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Apparitions of Our Lady of Good Success of the Purification and the Crisis in the Catholic Church in Our Times
Part One: Mother Mariana – prepared and narrated by Paul Renneberg
Sister Anne: intro
In this series I’ve been presenting the apparitions of Our Lady between 1830-2020 as pieces in a mosaic that conveys to us an overarching message of warning and consolation for our times. All along, it’s been my desire to speak about Mother Mariana who prayed for us several centuries before our times, having received prophecies from the Blessed Virgin about our times. A YouTube fan in Australia, Paul Renneberg, came to my rescue and did the required extensive research. We’ve decided to divide it into segments because the story is many-faceted. I’ve asked Paul to do the narration himself. We’ll post two prayers at the end of each segment.
Paul Renneberg– Mother Mariana’s Childhood Piety:
Greetings Listeners! Some 400 years ago, Our Lady of Good Success appeared to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, a Conceptionist nun in the Convent of the Immaculate Conception in the then colony of Quito, which is now Ecuador in South America. Our Lady of Good Success appeared on six separate occasions to Mother Mariana, lamenting the crisis in the Catholic Church that would emerge in the 19th and 20th centuries. Our Lady asked Mother Mariana to become an expiatory victim for the Catholic Church of the 20th century, to which she agreed. Our Lady made it clear to her that this crisis is primarily due to betrayal from within the Catholic Church due to lukewarmness, laxity and corruption of priests and religious in the hierarchy of the Church by satan and his minions.
Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres was born in Spain in the Basque province of Viscaya in 1563 (1). She was born into a noble Spanish family that fell on difficult times after a fire destroyed the local Catholic church and their family home. Like many of the Saints, Mother Mariana demonstrated great piety from an early age and had mystical experiences. Her frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament would become the centerpiece of her devotion throughout her life as she was often prostrate before the tabernacle.
At the age of nine Mariana was allowed to make her First Holy Communion. In those days, this was unusual and not normally done until early adolescence. She fell into ecstasy upon receiving her First Communion and had a vision of Our Lady who called her to the cloistered life of the Conceptionist Order so that she could foster devotion to Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception. She also received the gift of betrothal to Our Lord Jesus Christ and pronounced vows of chastity (2). By the age of 12 she was already dedicated to a life of religious virtue including prayer, contemplation and mortification. She led a conventual style of life within her parents home. (3). She understood that she had been called by Our Lord to a life of heroic sacrifice in the new convent of the Immaculate Conception to be founded in the Spanish colony at Quito at the behest of the King of Spain. (4)
Mother Mariana was 13 years of age when she was allowed to accompany her aunt, Rev. Mother Maria de Jesus Taboaba, and six other founding Mothers to Quito in South America in order to establish the new Convent of the Immaculate Conception. Some days before leaving her family she had an apparition of Our Lord who instructed her thus:
“My Spouse, the time has already arrived for you to bid an eternal farewell to your motherland and to your paternal home. Eagerly coveting your beauty, I bring you to my house, where, behind strong walls, you will live far from flesh and blood, hidden and forgotten by all human creatures. For your inheritance and patrimony, you will have, in imitation of Me, the cross and great sufferings. Strength and courage will not be lacking to you. I desire only that your will always be prepared to do mine.” (5)
Such is the call of saintly religious souls who choose a cloistered life of heroic virtue. However, at the time the young Mariana may not have known that many of the crosses and sufferings she would live through, would be at the hands of her fellow sisters.
The Journey to Quito: A Precursor of things to Come
In 1577 at the age of 13 the young Mariana left Spain in the company of her aunt. Shortly after setting sail an unprecedented tempest came upon the ship and it began to sink (6). The young Mariana believed herself to be the cause of this impending disaster and asked her aunt if she might be thrown into the sea like Jonah. Her aunt refused ,and pressed the young Mariana to pray.
Mother Maria and Mariana both were given a vision of an enormous serpent with seven heads stirring up the ocean in an effort to sink the ship. Mariana fainted, and Mother Maria prayed for the tempest to subside. When Mariana opened her eyes, the sky cleared, and she heard a terrible voice pronounce:
“I shall not permit the foundation. I shall not permit that it go forward. I shall not permit that it endure until the end of time, and I shall persecute it unceasingly.”
By this statement, satan admitted his defeat and acknowledges that the newly to be established Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Quito will last until the end of time. It is still there today and an active cloister.
As the storm was subsiding, Mariana related her vision to her Aunt Mother Maria:
“…it was a serpent…larger than the sea. I also saw a Lady of incomparable beauty, clothed in the sun and crowned with stars, carrying a beautiful Child in her arms. Over the heart of this Lady was a monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament. In one of her hands she carried a large cross of gold, which at its end took the shape of a lance. With this she subdued the enormous serpent with its two-edged tongue. The Lady who wielded the cross with the help of the Blessed Sacrament and the hand of the Child, struck the head of the serpent with such force that it was slashed to pieces. At that moment, this monstrous serpent cried out that it would not permit the foundation of the Order of the Immaculate Conception.”(7)
The vision given to the young Mariana can be interpreted as a precursor to the battle between the faithful and unfaithful souls that awaited her within the new Convent of the Immaculate Conception in Quito. More broadly, it is also indicative of the same battle in the wider Catholic Church throughout the centuries but, especially in our times, and is reminiscent of a battle described in the Book of Revelation Chapter 12.
The monstrance over the breast of the Woman in the vision is significant; for Mariana would develop a profound devotion to, and contemplation of the Blessed Sacrament. Many of her subsequent mystical experiences and prophecies would occur while she was praying before the Tabernacle of Our Lord.
The two-edged tongue of the Sea Beast appears indicative of the duplicity, lies and calumnies and deceits that would be inflicted upon Mariana and the loyal Sisters in the Convent. It appears to have been a major weapon in satan’s efforts to destroy the Convent, and continues to be used today to destroy the reputation of the Catholic Church, and to undermine the doctrine and practice of the Faith.
The battle in this vision also bears a striking resemblance to a battle in Sacred Scripture: the Book of Revelation Chapters 12 and 13 (8). In Rev 12:1 we see a description of a woman clothed with the sun, a crown of twelve stars with the child (Rev 12:17). As the Dragon is prevented from destroying the Woman and her Child, he proceeds to make war on: “the rest of her offspring and those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea” (Rev 12:17). These offspring are faithful and religious Souls. In more recent times, Our Lady has referred to priests as her “Beloved Sons” (9) and that we are ALL her children.
In the next line of the book of Revelation (13:1) we see the emergence of a Beast from the Sea ( a Sea Beast). To this Sea Beast the Dragon gives “his power and his throne and great authority.” (Rev 13:2). The Sea Beast in Revelation 13 also has seven heads and one of these appears to have a mortal wound that is healed. The Sea Beast “was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.” (Rev 13:7). Just as the Sea Beast in Mariana’s vision received a mortal wound, it also promised to make war on the saints of the new Conceptionist Convent of the Immaculate Conception at Quito, and to persecute it to the end of time.
In Revelation 13:11 we also see the emergence of another beast:
“…which rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.” (Rev 13:12).
It is clear that the Sea Beast and the Lamb Beast owe allegiance to the Dragon who is satan. These beasts are also clearly all connected, but may well have different roles in the war on the saints. More generally, the “saints” in the book of Revelation 12 can be seen as indicative of faithful and religious souls in the wider Catholic Church. As always, faithful and religious souls are in the front line of this epic battle between the Woman clothed with the Sun and the Dragon. This epic battle was waged throughout Mother Mariana’s life within the Convent. It is also a battle between those who strive to remain faithful to Our Lord Jesus Christ and his teaching, and those who seek to weaken, undermine or destroy the Faith given to us by Our Lord.
First Death and Resurrection – Mother Mariana is invited to become an Expiatory Victim for the 20th Century
Mother Mariana was a pious soul from an early age, and practicing prayer and often severe penances upon herself. This practice continued throughout her life. However, it also attracted insults, calumnies and persecutions from some of her colleagues who wanted to relax the practice of the monastic rule for their own benefit. Her penances also took their toll on Mother Mariana’s physical health. However, her love for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament was often a source of consolation for Mother Mariana and became the mainstay of her devotion throughout her life.
At some point during 1582 while before the tabernacle of Our Lord, Mother Mariana was confiding the insults and persecutions she had been enduring. Our Lord spoke to her, assuring her of His support and strength to bear the sufferings that she must endure. At this time, the Church darkened, the tabernacle opened and Christ Himself emerged, suffering as He had on Golgotha. Our Lady in tears, and Mother Mariana’s Guardian Angel also appeared. (10, 11)
Feeling guilty, Mother Mariana offered herself to be punished for Our Lady’s sufferings. However, Our Lady addressed Mother Mariana saying that it was not her who was to blame for her sadness: “…but the criminal world.” (12) Then Mother Mariana heard the voice of God the Father saying: “This punishment will be for the 20th century.”(13) Then three swords appeared over Our Lord’s head:
On each was written: “I shall punish heresy, blasphemy and impurity.” Then Mother Mariana was given to understand all that would take place in the 20th century, and this shocked her.
The Holy Virgin continued, “my daughter, will you sacrifice yourself for the people of this time?”
Mother Mariana replied, “I am willing.”
Immediately, the swords moved away from the agonizing Christ and buried themselves in the heart of Mother Mariana who fell dead from the violence of the pain.” (14)
During her death experience Mother Mariana was taken before the Throne of God while her Sisters prayed over her body for her return to life. While before the Throne of God, Mother Mariana was given the choice of the crown of immortal glory and remaining in heaven, or accepting a crown of white lilies surrounded by thorns and returning to earth to suffer and risk being lost.
While before the Throne of God, Mother Mariana was also given to know all the Religious who would inhabit the Convent of the Immaculate Conception throughout time up to the last day of the world and the graces they would receive. Hence, we can assume the Convent will be an active cloister until the Last Day, and never be destroyed. However, some of the religious holding various Offices will be contrary to the Will of God and causing damage to the Convent:
“She also saw the ones (that is the religious souls) who would be unfaithful, and she trembled for them before the Throne of God. She saw that some Novice Mistresses would be condemned not for their own personal sins, but because of the poor formation they gave to the novices. It was revealed to her that if she returned to the earth, she herself would hold this difficult office.” (15)
After receiving reassurances from Our Lady, Mother Mariana chose the crown of lilies and thorns and returned to this world to suffer and risk being lost. Our Lady said to Mother Mariana:
“Daughter of my Heart be not fearful, for you will not be the Mistress, but, indeed, I shall be. Using you as my instrument, I shall transform your novices into holy religious . . . ” (16)
It is therefore apparent that the importance of priestly and religious formation cannot be underestimated. In our times, poor formation of priests and religious is being blamed, at least in part for the current crisis in the Catholic Church (17). In subsequent apparitions, Mother Mariana would be given to know the importance of pure souls who, hidden from the world in monasteries and convents, practice lives of heroic virtue, prayer, penance and consecration as asked for by Our Lady at Fatima.
At the precise moment Mother Mariana accepted the crown of lilies and thorns her Franciscan spiritual director who, with others was praying by her lifeless body, was inspired to order her soul return to her body under Holy Obedience. Mother Mariana immediately gave a sigh from her formerly lifeless body.
Some of the spiritual gifts attributed to Mother Mariana throughout her life include:
– Espousal to Our Lord Jesus Christ
– The gift of prophecy
– The gift of bilocation and levitation
– Miraculous healings
– Discernment of Spirits and Exorcism
– She was called to be an expiatory victim for the 20th century. Mother Mariana died and was resurrected twice during her life.
– In 1906 her body was found to be incorrupt. (18)
– She experienced the Passion of Our Lord and The Stigmata.
– She experienced the pains of Hell.
– In addition, Mother Mariana was given to know all the religious souls who would inhabit the Convent of the Immaculate Conception up until the end of time, the good and the bad.
Like Our Lord at Gethsemane, Mother Mariana suffered repeated sacrifices, persecutions (both physical and spiritual), calumnies and betrayal. She was imprisoned four times while in the cloister of the convent. These sacrifices occurred primarily at the hands of her fellow sisters who, using their relationship with Church hierarchy in Quito, wanted to relax the monastic rule and lead a more self-indulgent lifestyle. This is a similar problem in the Church today as money, position, power and politics take precedence over doctrine, pious practices and morality within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
By heroic charity, Mother Mariana experienced the pains of hell for the leader of these rebellious Sisters in order to save her from eternal perdition. The suffering and persecution experienced by Mother Mariana, at the hands of her colleagues, in many ways is a reflection of the current crisis in the Catholic Church in our times that is, the 20th Century, to which she was called to be an expiatory victim.
Second Death and Resurrection: A few years after her first death experience on September 17 in 1588, Mother Mariana was 28 years of age and praying again before the tabernacle at midnight. Prostrate on the floor, her whole body suddenly shuddered violently and she cried out. The abbess, her aunt, Mother Maria and the Convent nurse, Mother Francesca attended and found holes had appeared in Mother Mariana’s hands and feet, as if spikes had been driven through them. A purple bruise and red mark had also appeared over her heart as if it had been pierced by a sword. Her body had become rigid.
The next day Mother Mariana was examined by a physician. She remained in this rigid state until the following February and was tormented by the devil who appeared to her in the form of a serpent. However, Mother Mariana did not neglect her prayers at midnight and 3:00 a.m.. Throughout this time, she suffered an interior desolation, a “Dark Night of the Soul” and was called to a high degree of perfection through a prolonged mystical martyrdom.
Months later, on the Feast of the Purification, 2nd of February in 1589, Mother Mariana feared she would fall into hell and cried out to Our Lady. Our Blessed Mother appeared and cast the serpent into Hell. At this same instant an earthquake was felt throughout the city of Quito. Our Lady again told Mother Mariana that:
“this convent will be severely persecuted in the centuries to come, with the persecution reaching such an extreme that attempts will be made against the lives of my daughters. Not succeeding in this they will strive with infernal tenacity to destroy it, making use of the religious within it and the authority of their superiors . . . ” (19)
Our Lady relieved Mother Mariana’s stiff nerves and limbs allowing her to move. Our Lady elevated Mother Mariana’s soul to the state of purgatory after she had been in the state of hell since the previous September. She remained in this state of purgatory until the following September in 1589 when her agony was again increased. Mother Mariana received Holy Communion and Extreme Unction. Two days, later on Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m., Mother Mariana raised her eyes to heaven, and breathed her last.
The morning after Mother Mariana’s death, her fellow Sisters awoke as they normally do to pray the Little Office of Our Lady. When they arrived, they found Mother Mariana praying there. Initially, her fellow Sisters were fearful that what they saw was a ghost; but when they found the empty litter where her body had been laid they realized Mother Mariana had again been risen from the dead by Our Lord back to her former state of good health.
In her third and final permanent death, Mother Mariana subsequently predicted the time of her own death and at 3:00 p.m. on January 16 in the year 1635 she passed from this earth to her heavenly reward. In 1906, her body was found to be incorrupt. (20) It is worth noting that to date six of Mother Mariana’s fellow nuns, unknown to the world and all buried within the walls of the Convent, have been found to be incorrupt. While incorruption of holy and religious souls is not unprecedented, having so many incorrupt bodies in one place is.
Our Lady of Good Success also predicted to Mother Mariana that in the end She will triumph. She predicted this again at Fatima in 1917 that her Immaculate Heart will triumph. Our Lady under the title of “Good Success” gave Mother Mariana a message of great hope. In effect she predicted her victory when “the evil will seem triumphant and the ecclesiastical authority will abuse its power.” (21)
The Cause for the Beatification of Mother Mariana was only commenced in 1986. As predicted, she has remained little known outside of Quito, in Ecuador. The apparitions and devotion to Our Lady of Good Success have been approved by the bishops of Quito since 1611, when the statue of Our Lady of Good Success was formally blessed and placed in the Abbess’ chair of the Convent of the Immaculate Conception. On the 22nd February 1991 the statue received a Papal Coronation.
In the series of videos, we will discuss in detail the “Apparitions of Our Lady of Good Success of the Purification” and the prophecies given to Mother Marian in Quito Ecuador almost 400 years ago.
Acknowledgements
A work like this is not possible without the efforts of others who go before us. Hence in completing this work we would like to acknowledge the work of Marian Horvat who translated “The Admiral Life of Mother Mariana” into English making it available to a much wider community.
The reader is recommended to this two volume set for the life of Mother Mariana is truly admirable. The books can be purchased through the website www.TraditionInAction.org.
In addition the author would like to acknowledge “Sister Anne” Farran whose work on Marian apparitons, the new Ordo Matris Dei and in the production of these videos provided the platform, encouragement and impetus to do this work.
The author also wants to acknowledge Renee Cottingham who provided the much needed proofreading and editing before any recording could be done.
Prayers
Holy Mother of Good Success,
Star of the stormy sea of my mortal life,
May your light shine upon me
So that I do not stray from the path
That leads me to Heaven.
Hail Mary Most Holy, Beloved Daughter of God the Father
Through the intercession of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres,
grant thy good success to this request (name request)…
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be…
Saint Michael, pray for us.
Hail Mary Most Holy, Admirable Mother of God the Son
Through the intercession of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres,
grant thy good success to this request (name request) …
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…
Saint Gabriel, pray for us.
Hail Mary Most Holy, Most Faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost
Through the intercession of Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres,
grant thy good success to this request (name request) …
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…
Saint Raphael, pray for us.
Hail Mary Most Holy, Temple and Tabernacle of the Most Holy Trinity.
St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, pray for us.
Our Lady of Good Success, thou who art the all-powerful intercessor before the Most Holy Trinity, deign to hear and answer my request, so long as it contributes to the salvation of my soul and the glory and exaltation of Holy Mother Church.
Salve Regina . . .
Notes
1. Page 17 “The Admirable Life of Mother Mariana” by Fr Manuel Sousa Pereira 1790. Vol 1. Translation by Marian T Horvat, PhD. 2nd Ed. 2014
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid. page 25. For further information on the early life of Mother Mariana, the reader is encouraged to read this text. Copies can be obtained from www.TraditionInAction.org
6. “The Admirable Life of Mother Mariana” by Fr Manuel Sousa Pereira 1790. Vol 1. Translation by Marian T Horvat, PhD. 2nd Ed. 2014.
7. Ibid. page 29.
8. All biblical references in this document are taken from: The Holy Bible – Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition. Unless otherwise indicated.
9. “To The Priests, Our Lady’s Beloved Sons.” 12th Ed. 1998.
10. Page 48. “The Admirable Life of Mother Mariana” by Fr Manuel Sousa Pereira 1790. Vol 1. Translation by Marian T Horvat, PhD. 2nd Ed. 2014
11. Page 27 “Our Lady of Good Success: Prophecies for Our Times.” by Marian T Horvat PhD. 5th Ed 2015.
12. Ibid footnote 15.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. Page 51 “The Admirable Life of Mother Mariana” by Fr Manuel Sousa Pereira 1790. Vol 1. Translation by Marian T. Horvat, PhD. 2nd Ed. 2014
16. Ibid. page 53.
17. see: The Church and the scandal of sexual abuse. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI 2019
18. Page 68 “Our Lady of Good Success: Prophecies for Our Times.” by Marian T Horvat PhD. 5th Ed 2015.
19. Page 73 “The Admirable Life of Mother Mariana” by Fr Manuel Sousa Pereira 1790. Vol 1. Translation by Marian T Horvat, PhD. 2nd Ed. 2014
20. Page 68 “Our Lady of Good Success: Prophecies for Our Times.” by Marian T Horvat PhD. 5th Ed 2015.
21. Page 14 “The Admirable Life of Mother Mariana” by Fr Manuel Sousa Pereira 1790. Vol 1. Translation by Marian T Horvat, PhD. 2nd Ed. 2014
