Any idea where the girls are today?
I think they all emigrated to the United States. One of them, Mari-Loli Lafleur, a former resident of Boston, is now dead. She left an interesting prophetic warning about Russia though that may be in the process of being fulfilled - who knows - shock and awe maybe?
"When Russia will unexpectedly and suddenly overrun and overwhelm a great part of the free world. God does not want this to happen so quickly. In any case the Warning will come when you will see that Holy Mass cannot be celebrated freely anymore; then it will be that the world will most need the intervention of God.”
In fairness to the Catholic Church, Church authorities both in Spain and the Vatican have never given any formal approval to the series of apparitions that occurred at Garabandal in the 1960's. They have left it to the piety of the faithful whether or not they wish to believe in them. Indeed, there were many aspects about the apparitions which might give rise to a red flag warning, given some of the strange things that occurred during the visions - see comments in the attached commentary below on this:
The death of Joey Lomangino -A blow to Garabandal believers?
Mystics of the Church website
www.mysticsofthechurch.com
Whatever the nature of the apparitions, I would not doubt the integrity and sincerity of the four seers though for they clearly had an unworldly experience that left an indelible mark on them.
My brother visited Garabandal back in the late 1990's with a friend who knew the area well and had good contacts in the village. Through his friend, he was able to meet with Jacinta, one of the seers, who was visiting the village at the time, although by then she had long been based in the States. He didn't discuss the apparitions with her but found her to be a genuine and nice person. Interestingly, one venerable person who did believe in the authenticity of the apparitions was the Capuchin Friar, mystic and now canonised saint, Padre Pio.
See the following 2021 interview with Jacinta: INTERVIEW TO JACINTA -ONE OF THE SEERS OF THE APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY IN GARABANDAL- PUBLISHED AS A BOOK BY JOSE MARIA ZAVALA A RENOWN SPANISH CATHOLIC JOURNALIST IN NOVEMBER 15TH 2021
Although people tend to associate Marian Visions with European Catholic countries like France and Spain, there is a strong tradition of them occurring in the Ukraine as well, the most famous being that at the village of Hrushiv three years before the more celebrated apparition at Fatima in Portugal in 1917. See: http://www.divinemysteries.info/our-lady-of-the-ukraine-hrushiv-ukraine-1914-and-1987/
For those not aware, although the Ukraine is predominantly an Orthodox Christian country, there is a large Catholic population based there that has suffered widespread persecution both under the dominant Orthodox Communion and under the Soviet communist regime of the 20th Century. One group came in for particular persecution and that was the Uniats, who were Ukrainian Orthodox Christians who had come back into union with Rome (hence their name). Josef Stalin, who had been raised as an Orthodox Christian and was at heart a nationalist, had a particular dislike for the Uniats and encouraged their persecution - presumably viewing them as traitors to Orthodox tradition. Given what is happening in the Ukraine today, I guess it adds yet one further twist to the story.
My brother visited Garabandal back in the late 1990's with a friend who knew the area well and had good contacts in the village. Through his friend, he was able to meet with Jacinta, one of the seers, who was visiting the village at the time, although by then she had long been based in the States. He didn't discuss the apparitions with her but found her to be a genuine and nice person. Interestingly, one venerable person who did believe in the authenticity of the apparitions was the Capuchin Friar, mystic and now canonised saint, Padre Pio.
See the following 2021 interview with Jacinta: INTERVIEW TO JACINTA -ONE OF THE SEERS OF THE APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY IN GARABANDAL- PUBLISHED AS A BOOK BY JOSE MARIA ZAVALA A RENOWN SPANISH CATHOLIC JOURNALIST IN NOVEMBER 15TH 2021
Although people tend to associate Marian Visions with European Catholic countries like France and Spain, there is a strong tradition of them occurring in the Ukraine as well, the most famous being that at the village of Hrushiv three years before the more celebrated apparition at Fatima in Portugal in 1917. See: http://www.divinemysteries.info/our-lady-of-the-ukraine-hrushiv-ukraine-1914-and-1987/
For those not aware, although the Ukraine is predominantly an Orthodox Christian country, there is a large Catholic population based there that has suffered widespread persecution both under the dominant Orthodox Communion and under the Soviet communist regime of the 20th Century. One group came in for particular persecution and that was the Uniats, who were Ukrainian Orthodox Christians who had come back into union with Rome (hence their name). Josef Stalin, who had been raised as an Orthodox Christian and was at heart a nationalist, had a particular dislike for the Uniats and encouraged their persecution - presumably viewing them as traitors to Orthodox tradition. Given what is happening in the Ukraine today, I guess it adds yet one further twist to the story.