Father Stefano Gobbi, RIP

Founder of the Marian Movement of Priests
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Fr. Gobbi founded the Marian Movement of Priests in 1972 after receiving locutions from Our Lady asking for priests to consecrate themselves to her Immaculate Heart.  This occurred at the time many priests began leaving the priesthood and Marian devotion was in decline.  Fr. Gobbi's movement grew and spread quickly.  He was a friend to other mystics, Bl. John Paul II, as well as the false mystic, Fr. Gino, an Italian stigmatic now discredited due to homosexual behavior and other canonical infractions.  I'm not sure if Gobbi knew Fr. Maciel or not.  Fr. Gobbi also believed Medjugorje was authentic and offered his own predictions about the secrets - he believed Our Lady had told him.  Gobbi's locutions were deemed 'private meditations' by some authorities, although it is my understanding that the CDF never officially ruled on the phenomena, and the Marian Movement remains an active organization in good standing.    
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A personal encounter.
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Fr. Gobbi visited the Twin Cities a couple of times, I think at the invitation by the late Fr. Thomas Pingatore, who was very devoted to the Movement.  I saw Fr. Gobbi once at old St. Ambrose, and I think once at St. John's on the East side of St. Paul.  I have no recollection of either event except the one at St. Ambrose.  One of my Italian friends was there - she is also my sister-in-law's sister.  Anyway we were standing at the back of the church when Gobbi came in and he greeted us.  After he passed I pulled out a rosary made of rose petals I happened to have with me and I whispered excitedly,  "Mary Ann!  Can you smell the roses just now when Fr. Gobbi passed?"
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"O my God!  Yes!  Terry! - And - and- I think the rosary smells of roses too!"  her eyes flooded with tears by then. 
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I then held my beads up to my nose, inhaled and exclaimed, "Oh!  My!  Gosh!  Roses!  Mary Ann!  The rosary smells just like roses!"  And I held the beads out for her to smell and pulled them back before she could get a closer look.
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So.  Do you think I told her that the rosary was made of scented rose petals squashed into little brown-red beads?  Or do you think I let her believe it was a miracle? 
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I'm not telling.
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More seriously, prayers for Fr. Gobbi - he was certainly a devoted servant of Our Lady.

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