Our history
The Church and the Valley
The story of the group, the word received, and a road walked in communion with the Church
How it began
A story that let itself be written
The book Más Allá del Sol — written by Ronald Muñoz, Ito's brother — tells how it all began: on December 12, 1986 the first message about a chosen place was received, and the valley was found with official maps of Buenaventura Arriba and Abajo and a recorded dictation, beside the road to Portobelo, in Colón.
On March 20, 1987 the First Encounter was held: buses arrived from all over the country. Since then the pilgrimages have never stopped — the first Saturday of April, July and October, and every December 12.
The word received — which the devotees relate as locutions of Saint Teresa of Jesus — was recorded and carefully preserved from the beginning, and it is the root of the teachings now being prepared for publication on this site.
In communion
Walking with the Church
This story has not walked alone: the local Church knows it and has accompanied it since its first years — and continues to accompany it today.
The bishop who accompanied
Monsignor Carlos María Ariz
The bishop of Colón accompanied this story from its first years, close to the valley, to Ito and his family — as recorded in the book Más Allá del Sol.
The bishop today
Monsignor Manuel Ochogavía Barahona
The walk did not stay in the past: the current bishop of the diocese of Colón knows this story and the journey of the valley. The community remains close to its pastors.
The parish
Mary Immaculate Conception Prayer Group
The prayer group — Mother of the Living Christ the Redeemer — has its home in Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish, with Fr. Rafael Siu, where it gathers and serves to this day.
The devotion
Our Lady of Hope of the Valley of the Half Moon
The devotion born in the valley, which gathers the pilgrims every year on the encounter dates and sustains the community's prayer.
Discernment
In obedience and communion
As in every spiritual experience, discernment belongs to the Church. This community relates what it has lived in a testimonial tone — without claiming more than is its place —, walks in obedience to its pastors, and places the valley, the teachings and this page at the service of the faith.
The valley in pictures
Places and faces of this story
The valley today
A living place
The valley is not only a memory: it is a meeting place. Besides the annual pilgrimages, communities, parish groups and youth retreats gather in the Valley of the Half Moon to pray, share life and return to the source.
In 2025, the young people made their own pilgrimage to this beautiful place — a sign that the story remains alive and is passing to the new generations.
If your group, parish or movement wishes to visit the valley or hold a retreat there, write to us: we will gladly guide you.