2-07b) Nights of the Screams

Revolving around the feast of Corpus Christi in 1962, Garabandal experienced one of the most outstanding times in its history.

This feast honoring the Eucharist is celebrated in Spain with greater external solemnity than any other. The feast was soon to suffer a great eclipse in the days after the Council as a result of certain doctrinal derangements, as a result of a heated fight against triumphalism in the Church, as a result of a tendency in many of the clergy to desecrate, as a result of etc., etc.. But in Garabandal, in the year 1962, it was celebrated as never before.

Three days previously something occurred that seems not to have been sufficiently noted: the active reappearance of St. Michael the Archangel.

We can speak of reappearance, not because he had disappeared completely, but because his presence had been reduced for some time to interventions of a lesser degree: fleetingly supplying for the absence of a priest in giving Holy Communion to the girls, and accompanying the Virgin from time to time as a silent witness. Now on the contrary, on the evening of the feast of Corpus Christi, he returns to play a role almost as he did in the beginning.

In that year Corpus Christi fell on the 21st of June, a Thursday. On the preceding Monday, June 18th, Fr. Valentin wrote:

«In the evening Mari Cruz went to the Cuadro and there was in ecstasy, and afterwards she went through the village. A little later, Jacinta and Mari Loli went outside. They also went to the Cuadro and then fell into ecstasy. They said that they saw the Angel.»

Did Fr. Valentin notice the newness of this? St. Michael comes alone again, and acts alone. [That the Angel appeared alone this time seems clear from what Fr. Valentin wrote afterwards: «They said that they would see the Virgin later.»]

Did Fr. Valentin notice what date it was? June 18th! Exactly one year since the Archangel and the girls had met for the first time in the same place. How many things had happened in the meantime! And many more were still to happen.

«At 10:30 (at night) Jacinta, Mari Loli and Mari Cruz were in the Cuadro. Previously Loli and Jacinta had gone there running, and on arriving were in ecstasy. And they said that they saw the Angel, and that he told them to return to the Cuadro at 10:30. Then they went down to the village and later went up with Mari Cruz . . .

The girls cried and said: Don't tell us these things! Take us away . . . They should confess! They should get ready!

Afterward they said that they would put it in writing, (as the Angel had told them to do) It lasted 50 minutes.»

In the meantime, what was Conchita doing? Why was she absent during the important activity in the calleja? Some notes from Dr. Ortiz clarify this for us:

«My sister-in-law, Eloisa (who was passing some time in Garabandal with her daughter), told me that on the evening of June 19th she met with other people in Conchita's house. Conchita's mother would not let her go outside since she had a bad knee. Soon the girl went into ecstasy, falling so hard on her knees that she made them bleed. Then Eloisa said to Aniceta:

— You haven't accomplished anything by not letting her go out. Look what she has done.

— It's all right with me if she goes out.

The girl didn't go out, but in ecstasy as she was, she picked up a piece of paper and holding it by the lower border — in the air! — she began to write on it with a pen. Approaching with flashlights, the people wanted to read what she was writing, and she tried to hide it.

Don't look. — said someone — She doesn't want you to.

When this had ended and she was normal again, Plácido [The businessman from Santander, Plácido Ruiloba.] came into the house, all excited, and exclaimed:

— Did you hear the screams that the girls made in the Calleja?
— No.
— They were horrible!»

What happened in the Calleja on that night of June 19th, the first Night of the Screams (Noches de los Gritos) as the people began to call them, must have been very impressive and serious. [Many years passed before definite information was revealed on the contents of that night. The magazine Needles, now titled Garabandal out of New York, in its fall issue of 1977, reported some statements by Jacinta's American husband (as spokesman for her). According to these statements, what Loli and Jacinta heard during the first night of screams related specially to the Warning. (See further on in Part Three of this book.) And it was on the following night that these two girls and Conchita had visions of the Chastisement. At the time Jacinta and Loli possibly did not understand the distinction between the Warning and Chastisement, or else they deliberately keep silent about the Warning, since Conchita was the only girl who spoke about the Warning that was going to come before the Miracle — as a result of the vision she had on January 1, 1965.] We have just seen Fr. Valentin's notation: «Afterward they said that they would put it in writing.» And so it was actually done; there came out from this a short message dated June 19th, 1962, with the signatures of Man Loli and Jacinta. (Could this have been the same message that Conchita, at home in ecstasy, was attempting to write on the piece of paper she was holding up in the air?) [Father Valentin, who was absent, wrote in his memoirs: «Conchita wrote responses for three persons.»]

I have seen many copies of this message with slight variations. But I am setting down here a photocopy of the text that the girls gave to a trustworthy person, written and signed in their own handwriting. Evidently, this message is a very weak reflection of what they saw and heard on that first night of the screams.

[It is difficult to determine if it was the Virgin who personally presented all these things to them, or if it was done by the Archangel].

The Virgin told us: That we do not expect the Chastisement; That without expecting it, it will come; Since the world has not changed. And she has already told us twice; And we do not pay attention to her, Since the world is getting worse. And it should change very much. And it has not changed at all. Prepare yourself. Confess, Because the Chastisement will come soon. And the world continues the same . . . I tell you this: That the world continues the same. How unfortunate that it does not change! Soon will come a very great Chastisement, If it does not change. Maria Dolores Mazón Jacinta González

This is the message faithfully reproduced; the only thing I have added is the punctuation and the distribution into lines to make it easier to understand. (The girls wrote all these things one right after the other without a single comma or period.)

With their poor capacity for expression, they sought with this repetition of ideas to inculcate forcefully the few basic things that they had heard and seen {and in what a way! ) in the course of the apparition:

— That the Chastisement (I write this with a capital so that no one will interpret it to be an ordinary chastisement.) announced in the first message of October 18th was inexorably going to come. The reason for this is that only penitential reform could save us from it, and instead of this, what is happening in the world today is a rapid progression down the road of filthiest deviations.

— That only those who prepare themselves by a sincere return to God, together with constant prayer and watching, will be able to face the terrible test [The punishments of God in this world never have the exclusive reason of getting even vindictively. They always come impregnated with mercy, offering an occasion for each one to satisfy for himself and for others by willingly accepting the hardships that come.] in the proper state.

On the night after the girls' terrifying screams, tears, and broken, incoherent speech, Garabandal could not sleep tranquilly. But the next day was even worse.

Early in the morning arrived Fr. Félix Larrazábal, the superior of the Franciscans of San Pantaleón de Aras (Santander), summoned by Fr. Valentín to perform services for Corpus Christi in the village. A little after his arrival, he went to Conchita's house; but he found no one there.

«We were accompanying» — said the sister-in-law of Dr. Ortiz — «Conchita at the Pines, where she was waiting to receive Communion from the Angel. We were praying and waiting; the time was dragging on. In the meantime her mother went to the edge of the hill and saw in front of her house someone who appeared to be a friar or a priest.

Hearing this, Conchita hurried to descend and we followed her. Actually he was a Franciscan father; he celebrated Mass and gave Communion to us. Conchita's mother commented:

—That's the reason that we've waited so long up above! Whenever there's a priest to give Communion, she doesn't receive it from the Angel.»

In the evening some devout persons made confessions at the time of the rosary. The majority of the people were working in the fields, which required a lot of labor at that time of the year, especially since the next day was a feastday on which they could not work.

As the evening shadows fell on the village, almost everyone was awaiting what might happen, since all had been startled by what had occurred on the previous night.

«At 1 o'clock at night» — states Eloisa de la Roza Velarde — «I went to Mari Cruz's house to pick up a rosary that I had left, and on the way I heard that the others were already in the Calleja. I returned immediately to search for my daughter, but I didn't find her. Then I hurried to the Calleja, and there she was with Maximina (in whose house we were staying) and many other people, among whom was Fr. Felix Larrazábal.»

We know from Fr. Valentín, who wrote down what they said, that the girls . . .

«... went to the Cuadro as on the previous day, toward 10:30 at night. They said they had seen the Angel who told them that the Virgin would come later, but that the people should stay at a distance . . . that no one should pass beyond the last house in the village. And so everyone did this; but it seems that a Franciscan father — who was surely the only priest present — showed the intent of going to where the girls were. Ceferino blocked his way, saying: Here we are all equal. Afterward, it appears that the girls were heard to cry very hard ...»

What Fr. Valentin refers to here as being heard, is well confirmed by the personal experience of Eloisa de la Roza:

«The girls let out terrifying screams . . . And they said, Wait! Wait! . . , Everyone should confess! Oh! Oh!

The people began to pray and to ask pardon publicly . . .

The priest, who was very excited, prayed in a loud voice, and we all followed him. When he stopped a moment, the girls cried and screamed again in a very anguished manner. They calmed down again when the prayer restarted. [This scene at Garabandal during these latest times of the world ( I John 2:18) can be compared with the scene of Exodus (I7: 8-12), when the Story of Salvation was almost beginning: The Amalecites came and attacked Israel at Refidim... Joshua did as Moses told him and marched out to engage Amalec. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage; when he let his arms fall, the advantage went to Amalec. A telling lesson on how our prayer is able to overcome in the face of all types of situations!]

On returning to normality (Father Valentin's notes say that this remarkable apparition ended at about 2 in the morning), the girls said that they would stay there all night in prayer.

I don't think anyone moved; we prayed with them (Father Valentin said that they prayed many rosaries.) until six in the morning.

At that time (there was a beautiful sunrise), Father Larrazábal went toward the church, followed by all the people. And he began a series of confessions. The whole village confessed; and it appears that they were confessions of truly exceptional sincerity and repentance.»

How could it have been otherwise, after such preparation, both personal and communal, at the Calleja? The pure love of God will always be of the greatest value and the great measure of every spiritual life. But the holy fear of God should not be neglected, which from ancient times has been shown to be the beginning of wisdom. (Eccl 1:16)

The holy fear of God was experienced as never before by the men and women of Garabandal on the two 'nights of the screams'. Months later, the memory of it was still vivid. On September 24th, María Herrero de Gallardo wrote from Santander to her sister, Menchu:

«I spent a long time speaking alone with Jacinta's mother, and she told me that the night before Corpus Christi had been terrifying . . . The girls ran to the Cuadro. Afterwards they advised the people that they should approach no further than a certain distance, that they shouldn't go beyond a place in the road from which the girls couldn't be seen.

Jacinta's mother told me that she heard them cry with such voices and such horror that she wanted to run toward her daughter to see what was happening; but the people held her back. When the vision ended, the girls came to the place where the people were, and the people saw that the girls were covered with tears. The girls requested the whole village to confess and receive Communion, as a horrible thing was going to happen. María (the mother of Jacinta) experienced such fright that she couldn't sleep.»

Six years later, Pepe Díez, the village stonemason, spoke to a married couple from Asturias in words similar to these that I overheard:

Look, I don't want to brag, but I'm a man, it might be said, who doesn't know fear. I go out to all parts of the village, and over the distant trails in the night just like in the day. I have never been afraid. But on those nights of the screams, with everyone together in the darkness, in silence, hearing the girls' sobbing and screeches in the distance, I shook so that my knees knocked against each other so much I couldn 't stop them.

What could the girls have seen to break out like this with the shrill shrieks and screams that terrified everyone?

Maria Herrero de Gallardo, in Garabandal several months later, spoke with Loli on Sunday, October 7th, the feast of the Holy Rosary. She questioned Loli, among other things, about what the girls had seen during the feast of Corpus Christi:

«Oh!» — exclaimed the girl — «That was horrible to see. We were really frightened. And I know no words that will explain it.»

We saw rivers change into blood . . . Fire fell down from the sky . . . And something much worse still, which I'm not able to reveal now.

The message that we gave at the time said that we don't expect the Chastisement, but that, without expecting it, it will come . . .

In 1970 Fernando Corteville wrote in issue N° 31 of the L'Impartial about the messages of the 19th and 23th of June, 1962 — up to then unpublished — that Mari Loli had verified and presented to Mrs. Saraco. [Mrs. Carmela Saraco is a promoter of the cause of Garabandal in the U.S.A..]Three years previously, these messages had been given to Father Morelos. [Father Gustavo Morelos, a Mexican, played a great part in the pro-Garabandal movement following the events. He came to Spain toward the end of 1964, with the proper authorization of his ecclesiastical superiors, as he himself stated in writing in 1965, to study the apparitions of the Most Holy Virgin in the village of San Sebastian de Garabandal.

First he collected all the information of a negative type that the Commission at Santander could give him, with a result that could be imagined. But later, on dealing directly with the visionaries and on hearing the eyewitnesses, he became convinced that what was occurring in Garabandal could not have any human explanation. Returning to my country, Mexico, I dedicated myself to informing our most excellent prelates . . . with the desire of making known — more than the "events" themselves — the "messages" that the four girls had transmitted to all mankind on behalf of their Vision.

For some time now, due to pressure by the upper ecclesiastical hierarchies (The passionate zeal with which the former bishop from Santander, Bishop Cirarda, attempted to finish with Garabandal between 1968 and 1971 should not be forgotten.), he has come to keep silence.

As a tabulation of the actors, the fact can be pointed out here that there was an unusual procession of prelates in the Santander diocese from the beginning of the events of Garabandal. There were six bishops in the first 11 years. They were the following:

Doroteo Fernández Fernández: initially auxiliary bishop with Monsignor Eguino Trecu and afterwards, apostolic administrator; transferred in 1962 to Badajoz.

Eugenio Beitia Aldazábal: in 1962 took possession of the diocese as the titular bishop of Santander; not much later, for reasons not sufficiently known, he presented his resignation. This was accepted, although he continued for some time at the head of the bishopric as the apostolic administrator.

Vicente Puchol Montis: entered into Santander as a new bishop in 1965; he came with great hopes: he was rather young and had recently been promoted. On May 8th of 1967, he died tragically in an automobile accident.

Enrique de Cabo: elected vicar head on the death of Bishop Puchol; he was at the head of the diocese a little more than a year. Not long after finishing his service, he died suddenly.

José María Cirarda: came in the summer of 1968 to Santander as the new bishop; much was expected from him also. In December of 1971 he went to the diocese of Cordoba.

Juan Antonio del Val Gallo: in the winter of 1972, he took possession of the diocese of Santander, to which diocese he belonged and to which he was then returning after a short reign as auxiliary bishop to the archbishop of Seville.

With regard to Garabandal, although all these bishops have officially upheld the negative position of the Commission, only two have fought openly against it: Bishop Puchol, who thought he had finished with Garabandal; and Bishop Cirarda, who tried to finish it with all his might . . .

I do not question their good intentions; undoubtedly they thought that they were doing God a good service.] The girls had received them when they had seen visions of the Chastisement.

According to the text that Mrs. Saraco had in her possession (signed by the visionary), Loli said this to Father Morelos:

In Spite Of Seeing the Virgin, (during the 'night of screams')we began to see a great multitude of people who were suffering intensely, and screaming with tremendous fear . . . The Most Holy Virgin explained to us that this great tribulation — which was not the Chastisement — would come because a time would arrive when the Church would give the impression of being on the point of perishing ... It would pass through a terrible test. We asked the Virgin what this great test was called and she told us that it was Communism. Then she showed us how the great Chastisement for all mankind would come, and that it would come directly from God ... There will come a time when all motors and machines will stop; a terrible wave of heat will strike the earth and men will begin to feel a great thirst. In desperation they will seek water, but this will evaporate from the heat . . . Then almost everyone will despair and they will seek to kill one another . . . But they will lose their strength and fall to the earth. Then it will be understood that it is God alone Who has permitted this. Then we saw a crowd in the midst of flames. The people ran to hurl themselves into the lakes and seas. But the water seemed to boil and in place of putting out the flames, it seemed to enkindle them even more. It was so horrible that I asked the Most Holy Virgin to take all the young children with her before all this happened. But the Virgin told us that when it would come, they would all be adults . . .

Loli's words could be compared to those written in the Apocalypse (16: 8-12) about the effects that would result from the pouring out of the fourth, fifth and sixth chalices . . .

This is startling, shocking. It should make every person reflect on his salvation. But I am afraid for many . . . The charismatics of optimism do not see more in the actual situation of the Church today, in its convulsions, than a crisis of growth. They detect with certainty (I don't know by what signs.) the coming of a new springtime. And they regard every thing that has just been mentioned as an erroneous prophecy. An erroneous prophecy from outdated medieval prophets of doom.

The true prophets were sent to communicate to the people of God, time and time again, what it was necessary for them to know. And it cannot be denied that we have needed — more than once — the sternest warnings and corrections.

The words of the prophecy itself distinguish the false from the true prophet ... It is clear that the people of God do not like to hear certain matters, even though they are conducive to their salvation, and their guides like to hear them even less. It was the same in Israel in the days of Jeremiah the prophet. The insistence on reform by that prophet of doom did not please the Israelites; they preferred instead the pleasant predicters of a prosperous future. But it is well known what then happened.

We can well imagine how the feast of Corpus Christi, the great feast of the Eucharist, was celebrated in Garabandal during that year of grace, 1962, after such a vigil and after such reception of the sacrament of Penance.

No one missed the solemn Mass and almost everyone received Communion. Later, during the procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the cleaned and garlanded streets of the village, there resounded the traditional hymns of homage to the hidden God in the Blessed Sacrament.

As if for the purpose of directing all attention toward the mysteries celebrated on that day, the visionaries did not present any spectacle.

«Mari Cruz went to the Cuadro» — Fr. Valentín wrote — «she went there in the natural state, and on arriving, knelt down and went into ecstasy; but she didn't say anything . . . The other girls didn't have an apparition.»

The following day, Friday, there was no apparition at all. But on the next day, Saturday, June 23rd, came the final statement from the nights of the screams; the second message from Loli and Jacinta [The reader can notice that Conchita was not taking a significant part in the important events occurring in Garabandal on the feast of Corpus Christi.] bears this date: