The Guardian Angel: Eucharistic Miracle of Tamaco

Why do we even hesitate sometimes when given opportunities that could help a person get to heaven, where is our Zeal? As one sister who went to a special Mass for the poor of the poor, where she witnessed a Miracle that happened at Mass when questioning an older Lady about what happened during the Mass, The Older Lady said, did not Jesus come*** what true faith, it was more that just a piece of bread and she knew Jesus was present. O that we would come close to that faith and then share it with those God puts into our path. I send my love to each of you, reach out to others please. To Jesus through Mary, GregoryMary

The undersea earthquake in 1906 on the Pacific Coast caused enormous damage in many areas. Fr. Bernardino Garcia of the Conception, who at the time was in the City of Panama, gave the following testimony regarding the terrible cataclysm that struck the area. “Unexpectedly an enormous wave (we refer to them as tsunamis today) crashed into the port, reached into the market area and destroyed everything. Boats that had been drawn up on shore were picked up and hurled long distances away, causing heavy losses”. The small island of Tumaco was spared by a miracle thanks to the faith of the people and the blessing with the Blessed Sacrament by Fr Gerardo Larrondo.

On January 31, 1906 on the small island of Tumaco at 10 o’clock in the morning, the earth shook violently for almost ten minutes. All the inhabitants of the village ran to the church and begged the pastor, Fr. Gerardo Larrondo, to lead a procession with the Blessed Sacrament.

The sea was rising and had already engulfed part of the beach. It had plunged inland a kilometer and a half and a mountainous wall of water was building up and threatening to drown everyone and everything in one gigantic wave. Fr. Gerardo consumed the small Hosts in the ciborium and set the large Host aside.

He called out to his people: “Let us go, my people. Let us go toward the beach, and may God have pity on us.” Comforted by the presence of the Eucharistic Christ they began their march, weeping and crying out to God. Scarcely had Fr. Larrondo reached the beach with the monstrance in hand when he advanced courageously to the water’s edge and as the wave came rushing in he calmly raised the Sacred Host and traced the sign of the Cross.

It was a moment of tremendous solemnity. The wave hesitated , paused and backed off. Fr. Larrondo and Fr. Julian alongside him saw what was transpiring, and the people, overjoyed, cried out “Miracle, miracle!”. In truth, a force beyond that of nature prevailed. The mighty wall of water that threatened to wipe the village of Tumaco off the face of the earth was halted and began to recede, and the sea resumed its normal level.

The inhabitants of Tumaco were overcome with joy at having been saved from death by the favor of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Prayers of fervent thanks poured out. The miracle of Tumaco became known across the world, and Fr. Larrondo received letters from Europe asking for his prayers.

Saint Stanislaus Kostka

Saint Stanislaus Kostka, at the age of seventeen, was so gravely ill that he seemed very near the end of his life. In that time, he lived as the guest of a noble Protestant who would not even permit him to be visited by a Catholic priest. Stanislaus was not discouraged and one night, in the presence of his tutor, he received Communion in a miraculous way. A few days later he recovered and decided to enter the Jesuit order.

Saint Stanislaus Kostka was born in 1550 in Rostkow, a few kilometers from Warsaw. In 1564, at age fourteen, Stanislaus was sent to Vienna with his older brother to complete their studies with the Jesuits. He liked his studies and life in the college very much, and considered dedicating himself to religious life. Unfortunately the Jesuits had to close the college and Stanislaus, his brother, and their tutor were forced to leave, accepting the hospitality of a Lutheran nobleman.

Stanislaus maintained exemplary religious behavior, regardless of the pressures from his brother, tutor, and host - who all criticized him. This was all accepted with patience and submission by Stanislaus, and during the night he even prayed for them.

At about age seventeen, Stanislaus became gravely ill. It is necessary to note that he belonged to the Fraternity of Saint Barbara - whose members trust their patroness to bring them Communion upon the point of death. In this Stanislaus had total faith, and in fact one night woke up his tutor, who was keeping his vigil, exclaiming: “Here is Saint Barbara! Here she is, with two angels! She’s bringing me the Blessed Sacrament!” And so it was, the angels knelt by him and he was given Holy Communion. The young man, serene, laid back on his bed.

A few days later, to everyone’s surprise, Stanislaus awoke perfectly healed, declaring that he wanted to go personally to thank the Lord and manifest his desire to become a religious.

The regional father of the Jesuits rejected him because of his young age and because he had no father or legal guardian, but Stanislaus did not lose his faith and decided to immediately try Germany or even Italy.

He removed his fine clothes, put on those of a farmer, and walked towards Augusta where the great Saint Peter Canisius resided, provinicial of the Jesuits in Germany.

Noticing his absence, his brother searched for him and began to feel remorse for his hostile conduct. Meanwhile, Saint Peter Canisius seriously evaluated the vocation of the young man and decided to send him to the Jesuit seminary in Rome.

In his letter of recommendation of Stanislaus, he wrote: “Stanislaus, noble Pole, a just man full of zeal, admitted for a certain time to the college of Dillingen, showed himself to always be exact in his duty and firm in his vocation… we hope and expect great things from him.”

Dear St. Stanislaus, angel of purity and seraph of charity, while you bore bravely the pain of illness and broken bones, you stood unwaveringly in your faith during your hours of distress. You were miraculously cured through the love and care of your patron, St. Barbara, and Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

You know the pains I am suffering because of my broken bones. Please ask our Lord to grant me peace and patience during my suffering. Agree with me in prayer before God for His prompt healing and relief that I so much desire. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.