MAJOR MARIAN APPARITIONS

 

Our Lady
Our Lady 

By Edward Matulanya 

Major Marian Apparitions Recognized by the Catholic Church

1. Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico, 1531)

Marian apparition at Guadalupe
Marian apparition at Guadalupe

Seer: Juan Diego

Location: Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City

Date: December 9–12, 1531

Key Features: Mary appeared as an indigenous woman, spoke in Nahuatl, and left her image on Juan Diego’s tilma in Mexico.

Significance: Promotes cultural and spiritual unity and conversion of indigenous peoples.

Church Approval: Approved; feast day December 12 (Vatican News 2018).

2. Our Lady of Lourdes (France, 1858)

Marian apparition at Lourdes
Marian apparition at Lourdes

Seer: Bernadette Soubirous

Location: Grotto of Massabielle, Lourdes.

Date: February 11–July 16, 1858

Key Features: Mary revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception, requested a chapel, and healing waters emerged.

Significance: Encourages devotion to the Immaculate Conception and prayer for the sick.

Church Approval: Approved; feast day February 11 (Lourdes Volunteers n.d.).

3. Our Lady of Fatima (Portugal, 1917)

Marian apparition at Fatima
Marian apparition at Fatima

Seers: Lúcia dos Santos, Francisco Marto, Jacinta Marto

Location: Cova da Iria, Fatima.

Date: May 13–October 13, 1917

Key Features: Mary urged prayer, repentance, devotion to her Immaculate Heart, predicted war, and requested consecration of Russia.

Significance: Linked with peace, conversion, and Marian devotion.

Church Approval: Approved; feast day May 13 (Vatican News 2020).

4. Our Lady of Knock (Ireland, 1879)

Marian apparition at Knock
Marian apparition at Knock

Seers: Fifteen villagers

Location

Marian apparition at Knock, occured in County Mayo in Ireland.

Date

The Marian apparition occured on August 21, 1879.

Key Features 

Silent apparition of Mary, Saint Joseph, and Saint John the Evangelist at the church gable, lasting 2 hours.

Significance 

Symbol of hope and endurance in Irish Catholicism.

Church Approval: Approved; feast day August 21 (Knock Shrine n.d).

5. Our Lady of La Salette (France, 1846)

Seers: Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud

Location: La Salette, France

Date: September 19, 1846

Key Features: Mary appeared weeping, lamenting human sin, urging repentance, fasting, and prayer.

Significance: Emphasizes penance and reconciliation.

Church Approval: Approved; feast day September 19 (Vatican 2000).

6. Our Lady of Good Help (Wisconsin, USA, 1859).

Seer: Adele Brise

Location: Champion, Wisconsin

Date: October 8, 1859

Key Features: Mary instructed Adele to teach children the faith and live a Christian life.

Significance: First approved Marian apparition in the United States.

Church Approval: Approved; feast day October 8 (Champion Shrine n.d)

7. Our Lady of Kibeho (Rwanda, 1981–1989).

Seers: Alphonsine Mumureke, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, Marie-Claire Mukangango

Location: Kibeho, Rwanda

Dates: November 28, 1981 – 1989

Key Features: Mary appeared as Our Lady of Sorrows, urging prayer, repentance, and conversion. Visions included warnings of violence and suffering, emphasizing reconciliation and peace.

Significance: Seen as prophetic regarding the Rwandan genocide; emphasizes prayer and national reconciliation.

Church Approval: Recognized by the local bishop in 2001; feast day November 28 (Catholic News Agency 2017).

References 

Catholic News Agency. (2017, November 28). Rwandan apparition of Our Lady of Kibeho recognized by Vatican. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/36636/rwandan-apparition-of-our-lady-of-kibeho-recognized-by-vatican

Champion Shrine. (n.d.). Our story: Adele Brise and the apparition of Mary. https://championshrine.org/our-story/

Knock Shrine. (n.d.). History of the apparition at Knock. https://www.knockshrine.ie/history/

Lourdes Volunteers. (n.d.). The apparitions at Lourdes. https://lourdesvolunteers.org/the-apparitions/

Vatican News. (2020, May 13). Pope encourages devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-05/pope-encourages-devotion-to-our-lady-of-fatima.html

Vatican News. (2018, December 11). The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-12/our-lady-of-guadaloupe-feast-day-mexico-americas.html

Vatican.va. (2000, May 4). Address to the Missionaries de Notre-Dame de la Salette. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/2000/apr-jun/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20000504_notre-dame.html


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FAITH OF ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Image
Image of Catholic Church at Vatican By Edward Matulanya Here are Meaning, believe, founder, sacraments, teaching source, Morals, source of faith, History and key teaching of Roman Catholic Church. 1. Meaning of Roman Catholic Church  The Roman Catholic Church means the universal Christian community under the leadership of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope). 2. Understand the Core Beliefs of the Roman Catholic Faith The Roman Catholic Church belief in one God in three persons ; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], 1997, §234; Matt. 28:19). Catholics hold that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, whose incarnation, death, and resurrection bring salvation to humanity (CCC, 1997, §§461–463; John 1:14). 2. Founder of Roman Catholic Church  The Church, founded by Christ on the apostles with the pope as Peter’s successor, is “the universal sacrament of salvation” (CCC, 1997, §774; Matt. 16:18–19). Salvation is a gift of grace received through faith ...
Read more

TWELVE APOSTLES OF JESUS

Image
  Jesus Christ with twelve apostles at last feast By Edward Matulanya Here are twelve apostles chosen by Jesus, celebration of Eucharist, their mission, their succession, their liturgical Celebration a summary of their lives.  The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus personally chose and appointed the Twelve to share in His mission and to lay the foundation of the Church. Twelve apostles chosen by Jesus  Jesus called his disciples, and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles (Luke 6:13, NABRE). They were to be with Him, to preach, and to have authority to drive out demons (Mark 3:13-19). Celebration of Eucharist At the Last Supper He conferred on them a share in His priesthood and the command to celebrate the Eucharist (Luke 22:19–20; Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], 1994/2019, §§859–860). Catholics hold that this apostolic ministry continues through apostolic succession, with bishops as the successors of the apostles (CCC §§861–862). The Role of Jesus’ Ap...
Read more

SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO

Image
Saint Joseph of Cupertino  By Edward Matulanya Early life of Saint Joseph of Cupertino St. Joseph of Cupertino was born June 17, 1603, in Cupertino, Apulia (southern Italy). Orphaned before birth and raised in poverty, he struggled with learning and was considered slow by his peers. After repeated rejections from religious communities, he was eventually accepted as a servant by the Conventual Franciscans and later admitted as a friar. Vocational life of Saint Joseph of Cupertino  Despite his lack of education, Joseph was ordained a priest in 1628 after a providentially simple examination. He became famous for extraordinary mystical phenomena, especially levitation during ecstatic prayer. These events attracted large crowds and even the attention of the Inquisition, though he was never condemned. Because the public excitement disrupted community life, Joseph spent much of his later years in seclusion, devoted to humility and prayer. He died on September 18, 1663, in Osimo, Ital...
Read more