There is consensus in the Catholic Church on the most important Marian apparitions: Rue du Bac, France (1830); La Salette, France (1848); Lourdes, France (1856); Fatima, Portugal (1917); more modern: Akita, Japan (1973); and Kibeho, Rwanda (1983). We assume we know them well, but we are sometimes misled by apocryphal texts that diametrically change the accents of the message (e.g., the false secret of Melania Clavat at La Salette). We also misunderstand apparitions as apocalyptic or political messages (e.g., Fatima, Akita).
Even some of the messages of apparitions with which we are familiar are sometimes hidden from us. Did you know that Virgin of Guadalupe’s image on St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin’s tilma is framed by a complex mandorla, which is normally reserved for Christ? This testifies to Mary’s role in salvation, as one who, united with her Son, shares his power and mission.
What about Rue du Bac? Did you know that in Paris Mary appeared with three golden rings on each of her fingers and that some of them shed light but others not? Mary explained, “These are the graces people do not ask for.” We should ask for help, for heaven wants to give it to us. In Ngome, South Africa (1951), Our Lady said: “Hurry, help me—I cannot keep all the graces prepared for people!” Do you know the seventh apparition at Fatima and its call to stay faithful to the Church?
Unknown appearances of Mary
Additionally, there are hundreds of unknown or little-known Marian apparitions.
Marian apparitions have occurred since the beginning of Christianity. The historian Sozomen writes between A.D. 439 and 450 that the Church of Constantinople, led by St. Gregory of Nazianzus, was famous “for the frequent favors received there through manifestations of divine power. . . . This power was believed to come from the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. For this is the way she used to appear.”
Here are just a few of the unknown or little-known apparitions of Mary.
In Neocesarea, Turkey (A.D. 231), a young St. Gregory the Miracle Worker was elected bishop and made a retreat “to penetrate thoroughly with the mystery of faith.” One night he had a vision of St. John, who showed him the Mother of God, and from her lips he got an “explanation of the mystery of the true doctrine of faith.”
An anchorite named Cyriak lived in a hermitage on the Jordan River in the third century. He dreamed he saw a woman dressed in a purple robe standing outside his cell. It was Mary with John the Evangelist and John the Baptist. The ascetic urged them to come inside and be his guests. Mary replied: “You have my enemy in your cell, so how can you insist that I enter here?” With that, she disappeared. Later he found that a book he had borrowed did not conform to the teachings of Christ. He threw it into the fire, saying, “Never again may the enemy of our Lady, Holy Mother of God, be in my cell!”
In Cologne, Germany (1160), Mary for the first time gave her nuptial ring to a devotee, St. Joseph Herman. When he was a monk working in the refectory and complained that he had to minister at table and did not have much time for prayer, Mary appeared to him with these words: “There is no more honorable duty than to serve your brothers with love.”
In Quito, Ecuador (1582), Mary foretold the widespread corruption of morals and the mass departure of people from God. The dark vision presented to Sister Marianna ended with an unexpected chord of joy: Mary announced that “when it seems that evil has already overcome, it will be a sign of the coming of my hour. I will miraculously throw the proud and cursed Satan forever down from his throne.”
In Pontmain, France (1871), on a winter day during the Franco-Prussian War, prayers and hymns led by parish priest brought the apparition of Mary in the sky. She left the message, “Pray, my children. God will hear you quickly. My Son allows himself to be touched.” The next day, the people of Pontmain learned that exactly during their prayers, Royal Bavarian general Otto von Schmidt, who was mustering to enter the region, had been ordered to withdraw. Some Prussian soldiers reported the sight of a female figure in the night sky. “Madonna guards this country and does not let us go forward,” they told their commanders.
In Marprigen, Germany (1876), Mary appeared during the Kulturkampf (culture clash) in which the Prussian government persecuted the Catholic religion. Many bishops and priests were imprisoned, and people manifesting their faith in public were severely punished. When the mayor sent soldiers to disperse the crowd of people praying on the spot of the apparition, Mary was asked: “Do you want to destroy your enemies?” She answered, “I have not come for this but to heal the sick and convert sinners.”
In Gietrzwałd, Poland (1877), also in a time of Kulturkampf, Our Lady answered every question, “Pray the rosary, and your problems will be solved.”
In Trois-Èpis, France (1491), during prayer, a blacksmith named Thierry Schoere saw the Blessed Mother holding a stalk with three ears of corn in one hand and an icicle in the other. She said, “Arise, brave man. See these ears? These are the symbols of fine harvests that will reward virtuous and generous people and bring peace and contentment in the homes of faithful Christians. As to the ice, it means hail, frost, flood, famine and all its attendant misery and desolation that will punish disbelievers with the gravity of their sins which tire the Divine Mercy. Go down to the village and announce to all the people the meaning of these prophecies.” But the blacksmith was afraid and said nothing to anyone. He bought a sack of wheat and, when he went to load it onto his cart, found he could not budge it. He called for people to help; they strained their arms to no avail. Then Thierry cried out: “O, Mother of great goodness, I have sinned! I confess it, unfortunate one.” The blacksmith’s words, supported by a tangible sign from heaven—the sack of wheat became light—convinced the townspeople of Mary’s presence, and they built a chapel on the site of the apparition.
The Pellevoisin apparition
Let me tell you about the apparition that is the most telling for me.
Twenty-three-year-old Estelle Faguette was dying from tuberculosis. We would never have heard about the maid from Pellevoisin, France, had she not written a letter in September 1875. It was addressed to the Holy Mother. The sick woman wrote, “I am falling at your feet, Mother of Mercy. You must listen to me. After all, I am your child and I love you! Obtain for me the grace of your Son. . . . To you, Most Merciful Mother, belongs my heart.”
The letter was full of entrustment, trust, and devotion. Estelle mentioned her parents and niece, who were dependent on her. The young woman was worried that after her death her father would have to beg for bread.
The Holy Mother came in response. But first, someone else appeared at the bed of the dying woman: Satan.
“On the night of February 14-15, a devil stood at the foot of my bed. As soon as he appeared, the Holy Mother appeared on the other side. I was scared—the devil looked terrible. However, when he noticed Mary’s presence, he took a step back to escape. . . . Our Lady asked: What are you doing here? Can you not see that she bears my mark and the mark of my Son?” He disappeared with a strange gesture. Then Our Lady spoke to me gently: ‘Do not be afraid, because you are my child.’”
At fourteen, Estelle had joined the Children of Mary, an organization for young people between the ages of seven and eighteen who wish to consecrate themselves to Mary. Our Lady referred to this event from Miss Faguette’s youth: “Courage and patience. My Son takes special care of you. On Saturday you will either be dead or alive. If my Son allows you to live, I want you to announce my glory!”
The next night, Mary announced to Estelle, “Do not be afraid, I am with you. My Son shows you mercy. He allows you to live: on Saturday you will be healed. ” But Estelle didn’t want anymore to live; she wanted to die to be united forever with her heavenly Mother. “My Mother, if I am allowed to choose, I want to die, because I am prepared to die.” Mary replied with a smile: “Ungrateful, if my Son gives you life, he does it because you need it.” She added: “You touched my Son’s heart through your self-denial and patience. Don’t lose these fruits by making bad choices.”
Then Mary showed her the past. Estelle noted: “I was stunned to see the mistakes I had made that I had thought so far meant little.” Seeing the visionary’s sadness, Our Lady said, “All this is a thing of the past. Through your self-denial you have turned evil into good.”
Seeing the young woman still was sad, so Mary added, “Some good deeds and persevering prayers you offered me touched my motherly heart, especially that letter you wrote to me in September. I was most touched by the sentence: ‘Look at the poverty of my parents. If I am absent, they will have to beg for bread. Remember the suffering that happened to you when your Son, Jesus Christ, hung nailed to the cross.’ I showed this letter to my Son. Your parents need you. Stay true to this task in the future. Do not lose the favors that have been given you and proclaim my praise.”
When Estelle was cured, the second part of the apparitions began. Our Lady brought the admonition: “I want you to be calmer, more filled with peace.” Later she said, “You missed the meeting with me on August 15, for there was no peace of mind in you.” (So one heavenly planned revelation did not take place because of the visionary’s lack of predisposition.)
Then the Blessed Virgin revealed the piece of linen she was wearing around her neck. It was a scapular with a red heart. “I love this form of piety,” she said.
The day Estelle made the first scapular, Our Lady appeared. “You haven’t wasted today,” she said. “You worked for me.”
The last apparition took place on December 8. Mary told Estelle, “You will never see me again.” “Then I cried,” wrote the visionary, “’What will happen to me, Holy Mother?’ She replied: “I will be with you but invisibly. . . . You needn’t be afraid of anything.”
Finally, Mary referred to the authority of the Church. When Estelle asked what to put on the other side of the scapular, she heard a voice: “You will think about it and then convey your thoughts to the Holy Church. She will decide.”
We may compare the Marian apparitions to a spiritual publication containing the personal message for every one of us. Paraphrasing Pope Benedict XVI, at least one of the messages “is a fresh outburst that appears in our life inspired by the Holy Spirit.” So we may conclude: if one of these visions touches our heart, everything in our life will change.
Sidebar:
The Ten Most Famous Marian Apparitions
Our Lady of Pilar, Zaragoza, Spain (A.D. 40)
Mary, while living in Jerusalem, appears to St. James the apostle, who is preaching the gospel in Spain. She offers conversion “through the veneration of the Mother of God.”
Our Lady of the Scapular, Cambridge, England (1251)
The Church receives a scapular from Mary with a promise: “Whoever dies clothed in this garment will be saved.” At that time, a scapular was a garment for physical labor. Our Lady calls for work in her honor.
The Mother of the God of Truth, Guadalupe, Mexico (1531)
The Holy Virgin appears to the Indian St. Juan Diego and gives the bishop the proof of the truth of her revelation: her image. She affirms: “Don’t let your heart be troubled. . . . Are you not in my shadow and my protection?”
Madonna of the Miraculous Medal, Paris, France (1830)
Mary invites people that in times of “various anxieties” they come to the foot of the altar: “There the graces will flow to everyone.” Mary shows her the medal of the Immaculate Conception, later called the Miraculous Medal.
Weeping Mother of God, La Salette, France (1846)
Mary complains that people do not dedicate Sunday to God and that they blaspheme using God’s name. She promises: “If people convert, the rocks will turn to heaps of grain.”
Mary, Immaculate Conception, Lourdes, France (1856)
Our Lady confirms the truth of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception announced two years earlier. She calls people to great penance to save the world.
Madonna of the Messages, Fatima, Portugal (1917)
The Virgin Mary reveals the role of the rosary, calls people to put the end to sin, and promises God’s unconditional triumph in history.
Apocalyptic Madonna, Akita, Japan (1973)
Mary says that “to quench the wrath of the heavenly Father” heaven needs “souls to offer their lives for sinners.”
Mother of the Word, Kibeho, Rwanda (1981)
Mary announces that all Christians are called to prayer, penance, and obedience to the Church. She foreshadows the coming genocide in Rwanda.
Madonna of Kiev, Hrushev, Ukraine (1987)
Mary talks about the future of Ukraine, the shaky throne of Lucifer, and the need to pray for Russia. Today, for Archbishop Shevchuk, “The Blessed Virgin Mary has revealed God’s plan for Ukraine, that the evil empire will be overthrown, not by human actions but by God’s action.”