What
is Going On?
From the
first moments of Christian history, faith and inspiration
has come through awe-inspiring apparitions, visions and prophetic
messages. The plea to pray, and the gift
of the Rosary came in visions of Mary received by St Domenic.
While,
the Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing to individuals
and groups since 40 A.D., now, we are seeing an unprecedented
increase in the number, frequency and scope of these events.
Mary seems anxious to deliver a plea for prayer that contains
a message for all mankind, not just Christians and Catholics.
Only some
of these apparitions and visions have been authenticated by
the Catholic Church, (eg Lourdes, Fatima), some are still
under review (Medjugorje), and others have been "condemned"
(Bayside). Yet, the sheer number of reported appearances in
the last 100 years, regardless of whether they have been authenticated,
leads one to ask, "what is going on, why now?"
The
Same Message
While
the details of each incident are different, some aspects of
the messages delivered through these apparitions are always
the same… each message contains a plea for prayers, often
to pray the Rosary specifically, and each reminds us of Christ's
Love and His desire for a loving peace to unite His world.
Perhaps, now, more than ever in our history, we must be reminded,
and literally called, as soldiers to battle, to live His Word
through prayer and acts of love.
To encourage
us all to pay attention in these times, and to add our prayers
to the multitudes that will be needed to bring Christ's Love
to all in these turbulent times, we present the information
that we have gathered on Marian Apparitions.
What
is a Marian Apparition?
In a
typical scenario, Mary will appear surrounded by pure white
light. She wears a long robe and a head covering or veil that
seems to change colour depending on the message she is delivering.
A mist or cloud seems to envelope her feet and she is sometimes
seen as the Madonna, holding her Infant Son. Many appearances
are preceded by unusual phenomena such as lightning and thunder
from a clear sky, or roses appearing in unexplained places
and often there are apparitions of angelic beings or of the
Saints with the event.
Here is
a brief overview of some of the most significant of Mary's
appearances throughout Christian history.
Our
Lady of the Pillar - Saragossa, Spain (ca. 40 AD)
It
is said that the Blessed Mother appeared to the apostle,
James, while travelling in Saragossa, Spain. Discouraged
by the apparent failure of his mission, he was deep in
prayer when the Blessed Mother appeared to him. She gave
him a small wooden statue of herself and a column of jasper
wood and instructed him to build a church in her honor:
Some time after the apparition James arranged to build
a small chapel in Mary's honor, the first Church ever
dedicated to the honor of the Virgin Mary.
Our
Lady of the Rosary - Prouille,
France (1208)
In
1208 Mary appeared to Domingo de Guzman, a Spanish preacher
who was travelling through France speaking against a rapidly
growing heresy. While he was praying at a chapel in Prouille,
Mary gave him the Rosary. She is said to have urged him
to preach that praying the Rosary could counteract and
eliminate heresy and sin. While the facts behind this
story may be questionable, Domingo (Dominic) founded an
order of friars, the Dominicans, who established monasteries
around the world and who still promote praying the Rosary.
Our
Lady of Mount Carmel - Aylesford, England
(1251)
During
Mary's appearance to Simon Stock, a member of the religous
order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, she entrusted him with
the brown scapular (a traditional scapular is made
of two pieces of brown woolen cloth, usually embroidered
with an outline of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, tied together
by string and worn over the shoulders) : "My beloved son
receive this scapular for your Order. It is the special
sign of a privilege which I have obtained for you and
for all God's children who honor me as Our Lady of Mount
Carmel. Those who die devotedly clothed with this scapular
shall be preserved from eternal fire. The brown scapular
is a badge of salvation. The brown scapular is a shield
in time of danger. The brown scapular is a pledge of peace
and special protection, until the end of time." The brown
scapular was considered to be one of the most widely used
religious symbols of personal dedication to the mission
of Mary.
The
Black Madonna - Czestochowa, Poland (1382)
The
Lady of Czestochowa, the Black Madonna, became the symbol
of Polish national unity because of the number of times
her portrait seemed to be instrumental in protecting the
land surrounding it from invaders. As a result of her
apparent intervention, The King of Poland placed the country
under the protection of the Blessed Mother. This protection
appears to have continued even until recent times. In
1920, it is said that when the Russian army was seen massing
on the banks of the Vistula, threatening Warsaw, an image
of the Virgin was seen in the clouds over the city causing
the superstitious Russian troops to withdraw. Over the
years, there have been numerous reports of healings among
the pilgrims to the portrait of the Black Madonna.
Our
Lady of Guadalupe - Guadalupe, Mexico
(1531)
Mary
is said to have appeared to one of the converts in the
New World, Juan Diego, a poor Aztec. On the way to chapel
one evening, he came upon a beautiful woman surrounded
by a light as bright as the sun. Speaking in his native
tongue, she asked for a church and sent him to speak with
the Bishop. It took many encounters between Mary and Juan
and Juan and the Bishop before Mary arranged the miracle
of the roses and impressed her image on the inside of
Juan's tilma. The Bishop was immediately convinced that
a church dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe must be built.
Within six years of this apparition, six million Aztecs
had converted to Catholicism. The tilma shows Mary pregnant
with her Divine Son. In 1921, a bomb was planted on an
altar under it. There was also a cast-iron cross next
to the tilma and when the bomb exploded, the cross was
twisted out of shape, the marble altar rail was heavily
damaged yet the tilma was unharmed! In fact, no one was
injured despite extensive damage to the altar structure.
Our
Lady of Lavang - La'Vang, Vietnam (1798)
The
Lady of Lavang came to the people of Vietnam in the midst
of great suffering . In 1798, when Vietnamese Catholics
were being persecuted Our Blessed Mother is said to have
appeared to a group who had gathered in the Lavang forest
to pray the rosary. There they were visited by an apparition
of a beautiful Lady in a long cape, holding a child in
her arms, with two angels at her sides. She comforted
them instructed them on the boiling of leaves from nearby
trees to use as medicine. She told them that from that
time on, all those who prayed in this place, would be
heard and answered. The Blessed Mother continued to appear
in this same place during nearly one hundred years of
religious persecution.
Our
Lady of the Miraculous Medal
- Paris, France (1830)
In
1830, Mary appeared to Catherine Laboure, a 24 year old
novice of the Sisters of Charity. She warned of dire times
ahead for France and entrusted Catherine with an image
of what has become known as the Miraculous Medal, charging
her also with the responsibility of having it made and
spreading the word that it should be worn. During the
apparition an oval shape formed around the Blessed Virgin,
and on it were written these words in gold: `O Mary conceived
without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.' Upon
seeing this vision, Catherine heard a voice say: "Have
a medal struck after this model. Those who wear it will
receive great graces; abundant graces will be given to
those who have confidence." At this point, the oval seemed
to turn and Catherine saw the reverse of the medal: the
letter M surmounted by a cross, and below it two hearts,
one crowned with a crown of thorns, and the other pierced
by a sword. Soon after Catherine fulfilled her commitment,
there were a flood of reported cures and spiritual conversions
attributed to the medal; so much so that it came to be
called the Miraculous Medal. To this day Miraculous Medals
are being worn by devout Catholics all over the world.
Our
Lady of Lourdes -
Lourdes, France (1858)
In
a small grotto in France, Mary appeared to Bernadette
Soubirous, a very poor fourteen year old girl. Together,
they prayed the Rosary and then the Lady slowly withdrew
into the grotto and disappeared. Over a six month period,
Mary appeared eighteen times. In her visits, Mary told
Bernadette to dig a hole in the ground and then to drink
and bathe in the spring whose waters, Mary promised, would
bring healing. Now a clinic supports the millions of pilgrims
who come to Lourdes to this day.
Our
Lady of Knock - Knock, Ireland (1879)
In
August of 1879 two young girls and thirteen others saw
Mary appear as a beautiful woman, clothed in white garments,
wearing a large brilliant crown. Her hands were raised
in prayer. All who saw her immediately understood this
image to be Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Queen of
the Angels. On her right stood St.Joseph and on her left
stood St. John the Evangelist, dressed as a bishop. To
the left of St. John was an altar on which was a lamb
and a cross surrounded by angels. All of this was seen
on the church wall in a cloud of light. Others not present
reported seeing a very bright light illuminating the area
around the church.
Fatima,
Portugal, 1917
In
the summer of 1917, began a series of apparitions of the
Blessed Virgin Mary to three peasant children in a field
called the Cova da Iria, near Fatima, a small village
in central Portugal. Our Lady conveyed to the children
messages from Heaven of vital importance, indeed an Apocalyptic
urgent message not only to the Catholic Church but to
the entire world!
Zeitun,
Egypt, 1968
Mary's
appearances as the Mother of God at Zeitun were seen by
more than a million people when the apparitions were broadcast
by Egyptian TV, photographed by hundreds of professional
photographers and personally witnessed by Egyptian President
Abdul Nasser. The apparitions lasted for three years with
numerous unaccountable healings recorded by various medical
professionals. Yet very few outside of Egypt learned of
her astonishing appearances there until well after they
had ended. More recently, the appearance of a woman clothed
in light has been observed above the roof of the Church
of St. Damian in Shoubra, Egypt, a suburb of Cairo. Starting
in 1983 and seen with increasing frequency in the mid-1980's,
the woman was seen by thousands walking above the church
bathed in light in apparitions lasting up to five hours.
Akita,
Japan, 1969
In
1969, an angelic being appeared to Sister Agnes Sasagawa
while she was praying the Rosary and asked her to say
one of same prayers given at Fatima some than sixty years
earlier. At the end of each decade of the Rosary the apparition
requested the little nun to say: "O My Jesus, forgive
us our sins; save us from the fire of hell; lead all souls
to heaven, especially those most in need." In 1973, while
praying about the mysterious bleeding Sister Agnes was
experiencing from her hands, there began a series of apparitions
of the Blessed Virgin. Mary repeatedly requested prayer,
sacrifice and abandonment to God. Mary's voice was perceived
as coming from a wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin that
was in the chapel. During the apparitions, the statue
appeared to be in a brilliant light. In the last Marian
apparition at Akita, the Virgin Mary predicted conflicts
in the Church and a serious moral breakdown. Almost from
the first, the wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin appeared
to cry, tears dropped from the eyes. This was reported
some one hundred and one times, once before a Japanese
TV crew. In Akita, Mary became known as the Lady of Sorrows.
In one of her apparitions, she said that her tears are
shed today, "Because so many souls are lost!"
Betania,
1976
In
1976, began a series of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin
at Betania. By 1984, Mary explained her appearances at
Betania in this message: "I come to reconcile them, to
seek them out, to give them faith, which has disappeared
in the noise and din of an atomic awakening which is at
the point of bursting out. My message is of faith, love
and hope. The visits in Betania contained a number of
warning, and again her continued plea for prayers.
Garabandal,
1961
Events
of 1961 at Garabandal have been questioned by the Church,
yet there is sufficient substance to these stories that
many consider the apparitions to have been real. That
year, four young Spanish reported a series of visions
of St. Michael the Archangel and the Blessed Virgin. In
some 2000 apparitions over five year s, the girls said
that the Blessed Virgin asked them to plead with humanity
to return to God through prayer, fasting, frequent confession
and reception of the Eucharist and acts of mercy. Apparently,
Mary gave the girls four predictions: A world-wide warning
to be experienced by everyone on earth. Its purpose will
be to call humanity to amend its behavior and return to
God. A great miracle that will occur in the late winter
or early spring within one year after the warning. A permanent
"sign" that will remain for all time at Garabandal and
other selected locations where Mary has appeared. A terrible
chastisement during which many will die. Other prophecies
indicate that the chastisement will eliminate up to 2/3
of humanity. The chastisement is conditioned upon the
response of humanity to the warning and the miracle.
Medjugorje,
1981
The
warnings said to have been given at Garabandal came into
focus in Yugoslavia in 1981 when six young people reported
encountering Mary near the top of a small mountain. There
began a series of apparitions that still continues, although
with much less frequency. Through the many apparitions
at Medjugorje, it is said that Mary pleads with the world
to return to Christ; to notice how Satan plays in the
modern world and to protect ourselves against Satan's
work. At Medjugorje, Mary asks for frequent, fervent prayer
to Jesus, and also, for twice weekly fasting, frequent
partaking in the sacraments -particularly the Eucharist
- and surrendering to the will of God. Mary is said to
have transmitted ten secrets at Medjugorje which appear
to be a continuation of the Fatima Secrets and are similar
in general character to the secrets described at Garabandal.
Overall, Mary's message at Medjugorje is of peace and
acceptance - acceptance of the will of God, acceptance
of whatever suffering that may come as humanity moves
closer to a self-induced catastrophe, acceptance of Mary's
role as our loving Mother, and acceptance of God's desire
for us to renew our faith in Him through prayer, conversion,
fasting and love.
Summary
In the
last decades, there have been numerous other reported apparitions
of the Blessed Virgin, and the events of Sept 11, 2001 certainly
seem to underline the sense of warning and the need for prayer
that comes with each appearance. Mary is reaching out, in
a big way… with purpose.
Perhaps
the more interesting story of these appearances has never
been reported. Our research indicates that at this time in
our history, individuals everywhere are encountering private
visions of the Blessed Mother. Mary is appearing to one and
all, sometimes in our dreams, sometimes during our prayers,
sometimes while we're just driving along… it seems that Mary
is particularly active at this time, reaching out as never
before, doing what she can to awaken us and alert us to the
urgency of these times, and the need to pray.
Have
you said your Rosary
lately?
Tell
us about your experiences with Mary.
Has she appeared to you at any time, and if so, how and
what did she say?
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Other
Sites on Marian Apparitions
Apparitions
of Our Lady reports on Fatima, Guadalupe, Lourdes, Akita,
Garabandal, Medjugorge, Zeitoun and many others, discusses
the position of the Church about apparitions
LINKS
TO APPARITIONS AND MIRACLES OF JESUS AND MARY lists those
accredited, questionable and condemned
The
Mary Pages Apparitions of Blessed Virgin Mary 1830-1953
Marian
Apparitions of the 20th Century A Directory of 20th Century
Apparitions. The Mary Page directory includes general information
about the date the apparition occurred, its location, the
number of people involved, and the decisions made (if any)
by the Church about each apparition's approval/disapproval
concerning faith expression and supernatural character.
An
Invitation from Conyers to all Pilgrims Come in faith
and pray at the site in Conyers, Georgia where over a million
pilgrim came from 1991 to the present and continue to come
to pray and give honor to the Blessed Mother. The site, known
as the Farm, is now maintained by the Catholic Church, which
has established the Eastern Catholic Spirituality Center at
the site.
The
Worldwide Rosary for Peace In 1917 at Fatima, the Blessed
Mother requested that Rosary be prayed for Peace. She repeated
this request many times at Conyers from 1990 to 1998. In response
to her requests, please join the monthly Worldwide Rosary
for Peace that begins at Noon EST at the Farm in Conyers on
the 13th of each month. All are welcomed to come or participate
wherever they can pray.
Our
Lady of Fatima Online
Marian
Apparitions We investigate fairly and without bias the
many global claims of Marian Apparitions, both contemporary
and historical. useful links.
Marian
Appearances Around the World By Michael Donahue
Information
About Marian Apparitions... Excellent resource, explains
the phenomena nicely and provides a lot of information about
appearances, investigations and so on… background and perspective
helps to shed light on the increasing number of appearances.
Marian
Apparitions a web page dedicated to the apparitions of
the Blessed Virgin Mary throughout the world. We will be focusing
on what are considered the four major apparition sites of
Garabandal, Spain; Lourdes, France; Fatima, Portugal; and
Medjugorje, Bosnia. You will also be able to find useful links
to some of the lesser known appearances of Mary worldwide.
MAJOR
APPARITIONS OF JESUS AND MARY The last century-and-a-half
has seen numerous accounts of appearances of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. Jesus, Himself, is said to speak to a few of the seers.
Some of the apparitions have received official approval by
the Roman Catholic Church, site lists a large number of reported
apparitions, the status and dates with links
Books
on Mary's Appearances
Queen
of Peace Visits Medugorje by Pelletier $7.50
ISBN:
9990229821
Medjugorje
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ISBN:
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Letters
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ISBN:
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Secret
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ISBN:
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The
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ISBN:
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Mexican
Phoenix: Our Lady of Guadalupe: Image and Tradition, 1531-2000
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ISBN:
0521801311
Marpingen
Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Bismarckian Germany
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ISBN:
0198217838
The
Great Apparitions of Mary: An Examination of the Twenty-Two
Supranormal Appearances by Ingo Swann $13.27
ISBN:
0824516141
Lourdes:
Body and Spirit in the Secular by Ruth Harris $7.49
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0670879053
Meetings
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ISBN:
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Apparitions
in Late Medieval and Renaissance Spain by William A.,
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ISBN:
0691008264
God-Sent:
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Abraham Varghese $27.97
ISBN:
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Mary,
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Journeys
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ISBN:
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God-Sent
: A History of the Accredited Apparitions of Mary by Roy
Abraham Varghese $27.97
ISBN:
0824518438
On
Saying The Rosary
Rosary
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Angelina
Prays the Rosary Angelina $19.99 B000059LIQ
Circle
of Mysteries: The Women's Rosary Book
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ISBN:
0936663154
Rosary:
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Kevin Orlin Johnson $29.00
ISBN: 0965366014
The
Essential Rosary: Prayers by Caryll Houselander $5.95
ISBN: 0918477360
St.
Dominic and the Rosary by Catherine Beebe $9.95
ISBN:
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