The miracle of mother Speranza occurred in Monza

Miracle in Monza: This is the story of a child born in Monza on 2 July 1998. The little boy is called Francesco Maria, who after only forty days develops an intolerance to milk, which gradually extends to all other foods. Numerous hospitalizations, pains and sufferings begin. And the ordeal of the parents. Until the day when, by chance, the mother hears talk on television of the sanctuary of the Merciful Love of mother Speranza, in Collevalenza, where it is said that water flows from the great thaumaturgical properties. That episode is the beginning of a series of circumstances that will lead Francesco Maria to the miracle of healing; a miracle which, recognized by the church, will allow the beatification of Mother Speranza di Gesù, known as Maria Josefa Alhama Valera (1893 - 1983). The process of the cause ended with the beatification decree, signed with the consent of Pope Francis on 5 July 2013, and only confirmation is awaited for the date of the ceremony. From gratitude for what happened, Franceso Maria's parents have created a family home for foster children. Here are the facts of this miracle, from the interview made by the monthly "Medjugorie, the presence of Mary" to the mother of Francesco Maria, Mrs. Elena.
Mrs. Elena, can you tell us how this story started?
We lived near Vigevano, but my gynecologist was from Monza and because we liked the city hospital a lot, we chose it for childbirth. When Francesco Maria was born we started feeding him with infant formula, but he soon began to have problems with lack of appetite and intolerance to milk. He was generally beginning to have problems with nutrition. He was unable to digest ... then we changed various types of milk, first animals, then vegetables, then chemicals ... But these diseases became more and more serious and my son began to collect a certain number of accesses to the emergency room. Around four months of life, this difficulty in taking nutrients also extends to other typical foodstuffs at the age of weaning.
Was it a known disease?
It was known in the sense that food intolerances are a known possibility. There have always been children who cannot take milk, but normally, intolerance is limited to a food, so you replace that, you struggle, but then things get resolved. Instead Francesco, in the end, could not even eat the meat, the chicken, the fish ... It is first to say what he could eat.
What could he take on?
At the end of the year he drank tea and ate a preparation that my mother made with special flour and sugar once a week then, we gave him homogenized rabbit: not because he digested it well, but because it hurt him less than other foods.
How did you experience this problem? Imagine with concern, pain ...
The correct word is anguish. We were very worried about the baby's health, and also about his physical fatigue, because he was crying, he had colic. And then there was also ours, of tiredness ... He above all expressed his crying. At about one year, Francesco weighed around six, seven kilos. He ate few foods. We didn't have much hope, when one day, just the week before Francesco was one year old, I heard about Mother Speranza on a television program, the TV was in the living room and I was in the kitchen. The first perte of the transmission hadn't caught my attention very much, but in the second part, it was said that Mother Speranza had built this sanctuary where there was a water that healed diseases that science could not cure ...
Was it an afternoon broadcast?
Yes, they broadcast on channel five, Verissimo. It was late afternoon, half past five, the host had talked about Mother Speranza. Then they had shown the pools with water.
So you didn't know anything about Mother Hope of Jesus ...
No, I called my husband and said to him: "Maurizio, I have heard of this sanctuary and, given the situation of our son, I feel that we have to go there". He asked me if I had understood exactly where he was, and I said no. So she told me to call her mother, because my husband's uncle is a priest and he could know where this sanctuary was. So I phoned my uncle directly, but I didn't find him. Then I asked my mother-in-law if she knew anything, and she told me precisely that the sanctuary was located in Collevalenza, near Todi, in Umbria. Then I asked her why she never said anything to us; and she replied that she had only learned about it the day before, because her uncle, Don Giuseppe, was right there for the spiritual exercises. My husband's uncle is part of the Marian priestly movement founded by Don Stefano Gobbi, who initially held the spiritual exercises once a year in San Marino. Then, having grown in number, they had looked for a bigger place, and they chose Collevalenza. That year was the first time they had gone, and therefore, my husband's uncle had warned that he would be in this sanctuary.
Did you already have an experience of faith before this episode?
We have always tried to live the faith, but my personal story is particular, because my parents were not Catholics. I met the faith late and after a few years that I started this journey of conversion, Francesco Maria was born.
Let's go back to your son. So she wanted to go to Mother Speranza ...
I absolutely wanted to go there. It was a special situation: I didn't know why, but I felt I had to do it. The boy was one year old on July 24, all of this had happened on June 25 and 28, just on the days of the apparition in Medjugorie. On the XNUMXth we started to make Francesco drink the water of mother Speranza.
What exactly had happened?
Returning from Collevalenza, Uncle Giuseppe had brought some bottles of this water, one and a half liter bottles, and he told us that the nuns had recommended to pray the novena to Merciful love. So before giving Francesco the drinking water we recited this novena which was written by mother Speranza. We all started praying for Francesco's recovery, also because it was three days that he was fasting. He ate nothing and the situation had worsened.
Were you in the hospital?
No we were home. The doctors had told us that by now we had reached a point where improvement would not be possible. We were anxious because the situation could precipitate; so we began to give water to Francesco in the hope of seeing him bloom again. In fact, it was the week where we let the Lord do His will. What we could humanly do, we told ourselves, we did. Could anything else be done? We asked the Lord to enlighten us ... We were really tired, because we hadn't slept for a year.
Did something happen that week?
One day I went around the country with Francesco; we went to the park, with the other children the games ... As I approached the park, I was captured by the figure of a man sitting on a bench and sat next to him. We started to converse. I then transcribed that conversation and, when I have to tell it, I usually read it, so as not to get confused ... (Mrs. Elena, at this point, extracts some sheets from which she begins to read): Wednesday, June 30 I decided to go with Francesco to go for a walk in the park of the village where we lived and I sat on a bench. Next to me sat a middle-aged gentleman, with a beautiful presence, very distinguished. What particularly struck me about this person were his eyes, of an indescribable color, very light blue, which instinctively made me think of water. We exchanged the first pleasantries: what a beautiful boy how old is he? .. At one point he asked me if he could take Francesco Maria in his arms. He consented, although until then I had never allowed such strangers to trust me. When he took it, he looked at it with great tenderness and said: "Francesco, you are a really nice child". There and then I wondered how he knew his name and I said that he had probably heard him say it to me. He continued: “But this child is entrusted to Our Lady, right ?; I replied "of course it is", and asked him how he knew these things and if we knew each other. She looked at me and smiled without answering, then added: "why are you worried?". I replied that I was not worried. Observing me again, she turned to me giving me the "you are worried, tell me why ..." Then I confided to him all my fears for Francesco. "Does the child get something?" I replied that he wasn't taking anything. "But you've been to Mother Speranza, haven't you?" I told him no, that we had never been there. "But yes, you've been to Collevalenza." "No, look, I can assure you that we have never been to Mother Speranza". And he said to me firmly and decisively: "Francesco yes". I again said no; he looked at me, and again: "Yes, Francesco yes". Then for the second time he asked me: "But does Francesco take something?". I replied no, but in retrospect I immediately admitted: "Yes, look, she is drinking Mother Speranza's water." I asked him to tell me his name, who he was, how he could know all these things about us, but his answer was: “Why do you ask me so many questions? Don't think about who I am, it doesn't matter. " And then he added: "There is no need to worry anymore, because Francesco found his mother". I looked at him in amazement and then replied: "Excuse me, look that his mom is me ..." and he reiterated: "Yes, but the other mom". I was dazed and confused, I didn't understand anything anymore. I politely told him that I had to go away and he said: "Have a big party on Sunday, will you?" "Yes, I answered, really Sunday we have a little party for Francesco's birthday." “No, he went on, have a great party. Not for the birthday, but because Francesco is cured ". I thought "healed?". I was very agitated, thoughts crowded in my mind. Once again I asked him, "Please who are you ?. He looked at me tenderly, but very seriously, and said, "Just ask me who I am." I insisted: "but how healed?". And he said: “Yes, healed, don't worry. Francis is healed ". At that moment I understood that something extraordinary was happening to me, the thoughts were many, the sensations too. But I was afraid of them, I looked at him and, justifying myself, I said: "Look, now I really have to go away". I took Francesco, put him in the stroller; I saw him waving goodbye to the boy, giving me a caress on the arm and urging me: "Please, go to Mother Speranza". I replied: "Of course we will go". He leaned towards Francesco, with his hand made him hello the boy answered him with his little hand. He got up and looked me straight in the eyes and said to me again: "I recommend you, soon as a mother hope". I said goodbye and headed home, literally running away. I turned to look at him.
It's a very particular story ...
This is what happened in that park when I met that person ...
At this point Francesco was already drinking the Collevalenza water.
Yes, it had started on Monday morning. I went around the block crying, because of all that person had told me the thing that struck me most was that Francesco had found his mother. I said to myself: “Does that mean that Francesco must die? Or who is this mom? ". I went around the block and thought that it was probably the fatigue, the pain for my son, that I was going crazy, that I had imagined everything ... I went back to the park; there were people, but that man was gone. I stopped to talk to the people present and asked them if they knew him, if they had ever seen him. And a gentleman replied: "Of course we saw her talking to that person, but she is not a local, because we would certainly have recognized such a beautiful person".
How old was?
I do not know. He was not young, but I can't tell her age. I didn't focus on the physical aspect. I can say that I was really impressed by her eyes. I could not look at him for long, because I had the impression that he could see inside me. I said to myself: "Mamma mia, what depth". I went home and called crying to my husband, who is a doctor. He was in the studio and he said to me: “Now I have patients, give me time to finish and I will go home immediately. In the meantime, call my mom so she comes right before I arrive. " I phoned my mother-in-law and started telling her what had happened. He had the impression that I had gone mad, that out of pain, tiredness, I had gone crazy. I said to her: "Francesco is cured, but I want to understand who this mother is." She replied: "Probably I can answer this question." I immediately asked her what she meant. And she told me the following ...
Tell us ...
While in Collevalenza, uncle Giuseppe had prayed for Francesco Maria. On Saturday, he was preparing to go home, but, having arrived in front of the gate of the pilgrim's house, he had felt he had to go back to Mother Speranza's grave. So he went back to the sanctuary, went to the grave and praying said: “Please take him as a son, adopt him. If it is the Lord's will that he should leave us, help us get through this moment. If instead you can intervene, give us this possibility. " My mother-in-law concluded by saying that probably what had happened was the answer to what we all and our uncle had asked for by praying.
Meanwhile you had to celebrate Francesco Maria's birthday right?
Yes, on Sunday we prepared our little party, and our friends, grandparents, uncles and all came. There was everything Francesco could not eat, but we did not find the strength to give him something that we knew could hurt him. We couldn't do it ... Just two months earlier it had happened that he found a piece of rusks on the ground, he had put it in his mouth and twenty minutes later he had gone into a coma. So just thinking about feeding him what was on the table was unthinkable. Uncle then took us aside and told us that the time had come to show our faith. He told us that the Lord does His part, but that we too must do ours. We did not even have time to say "okay", that my mother-in-law took the child in her arms and brought him to the cake. Francesco put his little hands in it and brought it to his mouth ...
And you? What did you do?
Our heart seemed to go crazy. But at a certain point, we said to ourselves: "It will be what it will be". Francesco ate the pizzas, the pretzels, the pastries ... And as he ate he was well! He had no reaction. We were trusting what the Lord had told us through that person. When the party was over, we put Francesco to sleep and he slept all night for the first time in a year. When he first woke up he asked us for milk, because he was hungry ... From that day on, Francesco started drinking a liter of milk a day and a half kilo of yogurt. That day we realized that something had really happened. And since then it has always been good. In the week following his birthday he also started walking.
Did you immediately carry out investigations?
Two weeks after Francesco's feast he was already undergoing a check-up. When the doctor saw me, he was convinced that Francesco was gone, because the situation was serious. He came up to me and hugged me, saying he was sorry. To which I said, "No, look, things didn't go exactly as we thought." When he saw Francesco arrive, he said it was truly a miracle. Since then my son has always been well, now he is fifteen.
Did you finally go to Mother Speranza?
On August 3 we went to Collevalenza, to thank mother Speranza, without saying a word to anyone. However, our uncle, Don Giuseppe, telephoned the sanctuary saying that we had received this grace for the healing of Francis. And from there the process began for the recognition of the miracle within the cause of beatification of Mother Speranza. Initially we had hesitations, but after a year we gave our availability.
Over time we imagine that the bond with mother Speranza has strengthened ...
It is our life ... the bond with Merciful Love has become our life. At the beginning we knew nothing of Mother Speranza or of the spirituality with which she was the promoter. But when we began to understand it, we realized that, beyond the healing of Francis and therefore the gratitude we have towards Mother Speranza, our life reflects what is the spirituality of Merciful Love, which is truly ours vocation. After Francis' recovery, we asked ourselves what we could do to respond to this grace. We asked the Lord to make us understand what our vocation could be. At that time we began to take an interest in and deepen the problems of family custody. And after a process of preparation we gave our availability to welcome the first children. Four years ago we met the Catholic-inspired association "Amici dei bambini". She mainly deals with adoption all over the world, but for about ten years she has also been open to family custody. So we conceived together the idea of ​​opening a family home where to give the possibility to more children to be welcomed into a family, ours, for the period of detachment from the family unit of origin. We have thus opened our family home for three months: the "Hope family home".