The main geographic location destined to share the love, warmth and the evangelizing word of Mrs. Maria Esperanza Medrano de Bianchini during 1994 was the United States of America. Eight sites were filled with hope and spiritual consolations through her visit in that country. But in November she concluded her tour by going to the capital of Christianity, the great city of Rome and to the city of Assisi in Italy, cradle of he who is called the second Christ, Saint Frances of Assisi.
The tour began in February and the destination was Tampa, Florida. The Bianchini-Medrano family with all its members were invited to a spiritual retreat A family day with Maria Esperanza de Bianchini by Sister Carol Da Vinci. The objective was to share with the parishioners of Saint Paul’s Church and the Franciscan Sisters a touching speech, songs of the Betania Choir and the presence and participation of Mrs. Maria Esperanza and her family formed by 29 members united by the love to God and to the Church, or as Sister Carol expressed when she introduced Mrs. Maria Esperanza, “As a Franciscan I compare Maria Esperanza with Saint Francis. As him, she keeps Christ as the center of her life; as him, she is obedient to the Church, she never criticizes it, she only has prayers and love for the Church although she realizes it has flaws; as him, she has the charisma of peace, humility and love, and love is the most important virtue of all.” Many graces were lavished on the people that day and many witnessed the multiplication of petals that appeared in the pocket of a jacket that Mrs. Maria Esperanza had lent her fifth child, Maria Coromoto.
In 1994, April was an important month for Mother Angelica because she turned 71, and to celebrate her birthday she invited Mrs. Maria Esperanza to the Monastery Our Lady of the Angels, to EWTN Studios and to the Radio Station WEWN to make two beautiful programs in the midst of emotional conversation, embraces and the celebration of many unforgettable Holy Masses in Birmingham, Alabama.
Valley Forge and Philadelphia were the scenery of conferences, masses, and radio and television interviews thanks to the enthusiasm of Drew Mariani and his family. On April 25, Mrs. Maria Esperanza began the day with a live interview for AM Philadelphia on CBS. And in the evening she had a conference in Valley Forge Music Fair in which five speakers
expressed their opinion about different aspects of the repercussions of Betania, the apparitions of Our Lady that Mrs. Maria Esperanza had had. All of this prepared the environment for a very interesting speech Mrs. Maria Esperanza gave. This talk produced favorable comments because of the important issues she addressed. Likewise, the Betania Choir had a warm welcome when they interpreted a manifold repertoire. The next day, Pio X Parish received, with great expectation, the words Mrs. Maria Esperanza addressed to all, once the interview on 800 AM WTMR Radioand Holy Mass in the parish had ended.
The fifth city that was visited in 1994 was Cleveland. In September a retreat called 1994 Cleveland Marian Conferencetook place there from the 15th to the 20th, and WELW 1330 AM Radio invited Mrs. Maria Esperanza. She went to the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist and toured the city surroundings.
The main event took place in Cleveland Convention Center where Mrs. Maria Esperanza, as in all her visits, gave the organizers a beautiful picture of Mary, Virgin and Mother Reconciler of all People and Nations, and before and after her message, she personally shared with many people. A Solemn Mass was celebrated by Bishop Anthony Pilla, his auxiliary bishops and other priests, that was followed by the procession of the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. The next day, Mrs. Maria Esperanza was invited to Mass in Our Lady of Lourdes in Euclid Heritage Park, where she spoke to the audience and then shared with many. But someone there was touched by Mrs. Maria Esperanza in a very special way. It happened to be a dear elderly nun from the convent; her eyes were beautiful and she had an innocent glance. When least expected, she approached Mrs. Maria Esperanza and told her, “To have a family like yours is only possible because, Jesus and Mary live in your heart.” Mrs. Maria Esperanza smiled and replied that her glance made her recall Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, and the amiable nun answered that Saint Therese had been her devotion and that when becoming a nun she had asked to be called by her name.
She immediately arrived at Media, Pennsylvania for the premier of the video Time for Mercy produced by Marian Communications planned for September 24. This was a site where something unprecedented happened. On Sunday 25, Mrs. Maria Esperanza was invited to speak and assist at Holy Mass concelebrated by three priests – among them, Father Amalfitano – in the Church of Saint Rita. Inside the Church there was a very sick child accompanied by her parents who were there because they knew that Mrs. Maria Esperanza was going to assist at Mass. But unfortunately, during the offertory, the child lost her vital signs. Drew and the parents of the child, desperately called Mrs. Maria Esperanza who was seated close by. She came close to the girl, touched her forehead and softly blew into her face. A short time later the child came back to life. This unforgettable resurrection experience certainly marked the life of many of the people who were there.
In Lacey, Washington The Northwest Eucharistic Marian Conference Comitee asked Mrs. Maria Esperanza and the Betania Choir to come to Saint Martin’s College Pavilion for several speeches of renowned lecturers, and opened three spaces for her participation. After Holy Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Thomas Murphy and concelebrated by two other priests had ended, Mrs. Maria Esperanza gave her first talk, afterwards she shared with a group of youngsters in the Student Union Building, and she participated on Sunday, before the beautiful closing Mass. The following days, the Churches of Saint Alphonsus and of the Holy Cross in Trenton, New Jersey were elegantly decorated for the Eucharistic celebration, and they gave their parishioners the gift of having the opportunity to hear Mrs. Maria Esperanza and the Betania Choir. And to close the visit to the United States of America, in the Church of the Holy Cross in Trenton, after Mrs. Maria Esperanza’s speech, she distributed the petals of a rose someone had given her, and when she ran out of petals, in front of everyone, they began to multiply for the rejoice and amazement of all.
Italy received Mrs. Maria Esperanza and some members of her family in November. Rome and Assisi were the cities that hosted a beautiful pilgrimage directed by the Mariani family and by the As the Spirit Leadsorganization. First, the celebration of Holy Mass took place in the Monastery of Saint Francis of Assisi in an environment of indescribable peace and a mysterious scent of roses. And later on, the city of Rome filled its sky with a moving messageby Mrs. Maria Esperanza from a conference hall in the Cicerone Hotel. Time elapsed with other Holy Mass celebrations in the Basilica of Saint Peter and other parishes, and by visiting different religious historical sites for those who are in love with the Holy Catholic Church.
This was her satisfaction, a fulltime year of work, that unfortunately this account cannot pay homage to as it should, because it does not reflect the number of visits she had to Betania and other places, nor does it account for the countless public and private interviews that she held in Venezuela, her beloved country. The life of Mrs. Maria Esperanza always could be characterized by the fact that she: “loved with no conditions whatsoever and served without being served.”
