Pilgrimage to Fonte San Lorenzo

On May 30, 2010, our community went for the fourth time on a pilgrimage to Fonte San Lorenzo, a place declared thaumaturgic by God in addition to the one in via delle Benedettine in Rome.

We started full of enthusiasm and willing to meet again to pray in those places where the Mother of the Eucharist let Bishop and Marisa meet.

This pilgrimage was particularly important for our community for we felt more than ever the closeness of our two guardian angels, who are now in Heaven. After arriving at the spring, we formed a procession and while meditating we reached the place where later the H. Mass was celebrated. Some of our brothers and sisters even some elderly ones, were not discouraged and faced the pilgrimage with love, offering their sacrifice to God. Leading the procession was the statue of the Mother of the Eucharist, followed by the flag with Bishop and Marisa's image, then the priest and the faithful bringing up the rear of the procession. Through the image depicted on the flag we want to emphasize the sustained presence of Bishop and Marisa, monitoring and guiding our community.

During the journey we recited the litanies composed by our Bishop until we reached the place where we prepared the altar. We then arranged ourselves in a semicircle; together we sang the "Magnificat" and read the letter of God dated September 4, 2004 which was referring to an earlier pilgrimage to Fonte San Lorenzo.

The Bishop and Marisa's flag was placed behind the wooden cross, where, at its base, is engraved the inscription commissioned by Our Lady: "Here the Mother of the Eucharist appeared to Marisa Rossi in the presence of the future Bishop Claudio Gatti. July 1971".

The wind was so strong that the flag was fully unfurled. It was exciting to be in this oasis of peace, among verdant and blossoming hills so that even the Bishop and Marisa's image, depicted in the flag, seemed more alive to our eyes. Memories surfaced in our minds, we felt strong feelings and emotions because even if we know that they are always spiritually present in our midst, especially during the Holy Mass, humanly speaking, their physical presence we miss very much.

After the celebration we are back at the spring rendered thaumaturgic by God and we filled bottles with that water capable of giving the gift of healing. Many people, without knowing this, have drunk from it and received graces, as reported in the letters of God.

From private revelations we know that Fonte San Lorenzo is a place that will remain intact over time, without suffering contamination and that in the future many people will go there to pray.

At the end of the pilgrimage, we came back to our town contented and enriched with a spiritual heritage that continues to grow thanks to the prayers of our beloved Bishop and our dear little Marisa, who are always watching over us.

Here we briefly report the events that took place at Fonte San Lorenzo concerning the Bishop, the Seer and our community since 1971.

The meeting of Don Claudio and Marisa: July 1971

In Frontignano, a major ski resort of Sibillini mountain range in the Marche region, there is a place called Fonte San Lorenzo. Here, in July 1971 took place the first apparition of the Mother of the Eucharist with the presence of the then priest Don Claudio.

This resort is situated in a big valley, where in the lowest part there is in fact a spring; from here, going uphill, we reach the place full of memories and very dear to our Bishop and Marisa.

After their first meeting, which occurred on July 15, 1971 in Visso (Macerata), Marisa attended the summer camp organized for the rehabilitation of young street urchins and led by Don Claudio.

The first time Don Claudio attended the apparition was during a time of prayer, which he had organized. Priests, co-workers and the kids did not come, the only one to accept the invitation was Marisa. On this occasion, while they were praying together, Marisa went into ecstasy, fell on her knees and began to converse with the invisible.

During the early days of the apparitions, whatever Our Lady was saying was not reported by the Seer, but could be understood only by her answers. The conversation of the first apparition was about the situation in the Church. The then Don Claudio, was not yet aware that Marisa was seeing Our Lady and while he was listening, he wondered: "How can this person know so well some delicate problems of the Church, of which I was made aware by card. Ottaviani?".

In fact, for a short period, until he refused to go to work in the Vatican under the protection of the powerful cardinal of the former Holy Office, the Bishop had enjoyed the esteem and affection of that cardinal who had confided to him many important problems in the Church. But the surprise of our pastor peaked when he heard Marisa repeating the prayer he had written on the occasion of his priestly ordination, and he was the only one to know it.

The conversation between Marisa and the Our Lady lasted over three hours, but the time seemed to stop and exhaustion disappear. When she was over, Marisa exited from ecstasy and quietly began to recite the Rosary from the same point where she left off.

That night Don Claudio did not sleep a wink; a thousand questions were pounding his mind without giving any of those questions, the only intelligent answer: "Marisa was seeing and speaking with Our Lady". The type of training received and his rational mentality made him particularly critical, if not suspicious, to all that could be linked with the supernatural.

Not satisfied with what he saw and heard, being cautious by nature, he wanted other signs to confirm the supernatural origin of the apparitions.

He asked for the first sign during the celebration of the H. Mass: "Lord, if the person with whom Marisa interacted is Our Lady, you have to convert within twenty-four hours all the kids in the camp, as they are far from Christian life".

During the morning all the young people, one by one, asked to be able to confess to Don Claudio. What surprised the priest was that each kid exposed his sins so precisely and in such details that he was often forced to wonder: "How can these young people, without any religious training, be so precise in the acknowledgement of their sins?".

The answer came during lunch, where all the kids openly thanked Marisa not only because she had helped each of them to search their souls, but had identified for each of them the sins to confess. In order to dispel any doubt, the then Don Claudio asked for a second request to the Lord: to be informed of future events which would affect the Church. Again the Lord pleased him once more and during the apparition through Marisa, He let him know what he had asked.

Finally, since he had heard that Marisa had invisible stigmata, like the Virgin Mary and other saints, he asked the Lord, always during the H. Mass, to see them open before his eyes. Even this requirement was met. In fact, during the same H. Mass when he made the request, our Bishop noticed that Marisa was suffering a lot and when exchanging the greeting of peace he saw that on the palms of her hands the stigmata had opened, from where blood and serum was flowing. At this moment Mons. Claudio surrendered and uttered his "Yes" to the Lord who was going to call him to carry on an important mission in the Church. Along with Marisa he then repeated his "Yes" many other times. Thus began their long and hard mission so pleasing to God and fought by men.

More recent history

On August 16, 2003, Bishop and Marisa, driven by a strong inner urge, went to Fonte San Lorenzo, although the road was bumpy and very painful for Marisa to go by car because of her health. But upon arrival at the stretch of dirt road, Marisa fell in ecstasy and had no discomfort caused by bumps and shocks from the car. The supernatural aid continued even when she stepped out of the car for she had the chance to stand on her own feet and walk to the place where Our Lady appeared.

The Mother of the Eucharist gave this unexpected declaration, "In this place a stone will be placed in the future with the names of my two little children. This place has been sanctified by God; it has become thaumaturgic and will be open to the people who want to pray". (Letter of God, August 16, 2003)

This new intervention of God brought a great joy into Bishop and Marisa's hearts, and also courage and a push to move forward because it was an additional blessing and approval from the Lord to their mission, which began right here 33 years ago. "The place that God has blessed and made thaumaturgic is a gift and you are the first ones to enjoy this grace of His, do not forget. Those who have children should teach them what God has done "(Letter of God, August 17, 2003).

Our Lady announced that in the future there will be a great multitude of pilgrims to Fonte San Lorenzo and by God's will it should remain simple, no church, but a cross would have to be raised, clearly visible from far away. At the base of the cross must be placed a properly polished rock with an inscription reminding what had taken place here back in 1971.

After this great proclamation, Our Lady wanted, together with Jesus, the Bishop to bless the new thaumaturgic place: "At this moment Jesus is blessing this place and I would like that my beloved and holy Bishop would bless it together with Him". (Letter of God, August 16, 2003)

On August 30, together with some youths and adults, representing the whole community, the Bishop and Marisa returned to Fonte San Lorenzo. A small and modest cross was placed there and a stone was placed at its base with the following inscription: "Here the Mother of the Eucharist appeared to Marisa Rossi in the presence of the future Bishop Claudio Gatti. July 1971".

That same day, during the apparition, Jesus gave a new gift: ten souls in Purgatory entered into Heaven. Then he said: "The blessing that has made this place thaumaturgic has been given by God. Even the water that people will come here to drink is blessed", and recalled what had happened 32 years earlier: "In this holy place, in 1971, were celebrated many Masses by Don Claudio with great suffering. But then he had a great joy, because all the guys converted, all forty of them". (Letter of God, August 30, 2003)

The first pilgrimage, September 2004

On September 4, 2004 the first pilgrimage was organized by our Bishop to the Thaumaturgic place "Fonte San Lorenzo".

This initiative about the pilgrimage was greeted with enthusiasm by the community in Rome and members of other prayer groups joined as well.

The meeting place was at Castel St. Angelo on Nera. Here the people coming from different places gathered and from there started a long convoy heading for the thaumaturgic place.

Throughout the journey they all prayed and were getting ready to meet Jesus the Eucharist and the Mother of the Eucharist. When they were at Fonte San Lorenzo, the Bishop told them what had happened there 33 years earlier and invited those present to continue to pray, to line up behind him and go to the exact spot where, for the first time, he attended the apparitions of the Mother of the Eucharist.

The heavenly Mother allowed her little child to walk.

Marisa, holding up the Episcopal banner, got near Don Claudio and together they led the procession. After travelling a short and steep slope the procession came to the place where some young people had set up the altar.

After singing the Magnificat, Our Lady appeared and began by thanking us because we had, at last, made the pilgrimage she was waiting for so long. She let us know that that a little girl, suffering from cancer, was healed by drinking the water from the spring without knowing it was thaumaturgic.

She expressed her wish that the place would remain intact, as it was, and announced that there would be many people coming here on pilgrimage to pray. Finally she confirmed what Don Claudio had already said: priests, bishops and a future Pope will be coming to pray in the thaumaturgic place.

Mary has just finished speaking, when Marisa cried: "My goodness! all of the Heaven is coming downs". Afterwards she told us that a multitude of angels had filled the space above us and were singing: "Glory to God in the highest". Our Lady, the angels and saints who had been escorting her fell on their knees in profound adoration. From a radiant light, but not a blinding one, came the powerful voice of God. The Most Holy Trinity was coming down in the thaumaturgic place. Nobody, as long as one is living on Earth, can see God, but one can hear his voice as it happened in the Old Testament to patriarchs and prophets and in the New Testament to John the Baptist, some apostles, and a few others.

God the Father said to those present: "I, God, am waiting for you in Heaven. If you want to come up to Heaven, do not make any serious sin, do not create gossip, do not be envious and jealous, and do not speak badly of each other. I want you all to be holy" (Letter of God, September 4, 2004).

The second pilgrimage, September 2005

A year later, on September 3, 2005, a second pilgrimage was made to Fonte San Lorenzo.

The members of the Roman community and other communities outside of Rome, along with some foreigners from Albania, Eritrea, Romania and some Italians invited by our brothers and sisters, started from different places and reached Frontignano where Mons. Claudio and Marisa were waiting, as the Seer, due to her difficult health conditions, failed to reach Fonte San Lorenzo. Pilgrims gathered in the garden of the little villa housing the Seer and after the H. Rosary they received an important letter of God. At the beginning of the apparition Marisa showed Our Lady the letter written by the Bishop to the Pope, as ordered by our Lord. The Most Holy Trinity too was manifest and descended among his children to bless them. After the apparition, all the pilgrims moved to the second thaumaturgic place, where the Bishop celebrated the Holy Mass for them.

The third pilgrimage, September 2008

On September 6, 2008, after a two years break, most of the community members, accepting the Bishop's invitation, made the third pilgrimage to the second place declared thaumaturgic by God.

The pilgrimage had two important moments: the first at Fonte San Lorenzo, the second in Frontignano.

At 12 o'clock The Bishop welcomed the pilgrims coming from Rome or vacation spots, and having exchanged affectionate greetings with all, he recited the Angelus. Soon afterwards a procession was formed going from the big fountain, where the miraculous water is flowing and has already worked some amazing recoveries, to the exact spot where 37 years earlier the first appearances of Our Lady to Marisa had taken place and with the participation of the then priest Claudio Gatti.

The Bishop explained the intention that the pilgrims should pray for: the conversion of young people all over the world. This is a great mission God entrusted Marisa with. The Bishop told us that our community will continue this mission even after the Seer's death because there is always the need to pray in the world for the conversion of young people.