| Marian Apparitions Question from Adam on 06-23-2003: |
| Dear Mr. Bunson, What are some of the approved Marian apparitions? Adam |
| Answer by Matthew Bunson on 06-25-2003: |
| The Blessed Virgin Mary has appeared throughout the world and throughout history. The seven best-known Marian apparitions are: Banneux, near Liège, Belgium, in 1933. She appeared to an 11-year-old peasant girl, Mariette Beco, in a garden behind the family cottage in Banneux. She called herself the Virgin of the Poor, and has since been venerated as Our Lady of the Poor, the Sick, and the Indifferent. Beauraing, Belgium, in 1932 and 1933. She appeared to five children in the garden of a convent school in Beauraing. Fátima, Portugal, in 1917; one of the most famous of apparitions. Our Lady appeared to three children (Lucia dos Santos, 10, who is now a Carmelite nun; Francisco Marto, 9, who died in 1919; and his sister Jacinta, 7, who died in 1920; Jacinta and Francisco were beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2000) in a field called Cova da Iria near Fátima. Guadalupe, Mexico, in 1531. Our Lady appeared to an Indian, Juan Diego (declared Blessed in 1990 and canonized in 2002), on Tepeyac hill outside of Mexico City. La Salette, France, in 1846. Mary appeared as a sorrowing and weeping figure to two peasant children, Melanie Matthieu, 15, and Maximin Giraud, 11, at La Salette. Lourdes, France, in 1858. Mary, identifying herself as the Immaculate Conception, appeared 18 times to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous (canonized in 1933) at the grotto of Massabielle near Lourdes. Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, France, in 1830. Mary appeared three times to Catherine Labouré (canonized in 1947) in the chapel of the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, Rue de Bac, Paris. Finally, mention should be made of the alleged apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to six young people of Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina. The apparitions were first reported in June 1981, initially in the neighboring hillside field, subsequently in the village church of St. James and even distant places. In 1987, the bishops of Yugoslavia declared: “On the basis of research conducted so far, one cannot affirm that supernatural apparitions are involved” at Medjugorje. Currently, the events remain under on-going investigation by the Holy See to determine their authenticity. Nevertheless, the site of Medjugorje remains a popular destination for Catholic pilgrims from Europe and the United States. |