Apparition of The Virgin to St Bernard by Filippino Lippi (1486) Oil on panel, 210 x 195 cm Church of Badia, Florence

A Marian apparition is an event in which the Virgin Mary is believed to have supernaturally appeared to one or more persons regardless of their religious faith. Filippo Lippi (c 1457 &ndash April 1504 was a well-known painter working during the High Renaissance in Florence, Italy. Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events They are often given names based on the town in which they were reported, or on the sobriquet which was given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition. A sobriquet is a Nickname or a fancy name usually a familiar name given by others as distinct from a Pseudonym assumed as a disguise but a nickname which is familiar They have been interpreted in psychological terms as pareidolia, and in religious terms as theophanies. Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and The term pareidolia (pæraɪˈdoʊliə describes a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound being perceived as significant A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Theophany, from the Greek, theophaneia (meaning "appearance/showing of God" refers to the appearance of a Deity to a human or to a divine disclosure

Apparitions sometimes recur at the same site over an extended period of time. In the majority of Marian apparitions only a few people can see Mary. An exception to this is at Zeitoun, where thousands claimed to have seen her over a period of three years. Our Lady of Zeitoun, Also known simply as El-Zeitoun, Zeitun or rarely Our Lady of Light, was a mass Marian apparition that occurred in the

Catholic belief

A photostatic copy of a page from Ilustração Portuguesa, October 29, 1917, showing the crowd looking at the miracle of the sun during the Fátima apparitions (attributed to the Virgin Mary)

According to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, the era of public revelation ended with the death of the last living Apostle. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Miracle of the Sun is an alleged miraculous event witnessed by as many as 100000 people on 13 October 1917 in the Cova da Iria fields near The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e A Marian apparition, if deemed genuine by Church authority, is treated as private revelation that may emphasize some facet of the received public revelation for a specific purpose, but it can never add anything new to the deposit of faith. At most, the Church will confirm an apparition as worthy of belief, but belief is never required by divine faith. ^[1] The Holy See has officially confirmed the apparitions at Guadalupe, Saint-Étienne-le-Laus, Paris (Rue du Bac, Miraculous Medal), La Salette, Lourdes, Fátima, Portugal, Pontmain, Beauraing, Banneux, La Vang Vietnam and Knock (Ireland). The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Our Lady of Guadalupe, also called the Virgin of Guadalupe (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or Virgen de Guadalupe is a 16th century Roman Catholic Mexican Saint-Étienne-le-Laus is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. The Miraculous Medal, also known as the Medal of the Immaculate Conception is a medal created by Saint Catherine Labouré in response to a request from the Blessed Virgin La Salette can refer to La Salette Ontario, a hamlet in Norfolk County Ontario Canada La Salette-Fallavaux, a commune in the Isère The apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes began on 11 February 1858 when Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year old peasant girl from Lourdes admitted when questioned Our Lady of Fátima (ˈfatimɐ is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by those who believe that she appeared to three shepherd children at Fátima Pontmain is a commune in the Département of Mayenne, Pays de la Loire, close to the border with Bretagne and Normandie Knock Shrine is a major pilgrimage site in the village of Knock in County Mayo, Ireland, where Catholics believe that in 1879 there was an Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world ^{[2] [3]} An authentic apparition is believed not to be a subjective experience, but a real and objective intervention of divine power. The purpose of such apparitions is to recall and emphasize some aspect of the Christian message. The church states that cures and other miraculous events are not the purpose of Marian apparitions, but exist primarily to validate and draw attention to the message. ^[4] Apparitions of Mary are held to be evidence of her continuing active presence in the life of the church, through which she "cares for the brethren of her son who still journey on earth. " ^[5]

Not all claims of visitations are dealt with favourably by the Roman Catholic Church. For example, claimed apparitions of Our Lady, Jesus Christ and various saints at Bayside, New York have not been condoned or sanctioned in any way, nor those at the Necedah Shrine in Necedah, Wisconsin. Bayside is an upper Middle class suburban neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York in the United States Necedah Shrine (officially "Queen of the Holy Rosary Mediatrix of Peace Shrine") is a Marian shrine located in Necedah, Juneau County, Necedah is a village in Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States The behavior of Ms Veronica Lueken and Mary Ann Van Hoof, who claimed these heavenly favors, was deemed not to compare favorably with the "quiet pragmatism" of St. Veronica Lueken ( July 12 1923 - August 3 1995) was a Roman Catholic housewife who lived in Bayside New York. Bernadette Soubirous — Church authorities are said to use Bernadette as a model by which to judge all who purport to have visitations. Saint Bernadette (born Marie-Bernarde Soubirous January 7 1844 – April 16 1879) was a miller's daughter from the town of Indeed, both women seriously criticized the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, allegedly even harshly, and Mrs. Van Hoof is said to have subsequently left Roman Catholicism for an independent local Old Catholic Church. The Old Catholic Church is a Christian denomination originating with churches (many of them German -speaking that split from the Roman Catholic Church in

Possibly the best-known apparition sites are Lourdes and Fatima^[6] Over sixty spontaneous healings, out of thousands reported at the Lourdes Spring, have been classified as "inexplicable" by the physicians of the Lourdes Bureau, a medical centre set up by the Church in association with local medical institutes to assess possible miracles. The apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes began on 11 February 1858 when Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year old peasant girl from Lourdes admitted when questioned Our Lady of Fátima (ˈfatimɐ is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by those who believe that she appeared to three shepherd children at Fátima A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health The so-called Three Secrets of Fatima received a great deal of attention in the Catholic and secular press. The Three Secrets of Fátima consist of a series of visions and Prophecies claimed to be given by an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three

Criteria for evaluating apparitions

In 1978 the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (former Holy Office) issued "Norms of the Congregation for Proceeding in Judging Alleged Apparitions and Revelations" containing the following provisions:^[7]

• The diocesan bishop can initiate a process on his own initiative or at the request of the faithful to investigate the facts of an alleged apparition. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF ( Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei) previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, The bishop may refrain from looking into it if he chooses, especially if he thinks that not much will come of the event.
• The national conference of bishops may intervene if the local diocesan bishop refers it to him or if the event becomes important nationally or at least in more than one diocese.
• The Apostolic See (the Vatican) can also intervene at the request of the local bishop himself, at the request of a group of the faithful, or on its own initiative. The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic

The steps in the investigation are mandated as follows: An initial evaluation of the facts of the alleged event, based on both positive and negative criteria:

Positive Criteria

1. moral certainty (the certainty required to act morally in a situation of doubt) or at least great probability as to the existence of a private revelation at the end of a serious investigation into the case
2. evaluation of the personal qualities of the person in question (mental balance, honesty, moral life, sincerity, obedience to Church authority, willingness to practice faith in the normal way, etc. )
3. evaluation of the content of the revelations themselves (that they do not disagree with faith and morals of the Church, freedom from theological errors)
4. the revelation results in healthy devotion and spiritual fruits in people's lives (greater prayer, greater conversion of heart, works of charity that result, etc. )

Negative Criteria

1. glaring errors in regard to the facts
2. doctrinal errors attributed to God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or to the Holy Spirit in how they appear
3. any pursuit of financial gain in relation to the alleged event
4. gravely immoral acts committed by the person or those associated with the person at the time of the event
5. psychological disorders or tendencies on the part of the person or persons associated

After this initial investigation, if the occurrence meets the criteria, positive and negative, an initial cautionary permission can be granted that basically states: "for the moment, there is nothing opposed to it. " This permits public participation in the devotion in regard to the alleged apparition.

Ultimately, a final judgment and determination needs to be given, giving approval or condemnation of the event.

Papal Marian apparitions

It has been claimed that apparitions were experienced by a number of popes, including Pope Leo XIII in 1884, Pope Pius XII at various stages during his papacy, and Pope John Paul II in 1981, while he recovered from an assassination attempt which occurred on May 13, the anniversary of the Fatima apparition. Pope Leo XIII ( March 2, 1810 – July 20, 1903) born Count Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, was the 256th Pope Pope Pope Our Lady of Fátima (ˈfatimɐ is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by those who believe that she appeared to three shepherd children at Fátima While he only reported focusing on her image in order to stay conscious as per paramedic instructions, a number of rumors have circulated about this event, including that he actually saw her for a minute, or that he witnessed a solar phenomenon as at Fatima; if so, he said nothing on the record about it. He was quoted some time later as saying he thought "a motherly hand guided the bullet's path" ^[8] so that he would be only injured and not killed. John Paul II's particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary was indicated in his coat of Arms (image, left), which contains a large letter "M," representing Mary at the foot of the Cross, as well as his motto "Totus Tuus," ("Totally yours"), dedicated to Mary. He also visited many of the most famous apparition sites, notably Guadalupe, Fatima, Lourdes, Licheń, and Knock, and may have experienced another visitation on his last visit to Lourdes in 2004, when he lost his balance and said: 'I feel with emotion that I have reached the end of my pilgrimage'.

Criticism

Many Christians, including some Catholics, as well as nonbelievers, regard claims of Marian apparitions as being hallucinations encouraged by superstition, and occasionally simply as lies and deliberate hoaxes to attract attention. A hallucination, in the broadest sense is a Perception in the absence of a stimulus. Superstition ( Latin superstitio, literally "standing over" derived perhaps from standing in awe used in Latin as a unreasonable or excessive belief A hoax is a deliberate attempt to Dupe, Deceive or trick an audience into believing or accepting that something is real when in fact it is not or that Many such apparitions are reported in economically depressed areas, attracting many pilgrims who bring trade and money into the region.

Supposedly spontaneous healings reported at apparition sites such as Lourdes are also disputed by some scientists. The apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes began on 11 February 1858 when Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year old peasant girl from Lourdes admitted when questioned Lourdes ( Occitan: Lorda) is a town and commune situated in the southwest of the Hautes-Pyrénées department, lying in the first Pyrenean Most such healings are reportedly far from spontaneous, often taking place some time after the visit or over a period of weeks or months (rather than being instantaneous, as required by the Lourdes Bureau for a miraculous healing). Other scientists have claimed that a handful of unexplained cures have occurred; the Lourdes Bureau has recorded sixty "inexplicable" (not "miraculous") healings which match its requirements. Critics maintain that some healings are incomplete, leaving the sufferer with disabilities or chronic illness, and that other claimed healings are likely to be the relatively rare but entirely unmiraculous spontaneous remission of illness or injury. In Medicine, spontaneous remission is recovery without known reason or cause Such remissions would be expected to occur in a few of the large numbers of ill (and perhaps credulous) people who visit such sites. That viewpoint is debated by religious people and by some in the medical profession. The Lourdes Bureau will not review cases of claimed healing involving illnesses known sometimes to go into remission by themselves, such as multiple sclerosis or cancer, or incomplete healings, or those which take place gradually. Multiple sclerosis (abbreviated MS also known as disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminata) is an autoimmune condition in which the Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled In fact, the rate of "spontaneous healing" at Lourdes is higher than the remission rate for modern medicine.

Many skeptics point out that the material "proofs" (icons weeping blood, rosary chains turning to gold, etc. ) provided by witnesses of claimed apparitions are usually common items. Catholic critics dismiss the idea of unverifiable material "proof".

List of Marian apparitions

This is a list of some of the more publicized Marian apparitions. Only those marked with a * have been fully approved by the Catholic Church.

Further reading

• Blackbourn, David (1994). Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the History of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria Apostolic foundation Egypt is identified in the Bible as the place of refuge that the Birzebbugia ( Maltese: Birżebbuġa or BʼBuġa) is a small but flourishing seaside resort not far from Marsaxlokk in south-east Malta and approximately Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Repubblika ta' Malta is a European Microstate, comprising an Archipelago of three islands Marpingen: Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Nineteenth-Century Germany. New York: Alfred A Knopf. ISBN 0-679-41843-1.  

• Connell, Janice T. (1996). Meetings with Mary: Visions of The Blessed Mother. United States: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-39705-3.  

• Connell, Janice T. (2007). The Visions of the Children: The Apparitions of the Blessed Mother at Medjugorje. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-36197-1.  

• Laurentin, René (1990). Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary Today. Dublin: Vertitas Publications. ISBN 1-853-90054-9.  

• Odell, Catherine M. (1995). Those Who Saw Her: Apparitions of Mary. Huntington: Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN 0-87973-664-4.  

• Sparrow, G. Scott (2004). Sacred Encounters with Mary. Chicago: Thomas More Association/Ave Maria Press. ISBN 1-59471-047-3.  

See also

• Dogma (Roman Catholic)
• Mariology (Roman Catholic)
• Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)
• Blessed Virgin Mary
• Shrines to the Virgin Mary
• Marian devotions
• Immaculate Heart of Mary
• Weeping painting
• Weeping statue
• Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena

References

External links

• Apparitions of Virgin Mary - The most complete website about Marian apparitions.
• Claims of Private Revelation - A list of True and False apparitions from a theological perspective.
• List of Apparitions with links to letters from the local Bishop in some cases.
• The Miracle Hunter - News and actualized information about Marian apparitions.