wind rustled her long hair which reached down to her waist. The girls spoke with the Virgin with the utmost naturalness. “We were telling her,” they said, “about our tasks, how we were going to the meadows…” and “She smiled at the little things we told her.” Our Lady showed them how to treat her: “Like children who speak with their mother and tell her everything…Children who rejoice to see her when they have not seen her for a while.”

More Apparitions
After this first apparition there were many more. During 1961 and 1962 Our Lady appeared several times each week. The four girls did not always receive the apparition together. Sometimes only one, other times two or three of them saw the vision. Nor was it always at the same hour of the day. Our Lady appeared many times at night and even early in the morning, in an attitude of sacrifice and penance, at the same hours when Our Lord is most offended by the sins of men. Even so, the girls would arise the following morning, as early as usual, to work in the fields, carrying bundles of grass or wood, or tending the cattle and sheep, without showing signs of fatigue.

The Ecstasies
When the vision appeared, the girls fell instantaneously on their knees, striking the sharp rocks with a loud noise that was frightening, yet they showed no signs of injury. The expression on their faces was suddenly transformed. Their look became extraordinarily beautiful, sweet, one of profound mysticism. There are no words that can properly describe the change. They were completely absorbed in their rapture, unaware of anyone or any material thing around them except for each other. They did no react to pricks, burns or blows. All attempts to distract them failed. Powerful beams of strong light were focused on them, yet their eyes did not even flicker, blink or show any signs of discomfort. Quite the contrary, their eyes remained wide open , expressing a look of intense joy. However, when the girls returned to the normal state, they immediately shielded their eyes from those bright lights which under normal circumstances should have caused permanent eye damage.

During these ecstasies, which lasted from a few minutes to several hours, time did not seem to count. On many occasions they remained immobile in off-balance, beautiful “sculptured-like” positions, heads tilted back, eyes looking up, kneeling on the rocks or bare-legged in the snow. At the end of the ecstasy, they showed no signs of excitation or nervousness, just deep, profound peace and joy.

Participation of the Observers
Many visitors and villagers gave the girls various objects, such as bibles, rosaries, scapulars, medals, crucifixes, wedding rings, etc. for Our Lady to kiss. In ecstasy, the girls raised them up to Her and She kissed them. Then guided by Our Lady, the girls returned the items to their correct owners, even in cases where the person had first confided the object to someone else so the child did not know who the real owner was. Things “kissed” by Our Lady of Carmel have been the instruments of very special favors. Occasionally, these have emitted a mysterious fragrance like that of roses. “Our Lady says”, Conchita wrote, “that Jesus will work miracles through the objects kissed by her. Those who carry or wear them with faith and confidence will suffer their purgatory here on earth.”

While in ecstasy, the girls often carried a crucifix in their hand which Our Lady had kissed, and as She directed, they extended it for observers to kiss, blessing them with it at the same time. On seeing the girls approach, many witnesses experienced such a tremendous spiritual awakening, that it produced a very deep interior emotion in them. They cried unashamed tears, admitting the supernatural nature of what they were seeing, hearing and feeling within them, the very presence of the Mother of God. The conversion of unbelievers and those of different faiths, of souls suffering from religious indifference, the conversions of many sinners, all of which have experienced an increase in faith, hope, and charity.

New Phenomena
Soon after Our Lady of Carmel appeared, the ecstatic walks began. The girls went throughout the entire village – up and down stairways, in and out of homes, at all hours of the day and night, avoiding obstacles without faltering, guided solely by the vision. Frequently, they ran at great speed down the steep mountainside, even backwards, so that it was impossible for the astonished spectators to follow them. Their bodies did not seem to be subject to the law of gravity, but endowed with some sort of spiritual agility. During their high-speed running, the objects entrusted to the girls were sometimes lost. However, upon seeing Our Blessed Mother again, they asked as to their whereabouts and She told them where to find them.

The Miracle of the Host
Above the village is a steep hill on which stands a cluster of 9 pine trees. “One day,” said the girls, “an angel with a golden chalice appeared to us at “The Pines”. He told us to recite the Confiteor and then he gave us Holy Communion.” This wonderful favor happened many times during those days when the parish priest of the neighboring town of Cosio could not go to Garabandal. It was possible to film some of these Communions, using very bright light. The movements of the lips and tongues of the girls gave the exact idea of a real Communion. On May 2, 1962, the angel told Conchita that God would perform a miracle so that all people would believe: they would see the Sacred Host on her tongue at the moment of Communion and that she should make this known fifteen days in advance. On July 18, 1962, the town was crowded with visitors. At midnight Conchita, who had remained in her home continually surrounded by visitors, entered into ecstasy and went out into the street. At a short distance from her house she fell down on her knees in the midst of the crowd. Lanterns were focused on her. She put out her tongue upon which nothing was resting, as everyone could see. In a few moments, a white host appeared on her tongue and remained there for a few minutes. A businessman from Barcelona, Don Alejandro Damians, standing less than three feet from the girl, secured some very good moving pictures. In the film there appeared 79 pictures of the extraordinary scene. This same witness wrote a report which he submitted to the Bishop of Santander, together with a copy of the film. The number of witnesses on this occasion was very large: there were people from different cultures and social classes. Don Benjamin Gomez, a farmer from Potes, wrote:

“I was standing at less than an arm’s length from the girl. I saw very well that her tongue was completely clean of everything. The girl did not move. Suddenly there appeared on it the Sacred Host. It was white, shining and resplendent. It reminded one of the snow when the sun strikes it with its brilliant rays. The girl’s face was beautifully transformed into heavenly ecstasy. Her face was angelic I can certify that she was there motionless, moving neither hands nor tongue. In this motionless position she received the Sacred Host. We had enough time to contemplate this marvelous phenomenon without any undue haste, and we were many who saw it. I was an unbeliever until that day. I am not such a Catholic as to be subject to any hallucination or imagination. I had not concerned myself about God until then except to offend Him. I went to confession in April but previous to that time I had not gone to confession for twenty-three years.”

The miracle of the host is a true confirmation of the apparitions of Our Blessed Mother in Garabandal and of the reality of her message. But a still greater miracle has been promised.

A Greater Miracle to Come
Conchita has clearly said that Our Lady has promised a greater miracle in Garabandal so that all may believe the apparitions and be obedient to the message. “As the punishment which we deserve for the sins of the world is great, the miracle must also be a great one, for the world needs it.” It will occur on a Thursday on the feast day of a saint devoted to the Eucharist, at 8:30 in the evening, and will last for about one quarter of an hour. It will also coincide with a great event in the Church. The sick who come to Garabandal on that day will be cured, unbelievers will be converted. There will remain a permanent sign at “The Pines” as a proof of Our Lady’s tremendous love for all her children.

“The sign that will remain,” says Conchita, “will be able to be seen, photographed and televised but it will not be able to be touched. It will appear clearly that it is something not of this world, but of God.”

Conchita has been granted permission by Our Lady to announce the date of the miracle eight days in advance. With the present means of communication and travel, eight days are sufficient for people around the world to gather. The day of The miracle may be the last opportunity given us by God and may be also Our Lady’s last effort to save the world from the punishment already threatened.

Some time ago Conchita wrote, “The Blessed Virgin will not allow me to reveal the nature of The miracle although I already know it. Neither can I reveal the date of it, which I know, until eight days before it is to happen.” Before The miracle takes place Our Lady has said that all mankind will receive a warning from heaven.

The Warning
Conchita wrote: “The warning comes directly from God and will be visible to the whole world and from any place where anyone many happen to be. It will be like the revelation of our sins and it will be seen and felt by everyone, believer and unbeliever alike irrespective of whatever religion he may belong to. It will be seen and felt in all parts of the world and by every person.”

It will happen in the sky, no one can prevent it form happening. We will even prefer to be dead rather than to pass through thisWarning It will not kill us. It will be a “correction” of our conscience. It will cause great fear and will make us reflect within ourselves on the consequences of our own personal sins. It will be like a warning of the punishment to come. In this way the world will be offered a means of purification to prepare itself for the extraordinary grace of the Great Miracle.

Jacinta was told by Our Blessed Mother “that the warning would come when conditions were at their worst.” The date was not revealed to the visionaries, however Mari-Loli does know the year; and she said that The Miracle will happen within one year after The Warning.

The Punishment
If we do not pay attention to the message, the punishment announced by Our Lady will be visited on the whole world afterThe miracle. During one of their ecstasies the girls were heard praying for the innocent children but, nevertheless, they shed tears at the same time. Since the day they learned about the punishment they have developed a great spirit of sacrifice. They pray very much for sinners and for priests. They often say that if priests are not what they should be many souls will be lost.

Conchita has written: “I cannot reveal what kind of punishment it is except that it will be a result of the direct intervention of God, which makes it more terrible and fearful than anything we can imagine. It will be less painful for innocent babies to die a natural death than for those babies to die because of the punishment. All Catholics should go to confession before the punishment and the others should repent of their sins. When I saw IT (the punishment), I felt a great fear even though at the same time I was seeing Our Blessed Mother. The punishment, if it comes, will come after the miracle”

When Our Lady spoke to the girls of the punishment, her face assumed a look of great sadness. The girls revealed: “We have never seen her look so serious. When she said the words ‘The cup is already filling’, she spoke in a very low voice.”

A New Message
On January 1, 1965, Conchita had an apparition of Our Lady who told her that on June 18, the fourth anniversary of the apparitions, she would be given another message. Thus, six months before the actual date Conchita revealed this promise of Our Lady.

On June 18 more than two thousand people gathered in Garabandal – French, Germans, English, Italians, Americans and Polish were among the people who joined the groups from different parts of Spain. The Spanish were in the minority, perhaps due to the fact the apparitions had received practically no publicity. The French constituted the largest group. There were journalists, TV cameras from the Italian TV network, and cameramen from NO-DO (the Spanish official documentary news program). Leaving her house at 11:30 p.m. Conchita walked to the road leading to the Pines to the place called the Cuadro. There she was rapt in ecstasy which lasted sixteen minutes. St. Michael appeared to her and delivered the message from Our Lady, which was made public the next morning. It reads:

Message which Our Lady has given to the world through the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel. The angel said, “Since my message of October 18 has not been made known to the world and has not been fulfilled, I tell you that this is my last message. Previously, the cup was being filled. Now it is overflowing. Many Cardinals, many Bishops and many Priests are on the road to perdition and with them they are bringing many souls. The Holy Eucharist is being given less importance (honor). We must avoid God’s anger with us by our efforts at amendment. If we beg pardon with sincerity of soul, He will forgive us. I, your Mother, through the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel, want to tell you to amend your lives. You are already receiving one of the last warnings. I love you very much and do not want your condemnation. Ask sincerely and we will give to you. You should make more sacrifices. Think of the Passion of Jesus.”

From this message one can clearly sense Our Lady’s disappointment at the scant attention paid to her message of October 18, 1961. The Blessed Mother shows her motherly concern for priests and the need to place the Holy Eucharist where it belongs – at the center of the mysteries of our Faith. To urge us to sacrifice, she recommends meditation on the Passion of Our Lord.

Our Blessed mother has told us this is her last message. Because of this she wants all her children to listen to her plea before The warning and The miracle. For the reason that she wishes it, we should propagate this urgent message as widely as possible.

Father Luis Marie Andreu
The only other person to see Our Blessed Mother at Garabandal was a 38-year old Spanish Jesuit Priest, Father Luis Marie Andreu. On August 8, 1961, Father Luis was Among the spectators at The Pines when suddenly he became an integral part of the Garabandal drama. He was heard to say, Miracle! Miracle!” Not only did he see The Virgin Mary, but he was shown the forthcoming Great Miracle. The children in ecstasy understood Our Lady to say to him: “You will soon be with me.” Although, he had never had any history of serious illness, he died that same night of complete joy. His final words were:

“Oh! What a sweet and lovely mother we have in heaven…how happy I am… what a favor The Blessed Virgin has bestowed on me. How fortunate we are to have a mother like her in heaven!. There is no reason to fear the supernatural life. The girls have given us an example of how we must act with the Blessed Virgin. There is no doubt, in my mind that the things involving the girls are true. Why should the Blessed Virgin have chosen us? This is the happiest day of my life.”

With those words, Father bowed his head and died. Our Lady has said, “that on the day AFTER the Miracle his body will be found to be incorrupt.”

Our Blessed Mother showed special attention and concern for all priests, repeatedly asking that they come to Garabandal. She gave the girls the ability to recognize them even when they came dressed as laymen, revealing the state of their souls. She taught the children that priests were more important even than angels because by means of their ordination they have the power to change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The Last Apparition
On Saturday, November 13, 1965 Conchita had her last apparition of Our Lady in Garabandal. She gives the details in a letter of which the following is a literal translation:

“One day in church Our Lady told me in a locution that I would see her on Saturday, November 13, at the pines; it would be a special apparition to kiss the religious objects so that I could give them away afterwards. I was anxious for this day to arrive so that I could see again the Blessed Virgin and the Child Jesus who have implanted in my life the seed of God’s happiness.

It was raining but it did not matter to me. I went up to the Pines carrying with me the many rosaries which people have given to me to distribute them… As I was going up I was talking to myself, being sorry for my defects, desiring not to fall into them again, for it gave me much worry to appear before the Mother of God without wiping them out.

When I arrived at the pines, I began to take the rosaries out and heard a sweet voice, that of the Virgin, which you always distinguish among others, calling me by my name. I answered her ‘what?’ At that very moment I saw Her with the Child in her arms. She was dressed as usual and smiling. I told Her, ‘I have come to bring you the rosaries so that you can kiss them.’ She said to me, ‘I can see it.’ I had been chewing gum, but as I was seeing Her I did not chew it; I placed the gum on a tooth. She must have noticed for She said, ‘Conchita why don’t you get rid of the chewing gum and offer it up as a sacrifice for the glory of my Son?’ I, a bit ashamed of myself, took it out and threw it on the ground. She said afterwards, ‘Do you remember what I told you on your saint’s day – that you would suffer much on earth?… Now I repeat it to you. Have confidence in Us. Then I added, ‘How unworthy I am, O Mother of us, of so many graces received through you, and now you have come to me to help me carry the little cross I have.” She said, ‘Conchita, I am not coming only for you but I am coming for all my children, with a desire to get them closer to Our Hearts.’ She asked for the things I was carrying. ‘Give them to me so that I can kiss all you are carrying with you.’ And I gave her everything. I was bringing with me also a small crucifix which I gave her to kiss. She kissed it and said , ‘Put it in the hands of the Child Jesus.’ And I did that and He said nothing. I said ‘This cross I intend to take with me when I go to the convent.’ But he did not reply. After kissing everything She commented, ‘My son, through this kiss, will work wonders. Distribute them to the others…” Of course I will do it.

After all this she requested that I tell her all the petitions for others which I had received. She said, ‘Conchita, tell me, tell me things about my children. I have all of them under my cloak.’ And I commented, ‘It is too small and there is no room for all of us.’ She smiled at this.

‘Do You know, Conchita, why I did not come personally on June 18 to give you the message for the world? Because it pained me to say it myself, but I have to say it to you for your own good and, if you fulfill it, for God’s glory. I love you very much and I desire your salvation; to gather you all around God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Conchita, won’t you respond to this?’ I said, ‘If I could be always seeing you, yes; but otherwise I can’t because I am very bad…’ ‘You do all you can,’ Our Lady added, ‘and We will help you, as well as my daughters Loli, Jacinta and Maricruz…’

She did not stay long with me. She also said, ‘This will be the last time you see me here, but I will always be with all my children.’ Afterwards she added, ‘Conchita, why don’t you go often to visit my Son in the Most Blessed Sacrament? Why do you let yourself be carried away by laziness and not go to visit Him Who is waiting for you day an night?’

As I have written above, it was raining hard. Our Lady and the Child did not get wet. I was not aware it was raining while seeing them, but when I stopped seeing them I was soaked. I also told her, ‘O how happy I am when I see you. Why don’t you take me with you right now?’ She answered, ‘Remember what I told you on your saint’s day. When you go before God you must show Him your hands filled with good works done by you for your brothers and for the glory of God; now your hands are empty.’

That’s all, I spent a happy moment with my mother from heaven, my best friend, and with the Child Jesus. I have stopped seeing them but not feeling them close. Again they have sown in my soul great peace, joy and a desire to conquer my defects so that I will be able to love, with all my strength, the hearts of Jesus and Mary who love us so much…”

Conchita ends with this: “The Blessed Virgin Mary told me before that Jesus does not want to send the punishment in order to distress us but in order to help us and reproach us because we pay no attention to Him. And the warning will be sent in order to purify us for the miracle in which he will show us His great love, and in order that we may fulfill the message.”

With this apparition of Our Lady, the cycle of apparitions in Garabandal closed. It will be definitely confirmed on a Thursday at 8:30 p.m. when the miracle takes place. This will mark the beginning of a new era in the history of the salvation of mankind.

 

 

 

 

 

Jane  Dobric:

Well, the title says it all. We listened to everyone, including Father Tomasz, and left early for the Salt  Mines and the tour from hell.

Editors note:  The Wieliczka salt mine dates from the 13th Century, and was in operation up until 2007.  Over the centuries, the miners carved statues, as well as four chapels, completely made out of salt.  Since the majority of these miners were Catholic, almost everything in here relates to the Catholic Church.  It is one of Poland’s most popular tourist attractions. 

Even without breakfast and only 2 cups of coffee……I was ready for anything but this.  When we parked, we had to pay the attendant, but he didn’t speak English, so we walked up some stairs and around a loop and then down some stairs to the ticket window.  It took 10 minutes and we ended up thirty feet from where we parked and missed the 8:30 tour by a minute.

Now you know me, mister  patience, I wasn’t too happy because I wasn’t sure I wanted to be here in the first place.  We stood at the front of “no line” for awhile as other non-group tourists arrived for the tour. I  must say that at 9:00 sharp we were led in to a chamber and waited a few minutes  before we had to descend three hundred and ninety stairs.  With my arthritis it’s not so bad going  down stairs, but 390?

At the bottom we were led thru a bunch of corridors, felt like we were there an hour until we saw the first SALT statue of fat man who was important.

My ear phone kept  falling out! So I don’t know what she said. I decided that we should keep close to her so we could at least hear. A few more tunnels and the tour really heated  up, when we saw the ropes and pullies and fake horses and cave men and more SALT  statues of fat people, but important fat people.

Now, rock salt is dark  grey and black and is hardened rock and I won’t bore you with all the things I learned, but some of it was interesting.  I did feel like a hostage because after less than an  hour on the tour I felt like it was way past the hour and a half this tour would  take. Now I was starting to panic because we wanted to go to noon mass at the  Saint John Paul II center.

Susan kept telling me it was only 10 and I kept telling her that her watch was broken. I decided to get friendly with the guide, her name was Natasha, no this is no joke, she was from Romania, and to be exact she was born in Transylvania.  I backed off a  little remembering that she told everyone not to take her picture and she loved caves. I can’t wait to see those pictures or not
see those I took with her in  it.

The only real thing we cared about was the large church made all of salt. They have a chapel in the John Paul II Center like that.  I asked the vamp if we were close and she said we where but had to walk  down another 250 stairs to get there and after there were another hundred and fifty more stairs before the end. Now…….that’s a forty story building folks.

Now I start playing  the arthritis card and started to slowly and quietly whimper a little…..rather  loud, actually….. and Susan panicked not knowing my plan.  I saw  someone down here in the church in a wheel chair and he had to come in by  elevator and that’s the place I wanted to be.  Get me  out of here!  No one was paying attention and Natasha said you had to be registered to use the lifts.  Great.

I asked how many more tunnels till we got out and she said three. She lied……..and when we didfinish, she dropped the bomb. They make you go thru  each gift store, restaurant and shop in order to get out.  The walk was about a  ½ mile.  The bomb was that when you got to the lifts, it could  take a 1/2 hour to an hour to get in a lift.  She  told us to go stand in line when we got there and it was 1st  come first serve.

Wrong!  We were the first people in line and a tour group muscled their way in and they got to go first.  We weren’t too happy, but let them go first and as luck would have it, there was room for 2 more on the last one.   The ride up was in a mine shaft and the car held 8 people elbow to elbow and you could notsee a thing except cracks of light now and then. We made it as  we were left off in another gift shop area, and I said to Susan, bring some SALT  home from the apartment.

We left and when we got in the car the clock said 11:00 AM.  I thought it was afternoon.  The  longest morning of my life was only 1 1/2 hours!

With so many new prayer requests for Saint John Paul II and Divine Mercy, we had decided to go to the shrine for mass to pray and leave them there to be read at mass.  After mass it was  off to Saint Faustinas’ to pray the Divine Mercy and leave  intentions.

From here our plan was to  go to the church of the Rock and pray the rosary. Which we did………but not before stopping for some perogi’s at a real off the beaten path place. The place was packed and we finally ordered and only got ½ the order.  We ate and left half full.

We found the church and accomplished what we came for, except that mass started in the beginning of our prayers, so we finished outside next to the statue of Saint John Paul II.

Back at the apartment we did a  few things and went to eat, since today’s intake of food consisted of one piece of cake and six perogi’s split between the two of us. We went to Corlione’s, one of our  favorite restaurants.  Susan had Octopus, freshly grilled with lemon and olive oil and I had a  homemade spinach gnocchi and salad. As usual we had wine and left $29.00 poorer.  DIETYILK?
Both were outstanding and finally satisfied we headed back for a good night’s sleep.

The following was sent to  us from an old friend who teaches in Costa Rica, and we have not seen each other in over 30 years, but he found me on facebook and we have been writing and  praying for each other ever since.

Thanks
Pablo.

“It doesn’t make one holier to kneel where a saint has knelt, but it is
edifying”.

Those words are so true. Yes, I want to be holy, but the holiness comes
from within and not from outside the heart. Being holy is denying myself,
picking up my daily crosses, and walking the painful journey of the Holy Cross.
I only wish being holy was as simple as praying in the same spot of a
saint.

Pablo

Through the Grace from God may we all become Saints,

Love

Susan & Tom

May God Bless Each and Every One Of You!

Tom &  Susan Melillo
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 (USA)

E-Mail:

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

 

 

Bon  Jour:

Well, we are back in France and the trip was tedious with all of the traffic and then all of the AutoVia  (Highway/Tollway) road construction.  I think Susan would have been happier going back to Lekitio again.  Passing lots of trucks in narrow lanes for miles was not fun for her or for moi. At one point, we must have passed a convoy of 100 trucks, They were not allowed in the left lane. Thank  God!

We were in bed last night by 8:30 P.M..  I  think we were both traumatized and I was exhausted after cooking dinner for 2 and a 3rd large glass of wine.  I got up around 6:30 AM and I let Susan sleep after I moved her to the bedroom till about 8AM.  I made a sandwich for the road and got breakfast ready to go for when she awoke. Half a pot  of coffee later I was cleaning the kitchen, taking out the garbage and working  on the computer. This new coffee we bought was real hi-test.

Susan got up and relaxed over a cup of coffee  and our days itinerary.  (And, as Susan reviews to send this email to you  right now, she is saying … “EVERYONE IS GOING TO THINK I AM ONE LAZY  WIFE/TRAVELER BECAUSE TOM SEEMS TO BE DOING ALL OF THE WORK!!!! … I’M IN  TROUBLE  NOW!)

We would have to leave soon to visit our first shrine … Our Lady of Guadeloupe in Hondarriba, Spain … another mountain shrine for sailors. After yesterday’s Shrine, I figured I should join the Navy first. Susan said from her research  that getting in was iffy if the caretaker wasn’t there so we both  sat down and had more coffee, finally deciding we had enough mountain costal towns for now, so we will leave this for another pilgrimage.  We took our time but finally said goodbye to Rosa  and headed  out.

We arrived in Gans, France at our next B&B and were met by one of the two owners, Jackie.  The B&B has been owned by Jackie’s Parents and their family  for years.  Nowadays, Jackie and his Mom, Jacquelyn, run the B&B with the help of their staff. He was born in Bordeaux, raised in Martinique and spent  holidays in Nantucket, CT during his lifetime.  He and his Mom own this lovely home and he was very gracious and showed us the residence that all the guests were able to use.

Our room was very quaint and extremely comfortable … it was a bedroom in their home  and had our bed, small TV and a couple small night stands, plus a bathroom of course and the rest of the house … the kitchen, breakfast room, dining salon, Parlor, living room, patio, pool area, etc., etc..  He gave us our key and we put a few things in the room and headed out for
Verdelaise and  Our Lady of the Afflicted.

We were  going to meet Father Robert there and he was going to show us
around and tell us  of the background of the  Shrine.

We  were  20 minutes late and as we approached the Basilica there was a man standing outside. He wasn’t dressed as a priest but it had to be him and I told  Susan we were going to get scolded for being late (only joking,Father).   It didn’t happen,

Father Robert was a very gentle man and hugged Susan as soon as they said  hello.  (We do have to interject right here that Father reminded us so  very, very much of our dear friend, Father Tim O’Toole (a/k/a “TOT) … in his peacefulness, kindness, warmth and everything else).  I got a warm handshake and greeting too.  He took us into the courtyard and sat as he told us about the Shrine and the history of the town.

He then took us into the Basilica with wonderful further explanations on the background of the Shrine.  Father Robert was going to leave us to Pray at the Shrine and, hopefully, walk the Way of the Cross up to the top of the hilltop.  I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it up the hill with my bad knee, but I was going to give it a valiant effort.

We agreed that Father Robert would meet us back at the Basilica at 4:30 P.M. and then  would walk down the street to share a glass of wine and then go to the  Rosary and attend the Evening  Mass.

We spent  some time in the Basilica praying for your intentions, lit a  candle and Susan put your intentions in the box provided.

We walked  out to go across the street to the Stations of the Cross that wound up the hill  and I realized I couldn’t make it, my knee and leg were really bothering me today.  We went back to the car to get a pill and I realized that they  were in the bag we left at Jackie’s (our B&B for the night).

We decided that I needed a pill and went back with the intention of returning for the  Rosary and Mass. I tried to let Father know but couldn’t get thru to him on the  phone, so I took a pill and relaxed on the lounge chair.  I would have been fine, except Jackie made us a tropical coconut drink and we couldn’t say  no.  I woke up late for everything.  Susan sent Father an apology and  I’m sure he would  understand.

The  evening was great at Jackie’s and Jacquline’s (we call her mom).  We
were  in the living room on the computers but didn’t get much done as we laughed and told stories to each other for a long time.  Mom sat, and her English was great, even though she didn’t think so.  This family is very Catholic and we  shared many things that had happened throughout our all our lives. They  have a great love for St. John Paul II, just as we do.  We were going to tell them about Krakow but decided to wait and get a few things done first, but  ended up telling them anyway and then the photos came out and we shut off the computers.

When they  fed the other people that were staying at the house Susan and I
went out to the patio to have our sandwich I had made and Jackie brought us a nice bottle of wine.  He sat with us and more stories flowed  especially about his dad and the army and his life in Conn. during the summers he stayed there and his encounters with women when he was young.  Our faces hurt we laughed so hard and mom would come out now and then and confirm his stories and we would laugh again.

We had  eaten but mom brought out a small piece of steak and little salad for each of us  and then some cake.  It was too good to pass up, so we had a second  meal.  We will diet tomorrow.  It was 10:45 and mom and their cook had sat down for dinner and we forced Jackie in to eat or we would have been out  there all night.

We all hugged and said good night and Susan and I went to our room feeling like we were again at home with our wonderful new  friends.

Susan was  asleep in less than 5 minutes and I think I was right behind her.  (It was  special this morning when Susan told me that she had awoken at Jackie &  Jacquoelen’s in our room for the night and she woke up feeling that she was in  the bedroom we always stayed in at my Mom and Dad’s in Danbury, Connecticut.  That was always a very special bedroom for us and, perhaps, the love and memories of the love and memories of this family brought us “back  in time” … thank you for that  experience.

Au  Revoir

Click here for more information about Verdelaise and Our Lady of the Afflicted.

Hola Amigas & Amigos:

We got up this morning to see the Sun out and it appeared it was going to be a beautiful day.  We both woke together and packed up a bit and then we went down for our Cafe Con Leche & Toast to dunk in it.  We  weren’t in the dining room for 15 minutes and we came out … we could hardly see across the street.  A very heavy fog had moved in to Garabandal and, when you are in the mountains and in the clouds, it gives a whole new meaning to the word “fog”.

As Father Rolando had announced to us the evening before, Mass today was at 10:00 A.M.  So we headed to the Church to, hopefully, get in our Morning Prayers together before Mass (we had slept in a little late this morning and had packed and brought some of the luggage down to the car).

We arrived at the Village Church and saw Father Rolando on the front patio, and on his cell phone.  I told Susan … “he’s probably hearing a confession since he is so busy” … and then he actually did go into the  Church to hear Confessions before Mass.

Again, at the beginning of Mass, Father greeting us in English at the Opening Prayer and at the Sign of Peace.  He had Michael not only read the First Reading in English, but he motioned to him after he had proclaimed the Gospel … for Michael to read the Gospel in English as well! (Michael told us later he had no idea that was going to happen.)

After Mass, we went back to the Sacristy once again … this time Roberto accompanied us so that he could translate if need be.  We exchanged our feelings in both English and Spanish (through Roberto) to each other before our departure … it was a bittersweet moment to bid farewell to Father Rolando … he has been very special to us since our first visit to  Garabandal.  We promised him that we will return in “approximately one  year” and that, next time, we will remain in Garabandal for a longer stay.  Father then departed for his next Mass in another village.

We stood in front of the Village Church and spoke about so many things with Roberto before leaving.  He is originally from Mexico and had moved  to Amsterdam.  He was in Garabandal on a spiritual retreat.  A very  young and nice man who has a great loved of Our Blessed Mother, Jesus and  our Catholic Faith.

After bidding farewell to Roberto, we headed across the street to the Garabandal Pilgrim Center, where we once again met Michael as promised.

Susan and I had brought a “tablet” with us on this trip that had The Mystical City of God book on it.  The two of us decided to “gift” Michael with the tablet so that he could read The Mystical City of God at his leisure. I knew he was going to give me a hard time accepting such a gift, but when he  said … “well, I will accept it as a loaned gift and will give it back to you when you return to Garabandal”.  We laughingly agreed to appease him  (ha-ha, Michael!).  He is savvy enough to figure out the tablet, but I took a little time to teach him how to bookmark his page, etc.

We then purchased a few things from the Foundation to bring home with  us.  Michael gave us two relics on medals that Our Lady had kissed with  the visionaries when she was here.  We bid farewell to our “new friend”  and we know that he will see him again.

We returned to Sari & Papa’s to finish loading the car, pay our tab  and bid farewell until next time.  Susan was in no hurry to leave …hoping that the fog would lift and the sun would come out.

So, reluctantly, she hopped in the car and we made our way down and up and down the mountain toward our next stop … Our Lady of Bien Apareicida and the Miraculous Cross at Limpias, Spain, which was about 10 minutes away.

We were the only two people, unfortunately, at Our Lady of Bien Apareicida.  It was a beautiful Shrine where an exquisite statue of Our Lady (although very small), sits high and perched above the  Altar.  This is a favoritedestination for many and place of  pilgrimage for many people … just not today, I suppose.

That was “okay  with us” so that we could enjoy and Pray.  The two of us lit a candle for  your Special Intentions and sat in the Church Praying our Rosary.  I  realized that it was close to 3:00 P.M. … time for Divine Mercy.  I  really wanted to Pray our Divine Mercy Prayers at Limpias and in front of the  Miraculous Cross of Christ.  So, we left Bien and agreed to finish our  last decade of the Rosary at Limpias as well … for today was the Decade of the Sorrowful Mysteries and we felt it appropriate.

We made it to Limpias at 3:00 P.M. on the dot and we are now “two for  two”!  IT WAS LOCKED AGAIN!  We have been to Limpias 4 times … we  have been lucky enough to have been into the Shrine only twice!  Very  Sad.

So the two of us sat in our car directly in front of the Shrine and finished our Rosary and Prayed Divine Mercy … keeping Christ company from outside.

We then began our treck to our next B&B in the Basque Country of Spain. Our stomachs were once again growling since it was 3:00+ in theafternoon and we had only had coffee and some bread-fast in the morning.  The drive, which was mainly on the highway, went through  numerous big cities in Spain and I wanted to beat rush hour and traffic.

We were two minutes away from our apartment B&B and we opted to  drive 6 miles further to get to a “Supermarche” (grocery store), knowing that we had to eventually eat.  We didn’t even have time for a photo op in the  store because we ran through the store and grabbed anything we could find that  looked appetizing (including a frozen pizza).
We arrived at our next B&B around 6:00 P.M. and “Rosa”, the  owner, was waiting to greet us and happily showed us to our very small room (LOL:  See Photos).  This was/is “heaven” and we weren’t sure if we would ever get in the car again!

Dutifully, we managed to get out a Trip Report, had our pizza and some cheese, Chorizo, bread and a large glass of wine.  We were already in our “jammies” so, shortly thereafter, we were in our bedroom.   There was only oneproblem when we went to retire: There were two  pillows. Unfortunately, each of them were about 5 feet long and the  bed was a bit of an oversized queen bed.  As we tried to figure out how to position the two of us and negotiate our pillows, it felt like there  were two other bodies in our bed … I don’t know what happened because, two seconds later, I was fast asleep and I think Susan followed me shortly  thereafter.

Buenos Noches

 

Hola:

We wanted to break the alarm clock when it went off this morning, but instead we reluctantly got up and showered before breakfast. More vulture eggs and bacon and we have managed to reduce the amount of caffeine  with only 11/2 cups each.  It’s nice not having the shakes!!

This morning was laundry day……we couldn’t put it off any  longer.  Before going to the laundromat, we stopped at a Carrfour super-market superstore. This made W-Mart look like a 7-11.  We  didn’t have the camera and a good thing, I didn’t know where to look  first.  They had an amazing array of everything.

We loaded up on water, wine, paper towels and laundry soap.  We then went to the woman’s clothes and bought 10 Pasminas for the residents at the Foundation Home.  We found the laundromat on the first try, again another placestuck on a small side street with no parking available.   On our second try, Sue and I both were praying quietly and a spot came open just around the corner.  Almost 2 hours later we had fresh clean  clothes to hopefully get us home.  I’ll never complain about doing the  laundry at home again since it’s only 20 feet away.

On the way from Madrid to Prado Nuevo,  we saw a gas station and it was time to fill  up so we stopped and a young man jumped out of nowhere and pumped it for  me. We had a few laughs and he said to me: car wash?  I looked at  the car and agreed it was time, so they included it on the bill and I drove  in to meet the same young man who got the wash going.  The car was so clean we decided to vacuum and clean the inside windows to add the finishing touches.

We were hungry so we went into El Escorial and had a burger, it wasn’t  bad, and we then went to the shrine around 3:00 PM, an hour before Antonio  and Marie del Carmen (Padre Guillermo’s Mom and Dad) were to meet us. When we entered, Eduardo, one of the caretakers, came over to say hello. We met him 3 years ago and when we said Americanos he remembered us and we each got a hug.  He opened the gate protecting the tree Our Mother appeared on and let us venerate it: I held on tight as I did so.  We then walked to the end of the shrine to the first station and prayed the Stations of the cross alone with Jesus and Our  Mother.  As always, the peace and tranquility wasoverwhelming.

At 4:00 p.m. sharp Tony and Carmen arrived and we hopped into their car and went to the cemetery to visit Florita’s grave.  It was bittersweet that we hadn’t seen her before she died but we were happy that she was now at home withthe Lord.

The rosary in the field in front of the first apparition and Mass in the Chapel: what more can I say.  It was off to the Foundation home again with the Pasminas and flowers for the Sisters.  Sister Pilar was not there, so it was the universal language again.  The women loved their gift as Susan draped and tied one around each one of them.  It  was a warming sight since most of them have no family at all.

I took a lot of pictures and will make a video for them with them in it and send it after we get home.  They still watch the video from the last trip we made through here in 2012. Two of the women had a  race so we could see
how fast the could walk it was funny.  There is a  lot of love and care given to these people and I know they are truly  grateful no matter what state of health they are in.

After the home we went to Fr. Guillermo’s rectory and community family house the has around 40 people who live and work there for the good of the whole and 10 priest and religious. I thought the Sisters worked hard, and  the Sisters agreed, but these people work harder taking care of the  land and livestock, the repairs and building and everything else you can  think about.  We got to see the room where Amparro had first received the  stigmata of Christ, which is now a chapel.

We finally bid farewell to Fr. Guillermo and his parents and God willing we will see them next year. It was 9 PM and we had to get up early to pack and planned to go to mass at the foundation chapel where the house the original statue of Our Lady that was desecrated  many years  ago.

Back at the hotel we packed and jumped into bed hoping for a good  night’s
sleep.  Sue was out in a flash and I contemplated how much I was going to
miss that garage. LOL  ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Buneos Noches