Salgado
“Our Life, Our Sweetness and Our Hope” September 15, 2005
Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
Miracle attributed to Our Lady of Good Success
By: Isabel Maria Salazar de Salgado
Translation from Spanish by Andres Heckenkamp and edited by Kathleen Heckenkamp
(This event took place in the latter part of the year of 1996)
I want to give testimony to the great blessing received through the intercession of Our Mother, The Virgin of Good Success. My name is Isabel Maria Salazar de Salgado. I am 36 yrs old. I am licensed in Historical Sciences. My husband’s name is Juan Salgado. We are parents of six beautiful children, three boys and three girls.
When I was awaiting the birth of my fourth child, the doctors diagnosed me with a Total Occlusive Placenta Previa. This diagnosis meant that the placenta was located at the base of the uterus totally covering the birth canal so that it would be impossible for the baby to be born in the normal fashion. It is one of the highest types of risks in pregnancy in which the lives of both the baby and the mother are in great danger. Besides this, the placenta was attached very close to one of the arteries which could involve a possible hemorrhage. After reviewing the analysis, the doctor called my husband and I to explain the risk that existed and prescribed rest for the duration of the pregnancy which included no stairs or lifting or carrying of my children who were still very little.
A doctor friend of my parents sent me a message saying that it would be preferable to abort the child, so that my other children would not lose their mother. This in reality hurt us very much since we are a Catholic family that knows that Jesus always accompanies us in all circumstances. And above all else, we already loved the infant that was yet to come.
They commented to us that at the least sign of blood, it was imperative for us to arrive at the hospital within seven minutes so there would be no loss of life. Also the doctors warned us that the baby was going to be premature and could have problems with his mental ability due to the possible loss of blood. In spite of all of these bad signs that the doctors gave to us, we continued the pregnancy trusting in the will of God.
When my mother learned of this problem she organized a campaign of prayer with all of her friends. She especially talked to the nuns of the Conceptionist Cloister where the statue of Our Lady of Good Success resides. The Mother Abbess told my mother not to worry because Our Lady of Good Success always hears the prayers of the mothers. She gave us hope by telling my mother that the sisters were all waiting for me so that we could pray in front of the Image of Our Lady with all of the religious of the cloister.
The day came; we went with my parents and sisters to the Conceptionist Cloister. Since I could not climb the stairs, they put me on a chair and carried me until we arrived at the receiving room where the statue of Our Lady of Good Success had been placed. I remember this event as if it happened today. Then all of us present , that is my mother, father, sister and myself formed a semicircle around the Virgin of Good Success. I remember the faces of the very young novices. It made a great impression upon me seeing the many vocations and how these so young gave themselves to the life of prayer for the love of Jesus. The most emotional moment was when they lowered the Infant Jesus from the arms of Mary and placed Him in mine. (As I am writing these lines, these same emotions that I had eight years ago come back to me). He was so beautiful! His loving face, his bright eyes and smile is engraved in my heart. This event was all very simple. No supernatural manifestations took place before our eyes….We were all just overwhelmed by the simplicity of the true Faith. We were emerged in that same simplicity that we find in the conversations of Jesus in the Gospel, and of the innocence of the Omnipotent God who became a little one born in a stable in Bethlehem and the Divine Humility of Our God present in the Holy Eucharist.
Yes, all this happened that day. We left the convent full of hope that does not disappoint, with certainty that Mary is the sign to us of the love and mercy of God for the entire world. Mary of Good Success, who remains with us until the end of time, it is to say, is the testimonial of a realized historical event….of the most marvelous event in the history of mankind, the coming of Jesus.
Six months passed accompanied by the graces which were obtained through the prayers to our Mother. Many friends remembered us and a special blessing was given by Prelate Javier, who was visiting Quito at that time. The day came…September 3, 1996, with the manifestation of a small amount of blood, just like the doctor told us; we went to the hospital by ambulance. My husband and I were very worried but peace of mind was our companion.
Since our personal doctor was out of town, another good doctor who was also our friend, attended to us. To avoid contractions the doctors injected me with medication; however, the baby stopped moving. I could feel that my child was very frightened.
A good friend of my parents brought me a relic of Pope Pius IX which her family had kept for a long time. This Pope was very special to my father because he lived at the time when Gabriel Garcia Moreno lived, the President of Ecuador who consecrated Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The relic remained with me during the whole week that I was in the hospital.
When the baby stopped moving the doctor decided to deliver him despite the fact that he was worried about the decision that he had made. He told us that there was no other possibility since the baby could be in the state of fetal distress since this could produce terrible problems in the baby’s brain.
Immediately they put me under with intravenous anesthetic. The baby was born with all of the blessings of God. Mary Mother of Good Success sang the “Magnificat” in our little son:
“My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior… for He that is mighty has done great things to me….”
There she was, as the Mother Abbess had stated, “Our Lady of Good Success, a hope that does not fail”. In spite of the fact that the baby was kept in the hospital for a month, he was perfectly healthy. He never had a cerebral hemorrhage as was feared by the doctors. He only needed oxygen for a couple of hours after birth. That was it. There was, however, another baby born prematurely, at five months which lay in an incubator next to ours. This baby had many problems. We encouraged them to have recourse to Mother of Good Success.
When my father left [the hospital], he asked the authorities of the Church to permit the baptism of our baby inside the cloister in gratitude to the Virgin of Good Success. The approval was granted. Our baby was baptized on December 3, 1996, the feast day of St. Francis Xavier. He was named Francisco Xavier after his patron of his baptismal day. (This is also the date, December 3, in which Pope Pius IX was beautified.) I wanted to mention that another beautiful saint to whom I had a special devotion to at that time- and in which I still am devoted- is St Francis of Assisi. The nuns of the Cloister of the Visitation also prayed for our baby most especially Mother Superior Teresa de Sales. She, herself, felt that as she was praying to St. Francis de Sales, he had interceded for us. In this way, we felt the assistance of these three St. Francis’s. Clearly, we lived the love of the Virgin of Good Success, the mistress overseeing and attending to all of these happenings, along with those who were of great assistance, her attendants, the Communion of Saints.
In this testimony I desire to express my gratitude to Her and sing Her “Magnificat”, on the wonderful works of God. Since we are nothing, she has accomplished all. I share this testimony with all those who may read it so that they may be inspired to see that Jesus Christ has truly risen from the dead and desires them to draw near to Him. This is not just an event of the past or some mere notion or an example of moralism. It is the realization of the true presence of God in our lives. It is Our Lord inviting us, [as He once did in Bethlehem]. It is a most beautiful and happy challenge as He calls to us, most especially the youth, “Come and see Who I am!”
This testimonial was written in Quito (Puembo) on May 31, 2005 AMGD at the request of “The Apostolate of Our Lady of Good Success”
Editor’s Note: Isabel informed me that her son was also named for her great uncle from the third generation back who was called Francisco Javier Salazar. This uncle worked directly with Gabriel Garcia Moreno as the head of the Ministry of Education and Interior of Defense. Besides being one of Garcia Moreno’s best friends He was also the Ambassador of Ecuador to the Vatican during the government of Pius IX. Isabel’s father has just recently been appointed once again as the Ambassador of Ecuador to the Vatican, April, 2005. --- KMH
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