Reprinted with kind permission from St. Joseph Publications from the book She Went in Haste to the Mountain (Book 1) NOTE: All excerpts from Conchita's Diary will be in extra-bold type

    Toward the end of the summer in 1961 there was a unique episode that illustrated the work of salvation that the Virgin came to perform at Garabandal.

    Thru a series of circumstances which many might attribute to chance or fate, but which we who have the faith attribute to Providence, a young woman from Paris arrived in the early summer of 1960 at the home of a young woman in Burgos. The young woman from Paris was 18 years old; her name was Muriel Catherine. [For special reasons, Muriel Catherine's last name will not be mentioned.] The young woman from Burgos was slightly older, and was called Ascension de Luis. The latter informed us of very interesting details about the way Muriel Catherine providentially chose her home and why she stayed with her.

    The young Parisienne came desiring to learn the Spanish customs, and at the same time to have some new experiences and explore new horizons. Her parents allowed her exceptional freedom, and so she traveled alone without restriction throughout other countries in Europe.

    Ascension de Luis was employed in a state agency and was living almost alone in her family's apartment, since she had lost her parents at an early age, and her brothers and sisters had gone to live by themselves. Because of this she had agreed to have the unknown French student stay with her temporarily. Ascension was deeply religious, marked by an extraordinary devotion to the Virgin, whose maternal help — she was the only mother that she still had — she had sought efficaciously in the important times of her life. Living the faith was for her the most natural thing in the world; and so on the first Sunday in which the French girl stayed in her home, she spontaneously said to Muriel, What time shall we go to Mass ?

    Muriel accepted the invitation readily and arm in arm the two went to church. However it did not take Ascension de Luis long to notice that her companion was out of place there; her unfamiliarity was evident, though she tried to do as well as possible what she saw the others do.

    The reason for this was soon explained, as between the two had grown an excellent mutual understanding and affection: The French girl was not Catholic. Worse still, she did not have any religion. And it was not really her fault. Her father was a Jew, her mother a Protestant; but neither of them practiced religion. And as a result their three children, who had grown up without instruction, did not concern themselves about religion.

    This discovery brought Ascension to a greater interest and an almost maternal solicitude for Catherine. It seemed to her that God and the Virgin had confined the French girl with her so that she could open up to her the horizons of faith and hope, to introduce her to the way of salvation. Ascension entrusted this matter to Our Lady in heaven, and set to work.

    «I was quite moved when she told me that she didn't have any religion. I told her it wasn't possible to live like this, that she ought to accept her mother's religion or her father's . . . Or, since she knew me, a Catholic, she might even interest herself also in our religion, which is the most demanding, but also the most pure — the true religion! And so, comparing one with the others, she could see which would bring her the closest to God.

    We began instructions right away, and we held them constantly during July and August of that year.»

    As Catherine liked Spain very much and its customs pleased her, she decided to write her parents to allow her to stay there longer. They answered that she should come to get her winter clothes, and so she went. Arriving in Paris and well versed in religion, she began to tell her parents that she would turn Catholic. She thought that — since they had not given her any religion — it would not matter to them that she embraced the one that seemed the best . . . But that was not the way it was. When she told her parents what she was thinking of doing, their reaction was violent; her father shouted out, Of all things, to become a Catholic! This was considered a real dishonor to the family. Coupled with the little liking that he had for Spanish people, the result of all this was that her father did not let Catherine return.

    «But I continued writing to her; and in July of the following year, 1961, many difficulties and the firm opposition of her father having been providentially overcome, Catherine arrived here again. A few days later, for the first time there came to me the news or the rumor that there were apparitions happening in a village of Santander called San Sebastian de Garabandal . . . And then it occurred to me: If the Virgin appeared at Fatima, why couldn't she appear here?

    Then I thought that — if this were true, something from God — here could well be the best means for the conversion of my friend . . .

    I obtained information on what was happening in the little village of the Montana province; and we set out on the way; she had more faith than I myself.

    On arriving on August 27th, a Sunday, we met a disagreeable situation: a tour group was giving all this a picnic atmosphere, as if it were more like a bazaar than a serious religious matter. We met a Salesian priest who was also upset. On observing the attitude of the crowd, he had become angry, saying among other things that all this had the best indications of being diabolical.

    At this point the pastor of the village passed by and approached him to calm him. You can't judge this by what is happening here, by what is seen in this crowd, Wait and see the ecstasies of the girls, which you haven't seen yet.

    Nevertheless the priest was not calmed down, and I remember him being very concerned about whether they had done exorcisms on the girls . . . And if they hadn't done this, then whether they shouldn't be done as soon as possible. This priest lived in America and had planned to stay there in Garabandal two or three days to study all this better; I know that later he departed very enthusiastic.»

    The priest's reaction and words had an effect on the simple people of San Sebastian. Ascension de Luis tells us:

    «On the following day, Monday, August 28th, the girls and their families were affected, and the village also, by what the Father repeated so often, that this could very well be a thing of the devil. Because of this they had prepared a small bottle of holy water to throw at the apparition the first time that it returned. The apparition should not be trusted, said the priest, since the devil is very clever and can deceive, appearing in many ways; and to deceive he begins with good appearances. The girls, very worried, would not let go of their bottle of holy water for anything.

PHOTO: Jacinta in her home where the miraculous religious experience took place

    In the evening Catherine and I, although we were rather unknown, succeeded in entering Jacinta's house. She was in the kitchen with her parents, and Mari Loli was with hers; the girls were unable to hide the worry that they had from what the Salesian priest was saying. What would happen when — on the Vision's arrival — she would receive an asperges of holy water? About eight or nine people were there, presided over by the pastor, Fr. Valentin. When I could, I explained very briefly to the girls the situation of my companion, requesting them to petition the Virgin very much for her. And I entrusted my cherished silver rosary to them to give her to kiss.

    Not much later Jacinta and Loli went into ecstasy in the stunning way that has been described so many times. And immediately we heard them speak to the vision in that voice like a whisper, so characteristic of the trances:

    A priest has come who says that she is a devil, and that they were going to throw holy water at her so that she would leave.

    They said this with striking expressions of regret and fear. But soon their faces lit up with extraordinary joy and broke out in marvelous smiles, as they set down the bottle of water that they had brought to the side and behind them.»

"With this rosary she learned to pray ..."

    «The two girls,» — continued Ascension de Luis — «were sitting in front of us on some small low benches like those still seen in the kitchens of the village. And on their laps they held the religious articles given to them to offer the Virgin to kiss. As soon as their apprehension had eased, they began to speak about Catherine, since they were heard clearly. She isn't a Catholic , . . No, she isn't a Catholic . . . She isn't baptised . . . Come, help her . . . Oh! because of her parents! They remained for some time on this topic.

    And then they began to offer the vision the objects that they held on their knees. It was something worth seeing. Without lowering their heads, or moving their gaze from the spot on which it was fixed, they took the articles one by one. Raising up an arm with great grace as if to touch the lips of whoever had to be kissing them, they remained like this a few seconds with the arm on high, and then lowered it in its place.

    When the turn for my rosary came, they were heard to say, Oh! With this rosary she learned to pray . . . With it she said her first Hail Marys . . . Her first Hail Marys ... It was Loli who presented my rosary, and she continued repeating this. She was putting it down among the other articles when Jacinta took it in her hand and raised it again up towards the vision, repeating in her turn, as if it were something coming from inside of her, Her first Hail Marys . . . Her first Hail Marys . . . Finally she put it down on top of Loli's knees together with all the other articles.

    My excitement was tremendous; and it was even greater when I learned that this certainly was the only article that had received the Virgin's kiss twice, since they had told me that when the girls presented something that had been once kissed, although it had been done a long time previously, they were accustomed to put it down immediately saying, You say that this has already been kissed. Because of this, from then on I kept the rosary as a real treasure.

    When they had finished offering the Virgin all that they had there, they were heard to say, Now? Good! And Loli reached her hand behind the little bench on which they were sitting toward the bottle of holy water that had been set down there. She took it, opened it up, and threw it forcefully upwards in front of her . . .

    And then we could notice a little wonder. The water didn't fall where it should have fallen naturally — upon me, the one who was the closest and the one in front of Mari Loli — but rather, making a mysterious curve in its path, it fell in the shape of a little shower on top of Catherine, who was facing Jacinta. Fr. Valentin, who was almost leaning against Catherine, behind her, assured me that not a single drop had fallen on him. I, who was holding her arm — we were leaning against each other because of the excitement — can also testify that nothing touched me. On the contrary, Catherine felt fully this mysterious bath. Not only on her head, but also on her dress and even on her feet. "Yes, I was drenched!" And I ought to say that this was a very small bottle, and it was not completely full since part of its contents had been splashed on the kitchen floor slightly before the coming of the apparition.

    Thus heaven intervened miraculously to inspire Catherine to make the last step in the process of entering onto the way of salvation. And that unique intervention had a good ending, as we shall see later.

    «A little later» — continues Ascension de Luis — «we saw Loli anxiously searching among the kissed objects, and repeating in a worried manner, Hers, hers . . . Where is hers? It's very small . . . Finally, as if someone were mysteriously guiding her, she put her hand on the floor near her feet, and picked up a small medal of the Virgin of Lourdes, no more than two or three centimeters in size. It belonged to Catherine and we had given it to the girls when we entered, together with the rosary and some of my medals. And the girls had put them among the many articles that were awaiting the Virgin's kiss; in the course of the ecstasy it had fallen on the floor. The image was so tiny that I am sure it would not have been possible to find it there in the poorly lit kitchen if the hand of the girl had not been guided by someone.

    Loli raised up her arm to offer the medal to be kissed; but in spite of stretching as much as she could, it appeared that she was not able to reach. Then she picked up the things that she had on her lap and on top of her knees and stood up. She set the articles on the little bench, and stretched as much as she could on the tips of her toes . . . But it was seen that she still did not reach. Then Jacinta stood up in turn, picked Loli up by her knees — without the least effort — and raised her up as if she were a feather, I haven't seen a more beautiful picture: the two girls with their heads tilted backwards, their faces shining with the most ineffable happiness, smiling, making all their movements with an unsurpassable grace . . .

    Loli, with her arm on high, tried to reach up with the little medal to the mysterious being that was there. She appeared to have succeeded, and after that Jacinta lowered her down, while addressing her voice upwards, I? , . I should give it to her? . . I should put it in her pocket? . . . She approached Catherine, who was breathless with excitement. (Catherine was seated on another one of those low benches, and it couldn't be observed whether her jacket had pockets or not.) Without looking, Loli then said, Here, here is the pocket! And very carefully she put in it the little medal that seemed to have considerably more importance than its size represented.

    Following this, the two girls (who were standing in front) began to lean toward us, while rigid and in a very difficult posture, seemingly one that they could not hold without falling. And a little later, with an astounding naturalness, they returned to their normal position. In speaking of this, it might not seem to be much, but I can tell you that observing it was a real marvel because of the expressions on their faces and the gracefulness of their movements.

    Again Loli began inclining her body, this time only toward Catherine, to the point of resting almost on top of her, in a posture impossible to hold and without a single motion of loss of equilibrium or balance. Instinctively we stretched out our hands, since it seemed impossible that she wouldn't tumble down. But Fr. Valentin said to us, Let her alone. She won't fall. She was like this a few seconds and returned to her normal position. I had the impression that the girls were drawn where the apparition (or the Virgin) moved, without ever taking their eyes from her, and that she held and supported them in their most difficult and remarkable positions.

    Finally the two girls began to talk to the Virgin. Here? We should pray here? , , . And without going out on the street, as on so many other occasions, they began to pray right there — and how they did it! — a Station to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, while we joined with them as well as we could. Later we saw the farewells: they positioned their faces, first the one girl, then the other, in the attitude of receiving a kiss on each cheek, while they spoke out with most intense desire, Don't go so quickly! . . . Stay a little longer! ... I don't know how long this lasted, but certainly more than a half hour.»

    Catherine had to endure the misunderstanding and opposition of her parents. But finally, providentially, she was able to return to Spain in 1963; and still more providentially, she was able to obtain the necessary permit for remaining temporarily to work in Burgos . . . And on the 20th of October, she solemnly received Baptism in the city's magnificent cathedral. The girls had not petitioned for her in vain. In several apparitions they were heard remembering her case, and repeating later in their requests: At 21 years , . . when she will be an adult . . . Yes, at 21 years, at an adult age, Muriel Catherine entered into the family of the sons of God with a very Christian and Spanish-French name: Maria del Carmen Catherine.

    Could she ever arrive at measuring the depth and width of the mystery of salvation to which she had been brought by the decisive assistance of Our Lady visiting us at Garabandal?