The girl from the first encounter with the Virgin
Marcelina was only 10 years old when, on May 27, 1945, while returning from an errand in the area of Los Cañitos, she saw a Lady dressed in black, with a sky-blue veil and a face of light. This Lady, floating above the ground, looked at her tenderly and asked, “Would you like to come with me?” It was the Virgin Mary, who was beginning to manifest herself as Our Lady of Sorrows.
Marcelina was a humble girl from a simple family. Her father had been shot in the Civil War, and her mother lived a harsh life, far removed from the faith. Despite the beatings and skepticism, the girl persisted in returning to the place, drawn by that luminous presence. The apparitions continued in the following days.
One of the most moving moments was when, in front of hundreds of people, Marcelina walked on her knees along the cobblestone path to a chestnut tree, without suffering any harm. There she entered into ecstasy, saw a small heavenly chapel, and heard this message from the Virgin:“In three months, let a mass be said here… and let them build me a shrine.”
After the apparitions, Marcelina attended a religious school in Villafranca de Los Barros and later entered the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Cross as a nun on August 2, 1975, in Seville. She dedicated herself to caring for the sick, orphans, the poor, and the elderly, taking the name Sister Mary of Mercy of the Cross.
The young woman stigmatized for love of sinners
Afra was a simple 17-year-old girl from La Codosera. At first, she didn’t believe in Marcelina’s apparitions and, like others, mocked them. But the Virgin Mary chose her too.
On June 7, 1945, as she approached the scene, she fell to her knees and entered into a deep ecstasy. The Virgin Mary appeared to her with seven swords in her heart, like Our Lady of Sorrows. From then on, Afra began to experience visions, ecstasies, and mystical phenomena.
The most striking thing was that she received the stigmata: visible wounds on her hands, feet, and side that bled especially on Fridays. At times, her body would rise or become rigid in prayer. She even emanated a soft, supernatural perfume. Afra did not flaunt these gifts. She lived and worked in a Madrid hospital, doing so modestly, in silence and prayer.
She accepted suffering as a participation in Christ’s Passion, offering everything for the conversion of sinners. She died on August 23, 2008, at the age of 80, after a long and painful illness. She was known as a woman of God, obedient and silent, whose testimony continues to move those who know her story. Chandavila in Extremadura and Spain
On the border that unites, but does not separate, Spain and Portugal, among gentle hills, meadows, and chestnut groves, lies Chandavila, a small spot in the municipality of La Codosera, province of Badajoz. Apparently, it’s just another corner of peaceful rural Extremadura… but for those who have faith, it’s a place where Heaven has spoken.
In 1945, as the world was trying to recover from the Second World War, the Virgin Mary chose this hidden place to appear to two simple young women. She did so quietly, without great means, but with a clarity that has endured over time. Since then, Chandavila has been a beacon of mercy, prayer, and consolation.
