The Words of Emma de Guzman Explained

July 27th 2012   ·   1 Comment

By Beverly Galtieri

The May 15 edition of the Utica Phoenix featured a front page story on Emma De Guzman by Paul Dumas. Considerable disturbance was made by the article and as result, Beverly J. Galtieri of Syracuse, the USA contact for Emma and La Pieta Prayer Group of Syracuse, felt it necessary to correct any wrong impressions that Dumas’s article may have created. Here are her words.

Emma de Guzman was born in Cabanatuan City, Philippines on December 8, the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception, in 1949. She is a widow with three children; one son, Romulo, passed away several years ago.

Emma’s first apparition of Our Blessed Mother was September 8, 1991, while visiting the Fatima Shrine in Youngstown, New York near Buffalo. It did not occur in the Philippines as reported by Paul Dumas. September 8th is also the church birthday of Blessed Mother.

It was at this Fatima Shrine that Blessed Mother told Emma that Soledad Gaviola, a Filipino woman whom she met in Canada, was to be her prayer partner, and would help her in her mission to spread love, peace and joy to others.
In October of 1991, Sol Gaviola discovered an icon of the Pieta at a garage sale, which she purchased, cleaned up and placed on their home altar in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

In November of 1991, Jesus appeared to Emma and told her she would carry a mission and the  name “La Pieta” was given to the newly established Prayer Group.

The first La Pieta International Prayer Group opened in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; Toronto, Canada,  followed by ones in Washington, D.C., Syracuse, N.Y., Connellesville, PA, Montebello, CA; Pomona, CA, Bloomsbury, NJ,  Las Vegas,  Nevada,  Halifax, Nova Scotia,  N. Fairview, Q.C., Philippines, Cabanatuan City, Philippines. Recently, new prayer groups have formed in Poland, France and Italy. Today the La Pieta Prayer Group exists in all corners of the world.

Pat and Beverly Galtieri met Emma de Guzman in September of 1993 at a shrine in Canada and visited her and Sol on January 4, 1994. Afterwards the Galtieri’s statue, which was taken to Emma’s home, exuded oil at Emma’s residence on December 28, 1993. This is the Feast of the Holy Innocents.

The Galtieri’s officially opened “Mother of Joy House of Prayer” in Constantia, New York on September 8, 1995 following an apparition of “Mother of Joy” to Emma at the Prayer House. Her message to Emma is as follows:

“I am your Mother of Joy. This house is holy and this is a place to pray. I will always be here. You are all my Disciples of the new time. Continue your journey.”

On October 28, 1995, Msgr. Peter W. Gleba, Pastor of Sacred Heart Basilica in Syracuse, NY enthroned the Prayer House to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Former Bishop Moynihan and Father Zareski blessed the Prayer House.

Prayer Houses do not necessarily mean resident homes. Prayer Groups are groups of people who attend prayer meetings either in church, at home, or at a place like Mother of Joy House of Prayer where the Syracuse La Pieta Prayer Group meets in the summer months. In the winter, they meet at the Galtieri residence in Liverpool, N.Y. The Prayer House is separate from the Galtieri residence.

Emma’s Prayer Houses include three in the Philippines, one in New Jersey, one in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and one in Constantia, N.Y.

On October 29, 1995, Our Mother of Joy appeared to Emma at 1:00 A.M. in the little chapel at Mother of Joy House of Prayer and the message was recorded.

Emma has received many apparitions and locutions in different parts of the world and still has apparitions on September 8, Our Lady’s Birthday, December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and December 12th, Our Lady of Guadalupe, when she visits her shrines in the Philippines.

Regarding the words of Emma written by Dumas in the May 15 edition of the Utica Phoenix, “for there is no salvation without a priest,” what Emma was probably trying to say is that priests are given the gift of absolving people of their sins through the Sacrament of Confession, which is one of the Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church.

Emma, by no means, meant that the priest has the same power as God.    I do not think she was confused in the least, nor did she use the wrong words. In the Catholic Church we all truly believe that if we sincerely confess our sins to God, through a priest, God will forgive us, and through this forgiveness, it most certainly can influence our salvation!  I am not saying that one cannot go directly to Christ when the situation presents itself.

Just for the record, when Emma visits us, we treat her like family and we eat together, pray together, but we must admit, one cannot have a relationship with a person who is so close to God and Blessed Mother, without experiencing her mystical gifts, of which there are so many.    Emma has had at least eight different fragrances emanating from her body when she is in prayer.

Even the holy water she blesses herself with, takes on a beautiful fragrance; and these I know are authentic because I have C.O.P.D. and asthma; however, my breathing is not impaired.  Emma has many, many supernatural gifts from God which my husband and I and many others, have been blessed to witness.

Emma is a visionary/mystic and someday after she is taken to Heaven, the world will learn all about this precious woman who was chosen to spread love, peace and joy to all people.

Fr. Anthony LaFache of St. Anthony St. Agnes Church will concelebrate the Mass at The House of Joy retreat house in Constancia near Sylvan Beach this Sunday, July 29, at 3PM. Emma will join Fr. LaFache for prayers of healing after the Mass.

By Mark Ziobro