chiesa viva: the apostolate of our lady of good success

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«TRUTH WILL MAKE YOU FREE»(Jo. 8, 32)

ChiesavivaYEAR XXXIX - N° 413FEBRUARY 2009

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OOuurr LLaaddyycondemns Masonry!

OOuurr LLaaddyycondemns Masonry!

The Apostolate of Our Lady of Good Success1288 Summit Ave Suite 107 - Oconomowoc, WI. 53066 - phone 262-567-0920- www.ourladyofgoodsuccess.com

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GGoooodd SSuucccceessss

II t was the year 1563. In theBasque province of Viscaya,near to the border with

France, into an aristocratic familyof Spain, Mariana Francisca de Je-sus Torres y Berriochoa was bornas the first daughter of Diego Tor-res and Maria Berriochoa, both de-vout Catholics.Mariana was endowed “with rarebeauty, quick intelligence, a sweetnature and, above all, a strong in-clination toward virtue”. From in-fancy, Mariana rejected all thechildish games of youth to secretlyretire to the church of her baptism,which was close to her home. Hermother would often find her pros-trate there before the Tabernacle. At the age of seven, a fire broke out in the church de-stroying it and damaging her house and paternalproperty, precipitating the family into poverty. Theparents of the young girl found themselves obliged toleave Viscaya and to relocate themselves and theirthree children to Santiago of Galicia, in the north-western part of Spain.

One day, prostrate at the foot of theTabernacle, with her heart inflamedwith burning desire to unite herselfto Jesus in Holy Communion, Mari-ana exclaimed aloud: «Oh, myLove! When will that day arrivewhen I might unite myself to Youin Holy Communion?». Instantly,she heard a voice coming from theTabernacle: «Whatever day you de-sire, My daughter, for your heart iseven now prepared!».Unveiling the secret of this dialogueto a Franciscan priest, with his in-struction, she began to prepare forthis great day. On December 8,1572, at the age of nine, Mariana re-ceived her First Holy Communion.Upon her first embrace with Jesus

the torrent of divine love in her heart overwhelmedher and she fell into ecstasy. She saw our ImmaculateMother who explained to her the grandeur of the vowof virginity. She taught her the meaning of such a vowand instructed Mariana to make it, for her HeavenlyQueen had destined her to be a religious of her Im-maculate Conception.

by doct. Franco Adessa

2 “Chiesa viva” *** February 2009

The Direction of “Chiesa viva” addresses special thanks to Mrs.Kathleen Heckenkamp of “The Apostolate of Our Lady ofGood Success” www.ourladyofgoodsuccess.com for her supportin finding all the documents needed for this Special Edition.

These thanks are also extended to Marian T. Horvat, Ph.D. of“Tradition in Action, Inc.”, www.TraditionInAction.org, for hertwo volumes “The Admirable Life of Mother Mariana”, whichhave been quoted several times in this English Special Edition.

Countenance of the Statue of Our Lady ofGood Success placed above the main altar ofthe church dedicated to her, in Madrid.

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GGoooodd SSuucccceessss

As soon as Mariana heard of thefoundation of this new Convent, sheunderstood Jesus’ words when Hewas inviting her to leave her paternalhome to join Him.The founding Mother Maria decidedto take Mariana with her and, a fewdays before taking leave, upon re-ceiving Holy Communion, she had avision of Jesus Who explained to her: «My Spouse, the time has alreadyarrived for you to bid an eternal farewell to yourmotherland and to your paternal home. Eagerly cov-eting your beauty, I will bring you to My house,where, behind strong walls, you will live far fromflesh and blood, hidden and forgotten by all humancreatures. For your inheritance and patrimony, youwill have, in imitation of Me, the cross and greatsufferings. Strength and courage will not be lackingto you. I desire only that your will be always pre-pared to do Mine».In 1576, no sooner did Mother Maria, the other fourfounding mothers and Mariana embarked forEcuador, when a tempest of unimaginable fury cameover the ocean. The clear sky of day suddenly dark-ened, being transformed into a most disastrous night.The ship began to sink and the frightened sailors, ren-dering their efforts futile, cried out that this terribletempest would bury them all in the ocean’s bottom-less tomb. Thinking to be cause of such disaster, Mari-ana joined her aunt to pray to God for His mercy.Then both Mother Maria and Mariana beheld a vision.From out of the ocean, a monstrous serpent with sev-en heads arose, stirring up the waters of the sea, andattempting to destroy and sink their ship.Mariana fainted. However Mother Maria continuedher entreaties to Heaven and upon completion of herprayer, suddenly, the light of the day made a breachin the darkness and the tempest calmed down. Godhad answer her prayer.When Mariana woke up, she told her aunt that shehas seen a serpent larger than the sea and then a Ladyof incomparable beauty appeared “clothed in thesun, crowned with stars, carrying a beautiful Childin her arms” and over her heart a monstrance of theBlessed Sacrament. In her hand she carried a largecross of gold, which had a sharp lance at its end. TheLady, with the help of the Blessed Sacrament and thehand of the Child, struck the head of the serpent withthe end of this cross so forcefully that the serpent wasslashed to pieces.Two years later, Mother Maria ordered to strike acloth medallion showing the scene of Mariana’s vi-sion, and since that time the Conceptionists wear it onthe breast of their habit. The founding Sisters arrived in Quito on December30, 1576. On January 13, 1577, the Convent was found-ed. The spiritual and temporal government of the reli-gious was placed in the hands of Rev. Father Antonio

“Chiesa viva” *** February 2009 3

Then, she saw in the Tabernacle the Three Persons ofthe Most Holy Trinity and St. Joseph. She pronouncedthe solemn vow of chastity, repeating the wordstaught to her by Our Lady. When she was finished,the Eternal Father blessed the union of Mariana andHis Holy Son, who asked her to walk the road of sac-rifice and love.

***

The leading families of Quito, along with many inhabi-tants of the city, met a group of friars to petition theKing of Spain to found the first Convent of the Immac-ulate Conception of the New World, in their colony.The King, Philip II, in 1566, issued the Royal Edict forthe foundation of the Convent of the ImmaculateConception of Quito, dedicated to praying the DivineOffice and devoted to the religious education and for-mation of the Spanish daughters and criollas of thespanish colony. The King himself sent from Spain thefirst group of founding mothers and he placed at theirhead the Rev. Mother Maria de Jesus Taboada, relat-ed to the royal family and aunt of Mariana.

The Medallion, ordered by Mother Maria de Jesus Taboada, tocommemorate Mariana’s vision of Our Lady who, with the help of theBlessed Sacrament and the hand of the Child struck and killed the ser-pent with seven heads. Since then, all the Sisters of the Convent of theImmaculate Conception of Quito wear it on the breast of their habit.

Jurado O.F.M. who received thevows of obedience of the FoundingMothers.All the inhabitants of Quito joined inthis solemn celebration of the firstConvent of the Immaculate Concep-tion in their Colony.On completing her 15th year, Septem-ber 8, 1577, Mariana entered the novi-tiate, beginning the year of probationunder the guidance of her aunt and

the Friars Minor. On October 4, 1579, after observingtwo years of religious life, practicing all virtues andstrictly following the Rule, Mariana made her reli-gious profession at the hands of her Abbess, MotherMaria. As she finished pronouncing her vows, shefainted in ecstasy. Thus, at the same time, MotherMaria accepted her profession, Mariana heard theEternal Father repeating the words of her aunt: «Ifyou are faithful in this, I promise you eternal life».She then saw Our Lord Who, with ineffable majestyand sweetness, then espoused Himself to her, placingon the finger of her right hand a beautiful ring withfour precious stones. On each stone was written oneof the four vows: poverty, obedience, chastity andcloister.Our Lord addressed her, saying: «My Spouse, I de-sire for you a life of immolation. Your life will be acontinuous martyrdom».

Main entrance to the Church of the Immaculate Conception inQuito, where Our Lady of Good Success is publicly venerated threetimes a year.

A view of one of the internal gardens in the Convent.


Apparition Apparition of the Most Holy Trinityof the Most Holy Trinity

It was the year 1582. One day, after a particularly bit-ter incident with one of her Sisters, Mother Marianawent to the feet of Jesus Christ communicating to Himher torment and begging Him for fortitude. While she was talking to Jesus, at a moment, sheheard an overwhelming sound, and saw that thewhole Church had become immersed in darkness, asfrom dust and smoke.Looking up, Sister Mariana saw the main altar illumi-nated by full day. The Tabernacle opened and ChristHimself emerged, suffering, as on Gol-gotha in His agony with the BlessedVirgin, St. John and Mary Magdaleneat His feet.Seeing this, the humble virgin, believ-ing herself to be at fault, prostratedherself on the ground with her armsextended in the form of a cross, ex-claiming: «Lord, I am the guilty one.Punish me and pardon your people».Her Guardian Angel made her rise,saying: «No! You are not to blame.Arise and approach, for God desiresto reveal to you a great secret».She arose, and seeing the tears of theMost Holy Virgin, she addressed her,saying: «My Lady, am I to blame forthy sadness?». «No, it is not you, butthe criminal world!».Then, as Our Lord agonised, she heardthe voice of the Eternal Father saying:«This punishment will be for the 20th

century»!Then, she saw three swords over thehead of Christ. On each was written: “Ishall punish heresy”, “I shall punishimpiety”, “I shall punish impurity”,and she was given to understand allthat would take place in the 20th centu-ry. The Holy Virgin continued: «Mydaughter, will you sacrifice yourselffor the people of this time?».«I am willing» Mariana replied.Immediately, the swords moved awayfrom the agonising Christ and buriedthemselves in the heart of Sister Mari-ana, causing her a mystical death fromthe violence of the pain. She appeared before God’s justice. OurLord presented her with two crowns:one of immortal glory of indescribablebeauty; the other of white lilies sur-rounded by thorns, and He said:

«My Spouse, choose one of thesecrowns». She had to choose betweenthe glory of Paradise and the glory ofher return to earth, for suffering as asacrificial victim to placate the Di-vine Justice for the heresies, impi-eties and impurities that would becommitted in the 20th century.Reassured by the Virgin Mary’swords and her promise of help in thisterrible test, Sister Mariana replied: «My Lady andMother, may the Divine Will be accomplished inme».After these words, Mariana chose, with humility andresignation, the crown of lilies surrounded withthorns and returned to the world to suffer.

The Upper Choir loft of the Convent of the Immaculate Conception of Quito, where Mother Mariana would often pray, prostrate before the Tabernacle.


celestial light around her and felt a loving handtouching her head. At the same time, she heard asweet voice that said: «Why do you fear, My daugh-ter? Do you know that I am with you in your tribula-tion? Rise up and look at Me!».The humble religious raised herself up in her bed andsaw a Lady of great majesty and grandeur whobreathed sweetness and love. She asked: «Who areyou, beautiful Lady?».«I am the Mother of Heaven whom you invoked. Ihave come to dissipate the darkness of the night ofyour soul. (...) for your Lord and God has destinedfor you great and auspicious things during your life-time (…). Now, I will impart life to your nerves, veins and arter-

ies, and I will dispel the infernal serpent». As she finished speaking, the enormous

serpent emitted a horrible scream ofdespair and hurled himself into Hell

with such a great roar that it causedthe earth to tremble throughout

the Convent and the city ofQuito. Mariana still remained in herbed suffering acute pains, andher health continued toworsen until September1589. The second Wednes-day of the month, at 9o’clock in the morning, heragony began.The Holy Mass was cele-brated in her presence andshe received Extreme Unc-tion. Her agony continuedup to Friday. At 3:30o’clock of the afternoon,Sister Mariana breathed herlast breath.Her funeral were set for thenext Monday. The next morn-

ing, the Sisters of the Conventdirected their steps to the choir

to pray the Little Office. Whenthey arrived, they saw Sister Mar-

iana praying there.

***

In 1592, Mother Maria, the Abbess of theConvent for 15 years, fell severely sick and Sister

Mariana was elected to take her place. But after thedeath of the Founding Mother (1593), a group of rebelSisters was formed. The plots of these Sisters aimed atseparating the Convent from the Friars Minor givingthe jurisdiction to the Bishop of Quito. The resulting de-terioration of the conventual life spread terrible suffer-ing and the slanders and false accusations reached thepoint of trials in behalf of the presumed guilty Sisters.

11stst ApparitionApparitionof Our Ladyof Our Lady

On September 17, 1588, SisterMariana was saying her custom-ary prayers at midnight, whensuddenly her body shuddered so

violently that she could not help but cry out. Taken to bed, her body was examined and it was dis-covered that on each palm of her hands was some-thing similar to a hole into which something had beendriven. The same was present on the soles of herfeet in the very place where the spikes hadbeen driven into the feet of Our Lord.Upon her heart was a purple bruiseand red mark, as if it had beenwounded by a sword. The next morning, the doctor ex-amined her carefully and saidshe was completely debilitat-ed: the marrow of her bonesdried up, her body paralised.The only movement hecould find was the beatingof her heart.This infirmity lasted forone year and, in the firstmonths, to the physicalsuffering were added thespiritual ones.One day, on her bed ofpain, she suddenly hearda dreadful clamor in thecell. She opened her eyesand saw a hideous serpentwrithing and twisting inher cell, crawling franticallyon the walls, as if pursuedby someone trying to drivehim away.Her pain increased and herspirit was overwhelmed withdespair. All the heroic acts of herlife seemed criminal to her. Hergood works appeared as works ofperdition, her very vocation an illusionand sham by which she had deliveredherself to eternal damnation. In this woefulinterior state, when it seemed to her that her soulwould detach itself from her body from the violenceof her suffering and sink like lead into Hell, she mus-tered all her strength, crying out: «Star of the stormysea, Mary Most Immaculate, the weak vessel of mysoul is sinking. The waters of tribulation are drown-ing me. Save me, for I am perishing!».Before she had pronounced the last word, she saw a


22ndnd ApparitionApparitionof Our Ladyof Our Lady

On the morning of February 2, 1594, with a heartfilled with bitterness and pain, Mother Mariana waspraying prostrate to the ground in the upper choir ofher Convent.She was beseeching Our Lord, through the interces-sion of His Blessed Mother, to stop these trialsthrough which her beloved Convent was passing andfor an end to the many sins being committed in theworld.During this long penitential act, she perceived thepresence of someonebefore her. Her heartwas perturbed, but asweet voice called hername. She rose rapidlyand saw before her amost beautiful Lady,who carried the ChildJesus in her left armand, in her right, a pol-ished gold crosieradorned with preciousstones of unearthlybeauty.With her heart filledwith joy and happi-ness, she said: «Beauti-ful Lady, who art thouand what dost thouwant? Dost thou notknow that I am but apoor sister, filled withlove for God, mostsurely, but also over-flowing with pain andsorrow?».The Lady answered: «Iam Mary of Good Suc-cess, the Queen ofHeaven and Earth. It isbecause you are a reli-gious soul filled withlove of God and HisMother that I amspeaking to you now.I have come from theHeaven to console yourafflicted heart. Yourprayers, tears and penances are most pleasing to ourcelestial Father. The Holy Ghost Who consoles yourspirit and sustains you in your tribulations formed,from three drops of the Blood of my Heart the mostbeautiful Child of mankind. For nine months, I, Virgin

and Mother, carried Him in mymost pure womb. In the stable inBethlehem, I gave birth to Himand lay Him to rest on the coldstraw.As His Mother, I carry Him here,in my left arm, so that togetherwe might restrain the hand of Di-vine Justice, which is always soready to chastise this unfortunateand criminal world. In my right arm, I carry thecrosier that you see, for I desire to govern this Con-vent as Abbess and Mother. Soon the Franciscan friars will no longer govern thisConvent, which is why my patronage and protectionare more necessary than ever, for this difficult trial

will last for centuries. With this separation,Satan will begin to tryto destroy this work ofGod, making use of myungrateful daughters.But he will not succeed,because I am theQueen of Victories andthe Mother of GoodSuccess, and it is underthis invocation I desireto be known through-out time for the preser-vation of my Conventand its inhabitants.(…).

Now, I desire to giveyou strength and en-couragement. Do notallow suffering to dis-courage you. For youwill live a long time onthis earth for the gloryof God and His Mother,who speaks to younow. My Most Holy Son de-sires to give you everytype of suffering. Andto infuse you with thevalor that you willneed, I take Him frommy arms. Receive Himin your own. HoldHim to your weak andimperfect heart!».

The Most Holy Virgin placed the Divine Child in thearms of the happy religious, who embraced Him nextto her heart and caressed Him fondly. As she did so,she felt within herself a strong desire to suffer.

Countenance of Our Lady of Good Success venerated in the Convent of the Immaculate Conception of Quito.

The spirit of rebellion and ofnonobservance of the Rule, turnedagainst Mother Mariana. In 1595,the rebel Sisters opposed her re-election to Abbess, electing in-stead Mother Magdalene. Fur-thermore, aggravating their rela-tionship with the Friars Minors, in1598, they achieved the separationof the Convent from them and ob-

tained the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Quito. Thelong period of time, ranging from 1599 to 1610, wasthe most dramatic and turbulent period for the Con-vent. Mother Mariana and the Founding Mother wereslandered, humiliated, persecuted, tried and severaltime sent to prison.

33rdrd ApparitionApparitionof Our Ladyof Our LadyIt was in the prison of the Convent that Our Ladychose to appear again.It happened January 16, 1599. In a brilliant light,Mother Mariana saw appearing a most beautiful La-dy who said: «I am Mary of Good Success, an invoca-tion well known in Spain and one to whom you haveoften resorted. (…).The tribulation that my Most Holy Son has given youis a celestial gift to embellish your soul and to holdback the divine ire, so ready to unleash a terrible chas-tisement upon this ungrateful Colony. How manyhidden crimes are committed in it! (…).In a short time, the Country in which you live willcease to be a Colony and will become a free Republic1.Then, known by the name of Ecuador, it will needheroic souls to sustain it in face of so many public andprivate calamities. Here, in this Convent, God will always find thesesouls, like hidden violets. Accursed would be Quitowithout this Convent! The most powerful king onearth with all his riches could not erect new buildingson this site, for this place belongs to God.In the 19th century, a truly Christian president (Gar-cia Moreno - ndr) will come; a man of characterwhom God Our Lord will give the palm of martyr-


dom on the square adjoining this Convent2 of mine.He will consecrate the Republic of Ecuador to theSacred Heart of my Most Holy Son and this conse-cration will sustain the Catholic Religion in theyears that will follow, which will be ill-fated onesfor the Church.

These years, during which the ac-cursed sect of Masonry will takecontrol of the civil government,will see a cruel persecution of allreligious communities, and will al-so strike out violently against thisone of mine.

Portrait of Gabriel Garcia Moreno, Catholic President of the Repu-blic of Ecuador. For having consecrated Ecuador to the SacredHeart of Jesus, he was murdered by Masonry, but, for his courageousand deeply Christian act, God has preserved his heart which, aftermore than 130 years from death, is still incorrupted!

1 In fact, Ecuador was declared a Republic on August 19, 1809.The following years witnessed a terrible massacre of the nobility,even women and children being put to the sword. Independencewas definitively secured May 22, 1820, after the battle of Pichin-cha. Since that time, Ecuador has been torn by internal dissen-tions.2 The Catholic Gabriel Garcia Moreno had been president ofEcuador in the periods 1861-1865 and 1869-1875. He transformed

his Country, freeing it from continuous revolutions and from itspublic debt, and reorganizing civil and religious affairs favoringthe Catholic Church. In 1873, Garcia Moreno made a public con-secration of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This act infu-riated the Freemasons, and the German Grand Lodge gave anorder for his death. As Our Lady forwarned, on August 6, 1875,on his way out of the Cathedral, he was struck down and killedby assassins, in the square of Quito adjoining the Convent.

These unfortunate men will think the Convent de-stroyed, but God lives and I live, and we will raiseup powerful defenders and set before these enemiesdifficulties impossible to conquer, and the triumphwill be ours. (...).Thus it is the wish of my Most Holy Son that youcommand a statue of me to be made, just as you seeme now, and that you place it upon the Abbess’chair so that I may govern my Convent. In my righthand, place the crosier and the keys to the cloister asa sign of my proprietorship and authority. In my leftarm, place my Divine Child: first, so that the men un-derstand how powerful I am in placating the DivineJustice and obtaining mercy and pardon for every sin-ner who comes to me with a contrite heart, for I amthe Mother of Mercy and in me there is only goodnessand love; and second, so that throughout time mydaughters will understand that I amshowing and giving them my mostHoly Son and their God as a model ofreligious perfection. They should cometo me, for I will lead them to Him».To Mother Mariana’s doubts that eventhe most skilled sculptor could notmake such a statue, Our Lady re-sponded: «My daughter, I agree to what yousaid. My servant Francis with his ownwounded hands will carve my statueand the angelic spirits will assist him.He himself will place me on his cord,the symbol of all his sons and daugh-ters who belong so closely to me. Asfor the height of my form, you yourselfwill measure me with the seraphiccord that you wear around your waist:bring your cord to me and place oneend of it in my hand. Then youshould touch the other end of it to myfoot (...). Here, my daughter, you havethe measurement of the height ofyour Heavenly Mother. Tell this tomy servant, Francisco del Castillo,and describe to him my features andbearing. He will do the exterior workon my statue...».

***

In this period, Mother Mariana hadbeen jailed again with the FoundingMothers, but the same year, the Bishopof Quito, after an inquiry about thefacts happened in the Convent, havingrealised his mistakes, wrote a note toMother Mariana in which he stated: «... I order Your Reverence to be nowand forever the one who governs andrule the Convent, above even the gov-

erning Abbess, who should consultyou in everything and seek yourcounsel in all she does, obeyingyou as Mother and Founder...». The charity of Mother Mariana to-ward the rebel Sisters and particu-larly for their leader, moved her toask Our Lord to receive the neededpunishments to save her soul.So, in 1601, the rebel Sister fell se-verely ill and was cured with care by Mother Mariana,who started a five year period of expiation sufferingfor the rebel soul she wanted to save.At the conclusion of this period, the rebel Sister diedand, straight after, Mother Mariana was electedAbbess for the third time (1606-1609), and again forthe fourth time (1609-1612).


Mother Mariana measures the height of Our Lady of Good Success, with her cord, tohave the Statue of Our Lady with the Child Jesus sculpted.


The devotion The devotion of Our Ladyof Our Ladyof Good Successof Good Success

Mary of Good Success, Virgin ofGood Success or Our Lady ofGood Success was an invocation

well known in Spain. The tracks of this invocationdates back to the time of wars of liberation from theMuslims. It is to the “Buen Suceso” that a magnificentaltar was devoted by the victorious El Cid upon en-tering triumphant in the city of AlmenaraThe meaning of the term “Buen Suceso” or “GoodSuccess” is the miracle or supernatural interventionof the Mother of God calls in which She intercedes infavour of her children. It is the extraordinary eventthat converts an image of stone or wood, into a “door”to God or “gate of Heaven”. The Virgin of Good Success was patroness of Sagun-to-Valencia. It is a marble statue of 40 cm in heightwhich is venerated in the Convent of the Religious

(Servite) of the city. The legend says that the statueappeared floating on the waters of the sea, surround-ed by 5 stars. Over time, other invocations of Our Lady were trans-formed into that of “Good Success”: in the area ofTraiguera-Castellon, the people were venerating, aspatroness of those lands, the Virgin of the Source ofHealth, found, according to tradition, by the two pas-tors: Anastasio and Jaime Sorlì, in 1384. This invocation had been changed into that of Our La-dy of Good Success. In the area of Cabanes-Castellon, to the mother of aseriously sick child, Francisco Gavaldà – the futureBishop of Segorbe – one day, happened that, as shewas praying before the Virgin of the Rosary, she sawthat the statue begin to sweat. The mother wiped theperspiration of the statue with a cloth, then placed itunder the pillow of her son. The next morning, thechild woke up completely healed. This “Good Suc-cess”, first of many “Good successes” that followed,gave rise to the change of name of the sacred statue.Most importantly, however, the authoritative seal,placed on the invocation of Our Lady of Good Suc-cess which has been crucial to the success of the pro-

Countenance of the sacred Statue of Our Lady of Good Success, found by Brothers Gabriel de Fontanet and Guillermo de Rigosa, in a caveclose to the little town of Traiguera (Spain), during their journey to Rome for Pope’s approval of their Congregation.

It was Pope Paul V, himself, who gave the name of “Our Lady of Good Success” and the order the promote of her devotion.


motion of her devotion, originated directly from thewill of a Pope: Paul V (1065-1621).

***

Bernardino de Obregon (1540-1599) was a youngSpaniard, rich and proud. One day in 1567, he was sotaken by the humility of a poor passer-by, that hechanged his life and decided to devote himself toserving the poor and the sick. With the approval ofthe Nuncio and the King Philip II of Spain, he found-ed, under the Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis ofPaola, the “Religious Congregation of Minims forassistance to the sick” (which served mainly in hospi-tals). The vows were to chastity, poverty, obedienceand hospitality. In 1599, Obregon died and wasburied in the General Hospital of Madrid, where his“Obregones” were working.The successor, Brother Gabriel de Fontanet, alongwith Brother Guillermo de Rigosa, in 1606, went toRome to ask the Pope for the approval for the exten-

sion of their jurisdiction from the city of Madrid to theentire country of Spain. They made the journey on foot. As they have traveledpast Valencia, near the border with Catalonia, cross-ing the sierra of Valdancha between Traiguera andCastellon, the two brothers lost their way and a terri-ble storm came upon them during the night. Prayingto find a safe place to die as they both feared thatstorm’s fury would cause their death, they beheld abright light, high in the mountain range. They decid-ed to climb toward this light. Upon doing so, they notonly beheld this beautiful light within a cave but ashrine to the Mother of God with fragrant flowers orrare beauty growing there. As they entered the cave,they discovered a statue of a smiling Virgin Marywith Child Jesus in the left arm, a sceptre in his righthand and a wonderful crown encircled on her head. The statue was rather small, only 53 cm high, with theChild Jesus of 11 cm tall. They both had brown hair,black eyes, flesh colored skin. The Statue was made ofcypress wood. Not only was there something miracu-

Painting showing the two Brothers Gabriel de Fontanet and Guillermo de Rigosa handing the Statue miraculously found in a cave in Spain to Paul V. Paul V is portrayed putting his pectoral cross around the neck of the Statue. After kneeling before her,

he embraced and kissed her, gave her the name of Our Lady of Good Success and ordered her devotion to be promoted.


lous in this discovery, but thewonder of the two Brothers wasthat they could not be able toimagine who could sculpture awork of art of such beauty andperfection! They placed the Statue in a basketand continued their journey toRome.Pope Paul V received the two

Brothers and heard the story of the discovery of theStatue. Understanding the supernatural nature of theevent, He knelt down, put his pectoral cross aroundthe neck of the Statue, embraced and kissed Her andexclaimed: «Look, She smiles! Why is She smiling?What a Good Success you have achieved with thistrip! There is no doubt that Our Lady has decided toprotect you and support you in your work. So I amnot the one to go against Her. May your wishes have aGood Success!».

View of the Church of Good Success, ordered by Queen Isabella IIof Spain, and built in Madrid, in 1868, in “Via de la Princesa”, beforethe ”Hospital Central del Aire” (Military Hospital).

The sacred Statue of Our Lady of Good Success,found by the two “Obregones” Brothers in a cave around Traiguera,and, at present, located in the Church of Good Success in Madrid.

Then, Pope Paul V blessed the Statue, granted Hermany indulgences, gave her the name of “Our Ladyof Good Success” and commanded that Her devo-tion had to be promoted at once. In memory of thepectoral cross which Paul V had placed on Our Ladyof Good Success, He authorised the Friars, of the Or-der to use a cloth cross on their black tunic.At the end, Paul V decreed that the “Religious Con-gregation of Minims for assistance to the sick” waserected to Religious Order.

On their return journey, the two Brothers, arrived inValencia, which was in the grip of the plague. Theydiscovered that nine of their twelve brothers died bycontagion. They continued for Madrid and placed thesacred Statue above the altar of the church of the Gen-eral Hospital, until, in charge of the Royal Hospitalcare of the Court, at the “Puerta del Sol” in Madrid,replaced the Statue in its infirmary. This hospital, founded by King Ferdinand and Is-abella of Castile for the assistance and care of infect-ed soldiers, was enlarged by the Emperor Charles Vin 1529. King Philip II personally traced out the planof its small church, and the Hospital and the churchwere declared Royal Patronage.


During the annual feast day in honor of Our Lady of Good Success,that is held on the last Sunday of October, it is a custom to make a floraloffering before the sacred Statue of Our Lady of Good Success.

View of the sacred Statue of Our Lady of Good Success,located above the side altar of the Church of Good Success

at the “Hospital Central del Aire” (Military Hospital) of Madrid.

On June 6, 1611, King Philip II made the dedicationof the new church and, in the presence of the Queenand the whole Court, placed the Statue of Our Ladyof Good Success in the church, above the thirdchapel. Then, on September 19, 1641, with a solemnceremony, the sacred Statue, which gave its name tothe Hospital of the Court and to its church, wasplaced above the main altar. The church received considerable privileges: it wasmade a parish, depending on the Patriarch of the In-dies, as Major Chapel of the Kings and of the VicarGeneral of the armies and the Armed Forces. The Statue remained, in this church at the “Puerta delSol” in Madrid, for about two hundred years. It was moved during the horrors, the massacres andthe destruction of the Spanish Succession War, whenforeign armies invaded Spain and, in the courtyard ofthe Hospital, many heroes of Madrid were shot. Following the ruins caused by war, the sacred Statuewas placed in a niche of the Church of the Good Suc-cess, until when, in 1832, was moved, first, to theRoyal College of Our Lady of Loreto, then, in theChapel of the Royal Palace.The area of the Hospital of the Court and its churchwas assigned for other uses and so, over the years, in

those places, new and magnificentbuildings had risen. There was a project to rebuild thechurch of the Hospital of GoodSuccess in an area called Prado, be-fore the Botanical Garden, but theidea was abandoned. It was Queen Isabella II who in-sisted that the idea of rebuildingthe church dedicated to the GoodSuccess was not abandoned; so this was erected in thedistrict of Pozas, in 1868, before the Hospital Centraldel Aire (the Military Hospital), even if not so largeand magnificent as it was planned in the original draftof reconstruction.King Philip III placed there the sacred Statue with aprivilege unmatched in Spain and in the world: thiswas the only church in the world where the Masswas celebrated from 5 am until 2 pm. Even in Romeitself there was no church holding such a privilege!


for Satan will reign almost com-pletely by means of the MasonicSects.

They will focus principally on the children in order tosustain this general corruption. Woe to the children ofthese times! It will be difficult to receive the Sacrament of Baptismand also the Sacrament of Confirmation. They willreceive the Sacrament of Confession only if they re-main in Catholic schools, for the Devil will make agreat effort to destroy it through persons in positionof authority. The same thing will happen with the Sacrament of

Holy Communion.Alas! How deeply Igrieve to manifest toyou the many enor-mous sacrileges - bothpublic as well as secret- that will occur fromprofanation of theHoly Eucharist.Often, during thisepoch the enemies ofJesus Christ, instigatedby the Devil, will stealconsecrated Hostsfrom the churches sothat they might pro-fane the EucharisticSpecies. My Most HolySon will see Himselfcast upon the groundand trampled upon byfilthy feet.(…). But in those times youwill already be known,as well as the favorsthat I am bestowing onyou. How I love the for-tunate inhabitants ofthis sacred place! Andthat knowledge willstimulate love and de-votion to my SacredStatue. For this reason,today, I authoritatively

order you to have this Statue made: let it be sculp-tured just as you see Me and placed upon theAbbess's chair, so that from there I may govern anddirect my daughters and defend my Convent; for Sa-tan, making use of both the good and the evil, willengage in a fierce battle to destroy it.

44thth ApparitionApparitionof Our Ladyof Our Lady

On January 21, 1610, Mother Mar-iana was praying when, suddenly,the choir was inundated with ce-lestial splendour.

Amid this refulgent brilliance, she saw the arrival ofthree Archangels, St. Gabriel, St. Michael and St.Raphael who had preceded the Apparition of Our La-dy to illuminate the Intelligence, to strengthen theweak heart and cure the blindness of Mother Mariana.After the celestial messengers departed, Mother Mari-ana remained prostrated to ground until 2 o'clock inthe morning, when the Celestial Queen, carrying inHer arms the DivineChild, appeared andaddressed her withthese words:«Arise from the groundupon which you lay, fa-vored daughter of mymaternal Heart andbeloved spouse of myDivine Child. Your hu-mility has attracted myheart, just as the pridethat reigns in this poorColony separates itfrom Me. But because Ihave faithful and lov-ing daughters in thisConvent, and amongthem, you my chosenone, I come as alwaysto confide to you mysecrets».After talking to herabout the religious un-faithful, who wouldlive in the Conventthroughout the courseof the centuries, of theirinveterate lukewarm-ness and deafness toany grace, inspiration,charitable counsel andwarning of the chastise-ments to which theywould incur, Our Ladytold her:«Thus, I make it known to you that from the end ofthe 19th century and from shortly after the middle ofthe 20th century, in what is today the Colony and willthen be the Republic of Ecuador, the passions willerupt and there will be a total corruption of customs,


(…).Since this poor Country will lack the Catholic spirit,the Sacrament of Extreme Unction will be little val-ued. Many people will die without receiving it - eitherbecause of the negligence of their families or miscon-ceived affection for their sick ones. Others, incited bythe cursed Devil, will rebel against the spirit of theCatholic Church and will deprive countless souls ofinnumerable graces, consolations, and the strengththey need to make the great leap from time to eternity.But some persons will die without receiving it due tojust and secret chastisements of God.

As for the Sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolis-es the union of Christ with His Church, it will be at-tacked and deeply profaned.

Freemasonry, which will then bein power, will enact iniquitouslaws with the aim of doing awaywith this Sacrament,

making it easy for everyone to live in sin and encour-aging the procreation of illegitimate children bornwithout the blessing of the Church.The Catholic spirit will rapidly decay; the precious

light of Faith will gradually be ex-tinguished until there will be an al-most total and general corruptionof customs. Added to this will bethe effects of secular education,which will be one reason for thedeath of priestly and religious vo-cations.

The Sacrament of Holy Orderswill be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in thisSacrament, the Church of God and even God Himselfis scorned and despised since He is represented in Hispriests. The Devil will try to persecute the ministersof the Lord in every possible way; he will labor withcruel and subtle astuteness to deviate them from thespirit of their vocation and will corrupt many of

them. These depraved priests, who will scandalisethe Christian people, will make the hatred of badCatholics and the enemies of the Roman Catholicand Apostolic Church fall upon all priests.This apparent triumph of Satan will bring enormoussuffering to the good Pastors of the Church, themany good priests, and the Supreme Pastor and Vicarof Christ on earth, who, a prisoner in the Vatican, willshed secret and bitter tears in the presence of his Godand Lord, beseeching light, sanctity and perfection forall the clergy of the world, of whom he is King andFather.Further, in these unhappy times, there will be unbri-


silent recollection, and continual prayer, this houseand community will be sustained. (...). All their needsand requests will be heeded with the daily practiceof these virtues. This applies to each one of mydaughters who will live in these blessed cloisters untilthe end of time. (...).«Now, be docile to my exhortations, and commandwithout delay that my Statue be sculpted, just asyou see Me, and hasten to set in the place I indicat-ed. (...). I will see to the perfection of this work. TheArchangels Gabriel, Michael and Raphael will takecharge secretly of making my Statue.You should call Francisco del Castillo, who knowsthis art well, and give him a succinct description ofMy features, exactly as you see Me, today and always,because it was for this end that I have appeared somany time to you».

Mother Mariana, with the help of the Virgin Mary,measured again, with her cord, the height of the OurLady of Good Success.

dled luxury which will ensnare therest into sin and conquer innumer-able frivolous souls who will belost. Innocence will almost no longer befound in children, nor modesty inwomen.

In this supreme moment of needof the Church, the one whoshould speak will fall silent!

You will see this from Heaven, my beloved daughter,where you can no long suffer, but your daughters andsuccessors will suffer, those beloved souls alreadyknown to you who will placate the Divine Ire. Theywill have recourse to Me under the invocation ofOur Lady of Good Success, whose Statue I ask andcommand that you have made for the consolationand preservation of my Convent and of the faithfulsouls of that time, an epoch when there will be agreat devotion to Me, for I am Queen of Heaven un-der many invocations.This devotion will be the shield between DivineJustice and the prevaricating world to prevent the re-lease of God’s formidable punishment that this guiltyearth deserves.This very day, when morning breaks, you should goto the Bishop and tell him that I have asked and com-manded you to have my image sculpted and beplaced at the head of my Convent so that under thistitle, I might take possession of that which belongs tome. As proof that what you say is true, tell him that hewill die within two years and two months and that heshould begin to prepare himself for the day of eterni-ty, for this death will be violent.He should consecrate my Statue with holy oil andgive it the name of “Mary of Good Success and ofPurification, or Candlemas”. On this solemn occa-sion, he himself should place the Keys of the clois-ter, together with the Crosier, in the right hand ofmy Statue, as proof that the government of thespouses of my Most Holy Son has been entrusted toMe and that they should surrender all their concernsto my maternal and loving protection.Then, at that moment, I will take complete possessionof this, my house, and I will be obliged to keep it safeand free from all turmoil until the end of the time, de-manding from my daughters a continuous spirit ofcharity and sacrifice.With this, along with humility, obedience, patience,


55thth Apparition Apparition of Our Ladyof Our Lady

On February 2, 1610, at 1:30 o’clock, Mother Marianawas praying near the grille in the upper choir, medi-tating on the humility of Mary the Most Holy in thesublime mystery of the Purification. When she re-solved to conclude her prayer and retire, suddenlyshe felt herself overcome by a joy intermixed withfear, and immediately saw herself in the presence ofOur Lady of Good Success, who was looking at herwith amiable severity without saying a single word. To the worries of Mother Mariana, Our Lady said: «Hard-hearted and long-delaying creature (...). Withthe making of my Statue, I will favour not only youand my Convent, but also the people – and the gen-eral public – through the centuries. Since this Con-vent is a fortress, it will bring salvation for many

souls, drawing them from theabyss of sin in which they findthemselves. God will be glorifiedin those souls. How many conver-sions it will bring about!Do you want to be responsible forthe loss of so many souls by re-maining deaf to my voice and com-mand?». «Beautiful Lady - responded Moth-er Mariana - your reprimand ismost just and I receive it humbly before God. (...) butpermit 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 thisland are so inclined to idolatry, this might prove anoccasion for them to deliver themselves to this prac-tice. The grace that I ask is that you will hide myname so that only you, as the Sovereign and Queenthat you are, might be glorified and I always hidden.Also, I ask that you give me your measurement onceagain, so that I can be certain at least of your height,since it would be impossible to represent your fea-tures, even if your holy stature were carved by the an-gelic spirits».The Queen of Heaven responded: «Beloved daughter of my heart, your humility pleasesme. (...). Go as soon as possible to speak with the Bish-op and tell him, on my part, what I ordered and toldyou at our last meeting. Make haste in commandingmy Statue to be sculpted, for time is flying and onlytwo years of life remain for the presently governingBishop, who has been chosen to consecrate my Statuewith holy oil and place it in the spot I have designat-ed.Tell him, moreover, that in his final agony, we – I andyou – will be there at his side to assist him in that finaltransit. If he asks how you will come to find yourselfthere, tell him that nothing is impossible with Godand His Most Holy Mother, for they are the absolutemasters of all creatures.As for your request that your name be hidden, thispleases me, and I will do as you have asked. Tell theBishop that it is my will and the will of my Most HolySon that your name be hidden at all costs, both withinas well as outside the cloister, for it is not fitting foranyone at the present time to know the details or ori-gin of how this Statue came to be made. For thisknowledge will only become known to the generalpublic in the 20th century.

During that epoch the Church willfind herself attacked by terriblehordes of the Masonic sect, andthis poor Ecuadorian land will be

Mother Mariana, in her mystical life, had in all 40 years of appari-tions of Our Lady of Good Success. For having accepted to suffer asa sacrificial victim to placate the Divine Justice for the heresies, impie-ties and impurities that would be committed in the 20th century, shehad a particular resemblance with the figure of Saint Padre Pio.


forehead of His Blessed Mother. (...). Then, extendingHis small, gracious hand, He handed the cord toMother Mariana, saying: «My beloved spouse, here you have the measurementof the height of My Most Holy Mother that you de-sired. Conserve it reverently, for I desire that themany spouses I will have here throughout the cen-turies should measure themselves by it. The Measure-ment has already been given. And do you know howI desire that they be measured? I shall measure theirhumility, their silence, their charity, their patience,and their love for Me and My Blessed Mother, inWhom all should see themselves mirrored. And asChristians and, even more, as religious, I desire thatthey have My spirit in every act of their lives. Myspirit is one of patience, meekness, abnegation, andtotal abandonment to the Divine will. Let themserve Me with diligence and disinterest, abandoningeven their eternal happiness to the loving will of MyDivine Heart (...)».

***

The following day, Mother Mariana started movingimmediately to have the Statue of Our Lady of Good

agonizing because ofthe corruption of cus-toms, unbridled luxury,the impious press, andsecular education. Thevices of impurity, blas-phemy, and sacrilege

will dominate in this time of de-praved desolation, and that onewho should speak out will besilent.

Know, beloved daughter, that when your name willbecome known in the 20th century, there will bemany who will not believe, claiming that this devo-tion is not pleasing to God. But the great sufferingsof my daughters – and yours – of this time will makea melodious concert of humility and hidden penancefor my Most Holy Son and myself. The DivineSpouse and I, His loving Mother, and you also willwatch over our daughters from Heaven and guidethem on the correct path that leads to Paradise. Whatwill cause these favoured daughters the greatest painwill be the doubt of their own sisters, who will in-crease their sufferings, but also their merit.A simple, humble faith in the truth of my appari-tions to you, my favoured child, will be reserved forhumble and fervent should who are docile to the in-spirations of grace, for our Heavenly Father commu-nicates His secrets to the simple of heart, and not tothose whose hearts are inflated with pride, pretend-ing to know what they do not or infatuated withempty science.Do not worry about the features of my Statue, for itwill be completed as I desire for the elevated endsfor which this statue is destined.Now, hand me the end of the cord that you weararound your waist, the symbol of the purity of thespouse of the Divine Jesus, so that I might hold it tomy forehead. Touch the other end to my right foot,and you will have the measurement of my heightmarked by the length of this cord».Instantly, the humble religious, filled with confidencein and loving gratitude to the Blessed Virgin, took thecord that she wore around her waist and offered oneof its ends to her Blessed Mother, while she touchedthe other end to the foot of Our Lady. The cordstretched as if it were elastic until it reached theheight of the Queen of Heaven and Earth.When she raised her eyes to contemplate the foreheadof Her Mother, she saw the Divine Child was stand-ing and holding the end of the cord that touched the


Success realized. She spoke with her spiritual direc-tor, Friar Juan of the Mother of God, and then withthe Bishop of Quito who committed himself to havethe Keys of the Convent made up, while the Crownwas offered by the Chapter of the Cathedral.The sculptor Francisco del Castillo called to the Con-vent two days later, considered himself fortunate tomake such work, and accepted the commitment. Heleft Quito immediately to find a special wood for theStatue. At the end of August, he came back to theConvent and started his work on September 15. As hesculpted the holy Statue, the sculptor seemed a mantransformed, and he was often found working withtears streaming for his eyes. The Bishop visited thework from time to time and always He would leavequite moved. At the end of September, Mother Mariana called theMarquesa Maria de Yolanda, who took the assign-ment of having the gold Crosier made in Spain by herfamily. Known, then, of the measurement of theheight of Our Lady of Good Success with the cord ofthe Abbess, the Marquesa asked the favor to see it. Re-ceived it in her hands, and just given it back, her leftarm, inert since days as a consequence of a severe fall,was suddenly cured.

The Statue completed The Statue completed by the Angelsby the Angels

On January 16, the fervent religiousarose in the early morning to praythe Little Office, as was the custom.As they drew near the choir, theyheard distant refrains of melodiousmusic. They hurried their steps to the upper choir,and there, wonder of wonders, they saw the wholechoir enveloped in a celestial light and heard the re-sounding voices of Angels who, accompanied by ce-lestial music, were intoning in sweet and enchantingharmony the Salve Sancta Parens.The holy Statue had been finished by the Angels! From her face issued rays of intense light that diffusedthrough the whole Choir and church. Little by little itbecame less brilliant so that the Sisters could draw nearand contemplate more closely the miracle worked byGod for His Convent and mankind with the angeliccompletion of the holy and venerable Statue.Haloed by this brilliant light, the physiognomy of theStatue was not severe, but majestic, serene, sweet,amiable, and attracting, as if she were inviting herdaughters to approach their Heavenly Mother withconfidence to give her a filial embrace of thanks-giv-ing and welcome.The Divine Chid was a masterpiece. His countenanceexpressed love and tenderness for the spouses sobeloved of His Heart and so dear to His Mother. (…).Overflowing with love of God and His blessed Moth-er, they recited the Little Office with redoubled fer-vour on that happy morning.

At the prearranged hour, Señor Francisco del Castilloafter receiving Communion, arrived at the Convent togive the last coat to his great work. He brought withhim the best and finest paint that he could find forthat purpose.Mother Mariana and the Founding Mothers decidedthat they would have the sculptor enter the choir toverify what had taken place. Without telling him any-thing, they brought him into the cloister.Arriving at the choir, he looked at the Statue in aston-ishment and exclaimed with great emotion: «Mothers,what has happened? This magnificent Statue is notmy work! I cannot express what my heart feels! Thisis an angelic work, for a work such as this could notbe made on this earth by hands of mere clay. Nosculptor, no matter how skilled he might be, couldever imitate such perfection and unique beauty».He fell to the feet of the holy Statue, his heart over-flowing with sentiments of faith and piety while aflood of tears poured from his eyes. Then, rising, heasked for paper and ink so that he might draw up awritten testimony swearing that this blessed Statuewas not his work, but that of the Angels. In it, he testi-


At a gesture from the Most Holy Trinity, theArchangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael came beforethe throne of the Divine Majesty, prepared and readyto carry out some sublime mission. I did not under-stand what order they had received, but I saw that, af-ter bowing in profound reverence, they approachedthe throne of the Queen of Heaven.St. Michael, saluting Her dutifully, said: “Mary MostHoly, Daughter of God the Father;St. Gabriel, said: “Mary Most Holy, Mother of Godthe Son”;

Saint Raphael, said:“Mary Most Holy, PureSpouse of the HolyGhost”.Then, joined by the ce-lestial hosts, they in-toned together: “MaryMost Holy, Temple andSacrarium of the MostHoly Trinity”.In an instant, swifterthan a flash of lightning,this august trio was inthe choir where the Stat-ue was being made sothat they might finishand illuminate it withheavenly splendour.My seraphic Father alsoappeared. From hiswounded hands issuedcelestial rays which,without blinding myeyes, penetrated myheart and transported itto the heavenly spheres. Accompanied by thethree Archangels, St.Michael, St. Gabrieland St. Raphael, andfollowed by the celes-tial hosts, he ap-proached the almost-completed Statue ofSeñor Francisco delCastillo and, in an in-stant, they had trans-formed it.

I was unable to see how this instantaneous transfor-mation took place, but they left it most beautiful, justas Your Excellency saw it. Then, my seraphic Fathertook the white cord that he wore around his waistand, wrapping it around the waist of the holy Statue,he said with love and reverence:“My Lady, I entrust to your maternal love my sonsand daughters of the three Orders I founded, that con-tinue on their earthly pilgrimage. I deliver to you to-day and for all times this Convent established under

fied that he had found the Statuedifferent from the way he had leftit in the upper Choir of that Con-vent, six days earlier.The Bishop, informed of this mira-cle, went immediately to the Con-vent to personally see the marvelof the completion of the Statueand, after realizing this miraculousevent, invited Mother Mariana to

the confessional, to know from her what had reallyhappened. «Your Excellency – re-sponded Mother Mari-ana – during the com-munity prayer on the af-ternoon of the 15th. GodOur Lord forewarnedme that during the earlymorning hours of the16th I would witnessHis mercy toward ourConvent and mankindin general. He askedthat I prepare myself toreceive these graces withnocturnal penance andprayer.I did as I was ordered.At midnight, ending myprayer of the way of theCross, I entered thechoir. As I made my cus-tomary prayer, I saw thechoir and church be-come illuminated withcelestial light. My spiritwas lost in the immensi-ty of God, and divinelove expanded my smallheart. Then, the Taber-nacle opened, and I sawthat in the Holy Hostwere the Father, the Sonand the Holy Ghost. Isaw the sublime mys-tery of the Incarnationof the Divine Word inthe most pure womb ofthe Blessed Virgin take place.Then, I understood the infinite love of the Three Di-vine persons for Mary Most Holy, Our Lady, Whowas present there, so magnificent, beautiful and capti-vating.The nine choirs of Angels sang praises to Her and ren-dered Her homage as their Queen and Lady. TheBlessed Trinity manifested Their full satisfaction forthis beautiful and holy Creature free from the stain ofOriginal Sin.

Our Lady of Good Successvenerated in the Convent of the Immaculate Conception of Quito.


tar, along with the Crown, theCrosier, the brooch, a preciousdress and two strips of a long beltmake of silk, along with a goldenmantle of silk interwoven withthreads of silver. In addition tothese treasures, there were also abeautiful necklace of fine pearlsand three rings of gold, one with

pre-cious emerald, anotherwith a diamond, andthe third finely setwith rubies in a formof a small royal crown.These fine pieces wereplaced on a small goldshell made for thispurpose and engravedin letters adorned withprecious emerals: “Iam Mary Most Holyof Good Success, Feb-ruary 2, 1611”.The Solemn Anoint-ment, then, began.After the sermons thatfollowed, the Bishopbegan the solemn pro-cession through thecloisters, preceded bya tall Cross. The partic-ipants held lightedcandles in their hands. The procession endedat the choir, festivelydecorated, and theStatue was placed inits niche by the Friars.Intoned a solemnSalve Regina, fol-lowed by the Litanyand by Salve Sancta

Parens, with tears, the Bishop reverently and tender-ly placed the Crown on the head of the holy Statuesaying: «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 thisConvent and of my flock in general».

Finally, he placed the Keys in the same hand holdingthe Crosier, saying: «Señora and my Mother, I deliv-er 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 ofyour daughters with care and affection. Defend themalways and conserve in them the religious spirit thatshould characterize the spouses of thy Most HolySon».

my custody. Difficult times of barranness and spiritu-al hunger will come over it, with my sons withdraw-ing themselves from it for a long period of time. Intheir absence, I beg You to be the seraphic life for mydaughters who will live in these cloisters during thatunfortunate time. There will be illegitimate daughters,it is true, but they will be happy only in appearance,for in their depth they will lack virtue. They will be-come sharp tools to chisel and polish my true daugh-ters. For the latter, Igive my blessing andask your support. Butfor the others, finaljustice!”.My seraphic Fatherthen placed the cord onthe sacred Statue anddeparted.Meanwhile, the Statuewas completely illumi-nated as if it were en-gulfed by the sun it-self. The Holy Trinitylooked at it with plea-sure and the Angelssang the Salve SanctaParens.Amid this great happi-ness, the Queen of theAngels approachedthe Statue and enteredinto it, just as the raysof sun penetrate beau-tiful crystal. At thatmoment, the holy Stat-ue took on life andsang the Magnificatwith a celestial voice. This took place at 3o’clock in the morn-ing».

Solemn Anointment Solemn Anointment of the Statueof the Statue

In preparation for the anointment of the Statue, theBishop ordered the Sisters to make a Novena, andblessed the miraculous Statue with the name of “Maryof 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 inpresence of the Bishop, all the Conceptionist Sisters,the Chapter of the Cathedral, and a vast public ofevery social class that was overflowing the church.At the conclusion of the Mass, the Statue was carrieddown from the high altar and placed on the main al-

Our Lady of Good Success in the niche about the altar. She is publicly venerated during the Novena January 24th / February 2nd.


(…). Mother Mariana returned to herself in the armsof her Sisters, who were weeping, believing her to bedead, for it was now five o’clock in the afternoon andshe had shown no sign of life since nine o’clock thatmorning. With a deathlike pallor, Mother Mariana made an at-tempt to speak, stand up and walk but despite hergreatest efforts, she could not succeed (…). In thisweakened state, she again lost her senses!

This time she saw the infidelity ofthe ministers of the altar to theirholy vocation, and the unworthyway that some would approach theHoly Sacrifice. She consideredShe consideredthe causes of thisthe causes of this and her soulwas overcome with a profound,unearthly sorrow.

Vision of the fury Vision of the fury of the Devilof the Devil

On the Feast of Corpus Christi,Thursday 1623, Mother Marianawas praying at the foot of theTabernacle when, suddenly, shefell into ecstasy. She saw, in a vi-

sion, that this Country would be favored with gracesand mercy as a result of the public and solemn devo-tion that would be rendered to the Blessed Sacra-ment, in future centuries.She saw devout processions that would be madethrough the main streets of the city that would in-clude religious men, women, children, youth, and per-sons from all the social classes. She saw the profoundrecollection of all, and the great respect and devotionof the diverse groups, with many of their membersusing instruments of penance on their bodies. She sawthe faith and piety of the faithful and the complai-sance of Our Lord Jesus Christ as He passed throughthe streets of the city in those fortunate times to come.But, alas! She also saw how all this aroused the fury ofthe Devil who would strive to raze this solid edifice ofCatholic piety founded upon the faith of the childrenof God. To achieve this evil intent, he would availhimself of the sons of this country who would losethe sentiment of faith, bequeathed to them by theirparents and elders. These countrymen would workto oppress the Church in their assemblies and pre-vent this public devotion, for

they would have already enteredthe party of Satan by becomingmembers of the Masonic Lodges.

She saw that this generation of men without faithwould be formed by unworthy children of theCatholic Church who would impiously oppress herand put an end to the reverent processions that attractthe blessing of God. This would be a time of sorrowand grief for all the faithful children of the Church,who, with their Prelates and pastors, would be few innumber.

Our Lord showed her how thehideous and pestiferous wild boarof Masonry would enter the beau-tiful, flourishing vineyard of theChurch, leaving it destroyed andin complete ruins.


66thth Apparition of Our LadyApparition of Our Lady

At 3 o’clock in the morning of February 2, 1634, withher eyes fixed on the Tabernacle, Mother Marianawas praying Our Lord telling Him all the love she hadfor Him.After these prayers, she saw the sanctuary light,which burned before the Sacramental Jesus, go out,leaving the main sanctuary in complete darkness.Then, suddenly, she saw a celestial light illuminatethe whole church. The Queen of Heaven appeared, litthe Tabernacle lamp, and approached her, presentingHerself as Mary of Good Success and explaining toher the meaning of the extinguishing of thesanctuary lamp with these words: «The sanctuary light burning beforethe altar that you saw be extin-guished has many meanings:

«The first reason for thelamp being extinguished isthat at the end of the 19thcentury, and advancinginto a large part of the20th, various heresieswill be propagated inthis land, then a freeRepublic. As they cometo dominate, the pre-cious light of Faithwill be extinguished insouls by the almost to-tal corruption of cus-toms. During this peri-od, there will be greatphysical and moral cat-astrophes, both publicand private.The small number ofsouls who, hidden, willconserve the treasure ofthe Faith and virtues willsuffer an unspeakably crueland prolonged martyrdom.Many of them will succumb todeath from the violence of theirsuffering, and those who sacrificethemselves for their Church and Coun-try will be counted as martyrs.In order to free men from bondage to these heresies,those whom the merciful love of My Most Holy Sonwill destine for that restoration will need greatstrength of will, constancy, valor and confidence in

God. To test this faith and confi-dence of the just, there will be oc-casions in which everything willseem to be lost and paralyzed.This will be, then, the happy be-ginning of the complete restora-tion.

«The second reason for the lampbeing extinguished is that myCommunity, being greatly reduced in number, will besubmerged in a fathomless ocean of indescribable bit-terness, and will seem to be drowning in these diversewaters of tribulations.

How many authentic vocations will perishbecause of the lack of discretion, dis-

cernment and prudence on the partof the Novice Mistresses in form-

ing them! They should be soulsof prayer and well-learned in

the varied spiritual ways.Woe to those souls who

will return to the Baby-lon of the world afterhaving been in the se-cure port of thisblessed Convent!During this unfortu-nate epoch, injusticewill even enter here,my closed garden. Disguised under thename of false chari-ty, it will wreak hav-oc in souls. The spiteful demonwill try to sow dis-cord, making use ofputrid members, who,

masked by the appear-ance of virtue, will be

like decaying sepulchersemanating the pestilence

of putrefaction, causingmoral deaths in some and

lukewarmness in others. They will thrust a two-edged

sword into my faithful daughters,making them suffer a continuous and

slow martyrdom. These faithful daughterswill weep in secret and complain to their Lord and

God, and their tears will be presented by theirGuardian Angels to our Heavenly Father, asking thatThey shorten such dire times for love of the Divine

3 Certainly Our Lady was referring to Modernism, which had agreat influence at the end of the 19th century and at the beginningof the 20th century, and was defined by St. Pius X as “the synthe-

sis of all heresies”. Progressivism, the heir of Modernism, hascontinued and amplified the heresies of Modernism everywherein the Catholic Church, including Ecuador.


During these unfortunate times, evil will assaultchildhood innocence. In this way, vocations to thepriesthood will be lost, which will be a true calami-ty.It will fall to the religious groups to sustain theChurch and to labor with valorous, disinterested zealfor the salvation of souls. For, during this period, theobservance of the Rule will shine in communities andthere will be holy ministers of the altar, hidden andbeautiful souls, in whom my Most Holy Son and Iwill take our delight, finding them to be excellentflowers and fruits of heroic sanctity. The impious ones will rage a cruel war against

them, letting fall onthem vituperations,calumnies and vexa-tions in order to im-pede the fulfillmentof their ministry. But they, like firmcolumns, will re-main unswervingand will confronteverything with thatspirit of humilityand sacrifice withwhich they will bevested, by virtue ofthe infinite meritsof my Most HolySon, Who lovesthem as the inner-most fibers of Hismost holy and ten-der Heart.In this epoch, theSecular Clergy willbe far removedfrom its ideal, be-

cause the Priests will be careless in their sacred du-ties. Lacking the divine compass, they will strayfrom the road traced by God for the priestly min-istry and they will become attached to wealth andriches, which they will unduly strive to obtain.How the Church will suffer on that occasion the darknight of the lack of a Prelate and Father to watchover them with paternal love, gentleness, strength,and prudence. Many priests will lose their spirit,placing their souls in great danger.Pray insistently without tiring and weep with bittertears in the secrecy of your heart, imploring our Ce-lestial Father that, for love of the Eucharistic Heart ofmy Most Holy Son and His Precious Blood shed withsuch generosity and by the profound bitterness andsufferings of His cruel Passion and Death, He mighttake pity on His Ministers and quickly bring to anend those ominous times, sending to this Church thePrelate that will restore the spirit of its Priests.My Most Holy Son and I will love this most favored

Prisoner.«The third reason for the lampbeing extinguished is because ofthe spirit of impurity that willsaturate the atmosphere in thosetimes. Like a filthy ocean, it willinundate the streets, squares andpublic places with an astonishingliberty.There will be almost no virgin

souls in the world. The delicate flower of virginity,timid and threatened by complete destruction, willshine in the distance. Taking refuge in cloisters, it willfind good soil therethat will take root,grow, and live, its fra-grance being the de-light of My Most HolySon and the shieldagainst Divine Ire.Without virginity, itwould be necessary forfire from Heaven tofall upon these lands topurify them.In his malicious pride,the invidious and pes-tiferous Devil will tryto intrude into eventhese closed gardens ofthe religious cloistersto make this beautifuland delicate flowerwither. But I will con-front him and crushhis head under myfeet.Alas, how sorrowful!There will be carelesssouls who will voluntarily deliver themselves intohis claws. Others, returning to the world, will be-come instruments of the Devil for the loss of souls.

«The fourth reason for the lamp being extinguishedis that

the Masonic Sect, having infiltrat-ed all the social classes, will be sosubtle as to introduce itself intodomestic ambiences in order tocorrupt the children, and the Devilwill glory in dining upon the ex-quisite delicacy of the hearts ofchildren.


son with a love of predilection, and we shall gift himwith a rare capacity, a humility of heart, a docility todivine inspiration, the strength to defend the rights ofthe Church, and a tender and compassionate heart, sothat, like another Christ, he will assist the great andthe small, without despising the more unfortunatesouls who ask him for light and counsel in theirdoubts and hardships. With divine suavity, he willguide souls consecrated to the service of God in thecloisters, making light the yoke of the Lord, Who said,“My yoke is sweet, and my burden light”.Into his hand the scales of the Sanctuary will beplaced so everything is weighed with due measureand God will be glori-fied.The lukewarmness ofall the souls conse-crated to God in thepriestly and religiousstate will delay thecoming of this Prelateand Father. This, then,will be the cause of thecursed Devil takingpossession of thisland, where he willachieve his victoriesby means of foreignand faithless people,so numerous that, likea black cloud, it willobscure the limpidheavens of the then-re-public consecrated tothe Most Sacred Heartof My Divine Son.With these people,every type of vice willenter, which will at-tract, in their turn,every type of chastise-ment, such as plagues,famines, internal fight-ing and external dis-putes with other na-tions, and apostasy,the cause of the perdi-tion of so many soulsso dear to Jesus Christand to me.In order to dissipatethis black cloud, that prevents the Church from enjoy-ing the clear day of liberty, there will be a formidableand frightful war, which will see the bloodshed ofcountrymen and of foreigners, of secular and regularpriests, as well as that of religious. This night will bemost horrible, for, humanly speaking, evil will seemto triumph.This, then, will mark the arrival of my hour, when I,

in a marvelous way, will dethronethe proud and cursed Satan, tram-pling him under my feet and fet-tering him in the infernal abyss.Thus the Church and Countrywill be finally free of his crueltyranny.

«The fifth reason for the lamp be-ing extinguished is due to the laxi-ty and the negligence of those who possess greatwealth, who will indifferently stand by and witnessthe Church being oppressed, virtue being persecut-

ed, and the triumphof evil, without pi-ously employingtheir riches for thedestruction of thisevil and the restora-tion of the Faith. It isalso due to the indif-ference of the peoplein allowing the Nameof God to be gradual-ly snuffed out andadhering to the spiritof evil, freely deliver-ing themselves to thevices and passions.Alas! my chosendaughter! If it weregiven to you to live inthis tenebrous era,you would die of sor-row to see all that Ihave revealed to youhere take place. MostHoly Son and I have agreat love for thisland, our legacy, thatwe desire that evennow the applicationof your sacrifices andprayers to shorten thetime of such a terriblecatastrophe!».

***

After this admirablevision, all that had

been narrated by Our Lady passed before the eyes ofMother Mariana as if on a silent presentation. She wasgiven to know the countless number of souls whowould be condemned for the above-mentioned rea-sons. Seeing this, Mother Mariana fainted and re-mained to all appearances, dead there in the choirfor a couple days. But Mother Mariana, miraculouslywoke up and lived her last year of life.


Apparition Apparition of Jesus Christof Jesus Christ

On November 2, 1634, after re-ceiving Holy Communion, MotherMariana had a vision of JesusChrist.«He was, however, but one

wound, especially His Sacred Heart, which was cov-ered with small but piercing thorns which torment-ed Him with extraordinary cruelty. He shed a delugeof tears, accompanied by tender lamentations andsighs.Mother Mariana embraced Him in her heart with allthe tenderness and adora-tion for her Lord and Godthat burned in her soul. Inan outburst of sorrowfullove, she cried out: «Es-teemed and adored Loveof my soul, if it is possi-ble, tell me what causesThee to suffer such a cruelmartyrdom?». Jesus Christ gazed at herwith loving tenderness.Releasing a profoundsigh, He said:«... You see how thesesmall thorns sting me cru-elly. Understand thatthey are the grave as wellas slight faults of mypriests, secular and reli-gious, who I take fromthe world and bring themto the cloisters. I lavish onthem a deluge of spiritualgraces, giving them alsoserious, prolonged sick-nesses so that they mightbecome like unto Me. But,ungrateful and heartless,they complain about My loving Providence. Theythink I am being cruel to them, and withdrawingwith indifference, they leave Me alone.The spirit of such souls will wilt like a parched flower,drying up and becoming unable to emit its fragrancein the garden of my Immaculate Mother, to whichsuch souls were called. With this ungrateful behav-ior, they will thrust these tiny thorns into My Heart,cruelly wounding It, which is all love and affectionfor My chosen souls. At the same time they will frus-trate the great designs that I have for them, for whichreason I test them in this manner, for the cross andtribulation are the patrimony of the just here on earth.Instill in your present-day daughters the love of the

cross and sacrifice so that they can transmit this fromgeneration to generation, in this Convent as well as inthe Order in general. Imbue them also with a love fortheir religious vocation and regular observance, aswell as fraternal charity and love for poor sinners, andfaithful correspondence to the inspirations of grace.The times will come when doctrine will be spreadamong the learned and the ignorant, accessible topriests and religious, and even the common people.Many books will be written. But the practice of thevirtues and these doctrines will be found only in afew souls: for this reason, saints will become rare.Precisely for this reason: My priests and religiouswill fall into a fatal indifference. Their frigidity willextinguish the fire of divine love, afflicting My lov-ing Heart with these small thorns that you see.

For this reason, I desirethat here there should besouls here in whom I canrest from My fatigues andin whom I might takecomplacence. Their afflict-ed, sacrificial lives will bethe caressing, compas-sionate hands that removethese tiny thorns from MyHeart and apply the need-ed balsam.Alas! If it were given toyou to understand My in-tense interior suffering -which accompanied Mefrom the Incarnation inthe most pure womb ofMy Virgin Mother untilthe moment when MySoul left Its laceratedBody, nailed on the Cross.And this suffering iscaused by the lack of cor-respondence to the del-uge of graces with whichI inundate My priestsand religious and, conse-quently, by the sins that

they commit! Know, moreover, that Divine Justicereleases terrible chastisements on entire nations, notonly for the sins of the people but for those ofpriests and religious persons. For the latter arecalled, by the perfection of their state, to be the salt ofthe earth, the masters of truth, and the shields tohold back Divine Ire. Straying from their sublimemission, they degrade themselves in such a way that,before the eyes of God, they increase the rigor of thepunishments. When they detach themselves from Me,they end up living a superficial life of soul, maintain-ing a distance from Me unworthy of My Ministers. Bytheir frigidity and lack of confidence, they act as if Iwere a stranger to them.

Alas! If they knew, if they were convinced of howmuch I love them and desire that they enter into thevery depths of their souls. There, without a doubt,they would find Me and would necessarily live thelife of love, light and continuous union to which theywere not only called, but chosen!Now, my spouse, in the few months of exile that re-main to you, labor untiringly for the perfection ofMy priests and religious persons. In union with Myinfinite merits and those of My Immaculate Motherand yours, offer all that you do - even to your leastbreath- for this.I am greatly pleased by religious souls who take up-on themselves the sublime task of sanctifying theClergy through their prayers, sacrifices, andpenances. In all times I will choose such souls so

that, uniting themselves to Me, they will labor, prayand suffer to attain of this most noble end, and aspecial glory will await them in Heaven».

After this moving vision, Mother Mariana seemedtransformed into a new creature. She seemed an angelin human flesh and a seraphim filled with God. Herwords were flaming arrows of divine love that swee-tly wounded the hearts of the fortunate daughterswho lived with her.

77thth Apparition Apparition of Our Ladyof Our Lady

The night of December 1634, at11:30 o’clock, Mother Mariana di-rected her steps to the upper choirfor her customary prayer. There, shedding a torrent of tears,she presented each one of her daughters to the DivinePrisoner and her Most Holy Mother. She imploredgood success for her own and their passages to eterni-ty. During this colloquy, she felt the vehemence of di-vine love and lost her bodily senses.Then she saw before her the Queen of Heaven, beau-tiful and captivating as always, with her Most HolySon in her left arm and the crosier in her right hand.She was accompanied by the three Archangels.– St. Michael carried a countless number of white tu-nics sprinkled with stars, adorned with burnishedgold. Each tunic was trimmed with an exquisite collarof fine pearls, from which hung a most beautiful goldcross with every type of precious stone. In the middleof the cross was a shining star engraved with thesweet names of Jesus and Mary.– St. Gabriel carried a chalice bearing the Blood of theRedeemer, a ciborium filled with Hosts, and a largequantity of fragrant, white lilies.– St. Raphael bore a large, precious ampulla, trans-parent and finely chiseled, which contained a superbbalsam, whose suave odor floated out from the recep-tacle and diffused in the air, purifying the atmosphereand causing the soul to feel a supreme joy and ad-mirable tranquility. He also carried many violet-col-ored stoles that shone with a splendorous brillianceand a writing quill of a shining and refulgent gold,marked with the name of Mary.The three Holy Archangels stood before their Sover-eign Queen, whose left arm sustained the King of theHeaven and the Prince of Eternity. The nine angelicchoirs, upon a signal from Prince St. Michael, began tosing with celestial harmony, with one choir succeed-ing another until they reached the ninth.After this celestial symphony had ended, the Queenspoke these words:«My most beloved daughter and chosen spouse of thespotless Lamb, leave this earth, the sad land of exile ofthe just, and come forthwith to your long-desired Fa-therland. The hard winter of your mortal existencehas passed, and your eternal springtime begins,where the good works practiced during earthly lifeare flowers of rare beauty, exquisite perfumes of greatvalue, because they are the price of the dolorous Re-demption.If mortals only understood how to appreciate the timegiven to them and would take advantage of each mo-ment of life, how different the world would be! And aconsiderable number of souls would not fall to their


eternal perdition! This disdain isthe fundamental cause for theirdownfall! My daughter, have pityon your imprudent brethren sin-ners and weep for them. Implor-ing your God and Redeemer tosend to their souls many special,efficacious graces, powerfulenough to withdraw them fromthe dark abyss where they lie.

Do you see what the three Archangels St. Michael, St.Gabriel, and St. Raphael carry with joy?

Know that the white tunics, carried by St. Michael,are destined, first, for my faithful and fervent daugh-ters throughout time who will live in this cloister: tosome for having preservedtheir baptismal innocence,and to others for having puri-fied themselves by austerepenances (…).Second, the white tunics arealso for secular and regularpriests, and laity of both sex-es, who, loving my MostHoly Son and myself withsimple, upright hearts, alsolove this Convent of ourpredilection. Ignoring criti-cism and scorn, they strivefor its conservation and ded-icate themselves to propagat-ing my devotion under theconsoling invocation ofGood Success, which will bethe sustenance and safe-guard of the Faith in the al-most total corruption of the20th century.

«St. Gabriel carries this pre-cious chalice bearing theBlood of the Redeemer: thissignifies the grace of the res-urrection from death (fromsin) and the restoration ofsouls by means of the Sacra-ment of Penance, which theministers of my Most HolySon make available abun-dantly to restore life to soulskilled by the satanic jealousyof the infernal dragon.See and contemplate the grandeur of this restoringand life-giving Sacrament, so forgotten and evenscorned by ungrateful mortals, who, in their mad illu-sions do not realize that it is the only sure means ofsalvation after losing one’s baptismal innocence. (…).«As you see, St. Gabriel also carries a ciborium filled


with Hosts: this signifies the most august Sacramentof the Eucharist, which will be distributed by myCatholic priests to faithful belonging to the HolyRoman, Catholic and Apostolic Church, whose visi-ble head is the Pope, the King of Christendom. Hispontifical infallibility will be declared a Dogma ofFaith by the same Pope chosen to proclaim the Dog-ma of the Mystery of my Immaculate Conception.He will be persecuted and imprisoned in the Vaticanby the unjust usurpation of the Pontifical Statesthrough the iniquity, envy and avarice of an earthlymonarch.See the filled ciborium so that you might comprehendthe sublimity of this Mystery and the reverence withwhich it should be treated and received by the faith-ful. It will be an antidote against sin and an easy and

powerful means for souls tounite themselves to their Godand Redeemer, Who, in theexcess of His love, hidesHimself under the white ac-cidents of the Host, exposedto the sacrilegious profana-tions of His ungrateful sons.To make amends for thesesacrileges is the work of con-templative souls, and, in aspecial way, to the daughtersof My Immaculate Concep-tion. Know that in the DivineArcana, this hidden and vol-untary expiation was one ofthe designs of God in dispos-ing the foundation of this Or-der so dear to Him.

«These countless whitelilies, beautiful and exceed-ingly fragrant - that you seetogether with the chalice andthe ciborium borne by myArchangel Gabriel are all thegood religious of my Order(and they will be very numer-ous in cloisters throughoutthe World). Each one of themwill have a distinct mission.and will receive torrents ofgraces unceasingly fromHeaven for this end. I recom-mend my daughters to sufferso that the seven Sacra-

ments, are received with perfection by the faithful,above all the third (Holy Eucharist), the fourth (Con-fession) and the sixth Sacraments (Holy Orders).

The large, transparent and precious ampulla carriedby my Archangel Raphael contains an extraordinarybalsam of the sweetest fragrance, which is diffused

through the air and purifies the atmosphere, commu-nicating to the soul a supreme happiness and ad-mirable tranquility. It represents the cloisters and theconvents. They are chosen places that see the dailypractice of the solid virtue, as well as the observanceof the Rule and austere penances of its inhabitants.The purity and chastity that exist there are the exquis-ite aroma that perfumes the fortunate countries thatpossess monasteries and convents. They purify the airpolluted by those in the world delivered over to themost shameful vices and passions. At the same time,they transmit to souls that ineffable joy and admirablepeace that causes sinners to fall into themselves andturn toward God. This takes place by virtue of theprayers raised up in these houses to Heaven inces-santly, day and night. Like Moses with his armsraised to Heaven, religioussouls supplicate and makepenances for sinners to beconverted and their nationssaved from the torrent ofvices and passions that calldown the terrible chastise-ments of Divine Justice.Woe to the world should itlack monasteries and con-vents! Mortals do not com-prehend their importance,for, if they understood, theywould use their wealth tomultiply them, because theyprovide the remedy for allphysical and moral evils.The Most Holy Trinity andI, the Mother and model ofreligious persons, love thesehouses with great tenderness.I am the channel for that ri-ver of precious graces thatare not given to those in theworld. For in each monasteryand convent I am truly andtenderly loved; their mem-bers have recourse to mewith that confidence and lovethat sons and daughters havefor their tender and lovingmother. Under different in-vocations, they venerate mein all these places. The Ar-changels gather up their prayers, tears, penances, si-ghs and lives of sacrifices and present them to me. Ithen present them before the throne of the God forthe salvation of the world.No one on the face of the earth realizes whence comesthe salvation of souls, the conversion of great sinners,the deferral of great scourges, the production and fer-tility of the lands, the end of pestilences and wars, andthe harmony between nations. All this is due to the

prayers that rise up from monas-teries and convents».«The innumerable violet-coloredstoles carried by my ArchangelRaphael, which shine resplenden-tly and illuminate the sanctuary,symbolize the effective action andzeal of good priests, who, withself-abnegation, forget themsel-ves to make Jesus Christ and my-self known and loved. Faithful to their mission confi-ded to them by the Father of the Family, they laboruntiringly in the vineyard of the Lord to make it growand prosper and to save the souls ransomed by theBlood of the Redeemer. These are the good and faith-ful servants who will enter into the joy of their Lord.

The quill of polished andshining gold marked withMy Name is for all thepriests of both clergies (regu-lar and secular) who write ofmy glories and sorrows. It isalso for those who by meansof their writing diffuse mydevotion of Good Success ofthis Convent, as well as yourlife, which is inseparablefrom this tender and consol-ing invocation.In the 20th century, this de-votion will work prodigiesin the spiritual as well astemporal spheres, because itis the will of God to reservethis invocation and knowl-edge of your life for that cen-tury, when the corruption ofcustoms will be almost gen-eral and the precious light ofFaith almost extinguished»!

«Now, my beloved daughter,you realize the significance ofall the things that you see inthe hands of my holy Archan-gels: Michael (Who is like un-to God?); Gabriel (The Forti-tude of God); Raphael (TheRemedy of God).

Each Archangel fulfills a mission in assisting deca-dent humanity. Even if the rest of mankind neglectsinvoking and venerating these holy Princes, I desirethat you and your present-day daughters, as well asthose to come, should do this to receive graces and fa-vors - material and moral – for yourselves and for thisConvent. I also verify that they will always take careof my Statue and of this beloved Convent so favoredby the goodness of God».


DeathDeathof Mother Marianaof Mother Mariana

In the first five days of 1635, Moth-er Mariana remained very week,becoming worse every day.The seventh day, she began to suf-fer prolonged swoons daily. She

did not remain in bed, however, but forced herself toalways be with her beloved Sisters.On January 11, after Communion, she lost conscious-ness again and, after trying to stand, she fell to theground. She then asked to be carried to the infirmarybecause those were her last days. She knew she wouldexpire on January 16.And this day finally dawned.


Mother Mariana assisted and consoled each Sister inprivate, confessed herself, assisted to the Mass cele-brated in the room with the presence of the Bishop,made her profession of Faith, received the ExtremeUnction, then the bell rang to gather the Sisters fortheir last meeting with her. Then, she read her Testa-ment, asking, ordering and commanding that it befollowed by her successors and transmitted from gen-eration to generation. She desired its text to always beat hand. After she finished speaking, the Friar assisting her,placed his crucifix it in her hands. She held it tightlyagainst her heart. At the conclusion of the prayers,two large tears rolled down the rosy cheeks of MotherMariana and, with a profound sigh, she expired.

The large bell, toning the hours, rang that moment: itwas 15:00 o’clock of January 16, 1635.

In 1885, the body of Mother Mariana was exhumed, 271 years after her death. Her body was found whole and incorrupt: «She was wearing awhite habit with a black veil. Her face retained its natural color with a rosy hue in the cheeks and lips. Through her slightly parted lips, the tonguecould be seen. The eyes were closed, but preserved, as well as the eye lashes. The ears were flexible. The hair was red. The whole body exhaled a per-fume of lilies». The bodies of the other Founding Mothers were also discovered incorrupt, and preserved today in the newly restored sepulchre of theConvent of the Immaculate Conception of Quito.


The TestamentThe Testamentof Mother Marianaof Mother Mariana

In her Testament, Mother Mariana addresses JesusChrist saying:«My love, open to me the doors of Your Kingdomjust as on that memorable day, You opened to me theblessed doors of the cloister of my ImmaculateMother where I sanctified myself by carrying outYour holy will under Your gaze alone.Behold me, weary ofthe harsh exile of mor-tal life where I sufferedin silence and for loveof You all the hard-ships that You sent me.The road was long, butI have finally reachedits end. Open Yourarms and permit me torest from my laboursand lay my weary headin the ardent fires ofYour Divine Heart (...).Now I come eagerly totake possession of theblessed eternity thatYou promised me,when I will live underthe mantle of my Im-maculate Mother andin company of my Fa-ther, Francis of Assisi».But the major worry ofMother Mariana wasthe conversion of sin-ners. She points out themeans to convert sin-ners: the imitation ofChrist in His meeknessand heart humility andbeing united to Himand nailed with Him tothe same Cross, to haveHim always ready tohear the petitions andrequests for the soulsneeding the divinehelp.

It is important to notethat the message ofOur Lady of GoodSuccess had been deemed by Mother Mariana so im-portant for this poor world that her last thoughtswere to promote the devotion and the messages re-ceived by Our Lady.

In her Testament, in fact, shewrote:«When the Divine Master washanging from the ignominiousgibbet of the Cross on which Heexpired amid His almost infinitesufferings and torments, the testa-ment that He gave to redeemedhumanity was to leave us HisMother as our Mother. Address-ing His Virgin Mother, He said:“Woman, behold your son!”, the beloved Disciple.

Then He said to John:“Behold your Moth-er!”.Behold your HeavenlyMother, Our Lady ofGood Success. Shewill always give yougood successes».

«Have a great love forthe Blessed Virgin. Im-itate her virtues, aboveall, her profound hu-mility and her ardentlove for God and poorsinners. Love each oth-er with a childish sim-plicity and innocencethat permits no false-ness of hypocrisy inyour souls. Conserveand propagate the de-votion to Our Ladyunder the tender invo-cation of Good Suc-cess, so that She mightobtain whatever youask of Jesus and Mary.You should also takesupreme care of yourgreat treasure andstrive to make Herknown and loved bythe greatest number ofsouls possible, assur-ing them that withthis devotion theywill always attaingood success in timeand in eternity...».

«Have recourse to Herin all your spiritual

and temporal needs. When your soul suffer tempta-tions and hardships, and if the star of the divine voca-tion, by divine permission, is hidden from your soul’ssight, run to Her with confidence and say:

Jesus in agony, with the Virgin Mary, St. John and St. Mary Magdelene at the foot of the Cross.

«Star of the stormy sea «Star of the stormy sea of my mortal life, of my mortal life,

may your light shine upon memay your light shine upon meso that I do not stray so that I do not stray

from the path from the path that leads me to Heaven».that leads me to Heaven».


Beatification CauseBeatification Causeof Mother Marianaof Mother Mariana

On August 8, 1986, after examining extensivedata on her life, Archbishop of Quito, AntonioJ. Gonzalez issued an Episcopal decree toinitiate the Cause of Beatification of the Ven-erable Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres.This decree affirmed that Mother Marianahad practiced all the virtues to a heroic de-gree, and was distinguished for her devotionsto the Passion of Christ, the Holy Eucharistand the Mother of God. It also acknowledgedher supernatural gifts and favors, during herlifetime.The Archbishop named Mons. doct. Luis E.Cadena y Almeida as Postulator for her Causeof Beatification and established an ecclesiasti-cal Tribunal to begin the first phase of theprocess. From that time until his death, Mons.Cadena y Almeida had compiled an impres-sive collection of documentation, testimonies,and works - many of which he published withecclesiastical approval - that demonstrate thesanctity of life of Mother Mariana and thetruth of the prophecies she received in the 40visits of Our Lady of Good Success to MotherMariana - of which many have been proven tobe fulfilled.

«Blessed be Mariana Francisca de JesusTorres! Thy warnings of justice have struckour very bones. We acknowledge that we are in kinship withthee for having sown in these Andean Moun-tain ranges the white and blue lilies of the Im-maculate Conception; for having won for usthe gift of the Christian Faith and Marianlove; and for having sprinkled in our lives theiridescent gold of hope engendered by the de-votion to the Mother of Good Success, thecertain anchor of salvation. And by the example of thy life, resplendentwith virtues; by the fulfillment of thyprophecies and the Divine message that thyhands placed in our consciences; by all themarvels of sanctity, love and graces workedby God to form thee, educate thee, and per-fect thee; and by thy sacrificial and perma-nent self-surrender for our conversion andsalvation; for these and all that we owe thee,we offer to thee our undying gratitude. Aspledge of this we also offer:

♦♦ To be faithful to the devotion and propa-gation of the cult of Our Lady of GoodSuccess.

♦♦ To form a stronghold with our hearts, ourminds and all our human and superhumanefforts in order to defend the interests,ideals and purposes inherent to the exi-stence of thy foundation of the RoyalConvent of the Immaculate Conception.

♦♦ To join prayers and efforts of every kind toachieve from the ecclesiastic authoritiesthe acknowledgement of the sanctity ofthy life and thy work so that thou mightbe crowned with the honor of the altarsfor the glory of God, the Church andEcuador.

Solemn PledgeSolemn Pledgeto Mother Marianato Mother Mariana

Solemn Pledge to Mariana de Jesus Torres by Mons. Dr. Luis E. Cadena y Almeida,

Postulator for the Cause of Beatification of the Servant of God Mother Mariana Francisca de Jesus

Torres y Berriochoa. Quito, March 1, 1987(The Book, in which this prayer was found, has an Imprimatur).

Declaration Declaration of Marian Sanctuaryof Marian Sanctuary

DECREEin which the Church

of the Convent of the ImmaculateConception of Quito

is declared an Archdiocesan Marian Sanctuary

CONSIDERING:

1.1. That the church of the Convent of the Immaculate Con-ception of the city of Quito accomplishes 414 years ofexistence and service to the divine cult;

2.2. That in this church the sacred Statue of Mary of GoodSuccess is venerated since 380 years;

3.3. That the Religious of the Convent and many devoteesof the city of Quito, of the Archdiocese and of Ecuadorhave cultivated, with great enthusiasm, the devotion tothe Mother of God in this church;

4.4. That many devotees of the city and of this Country con-tinue to take care of this church in a monumental way,most especially on occasion of the Novena and theFeast of Candlemas, on February 2 of each year, ren-dering to Mary of Good Success a fervent homage oflove and gratitude and placing their trust in Her mater-nal protection, all this with approval of the ecclesiasti-cal Authority;

5.5. That the Religious Community of the Convent, the aux-iliary Committee for the Cause of Beatification of theServant of God, Mariana Francisca de Jesus Torres yBerriochoa, the Metropolitan Chapter and the Curia’sofficers, interpreting the will of the Catholic people,have addressed the Prelate of the Archdiocese a re-spectful petition.

According to the faculties conferred to the Ordinary of thecity, along with the Canons 1230 and 1232 of the in forceCanon Law Code, for the present Decree,

WE DECLARE THE CHURCH OF THE CONVENT

OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF QUITOAN ARCHDIOCESAN MARIAN SANCTUARY,

DEDICATED IN HONOUR TO MARY OF GOOD SUCCESS.

Archbishop’s Palace of Quito, January 7, 1991.

Mons. Antonio J. Gonzalez Z.,Archbishop of Quito


Canonical Coronation Canonical Coronation of the Sacred Statueof the Sacred Statue

DECREE

of the Canonical Coronationof the Statue of the Most Holy Virgin of Good Success,

venerated in the church of the Conventof the Immaculate Conception of the city of Quito.

CONSIDERING:

1.1. That since 380 years the Catholic devotees of Quitoand of Ecuador have rendered public and continuouscult to the Statue of Mary of Good Success, in thechurch of the Convent of the Immaculate Conception,specially on the occasion of the Novena and the Feastof Candlemas, on February 2 of each year;

2.2. That, according to historical data located in the Con-vent, the sacred Statue of Mary of Good Success hadbeen sculptured by the Spanish artist Francisco de laCruz Castillo upon request of the Servant of God, Mari-ana de Jesus Torres y Berriochoa, who, in a mysteriousapparition of February 2, 1610, received the order fromthe Mother of God to execute it;

3.3. That the Mother of God, under the invocation of Maryof Good Success, has often shown Her maternal protec-tion to the religious Community of the Convent as to itsdevotees of the city of Quito and of the whole Ecuador;

4.4. That the devotion to Mary of Good Success has alwaysbeen growing, especially starting from 1986, with theopening of the Cause of Beatification of Mother Mari-ana, co-founder and second Abbess of the Convent ofthe Immaculate Conception; and

5.5. That the Community of the Convent, the auxiliaryCommittee for the Cause of Beatification of the Servantof God, and the Metropolitan Chapter, the Curia’s offi-cers and several devotees have addressed the ecclesias-tical Authorities with a respectful petition;

According to the functions conferred by the “Ordo Coro-nandi imaginem Beatae Mariae Virginis”, published bythe Holy See on March 25, 1981,

DECREES

1.1. The Canonical Coronation of the Sacred Statue ofMary of Good Success, as filial homage to the ferventdevotion and rendering of thanks to the Mother of Godon behalf of the religious Community of the Conventand of the devotees of the city of Quito and of thewhole Archdiocese; and

2.2. That the ceremony of the solemn Canonical Corona-tion to be held on Saturday February 2, 1991, at19:30, in the Archdiocese’s Marian Sanctuary of theConvent of the Immaculate Conception of Quito.

Archbishop’s Palace of Quito, January 7, 1991.

Mons. Antonio J. Gonzalez Z.,Archbishop of Quito

...... ssuuddddeennllyy,, tthhee wwhhoollee CChhuurrcchh hhaadd bbeeccoommee iimmmmeerrsseedd iinn ddaarrkknneessss,, aass ffrroomm dduusstt aanndd ssmmookkee..

«This punishment will be«This punishment will befor the 20for the 20thth century».century».

“I“I shall punish heresy”,shall punish heresy”,“I shall punish blasphemy”,“I shall punish blasphemy”,“I shall punish impurity”!“I shall punish impurity”!

(God the Father)

chiesa viva: the apostolate of our lady of good success

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