How freely did I weep in thy hymns and canticles; how deeply was I moved by the voices of thy sweet-speaking Church! The voices flowed into my ears; and the truth was poured forth into my heart, where the tide of my devotion overflowed, and my tears ran down, and I was happy in all these things.
God is close to those who suffer and weep, as he was to Saint Monica who prayed for the conversion of her son Augustine. God continues to be close to those who seek his help.
Such was the case of Margarita, who was struggling in her marriage of 30 years, on the verge of divorce. At Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Sacramento, California, on one occasion during Mass, she heard about Venerable Bishop Alphonse Gallegos and the favors attributed to his intercession. After that Mass she proceeded to pray with great faith before Bishop Gallegos´ tomb there, for her marriage, her husband and family. She cried as she prayed, but experienced a sense of peace. She went home determined not to argue with her husband anymore, but to continue seeking God’s strength. For three months, she attended Mass on a weekly basis, until one day her non-Catholic husband David asked her if he could attend Mass with her.
The next Sunday David and Margarita attended Mass together at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, in Sacramento. At the time of the consecration, when the priest elevated the Eucharist, David began to cry uncontrollably; he cried and cried. After that Mass, David says he experienced a joy and peace he had never experienced before. He felt the need to change his life and be a better person. He continued coming to Mass and enrolled in faith formation classes to learn more about the Catholic faith.
A few months after David began faith formation classes, as Margarita was driving, a voice in her head told her, “Your husband converted thanks to Bishop Gallegos.” David converted to Catholicism and was baptized during Easter Vigil in 2018, to the joy of his wife and family.
Many favors, including conversion stories similar to this one, are attributed to the intercession of Bishop Alphonse Gallegos who was a friend of all, no matter race or creed. He was always in search of the lost sheep bringing them to the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ.