“In the nineteenth century a truly Christian president will come, a man of character to whom God Our Lord will grant the palm of martyrdom in this very square where my convent is. He will consecrate the republic to the Sacred Heart of my beloved Son, and this consecration will sustain the Catholic religion throughout the following years. During those years, which will be ominous for the Church, the accursed sect of Freemasonry will take over the civil government. A cruel persecution will rage against all religious communities and will descend upon this convent with special fury.“
Our Lady of Good Success to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, Marian apparition from the early 17th century in Quito, Ecuador, approved by the Church, in: James Valois: Our Lady‘s Prophecies. God‘s Messages for Our Time, Sophia Institute Press 2024, p. 43
The man prophesied by Our Lady of Good Success of the Purification on the 16th January 1599 during one of her approved apparitions to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, a nun of the Conceptionist order in Quito, Ecuador, was Gabriel Garcia Moreno (1821-1875), and all these prophecies came true.
Having just finished reading a biography about this man written by the German Jesuit priest Adolf von Berlichingen (1840-1915), first published in 1884, I’d like to walk with you through the different elements of this prophecy come true – and of history never taught in school.
“a truly Christian president“
Gabriel Garcia Moreno was born in the year 1821 in Guayaquil, a port in the western part of Ecuador, into a Catholic family of Spanish descent. He had three siblings, one of his sisters being a devout lady who remained single all her life and whom Don Gabriel loved very much, attributing to her fervent prayer life the graces and successes of his political career.
“Ecuador was marked by revolutions, anarchy, and instability from the time Garcia Moreno was very young. Heavy-handed dictators looking out for their own gain at the expense of the people, anti-Catholic radicals trying to suppress the Church, corruption and graft – stealing a portion of the revenues – created a series of storms and chaos.“
James Valois: Our Lady‘s Prophecies. God‘s Messages for Our Time, Sophia Institute Press 2024, p. 46
The sixth president of the republic of Ecuador, independent from Spain since 1821, was the Freemasonic liberal José María Urbina who ruled the country from 1852 to 1856. He immediately expelled the Jesuits.
Moreno, already a member of the Congress on behalf of the city of Quito, publicly defended the Jesuits who were defamed in all kinds of ways by the liberal factions. This made him a sharer in the destiny of the Jesuits as he, too, was banned from the country and had to live in exile – first in Lima, then in Paris – for a while.
During his exile in Paris his practice of the Catholic religion became more fervent. He began to receive the sacrament of Holy Confession frequently and to participate several times a week in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
He returned to Ecuador in the year 1856 when the new and more moderate president Francisco Robles allowed him to re-enter his native land. Some years later he ascended to the presidency himself.
All in all, Gabriel Garcia Moreno ruled Ecuador as president in the years 1859-1865 and 1869-1875 with great success. His various undertakings and reforms in all areas of public life brought prosperity, peace, and stability to Ecuador. From reforming the broken judicial system, introducing respect for law and order in a country torn apart by frequent violent upheavals and injustices, fighting corruption and waste of money among public officials all the way to fostering education imbued with the Christian spirit and of good scientific quality, opening many hospitals, especially for the poor, and modernizing the infrastructure of the entire country by building roads and bridges for connecting the towns and cities, the records of his political influence are truly impressive. Moreno‘s political motto was “Liberty for everyone and everything except for evil and evildoers“.
Don Gabriel supported the mission of the Church in every way he could. He promoted the religious orders – Jesuits, Lazarists, Redemptorists, and others – running the schools, hospitals, and opening missions, evangelizing also the native Americans of Ecuador, a very successful endeavor.
“The concordat (with the Holy See) ensured that education was based on Catholic principles, and the bishops alone would decide on all books for the human sciences, religion, and morals.“
James Valois: Our Lady‘s Prophecies. God‘s Messages for Our Time, Sophia Institute Press 2024, p. 53
When the robbery of the papal states was committed against the Church and Blessed Pius IX (1792-1878), Vicar of Christ from 1846 to 1878, this “truly Christian president“ was the only statesman in the whole wide world who protested against the injustice, supported Blessed Pius IX, and publicly defended the rights of the Church. After the proclamation of the dogma of papal infallibility in the summer of 1870 a national celebration was held in all of Ecuador.
“a man of character“
In one of the last chapters of his biography on Moreno, Adolf von Berlichingen tries to give the readers an impression concerning the president‘s personality traits and character.
Gabriel Garcia Moreno was, first of all, a devout and humble man. He prayed the Rosary daily, piously participated in the liturgical worship of the Church, and revered priests and the Holy Father. At the back of his copy of the spiritual classic The Imitation of Christ he had written down his rule of life which contained, among other notes, the following admonitions:
“Every morning, before beginning my work, I will write down what I have to do, being very careful to distribute my time well, to give myself only to useful and necessary business and to continue it with zeal and perseverance. I will scrupulously observe the laws of justice and truth, and have no intention in all my actions save the greater glory of God. I will make a particular examination twice a day on my exercise of different virtues, and a general examination every evening. I will go to confession every week.“
Gabriel Garcia Moreno‘s Rule of Life
He was happily married with two children, a son and a daughter, yet the girl died at a young age while Moreno was still alive. He practiced all kinds of acts of mercy towards the poor and sick which included a daily visit in one of the hospitals.
Adolf von Berlichingen describes him as a man of a predominantly choleric temperament, someone very serious, firm, frugal, disciplined, diligent, courageous, exuding a natural authority and being strict and severe with others whenever necessary yet mostly with himself.
His sharp intellect allowed him to quickly acquire profound knowledge and excellency in all kinds of areas including law, the military, and the natural sciences (especially chemistry). He was one of the best horse riders of all of Ecuador and when, during his presidency, upheavals by certain rebel groups had to be dealt with he ventured out into battle as the leader of the defense of Ecuador‘s inner stability.
In all aspects, he was a man who liked to take responsibility, control, and execute oversight himself. He never delegated any aspect of his tasks as president to anyone and never employed a single secretary. Everything was done by his own hand, and wherever his initiatives were to be carried out he showed up regularly to, by his direct presence, check upon the progress of the various projects of “regenerating“ Ecuador.
“the palm of martyrdom in this very square where my convent is“
Gabriel Garcia Moreno made himself many friends by his superior character – and many enemies, especially among the Freemasons. On the First Friday of August 1875, he received “the palm of martyrdom“ as he was assassinated by four conspirators “in this very square“ where the convent of the Nuns of the Immaculate Conception of Blessed Mary is located – the Santa Domingo Plaza. He was attacked by his murderers with machetes and shot at.
After adoring the Blessed Sacrament in the cathedral, Don Gabriel died as a martyr for Christ the King. Only weeks before he had written the following letter to Pope Blessed Pius IX of which an excerpt is reproduced here:
“Most Holy Father,
Gabriel Garcia Moreno in his letter to Pope Blessed Pius IX on the 17th July 1875
For some time now I have intensely wished to write to Your Holiness again; but I have been kept from doing so for fear of taking your time, which is too precious and necessary for the rule of the Catholic world. Notwithstanding this, today I must overcome this fear to implore your apostolic blessing, as I have been reelected, undeservingly, to govern this Catholic Republic for six years more. Although the new term will not begin until August 30, and I will not be able to serve Your Holiness with an official notification of my reelection until I take the constitutional oath on that day, I am conveying this to Your Holiness in advance in order to obtain from Heaven strength and lights, which I need more than anyone for being faithful to our Redeemer and loyal and obedient to His infallible Vicar. Now that the [Masonic] lodges of the neighboring countries, instigated by those of Germany, vomit against me atrocious insults and horrible calumnies of all kinds, I need Divine protection more than ever to live and die in the defense of our holy Religion and of this small republic that God has willed that I continue governing. Most Holy Father, what great fortune it is for me to be hated and persecuted for the sake of our Divine Redeemer! and what great joy it would be for me if your blessing obtained from Heaven that I shed my blood for Him who, being God, willed to shed His on the Cross for us! (…)
I prostrate myself at the feet of Your Holiness to implore again your Apostolic blessing for this Catholic Republic, for my family, and for this your very humble, obedient, and loving son, G. Garcia Moreno.“
When one of the assassins shouted “Die, destroyer of liberty!“ the heavily wounded president replied “God does not die!“ – these were his last words. Moreno was still alive for a short time after the attack. He was carried into the cathedral, to a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, where a priest administered the last rites to him.
Thus, the promise given by Jesus through Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque to all who practice devotion to His Sacred Heart, Moreno being one of them, was fulfilled, namely that these devotees shall not die without receiving the sacraments and that His divine heart shall be their safe refuge in their last moment. Blessed Pius IX honored him as a “martyr“.
“He will consecrate the republic to the Sacred Heart of my beloved Son“
“Trumpets sounded, rifles fired, and church bells rang in unison throughout Ecuador. For the first time in history, a Republic was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.“
James Valois: Our Lady‘s Prophecies. God‘s Messages for Our Time, Sophia Institute Press 2024, p. 54
This consecration of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart was renewed on the 25th March 2024, 150 years later, by the current Archbishop of Quito in a solemn Mass.
The first and original consecration took place on the feast day of the Annunciation in the year 1874. Unitedly the Archbishop of Quito and the President of Ecuador consecrated the nation of Ecuador – in the name of the Church and in the name of the state – to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“the accursed sect of Freemasonry will take over the civil government“
“Thus I make it known to you that from the end of the 19th century and from shortly after the middle of the 20th century, in what is today the Colony and will then be the Republic of Ecuador, the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of customs, for Satan will reign almost completely by means of the Masonic sects.“
Our Lady of Good Success to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, Marian apparition from the early 17th century in Quito, Ecuador, approved by the Church, in: James Valois: Our Lady‘s Prophecies. God‘s Messages for Our Time, Sophia Institute Press 2024, p. 62
The era of freemasonic liberalism attacking the Church in Ecuador and undermining her mission at the end of the 19th century is linked with Eloy Alfaro who reigned as president of Ecuador in the years 1895-1901 and 1906-1911. His political program included the complete separation of state and Church, the secularization of education, the introduction of “religious liberty“, and the attack on the sacrament of Holy Matrimony through the institution of “civil marriage“.
The mortal remains of Gabriel Garcia Moreno
In September 1875, a few weeks after the assassination of Moreno, the Congress of Ecuador honored this “truly Christian president“ by entitling him the “regenerator of his country, and the martyr of Catholic civilization“. Today Don Gabriel‘s mortal remains are buried in a crypt in the cathedral of Quito, their resting place since the 6th August 1975, the 100th anniversary of his martyrdom.