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(This is a compilation from various Internet Sources)
Photos All Rights Reserved to their respective owners.
Apparitions of January 21, 1610
(This is a compilation from various Internet Sources)
Photos All Rights Reserved to their respective owners.
Apparitions of January 21, 1610
I. Apparition of the Three Archangels
After confiding her
unworthiness and fears with filial trust to the Mother of Heaven, Mother
Mariana de Jesus Torres was praying at midnight, as was her custom, on January 20,
1610.
Concluding her
penitential exercise, she ended her prayer at 1 A.M. on the 21st. She gave
thanks for the favors received and was preparing to retire for a short rest
only to return again, as she always did, at 3 A.M. for another hour of prayer. As Mother Mariana de
Jesus prayed, the choir was suddenly inundated with celestial splendor, a favor
not uncommon for this humble, saintly religious whom God granted so many
privileges.
Amid this refulgent
brilliance, she saw the arrival of the three Archangels, St. Gabriel, St.
Michael, and St. Raphael, accompanied by innumerable hosts of Angels.
“Privileged spouse of
the Divine Word, chosen daughter of the tender heart of my Queen, Mary Most
Holy, and my beloved sister: I come bearing a message from Heaven to tell you
that in a short while, you will speak with your holy Mother and our Sovereign
Queen. To prepare you for this, I have come to illuminate your intelligence so
that you might know the truth of this and the other apparitions to come. Do not
ever have any doubt about them, for such would constitute an enormous
ingratitude to God.”
Suddenly, she felt her
heart palpitate with holy joy. She was on fire with transports of love and
ardent desires for Heaven and to suffer even more than she had already suffered
in order to imitate her Divine Spouse and Model, Jesus Christ.
At the same time, she
wished to offer Him sensible proof of her intense love, which rivaled that of
the angelic spirits themselves, who, dumbfounded, contemplated the abyss of
sanctity in this weak woman. Then, by the will of God and Mary Most Holy,
angelic hosts appeared before her as messengers of their Queen.
The Archangel sent forth
a luminous ray that penetrated the mind of this fortunate religious and
dissipated her fears and doubts, just as the sun bursts forth in the dark
morning and its bright rays introduce a new day.
“Creature most fortunate
and beloved by the Holy Trinity, may God be with you!
“I am sent from on High
to strengthen your weak heart and, at the same time, to expand it so that it
can receive the abundance of divine graces you will be given when you speak
with your Blessed Mother and my Sovereign Queen. Your solid humility will
confuse the proud spirits, who, disobedient, hurled themselves from Heaven into
the deep abyss, and they will be unable to cause you any harm.
He thrust a luminous ray
into the heart of Mother Mariana de Jesus, which penetrated her heart to its
deepest fibers, inflaming it with a supernatural fire. She felt herself capable
of undertaking the greatest deeds for the love of God and her Heavenly Mother.
At the same time, she realized the nothingness of her own being, as well as the
infinite love of her God, Who had chosen her for the singular favor of familiar
conversation with the Divine Majesty and Mary Most Holy.
For Our Lady would
confide to her secrets and other facts for the propagation of a new and
efficacious Marian devotion under the sweet and consoling invocation of Our
Lady of Good Success. She wanted this devotion to be spread throughout the
Colony that would later become Ecuador and a free Republic.
By means of this
devotion, Our Lord would work great miracles, spiritual as well as temporal,
first for her community, so that in it He would always find a home, and second,
for the devout faithful, above all for those at the end of the 18th century and
the 20th century, who would be the favored of His Heart, for in that period
Hell would be unleashed and many souls would be lost.
“Fortunate creature,
whom Divine Munificence has permitted to live like the blessed while still in
mortal flesh, for the Divine Redeemer took you as His favored spouse from your
tender years and sent you crosses and sufferings so that you might be purified,
preparing you in this way to converse intimately with His Divine Majesty and
with my Sovereign Queen, the Immaculate Virgin of virgins.
“Our Lord has charged
you to order that a statue of His Blessed Mother – which will be venerated
above all in future centuries – be sculpted in accordance with her directives.
“I was sent to cure your
blindness of mind so that you will believe the truth of these apparitions that
you have imprudently doubted until now. From this day forward you will see
their veracity most clearly, for these doubts, so repugnant to God, will be
dissipated.”
The Archangel sent a
translucent ray into her mind and heart that illuminated her whole being. She
saw with great clarity her whole life and all the graces and favors throughout
its course that she had received from the goodness of God and His Blessed
Mother.
She also understood the
veracity of all the apparitions and how her soul had needed all the sufferings
through which she had passed, for such sufferings are necessary for every soul
that Our Lord calls to walk on an extraordinary pathway.
Filled with gratitude to
God and His Blessed Mother, she responded to the three Archangels, the
messengers of God, in the presence of the angelic spirits who accompanied them:
“Holy princes and
faithful messengers of the Sovereigns of Heaven, I thank you for the lights
that have illuminated my understanding and strengthened my heart, dissipating
the blindness of one who is the least of all creatures that exist upon earth. I
praise the Lord for the marvelous things He has done in me, who am deserving of
nothing.
“Return, then, to Heaven
and tell our Divine Sovereigns that the poor slave of their Majesties,
prostrate on the ground, awaits them, to do whatever they desire, for my heart
and entire being belong to them; like a small drop of dew, I have lost myself
in the immensity of the Divine Being.”
The celestial messengers
departed, hastening into the presence of God upon whose bequest they had come.
Presenting the humble prayer and oblation made by that blessed soul in her
cloisters, they rejoiced to have been chosen for such a mission.
Meanwhile, Mother
Mariana de Jesus, prostrate on the ground, her arms stretched out in the form
of a cross and her face on the ground, meditated upon her insignificance and
contemplated the grandeur of God and the truth of these divine favors.
II. Apparition of Our Lady
Giving thanks to God for
having bestowed such great benefits on her, she offered all that He might
desire. Her heart was so inflamed with amorous fire that if she had not been
miraculously sustained by God, her life would have been consumed by its divine
ardor, liberating her soul from its bondage to the body, to which this blessed
creature paid not the least account.
She remained in this
position in complete annihilation until 2 o’clock in the morning. Then the
Heavenly Dawn appeared to her, carrying in her arms the Divine Sun of Justice.
The celestial Queen addressed her with these words:
“Arise from the earth
upon which you lay, favored daughter of my maternal heart and beloved spouse of
my Divine Child. Your humility has attracted my heart, just as the pride that
reigns in this poor Colony separates it from me. But because I have faithful
and loving daughters in this Convent, and among them, you, my chosen one, I
come as always to confide to you my secrets.”
Mother Mariana de Jesus
arose and there before her, inside the choir sanctuary at a distance of about
five feet, she found herself before a most beautiful Lady emanating a heavenly
charm and grace, surrounded by a light as resplendent as if she stood amidst
the sun itself. In her left arm she carried her most precious Child, and in her
right, a beautiful crosier, just as was described in the previous apparitions.
On the arm that carried
the crosier some sickly doves perched. They were trying to leave the arm of
their Mother, but the Divine Child tried to detain and divert them, caressing
them and offering them the Eucharistic Bread. They would turn their heads
aside, however, in order not to take this Bread. Their good Mother, Mary Most
Holy, spoke to them with maternal sweetness, but they paid no attention to her
words. Against their will, they remained with the beautiful Lady and became
increasingly weak.
In face of such disdain
and after exhausting every means of winning them with charity and love, the
Divine Child took them and threw them down into the tempestuous sea of the
world, where, lacking the strength they needed to survive on the surface, they
were immersed in the deep abyss. All that remained was the echo of the
despairing cries of those who, for lack of vigilance, realized too late that
they had lost a good that could have been fully theirs in exchange for just a
little effort, suffering, and sacrifice.
Mother Mariana was
absorbed by all that she saw but, above all, by the singular beauty of her
Mother of Good Success, whom she recognized from other occasions.
Upon seeing Our Lady
again before her, she was reminded of the great suffering she bore in her own
heart to see God offended in this ungrateful Colony and also of the needs of
her beloved Convent. She thought of manifesting these things to her powerful
Mother and Queen.
Even though she was
convinced that this was really Our Lady who appeared to her, the humble Mariana
de Jesus addressed her in this way,
“Beautiful Lady, who
attracts my heart and raises it to God, tell me: Who are you and what do you
desire? Do you not see the great abyss that exists between you and this most
vile creature?”
Opening her lips, the
Queen of Heaven responded:
“It is true, beloved
daughter, that a great abyss exists between creatures and the Creator, but so
that they might approach Him without fear, He became flesh in my most pure
womb, subjecting Himself to suffering and death. And, without ceasing to be
virgin, I became the Mother of God; I am also the Mother of all mortals, the
just as well as sinners.
“I manifest myself and
communicate to just souls. And I attract sinners to God and myself – at times
by secret inspirations and at other times, by great tribulations. You cannot
comprehend how much we love souls, God and I! They were created for Heaven, but
a great multitude is nonetheless lost because they refuse to suffer and do a
little violence to themselves.
“You saw those sickly
doves? Now understand, my daughter, that they are the religious unfaithful to
their vocation who will live here in my beloved Convent throughout the course
of the centuries.
“Did you see how
lovingly and tenderly my Most Holy Son and I treated them? We will always
assist them like this, drawing them to us and nourishing them with the
Eucharistic Bread. But, alas, how ungrateful they were! They turned their backs
to us. Exhausting the mercy and patience of my Most Holy Son, they abandoned
themselves to the turbulent ocean of the world, where they were oppressed by
sufferings and sorrows, and tormented by their uneasy consciences. Who knows
how many of them will end their lives miserably and be lost?”
“Observe them well, so
that you might know them all.”
Then Mother Mariana de
Jesus looked and clearly recognized each and every one of the unfaithful
religious who would live in her beloved Convent, from the first to the last
until the end of time.
In her charity, Mother
Mariana wanted to intervene before Divine Justice and plead their causes, but
the Queen of Heaven continued to speak in this way:
“Daughter, neither I nor
you can avert this great misfortune, since God respects the free will of His
creatures. They will not lack lights, graces, inspirations, and the charitable
counsel and warnings of their superiors, as well as the example of many good
sisters who will pray for them and sweetly admonish them. They, however, will
remain deaf and blind to everything.
“Because of their
inveterate lukewarmness, God justly abandons such souls, who of their own
volition make themselves unworthy of the sublime grace of the religious
vocation and receive, as you see, their just chastisement.
“But moderate your
sorrow, beloved daughter, by considering this enormous number of faithful souls
who here in my beloved Convent will live and die in self-abnegation and
isolation, practicing the solid virtues in heroism and hidden sanctity. Through
them in the centuries to come, as well as through you in these times, divine
justice will be stayed.”
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| Photo by Francis Slobodnik |
“They will focus
principally on the children in order to sustain this general corruption. Woe to
the children of these times! It will be
difficult to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, and also that of Confirmation.
They will receive the Sacrament of Confession only if they remain in Catholic
schools for the Devil will make a great effort to destroy it through persons in
positions of authority.”
“The same thing will
happen with Holy Communion. Alas! How deeply I grieve to manifest to you the
many enormous sacrileges – both public as well as secret – that will occur from
profanations of the Holy Eucharist. Often during this epoch the enemies of
Jesus Christ, instigated by the Devil, will steal consecrated hosts from the
churches so that they might profane the Eucharistic Species. My Most Holy Son
will see Himself cast upon the ground and trampled upon by filthy feet.
“But this Convent will
conserve faithful souls, devoted and fervent spouses who will make amends to
Him with loving tenderness, suffering to seeing Him thus hated by their
ungrateful brethren, sinners whose hearts will hardly seem to be human. They
will pray for these sinners and make great penances of every type; some will
also carry the heavy cross of infirmity by which God purifies His chosen souls,
and with it they will make amends for so many crimes and sacrileges committed
in the world. The wily demon will try to impede this, placing in the
imaginations of my suffering daughters ideas of despair with the intent of
making them lose the merits they have gained.
“But in those times you
will already be known, as well as the favors that I am bestowing on you. How I
love the fortunate inhabitants of this sacred place! And that knowledge will
stimulate love and devotion to my Sacred Statue. For this reason, today I
authoritatively order you to have this statue made: Let it be sculpted just as
you see me and placed upon the Abbess’ chair, so that from there I may govern
and direct my daughters and defend my Convent; for Satan, making use of both
the good and the evil, will engage in a fierce battle to destroy it.
“This battle will reach
its most acute stage because some irresponsible religious, under the appearance
of virtue and with bad-intentioned zeal, will undermine the existence of their
mother, the Religious Life, who nourished them at her breast. These souls will
assume massive responsibility for their actions. Only by Divine Mercy will they
arrive at Purgatory to be purified in its fires.
“All these souls should
tremble upon learning of this future destiny! Falling into themselves, they
must struggle to reform their Convent, reforming themselves first. Above all,
they must have a heroic charity, carefully and lovingly guarding in their
hearts the weaknesses they discover in their sisters. Without this divine
charity not a single virtue can exist, for charity and profound humility are
the only solid foundation of religious perfection. Without them, there can only
be a simulation of virtue that barely covers the putrefaction of the soul.”
“Since this poor Country
will lack the Catholic spirit, the Sacrament of Extreme Unction will be little
valued. Many people will die without receiving it – either because of the
negligence of their families or a misconceived affection for their sick ones.
Others, incited by the cursed Devil, will rebel against the spirit of the
Catholic Church and will deprive countless souls of innumerable graces,
consolations, and the strength they need to make that great leap from time to
eternity. But some persons will die without receiving it due to the just and
secret chastisements of God.”
“As for the Sacrament of
Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with His Church, it will be
attacked and deeply profaned. Freemasonry, which will then be in power, will
enact iniquitous laws with the aim of doing away with this Sacrament, making it
easy for everyone to live in sin and encouraging the procreation of
illegitimate children born without the blessing of the Church. The Catholic
spirit will rapidly decay; the precious light of Faith will gradually be
extinguished until there will be an almost total and general corruption of
customs. Added to this will be the effects of secular education, which will be
one reason for the death of priestly and religious vocations.”
“The Sacrament of Holy
Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this Sacrament, the
Church of God and even God Himself is scorned and despised since He is
represented in His priests. The Devil will try to persecute the ministers of
the Lord in every possible way; he will labor with cruel and subtle astuteness
to deviate them from the spirit of their vocation and will corrupt many of
them. These depraved priests, who will scandalize the Christian people, will
make the hatred of bad Catholics and the enemies of the Roman Catholic and
Apostolic Church fall upon all priests.”
“This apparent triumph
of Satan will bring enormous sufferings to the good Pastors of the Church, the
many good priests, and the Supreme Pastor and Vicar of Christ on Earth, who, a
prisoner in the Vatican, will shed secret and bitter tears in the presence of
his God and Lord, beseeching light, sanctity, and perfection for all the clergy
of the world, of whom he is King and Father.”
“Further, in these
unhappy times, there will be unbridled luxury which will ensnare the rest into
sin and conquer innumerable frivolous souls who will be lost. Innocence will
almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women. In this supreme
moment of need of the Church, the one who should speak will fall silent.”
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| Photo by Francis Slobodnik |
“This devotion will be
the shield between Divine Justice and the prevaricating world to prevent the
release of God's formidable punishment that this guilty earth deserves.
“This very day, when
morning breaks, you should go to the Bishop and tell him that I have asked and
commanded you to have my image sculpted and be placed at the head of my Convent
so that, under this title, I might take possession of that which belongs to me.
As proof that what you say is true, tell him that he will die within two years
and two months and that he should begin to prepare himself for the day of
eternity, for his death will be violent.
“He should consecrate my
statue with holy oil and give it the name of Mary of Good Success of the
Purification, or Candlemas. On this solemn occasion, he himself should place
the keys of the cloister, together with the crosier, in the right hand of my
Statue, as proof that the government of the spouses of my Most Holy Son has
been entrusted to me and that they should surrender all their concerns to my
maternal and loving protection.
“Then, at that moment, I
will take complete possession of this, my house, and I will be obliged to keep
it safe and free from all turmoil until the end of time, demanding from my
daughters a continuous spirit of charity and sacrifice.”
“With this, along with
humility, obedience, patience, silent recollection, and continual prayer, this
house and community will be sustained. Just as material elements are used by
proprietors to build their houses and palaces, these are the spiritual
recourses that will uphold and sustain the grand edifice of regular observance.
The daily exercise of such recourses will thus support these beloved walls.”
“So long as my daughters
diligently strive to sanctify themselves and edify each other with good example
and mutual charity, bearing the crosses proper to religious life and practicing
the virtues that I have indicated to you – for these are the virtues most
preferred by my Heart and the Sacred Heart of my Divine Son, I promise that we
will love them greatly. All their needs and requests will be heeded with the
daily practice of these virtues. This applies to each one of my daughters who
will live in these blessed cloisters until the end of time.”
“Those who are more
humble, docile, meek, and willing to suffer will be the preferred and most
favored of God and their Mother, who speaks to you today.”
“Further, tell the
governing Bishop, a man of indiscrete zeal who sows dissension and rancor among
the clergy and the people, that every Prelate should be the father of all
classes of people, taking the party of none, in imitation of the Divine Pastor
Jesus Christ Who said, ‘Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble of Heart.’ All
creatures are equal in their souls, and Heaven was created for all those who
desire to go there, for my Most Holy Son died as Redeemer of all, with the
exception of none. Souls condemn themselves of their own will.”
“With respect to the
difficulties through which your Convent presently passes, I tell you, beloved
daughter, that suffering and sorrow are most necessary to form religious souls,
just as the blows of the hammer and other instruments are needed to form great
works of art on earth. The absence of the government of the Friars Minor, so
indispensable, is the cause for many sufferings, and so it will be until the
20th century, after which they will again have jurisdiction over my Convent, in
order to raise many souls to great perfection and sanctity. The separation of
the Franciscans was not by divine will, but only by divine permission.
[Comment: The
Conceptionist Convent in Quito left the jurisdiction of the Franciscan Order in
1601, when Mother Magdalena de Valenzuela was Abbess. The Convent still has not
returned to their governance.]
“You should realize that
mortal life is the time given to creatures. But the hour of God will come, and
then He will take the actions and consequences of each of His creatures into
strict and severe account. He will judge and sentence each one with perfect
equity. You yourself saw what happened to your sisters who worked for the separation
of the Franciscan Friars after they had passed to eternity. How many of these
sisters will suffer until the Friars Minor return, and others until the final
judgment day.
“In all times the
religious souls who violate the perfect observance of their rules should
tremble!
“During this time when
the religious spirit is absent from the (Franciscan) monasteries, you still
have in your Convent [the mystical presence of] my servant Francis of Assisi,
your father who loves you as well as his worthy sons who serve God with an
upright heart. To convince you of this, I will show you your lay brother, Friar
Pedro of the Conception, my privileged son, who, because of his love for my
Immaculate Conception, has taken this name.
“See, my daughter, the
beauty of his soul, his profound humility, the fire of his seraphic love! For
this reason, even while I speak to you, I also favor him with seeing what now
takes place here between you and me, manifesting to him the privileges and
favors that you are receiving so that he can give thanks to the Most High for
the gifts that He dispenses to His beloved souls.
“This dear son of mine
will leave the earth in fourteen and a half years, and you will be with him at
this hour so that you might know how God rewards His good and faithful servants
who untiringly labor in the acquisition and practice of solid virtue”
Then Mother Mariana de
Jesus saw the lay brother Friar Pedro of the Conception, who, oblivious to
everything around him, was contemplating all that was taking place between
herself and the Queen of Heaven. For he had fallen into ecstasy while he was
humbly praying at the feet of the Tabernacle in his monastery during those
early hours of the morning after having concluded his penitential exercises,
for he was a man much given to the practice of penance.
Mother Mariana de Jesus
realized that this friar saw her and that he rejoiced at the favors which the
holy Queen had conceded to her chosen daughter. She, in turn, admired the
beauty of his soul and the sublime degree of solid virtue he had acquired. She
gave thanks to God and to her Most Holy Mother who sustain just souls upon this
earth even when so many crimes are committed.
The Queen of Heaven
continued:
“Thus you see, my
beloved daughter, how many favors and graces God grants you through my
mediation. Now, be docile to my exhortations and command without delay that my
holy Statue be sculpted, just as you see me, and hasten to place it in the
place I indicated to you.”
The humble religious
responded:
“Beautiful Lady and
beloved Mother of my soul, this insignificant ant who enjoys your presence
cannot describe to any artist your magnificent features, your incomparable
beauty, and your stature. It would be necessary for one of the three
Archangels, who wait upon you as nobles of your court, to come and sculpt the
holy statue for the work to bear your resemblance. I do not have words to
describe it, nor has any earthly artist – however great his talent – the
capacity to make the divine work that you request of me.”
The Queen of Heaven
replied:
“Do not let this worry
you, beloved daughter. I will see to the perfection of this work. The
Archangels Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael will take charge secretly of making my
statue. You should call Francisco del Castillo, who knows this art well, and
give him a succinct description of my features, exactly as you see me, today
and always, because it was for this end that I have appeared so many times to
you.
“As for my height, take
the cord from around your waist and measure me without fear. For the respectful
and humble confidence of her children is pleasing to a Mother, who I am.”
In an instant Mother
Mariana de Jesus took off her cord and, with humble restraint, replied:
“Queen of Heaven and
beloved Mother, here is the cord to measure you. But who will hold it to your
beautiful forehead, adorned with that magnificent and glowing crown with which
the Holy Trinity crowned you as Daughter, Mother, and Spouse, making you Queen
of Heaven, Earth, and Hell? I dare not, nor would my small stature permit me to
reach high enough to measure you.”
The Blessed Virgin
responded with the goodness proper to a mother,
“Beloved daughter, place
one of the ends of your cord in my hand and I will hold it to my forehead,
while you hold the other to my right foot.”
[Comment: This is the
second time Our Lady of Good Success gave this measurement to Mother Mariana.
During the third apparition of January 16, 1599, she also miraculously extended
the cord from Mother Mariana’s habit to reach her exact height. The statue,
which stands 5’9”, was made according to this specification.]
The celestial Queen took
one of the ends from the hands of her favored daughter and raised it to her
beautiful forehead, while Mother Mariana de Jesus placed the other at the tip
of her right foot. In this way the measurements were taken.
In order for the Blessed
Virgin to be able to hold the end of the cord offered by Mother Mariana de
Jesus to her forehead, the three Archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael,
raised the royal crown over the head of their Queen, replacing it reverently
after the measurement was taken.
Since the cord of Mother
Mariana de Jesus was a little short, it stretched miraculously, as if it were
elastic, until it reached Mary Most Holy's exact height.
Then the Blessed Virgin
raised her right hand and, with tenderness and love, gave her blessing to the
child of her heart, who, returning to herself, or rather, to the use of her
senses, saw that it was 3:30 in the morning.
So filled with graces
and favors not only for herself but also for the poor Colony and the Church,
Mother Mariana de Jesus remained in prayer. Her heart brimming over with love
of God and her Blessed Mother, she stayed there awaiting the community to come
to the choir, for the hour was approaching for the recitation of the early
morning Little Office, which she prayed that morning with increased devotion
and love.
Nonetheless, as the days
passed, Mother Mariana felt a reluctance to go to the Bishop. First, she
feared that he would not believe her and that her demands might endanger the
existence of the Convent. Second, she knew that the inhabitants of the
Colony still had a strong propensity to idolatry, and she did not want to
encourage this tendency. Thus Mother Mariana de Jesus struggled and prayed
from January 21 until the dawn of February 2, 1610.
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| Photo by Francis Slobodnik |
“Hard-hearted and
long-delaying creature (...). With the making of my Statue, I will favor not
only you and my Convent, but also the people – and the general public – through
the centuries. Since this Convent is a fortress, it will bring salvation for
many souls, drawing them from the abyss of sin in which they find themselves.
God will be glorified in those souls. How many conversions it will bring about!
Do you want to be responsible for the loss of so many souls by remaining deaf
to my voice and command?”
“Beautiful Lady,”
responded Mother Mariana, “your reprimand is most just and I receive it humbly
before God. (...) but permit me to tell you my fears and request a grace,
which, as a Mother, you will not be able to deny me. The fear that I present is
this: since the people of this land are so inclined to idolatry, this might
prove an occasion for them to deliver themselves to this practice. The grace
that I ask is that you will hide my name so that only you, as the Sovereign and
Queen that you are, might be glorified and I always hidden. Also, I ask that
you give me your measurement once again, so that I can be certain at least of
your height, since it would be impossible to represent your features, even if
your holy statue were carved by the angelic spirits.”
The Queen of Heaven
responded:
“Beloved daughter of my
heart, your humility pleases me. (...). Go as soon as possible to speak with
the Bishop and tell him, on my part, what I ordered and told you at our last
meeting. Make haste in commanding my Statue to be sculpted, for time is flying
and only two years of life remain for the presently governing Bishop, who has
been chosen to consecrate my Statue with holy oil and place it in the spot I
have designated.”
“Tell him, moreover,
that in his final agony, we – I and you – will be there at his side to assist
him in that final transit. If he asks how you will come to find yourself there,
tell him that nothing is impossible with God and His Most Holy Mother, for they
are the absolute masters of all creatures.”
“As for your request
that your name be hidden, this pleases me, and I will do as you have asked.
Tell the Bishop that it is my will and the will of my Most Holy Son that your
name be hidden at all costs, both within as well as outside the cloister, for
it is not fitting for anyone at the present time to know the details or origin
of how this Statue came to be made. For this knowledge will only become known
to the general public in the 20th century.”
“During that epoch the
Church will find herself attacked by terrible hordes of the Masonic sect, and
this poor Ecuadorian land will be agonizing because of the corruption of
customs, unbridled luxury, the impious press, and secular education. The vices
of impurity, blasphemy, and sacrilege will dominate in this time of depraved
desolation, and that one who should speak out will be silent.”
“Know, beloved daughter,
that when your name will become known in the 20th century, there will be many
who will not believe, claiming that this devotion is not pleasing to God. But
the great sufferings of my daughters – and yours – of this time will make a
melodious concert of humility and hidden penance for my Most Holy Son and myself.
The Divine Spouse and I, His loving Mother, and you also will watch over our
daughters from Heaven and guide them on the correct path that leads to
Paradise. What will cause these favored daughters the greatest pain will be the
doubt of their own sisters, who will increase their sufferings, but also their
merit.”
“A simple, humble faith
in the truth of my apparitions to you, my favored child, will be reserved for
humble and fervent souls who are docile to the inspirations of grace, for our
Heavenly Father communicates His secrets to the simple of heart, and not to
those whose hearts are inflated with pride, pretending to know what they do not
or infatuated with empty science.”
“Do not worry about the
features of my Statue, for it will be completed as I desire for the elevated
ends for which this statue is destined. Now, hand me the end of the cord that
you wear around your waist, the symbol of the purity of the spouse of the
Divine Jesus, so that I might hold it to my forehead. Touch the other end to my
right foot, and you will have the measurement of my height marked by the length
of this cord.”
Instantly, the humble
religious, filled with confidence in and loving gratitude to the Blessed
Virgin, took the cord that she wore around her waist and offered one of its
ends to her Blessed Mother, while she touched the other end to the foot of Our
Lady. The cord stretched as if it were elastic until it reached the height of
the Queen of Heaven and Earth.
When she raised her eyes
to contemplate the forehead of Her Mother, she saw the Divine Child was
standing and holding the end of the cord that touched the forehead of His
Blessed Mother. (...). Then, extending His small, gracious hand, He handed the
cord to Mother Mariana, saying:
“My beloved spouse, here
you have the measurement of the height of My Most Holy Mother that you desired.
Conserve it reverently, for I desire that the many spouses I will have here
throughout the centuries should measure themselves by it. The Measurement has
already been given. And do you know how I desire that they be measured? I shall
measure their humility, their silence, their charity, their patience, and their
love for Me and My Blessed Mother, in Whom all should see themselves mirrored.
And as Christians and, even more, as religious, I desire that they have My
spirit in every act of their lives. My spirit is one of patience, meekness,
abnegation, and total abandonment to the Divine will. Let them serve Me with
diligence and disinterest, abandoning even their eternal happiness to the
loving will of My Divine Heart (...).”
Mother Mariana de Jesus
guarded this cord thenceforth with great reverence, always carrying it with her
in one of her pockets as a precious relic, and it is preserved today in the
Convent of the Immaculate Conception.
Mother Mariana
immediately went to her spiritual director, the holy Franciscan Friar Francisco Anguita, to ask his counsel. For even after the Convent had been placed
under diocesan rule, Mother Mariana and all the Spanish Founding Mothers
continued to have recourse to the sons of St. Francis for spiritual
direction. After prayer and meditation, he attested to the truth of the
apparitions and ordered her to go to the Bishop to request that the statue of
Our Lady of Good Success be made. The Bishop, with the report Mother
Mariana sent him, forewarned by a dream and startled by her message from Our
Lady that he would die in two years’ time, gave the necessary permission and
ordered for the statue to be made. His only protest was to complain that
Mother Mariana had not called him sooner. “For it is God who so disposes
this,” he said, “and we should not remain deaf to His voice or His requests.”
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| Photo by Francis Slobodnik |
At the end of September,
Mother Mariana called the Marquesa Maria de Yolanda, who took the assignment of
having the gold Crosier made in Spain by her family. Having known, then, of the
measurement of the height of Our Lady of Good Success with the cord of the
Abbess, the Marquesa asked the favor to see it. She received it in her hands, and
just given it back, her left arm, inert since days as a consequence of a severe
fall, was suddenly cured.
As the work neared
completion, the sculptor decided to travel to Europe to find the best paints
for the final coat of paint for the faces. He promised to return by
January 16, 1611 to finish the project.
On the night before his
return, Mother Mariana and all the sisters redoubled their prayers, asking Our
Lady to complete her statue herself, as she had promised. In the early morning
hours, while Mother Mariana was making her customary prayer alone in the
sanctuary, the church was illuminated with celestial lights. The Tabernacle
opened and she was given to understand the sublime mystery of the Incarnation
of the Divine Word in the womb of Mary Most Holy. She also realized the
infinite love of the Three Divine Persons for Mary, who was present there,
magnificent and captivating.
Then the Archangels
Michael, Gabriel and Raphael saluted the Queen of Heaven.
St. Michael bowed and
said “Hail to Thee, Mary Most Holy, Daughter of God the Father.”
St. Gabriel said, “Hail
to thee, Mary Most Holy, Mother of God the Son.”
And St. Raphael said,
“Hail to Thee, Mary Most Holy, Most Pure Spouse of the Holy Ghost.”
Then in unison they
intoned: “Hail to Thee, Mary Most Holy, Temple and Sacrarium of the Most Holy
Trinity.”
In a flash, the
heavenly trio was in the upper choir. Then
St. Francis also appeared and from his wounded hands issued celestial rays. Accompanied by the three Archangels and followed by the celestial hosts, he approached the statue and in an instant they transformed it. He took his white cord and wrapped it around the waist of the holy
statue. As the heavenly choir sang the Salve Sancta Parens, the Queen of
Angels, amid this great joy, approached the statue and entered into it.
At that moment the holy statue took on life and intoned with the celestial
choir the Magnificat. It was 3 A.M., and the heavenly music awoke the sleeping
sisters, who came to the choir that was filled with a brilliant light which
overshadowed the statue and gradually diminished as they gasped in joy at the
miraculous transformation.
At the prearranged hour,
Señor Francisco del Castillo after receiving Communion, arrived at the Convent
to give the last coat to his great work. He brought with him the best and
finest paint that he could find for that purpose.
Mother Mariana and the
Founding Mothers decided that they would have the sculptor enter the choir to
verify what had taken place. Without telling him anything, they brought him
into the cloister.
Arriving at the choir,
he looked at the Statue in astonishment and exclaimed with great emotion:
Mothers, what has happened? This magnificent Statue is not my work! I cannot
express what my heart feels! This is an angelic work, for a work such as this
could not be made on this earth by hands of mere clay. No sculptor, no matter
how skilled he might be, could ever imitate such perfection and unique beauty.
He fell to the feet of
the holy Statue, his heart overflowing with sentiments of faith and piety while
a flood of tears poured from his eyes. Then, rising, he asked for paper and ink
so that he might draw up a written testimony swearing that this blessed Statue
was not his work, but that of the Angels. In it, he testified that he had
found the Statue different from the way he had left it in the upper choir of
that Convent, six days earlier. The truth of this miracle was sworn to in
handwritten documents by this sculptor and by the Bishop, who had been closely
following the work and was astounded at the transformation. They were put in a
big notebook called Cuadernon, to which Mother Mariana prophesied to the
Bishop D. Salvador de Ribera:
“This document, as well
as other precious things, will be hidden by my successors in a closet concealed
in a wall of this Convent because of the public tumult of war when this Colony
will be trying to make itself a free Republic. They will do this moved by fear
of losing these precious articles, for they will not have the light to
understand that no earthly power can cause harm to my Convent.”
“On one hand, Your
Excellency, this will be desirable, because my life will not come to light
until the 20th century. The other things will be found when the Franciscans
return to govern the Convent, unless humble violence is made to Heaven
imploring their recovery so they might be guarded as precious treasures here in
my Convent. Otherwise, no merely human recourse will suffice to discover them.”
In preparation for the
anointing of the Statue, the Bishop ordered the Sisters to make a Novena, and
blessed the miraculous Statue with the name of “Mary of Good Success of the
Purification, or Candlemas.”
On February 2, 1611, in
the church of the Convent, Fr. Juan of the Mother of God celebrated the Mass in the presence of the Bishop, all the Conceptionist Sisters, the Chapter of the
Cathedral, and a vast public of every social class that was overflowing the
church.
At the conclusion of the
Mass, the Statue was carried down from the high altar and placed on the main altar, along with the Crown, the Crosier, the brooch, a precious dress and two
strips of a long belt made of silk, along with a golden mantle of silk interwoven
with threads of silver. In addition to these treasures, there were also a
beautiful necklace of fine pearls and three rings of gold, one with precious
emerald, another with a diamond, and the third finely set with rubies in a form
of a small royal crown. These fine pieces were placed on a small gold shell
made for this purpose and engraved in letters adorned with precious emeralds: “I
am Mary Most Holy of Good Success, February 2, 1611.”
The Solemn Anointing,
then, began. After the sermons that followed, the Bishop began the solemn
procession through the cloisters, preceded by a tall Cross. The participants
held lighted candles in their hands. The procession ended at the choir,
festively decorated, and the Statue was placed in its niche by the Friars.
Intoned a solemn Salve Regina, followed by the Litany and by Salve Sancta
Parens, with tears, the Bishop reverently and tenderly placed the Crown on the
head of the holy Statue saying: “Señora, I deliver to Thee the Church.” Then,
he placed the Croiser in Her right hand, saying: “Señora, I deliver to Thee the
government of this Convent and of my flock in general.”
Finally, he placed the
Keys in the same hand holding the Crosier, saying: “Señora and my Mother, I
deliver to Thee my soul. Open the doors of Heaven to me, for the time remaining
to me in this life is quite brief. Watch over this Tabernacle and these
cloisters of your daughters with care and affection. Defend them always and
conserve in them the religious spirit that should characterize the spouses of
thy Most Holy Son.”
After the consecration
and placement of the statue in the Abbess’ seat, the government of Our Lady of
Good Success became noticeable. In their moral and physical needs, all
the religious would run to the feet of their Heavenly Mother to implore
remedies and solutions. The Sovereign Queen watched over her daughters
and never left their prayers unheeded.
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