Our Lady of Tears

It was in the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of Jesus Crucified, founded by Dom Francisco de Campos Barreto, Bishop of Campinas, that Sister Amália de Jesus Scourged lived, graced with the phenomenon of the sacred stigmata of Our Lord Jesus Christ and with countless Marian apparitions. She was one of the first eight sisters and co-founder of the Institute, having made her perpetual vows on December 8, 1931.

The Mother of God and Our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Sister Amalia many times, communicating many messages of prayer, sacrifice and penance. Our Lady introduced herself as Our Lady of Tears, taught her the Crown of Tears and revealed to Sister Amalia a new medal, the Medal of her Tears, and asked her to spread it throughout the world, because through it great conversions would be made and many souls would be saved.

In 1929, the wife of a relative of the Mother Foundress of the congregation fell seriously ill, and several doctors declared that there was no longer any chance of a cure. With tears in his eyes, the husband lamented: "What will become of my little children?"

The distressed father's problems went straight to Sister Amalia's heart. She immediately thought of the Divine Savior and felt an inner impulse calling her to the Tabernacle.

She immediately went to the chapel, knelt down with her arms outstretched and said to Jesus: "Is there no hope of salvation for this gentleman's wife? I am ready to offer my life for the mother of the family. What do you want me to do?

Jesus then answered her: "If you wish to obtain this grace, ask it of me through the merits of my Mother's Tears".

Sister Amalia asked: "How should I pray?" Then Jesus taught her the following prayers: "My Jesus, hear our pleas through the Tears of Your Most Holy Mother. And also: See, O Jesus, that they are the Tears of her who loved you most on earth, and who loves you most in heaven."

After teaching these two prayers, Our Lord added: "My daughter, whatever men ask of me through the Tears of My Mother, I am lovingly obliged to give. Later, my dear Mother will give this precious treasure to our dear Institute out of love, as a magnet of mercy."

The Apparition of Our Lady of Tears and Her Presentation of the Crown of Tears

Jesus' prophecy came true on March 8, 1930. Sister Amalia was praying in the chapel of the general house when she fell into ecstasy and felt herself being lifted off the ground. Looking towards the altar of the chapel, she saw "a woman of inexplicable beauty, wearing a violet-colored tunic, a blue cloak and a white veil that wrapped around her chest, whom the humble missionary saw coming down smiling and approaching her, carrying a rosary in her hands, which she called the Crown, whose little grains shone like the sun and were as white as snow".

Handing me that rosary, Our Lady said to me:

"This is the Crown of My Tears, which was promised by My Son to our dear Institute as part of his legacy. He has also given you the prayers. My Son wants to honor Me especially with these invocations and, in addition, He will grant all the favors that are requested through the merits of My tears. This Crown will bring about the conversion of many sinners, especially those possessed by the devil."

"A special grace is reserved for the Institute of Jesus Crucified, especially the conversion of several members of a dissident part of the Church. Through this Crown the devil will be defeated and the power of hell destroyed. Arm yourself for the great battle."

Having said this, the Lady disappeared."

In the apparition, the Blessed Virgin was smiling because she was bringing a great gift to humanity. She explained the reason for her smile. It is a demonstration of joy and peace: through it, Our Lady showed her love for the salvation of souls, through the prayer of the Crown. This is why the image must bring a sweet smile, which is the balm to the wounds of poor humanity.

On November 28, 1931, Our Lady explained to him the meaning of Her garments in the apparition: The purple-violet dress represents the penance and pain that the sight of Her divine Son scourged caused Her. Just as Our Lord's skin turned purple with the bruises from the executioners' blows, so Our Lady presented herself to remind us that what Jesus suffered in the flesh, she suffered in the Heart; the white veil covering her head and part of her chest represents purity of thought, intention and purity of feeling; the blue cloak represents faith, hope and protection over Her children and, when contemplated, will give strength to those in difficulty, those who suffer, those who long for justice, penitents, those who bring the good news of the Kingdom of God, and all those who understand that the cloak is the promise of one day being in Heaven, because the cloak itself is God, sheltering our souls against the snares of the enemy.

For this reason, the image of Our Lady of Tears is powerful and must be spread throughout the world, especially to sinners. Criminals, in front of this image, by calling Our Lady "Mother", will achieve repentance.

Our Lady has promised: "Wherever this image is introduced and reigns, my gaze will cover everyone with great graces, giving them to experience my consoling protection from this life onwards."

In the Campinas region, during the turbulent time of the 1932 Revolution, there are many reports that those who had the image of Our Lady of Tears or the painting with the image of Jesus Manacled and Our Lady of Tears did not go hungry, the police did not enter their homes and they received blessings of material and spiritual protection.

The Revelation of the Prodigious Medal of Our Lady of Tears and the Manacled Jesus

In the apparition of April 8, 1930, the Blessed Virgin asked Sister Amalia to have a medal of Our Lady of Tears and the Manacled Jesus minted, and said that this medal should be widely distributed so that Satan's power in the world would be overcome. Our Lady also added that all the faithful who brought it with love and devotion would obtain countless graces.

By order of the Most Holy Mother of God, this medal bears on the front the image of Our Lady of Tears in an attitude of handing over the Crown of Tears (exactly as happened in the previous apparition of March 8, 1930 to Sister Amalia) and surrounded by the words: "O Most Sorrowful Virgin, Your Tears have overthrown the infernal empire!" (This phrase has an exorcism effect). On the back, it bears the image of Jesus Manacled - that is, tied up during His Sorrowful Passion - and surrounded by the words: "By Your Divine Meekness, O Jesus Manacled, save the world from the error that threatens it!".

This medal will serve to increase the humility of the faithful and to serve in a special way in the conversion of atheists, heretics, communists, and with the Crown of Tears, those possessed by the devil.

The medal will instill the virtues of meekness and humility, symbolized in the manacled Jesus and Our Lady of Tears.

Bishop Francisco de Campos, who approved the apparitions, said that the medal of Our Lady of Tears has led to many conversions in Brazil and other countries.

The words of Jesus Manacled passed on to Sister Amalia for all the missionaries of the Tears of Mary:

"My child: Today I'm going to tell you about my Mother's Tears.

For twenty centuries they have been kept in my Divine Heart, and now I am giving them to you. With this surrender, I make you an apostle of Our Lady of Tears and I know that you are ready to give your life for the spread of such a holy devotion.

To be a missionary of my Mother's Tears is to give me immense consolation! I have given infinite value to these Tears and, with them, those who set out to spread them will have the happiness of robbing sinners of the evil one, whose hatred will put many obstacles in their way so that they are not known."

"The world needs mercy, and to receive it, there is no gift more precious than the tears of my Mother! If a mother's tears move the heart of a rebellious son, then how can they not move my Heart, which loves this Mother so much? This magnificent treasure, guarded for twenty centuries, is now in everyone's hands, so that many souls can be saved from the clutches of hell! When generous souls say: 'My Jesus, through the Tears of your Blessed Mother', my Heart opens and makes the torrents of my Mercy gush over those souls!"

Promises of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Missionaries of Our Lady of Tears:

"All those who set out to spread my Mother's Tears will receive a special joy in heaven and will praise all the hours they have spent spreading them.

All the priests who spread the power of Mary's Tears will have their work produce fruits of eternal life and they will do great things for love of me.

Spreading this wealth of My Mother's Tears is of great importance to My Heart because it will give Me millions and millions of souls!

Your Crucified Jesus who has placed such a sacred and powerful treasure in your hands, of which you must be a tireless apostle and be capable of giving your life for it.

- Happy are those who spread the Tears of Mary!"

"The Tears of Mary represent a great opportunity for humanity, a wealth that can only expand if it is known and loved. They are the lights that will illuminate the dark path of the conquest of souls and are the harbinger of my Kingdom.

To those who become apostles of these Tears, I will unveil hidden paths. I will transform these Tears into lights that will show them the riches of my Heart, and I will give them the gift of persuading hearts!

[...] "To save souls", that is the purpose for which I came down to earth; that is why I offer humanity so many favors, using every means to do so. The Tears of Mary are the means I give to missionary souls so that they can work wonders with them."

"I want to exalt my Mother's Tears! I have already exalted her other prerogatives: her Immaculate Conception, her Sorrows, her Triumphs; but I had not yet done so with her Tears. The right time had come: so I sent my Mother with this treasure, enriched by my infinite power.

My Mother's Tears are therefore the rays of light that will illuminate the paths of this generation and of all the souls who wish to associate themselves with them.

The apostle of Mary's Tears, and whoever speaks of them, will be included in the number of the meek. Blessed are those who are part of this meek generation, for they will shine like the sun before me!

[...] Every apostle of Our Lady of Tears will immerse himself in these revelations and conquer humanity, since his heart, having absorbed these words, will be able to work wonders!

- All these messages will shine and make thousands and thousands of apostles!"

Ecclesiastical Recognition

On March 8, 1931, Monsignor Dom Francisco de Campos Barreto, Bishop of Campinas, recognized the veracity of the phenomena of stigmatization and the apparitions received by Sister Amalia de Jesus Scourged and granted the appropriate authorizations - including the Imprimatur - for the publication of all her writings (which included the original messages from Jesus and Our Lady) and the prayers of the Crown (or Rosary) of Our Lady of Tears. On February 20, 1934, the same prelate published an episcopal declaration and reinforced the importance of devotion to the Virgin Mary under the invocation of Our Lady of Tears.

Dom Barreto gave his favorable opinion after an accurate examination of the private revelations and after the opinion of several prudent theologians and learned priests. He declared her to be of supernatural origin, as recorded in the diocese's Book of Records. According to the holy bishop, Sister Amalia had no theological knowledge or even the natural ability to know, articulate and explain what she said during her ecstasies. Another point that weighed heavily was the miracles obtained through the crown, the many conversions and the liberation of the possessed. In view of this, Dom Barreto himself had a million medals of Our Lady of Tears minted, as well as many saints and pamphlets, and compiled the revelations in a booklet published by himself.

In 1935, the Crown of Our Lady of Tears itself received further authorizations for its dissemination in the United States, Hungary and Germany.

Imprimatur: † Bishop Francisco de Campos Barreto, Diocese of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, 8 March 1931

Imprimatur: † Bishop Michael James Gallagher, Diocese of Detroit, MI, USA, 22 March 1935

Imprimatur: † Archbishop John Robert Roach, D.D., Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, MN, USA

Nihil obstat No. 924/1935: Ansgarus Borsiczky, Diocesan Censor in Sopron, Hungary, 25 May 1935

Imprimatur: † Bishop István Breyer, Diocese of Győr, Hungary, 13 July 1935

Imprimatur: † Vicar General Ferdinand Buchwieser, Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, Germany, 22 March 1935

About Bishop Francisco de Campos Barreto

He was the founder of the Institute of the Missionary Sisters of Jesus Crucified with Mother Maria Villac. The apparitions of Our Lady of Tears to Sister Amalia Aguirre of Jesus Scourged took place in this institution. He was also the one who ecclesiastically approved the messages and prayers revealed to the nun.

About Our Lady of Tears, Dom Barreto says:

"This new name, signifying the virtues, merits and compassion of Mary, in union with the merits and passion of Jesus, only confirms the devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, already secularly approved in the Church, of which tears are its highest expression."

"The blessed Tears of the Mother of Jesus are especially powerful in winning the heart of God."

Dom Barreto died on August 22, 1941, in Campinas. When he was exhumed in 1966, his brain was found incorrupt. A scholar met Dom Barreto's former cook, who was 105 at the time and fully lucid.

Asked what she attributed this phenomenon to, she replied: "to Dom Barreto's fidelity and obedience".

The cook continues: "Every time he received a letter from the Holy See, even if he didn't want to obey, he would kiss the letter, rest it on his head and say: 'Lord, may your thoughts be my thoughts'. In the same way, when he had a serious decision to make, he would repeat: 'Lord, may Your thoughts be my thoughts; may Your justice be my justice'".

Dom Barreto was born in the district of Souzas, in Campinas-SP, on March 28, 1877. As a boy, he became a choirboy for Canon Nery of the Old Parish Church. Five bishops would emerge from Canon Nery's choir. The canon himself became the first bishop of Campinas, a diocese created by St. Pius X.

Dom Barreto's mother was very devoted to Our Lady of Sorrows and his father meditated on the Passion of Christ frequently. When he was still a boy, his father gave him the book "The Passion Clock" as a gift, which would be decisive in his spiritual life. He entered the seminary very early and was ordained a priest at the age of 24. Bishop Nery, who had been his parish priest, was now his bishop. He was a saintly man, given to works of education and charity.

Already in the early years of his priesthood, his pastoral zeal led him to preach, confess and lead many people. The pulpit of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Conception became one of the places where he dedicated himself most to the salvation of souls.

In 1908, the apostolic nuncio to Brazil, at the request of St. Pius X, began to survey possible locations for new dioceses. Knowing this, Father Barreto fought as hard as he could to provide Campinas with everything necessary so that the choice would fall on the region, as in fact it did. Because of his dedication, he received the title of monsignor and began to assist various groups of lay people.

At that time, he got to know the life of St. John Mary Vianney, whom he took as his patron, and he also got to know the life of a nun who had not even been beatified: Sister Teresa of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Both saints would accompany him along with St. Gema Galgani.

In 1910, St. Pius X elected Monsignor Barreto as the first diocesan bishop of Pelotas, RS. Bishop Barreto was consecrated by Bishop Nery and took possession of his diocese, where he set up parishes, founded a newspaper, a school for girls, vocational courses, as well as brotherhoods and lay movements. He fought spiritism, freemasonry, Protestantism and communism.

In Pelotas, he suffered persecution and slander from many people in the local Church. The former ambassador of the Brazilian government to the Holy See lived at the seat of the diocese. He publicly opposed the corrections that Dom Barreto was making in the diocese, setting up organizations and purifying old vices, such as the common mistake of allowing brotherhoods to be controlled by Freemasons, as was the case during the Empire.

In 1920 he was elected to Campinas. He left Pelotas and took over the diocese where he was born. As soon as he arrived, he quickly organized his first pastoral visit. Monsignor Jerónimo Baggio, one of his clergy, used to say that Bishop Barreto "was the bishop who didn't sleep and didn't let the priests sleep". In fact, Bishop Barreto paid off the curia's debts, bought properties that he rented out and with the income he built the Priestly Home for elderly priests, built a nursing home, encouraged the creation of the Catholic University of Campinas, doubled the number of parishes, brought new religious communities into the diocese, founded a newspaper and published several pastoral letters.

Despite all this, his heart was still troubled by the situation of many families living in irregular marriages, far from the faith and doctrine of the Church.

Maria Vilac - The Founding Mother

At the same time, a young woman from Campinas, the daughter of French immigrants, called Maria Vilac wanted to be a nun and decided to join the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer, the "Redemptorist nuns", daughters of St. Alphonsus de Liguori and Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa. One of her aunts was a Redemptorist nun in Belgium and Maria Vilac was thinking of joining the same monastery. When everything was in place for her to go, the First World War broke out and the young woman was deprived of the possibility of fulfilling her vocation. Her spiritual director reassured her that if God had allowed this, it was because her mission was in Brazil.

Maria Vilac began to gather some friends at her house to pray the Stations of the Cross, the rosary and also to define some charitable works that they would undertake periodically. The group grew rapidly and many young women began to seek Maria Vilac's advice.

Shortly after Dom Barreto's arrival as bishop of Campinas, the young woman, on the advice of her spiritual director, sought an audience with Dom Barreto to ask for his blessing and explain the work of her group.

This meeting was decisive! Listening to her, Dom Barreto told her of his intention to found a religious congregation and that she was the one sent by Providence to do so. He gave the young woman a week to reflect and respond.

Dom Barreto received Maria Vilac's acceptance and asked her to find out which other friends wanted to start a religious congregation. On April 20, 1928, the first eight candidates joined the first religious communities of the new congregation called the Missionaries of Jesus Crucified.

Among Maria Vilac's first companions was the Spanish immigrant Amalia Aguirre, who had arrived in Campinas a short time earlier.

In the photo below, Maria Vilac, who would become Mother Maria of Calvary, is sitting to the left of Dom Barreto and, standing to the left, is Amalia Aguirre, who took the religious name of Sister Amalia de Jesus Flagelado.

Maria Vilac's father gave the Hotel D'Europe, his private property, as space for the new congregation.

Don Barreto appointed Maria Vilac as superior of the new community and from April to May of that year, he himself directed and formed them in the charism of the new institute.

Amalia Aguirre was the last of the young women to join the group at the invitation of Bishop Barreto himself. On May 11, 1928, the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil, the first eight missionaries received the blue and white habit in the Cathedral of Campinas.

Amália Aguirre - The seer

Amalia Aguirre Queija was born on July 22, 1901, in the town of Riós, Galicia, Spain. In 1908 she made her First Communion and had her first mystical manifestation in which Jesus appeared to her asking her if she was willing to help him save souls. She said yes.

At the age of 16, Jesus spoke to her again to obtain her consent as promised at First Communion. Amalia confirms her wish.

From an early age, she never had a great memory or facility for learning. She had several limitations in this respect, which is why she preferred manual labor. She always helped her parents and grandmother. She woke up early, did all kinds of work, was quiet and applied herself to what she did. In 1918, her parents and younger siblings moved to Brazil, but she stayed in Spain to look after her elderly grandmother. She did so until her grandmother died. Then, in the middle of the Spanish flu epidemic, she came to Brazil and didn't get infected. On the trip, she helped to care for the sick.

In 1927, she lost her father and shortly afterwards joined Maria Vilac's group, which would become the founding nucleus of the Institute of the Missionaries of Jesus Crucified.

In 1928, after putting on the habit, she began her mystical manifestations in public, involuntarily and uncontrollably.

From August 28, 1928, the stigmata appeared visibly (she already had the stigmata invisibly). A wound opened up on the left side of her chest, followed by the signs of the crucifixion, marks on her knees, thigh and head. This manifestation took place during Holy Mass in the institute's chapel.

The public ecstasies began on August 30, 1928. At Dom Barreto's request, Sister Delminda, a friend of Sister Amália, began to write down everything she said during the ecstasies. The messages were addressed to the Church, to the world and also to many private individuals.

From November 1928 onwards, the demon's attacks began, including physical ones. Sister Amalia herself wrote in her notebooks that Mother Maria Vilac slept in a chair in her room to help her in these moments of attack. Mother Vilac's holiness was such that the seer herself recounts that on many occasions the devil would disturb her, but when he heard Mother Vilac's footsteps, he would flee, shouting that the superior was coming, and then abandon Sister Amalia.

In 1929 and 1930, Our Lord and Our Lady revealed to her the Crown of Tears, her prayers and the Medal.

In 1930, communism was threatening to enter the Brazilian political scene. Our Lady told Sister Amália that this was a divine punishment, not because Jesus wanted evil for Brazil, but as a reminder of the fact that prostitution and other practices against the virtue of purity aroused divine justice. As a remedy for this evil, Our Lady encouraged the prayer of the Crown of Tears and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

On July 16, 1930, the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Pope Pius XI signed the decree elevating Our Lady of Aparecida to the status of principal patroness of Brazil. On that same day, Sister Amália made a prophecy that after her death she would have divine permission to return to earth and tell people how much Our Lady could be of use to them as an intercessor (we can safely believe that this time has come and the devotion that was hidden for years is now reappearing in full force).

In 1930, the revolution that would bring Getúlio Vargas to power broke out. Sister Amalia asked Our Lady why this was happening. The Mother of Heaven mystically transported her to the Via Dolorosa. The young nun understood that it would be a time of purification for Brazil.

On April 25, 1931, Jesus and Mary appeared together to Sister Amália. Jesus invited her and asked her to pass on to everyone she could his invitation for all his children to have recourse to the Tears of his Blessed Mother, which are like "precious pearls before the throne of God".

In May 1935, Our Lady appeared to Sister Amália again. At that time, Brazil was on the verge of being taken over by the Communist Intent. Our Lady said that the Crown of Tears was the sword to fight this evil. On July 5, several clashes and hundreds of deaths were the result of attempts to establish Communism in Brazil. Then Our Lady said: "I will save Brazil, if I hear in every house, at least one jaculatory of my Crown of Tears: 'O Most Blessed Virgin, your tears have overthrown the infernal empire!' If I speak like this, it is because I wish to see this Land of the Holy Cross triumph over its adversaries, who wish to implant a terrible enemy, who has already taken over other lands that do not recognize me as Mother".

This occurred at a time of great persecution against Bishop Barreto and the inquisitor told him that he found no errors in the writings of the apparitions or the seer, however , he was under pressure from outside parties for him to punish him in some way. So, not to punish the diocese and not to extinguish the congregation founded by Don Barreto, the Inquisitor had to silence the Apparition. The inquisitor’s report states that devotion was temporarily silenced , but was not prohibited and can be practiced privately.

In 1936, a visitator from the Holy Office imposed silence on the seer and ordered Dom Barreto to collect images, books and medals about the apparition. Our Lady's prophecy was beginning to be fulfilled, according to which the apparition, by divine permission, would be overshadowed for a while and would return in due course.

This happened at a time of great persecution against Dom Barreto and the inquisitor told him that he found no errors in the writings of the apparitions or in the seer, but he was under pressure from outside parties to punish him in some way. So, in order not to punish the diocese and not to extinguish the congregation founded by Dom Barreto, the inquisitor had to silence the Apparition. The inquisitor's report states that the devotion was temporarily silenced, but not forbidden and that it could be practiced privately.

In 1940, the Holy See also imposed silence on the seer, who promptly obeyed. Dom Barreto accepted the silence, but continued to negotiate with the Holy See for recognition of the apparition. In 1941, victimized by pneumonia, on August 22, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Dom Barreto gave his soul to God. With his death, the process of final recognition of the apparition came to a standstill.

Sister Amália fell ill and began to suffer persecution from her own companions in habit. She was transferred to Taubaté in 1953, where she remained until her death. Jesus had told his beloved wife that she would be united to his silent humiliation. And so it was. The stigmata continued until the end of her life, as did the mystical manifestations, but all in hiding and forgotten by everyone. Sister Amalia's heart stopped beating in this world on April 18, 1977. In March of the following year, Jesus also called Mother Vilac to himself, the saint who helped Dom Barreto and fought so hard for the life of her religious family.

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"Whoever knows this loving Mother and invokes her in life with confidence, in the midst of agony, will find this luminous beacon, which will the gates of Paradise. Jesus." Sister Amalia 17-07-1930

Our Lady of Tears, pray for us!

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