What About Garabandal? Part 1

Between 1961 and 1965, the Blessed Mary Ever Virgin, Mother of Our Lord and Savior, is believed by many to have appeared to four young girls in the small village of San Sebastian de Garabandal (Garabandal for short) with messages of hope and Divine Justice.  These alleged apparitions convey a sense of urgency for repentance and are amongst the most controversial of Marian apparitions of the last two centuries.  

 
Interest in these alleged apparitions has been particularly acute in recent years, as world events seem to be supporting some of the messages received by the young girls back in the 1960s.  

 
Unlike Lourdes, Guadalupe, and Fatima, Garabandal has not been officially approved by the Vatican.  It has not been outright rejected by either the Vatican or the local bishops.  I write “bishops” in the plural because this matter has transpired over the tenures of multiple bishops responsible for the diocese that covers San Sebastian de Garabandal.  

 
Earlier this year, Catholic author Ted Flynn released a new book on the apparitions.  The title is clearly descriptive of the book and its purpose:  Garabandal: The Warning and the Great Miracle: The Divine Reset That Will Correct the Conscience of the World.  The book is available from various commercial websites and from Flynn’s own website https://sign.org/product/garabandal-2  . 

 
I have not yet read Flynn’s latest book but it is on my ‘to do’ list. However, I am familiar with his work and have read one of his previous works on Marian apparitions, which he co-wrote with his wife Maureen:  The Thunder of Justice: The Warning, the Miracle, the Chastisement, the Era of Peace first published in 1993.  This book was later revised and updated in 2022.  So when Ted Flynn speaks of Garabandal, it is something worth seriously considering.

 
Ted Flynn’s new book is attracting a lot of attention from Catholic media.  I have listened to three of his appearances on Catholic podcasts in recent weeks.  In March 2024, Flynn spoke with John-Henry Westen of Life Site News https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/alleged-garabandal-prophecies-heaven-is-preparing-a-divine-reset-from-god/  

 
In April, Ted Flynn talked with Mark Mallet on “The Now Word” podcast https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/why-the-warning/  

 
In February 2024, Ted Flynn spoke with Father Chris Alar on his “Explaining the Faith” podcast https://share.transistor.fm/s/9f773e24  . See also https://divinemercyplus.org/podcast/explaining-faith-fr-chris-alar  . Father Chris Alar is the Provincial Superior of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy Province of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception in the United States and Argentina.  

I have listened to many of Father Chris’s podcast talks and he is outstanding in explaining our Catholic faith.  If he is talking about Garabandal, then it is most definitely something we should be considering.  

 
I must add here that Father Chris and the Marian Fathers are not endorsing or promoting Garabandal apparitions and/or the alleged messages. Father Chris clearly stated that in his podcast.  In his podcast, he discusses Garabandal which is permissible because the apparitions have not been condemned by the Church.  “It’s not condemned.  It’s not approved.  So we are allowed to discuss it,” he said.

 
At this point, I need to explain my purpose for this posting and its companion posting which I will be releasing in a few days.  

 
First, I am not endorsing Ted Flynn’s latest book on Garabandal nor am I trying to promote his book. I haven’t read it yet so I cannot offer any specific analysis of it nor offer any definitive statement on its merits or deficiencies. I am writing this posting about his book because of the subject matter and the fact that prominent Catholic media and podcasters are talking about it.

 
I have, however, listened to the three aforementioned podcasts which discuss Garabandal in great detail with the author.  My primary purpose is to raise awareness of this discussion, and to assist people in seriously considering the messages of Garabandal with prayer and discernment and Ted Flynn’s most recent book about it.  

Besides the messages which purport to detail coming events of Divine Justice and Mercy, the most important point to consider is how our Holy Church is considering these messages.  Though each of the three podcasts explain the Church’s official position on the alleged messages, Father Chris most effectively explains Garabandal’s status in his podcast.  

 
In 1978, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith set forth three categories for determining the validity of supernatural events like Garabandal:

 1) constat de supernaturalitate (it is established supernatural)

 
2) constat de non supernaturalitate (it is established not supernatural)

 
3) non constat de supernaturalitate (it is not established supernatural)

 
Until today, Garabandal was considered non constat de supernaturalitate (it is not established supernatural).  

 
Earlier today, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued new guidelines for supernatural phenomena https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/257723/fernandez-vatican-s-new-apparitions-guidelines-stress-caution-in-discernment-process  .  It remains to be seen how these new guidelines will affect Garabandal.   

 
The messages of Garabandal are important and worth considering.  I have offered several resources for you to consider.  In my next posting, I will offer some analysis and explanation of Garabandal.  

 
In the meantime, as with all matters relating to the supernatural, I would suggest that we heed the guidance of St. John the Apostle as written in 1 John 4:1-3 “Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world.”