The Convent of the Immaculate Conception was the first convent for religious women in the city of Quito, Ecuador. The Catholic nobility of Quito requested this favor from King Philip II, so that the women of the colony could benefit from the advantages of religious life. Five professed Sisters of the Order were sent from Spain as the founding mothers of the new convent. They were accompanied by a 13-year-old girl, Mariana de Jesús Torres – niece of the Superior Mother. She would become the most renowned of the founding mothers, but remained largely unknown outside of Ecuador until the 20th century. The convent was officially founded on January 13, 1577.
The young novice made rapid progress in the spiritual life and highly appreciated and received many favors from Heaven. She also practiced severe penance and was chosen by God to suffer as a victim soul. Much of her suffering was caused by some of her sisters in religion who were lax, and who rebelled against the austere way of life established by Blessed Beatriz de Silva and the Spanish founding mothers, and governed by the Holy Rule of the Community. Eventually, Madre Mariana was chosen to be Abbess in place of her ill aunt, who died shortly thereafter.
First Apparition of Our Lady of Good Success, February 2, 1594
Early on the morning of February 2, 1594, Mother Mariana was in prayer in the upper choir of the convent, fervently imploring Jesus and Mary for relief from numerous severe events to which the convent had been submitted. During her long prayer, she heard a sweet voice call her name. Rising quickly, she saw the Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus in her left arm. Wondering who it was, Our Lady replied:
I am Mary of Good Success, the Queen of Heaven and Earth… as His Mother, I carry (the Child Jesus) here, in my left arm, so that together we may stay the hand of divine justice, which is always so ready to punish this unhappy and sinful world.
In my right hand, I carry the crozier that you see, for I desire to govern this convent as Abbess and Mother… Satan will begin to try to destroy this work of God… But he will not succeed, because I am the Queen of Victories and the Mother of Good Success, and it is under this invocation that I desire to be known throughout all time…
The Most Holy Virgin Mary placed the Child Jesus in Mother Mariana’s arms, giving her a strong desire to suffer as a victim soul.
Our Lady Commands a Statue to Be Made
Our Lady appeared to Mother Mariana on numerous occasions. During the apparition of January 16, 1599, Our Lady commanded Mother Mariana to have a statue made depicting her as she had appeared to the holy religious. She then ordered her to measure her height with the cord of her religious habit. Our Lady promised the following:
When the tribulations of the spirit and sufferings of the body oppress them and they seem to be drowning in a bottomless sea, let them contemplate my holy image, which will be for them a star for the shipwrecked. I will always be there, ready to hear their laments and to calm their tears. Tell them that they must always have recourse to their Mother with faith and love…
Warnings About the 20th Century
Early in the morning of January 21, 1610, Mother Mariana was favored with an apparition of the Archangels Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, and Saint Raphael. Then Our Lady appeared and made numerous predictions:
Thus, I make it known to you that from the end of the 19th century and shortly after the middle of the 20th century, in what is today the Colony and will then be the Republic of Ecuador, passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of morals. Satan will reign almost entirely through the Masonic sect.
They will concentrate mainly on children to sustain this general corruption. Woe to the children of these times! It will be difficult to receive the sacrament of Baptism, and also that of Confirmation… Often, during this era, the enemies of Jesus Christ, at the instigation of the devil, will steal consecrated hosts from churches, so that they may profane the Eucharistic species…
As for the sacrament of marriage… it will be attacked and profoundly profaned… The Catholic spirit will be rapidly contaminated; the precious light of the Faith will be progressively extinguished… Added to this will be the effects of secular education, which will be one of the reasons for the scarcity of priestly and religious vocations.
The sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised… The devil will try to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every possible way; he will work with cruel and subtle shrewdness to divert them from the spirit of their vocation and will corrupt many of them. These depraved priests, who will scandalize the Christian people, creating hatred among bad Catholics and the enemies of the Roman Apostolic Catholic Church towards all priests…
Furthermore, in these unhappy times, there will be unrestrained luxury, which will trap the rest in sin and conquer countless frivolous souls, who will be lost. Innocence will scarcely be found in children, nor modesty in women. In this supreme moment of the Church’s necessity, he who should speak will remain silent.
The Apparitions Will Become Known in the 20th Century
Early on the morning of February 2, 1610, Our Lady appeared again to Mother Mariana and repeated her command to have a statue made. Then she added:
Tell the bishop that it is my will and the will of my Most Holy Son that your name be hidden at all costs… for it is not appropriate for anyone at the present time to know the details or the origin of how this statue came to be made. This information will only become known to the general public in the 20th century.
During that era, the Church will find herself attacked by terrible hordes of the Masonic sect, and this poor Ecuadorian land will be distressing due to the corruption of morals, unrestrained luxury, an impious press, and secular education. The vices of impurity, blasphemy, and sacrilege will dominate in these moments of depraved desolation, and where he who should speak will be silent…
The Statue is Finished by Angels
The sculptor of the statue of Our Lady of Good Success was indeed appointed to this task by Our Lady herself.
Nevertheless, the work was destined to be completed by angels. Mother Mariana witnessed this prodigy early on the morning of January 16, 1611. She saw in a vision the Most Holy Trinity, the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the nine choirs of angels, and in particular the Archangels Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, and Saint Raphael, along with the Seraphic Saint Francis. These last four approached the statue and finished the work the sculptor had intended to complete that day. Then she saw Our Lady enter it and give life to the statue.
All these facts were attested by Mother Mariana to the bishop, before the statue was solemnly consecrated and installed. The sculptor also testified that he had not finished the statue, and that it must have been the work of angels.
Five Prophecies for Our Time
The most important of the apparitions of Our Lady of Good Success occurred almost at the end of Mother Mariana’s life. On the morning of February 2, 1634, the feast day of the Purification of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother Mariana was praying before the Blessed Sacrament, beseeching Him that she might be united with Him and be engulfed in that love which belongs to the Virgin. She also reminded Him to protect and preserve His daughters in this beloved convent.
As she finished this prayer, she saw the light extinguish from the sanctuary, leaving the altar completely dark. Our Lady appeared to her to tell her that Our Lord had heard her cries and would put an end to her earthly exile in less than a year:
Prepare your soul in such a way that, becoming more and more exhausted, it may enter into the fullness of Our Lord’s joy. Oh! If mortals, and especially religious souls, could know what heaven is and what it is to possess God! They would certainly live differently! Nor would they spare any sacrifice to possess Him!
The Most Holy Virgin Mary then explained the five meanings of the Tabernacle light that had been extinguished before Mother Mariana’s eyes.
I. The first meaning is that at the end of the 19th century and in the 20th century, various heresies will be propagated on this earth, then in a free republic. As these heresies propagate and dominate, the precious light of faith will be extinguished in souls through the almost total corruption of customs
(of morals). During this period, there will be great physical and moral calamities, both public and private.
The small number of souls who, hidden away, will try to preserve the treasure of faith and virtues will suffer an unspeakably cruel and prolonged martyrdom. Many of them will succumb to death from the violence of their sufferings, and those who sacrifice themselves for the Church and the country will be counted as martyrs.
In order to free men from the servitude of these heresies, those whom the merciful love of my Most Holy Son destines for restoration will need great strength of will, constancy, courage, and much trust in God. To test this faith and the trust of the just, there will be occasions when all will seem lost and paralyzed. It will then be the happy beginning of the complete restoration.
These chosen souls, who will restore the health of the Church, are described in detail, as the apostles of the latter days, by Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort in his Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
II. “The second reason,” said Our Lady, “is that my convent, being greatly reduced in size, will be immersed in a bottomless ocean of unspeakable bitterness, and will seem to drown in these diverse waters of tribulation.” Many authentic vocations will perish, she continued. Injustice will even enter this convent, “disguised under the name of false charity, it will wreak havoc in souls.” And the faithful souls, weeping and imploring in secret that such terrible times be shortened, will endure a continuous and slow martyrdom.
III. “The third reason why the lamp was extinguished is because of the spirit of impurity that saturates the atmosphere of these times. Like a filthy ocean, this impurity will spread through the streets, squares, and public places with astonishing freedom. There will be scarcely any virgin souls in the world,” Our Lady told her. The delicate flower of virginity will be threatened with complete annihilation. However, She promised that there would always be good souls in cloisters where they could take root, grow, and live as a shield to deflect divine anger. “Without virginity,” she said, “it would be necessary for heavenly fire to fall upon these lands to purify them.”
IV. The fourth reason for the lamp’s extinction is that the Masonic sects, having infiltrated all social classes, will have subtly introduced their teaching into domestic settings to corrupt children, and the devil will glory in feasting on the exquisite delicacy of children’s hearts.
“In these unhappy times,” Our Lady predicted, “evil will launch an assault on the innocence of childhood. In this way, vocations to the priesthood will be lost, which will be a true calamity.”
Once again, Our Lady promised that during these times, there will still be religious communities that will support the Church and also holy ministers of the altar – and beautiful hidden souls, who will work with courage, zeal, and disinterestedness for the salvation of souls. “Against them,” she warned, “the impious will furiously wage a cruel war, casting upon them vile insults, calumnies, and vexations to hinder the accomplishment of their ministry. But they, like firm columns, will remain unshakeable and will confront all with the spirit of humility and sacrifice they will have acquired, by virtue of the infinite merits of my Most Holy Son, Who loves them in the most intimate fibers of His Most Holy and tender Heart.”
“During this time,” Our Lady predicted, “the secular clergy will be far from its ideal, because priests will become negligent in their sacred duties. Lacking the divine compass, they will stray from the path ordained by God for the priestly ministry and will become attached to possessions, to wealth, and to riches which they will unduly strive to obtain.
“How the Church will suffer on this occasion – the dark night of the absence of a Prelate, a Father to watch over them with love, paternal gentleness, strength, discernment, and prudence. Many priests will lose their spirit, putting their souls in great danger.”
Our Lady continued to explain the fourth reason for the extinguishing of the Tabernacle light:
“Therefore, pray with insistence without tiring and weep with bitter tears in the secrecy of your heart. Implore our Heavenly Father that, for the love of the Eucharistic Heart of my Most Holy Son and of His Precious Blood shed so generously… He may take pity on His ministers and put an end to these disturbing times, and send to the Church a Prelate who will restore the spirit of His priests.
“My Most Holy Son and I will love this preferred son with predilection, and we will reward him with a rare capacity, humility of heart, docility to Divine inspiration, strength to defend the rights of the Church, and a tenderness and compassion of heart, so that, like another Christ, he will help the little and the great, without despising the most unfortunate souls who ask him for it to attain the light and receive guidance to face their doubts and difficulties. In his hands, the balance of the sanctuary will be placed, so that all may be weighed with reasonable measure and God will be glorified.”
Our Lady continued:
“The lukewarmness of all consecrated souls in the priestly and religious state will delay the coming of this Prelate and Father. This will then be one of the reasons for the cursed devil to take possession of this land, where he will achieve his victories through a foreign and unfaithful people, so numerous that, like a black cloud, it will obscure the clear sky of this Republic consecrated to the Sacred Heart of my Divine Son.
“With these people, all vices will enter and in turn attract every sort of punishment, such as epidemics, famines, internal and external strife, disputes with other nations, and apostasy, the cause of the perdition of many souls so dear to Jesus Christ and to Me.
“In order to dispel this black cloud that prevents the Church from enjoying the clear day of freedom, there will be a formidable and terrible war, which will see the blood of compatriots and foreigners, secular and regular priests, and religious. This night will be the most horrible, for, humanly speaking, evil will seem to triumph.
“This will then mark the arrival of my hour, when, in a marvelous way, I will dethrone the proud and cursed Satan, I will trample him under my feet and chain him in the infernal abyss. Thus, the Church and the country will finally be free from his cruel tyranny.”
V. The fifth reason for the extinguishing of the lamp is due to the laxity and negligence of those who possess great wealth, who will indifferently stand by and watch the Church oppressed, virtue persecuted, and the devil’s triumph, without piously employing their riches for the destruction of this evil and the restoration of the Faith. And it is also due to the indifference of the population which has allowed God’s Name to be progressively extinguished and, by adhering to the spirit of evil, has freely given itself over to vices and passions.
“Alas! my chosen daughter! If you were given to live in that dark era, you would die of grief to see that all that I have revealed to you here has taken place. But my Most Holy Son and I have a very great love for this land, our heritage, that we desire, even now, the application of your sacrifices and your prayers so as to shorten the duration of such a terrible catastrophe!”
Overwhelmed by the magnitude of the evils she saw and the countless souls that would be condemned during these periods, Mother Mariana fell unconscious. The Sisters found her there, as if dead, despite the violent beating of her heart. All the doctor’s efforts to restore her consciousness proved futile. In fact, he said, humanly speaking, her life should have ended due to the shock she had received.
The Sisters surrounded her, imploring Heaven to leave them their great treasure, the last of the Founding Mothers, “the pillar of observance, the column of the house.” Two days later, Mother Mariana opened her eyes and encouraged her Sisters to continue to follow the rule, consoling them by saying that she would remain with them for a little while longer.
Last Apparition of Our Lady of Good Success on December 8, 1634
During the last ten months of her life, Mother Mariana never fully recovered her former vigour and was often confined to bed. In sickness as in health, she edified the Community by her example. Amidst her intense sufferings, she always maintained a smile on her lips, an admirable serenity, and an imperturbable spirit, characteristic of a soul whose life unfolded in the shadow of the cross.
Late on the night of December 8, 1634, the feast day of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady appeared for the last time to Mother Mariana. She was again accompanied by the Archangels Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, and Saint Raphael. After numerous revelations, Our Lady concluded:
In the 20th century, this devotion (to Our Lady of Good Success) will be a source of prodigies in the spiritual as well as in the temporal spheres, because it is God’s will to reserve this invocation and this knowledge of your life for this century, when the corruption of attitudes and behaviors will be almost general and the precious light of faith extinguished…
Mother Mariana de Jesús Torres died a most holy death at 3:00 PM on January 16, 1635 – just as she had predicted.
Increasingly over the last four hundred years, the prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success have been fulfilled. The 19th and 20th centuries have astonishingly proven the accuracy of the prophecies. The message of Our Lady and the devotion to Our Lady of Good Success are therefore even more important in the 21st century. As we see the world engulfed in error, heresy, and sensuality, not to mention vices of all kinds, Our Lady’s call to prayer, reparation, and penance becomes even more urgent. How can we not heed Our Lady’s plea and strive daily to console her Most Tender and Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of her Divine Son?
Footnote
Meaning of “Good Success”. The origin of the name is likely Spanish, from Sagunto near Valencia. Pope Paul V adopted this denomination, but based on the testimony of Spanish religious.
Therefore, “Buen Suceso” must be understood in Spanish, meaning: “buen”: good and “suceso”: event. Literally: “good event” or “happy event”. This naturally reminds us in French of “bonne nouvelle” (good news), and we believe that the Spanish invocation “Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso” has the equivalent in French of the well-known “Our Lady of Good News”.
