PAST PILGRIMAGES

TESTIMONY OF
DR ED AND KATIE

My husband Ed and I are truly blessed, and have been on 4 pilgrimages with Monsignor Ben Franzinelli. Each trip has left us with special memories, given us graces beyond our dreams.

This past pilgrimage was the longest and was just as memorable. Our first stop in Madrid was our first trip to Spain, the weather was quite wet and cold but that certainly did not deter us. When we went to the Carmelite Monastery we were very interested in learning more about the recent canonized Saint Madre Maravillas. We had Mass there with some Argentinian pilgrims and Msgr concelebrated Mass with them. Following the Mass we were privileged to venerate a relic of St. Madre Maravillas, immediately after my husband kissed the relic he experienced strange taste in his mouth and a burning sensation of his lips. This feeling only lasted a short time but was an experience he won't forget.

Out little group was able to share a wonderful experience, delicious meals, and much laughter and joy. After Madrid we traveled to Lourdes.

This shrine was someplace we both had been longing to go to for quite some time. Again the weather wasn't the best with cold and rain but it didn't stop us from experiencing the wonder and beauty of this Holy Place. We would all walk along the river saying our Rosary, and the Chaplet and to our amazement each time we were praying together we didn't feel the cold. We only felt the warmth of the love of one another and the love of Christ. To be at the grotto in prayer right at the spot where our Blessed Mother appeared to Bernadette was awesome and moving. We all took advantage of the baths, not knowing what to expect, I found it a very moving and emotional experience, and to come out of the bath totally dry was another amazing grace bestowed upon us. The processions and the Masses were wonderful. The procession reminded us of our trips to Fatima, but strangely, though both shrines are where Our Blessed Mother appeared to simple poor children, the feelings we received from each place is different, wonderful, but different, and difficult to put into words.

On to Rome, what a wonderful city, and what joy to be able to return. To go to St. Peters in the [very] early mornings and have Mass in that beautiful Basilica, and to be there with so few people around and to be able to just soak in the atmosphere is a remarkable experience. We met Father Larry Spiteri there and he joined us for Mass and several dinners - blessings heaped upon blessings.

Ed and Katie, Vatican, St. Peter's

Ed and I were able to re-new our vows at the tomb of St. Peter in the catacombs with Father Larry, Msgr. Ben and our group, in that Holy spot with friends; of course bringing tears of joy to both of us.

The audience with the Holy Father was of course a special occasion. But best of all was to witness the face to face blessing Msgr Ben received from Pope John Paul II - a real high-light of that day for sure. Msgr Ben was absolutely radiant after the audience, and we were all filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Ed and I feel that God has truly blessed us with the friendship of Msgr Ben and we are grateful for it. We keep the Las Vegas Marian Center in our daily prayers and visit there as often as we can. We look forward to more pilgrimages with Msgr, as God wills our ability to do so.

My Goodness I left out the visit to San Giovionni Rotondo, and believe me it was wonderful.......A wonderful trip from Rome by van, beautiful countryside, singing and praying together en route always good. To be in the place where St Padre Pio spent his life was most interesting. A beautiful area, from the church you can see the Adriatic sea. Ed walked the 200 steps behind a statue of St Padre Pio and at the top is an altar. He had more energy that I did.

We were able to visit the hospital and Ed struck off alone to visit the emergency room and was able to meet with a few Doctors there. Since we have come home he has mentioned that he might like to go back there and volunteer to work at the hospital for a few months. This suggestion has met with some silence from me at this point but who knows what God will call us to do. Although I like Italy and like the area living there is another story, I will have to have quite a few conversations with out Lord and His Mother about this.

Again we thank God for our health and the ability to be able to join these pilgrimages and hope to go some more.

With much love and God's Blessing to all in Las Vegas,

Katie and Ed Santoro

TESTIMONY OF ROSALINDA AND MARY

On May 5, 2003, a pilgrimage with nine people was led by our spiritual director, Monsignor Franzinelli. We traveled to Spain, France, and Italy for 15 days and we returned home with such spiritual experiences.

Shrine and tomb of Saint Madre Maravillas de Jesus, Getafe, Madrid

Spain was our first stop. During the 2 days, we visited the Shrine and tomb of Saint Madre Maravillas de Jesus, a Discalced Carmelite Sister canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 4, 2003 in Madrid. Her shrine and tomb are located in the Carmelite Monastery at la Adelhuela, Getafe, Madrid. Msgr. Franzinelli concelebrated the Holy Mass with the Priests of the delegation from Argentina who were involved in the cause for the canonization of Madre Maravillas. We had the opportunity to meet the little boy, now 8, who was miraculously cured at 18 months through her intercession. We were unable to make the journey to the Monastery of St. Theresa of Avila because of time restrictions, instead we visited the Church of St. Thomas de Guzman. For the first time in 50 years, it snowed in Avila - a winter wonderland!

Our next stop was in France where we spent three days visiting the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, participating in the candlelight procession where thousands of pilgrims from around the world walked together and prayed the Rosary in their native tongue, in the daily procession of the Blessed Sacrament for the Sick that took us to the underground Basilica where at least 20,000 people were in attendance for benediction and prayer. You could see and feel the sincerity of these people's faith and belief, where they found hope and inner peace. Another visit highlighted "The Baths".

Lourdes, the Baths

One only needs to witness the depth of the faithful where they anxiously wanted to submerge themselves in the cold water to be healed in mind, body and soul. Again, we were able to attend Mass at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes with Monsignor as a concelebrant. We noticed the number of other visitors who were not Catholics and have come from underdeveloped countries.

From France, we went onto Italy for six days. It was a dream come true to have visited the Vatican, attending the General Audience with our Holy Father, where as Divine Providence permitted Monsignor Franzinelli to have a face visit with His Holiness and receive his Papal Blessing. It was wonderful to witness this meeting between our spiritual director and our Pope.

Another occasion was to visit the Sistine Chapel where we found it very bright, vibrant, and overwhelming - a place where you could spend the whole day, enjoying the beauty of its artwork.

Holy Mass being celebrated at St. Peter's, the tomb of Saint Pope Pius X

An important thought came to us while there; we were experiencing being part of today's history for we had witnessed the canonization of holy men and women, and we were able to view the bodies of these Saints under St. Peter's Basilica. The Masses celebrated by Msgr "Fr" Ben at these altars were awesome.

We also went on a pilgrimage to Assisi where we visited the Churches of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Claire. At St. Claire's Church we were shown the crucifix that spoke to St. Francis about the stigmata.

The following day, we spent 2 days visiting San Giovanni Rotondo to see St. Pio de Pietrelcina's Church, his tomb, and the hospital he helped to build. Monsignor concelebrated the Holy Mass one day with the Irish people and the next day with the Italians in the Chapel next to St. Pio's tomb.

We returned to Rome before heading home; we are grateful to also have been able to spend time with Fr. Spiteri, formerly of Las Vegas (now serving at the Vatican, who was a wonderful companion to us while in Rome.

Our pilgrimage was beautiful for we were blessed to be physically present in the many places where our saints walked and worked zealously for Our Lord and our Blessed Mother. These memories and profound experiences of our journey will last forever in our hearts and minds.

CARMEL OF JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH 2000
Valparaiso, Nebraska, Diocese of Lincoln

When our beloved Discalced Carmelite Sisters left Las Vegas in October of 1999, it was our hope that we would be able to visit them in their new surroundings of Lincoln, Nebraska. Recently, we were able to celebrate Holy Mass and visit with them once again for a beautiful, spiritual-filled weekend in Valparaiso, Nebraska.

And so we begin...six of us including our Spiritual Director, Monsignor Benjamin Franzinelli, arrived in Omaha, Nebraska, Thursday afternoon, after a non-stop flight from Las Vegas where we picked up our car rental. We drove directly to the Carmel where immediately upon our arrival, we celebrated Holy Mass with the Sisters in their "little Chapel". WHAT A JOY! WHAT ELATION! Why? Because not only were we in prayer with them once again but it was so obvious by the surroundings of the countryside that this is where they belong! GOD had not only answered their prayers but brought forth an abundance of graces upon them!!!! Just heaps and loads!!!! It was a teaching to us of the meaning of prayer, sacrifice, perseverance, and trust in Him who is their ALL!

After our visit, we went to our retreat quarters at Our Lady of Good Counsel Retreat House located on acres of beautiful grounds and is home of the Mother House of the Marian Sisters. What hospitality! Each of us had our own private room with bath. We were also invited to join the visiting Sisters, if we liked, whenever they were in prayer throughout the day. They were in "school" and retreat for the month of July and came from different religious communities in the United States and Canada.

We spent each morning with our Discalced Carmelites - Reverend Mother Teresa of Jesus, OCD, Mamita and Sisters - celebrating Holy Mass and visiting afterwards. Friday afternoon, we went to see their monastery which is being built on a hill. What a visible sign they will be, as from many miles the majestic Church will be seen. We met with Steve, the Engineer, who was very kind in showing the plans and spending time with us. Later in the afternoon, Betty took us to visit Most Reverend Bishop Bruskewitz at the Chancery Office. It was such an honor to meet and speak with him as well as Monsignor Thornburg and his staff members. Very kind and gracious. Later, we visited the Cathedral of the Risen Christ and also the contemplative, cloister religious order of the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters (the Pink Sisters) where we made a visit to the Blessed Sacrament which is exposed 24/7. That evening we celebrated Monsignor "Father" Ben's birthday with a cake with all the house guests. Earlier in the day, we had celebrated with the Community at the Carmel.

On Saturday, after Mass and visit with the Carmelite Sisters, Bob took us to visit two new seminaries - St. Gregory the Great and the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter(seminary known as Our Lady of Guadalupe) - two more monastic jewels in the sky of Lincoln, Nebraska. At St. Gregory, Father gave us a tour of the facility and at Our Lady of Guadalupe, the seminary, meanwhile, is very much under construction; we enjoyed our visits there very much. We also had the opportunity of meeting several seminarians who, during the summer, help and labor around the communities in whatever capacity they can be of service. It was a gift for us to be able to "see" and "witness" God's future Priests in action.

That evening we went out for dinner and tried the famous Omaha steaks. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner with Bob and Susan - the chosen couple to take care of the Carmelite Sisters. Not only did God provide to have the monastery of their dream built for the Sisters but literally, gave them this beautiful, young family whose only desire is to be of service to them! Their thoughtfulness and kindness extended far beyond what is imaginable to us; they spent time with us to ensure that we visited those places which our hopes were to visit, and they gave us the honor of introducing their two beautiful teen children, Reyna and Jacob, and Bob's Mother and friends to us. We were able to visit their Parish Church on Sunday and meet their Parish Priest, after our goodbyes to beloved Reverend Mother Theresa, "Mamita" and Sisters. We also met the benevolent couple who donated the property to the Sisters so that they could build their new monastic home. But for Bob and Susan, it did not end there - they took us to lunch in the little town of Valparaiso where we spent our last meal together with their children and Bob's Mother. There's a song that comes to mind - "We are family..."

We thank God and praise Him, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, for this pilgrimage and also to witness His action in Lincoln. And to our beloved Blessed Mother - sometimes it is too hard to speak because there are no words in the English language to express what is in our hearts - we thank you. Also, thank you Blessed Madre Maravillas! [now Saint]. Thank you Sister Guadalupe!

FATIMA - A PLACE OF REPARATION

In June 1999, a group of 22, eager pilgrims left with our spiritual director for our journey to Fatima. After an overnight flight from New York, we arrived at 6:30 a.m. in Portugal. We first visited The Church of the Holy Miracle in Santarem on our way to Fatima. When entering the Church, the Miracle of the Bleeding Eucharist is situated high above the altar, and we were given the opportunity to come "face-to-face", after climbing a few steps behind the sanctuary, to spend some time in adoration, individually. An incredible grace! We arrived in Fatima at lunchtime and the beautiful sisters had our accommodations and lunch ready. After settling, we had Mass at the Capelhina and that evening the men participated in the candlelight procession, carrying the statue of our Blessed Mother on their shoulders. They were profoundly touched.

In addition to visiting the holy sites in and around Fatima - the Basilica, the tombs of Jacinta and Francisco, Adoration Chapel, Capelhina, the homes of Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, etc. - we celebrated four, consecutive feast days - Thursday, the Angel of Portugal where the children of Portugal actively participate; the next day, the Sacred Heart of Jesus (the men again participated, only this time, unbeknownst to them, they held the canopy that covered the Blessed Sacrament that was being carried by the Cardinal and walked with Him); on Saturday, the Feast Day of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with Sunday culminating in the celebration of the 2nd Apparition of our Blessed Mother to the three children, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco. The Plaza was filled with thousands upon thousands of pilgrims from all over the world - a beautiful sight to behold of the faithful and what appeared to be over a hundred clergy from around the world concelebrating the Mass on these days! An incredibly spiritual journey!!!! In addition, we visited the Carmelite Convent where Sister Maria Lucia - Apostle of the Immaculate Heart, the third seer, lives.

We also went to Sitio (a little town, high on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean) where we visited Our Lady of Nazare Church and the Chapel where a miracle took place; then onto the fishing village of Nazare where we had a scrumptious feast (excellent shopping, too). We continued our journey to the old monasteries of Batalha and Alcoboca before returning to Fatima

Our stay with the Dominican Sisters at the Casa das Irmas was wonderful. Their hospitality, food, and accommodations are excellent. They have a very nice gift shop and a "bar" where we consumed lots of "cappuccinos". We are especially grateful to Sister Mary of the Angels, O.P. and all the staff for overseeing us with such loving care!

We arrived back to Las Vegas, weary but happy and grateful to Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother and Angels for their many blessings and care! And so with our little white "hankies", we wave "O' Fatima, Farewell"...until we meet again. (top)

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