At last report Venezuelan seer Maria Esperanza di Bianchini remains in stable condition, at times showing remarkable signs of improvement from a severe Parkinson's-like disorder, while relapsing on other days. She has been confined to a hospital bed in a private New Jersey residence for the past month and is fed through a tube. She also has endured a tracheotomy. But her ability to communicate has improved and some days she can enunciate words. While her condition swerves, the family remains optimistic, is very grateful for all the prayers, and asks that they continue. "Tomorrow it could be different, but if you could see her right now you would be amazed," says Maria's son-in-law, Carlos Marrero Bornn.

Before we called, Carlos had also sent us this note:

"Dear Lisa and Michael Brown, these pictures were taken on May 11th while we were heading to a soccer practice with the kids. That afternoon we were all feeling a little bit discouraged because my mother-in-law was not doing well; she even had a temperature and that made us feel quite nervous, because an infection in her, right now, can definitely be fatal. So, on our way to the practice, we were caught up by a traffic light, and while we were waiting for the green light, Marco (one of my nephews) told me: "Look, uncle, how beautiful the sun is shining through those clouds". As soon as I heard him I turned my eyes to see it too and to my surprise I saw the clouds perfectly forming what seemed to be the word "Faith" in Spanish (Fe) and just by the word Fe I could also see a cloud with the shape of a heart. It was so clear that I immediately told my wife who also saw it perfectly. She handed me the camera and I took the pictures.

"As soon as we got home we showed it to my mother and father. My father-in-law got so excited that he told me to send it to the family in Venezuela right away.

"My father interprets it as a sign of hope and told us that God was asking us to have Faith (Fe) from the heart. I also sent the pictures to Father John Lo Sasso from the Bronx and he was so deeply inspired by them that he sent me his interpretation of the sign. Love you very much Lisa and Michael, I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

May 2004

The Bianchinis

[note: a sign in the sky two years ago preceded major events at the site of Betania, the Church-approved place of apparitions near Caracas]

[Bookstore resources: the story of Maria's life is in The Bridge to Heaven]