Bruno Cornacchiola, Tre Fontane Italy, 1947 (Virgin of the Revelation)

Feastday not known

Born not known

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The Virgin of Revelation appeared to Bruno Cornacchiola on April 12 1947 at Tre Fontane in Rome Italy. Tre Fontane was named as the place where St Paul, The Apostle, was martyred. When he was decapitated, his head bounced 3 times and springs of water gushed forth. The Tre Fontane is also called the “Fountains of The Blessed Trinity”. A section not too far from the Tre Fontane was long reported for evil happenings and sinfulness. It was here that The Virgin appeared to Bruno Cornacchiola.

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Virgin of the Revelation

On the Saturday after Easter Sunday, April 12, 1947, Bruno Cornacchiola took his three children (Isola, Carlo, and Gianfranco) for a picnic to Tre Fontane (the area outside of Rome where the Romans beheaded St. Paul). On that lovely spring day, Bruno sat in a grove a eucalyptus trees preparing a talk ridiculing the Immaculate Conception. Earlier that day, as if to manifest his bitter hatred for the Immaculate Mother, he had written on the base of a statue of the Holy Virgin that had the inscription Virgin Mother that “You are neither virgin nor mother.” ¹

Bruno though once a Catholic had now not only thoroughly rejected the Catholic Faith, he had conceived a great animosity towards Catholicism. Shortly after marrying his wife he deserted her to fight on the side of the anti-Catholic forces during the Spanish civil war in the 1930’s. Later he returned to his wife, but he was far from a model husband. He frequently used blasphemous and obscene speech, committed adultery, beat his wife, and had forbidden his wife from going to a Catholic church or in anyway practicing her faith. He joined the Seventh Day Adventists, becoming an ardent proselytizer. To cap his anti-Catholic career, Bruno plotted to assassinate the Holy Father (Pius XII) on September the 8th (Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary) 1947. ²

As Bruno was busily working on his screed against the Immaculate Conception, one of his children asked him to help them find their ball. He followed the child and saw his youngest child kneeling at the entrance of a cave. The child’s face was radiantly joyful as he stared into the cave repeating, “Beautiful lady, beautiful lady.” Bruno looked into the cave and could see nothing that would account for the boy’s action. He then turned towards his other two children, but by then they too were kneeling with their eyes transfixed on someone in the cave. Seized with fright, Bruno tried to grab his children and carry them away, but he could not move them. ³

Then a bright light momentarily blinded him. He became weightless, ethereal—he felt as if his soul was leaving his body. Then his sight returned and he saw in the cave a woman of celestial beauty. She wore a dazzling white dress with a rose sash and a long green mantle that went from covering her head to almost touching the ground. ⁴

At that moment of mysterious bewilderment during which he was uplifted from earth to the wonderful threshold of eternity, to the brightest point, he had the vision of a young woman, sweet and still, wrapped within a golden light. Bruno gazed at her, attracted and overcome by such fascinating beauty, drawn by that light which, although so intense, did not hurt his eyes, but overwhelmed him supernaturally. Still unaware, he did not know yet that he was going to see the Queen of Heaven who had chosen him to be the instrument of spreading Her divine message of prayer and penance among humankind. She was wearing a brilliant white tunic, gathered at the waist with a pink sash, the two ends of which reached her knees. Her hair was black, pulled back to her head. Some of it showed under the green veil that covered her from head to foot like a beautiful royal mantle. Her bare feet, showing from under the dress, were firmly set on a tufous rock, which was also glowing from her light. In her right hand she was holding a gray book pressed to her breast, Her left hand over it. The vision itself had already aroused in him a state of joyous ecstasy, but above all, it washer admirable face that fascinated his eyes and heart. One could say that all beauties of human life merged in that face: the innocent candour of youth, the vagueness and grace of virginity, the majestic dignity of sublime maternity. In fact, Cornacchiola was to say later: “He who experienced the exceptional joy of resting his eyes on such a heavenly beauty would only want death in order enjoy such beauty forever.” I saw that the beautiful lady was slowly moving her left hand and was pointing to something at her feet. I looked, and on the ground I saw a black cloth which held a broken cross,” “My first impulse,” he went on, “was to cry out, but I could not utter a sound.” At that moment, almost offering the book She was holding in her hand, the apparition said: ⁵

The Lady told Bruno who she was: “I am the one who is of the Divine Trinity.” She revealed herself as, “Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, and Spouse and Temple of the Holy Spirit.” Mary Immaculate in this message confirmed her unique intimacy with the Blessed Trinity. ⁵

Our Lady also announced to Bruno that “I am the Virgin of Revelation.” This title is fraught with religious significance—the Church’s teaching on Mary is based on Divine revelation; Sacred Tradition as well as the Bible comprises Divine Revelation; Mary Immaculate is the Woman mentioned in the mysterious last book of the Bible, the Apocalypse or Revelations of St. John the Apostle. ⁶

The Holy Virgin admonished Bruno: “You persecute me. Enough of it now! Enter into God’s Kingdom on earth. The Nine First Fridays of the Sacred Heart has saved you. You must be like flowers which Isola picked, they make no protest, they are silent and do not rebel.” ⁷

To understand fully Our Lady’s remarks, we need to know that when Bruno was first married he still attended Mass with his wife. She persuaded him to come to church with her for nine First Fridays hoping that he would be converted. (Our Lord promised to St. Margaret Mary that anyone who attended Mass for nine First Fridays and received Holy Communion in reparation for the offences committed against the Sacred Heart of Jesus would receive the grace of salvation.) ⁸

“In this place of sin I shall perform miracles for the conversion of unbelievers.” And indeed an area that was once known as a place of immorality has been transformed into a shrine of the Virgin of Revelation, where the faithful have attributed many miracles to the dirt from the grotto. ⁹

The Virgin of Revelation also had a message for the faithful: “Return to the pure source of the Gospel.” And echoing the messages she has so often brought to the world over the last two centuries she instructed Christians to: “Pray much and recite the Rosary for the conversion of sinners, of unbelievers, and of all Christians.” ¹⁰

Our Lady, anticipating the solemn declaration of the dogma her Assumption into heaven by Pope Pius XII, explained: “My body could not be allowed to decay. My Son came for me with His angels.” ¹¹

After the introductory words, the heavenly Lady talked for a long time to the son who was about to return to God. One part of her talk was addressed to him and to the faithful, and the other contained a secret message for the Holy Father: Then She continued: “I want to give you absolute proof of the divine realty which you are experiencing, so that you will exclude any other motive for this encounter, evil motivation included. This is the sign: Every time you meet a priest in church or in the street, approach him and address him with these words: 'Father I must talk to you.' If he answers: 'Ave Maria! - My son, what do you want?', beg him to stop because he is the chosen one. Tell him what your heart dictates and obey him….In fact, he will direct you to another priest by saying, 'He is the one for you.' Afterwards you will go to the Holy Father, the Supreme shepherd of all Christians, and give him My message personally. The one that I will point out to you will take you to the Pope. Some people to whom you relate this vision will not believe, but let that not disturb you” After these words, maternally benign and serenely said, the enchanting Lady turned, showing Her green mantle. Slowly she moved in the direction of St. Peter's Basilica. Bruno, being ecstatic, did not move for a few moments. The Virgin had lowered her compassionate glance on his poverty to give him guidance, strength and comfort.¹²

Bruno found the priest just as Our Lady promised, Father Mario Stoggia. On Mary 30. 1947 Bruno had another vision asking for sisters to pray for the non-believers in Rome. On December 9, 1949 Bruno gave the knife to Pope Pius XII that he was going to use to kill him. “Weeping, I handed him the knife on which I had engraved: 'Death to the Pope.” On May 12, 1956 construction began on the shrine in the grotto. A statue was made of Our Lady and Pope Pius XII blessed it. ¹³

In 1982 on February 23rd Our Lady again appeared to Bruno: “Here I want a home-sanctuary dedicated to Me with My new title of Virgin of the Revelation, Mother of the Church. My home will be open to all so they all may enter into the house of salvation and be converted. Here the thirsty and the lost will come to pray. Here they will find love, understanding and consolation, the true meaning of life. Here, in this grotto, where I have appeared several times, will be a sanctuary for expiation, like a purgatory on earth….It will have a gate, with the significant name" Gate of Peace". All will have to enter through it and greet each other with the greeting of peace and unity. "May God bless us and the Virgin protect us.” ¹⁴

On April 12, 1982 almost ten thousand people were present at the Concelebrated Mass in the new sanctuary and witnessed the sky and sun change colours and a large white ball came down to the grotto. Even the Vatican's Secretary of State was there and saw it. Our Lady came to give a message to Bruno for the Holy Father. Part of the message said that an attempt on the Pope's life would be made but Our Lady would protect him. The following month the Pope was shot but the bullet changed direction in mid air and missed his heart. ¹⁵

Mary’s visit and remonstration was not wasted on Bruno. He repented of his sinful life and became an outstanding Catholic. Still living, Bruno, who has become another Paul, has dedicated his life to evangelising and teaching the truths of the Catholic Faith. ¹⁶

At the request of the Virgin, Bruno founded S.A.C.R.I. to evangelise non-Catholics and ex-Catholics. In the beginning it was only Bruno giving lessons on the Sacraments, the Church and Mary. Today it has grown to many countries. Many miracles have occurred at Three Fountains to support the messages and the work of Bruno. Our Lady called a man who hated the Church back to that same Catholic Church, which She called, the Heavenly Court On Earth. She called a man who hated the Pope back to unity with that same Pope, whom She called the Supreme shepherd of all Christians. She did all this at Three Fountains, the place where Saint Paul was martyred, another man who was persecuting the Church before God called him. ¹⁷

From that moment, the Grotto has been a gathering place for thousands of the faithful. Every 12 April the Apparition is commemorated with a solemn celebration. The procession of 5 October 1947 remains a memorable one. The Franciscan Conventual Friars were given custody of the Grotto of the Three fountains in 1956. In 1997 the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, approved the renaming of the place as “Holy Mary of third Millennium at Three Fountains” ¹⁸

The apparition has received all local church approval and even Popes have gone to Three Fountains to pray to Our Lady of the Revelation. Pope Paul VI wrote an Encyclical Letter calling Mary the woman of Revelation, Chapter 12. ¹⁹

References

1. John O’Connell Virgin of the Revelation The Catholic Faith Magazine (http://www.catholic.net/RCC/Periodicals/Faith/2000-7-8/oconnell2.html)

2. Op cit John O’Connell

3. ibid

4. ibid

5. Msgr Rossi The Virgin of the Revelation-Tre Fontane-Roma Chapter 1 (Shrine of the Virgin of the Revelation, Mother of the Church, 36 Chittering Rd, Bullsbrook, Western Australia, 6084) Chapter 1.

6. Op cit John O’Connell

7. ibid

8. ibid

9. ibid

10. ibid

11. ibid

12. Op cit. Msgr Rossi

13. ibid

14. ibid

15. ibid

16.Virgin of Revelation by John O’Connell

17. Op cit. Msgr Rossi

18. Virgin of Revelation by John O’Connell

19. Op cit. Msgr Rossi