By Fr Damian Polly

In many of her apparitions, Our Blessed Mother has spoken of and warned us about future events that can come to pass if we don’t turn back to God. The apparitions of Our Lady to a nun, Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, in Quito, Ecuador in the years between 1594 and 1634, are particularly striking in this regard, as she spoke of events that would not come to pass until the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Our Blessed Mother made some startling predictions of what would unfold in the church and our world.

She foretold the “total corruption of customs” occurring at the end of the 19th and greater part of the 20th centuries due to the reign of Satan in society through Freemasonry. Most disturbingly she said that the Masonic sects would focus principally on the children in order to sustain this general corruption. ‘Unhappy the children of those times!’

In her own words, Our Lady foretold that:                                                

“Seldom will children receive the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. As for the sacrament of Penance, they will confess only while attending Catholic schools, which the devil will do his utmost to destroy by means of persons in authority. The same will occur with Holy Communion.”

“The sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be thoroughly attacked and profaned. Masonry, then reigning, will implement iniquitous laws aimed at extinguishing this sacrament. They will make it easy for all to live in sin, thus multiplying the birth of illegitimate children without the Church’s blessing.”

“In those times the atmosphere will be saturated with the spirit of impurity which, like a filthy sea, will engulf the streets and public places with incredible license. Innocence will scarcely be found in children, or modesty in women.”

“Secular education will contribute to a scarcity of priestly and religious vocations. The holy sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this both the Church and God Himself are oppressed and reviled, since He is represented by His priests. The devil will work to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every way, working with baneful cunning to destroy the spirit of their vocation and corrupting many. Those who will thus scandalize the Christian flock will bring upon all priests the hatred of bad Christians and the enemies of the One, Holy, Roman Catholic, and Apostolic Church. This apparent triumph of Satan will cause enormous suffering to the good pastors of the Church and to the Supreme Pastor and Vicar of Christ on earth.”

When we look at the Church today and the state of the world, we can clearly see how Our Lady’s prophecies over 350 years ago have sadly come to pass – the corruption of customs has become general and the precious light of Faith is fading fast. In our own country, many people are left reeling after the tragic result of the abortion referendum.

With such predictions of moral decay and turmoil, we may wonder why Our Lady asked to be made known under the title of Our Lady of Good Success. Surely what she was predicting was far from ‘good success’.

Despite the seriousness of these prophecies and the sadness they evoke, there is a great note of hope sounded by Our Lady when she says:

“When everything will seem lost and paralyzed, that will be the happy beginning of the complete restoration. This will mark the arrival of my hour, when I, in a marvelous way, will dethrone the proud and cursed Satan, trampling him under my feet and fettering him in the infernal abyss.” It is the promise echoed by Our Lady again at Fatima in 1917: “In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph.“

This is therefore the time to turn to Our Lady of Good Success and invoke Her, begging for every good success – both temporal and spiritual. It is the moment to ask for Her guidance and protection and for the courage and strength to remain strong in faith in the midst of the storms that surround us. So let us pray to Our Lady of Good Success that she will intervene quickly to restore the Church and society, and to our Lord in the Eucharist for his kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven.

[The Our Lady of Good Success apparitions are approved by the Church. Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres has been declared venerable and her body remains incorrupt after almost three centuries.]