Warnings and Chastisements: The Coronavirus, the Sacraments and Our Lady of Good Success
Matthew Bellisario O.P. 2015, 2020
For while we are grieved and distressed through the loss of wealth; or by reason of sickness, and death, and the other evils that befall us, we not only reap no consolation from our sorrow, but we also increase the force of these calamities. But if we are in pain and sorrow for our sins, we diminish the weight of sin; we make that little which is great; and very often we blot it all out entirely. You should continually remember this, I repeat, in order that you may mourn for sin only, and for nothing besides; and the additional fact, that sin, though it brought death and sadness into our life, is again destroyed by both these; which I have recently made evident. Therefore, let us fear nothing so much as sin and transgression. Let us not fear punishment, and then we shall escape punishment. Even as the Three Children were not afraid of the furnace, and so escaped from the furnace. Such indeed it becomes the servants of God to be. For if those who were brought up under the Old dispensation, when death was not yet slain, nor his brazen gates broken down, nor his iron bars smitten in sunder; so nobly encountered their end, how destitute of all defense or excuse shall we be, if, after having had the benefit of such great grace, we attain not even to the same measure of virtue as they did, now when death is only a name, devoid of reality. For death is nothing more than a sleep, a journey, a migration, a rest, a tranquil haven; an escape from trouble, and a freedom from the cares of this present life! (St. John Chrysostom)
Our Time of Trial
I write this to you on March 10th, 2020. It is a time of tremendous trial for the Church and the world. We have an unprecedented crisis of faith in the Church, where scandal and heresy rule in many Catholic parishes. Cardinal Burke in December of 2017 said, “In the present moment there is confusion and error about the most fundamental teachings of the Church..." Modernism has become the norm in theological circles distorting the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, degrading our moral teachings and watering down our dogmatic theology. All of this is thwarting the divine commission given to the Church by Christ to go out into the world and make disciples. The problem of catechesis has degraded so bad that many are now going back to the older catechisms which were written in much clearer formats than the current one which is now being "updated". Even Bishop Athanasius Schneider is currently using the Catechism of Trent to teach the faith on his own website and endorses a new project to bring long out of print catechisms back to life in the Church. I would recommend taking advantage of the vast amount of traditional Catholic writings that are now available as reprints.
To make matters worse the world now teeters between multiple disasters which are all consequences for the unrepentant sins of our age. The world economy runs on a shoestring, while war and disease, despite all of our technological advances stalk us closely in the shadows. As I write, the coronavirus or what is now being called Covid-19 for the year it began, now apparently threatens the globe, if not by the viral sickness itself, then the reactions to it, which in my opinion are much more interesting than the virus itself. The reactions of many countries throughout the world may have an unprecedented impact on the global economy. The stock market over the past few weeks has been a rollercoaster and yesterday March 9th it dropped more than 2000 points! Panic also has the potential to disrupt the ordinary medical care than many need to stay alive due to the regular need for medication or services due to ongoing illness. While these concerns are indeed real, these are material in nature. What about the spiritual, which is much more important?
"I am concerned that we have lost our courage and our faith and subordinated holy things to the state in this matter. Canceling Mass while bars and restaurants remain open during the day is obtuse and seems to demonstrate a lack of resolve among our leaders...Some will call me irresponsible for calling for public and communal Masses to resume. “People are dying,” they will say. I can only respond by saying that souls are dying due to fear and worldly obsession with death. Death will come to all of us, and not likely by coronavirus. The deeper and more important question is this: Are you ready to die and face judgment?" Monsignor Charles Pope
The reactions of various state governments stand to pose a threat to the public celebration of the Sacraments of the Church! In Italy for example, many parts are suspending Mass, Funerals, and Confessions until the virus is under control. It is not known how many priests will cease going to hospitals to offer extreme unction for the dying! Sadly, it seems that many priests and bishops do not see this as being a problem. This should be a cause of concern for Catholics who take their faith seriously. At the time of this writing so far in the US, we have not had any Masses canceled. There have been some precautions such as withholding the Precious Blood in most parishes, but nothing that thus far that has any impact on receiving the Sacraments themselves. This then is a good time to reflect on our spiritual lives. We should ask ourselves some important questions.
Are we taking the Sacraments seriously? Do we truly prepare ourselves to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist? Do we take advantage of the Sacrament of Confession and truly make an attempt to amend our lives? Are we taking the Sacraments for granted in any capacity? I have no idea as to the true danger or lack thereof concerning this novel coronavirus. The numbers and statistics they are giving us, in my opinion, do not really measure up to the reactions of the world governments. Why this is the case has yet to be determined. Is the virus more serious than they are telling us or perhaps is this an overreaction that may threaten the global economy? Can a global economic crash start a world war? All of these are pure speculation. One thing is certain, this is no time for clowning around with our faith or the Sacraments. It is time that we focus on our spiritual lives for we know not when our own time of death will occur, or how it will occur. As my dear late friend, Monsignor La Femina used to tell me, "God is infinite mercy but He does not give us infinite time. When He comes to get you, He comes to get you!"
In light of the conundrums we face in the Church and in the world today, I want to pull your attention to a very special Marian devotion, one that is dear to my heart, that of Our Lady of Good Success. In 2015 I made a lifechanging pilgrimage to Quito, Ecuador where I personally had many experiences of the love of Our Lady. In 2015 soon after my pilgrimage, I wrote several small articles on two of my other websites on this particular apparition. I have gone through them,, compiled much of the content and edited them for this post here on DominicanTrad. While I have kept much of the basic content I have completely rearranged and edited the material to offer both a warning and a comforting solution to the challenges we all face in light of Our Lady of Good Success. In our time of trial, she will be your faithful guide!
Early History
In 1576 five foundresses by the command of the King of Spain, Phillip II sailed across the Atlantic to found a Franciscan Conceptionist Convent in Quito, Ecuador. Along with the five nuns also sailed a young pious girl Maria de Jesus Torres who was the niece of one of the foundresses, Mother Maria de Jesus Taboada. From the very outset of their perilous voyage, several miracles occurred showing Our Lord and His Mother’s generous protection over their endeavor. Along with the founding of the convent, the entire life of Maria de Jesus Torres was filled with extraordinary visits from Our Lord, The Blessed Virgin Mary, The Saints, and even the archangels. The messages given to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres are very unique in the life of the Church, being that they not only were given for Mother Mariana’s own time for the local church in Ecuador, but many were especially given for a future age, our own.
At the young age of 13, Mother Mariana came to South America with a very special task at hand. She would be given the task of overseeing the convent after her aunt would fall asleep in the Lord. Our Lord has specially ordained the establishment and future preservation of the Conceptionist convent under the protection of the Blessed Virgin of Good Success for a special mission. The convent is important for several reasons. The first reason is for the salvation of souls in Ecuador and the salvation of the Conceptionist sisters in Ecuador. As we will see, their Franciscan spirit is uniquely Marian and is essential to the establishment and survival of the Catholic faith in Ecuador. There was also an immense punishment of the convent when it was separated from the Franciscan friars due to rebellious unobservant nuns. Our Lord, however, told Mother Mariana about the future of the convent which appeared to her, covered in Our Lord’s blood, “In this sea of my Heart’s blood I am ready to wash the guilt of those who, being repentant, have recourse to Me.”
For the Salvation of Souls
Our Lady preserves the convent for the salvation of souls across the globe, especially for the souls of our modern time, which face unique persecutions from the devil. The convent is directly tied to the devotion of Our Lady of Good Success, which Our Lady said would be a beacon for the survival of the Catholic faith in our age. Our Lady told Mother Mariana, “this convent is a fortress, and it will bring about salvation for so many souls, drawing them away from the abyss of sin which they find themselves.” It is for us today that Our Lady has come under this glorious title, ‘Good Success’. Mother Mariana was born in 1563 in Spain in the province of Vizcaya. In Spain, there was an older devotion to Our Lady of Good Success, which began after the discovery of an illuminated statue of Our Lady found in a cave. This devotion, however, was primarily a local Spanish devotion, and it was not until Our Lady appeared to Mother Mariana in Quito, that this title would become more widely known to the rest of the world.
The Monastery of the Immaculate Conception to which Mother Mariana would be associated with would be founded in 1577 and would be the first monastery of nuns in Quito. Saint Beatriz of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God founded the order itself in Spain. It should be noted that in Spanish, convents are associated with the male orders and the monasteries are associated with the female orders. Hence we have the official name of Mother Mariana’s convent, The Monastery of the Immaculate Conception of Quito. The church and cloister although established in 1577 were not completed until 1625. Unfortunately, the government in Ecuador has not always been favorable towards Holy Mother Church. The government has seized some parts of the convent over the years and the convent is in a state of a constant struggle to retain its property.
Miracles
From its founding, there were many miracles associated with the monastery setting it apart for the work of God and Our Lady. Even before the sisters arrived in Quito, they were attacked by Satan who appeared as a hideous monstrous serpent with 7 heads in the waves of the sea, which tried to sink the ship upon which they sailed. As the sisters prayed for deliverance, Our Lady appeared and confronted the beast. Satan angrily told the sisters that he would never allow the founding of the monastery. Our Lady answered his threats by cutting him to pieces and driving away the dark skies, which appeared over them upon his arrival. Soon after the sisters arrived in Ecuador Our Lady affirmed her desire for the establishment of the convent. On Jan 21st, 1577 while praying in a small provisional chapel three lights shined in the chapel. One shined upon a statue of the Blessed Virgin, holding the Divine Infant in her arms. The second light shined on the altar itself and a third illuminating a star on the crucifix above the altar. All who were present heard a heavenly singing and the image of Our Lady itself was seen to be moving. Thus from the very start of this convent, Our Lady has miraculously claimed it as her own.
Fatima and Quito
The two apparitions of Fatima and Our Lady of Good Success are both very important for our time. Although much older, the messages of Our Lady of Good Success are just now becoming more widely known throughout the world. The Fatima messages are more general in nature in some ways compared to those of Quito. While Fatima came to us via the 3 children in the early 1900s, those of Quito only have become widely known many years after Fatima. So it seems that the world was given a popular message from Fatima explaining the horrors of sin and the forthcoming consequences coming upon the world, in preparation for a less known yet more detailed message from Quito which illustrates in more detail the sins and consequences.
As we know, the Church in large part has neglected to follow the messages of Fatima. We have not stopped sinning, we have not been saying the rosary every day, and we have not done penance in reparation for sin. Likewise, we have yet to see the errors of Russia cease to spread across the world. In fact, the errors have become more widespread over the past 10 years or so. We see the general population of the US accepting radical forms of socialism and immorality which would have been unheard of 60 years ago. So it is clear that we have not heeded Our Lady's messages from Fatima and we are suffering because of it.
Being the compassionate mother she is, it seems that Our Lady wanted to give us another chance. If we look at Quito, we find more answers as to the immoral atrocities we are experiencing now. The prophecies consist not only of a coming chastisement, but there is also immense hope in the coming reign of Our Lady which will follow. There are many prophesies given to us through Our Lady of Good Success some of which I will now cover.
The Warning
"There will be four black clouds that will cover the four corners of the earth, from which will proceed countless demons that will take dominion over the earth"
This prophetic warning has certainly been confirmed from what we are seeing right now in our time with the majority of the world adopting and promoting the worst atrocities man has ever witnessed. Throughout the world abortion murders countless innocents which cry out to God for vengeance. Governments across the globe view the murder of innocents as a "right." Worse, they force entire civilizations to fund this killing through taxation and the redefining of healthcare. Likewise, sexual deviancy is the standard of the day, and there are few who consider marriage to be a lifelong commitment binding before God. There is an all-out assault on the image of God in man, and in fact many seek to destroy God's image in man, making man at times almost unrecognizable. Furthermore, we see the diabolical disorientation which many Catholics fall into where religious indifference gives rise to disordered "conservatism" which promotes the false idea that men can work together to build a utopia here on earth by their own efforts. The promotion of human fraternalism is replacing the promotion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Many people claim to believe God exists, but few follow their consciences to see what it is that God asks of us. Most never ask what it is that we believe about what God has revealed to us. We most often create God in our own image. Our wills our self-centered and not centered on God. Materialism is now so entrenched in societies across the world, especially in the West. Countries that just 10 years ago that were very Catholic are now extremely secular. Look at Ireland and even Ecuador. We can see that this secular transformation takes place in a very short course of time, just 10 years. It is most noticeable with the immodesty of clothing. On my pilgrimage to Quito, I had the opportunity to speak to many Catholics who live in Quito and have experienced first hand this degradation. They said that with the dawn of popular television, over the course of just a few years, women no longer dress in modest clothes as they did just a short time ago. Now in Quito, they dress just like Americans where immodesty now rules the day.
As human sexuality becomes more perverted society becomes more violent. As Our Lady told the children at Fatima, war is a punishment for sin. So we can deduce that the more disordered the sin is, the more violence follows in its wake. The diabolical entities that are pushing this immorality have done a good job in turning everything upside down giving the impression that what is good is bad, and what is bad is good. Evil is disguised under the banner of freedom, liberty, and equality. So the four corners of the earth are certainly covered in darkness.
Assessing "The Cuadernón"
God has reserved this invocation for that century, when the corruption of customs will be general and the precious light of Faith is almost extinct". Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres
The name of the book containing the writings of Mother Mariana is known by the name of "The Cuadernón" The writing reveals many prophesies which are being fulfilled as I write this article which not only pertains to Ecuador but the entire world. First, we are given some very specific sins which have become prominent in our time, predominantly that of heresy and sexual immorality. These sins are followed by some very dire consequences which allude to the degradation and loss of several of the Church's Sacraments. Are these warnings now being fulfilled?
Sins of the Modern Age
1. The Spread of Heresy
"In the late 19th century and much of the 20th century, in these lands then a free republic, there will be various heresies ..."
2. The Unprecedented Corruption of Morals
"Passions will overflow and there will be a total corruption of morals by almost a complete reign Satan who will focus primarily on children in order to maintain this general corruption; Ay! Children of that time! Hardly will they receive the Sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation. They confess only while attending Catholic schools, and the devil will do his utmost to destroy them by authorized persons."
"The corrupt people, having taken possession of all classes, have subtlety to enter domestic environments to corrupt children. Thus priestly vocations will be lost and it will be a real calamity. There will be no innocence in children nor modesty in women .. "
"In those times will be an atmosphere full of the spirit of impurity which, by way of an evil sea run through the streets, squares and public places with an amazing freedom, so that there will be in the world souls untouched. The delicate flower virginity, timid and threatened by complete destruction, will look into the distance "
"The foreign people without faith take over these lands damned by Satan and the clear sky is covered by black clouds darkened with all vices corrupting the then Republic dedicated to the Sacred Heart of My Son. "
Dire Consequences
1. The Sacrament of Marriage Profaned and the Loss of Vocations
"As for the Sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be attacked and profaned in every sense of the word. ... Unjust laws will be imposed in order to extinguish this Sacrament, providing that all live in vice, spreading an evil generation of children born without the blessing of the Church... The rapidly declining Christian spirit and the precious light of faith in souls will go out until there is a total corruption of morals that will come by the effects of secular education and for this reason, the desire for priestly and religious vocations will be scarce."
2. The Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist Profaned
"There will be a desecration of the Holy Eucharist! Many times, at that time, the enemies of Jesus Christ, instigated by the devil will steal in the cities the consecrated Hosts for the sole purpose of profaning the Eucharistic species! My Son Holy will be thrown to the ground and trampled under unclean feet."
3. The Sacraments Profaned and Oppressed
"The Sacraments will be attacked, oppressed and despised; Ay! How sorry I am to manifest that there will be much public and hidden sacrilege."
4. The Sacrament of Extreme Unction Denied
"At that time the sacrament of Extreme Unction, since this poor country lacking in the Christian spirit, will be little considered. Many people die without receiving it and there will be neglect or a misunderstood affection for their sick; others, too, for going against the spirit of the Catholic Church pushed by the accursed devil, depriving thus countless souls."
The Solution: The Coming Reign of Our Lady
"When the tribulations of spirit and body press upon us as a wreck in the bottomless sea, a look at my Sacred Image will be a guiding star, ready to listen to their moans and soothe their crying; This devotion will be the lightning rod between Divine Justice and the prevaricating world to prevent discharge of this guilty land the formidable punishment it deserves. " Our Lady of Good Success
We must not end with this foreboding warning. Yes, we must take it seriously, but God is so merciful towards us that He has given us a solution. It is not to be found in material possessions, wealth, open borders, religious liberty, political ideologies or secular world compacts. These illusions only distract us and lead us into eternal ruination. How many there are who get to the end of life and realize that everything they lived for was an illusion. They were martyrs for the devil rather than for God!
Our Lord Jesus and Our Lady want us to have a special devotion to Our Lady of Good Success. She wants her message to be spread far and wide for the salvation of souls so that the punishment for sin might be mitigated or at least to keep us from losing our souls in the midst of these impending chastisements. Although there could be volumes written on the heavenly examples of virtue that can be mined from the story of Mother Mariana and Our Lady of Good Success, I will briefly touch on three in this article that may aid in our spiritual progress. These three divine truths are very important for us to acknowledge and put into practice in order to persevere in a world of trial and tribulation. All three pertain to the salvation of our souls, which is also a primary focus of the Dominicans, which I am blessed to be of the Third Order. The first is the importance of prayer, especially that of the Rosary. The second is recognizing the value of suffering, and the third is the importance of Our Lady’s intercession. Without the embrace of these three realities in the life of a Christian, there is no hope for true holiness and certainly no hope of overcoming the trials that await us.
Prayer and the Rosary
First, we will look at the example of Mother Mariana, her prayer life, and her love of the Rosary. Although most of us will not be able to spend as much time in prayer as a cloistered nun, most of us spend nowhere near the time we should be spending in prayer. Most of us do not understand the true value of prayer and how powerful the Most Holy Rosary is. There is an old saying; “those who pray much have a great chance of going to heaven, those who pray little have little chance of going to heaven and those who do not pray have no chance of going to heaven.” We should take this saying to heart.
Although there are many examples of Mother Mariana’s prayer life in her two-volume biography, there is something that stands out when you read it. One of the chief concerns of Mother Mariana throughout her life was keeping the traditional rule of the order. This meant always following the prayer routine and discipline of the rule. This idea should also spark in us the idea of developing a regular prayer schedule and sticking to it. Laxity is always a danger in the spiritual life whether you are in the cloister or outside. We are never on a plateau, we are either rising towards God in grace or falling towards hell in sin. We must always keep fervor in our prayers and always keep to a standard rule of prayer. Only by persistent sincere prayer can we discern God's will for our lives and purge ourselves of our sinful inclinations. For those who struggle to keep a prayer rule, the Rosary is a good place to begin. Praying the Rosary daily is not an option, it is a mandatory component of our daily prayer. The Rosary was one of Mother Mariana's favorite devotions and it pleases Our Lady when we pray it.
I think it is important to notice that it was Mother's strong devotion to prayer that brought Our Lady to her in this apparition. This is substantiated by Our Lady’s own words when she appeared to her, “I am Mary of Good Success whom you have invoked with most tender affection; your prayer has pleased me greatly; your faith has brought me; your love has invited me to visit you.” So Our lady was pleased with her devotion and petitions. After being paralyzed for five months Our Lady brought Mother Mariana out of her deadened state and her first words were, "Mother, my whole body can now move. How good is the Queen of Heaven who has cured and saved me. Let us now pray the Rosary." Mother Mariana like Saint Bernadette at Fatima centuries later, stressed the importance of the Rosary by her example.
Penance and Suffering
If we continue to look closely at the life of Mother Mariana, we can gain an important understanding of the value of human suffering. Our age is repulsed by any idea of being uncomfortable, let alone any type of suffering. We go to all extremes to avoid suffering or any form of pain, whether it is physical or mental. How sad that so many must take anti-depressants to cope with life. Many even go the extremes of wanting to be euthanized rather than go through any suffering. This type of thinking is the result of pride and contempt for the sovereignty of God. Our Lord and Our Lady answer the “problem of evil” in extreme detail through the life of Mother Mariana. It is clear that all who love Christ must unite themselves to His cross and join in intimate suffering with Him. This suffering or what we may call an “evil” not only brings about a good but a good which exceeds any earthly idea of “good.” Suffering united to Christ brings about the salvation of souls!
Mother Mariana often spoke of the value of self-imposed penance, “…Love penance! It is an antidote to evil passions and even healthy for the body.” While most of us view sickness as a most unwelcome event in our lives, Mother Mariana gives us a different take in her words to her sisters. “…I command you, I beg you, I urge you… to be humble and long-suffering in times of sickness, bearing in mind that it is the thermometer which indicates most reliably the virtue of a religious and the degree of her love for God.” This idea was also stressed by the words of Our Lady to Mother Mariana, “You ought to know that sickness is the only sure thermometer that measures virtue and love for God…sicknesses are the best and most meritorious penance, exempt from illusions, vanity and pride.” What a hard saying! How hard is it for us when sickness strikes and we complain nonstop and beg for healing! Mother Mariana teaches us to unite our suffering with those of Christ, which is most critical for it to be meritorious. We should always pray to God to give us the grace to suffer well.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) When we view suffering in light of the cross, we begin to see value in suffering. Modern man has a veil over his eyes as to this value, and hence modern man goes to all extremes to avoid it. They miss the great graces that can come through a suffering soul. When a soul is in a state of grace it can merit great graces for others, which are applied by God to whom he chooses. Although God can give grace to anyone in any manner, He usually applies these graces through the willing participation of those who love Him. Intense, constant prayer united to penance, or suffering often attains these great gifts of God. Mother Mariana was a living testament that a life dedicated to prayer, sacrifice, and suffering can be instrumental in the salvation of souls. We should thank God every day for His suffering on the cross, and for the suffering of His Saints which has merited so much for us!
There is one powerful example of the voluntary suffering that Mother Mariana went through to save the soul of one the most evil nuns in the convent. During Mother Mariana’s time, there were two competing factions in the convent. Mother Mariana wanted to live by the traditional rule of the order, while another faction wanted to live by a relaxed rule. The nun often known as ‘The Captain’, ‘El Capitain’ or ‘The Commandress’ was the head of the rebellious faction of sisters. She was oppressed by many demons and was even at one point possessed. In fact, Mother Mariana had a vision in which she saw two demons appearing as malicious monkeys surrounding ‘The Captain’ and her unobservant sisters. The demons were giving off fire, enraging them with anger and fury towards Mother Mariana and the obedient, observant sisters. Mother Mariana often suffered many injustices from the antics of this nun and her accomplices in the convent. Despite the many injustices committed against Mother Mariana, she had a great love for 'El Capitain' and wanted her soul to be spared from the fires of hell. This is an act that is obviously contrary to our natural inclinations, which would prefer to defend oneself and even attack those who have unjustly attacked us. How many souls would have been lost however if the Saints did not cooperate with supernatural grace?
As a result of Mother Mariana’s love for God and the sacrifice for the unobservant sisters, Our Lord allowed Mother Mariana to experience five years of hell on earth in order to spare the soul of the ‘The Captain.’ In spite of being spit on by the evil nun, suffering many insults and vile attacks from her, Mother Mariana held steadfast in prayer and suffered for the salvation of 'The Captain'. No words can adequately describe the incredible suffering that Mother Mariana went through to make reparation for this nun. She experienced a total loss of God and suffered numerous and varying types of physical and mental anguish. Her suffering did not end even when she went to rest or sleep, often feeling the agonizing pain of sharp spikes in her flesh, intense burning of her skin, and other manifestations of hell.
In the end, after five years of intense suffering, ‘The Captain’ indeed repented, was exorcised and lived the last years of her life in repentance. She is still however making reparations in purgatory, which Mother Mariana was told that she would remain until the end of time. Our Lady of Fatima told the children that Catholics needed to pray for one another and make reparation for sin. She said that many souls go to hell because they have no one to pray for them. We see first hand through Mother Mariana the immense worth of prayer, suffering and penance united to Christ. This puts suffering in our own lives into perspective, being that if we unite our suffering to Christ’s suffering on the cross it can be a source of great grace and consolation for our salvation and the salvation of others.
Devotion to Our Lady of Good Success
Our Lady shows the great love she has for us through her messages and actions both under the title of 'Our Lady of Fatima' and ‘Our Lady of Good Success' among others. Our Lady, however, has made it clear that Mother Mariana's story and the messages under the title of 'Good Success' were to remain hidden until our time. It is only over the past 30 years or so that this message has started to spread beyond Ecuador. Our Lady has called her image in Quito a beacon of light for all those who call upon her intercession. Many do not understand the title "Good Success.” The title has a direct connection to an event, more specifically the ‘event’ of Our Lady's reign on earth, or the establishment of her kingdom on earth. She is the empress who governs us with her crozier over the spiritual and temporal order, even in a world where treacherous and evil enemies surround us. Her mission is to purify and save souls. Just as Our Lady of Good Success is the abbess of the Convent in Quito, we should make her abbess of our lives and souls. She leads us to her Son Jesus!
As I spoke of earlier, Mother Mariana had a vision one day where she saw four black clouds that would cover the four corners of the earth, from which would proceed countless demons that would take dominion over the earth. This vision was a vision of the times in which we live. Our Lady gave many prophetic warnings to us through Mother Mariana, including the profanation and loss of the Sacraments. Our Lady has even said that things would go so bad for the Church that it will seem as if all has been lost, but...we should not lose sight of her as the Beacon who guides us in these dark times.
Our Lady does not leave us in a state of despair. She tells us that all indeed will seem lost to the generation that experiences these atrocities. The Church will seem to be defeated and the world will seem to have triumphed over Christ and His Church. But at that time Our Lady says that her message of Good Success will have been spread to enough faithful souls as to bring in the reign of Our Lady. It is our obligation to help spread devotion to Our Lady under this specific title. We should also know that Satan will do everything he can to stop this devotion. I have witnessed first hand how the devil tries to discourage this devotion. We should then be valiant and go out with the charity of Christ and tell others about Our Lady’s great love for us under her title of 'Good Success'. Our Lord and Our Lady have given us great consolations in that they told us about our dire times, and have promised not to leave us abandoned as orphans. “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” (John 14:18)
During my pilgrimage to Quito, Ecuador in May of 2015 I received very special graces from Our Lady, none of which were deserved. The message that I left Quito with was that Our Lady is with us, and she knows very well what evils are upon the Church and the culture in which we live. She also has given a message of hope to which all of the faithful in Christ can embrace. The message is clear: we must have a great devotion to Our Lady of Good Success, which includes many prayers, especially that of the Most Holy Rosary, and that we unite our sufferings to Christ for the salvation of souls. We must not despair or trust in man-made solutions to the problems of our dire times. Politicians or governments are not the answer. Secular humanism is not the answer. The primary work of the faithful Catholic must be prayer, a life of holiness and evangelization.
Our Lady said that she would be a beacon of light to those who would call upon her aid under this title of Good Success. Say your rosary in front of her image. Let us make Our Lady happy by spreading her message of hope and the devotion to her title of Our Lady of Good Success. Once her message spreads she will show us a ray of heavenly light which will give us a period of peace among the dark clouds that have closed in above us. You can find downloadable images on this website. The novena prayer can be found at the Remnant website.
Daily Prayer to Our Lady of Good Success
Most Holy Virgin, loving Mother and Protectress of all mankind, universal remedy for every evil and careful guardian of our souls: I venerate thy holy image which represents and recalls the special favors of thy care in favor of the pilgrims and thy kindhearted patronage for the good of this religious community. Trusting in thy singular protection, I come to thy feet to pour out my heart, repentant for my offenses against God and against thee, asking thee to obtain pardon for my faults and imperfections. I thank thee once again for all the benefits in our favor, for thy miraculous apparition and for the pledge of predilection which thou hast given us in this thy holy image, our Governess and Advocate. Hear my cries, my Mother, who art the healer of all our maladies. Thou wilt not lack the remedy for mine which are so many, because thy mercy and goodness are greater than them. Disdain not to continue as our Protectress, on account of our miseries, but overlook them because of the fragility of our nature. Hear our cries with tender compassion; help us, assist us in our difficulties; destroy the sinister plans of our enemies; obtain for us courage and resignation in our tribulations and great confidence in God’s power. Renew in all the religious their fervor, so that they may faithfully observe obedience to their superiors and to their rule. Give us a constant desire to serve thee and love thee as our superior, under whom may we live united in the same manner of thinking and behavior, being grateful for so many benefits such as that of having thee here as a perpetual remembrance of thy apparition: so that by serving as a stimulus and a supernatural influence upon us, we may also possess Thee eternally in heaven. Amen.
Matthew Bellisario O.P. 2015, 2020
For while we are grieved and distressed through the loss of wealth; or by reason of sickness, and death, and the other evils that befall us, we not only reap no consolation from our sorrow, but we also increase the force of these calamities. But if we are in pain and sorrow for our sins, we diminish the weight of sin; we make that little which is great; and very often we blot it all out entirely. You should continually remember this, I repeat, in order that you may mourn for sin only, and for nothing besides; and the additional fact, that sin, though it brought death and sadness into our life, is again destroyed by both these; which I have recently made evident. Therefore, let us fear nothing so much as sin and transgression. Let us not fear punishment, and then we shall escape punishment. Even as the Three Children were not afraid of the furnace, and so escaped from the furnace. Such indeed it becomes the servants of God to be. For if those who were brought up under the Old dispensation, when death was not yet slain, nor his brazen gates broken down, nor his iron bars smitten in sunder; so nobly encountered their end, how destitute of all defense or excuse shall we be, if, after having had the benefit of such great grace, we attain not even to the same measure of virtue as they did, now when death is only a name, devoid of reality. For death is nothing more than a sleep, a journey, a migration, a rest, a tranquil haven; an escape from trouble, and a freedom from the cares of this present life! (St. John Chrysostom)
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| Our Lady of Good Success, Taken in 2015 in Quito, Ecuador. |
Our Time of Trial
I write this to you on March 10th, 2020. It is a time of tremendous trial for the Church and the world. We have an unprecedented crisis of faith in the Church, where scandal and heresy rule in many Catholic parishes. Cardinal Burke in December of 2017 said, “In the present moment there is confusion and error about the most fundamental teachings of the Church..." Modernism has become the norm in theological circles distorting the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, degrading our moral teachings and watering down our dogmatic theology. All of this is thwarting the divine commission given to the Church by Christ to go out into the world and make disciples. The problem of catechesis has degraded so bad that many are now going back to the older catechisms which were written in much clearer formats than the current one which is now being "updated". Even Bishop Athanasius Schneider is currently using the Catechism of Trent to teach the faith on his own website and endorses a new project to bring long out of print catechisms back to life in the Church. I would recommend taking advantage of the vast amount of traditional Catholic writings that are now available as reprints.
To make matters worse the world now teeters between multiple disasters which are all consequences for the unrepentant sins of our age. The world economy runs on a shoestring, while war and disease, despite all of our technological advances stalk us closely in the shadows. As I write, the coronavirus or what is now being called Covid-19 for the year it began, now apparently threatens the globe, if not by the viral sickness itself, then the reactions to it, which in my opinion are much more interesting than the virus itself. The reactions of many countries throughout the world may have an unprecedented impact on the global economy. The stock market over the past few weeks has been a rollercoaster and yesterday March 9th it dropped more than 2000 points! Panic also has the potential to disrupt the ordinary medical care than many need to stay alive due to the regular need for medication or services due to ongoing illness. While these concerns are indeed real, these are material in nature. What about the spiritual, which is much more important?
"I am concerned that we have lost our courage and our faith and subordinated holy things to the state in this matter. Canceling Mass while bars and restaurants remain open during the day is obtuse and seems to demonstrate a lack of resolve among our leaders...Some will call me irresponsible for calling for public and communal Masses to resume. “People are dying,” they will say. I can only respond by saying that souls are dying due to fear and worldly obsession with death. Death will come to all of us, and not likely by coronavirus. The deeper and more important question is this: Are you ready to die and face judgment?" Monsignor Charles Pope
The reactions of various state governments stand to pose a threat to the public celebration of the Sacraments of the Church! In Italy for example, many parts are suspending Mass, Funerals, and Confessions until the virus is under control. It is not known how many priests will cease going to hospitals to offer extreme unction for the dying! Sadly, it seems that many priests and bishops do not see this as being a problem. This should be a cause of concern for Catholics who take their faith seriously. At the time of this writing so far in the US, we have not had any Masses canceled. There have been some precautions such as withholding the Precious Blood in most parishes, but nothing that thus far that has any impact on receiving the Sacraments themselves. This then is a good time to reflect on our spiritual lives. We should ask ourselves some important questions.
Are we taking the Sacraments seriously? Do we truly prepare ourselves to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist? Do we take advantage of the Sacrament of Confession and truly make an attempt to amend our lives? Are we taking the Sacraments for granted in any capacity? I have no idea as to the true danger or lack thereof concerning this novel coronavirus. The numbers and statistics they are giving us, in my opinion, do not really measure up to the reactions of the world governments. Why this is the case has yet to be determined. Is the virus more serious than they are telling us or perhaps is this an overreaction that may threaten the global economy? Can a global economic crash start a world war? All of these are pure speculation. One thing is certain, this is no time for clowning around with our faith or the Sacraments. It is time that we focus on our spiritual lives for we know not when our own time of death will occur, or how it will occur. As my dear late friend, Monsignor La Femina used to tell me, "God is infinite mercy but He does not give us infinite time. When He comes to get you, He comes to get you!"
In light of the conundrums we face in the Church and in the world today, I want to pull your attention to a very special Marian devotion, one that is dear to my heart, that of Our Lady of Good Success. In 2015 I made a lifechanging pilgrimage to Quito, Ecuador where I personally had many experiences of the love of Our Lady. In 2015 soon after my pilgrimage, I wrote several small articles on two of my other websites on this particular apparition. I have gone through them,, compiled much of the content and edited them for this post here on DominicanTrad. While I have kept much of the basic content I have completely rearranged and edited the material to offer both a warning and a comforting solution to the challenges we all face in light of Our Lady of Good Success. In our time of trial, she will be your faithful guide!
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| Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres |
Early History
In 1576 five foundresses by the command of the King of Spain, Phillip II sailed across the Atlantic to found a Franciscan Conceptionist Convent in Quito, Ecuador. Along with the five nuns also sailed a young pious girl Maria de Jesus Torres who was the niece of one of the foundresses, Mother Maria de Jesus Taboada. From the very outset of their perilous voyage, several miracles occurred showing Our Lord and His Mother’s generous protection over their endeavor. Along with the founding of the convent, the entire life of Maria de Jesus Torres was filled with extraordinary visits from Our Lord, The Blessed Virgin Mary, The Saints, and even the archangels. The messages given to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres are very unique in the life of the Church, being that they not only were given for Mother Mariana’s own time for the local church in Ecuador, but many were especially given for a future age, our own.
At the young age of 13, Mother Mariana came to South America with a very special task at hand. She would be given the task of overseeing the convent after her aunt would fall asleep in the Lord. Our Lord has specially ordained the establishment and future preservation of the Conceptionist convent under the protection of the Blessed Virgin of Good Success for a special mission. The convent is important for several reasons. The first reason is for the salvation of souls in Ecuador and the salvation of the Conceptionist sisters in Ecuador. As we will see, their Franciscan spirit is uniquely Marian and is essential to the establishment and survival of the Catholic faith in Ecuador. There was also an immense punishment of the convent when it was separated from the Franciscan friars due to rebellious unobservant nuns. Our Lord, however, told Mother Mariana about the future of the convent which appeared to her, covered in Our Lord’s blood, “In this sea of my Heart’s blood I am ready to wash the guilt of those who, being repentant, have recourse to Me.”
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| Christ Feeding His Lambs, Taken in the Franciscan Monastery in Quito. |
For the Salvation of Souls
Our Lady preserves the convent for the salvation of souls across the globe, especially for the souls of our modern time, which face unique persecutions from the devil. The convent is directly tied to the devotion of Our Lady of Good Success, which Our Lady said would be a beacon for the survival of the Catholic faith in our age. Our Lady told Mother Mariana, “this convent is a fortress, and it will bring about salvation for so many souls, drawing them away from the abyss of sin which they find themselves.” It is for us today that Our Lady has come under this glorious title, ‘Good Success’. Mother Mariana was born in 1563 in Spain in the province of Vizcaya. In Spain, there was an older devotion to Our Lady of Good Success, which began after the discovery of an illuminated statue of Our Lady found in a cave. This devotion, however, was primarily a local Spanish devotion, and it was not until Our Lady appeared to Mother Mariana in Quito, that this title would become more widely known to the rest of the world.
The Monastery of the Immaculate Conception to which Mother Mariana would be associated with would be founded in 1577 and would be the first monastery of nuns in Quito. Saint Beatriz of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God founded the order itself in Spain. It should be noted that in Spanish, convents are associated with the male orders and the monasteries are associated with the female orders. Hence we have the official name of Mother Mariana’s convent, The Monastery of the Immaculate Conception of Quito. The church and cloister although established in 1577 were not completed until 1625. Unfortunately, the government in Ecuador has not always been favorable towards Holy Mother Church. The government has seized some parts of the convent over the years and the convent is in a state of a constant struggle to retain its property.
Miracles
From its founding, there were many miracles associated with the monastery setting it apart for the work of God and Our Lady. Even before the sisters arrived in Quito, they were attacked by Satan who appeared as a hideous monstrous serpent with 7 heads in the waves of the sea, which tried to sink the ship upon which they sailed. As the sisters prayed for deliverance, Our Lady appeared and confronted the beast. Satan angrily told the sisters that he would never allow the founding of the monastery. Our Lady answered his threats by cutting him to pieces and driving away the dark skies, which appeared over them upon his arrival. Soon after the sisters arrived in Ecuador Our Lady affirmed her desire for the establishment of the convent. On Jan 21st, 1577 while praying in a small provisional chapel three lights shined in the chapel. One shined upon a statue of the Blessed Virgin, holding the Divine Infant in her arms. The second light shined on the altar itself and a third illuminating a star on the crucifix above the altar. All who were present heard a heavenly singing and the image of Our Lady itself was seen to be moving. Thus from the very start of this convent, Our Lady has miraculously claimed it as her own.
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| The Fatima Children |
Fatima and Quito
The two apparitions of Fatima and Our Lady of Good Success are both very important for our time. Although much older, the messages of Our Lady of Good Success are just now becoming more widely known throughout the world. The Fatima messages are more general in nature in some ways compared to those of Quito. While Fatima came to us via the 3 children in the early 1900s, those of Quito only have become widely known many years after Fatima. So it seems that the world was given a popular message from Fatima explaining the horrors of sin and the forthcoming consequences coming upon the world, in preparation for a less known yet more detailed message from Quito which illustrates in more detail the sins and consequences.
As we know, the Church in large part has neglected to follow the messages of Fatima. We have not stopped sinning, we have not been saying the rosary every day, and we have not done penance in reparation for sin. Likewise, we have yet to see the errors of Russia cease to spread across the world. In fact, the errors have become more widespread over the past 10 years or so. We see the general population of the US accepting radical forms of socialism and immorality which would have been unheard of 60 years ago. So it is clear that we have not heeded Our Lady's messages from Fatima and we are suffering because of it.
Being the compassionate mother she is, it seems that Our Lady wanted to give us another chance. If we look at Quito, we find more answers as to the immoral atrocities we are experiencing now. The prophecies consist not only of a coming chastisement, but there is also immense hope in the coming reign of Our Lady which will follow. There are many prophesies given to us through Our Lady of Good Success some of which I will now cover.
The Warning
"There will be four black clouds that will cover the four corners of the earth, from which will proceed countless demons that will take dominion over the earth"
This prophetic warning has certainly been confirmed from what we are seeing right now in our time with the majority of the world adopting and promoting the worst atrocities man has ever witnessed. Throughout the world abortion murders countless innocents which cry out to God for vengeance. Governments across the globe view the murder of innocents as a "right." Worse, they force entire civilizations to fund this killing through taxation and the redefining of healthcare. Likewise, sexual deviancy is the standard of the day, and there are few who consider marriage to be a lifelong commitment binding before God. There is an all-out assault on the image of God in man, and in fact many seek to destroy God's image in man, making man at times almost unrecognizable. Furthermore, we see the diabolical disorientation which many Catholics fall into where religious indifference gives rise to disordered "conservatism" which promotes the false idea that men can work together to build a utopia here on earth by their own efforts. The promotion of human fraternalism is replacing the promotion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Many people claim to believe God exists, but few follow their consciences to see what it is that God asks of us. Most never ask what it is that we believe about what God has revealed to us. We most often create God in our own image. Our wills our self-centered and not centered on God. Materialism is now so entrenched in societies across the world, especially in the West. Countries that just 10 years ago that were very Catholic are now extremely secular. Look at Ireland and even Ecuador. We can see that this secular transformation takes place in a very short course of time, just 10 years. It is most noticeable with the immodesty of clothing. On my pilgrimage to Quito, I had the opportunity to speak to many Catholics who live in Quito and have experienced first hand this degradation. They said that with the dawn of popular television, over the course of just a few years, women no longer dress in modest clothes as they did just a short time ago. Now in Quito, they dress just like Americans where immodesty now rules the day.
As human sexuality becomes more perverted society becomes more violent. As Our Lady told the children at Fatima, war is a punishment for sin. So we can deduce that the more disordered the sin is, the more violence follows in its wake. The diabolical entities that are pushing this immorality have done a good job in turning everything upside down giving the impression that what is good is bad, and what is bad is good. Evil is disguised under the banner of freedom, liberty, and equality. So the four corners of the earth are certainly covered in darkness.
Assessing "The Cuadernón"
God has reserved this invocation for that century, when the corruption of customs will be general and the precious light of Faith is almost extinct". Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres
The name of the book containing the writings of Mother Mariana is known by the name of "The Cuadernón" The writing reveals many prophesies which are being fulfilled as I write this article which not only pertains to Ecuador but the entire world. First, we are given some very specific sins which have become prominent in our time, predominantly that of heresy and sexual immorality. These sins are followed by some very dire consequences which allude to the degradation and loss of several of the Church's Sacraments. Are these warnings now being fulfilled?
Sins of the Modern Age
1. The Spread of Heresy
"In the late 19th century and much of the 20th century, in these lands then a free republic, there will be various heresies ..."
2. The Unprecedented Corruption of Morals
"Passions will overflow and there will be a total corruption of morals by almost a complete reign Satan who will focus primarily on children in order to maintain this general corruption; Ay! Children of that time! Hardly will they receive the Sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation. They confess only while attending Catholic schools, and the devil will do his utmost to destroy them by authorized persons."
"The corrupt people, having taken possession of all classes, have subtlety to enter domestic environments to corrupt children. Thus priestly vocations will be lost and it will be a real calamity. There will be no innocence in children nor modesty in women .. "
"In those times will be an atmosphere full of the spirit of impurity which, by way of an evil sea run through the streets, squares and public places with an amazing freedom, so that there will be in the world souls untouched. The delicate flower virginity, timid and threatened by complete destruction, will look into the distance "
"The foreign people without faith take over these lands damned by Satan and the clear sky is covered by black clouds darkened with all vices corrupting the then Republic dedicated to the Sacred Heart of My Son. "
Dire Consequences
1. The Sacrament of Marriage Profaned and the Loss of Vocations
"As for the Sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be attacked and profaned in every sense of the word. ... Unjust laws will be imposed in order to extinguish this Sacrament, providing that all live in vice, spreading an evil generation of children born without the blessing of the Church... The rapidly declining Christian spirit and the precious light of faith in souls will go out until there is a total corruption of morals that will come by the effects of secular education and for this reason, the desire for priestly and religious vocations will be scarce."
2. The Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist Profaned
"There will be a desecration of the Holy Eucharist! Many times, at that time, the enemies of Jesus Christ, instigated by the devil will steal in the cities the consecrated Hosts for the sole purpose of profaning the Eucharistic species! My Son Holy will be thrown to the ground and trampled under unclean feet."
3. The Sacraments Profaned and Oppressed
"The Sacraments will be attacked, oppressed and despised; Ay! How sorry I am to manifest that there will be much public and hidden sacrilege."
4. The Sacrament of Extreme Unction Denied
"At that time the sacrament of Extreme Unction, since this poor country lacking in the Christian spirit, will be little considered. Many people die without receiving it and there will be neglect or a misunderstood affection for their sick; others, too, for going against the spirit of the Catholic Church pushed by the accursed devil, depriving thus countless souls."
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The Solution: The Coming Reign of Our Lady
"When the tribulations of spirit and body press upon us as a wreck in the bottomless sea, a look at my Sacred Image will be a guiding star, ready to listen to their moans and soothe their crying; This devotion will be the lightning rod between Divine Justice and the prevaricating world to prevent discharge of this guilty land the formidable punishment it deserves. " Our Lady of Good Success
We must not end with this foreboding warning. Yes, we must take it seriously, but God is so merciful towards us that He has given us a solution. It is not to be found in material possessions, wealth, open borders, religious liberty, political ideologies or secular world compacts. These illusions only distract us and lead us into eternal ruination. How many there are who get to the end of life and realize that everything they lived for was an illusion. They were martyrs for the devil rather than for God!
Our Lord Jesus and Our Lady want us to have a special devotion to Our Lady of Good Success. She wants her message to be spread far and wide for the salvation of souls so that the punishment for sin might be mitigated or at least to keep us from losing our souls in the midst of these impending chastisements. Although there could be volumes written on the heavenly examples of virtue that can be mined from the story of Mother Mariana and Our Lady of Good Success, I will briefly touch on three in this article that may aid in our spiritual progress. These three divine truths are very important for us to acknowledge and put into practice in order to persevere in a world of trial and tribulation. All three pertain to the salvation of our souls, which is also a primary focus of the Dominicans, which I am blessed to be of the Third Order. The first is the importance of prayer, especially that of the Rosary. The second is recognizing the value of suffering, and the third is the importance of Our Lady’s intercession. Without the embrace of these three realities in the life of a Christian, there is no hope for true holiness and certainly no hope of overcoming the trials that await us.
Prayer and the Rosary
First, we will look at the example of Mother Mariana, her prayer life, and her love of the Rosary. Although most of us will not be able to spend as much time in prayer as a cloistered nun, most of us spend nowhere near the time we should be spending in prayer. Most of us do not understand the true value of prayer and how powerful the Most Holy Rosary is. There is an old saying; “those who pray much have a great chance of going to heaven, those who pray little have little chance of going to heaven and those who do not pray have no chance of going to heaven.” We should take this saying to heart.
Although there are many examples of Mother Mariana’s prayer life in her two-volume biography, there is something that stands out when you read it. One of the chief concerns of Mother Mariana throughout her life was keeping the traditional rule of the order. This meant always following the prayer routine and discipline of the rule. This idea should also spark in us the idea of developing a regular prayer schedule and sticking to it. Laxity is always a danger in the spiritual life whether you are in the cloister or outside. We are never on a plateau, we are either rising towards God in grace or falling towards hell in sin. We must always keep fervor in our prayers and always keep to a standard rule of prayer. Only by persistent sincere prayer can we discern God's will for our lives and purge ourselves of our sinful inclinations. For those who struggle to keep a prayer rule, the Rosary is a good place to begin. Praying the Rosary daily is not an option, it is a mandatory component of our daily prayer. The Rosary was one of Mother Mariana's favorite devotions and it pleases Our Lady when we pray it.
I think it is important to notice that it was Mother's strong devotion to prayer that brought Our Lady to her in this apparition. This is substantiated by Our Lady’s own words when she appeared to her, “I am Mary of Good Success whom you have invoked with most tender affection; your prayer has pleased me greatly; your faith has brought me; your love has invited me to visit you.” So Our lady was pleased with her devotion and petitions. After being paralyzed for five months Our Lady brought Mother Mariana out of her deadened state and her first words were, "Mother, my whole body can now move. How good is the Queen of Heaven who has cured and saved me. Let us now pray the Rosary." Mother Mariana like Saint Bernadette at Fatima centuries later, stressed the importance of the Rosary by her example.
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| Saint Dominic and the Rosary |
Penance and Suffering
If we continue to look closely at the life of Mother Mariana, we can gain an important understanding of the value of human suffering. Our age is repulsed by any idea of being uncomfortable, let alone any type of suffering. We go to all extremes to avoid suffering or any form of pain, whether it is physical or mental. How sad that so many must take anti-depressants to cope with life. Many even go the extremes of wanting to be euthanized rather than go through any suffering. This type of thinking is the result of pride and contempt for the sovereignty of God. Our Lord and Our Lady answer the “problem of evil” in extreme detail through the life of Mother Mariana. It is clear that all who love Christ must unite themselves to His cross and join in intimate suffering with Him. This suffering or what we may call an “evil” not only brings about a good but a good which exceeds any earthly idea of “good.” Suffering united to Christ brings about the salvation of souls!
Mother Mariana often spoke of the value of self-imposed penance, “…Love penance! It is an antidote to evil passions and even healthy for the body.” While most of us view sickness as a most unwelcome event in our lives, Mother Mariana gives us a different take in her words to her sisters. “…I command you, I beg you, I urge you… to be humble and long-suffering in times of sickness, bearing in mind that it is the thermometer which indicates most reliably the virtue of a religious and the degree of her love for God.” This idea was also stressed by the words of Our Lady to Mother Mariana, “You ought to know that sickness is the only sure thermometer that measures virtue and love for God…sicknesses are the best and most meritorious penance, exempt from illusions, vanity and pride.” What a hard saying! How hard is it for us when sickness strikes and we complain nonstop and beg for healing! Mother Mariana teaches us to unite our suffering with those of Christ, which is most critical for it to be meritorious. We should always pray to God to give us the grace to suffer well.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) When we view suffering in light of the cross, we begin to see value in suffering. Modern man has a veil over his eyes as to this value, and hence modern man goes to all extremes to avoid it. They miss the great graces that can come through a suffering soul. When a soul is in a state of grace it can merit great graces for others, which are applied by God to whom he chooses. Although God can give grace to anyone in any manner, He usually applies these graces through the willing participation of those who love Him. Intense, constant prayer united to penance, or suffering often attains these great gifts of God. Mother Mariana was a living testament that a life dedicated to prayer, sacrifice, and suffering can be instrumental in the salvation of souls. We should thank God every day for His suffering on the cross, and for the suffering of His Saints which has merited so much for us!
There is one powerful example of the voluntary suffering that Mother Mariana went through to save the soul of one the most evil nuns in the convent. During Mother Mariana’s time, there were two competing factions in the convent. Mother Mariana wanted to live by the traditional rule of the order, while another faction wanted to live by a relaxed rule. The nun often known as ‘The Captain’, ‘El Capitain’ or ‘The Commandress’ was the head of the rebellious faction of sisters. She was oppressed by many demons and was even at one point possessed. In fact, Mother Mariana had a vision in which she saw two demons appearing as malicious monkeys surrounding ‘The Captain’ and her unobservant sisters. The demons were giving off fire, enraging them with anger and fury towards Mother Mariana and the obedient, observant sisters. Mother Mariana often suffered many injustices from the antics of this nun and her accomplices in the convent. Despite the many injustices committed against Mother Mariana, she had a great love for 'El Capitain' and wanted her soul to be spared from the fires of hell. This is an act that is obviously contrary to our natural inclinations, which would prefer to defend oneself and even attack those who have unjustly attacked us. How many souls would have been lost however if the Saints did not cooperate with supernatural grace?
As a result of Mother Mariana’s love for God and the sacrifice for the unobservant sisters, Our Lord allowed Mother Mariana to experience five years of hell on earth in order to spare the soul of the ‘The Captain.’ In spite of being spit on by the evil nun, suffering many insults and vile attacks from her, Mother Mariana held steadfast in prayer and suffered for the salvation of 'The Captain'. No words can adequately describe the incredible suffering that Mother Mariana went through to make reparation for this nun. She experienced a total loss of God and suffered numerous and varying types of physical and mental anguish. Her suffering did not end even when she went to rest or sleep, often feeling the agonizing pain of sharp spikes in her flesh, intense burning of her skin, and other manifestations of hell.
In the end, after five years of intense suffering, ‘The Captain’ indeed repented, was exorcised and lived the last years of her life in repentance. She is still however making reparations in purgatory, which Mother Mariana was told that she would remain until the end of time. Our Lady of Fatima told the children that Catholics needed to pray for one another and make reparation for sin. She said that many souls go to hell because they have no one to pray for them. We see first hand through Mother Mariana the immense worth of prayer, suffering and penance united to Christ. This puts suffering in our own lives into perspective, being that if we unite our suffering to Christ’s suffering on the cross it can be a source of great grace and consolation for our salvation and the salvation of others.
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| Mother Marian of Our Lady of Good Success in Quito receiving the measurements of Our Lady. |
Devotion to Our Lady of Good Success
Our Lady shows the great love she has for us through her messages and actions both under the title of 'Our Lady of Fatima' and ‘Our Lady of Good Success' among others. Our Lady, however, has made it clear that Mother Mariana's story and the messages under the title of 'Good Success' were to remain hidden until our time. It is only over the past 30 years or so that this message has started to spread beyond Ecuador. Our Lady has called her image in Quito a beacon of light for all those who call upon her intercession. Many do not understand the title "Good Success.” The title has a direct connection to an event, more specifically the ‘event’ of Our Lady's reign on earth, or the establishment of her kingdom on earth. She is the empress who governs us with her crozier over the spiritual and temporal order, even in a world where treacherous and evil enemies surround us. Her mission is to purify and save souls. Just as Our Lady of Good Success is the abbess of the Convent in Quito, we should make her abbess of our lives and souls. She leads us to her Son Jesus!
As I spoke of earlier, Mother Mariana had a vision one day where she saw four black clouds that would cover the four corners of the earth, from which would proceed countless demons that would take dominion over the earth. This vision was a vision of the times in which we live. Our Lady gave many prophetic warnings to us through Mother Mariana, including the profanation and loss of the Sacraments. Our Lady has even said that things would go so bad for the Church that it will seem as if all has been lost, but...we should not lose sight of her as the Beacon who guides us in these dark times.
Our Lady does not leave us in a state of despair. She tells us that all indeed will seem lost to the generation that experiences these atrocities. The Church will seem to be defeated and the world will seem to have triumphed over Christ and His Church. But at that time Our Lady says that her message of Good Success will have been spread to enough faithful souls as to bring in the reign of Our Lady. It is our obligation to help spread devotion to Our Lady under this specific title. We should also know that Satan will do everything he can to stop this devotion. I have witnessed first hand how the devil tries to discourage this devotion. We should then be valiant and go out with the charity of Christ and tell others about Our Lady’s great love for us under her title of 'Good Success'. Our Lord and Our Lady have given us great consolations in that they told us about our dire times, and have promised not to leave us abandoned as orphans. “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” (John 14:18)
During my pilgrimage to Quito, Ecuador in May of 2015 I received very special graces from Our Lady, none of which were deserved. The message that I left Quito with was that Our Lady is with us, and she knows very well what evils are upon the Church and the culture in which we live. She also has given a message of hope to which all of the faithful in Christ can embrace. The message is clear: we must have a great devotion to Our Lady of Good Success, which includes many prayers, especially that of the Most Holy Rosary, and that we unite our sufferings to Christ for the salvation of souls. We must not despair or trust in man-made solutions to the problems of our dire times. Politicians or governments are not the answer. Secular humanism is not the answer. The primary work of the faithful Catholic must be prayer, a life of holiness and evangelization.
Our Lady said that she would be a beacon of light to those who would call upon her aid under this title of Good Success. Say your rosary in front of her image. Let us make Our Lady happy by spreading her message of hope and the devotion to her title of Our Lady of Good Success. Once her message spreads she will show us a ray of heavenly light which will give us a period of peace among the dark clouds that have closed in above us. You can find downloadable images on this website. The novena prayer can be found at the Remnant website.
Daily Prayer to Our Lady of Good Success
Most Holy Virgin, loving Mother and Protectress of all mankind, universal remedy for every evil and careful guardian of our souls: I venerate thy holy image which represents and recalls the special favors of thy care in favor of the pilgrims and thy kindhearted patronage for the good of this religious community. Trusting in thy singular protection, I come to thy feet to pour out my heart, repentant for my offenses against God and against thee, asking thee to obtain pardon for my faults and imperfections. I thank thee once again for all the benefits in our favor, for thy miraculous apparition and for the pledge of predilection which thou hast given us in this thy holy image, our Governess and Advocate. Hear my cries, my Mother, who art the healer of all our maladies. Thou wilt not lack the remedy for mine which are so many, because thy mercy and goodness are greater than them. Disdain not to continue as our Protectress, on account of our miseries, but overlook them because of the fragility of our nature. Hear our cries with tender compassion; help us, assist us in our difficulties; destroy the sinister plans of our enemies; obtain for us courage and resignation in our tribulations and great confidence in God’s power. Renew in all the religious their fervor, so that they may faithfully observe obedience to their superiors and to their rule. Give us a constant desire to serve thee and love thee as our superior, under whom may we live united in the same manner of thinking and behavior, being grateful for so many benefits such as that of having thee here as a perpetual remembrance of thy apparition: so that by serving as a stimulus and a supernatural influence upon us, we may also possess Thee eternally in heaven. Amen.
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