This year, in 2019, during the novena to Our Lady of Good Success from January 24- Feb 2nd – her feast day, which is the Feast of the Purification and Candlemas day, I felt that there was a great need to write more about these wonderful messages of Our Lady. “But how?” was the question I posed to Our Lady when most everything that could be told about this story had been told… Yet I implored Our Lady for discernment in facilitating the continuation of this devotion as I had heard that there were those who were putting to doubt the apparitions and prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success to Mother Mariana. Some of this year’s pilgrims who had travelled to Quito were saddened to discover that in their midst were those who were casting doubts on the apparitions right in the heart of that city and country that Our Lady loved so well and chose to shower with so many graces!

It is with great sorrow that the devotees of Our Lady of Good Success witnessed this subversion of both Our Lord and Our Lady –perhaps intentionally or unintentionally- God only knows. After all some may have been well-meaning but misguided, at a time when the Church needs those who would defend Her! Whatever the case, I was troubled! …I felt immediately that we needed to make reparation for this sad occurrence … But again, how? It was with these feelings that I came upon a past event in Ecuador that was in greater need of reparation. This event was prophesized by Our Lady of Good Success herself.

In her prophecies, Our Lady of Good Success warns us that there would be times of doubt during the spread of this devotion most especially right before the time when She would assist in the Restoration of the Catholic Church from the “Crisis” which we are now experiencing universally.

We must understand and always remember that anything worth having and knowing about- if it is truly from God - will always be attacked by the Evil One and the sworn enemies of God, Our Lady and the Church. This is something all of us need to remember when trying to spread this devotion to Our Lady of Good Success…

I would like to add that this article is in “parts” meant to be digested in parts…. I have learned in my studies of Our Lady of Good Success that Heaven has intertwined numerous historical narratives of a supernatural nature which are based in Ecuador with the story of Our Lady of Good Successi.e. the connection between the two saintly Marianas living in Quito in the Colonial era, the links with Gabriel Garcia Moreno, La Dolorosa and a dreadful profanation of the Eucharist in Riobamba… Certainly Heaven has lessons for us to learn…theological, moral and principled. Heaven intends us to meditate on them. These stories have been interwoven into an aesthetic tapestry of grace, virtue and sanctity - even to the point of the selfannihilation of the dry martyrdom of victim souls and the obliteration of true martyrdom!

On February 2, 1610, even Our Lady of Good Success warned against those who would have doubts in regard to her prophecies as she stated:
“During that epoch the Church will find herself attacked by terrible hordes of the Masonic sect…The vices of impurity, blasphemy, and sacrilege will dominate in this time of depraved desolation, and that one who should speak out will be silent.
Know, beloved daughter, that when your name will become known in the 20th century, there will be many who will not believe, claiming that this devotion is not pleasing to God. But the great sufferings of my daughters – and yours – of this time will make a melodious concert of humility and hidden penance for my Most Holy Son and myself. The Divine Spouse and I, His loving Mother, and you also will watch over our daughters from Heaven and guide them on the correct path that leads to Paradise. What will cause these favored daughters the greatest pain will be the doubt of their own sisters, who will increase their sufferings, but also their merit. A simple, humble faith in the truth of my apparitions to you, my favored child, will be reserved for humble and fervent souls who are docile to the inspirations of grace, for our Heavenly Father communicates His secrets to the simple of heart, and not to those whose hearts are inflated with pride, pretending to know what they do not or infatuated with empty science."

And again on Feb 2nd, 1634 – just short of a year before Mother Mariana died- and the last Feast Day of the Purification she would celebrate with her dear sisters on earth, she received a vision explaining the five reasons why the sanctuary lamp would be extinguished, Our Lady of Good Success told her: “During this unfortunate epoch, injustice will even enter here, my closed garden. Disguised under the name of false charity, it will wreak havoc in souls. The spiteful demon will try to sow discord, making use of putrid members, who, masked by the appearance of virtue, will be like decaying sepulchers emanating the pestilence of putrefaction, causing moral deaths in some and lukewarmness in others. They will thrust a two-edged sword into my faithful daughters, making them suffer a continuous and slow martyrdom. These faithful daughters will weep in secret and complain to their Lord and God, and their tears will be presented by their Guardian Angels to our Heavenly Father, asking that They shorten such dire times for love of the Divine Prisoner.”

Also, on that day, the Child Jesus resting in His Mother’s arms added:

However, along with those warnings, Our Lady also gave immense hope to all of us now via Mother Mariana when she told her:
“In order to free men from bondage to these heresies, those whom the merciful love of My Most Holy Son will destine for that restoration will need great strength of will, constancy, valor and confidence in God. To test this faith and confidence of the just, there will be occasions in which everything will seem to be lost and paralyzed. This will be, then, the happy beginning of the complete restoration.