Phoenix, Arizona, 1988 to present Homepage
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A wife and mother of seven who resides in Phoenix, Arizona,
Estela has received apparitions and messages since
December 3, 1988. Mary appears as "Our Lady of the Americas"
with messages for all of us. These messages are read to the
crowds of people that come to her home. Our Lady appeared
to Estela almost daily in 1989, and all of her seven grown
children were converted to lives of holiness.
Unlike her husband, Estela had been a skeptic of apparitions
and messages until Our Lady began appearing to her. When her
husband went to Medjugorje in September of 1988, she was more
interested in beginning a career after raising seven children.
While walking by their home, she heard the beautiful voice
of a woman say, "Good morning, daughter." Her first response
was to think that she was hearing things. Two days late,
after forgetting about the incident, the same thing happened
again. She began to think it might be real. After his
return from Medjugorje, she looked into the eyes of her
husband of thirty years, and he looked different. Something
had changed him. Estela realized that Our Lady was changing
her as well.
Several months later, in December of 1988, the Blessed Mother
began to appear to Estela. During the first apparition,
Our Lady told her, "I have come to ask you to be my
messenger, and I want to know if you will do it? I'm
going to help you and your children make many changes.
There will be a period of time where I will prepare the
family and I will send many messages to the family."
Since then, the family has all experienced conversions
resulting in great changes. A son who was addicted to
drugs has been completely healed and is now a powerful
witness for Our Lord.
ESTELA RUIZ, the Visionary
A message received by Estela on January 19, 1991, is not unlike those in many other parts of the world. It referred to the basics of prayer, conversion, and fasting. Mary said, "For those who have listened to my call I now ask that you commit yourselves to my work. Begin your life of prayer in earnest and let nothing keep you away from that commitment. I am now asking the Americas for fasting as a sacrifice of love. Begin your fasting immediately. I need your commitment of prayer and sacrifice. There is no more time to dwell on your small self concerns. Leave self-pity and anger with others. There is no more time for that behavior. If you have not yet learned to love those around you, how can you expect the world to learn the love of which I have been speaking about ... I ask that you offer two fasting days a week for peace in the world. We must not and cannot give up hope..."
On one occasion, Our Lady appeared to Estela Ruiz at the Immaculate Heart Church in Phoenix. Estela reported, "I asked Our Lady who she was, what she was doing, and who had sent her. Our Lady said, "I am the Immaculate Heart of Mary." She then said, "This is my reign -- this is the time of my reign. I am here to bring my children back to my Son. The one who sent me is God, Our Father.' I the asked her who she was and she said, 'I am the Immaculate Heart of Mary, but I am the same one that has appeared all over the world.' She told me, 'Look around this church and see all the different forms in which I have appeared.' "
Estela said that in this church they have statues of Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Our Lady of Fatima. Our Lady said: "Yes, I am the Mother of God, and I have appeared in different places. There is only one and that is I and I am all of these. But I come today, at this time, as the Immaculate Heart of Mary as this is the reign of my Immaculate Heart. And I've come to call my children back to God."
In another message given on March 2, 1991, Our Lady said, "I ask that you continue to pray for peace in the world. You need to understand that peace is not brought about by victory in a battle, but by change in men's hearts and lives ... Men need to understand that if hearts do not change, the devastation and destruction of each other will continue throughout the world..."
The diocese of Phoenix established a commission of inquiry under Bishop Thomas O'Brien to investigate the claimed apparitions. The bishop stated, after reviewing the findings of the commission: "It is our assessment that no harm is presently done to either the Church is an institution or to the faithful by the devotions...." As Our Lady of the Americas, Mary is inviting us to recognize the true meaning of our lives and to strengthen and intensify devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ."
--ppg. 68 to 70, Thunder of Justice