Well, you seem to speak with absolute confidence, and I, personally, have no reason to doubt you or your source(s).  

You believe a random guy on a forum’s family members over one of the longest running advocates/writers online for Our Lady of Good Success in the US? What’s your agenda? SSPX defender no matter what the circuмstance?

Those are just quotes from individuals like us on CI, absolutely worthless. We'll have to wait till Guimaraes elaborates further on these two amazing miracles (the statue can change its weight and the her facial expressions.), which I for one do not believe.

Last Tradhican: You doubt Our Lady can change her facial expressions. Let's put your doubt to rest: there were witness and news reports on the Miracle of 1941, in which Our Lady of Good Success (the statue) raised and lowered her eyes. I am including both Part I and Part II below for your reading convenience.
Last Tradhican, after reading this, do you still doubt that the statue has changed (and continues to change) her countenance? Further, if Our Lady can change the statue's countenance, why can't she also change the statue's weight? 

On July 5, 1941, Peru invaded the borders of Ecuador – the western Province of El Oro and the Andean Province of Loja. Fierce fighting broke out, and Ecuador was facing superior forces and what appeared to be a long and bloody war. By mid-July many lives had been lost and it seemed there would be no immediate end to what today is called the War of ‘41. The Conceptionist Church, center, next to the Government Palace in the main square of old Quito In a plea to Heaven – since there seemed to be no recourse on earth – the Archbishop of Quito, Carlos María Javier de la Torre, ordered that a Triduum (1) of prayers be said in all the churches of Quito addressing the Blessed Virgin to implore her intercession before God to end the hostilities.  On July 24, the Triduum in honor of Our Lady of Good Success started in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Quito, across from the Government's Palace. The life size miraculous statue of Our Lady of Good Success, which usually sits in the Abbess’ seat in the upper choir, was brought down to reign above the main altar so that the faithful could join the cloistered Conceptionist nuns in asking her intercession.  On July 27, as the Triduum was coming to its close, Our Lady of Good Success worked a miracle for the Ecuadorian people, offering a great hope to a distressed population, a hope that was very quickly fulfilled.  Our Lady lowers & raises her eyes  It was around 9 a.m., various ladies were near the main altar praying to Our Lady when they observed that the Statue of the Virgin of Good Success opened her eyes wide, turned them downward at them with a look of great compassion and, then, raised them upward. This happened several times. Visibly moved by the miraculous event, they remained in prayer, several of them weeping, but they did not tell the others present in the church what they had witnessed. Our Lady over the altar in the Conceptionist Church At around 10 a.m., Fr. Benjamin Rafael Ayra y Cueva, the Chaplain of the Conceptionist Covent and a canon of theology in Loja, arrived to vest for Mass. Fr. Cueva, who had a deep devotion to Our Lady of Good Success, went first to the altar to recommend himself to the Virgin, before the Mass. As he turned toward her Statue, he witnessed the same miracle.  Deeply moved but fearful that he was experiencing some optical illusion, he went to tell the ladies who were praying so fervently in the church what he had witnessed. They confirmed it, telling him that they had seen the same miracle only about an hour earlier. (2)  The news rapidly spread through the whole city. One person told another, “A miracle at the Church of the Conception!” “Hurry, Our Lady is moving her eyes at the Conceptionist Church!”  In a short time, it seemed that all the inhabitants of Quito, a city known for its piety and devotion to Our Lady, were heading toward the Conceptionist Church with the hope to see for themselves the miracle, as the Statue continued to raise and lower her eyes at intervals throughout the day.  Learning of the prodigy, a reporter from the Quito daily El Commercio hurried to the crowded square to interview witnesses of the marvel. He spoke with the distinguished Señora Matilde Chiriboga de Salvador, who told him with great excitement: “I saw the Blessed Virgin open and close her eyes, just as thousands of persons have seen it today.” (3)  Many said that the Statue took on a rosy hue, illuminated with a heavenly light Señor Hugo Argüello Yépes heard about the miracle from a friend and immediately went to the Conceptionist Church. Breaking through the enormous crowd, he made his way to the foot of the altar. He said he contemplated the Statue for a space of 10 minutes and also witnessed the Statue moving her eyes along with the many others present who filled the church. (4)  Many witnesses said that the face of the image would take on a rosy color. Then, her eyelids, which are normally half-closed, would open wider and she would turn her gaze downward on the people. Afterwards, she would raise them to Heaven and, then, lower them to their natural position. Throughout the miracle, the Statue was permeated with a supernatural light, glowing with a heavenly aura. (5)  Almost all the persons who came to view the Statue – some believers, others not – saw the miraculous Virgin raise and lower her eyes. There were some few, however, who said that they could not see anything, notwithstanding their religious predisposition, even though all those around them – men, ladies and children – were witnessing the marvel.  For example, there was the curious case of two university students, one a devout Catholic youth and the other a socialist, who entered the church out of curiosity over the event that everyone was speaking about. The Catholic saw nothing, while the socialist saw the miracle. Filled with emotion, he fell to his knees, his face bathed in tears. (6)  On Our Lady’s Feast day of February 2, the people of Quito fill the Church to honor her When the bell tolled for the 7 p.m. evening Mass and final prayers of the Triduum, several thousand of the faithful were milling about in front of the church trying to enter, there to verify for themselves whether the Virgin of Good Success was moving her eyelids. The police was called to keep order and prevent the impatient people from damaging the doors of the Conceptionist church. (7)  This marvelous maternal sign of Our Lady's concern for her people continued through the evening and night, only ending at around 3 in the morning of the next day. Thousands of persons witnessed the miracle.  Clearly, Our Lady had interceded for the Ecuador people, for on that day, Monday, July 28, it was reported that a ceasefire had been called. The war was over. On July 29, Peru and Ecuador signed the Rio Protocol and the Peruvian forces withdrew from Ecuadorian soil. There was no doubt in the minds of the faithful that this prodigious event was a sign that the Mother of God had heard their prayers and come to their aid in that time of dire distress.

1. A Triduum is three days of prayers before some important Feast Days in the Church calendar to honor Our Lord, Our Lady or some Saint. When it is a simple Triduum of petition, like the one ordered by the Archbishop of Quito, it normally begins with liturgy on Thursday and ends with evening prayer on Sunday.
2. These details come from the first media account of the miracle published one day after its occurrence in the July 28, 1941, edition of El Commercio, the Quito daily newspaper (n. 13.002). The long headline read "The Statue of the Virgin of Good Success moved her eyelids yesterday various times. This was affirmed by numerous persons who witnessed this extraordinary event. Thousands of the faithful enter the church to ascertain the truth of the portentous event." 
This article along with numerous other media docuмents were collected and published in a work by Fr. Benjamin Rafael Ayora y Cueva, the Convent Chaplain and one of the first witnesses of the miracle. In the first part of the book he made a compilation of the many articles published throughout Ecuador reporting the Miracle of ‘41; these included articles from the following newspapers: El Comercio of Quito, July 28-29 and August 3, 1941, Últimas Noticias, July 28, 1941, El Telégrafo of Guayaquil, July 28, 1941, El Universo of Guayaquil, July 28, 1941, El Debate, July 27-28-29, 1941, La Sociedad, August 3, 1941, La Corona de Maria, n. 505, February of 1943, La Voz Católica de Loja, October 5 & 12, 1941, La Voz Obrera, August 10, 1941, as well as press pamphlets that circulated in the city of Quito. 
The second part of his work records sermons on the miracle preached by various clergy in the city. 
The work is titled Nuestra Señora de 'El Buen Suceso' y el Conflicto Internacional con el Peru en 1941 [Our Lady of Good Success of Quito and the International Conflict with Peru in 1941] and was published with ecclesiastical approval (Quito, Editorial Ecuatoriana, 1946) n. IV, pp. 17-19. I thank Mr. Mathieu Charles Gillory, Director of Excelsior Tours, who provided me with a copy of this book.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. La Sociedad, n. 193, August 3, 1941, in ibid., n. X, pp. 26-28.
6. Ibid.
7. El Universo of Guayaquil, July 28, 1941, in Ibid., pp. 26-27.


-------------------------

In the last article, we saw that Our Lady of Good Success started to make herself better known in the middle of the 20th century, as she had promised she would, when she worked a miracle witnessed by thousands of Ecuadorians in the Conceptionist Church in Quito. Above, Peruvian troopers invade Ecuador; below, its superior air force bombs the borderland  Ecuador was engaged in a border war with Peru, the aggressor with a better equipped army. As losses escalated and no truce seemed in sight, Card. Carlos Maria Torres ordered that a Triduum of Masses and prayers should be said before Our Lady in all the churches in Quito.  On Sunday, July 27, 1941, the last day of the Triduum, the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Good Success raised and lowered her eyes numerous times. Believers and nonbelievers alike flocked to the church to witness this miracle that signaled the Queen of Heaven's intercession in that bitter war.  The miracle continued throughout the day and into the early hours of the next morning. Then, the statue returned to the upper choir, where she sits over the Abbess chair, governing her predilect Convent until the end of the world, another promise she made to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres in the 16th century.  The Ecuadorian people soon felt the effect of her intercession: By Monday afternoon, the daily newspapers were announcing that a ceasefire had been called. A truce was signed on July 29, and the Peruvian forces withdrew from Ecuador's soil.  Testimonies of witnesses  The facts of this stunning miracle were published in numerous papers throughout Ecuador. These news reports were collected by Fr. Benjamin Rafael Ayora y Cueva, a Doctor of Theology, in a booklet titled Our Lady of Good Success of Quito and the International Conflict with Peru in 1941. In his work, we find moving testimonies of witnesses of the miracle of 1941: (1) Thousands witnessed the miracle of Our Lady moving her eyes Señor Juan Bautista Jaramillo gave this account: "I was hearing Mass at 10 a.m. in the Conceptionist Church, when I noticed that people were gathering in crowds around the statue of the Virgin of Good Success. At first, I paid no importance to this, but, then, I saw that some were weeping and others fainting and I inquired about the cause.  "One lady, pointing toward the statue, said between sobs and tears, 'Don't you see the great miracle the Virgin is working?' Then, I saw the Virgin open her eyes, turn them in the direction of the altar and, then, return them to their former position. It was something supernatural and I will never in my whole life forget it."  Another lady asserted that she, together with her husband, saw at the distance of about six feet the miracle. She explained that her husband was a retired military officer and a Freemason and that when he saw the statue's eyes move, he almost fainted because it proved something he had never believed. They were blessed, she affirmed, to be actual witnesses of this great event that had contributed to the conversion of her husband.  "Upon returning to our home," she said, "he swore he would do all he could to convert his companions at the Lodge to the Catholic Religion. I asked him to pray with me, and he knelt and prayed with me."  Another witness, Señor Rafael Pérez, gave this testimony: "My whole life I have been an unbeliever. I never believed the miracles of the saints and always thought they were the inventions of priests to exploit the religious sentiment of the foolish believing people. But, what I saw on Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. changed me. As Our Lady foretold, Masonry took charge in Ecuador, propelling revolutions against Spain & the Church "'I was going down Chile Street to the corner of Independence Plaza and saw a huge crowd, which made me think that there was some new patriotic manifestation against the cowardly aggression of the Peruvians.  "'I arrived at the corner and saw that the crowd was milling around, trying to enter the Church of the Conception. A lady explained to me that inside the church the Statue of the Virgin of Good Success was working a miracle. In my eagerness to confirm the fact, I managed to get in the church, opening a way with great difficulty and situated myself as close as I could to the statue. There, I experienced a sensational surprise.  "'I observed the Virgin turn her eyes to Heaven and, then, lower them several times. It seemed to me it could just be an optical illusion so, rubbing my eyes, I fixed them again on those of the Virgin and the same thing took place again. After calmly observing the statue for one hour, I was convinced of the veracity of this great event and I left, musing that the national and international misfortunes of the time could well have caused the Virgin and God to have mercy on the Ecuadorian people, who at that moment were suffering one of the greatest misfortunes of their history."  Another reliable witness, Señora Isabel de Ramírez, affirmed that she also saw the miracle of Blessed Virgin of Good Success. On the night of Sunday, July 27, after hearing the news, she went to the Conceptionist Church with her sister, two of her sister's children and a servant. They entered the church and, after situating themselves very close to the sacred Statue, she experienced a strange sensation. Our Lady over the main altar in the Conceptionist Church She stated: "A type of mist covered the statue, which gradually faded away and, then, the Blessed Virgin could be seen surrounded by a splendor that one could only call supernatural. Her face was extremely beautiful and bathed in a light never seen before, with her eyes open very wide and her gaze directed toward Heaven in an attitude of supplication. This was something unusual since the Blessed Virgin always has her eyelids half-closed and turned toward the people below."  Señora Isabel continued: "After some moments of devout observation, I noted with great astonishment that the pupils of her eyes as well as her eyelids returned to their natural position. This marvel repeated itself several times in intervals of some few minutes. I witnessed it. The same miracle was seen by all my family members who were present."  The report concludes: "This grand miracle was confirmed by many honorable matrons of our society, who also viewed it with great admiration and emotion. These ladies include Señoras Elvira Chiriboga de Salvador, Lola Lasso de Uríbe, María Lasso de Eastman Cox, Victoria Pérez de Quiñones, María Luisa Muñoz de Mancheno, Señorita Gangotena Jijón and many others.  "Other witnesses include Canons Ayora, Arcos and Andrade as well as a group of guards and military men." (2)  General acceptance of the miracle  A journal in Ibarra asked Fr. J. E. Vásquez, a Jesuit priest who lived in Quito, to confirm the reports of the miracle. Although he did not view the prodigy himself, the priest told the reporter that it was certainly worthy of belief, given the many credible witnesses of the miracle of Our Lady of Good Success. The interview follows: (3) On April 20, 1906, the image of Our Lady of Sorrows worked a miracle in Quito Reporter: Living so near the Conceptionist Convent, Your Reverence can certainly testify to the truth of the prodigious manifestation of Our Lady of Good Success at the end of the last July. We would like to know here [in Ibarra] how the priests and other competent persons in the Capital interpreted this celestial phenomenon since not everyone understands and admits it in the same way.  Fr. Vásquez: "I did not learn all the facts about it until the following day. Here in the house we heard news of what was taking place in the Conceptionist Church, but none of us could get into the Church when the doors opened that evening because the crowds were too large. The final word on this, as on any miracle or supernatural thing, falls strictly to the Ecclesiastical Authority and to us, according to the official ruling.  "But, in the meantime, we can certainly accept the testimony of so many persons of sound mind, good judgment and reliable faith who reported what they saw and persevere in their statements, notwithstanding some few differences in details, as has happened in so many other apparitions, since that of Our Lord Jesus Christ to St. Paul to the one of the Blessed Virgin in Lourdes and, even more recently, the miracle of our Sorrowful Mother at the Jesuit College.  "Similar manifestations prove that Mary, the August Mother of God, to whose Son's Sacred Heart our Republic is consecrated, has not abandoned us and that, thanks to her most powerful patronage, we should expect good success in our efforts and enterprises, in all that does not depart from the holy Law of God and the teachings of the Church."  In the next and final article we will look at the meaning of the miracle as interpreted in 1941, as well as its significance for our times.  To be continued Quote 1. "Prodigioso milagro em Quito - Declaraciones de testigos presenciales del milagroso suceso acontecido en la Igresia de la Concepción de Quito, el domingo 27 de Julio de 1941," La Vox Catolica, Loja, October 12, 1941, in Fr. Benjamin Rafael Ayora y Cueva, Nuestra Señora de 'El Buen Suceso' y el Conflicto Internacional con el Peru en 1941 [Our Lady of Good Success of Quito and the International Conflict with Peru in 1941] and was published with ecclesiastical approval (Quito, Editorial Ecuatoriana, 1946) n. XII, pp. 31-33.  2. Ibid. 3. "Consultas y centellas," La Corona de Maria, n. 505, February of 1943, in ibid., No. XIII, pp. 33-34

Last Tradhican: You doubt Our Lady can change her facial expressions. Let's put your doubt to rest: there were witness and news reports on the Miracle of 1941, in which Our Lady of Good Success (the statue) raised and lowered her eyes.

The statue is said to have raised and lowered its eyes once in 1941, and look at all that was written. That was almost 80 years ago. Now Guimaraes says that it changed facial expressions and raised and lowered its weight, in a few lines. I'll believe it after years of verification by a multiplicity of investigators like the 1941 eye movement.

The statue is said to have raised and lowered its eyes once in 1941, and look at all that was written. That was almost 80 years ago. Now Guimaraes says that it changed facial expressions and raised and lowered its weight, in a few lines. I'll believe it after years of verification by a multiplicity of investigators like the 1941 eye movement.

First your excuse for doubting the article is because you doubt Our Lady can work miracles through the statue. Now you acknowledge that she can work miracles, but you switch your excuse by saying we only know for sure unless there has been copious amounts of docuмentation.
Suit yourself, sir. You are entitled to your doubts. We will all know the truth about this story in due time.

Carrisima: You believe a random guy (Cosmas) on a forum’s family members over one of the longest running advocates/writers online for Our Lady of Good Success in the US? What’s your agenda? SSPX defender no matter what the circuмstance?

Cosmas: OKAY, I'll make this as simple as I can, The Society Priests did not attempt to carry The Statue. The Franciscans carried the Statue.

This thread has now over 3021 views, with 54 replies, and more, probably, queuing up to present long paste and copy screeds in large letters, taking us deeper into the weeds.

Carrisima, you don’t know me, and I don’t know you. We are both “random guy(s)” on this forum.
I tend to think, however, that more of the old hands may know me better than they do you, since I’ve been around for a while, and I don’t think you have. When you suggest that I may be a “defender” of SSPX, it should be obvious to those here, who know me and my views, that I am anything but a defender of SSPX.

We’ve still got a bit of a problem, though, as I see it. After loads of wordy, breathless posts, expressing a plethora of opinions, we still can’t be sure what exactly happened. That “random guy,” Cosmas, whose views from the past I have sometimes found helpful, and whose credibility I have no reason to challenge, declares unequivocally that Society priests did not carry the statue, nor, apparrently, did they even make an “attempt” to do so.

Mr. Guimaraes, on the other hand, whose credibility and good faith I also have no reason to dispute, offers a totally different take. He writes:

I also heard from well-informed persons that, when the SSPX priests tried to lift the Statue from the choir to bring her down to the Church, the Statue became so heavy that they were unable to do so.

Both can’t be right. One of these two people has to be misinformed.

This was a continuation of their previous article: https://traditioninaction.org/Questions/B999_M116_Sad.html








Re: The Sadness of Our Lady in Quito 2019 

Note from the Editor: Miss Salwa Bachar is in charge of TIA social media. What follows is a report I asked her to write after an irrational attack she suffered from the editor of the blog Vox Catholica, who I am not sure is a priest or not. After her reply, he found it more prudent to not answer her and made his comment and her reply invisible. A.S.G. 

On Saturday, Feb. 9, TIA’s staff writer Salwa Bachar posted this comment on the channel Vox Catholica’s YouTube Video. It reads: 

“I believe your viewers will benefit from reading this article that gives more details about what happened in Quito last week: 

Vox Catholica’s attack 

Not even 10 minutes later, Vox Catholica’s editor replied to Salwa’s comment. His reply not only included false representations of Mr. Atila’s article (straw man fallacies) and accusations that Salwa was spreading “dirty propaganda from the non-Catholic sect called TFP,” but it was also rife with intimidations and threats of physical violence. The reply was the following: 

“This article is Slanderous, and frankly whoever wrote it is in grave sin. The author falsely accuses the Archbishop of simony (accepting bribes for religious privileges etc.), it totally mischaracterizes the TFP (Tradition Family Property, who has been illegally forcing themselves on the sisters of the convent), and it states that the SSPX moved the statue from the upper choir and that is also a DIRTY LIE. I have video footage of the Franciscan Friars 1) Leading the procession, 2) Carrying our lady down from the upper choir and placing her on the altar, 3) I have video footage of the Archbishop attending the dawn procession on Feb. 2, which is the first time EVER that he has participated in this devotion 4) and the idea that the Society has enough money to go around the world bribing bishops for privileges is a sick lie. How dare you accuse a good bishop of sin! How dare you spread this dirty propaganda from the NON-CATHOLIC SECT known as the TFP. 

“+Salwa Bachar, if I wasn't posting this response from my channel's account, I'd be using much stronger language, and if we ever met in real life, believe me, I'd take you behind the convent and share a couple of fist fulls of the truth with you. You need to seriously re-consider where you get your news from, and you need to do some fact checking before you go around accusing Bishops of grave sin. I'll be praying for you.” [emphasis added] 

Salwa’s reply 

After some hours, Salwa Bachar posted this comment in response to Vox Catholica’s threats: 

“If you are so courageous, why don’t you present your grievances to the author of that article? I believe he stands behind what he affirmed. I am a lady who just advised your viewers to see the other side of the picture. 

“The unruly fury you showed against me for just suggesting another point of view shows that you believe you are infallible and you punish violently with words and physical threats those who are not on your side. This behavior is what scholars say characterizes the belonging to a sect. The exposition of the truth is normally calm and rational, not what you did, resorting to baseless personal attacks and labels. 

“The violence of your reaction also confirms suspicion that you are directly linked with SSPX, contrary to your website’s claim that you are 'not affiliated to any Catholic order or diocese.'” 

To date, Vox Catholica has not responded. 

For a snapshot of the Vox Catholica page, click here 









Dear Sir, 

I have read your article on the “Sadness of Our Lady in Quito – 2019.” Having been there myself for the lowering, I can tell you that the SSPX priests did NOT bring down the statue but it was the Franciscans. Perhaps some of the video and pictures I took of the event will be helpful to expose your lie. 

Accusing the archbishop of simony and accepting a large donation of money based on the “talk of the town” is a calumny and a grave sin. If you have the proof, offer the evidence. If you don’t, retract your lie immediately. What kind of a Catholic man throws baseless and unproven accusations against a prelate of the Church? You talk of Catholic “knighthood” and “honor.” Such is not in the example of Catholic honor and chivalry that your mentor, Dr. Plinio taught you, I am sure, and that TFP so self-righteously claims to uphold. It is the tactic of Freemasons and all those who justify the means by the end. It is the tactic of all those in history who disregard morality, all those who serve as agents of the prince of lies. I can think of no other reason to publish such lies except that getting control of a convent of sisters and control of Our Lady is more important for you or for whoever you work for than honoring Our Lady’s requests and obedience to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. 

If you have any decency and honor you will retract this article and publish a full apology immediately and may God have mercy on you if you do not. 

Fr. B. Haenny 


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The Editor responds: 

Rev. Fr. Haenny, 

It will be my great pleasure to answer your rabid diatribe when I find some spare time. Unfortunately for me, I have to postpone this pleasure for about 20 days since I am busy with two other ongoing projects. 

To put some weeks between your message and my answer can give you time to cool your fury and check with your superiors to be sure that your points reflect well their position. It also will allow other like-minded protesters to come forth, so that I may answer all the objections together. 

I like many aspects of bullfights and I am glad you assumed the role of the bull charging at the red cape in the ring. 

    Cordially, 

    Atila S. Guimarães[/size][/font][/size][/color]