Vatican Overturns Archbishop's Approval of Lipa Apparitions
(The Standard - PHILIPPINES May 31, 2016) The Vatican has issued a decree stating that the reported apparition of the Virgin Mary to a Carmelite nun, Teresita Castillo or Teresina, at the Carmelite monastery in Lipa, Batangas in 1948, has no “supernatural origin.” This overturns a positive judgment rendered by Archbishop Ramon C Argulles in September of 2015.
A Catholic Church official said they will follow the decision of the Vatican on the alleged Marian apparition which happened more than 60 years ago in Lipa City, Batangas. According to Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president Archbishop Socrates Villegas they will obey what the Holy See has said. “Rome has spoken. The case is closed. We all obey. We always obey the Holy See,” Villegas said. Read The Standard article >
Bishop Declares San Nicolas Apparitions Worthy of Belief
(Catholic News Agency - June 4, 2016) What began with glowing rosaries and the rediscovery of a statue of the Virgin Mary in Argentina has now been approved by the local bishop as a series of apparitions that are “of supernational origin” and worthy of belief.
And the designation is deeply significant, recognizing the messages of Our Lady of the Rosary of San Nicolas, which exhort peace and give dire warnings, one miracle researcher says.
Bishop Hector Cardelli of San Nicolas in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province made the announcement May 22 at the conclusion of a Mass during the well-attended pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of San Nicolas. Read The Catholic News Agency article >
Miracle Hunter featured in cover story of National Geographic
How the Virgin Mary Became the World’s Most Powerful Woman
by Maureen Orth
It’s apparition time: 5:40 p.m. In a small Roman Catholic chapel in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the village of Medjugorje, Ivan Dragicevic walks down the aisle, kneels in front of the altar, bows his head for a moment, and then, smiling, lifts his gaze heavenward. He begins to whisper, listens intently, whispers again, and doesn’t blink for ten minutes. His daily conversation with the Virgin Mary has begun.
365 Days with Mary features a different devotion to Our Lady associated with a solemnity, feast day, patronage, apparition or miraculous icon exactly related to that date. Each day reveals beautiful artwork and a historical dscription that highlights a famous or unique title of Mary. With sufficient writing space to add your own prayer, reflection or events for that day, you will be able to live each day in the celebration of your own personal Marian Year.
More information about each devotion can be found at the companion website 365DayswithMary.com or follow on Facebook or Twitter for daily updates.
Pope talks Medjugorje, coming encyclical on return from Bosnia
Vatican City, Jun 6, 2015 / 03:42 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- On his return flight from Sarajevo to Rome Pope Francis told journalists a final decision on the highly debated Mejugorje apparitions could be close.
Pope Francis: The problem of Medjugorje … Benedict XVI in his time created a commission presided over by Cardinal Camillo Ruini and there were other cardinals and theologians, specialists. They made a study and Cardinal Ruini came to me and consigned the study to me after many years. I don’t know, three or four years, more or less. They did good work, good work … and Cardinal Mueller told me that he would do a “feria quarta,” in these times, eh. (Editor’s note: “feria quarta” is a once-a-month meeting in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith during which current cases are examined) I believe that it has been done the last Wednesday of last month, but I’m not sure. But, we’re at this point of making decisions … and then they will be announced… but only some guidelines will be given to bishops on the lines they will take.
"There are fascinating reports of apparitions of the Mother of God in northern Iraq! She is reportedly appearing visibly to the masses and her image is allegedly being captured on photographs. This is very similar to her approved appearances in Zeitun Egypt in 1968.
Competent eyewitness... many of varying faiths, ages and education have witnessed this incredible phenomenon. What do these visions portend and why are they occurring now?"
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ surprise announcement he will visit Sarajevo on June 6 has led to speculation he might sneak in a quick excursion to Medjugorje, little more than a 15-minute helicopter ride away.
But despite many anticipating a papal pronouncement on a five-year Vatican investigation into Marian apparitions alleged to have taken place at Medjugorje, the brevity of the trip will probably make even a short visit impossible.
Following his Angelus address on Sunday, the Pope revealed his plans to visit the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, where ethnic and interreligious tensions persist after the Bosnian civil war, which ended 20 years ago this year. His visit will also fall less than a year since the July 28 centenary of the assassination in Sarajevo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that precipitated the outbreak of World War I.
The international Vatican commission investigating the events at Medjugorje has completed its work and will submit its findings to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican confirmed today.
The Vatican released the following statement this morning:
"The director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, confirmed on Saturday that the international commission investigating the events in Medjugorje held its last meeting on 17 January. The commission, created by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is presided by Cardinal Camillo Ruini. The commission has reportedly completed its work and will submit the outcomes of its study to the Congregation."
After the commission’s report is examined by the CDF, it will be given to the Pope who will have the final say, but this may take some time.
Paul VI comes one step closer to beatification as the Medical Commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints declares that the former Italian Pope’s healing of an unborn child is unexplainable
The Medical Commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints chaired by Dr. Patrizio Polisca, Benedict XVI and Francis’ personal doctor, has called a healing attributed to Giovanni Battista Montini, Pope Paul VI, “unexplainable”. The alleged miracle will now have to be examined by theologians and cardinals before it receives the Pope’s approval. But the toughest part is over and it is expected that Montini’s beatification will take place in the next few months.
From the list of reported cases of healing which the postulator of Paul VI’s cause, Antonio Marrazzo, received, he chose one case which early clinical tests showed as “unexplainable”. Marrazzo chose this healing case some time ago. A year ago, on 20 December 2012, Benedict XVI approved the heroic virtues of Paul VI, concluding the canonical process. Only one miracle is required for beatification.
According to a story at WGN TV Chicago, the Adoration Chapel at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Glenview, Illinois is the center of an alleged miraculous phenomenon captured on film by multiple cameras.
One north suburban Catholic Church is talking about a very thought provoking picture, shot with nothing more than an iphone.
One woman, Maureen Kentsnapped a photo last Friday in the chapel and says she got so much more.
The picture showed a bright light, an image larger than a human and appearing to hover next to the host on the alter.
In a dramatic move prior to the release of the final report on Medjugorje, The Papal Nuncio to the U.S. on behalf of the prefect of the CDF Archbishop Müller has issued instructions that no cleric or faithful may participate in any meetings, conferences, or public celebrations in which the authenticity of the apparitions are taken for granted.
This has come as a shock to many in the Medjugorje support community as there was an operating assumption that until final confirmation of inauthenticity, participation as if it were true was allowed by the faithful.
Text of letter:
October 21, 2013 from the Apostolic Nuncio in the US, Cardinal Vigano to USCCB General Secretary, Msgr. Jenkins:
I write at the request of His Excellency, the Most Reverend Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who asks, that the Bishops of the United States be advised, once again, of the following (cf. my letter of 27 February 2013, of the same protocol number). Thus, his Excellency wishes to inform the Bishops that one of the so-called visionaries of Medjugorje, Mr. Ivan Dragicevic, is scheduled to appear at certain parishes around the country, during which time he will make presentations regarding the phenomenon of Medjugorje. It is anticipated, moreover, that Mr. Dragicevic, will be receiving "apparitions" during these scheduled appearances.
As you are well aware, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is in the process of investigating certain doctrinal and disciplinary aspects of the phenomenon of Medjugorje. For this reason, the Congregation has affirmed that, with regard to the credibility of the "apparitions" in question, all should accept the declaration, dated 10 April 1991, from the Bishops of the former Republic of Yugoslavia, which asserts: "On the basis of the research that has been done, it is not possible to state that there were apparitions or supernatural revelations." It follows, therefore, that clerics and the faithful are not permitted to participate in meetings, conferences or public celebrations during which the credibility of such "apparitions" would be taken for granted.
In order, therefore, to avoid scandal and confusion, Archbishop Müller asks that the Bishops be informed of this matter as soon as possible.
I take this opportunity to present to you my sentiments of profound esteem and remain,
In response to the desire of Holy Father Francis, the Statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, venerated in the Little Chapel of Apparitions, will be brought to Rome on October 12/13 to be present at the Marian Day promoted by the Pontifical Council for the
Promotion of the New Evangelization. On October 13, next to the Statue of Our Lady, Pope Francis will make the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Marian Day is one of the great pontifical events marked down on the calendar of celebrations of the Year of Faith which will bring to Rome hundreds of movements and institutions connoted with Marian devotion.
In a letter addressed to Bishop Antonio Marto, of Leiria-Fatima, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, Cardinal Rino Fisichella, informs that “all ecclesial entities of Marian spirituality” are invited to take part in this Marian day, a gathering which includes, on the 12th, a pilgrimage to the tomb of Apostle St. Peter and other moments of prayer and meditation and, on the 13th, a Mass presided over by Pope Francis, in St. Peter’s Square.
In that letter, Cardinal Fisichella wrote: “The Holy Father strongly desires that the Marian Day may have present, as a special sign, one of the most significant Marian icons for Christians throughout the world and, for that reason, we thought of the beloved original Statue of Our Lady of Fatima”.
Therefore, the Statue of Our Lady will depart from the Shrine of Fatima on the morning of October 12 and return on the afternoon of October 13. Scheduled to take its place in the Little Chapel of Apparitions is the first Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which is enthroned in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary since December 8, 2003.
July 19, 2013 (ICN) - Lourdes: 69th official miracle announced | Lourdes, 69th official miracle, Danila Castelli, Dr Allessandro De Franciscus Danila Castelli The Sanctuary of Lourdes has announced the 69th official miracle of Lourdes - the curing of an Italian woman, Danila Castelli, following her visit to the Baths at the Shrine in 1989.
Danila Castelli, born on 16 January 1946, a wife and mother, lived a more or less normal life until the age of 34 when she started having spontaneous and severe blood pressure hypertensive crisis. She also suffered a number of other serious health problems and underwent a hysterectomy an annexectomy and a partial pancreatectomy. As her condition deteriorated, her husband who is a doctor planned to take her to the Mayo Clinic in America, but at the last moment Danila said she wanted to go to Lourdes. The couple went in May 1989. When Danila came out of the Baths she said she experienced an extraordinary feeling of wellbeing. Shortly afterwards she reported to the Lourdes Office of Medical Observations her instantaneous alleged cure. After five meetings (1989, 1992, 1994, 1997 and 2010) the Bureau certified the cure with an unanimous vote. They agreed that Mrs Castelli had been cured, in a complete and lasting way, from the date of her pilgrimage to Lourdes 21 years ago, of the syndrome she had suffered and with no relation with the treatments and the surgeries she received.
Danila Castelli has since gone back to an absolute normal life. The CMIL (Lourdes International Medical Committee) in it's annual meeting of 19 November 2011 in Paris has certified that the cure "remains unexplained according to current scientific knowledge". On 20 June 2013 Monsignor Giovanni Giudici, Bishop of Pavia, the diocese where Danila Castelli lives, declared the 'prodigious-miraculous' character of this cure. In this video, Dr Allessandro De Franciscus, Director of the Medical Bureau at Lourdes, explains the rigorous process by which the cure was accepted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7ixlLiHnBI
May 11 , 2013 (LiveScience.com) - When Pope John Paul II died eight years ago, supporters chanted "Santo subito," or "Sainthood now!"
It looks like his supporters will finally be getting their wish. The former pope's path to sainthood is almost complete, with the Vatican recently confirming that he performed two miracles. Now all that's left is the official canonization ceremony, which has not been scheduled yet. The process of certifying miracles in the Catholic Church goes back centuries and involves an investigation by scientific experts.
Though it may seem strange to outsiders, verifying that miracles have occurred can strengthen people's beliefs, said Michael O'Neill, who runs the website MiracleHunter.com.
"Even people who are believers in God have an attraction to proofs of his existence. Sometimes it seems like he's hiding," O'Neill said. "Miracles are a way that people see God touching the world."
May 11 , 2013 (MiracleHunter.com) - Immediately following his election, Pope Francis prayed in front of an ancient icon, called the Salus Populi Romani, or the Protectress of the Roman People, held by tradition to have been painted by St. Luke himself. He also brought flowers and laid them beneath the icon on honor of Mary. The first act of his pontificate was to pray before the Virgin Mary. He returned again on May 4th, the first Saturday of the month dedicated to Mary, to recite the Rosary.
Francis is a pope who is deeply devoted to the Virgin Mary and is not afraid to show his attachment to forms of devotion which post-Conciliar theology saw as dated. HIs Marian devotion should not be a surprise coming from a country and continent both replete with innumerable Marian icons, titles, and devotions of both Spanish and indigenous origin.
What will happen to the Medjugorje Report with the retirement of Pope Benedict XVI?
February 11 , 2013 (MiracleHunter.com) - The world is in shock after Pope Benedict XVI made his surprise announcement of his retirement on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes February 11th, 2013. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, said he received the news as most of the world did early Monday morning “I’m as startled as the rest of you and as anxious to find out exactly what’s going on.” It is the first papal resignation in almost 600 years and the Vatican says that it expects a new Pope to be elected by Easter.
An onslaught of questions and speculations have been been bandied about by Vatican insiders and observers about the state of his health, the reason for his timing, his new role (if any), what he will be called (Bishop-emeritus of Rome?), and where he will reside. Will he finish his new encyclical on faith before his final day on the 28th - and what happens if he doesn't? What is to come of his agenda for the Year of Faith? As with any time of sede vacante in Church, speculation begins about who are the top candidates for the next Pope and will the Church break with tradition with the person they select as successor?
There are many questions that will persist in the month ahead and the faithful will be riddled with confusion over the process and the ramifications. One question that has taken a back seat to all the uncertainty surrounding Pope Benedict's transition, is what will happen to the report requested by Benedict in March 2010 to assess the long-running alleged apparitions that have been reported in Bosnia-Hercegovina since June 24, 1981?
MiracleHunter Interview for 80th Anniversary of Banneux Apparitions
January 15 , 2013 (Relevant Radio) - Michael O'Neill, creator of MiracleHunter.com, was interviewed by Drew Mariani of Relevant Radio on January 15th for the 80th anniversary of the Church-approved apparitions in Banneux, Belgium in 1933.
January 11 , 2012 (Rome Reports) - Exactly what the current Vatican Commission has found and concluded in what will soon be three years of work on Medjugorje may never get known by the general public. And if its conclusions should be made known is not up to the Commission itself.
The commission's president is Italian Cardinal Camillo Ruini, who says he expects a conclusion soon.
“It will take just a bit longer, Not much, I hope. But, it is not an immediate thing. We are a consulting commission, we offer our opinion and pass it along to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. They are the ones who will decide or not to release a statement” Commission chairman Cardinal Camillo Ruini tells Rome Reports.
Vatican: Medjugorje Commission Findings Not Imminent
December 6, 2012 (NCRegister) - The Vatican is denying reports that a Vatican commission studying the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje will release its findings by the end of this year.
In comments to the Register today, Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said the speculation was “not true” and that the commission’s findings will take longer.
Earlier this week, the French magazine La Vie said the commission, established by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, was expected to present its report to the Holy Father by the end of December.
December 2, 2012 (Catholic World News ) - A Vatican commission studying the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje will release its findings by the end of this year, a French magazine has reported.
La Vie says that the Vatican commission, established by Pope Benedict XVI and chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, will present its report to the Pontiff by the end of December. The French magazine did not cite any authority for its story, but in February an Italian publication made the same report. That earlier report quoted Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo as saying that “we need to finish this year.”
The reports of Marian apparitions at Medjugorje began in 1981, and the six “seers” claim that they continue to this day, taking place on a regular, predictable schedule. Interest interest in the “Medjugore phenomenon”—which has persisted despite the efforts of the local hierarchy to discourage it—prompted the Vatican to undertake its own investigation. Cardinal Ruini’s commission has been holding hearings under conditions of strict secrecy.
MiracleHunter Interview for Feast of Our Lady of Ransom
Sept 24, 2012 (Relevant Radio) - Michael O'Neill, creator of MiracleHunter.com, was interviewed today by Drew Mariani of Relevant Radio for the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom, which commemorates the apparition to St Peter Nolasco in Barcelona in 1218. He along with the two others were ispired by the words of Our Lady to found an order where they would free Christian captives in exchange for their own lives.
MiracleHunter Interview for Feast of Our Lady of Knock
Aug 21, 2012 (Relevant Radio) - Michael O'Neill, creator of MiracleHunter.com, was interviewed today by Drew Mariani of Relevant Radio for the Feast of our Lady of Knock, which commemorates the famous church-approved apparition. During a pouring rain on the evening of August 21, 1879, the figures of Mary, Joseph, John the Evangelist
and a lamb on a plain altar silently appeared over the gable of the village
chapel, enveloped in a bright light. 15 people,
between the ages of 5 and 75, saw the apparition. The investigative commission conducted later that year presented a positive verdict.
Contrary to a previous statement, the Vatican Commission on Medjugorje will not finish its work this year, but rather in 2013, a Bosnian news portal quotes an allegedly well-informed source. More conversations are required. Commission members stayed in Medjugorje last Spring.
Aug 21, 2012 (Medjugorje Today) - Medjugorje will remain under investigation by the Vatican into 2013. The Commission formed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and since then headed by Cardinal Camillo Ruini will not finish its work this year as previously stated, the Bosnian news portal Oslobodjenje learns.
“The International Commission for the study of the phenomenon of Medjugorje will certainly not finish their work this year, claims a well-informed souce close to the work of the Commission” the online media reports.
Los Angeles, Calif., Aug 5, 2012 / 06:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Virgin Mary will accompany the Church in the New Evangelization, just as she did during the first preaching of the Gospel in the Americas, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez told around 100,000 devotees at the Aug. 5 Guadalupe Celebration.
“Our Lady of Guadalupe is calling us today, my brothers and sisters,” the archbishop said in his keynote address to one of the largest Catholic gatherings in U.S. history at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. “She is calling us to greater faith, to greater love, to greater hope.”
“She is calling us to dedicate our lives to the loving plan of God. To everything for his glory,” he said, stressing the Virgin Mary’s message to honor God “in our homes, in our families, in our neighborhoods and communities, in our political life.”
A tiny scrap of cloth revered among Catholics for its religious significance will be featured in an upcoming celebration honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, an icon of the Virgin Mary.
On Monday, local Catholic leaders gave media representatives an exclusive look at the one-centimeter, patterned square from the Tilma, or cloak, in anticipation of a Guadalupe Celebration scheduled for Sunday. “It is a moment of all of us coming together to give thanks to God for the gift of Our Lady of Guadalupe in our lives,” said Archbishop José Gomez at a Monday press conference.
“It’s very important for us to honor the presence of Our Lady of Guadalupe in this way.” The piece will be moved to a new chapel in the cathedral after the chapel's construction is completed in September, said Carolina Guevera, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which is co-sponsoring the celebration.
Like most Marian apparitions, the story of Our Lady of Charity, which dates to 1612, began in a nameless place and involved ordinary, undistinguished people. Three boys were gathering salt needed to preserve the meat of the town’s slaughterhouse, which supplied food for the copper mine workers and inhabitants near Santiago, Cuba. Two of the boys were native Indian brothers, Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos, and the third was a 10-year-old black slave, Juan Moreno.
On their way back to Santiago del Prado (modern El Cobre, meaning “copper”) and halfway across the Bay of Nipe, they encountered a fierce storm that threatened their frail vessel. Suddenly the waters calmed. In the distance the boys saw a white bundle floating on a piece of wood. It was a small statue of Mary holding the infant Jesus on her left arm and a gold cross on her raised right hand. Inscribed on the wooden board were the words, “Yo soy la Virgen de la Caridad” (“I am Our Lady of Charity”).
Much like the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the statue of Our Lady of Charity that the three youths brought to their village of Barajaguas instantly became a destination for pilgrims, a reminder for the underprivileged that their heavenly mother cared and stood beside them. El Cobre was to be the first place in Cuba where freedom was won for black slaves in 1886.
( February 14, 2012- http://www.medjugorjetoday.com) The Vatican Commission, presided over by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, investigating the alleged events of Medjugorje will finish in 2012 and report to the Pope, reports comission member Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo. Work continues on but we must be finished this year, the highest ranking prelate of Bosnia and Hercegovina told a press conference on Tuesday.
Before the end of 2012, the worldwide speculation will come to an end. The Vatican Commission on Medjugorje aims to have given its final report to Pope Benedict XVI when the bells ring in 2013, Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo informed during a press conference on February 14.
”Later this year we want to finish our work and give our opinion to the Pope so that he can express his judgment. I can not talk about what the Commission does because I am bound to secrecy. Our work is still going on. This year, however, we must finish it” Cardinal Puljic informed according to Italian news agency ASCA. Read the entire article >>
Laurentin's new book looks at Our Lady's life as seen by mystics
A study on Mary. The revelations of mystics on the life of Our Lady, will be released in February 2012 by Mondadori publishers
(VATICAN CITY Dec 19, 2011 - Vatican Insider) In addition to the evangelists, there are only four great mystics (Marie d'Agreda, Anne Catherine Emmerich and Consuelo Maria Valtorta), who have written about Mary’s life in a systematic manner; their texts have experienced mixed fortunes in the history of the Church: periods of great success but also harsh criticism. How historically and spiritually valuable are the tales of Mary’s life as told by these great mystics? How authentic are they? These questions have so far remained unanswered. For some, these are historical truths, for others worthless revelations. The French priest and theologian Rene Laurentin, 94 years old, one of the foremost authorities on Marian issues, has decided for the first time to carry out a methodical and critical study in a comparative work, which lasted four years, along with Francois-Michel Debroise: the result is a great book that traces the life of Mary through seventy-seven key episodes, revealing agreements and disagreements, different perspectives and points of contact. The book A study on Mary. The revelations of mystics on the life of Our Lady, will be released in February 2012 by Mondadori publishers (264 pages, Euro 18.50). This is the most rigorous and important work on the life of Mary, essential reading for devotees of the Holy Virgin and for all Christians, said the publisher in a written presentation of the book. The author Rene Laurentin, was born in Tours in 1917 and graduated from the Institut Catholique and the Sorbonne in Paris. Captured by the Germans in 1940, he spent five years in a German concentration camp. A journalist, university professor, theological expert on the Second Vatican Council, he is considered the world's foremost expert in Marian theology and apparitions.
Read the entire Vatican Insider article (Italian) >>
Alleged Visionary Nancy Fowler dies at 63
(Conyers, GA January 10, 2012- http://www.ourlovingmother.com) Nancy Fowler, known as "the Visionary of Conyers" passed away on Jan 10, 2012, at 11:50pm at the age of 63. She died of cancer. She was born on April 11, 1948, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In Conyers, Georgia, for a period of 8 years from October 13, 1990 to October 13, 1998, many thousands of people went to see her as she reported that Jesus sent His own Mother Mary to communicate heavenly messages calling all of humanity, but especially the United States, to conversion. She traveled around the country and abroad bearing witness to these revelations. Many of her alleged mystical experiences were written down.
Our Lady of Velankanni, the "Lourdes of the East" celebrates 50 years
(Velankanni, India Dec 29, 2011 - AsiaNews) An hour of prayer a day, until December 31, 2012, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Health in Vailankanni (Tamil Nadu). At the heart of the intentions are interreligious dialogue and ecumenism, but also the health of parishioners, priests, nuns, bishops and benefactors who have dedicated their lives to the development of the "Lourdes of the East" as John Paul II called the sanctuary in 2002.
"To celebrate this jubilee year - Fr A. Michael, rector of the sanctuary explains to AsiaNews - we decided to build a new, large church, called "Morning Star" and will accommodate over 15 thousand people. "
Each year, the "Lourdes of the East" welcomes pilgrims from around the world. After the 2005 tsunami, thousands of people of all religions, not only Catholics go to seek solace in the sanctuary and pay homage to Mary. At that time, the tsunami hit the Marian hard shrine: about 850 people died, 300 others were swept away by the fury of the waves. But those who sought refuge inside the chapel, were unhurt.
From the 16th century, the area surrounding the shrine was the scene of a series of Marian apparitions. The first witness was a Hindu boy carrying milk, of whom Our Lady asked for milk for her son, who she held in her arms. A few years later, following a similar apparition, the Virgin asked him to build a chapel in her honor. Then, in the 17th century, a group of Portuguese sailors cried Mary Star of the Sea, to save them from shipwreck. Once safely landed on the coast of Tamil Nadu, they elevated the Shrine of Our Lady of Health on the foundations of the chapel built about a century before.
Read the entire Asia News article >>
Visionary to be named Doctor of the Church
Hildegard von Bingen, the medieval mystic known for her prophecies will receive the title in October 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI
(VATICAN CITY Dec 15, 2011 - Vatican Insider) Her words have been compared with those of the Old Testament prophets, she is cited as example of a woman theologian, and she has been praised for her musical compositions that are still being performed, as well as the courage that made her stand up to Frederick Barbarossa, to whom she communicated divine admonitions. Benedict XVI is very close to the figure of St. Hildegard of Bingen and intends to proclaim her, in October 2012, "Doctor of the Church": a rare and solemn title attributed to saints who lives and writings have enlightened Catholic Doctrine.
The Church has recognized up to now 33 "doctors", thirty of them men. The women on the list are only three: Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Sienna and Therese of Lisieux, the first two proclaimed by Pope Paul VI in 1970, the last by John Paul II in 1997. Now Ratzinger wants to add a fourth list, thereby inviting the women to follow the example of Mystic of the Rhine and contribute to theological reflection.
Read the entire Vatican Insider article (Italian) >>
Huge Celebration Honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe Set for L.A. Coliseum in August
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will play host to a massive "Guadalupe Celebration" on Aug. 5, 2012 the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Knights of Columbus announced today. The event will feature prayer, music, and speakers honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas.
The Celebration will bring together tens of thousands of Catholics from across the ethnically diverse five-million member archdiocese, as well as faithful from other areas of Southern California and beyond.
"At certain times, the Church gathers together for an event that provides the opportunity for the expression of faith in a very public way," said Archbishop Jose Gomez. "In this celebration we will renew our devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and our commitment to continue the process of evangelization that she began on this continent nearly 500 years ago."
"We are pleased to be able to cosponsor this event with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles," said Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus. "We strongly believe that Our Lady of Guadalupe has an important message to share with all of us and has an important role to play in unifying the faithful of this hemisphere. The 'Guadalupe Celebration' will be an opportunity for us to bring Our Lady's message to a large audience joined together in prayer and celebrating the great gift she has given this hemisphere."
The event, which marks the anniversary of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531 to an Aztec Indian in Mexico, is on the campus of Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, IL.
With the weekend weather forecast looking favorable, “we are expecting around 150,000 (people) in 30 hours,” said the Rev. Miguel Martinez, rector of the Chapel/Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who will celebrate Mass at 8 p.m. Sunday. “Most of the people will come Sunday and Monday.”
While the crowds will be largely Latino Catholics, a diversity of people are expected to attend, including those from the Polish, Filipino, Korean and Hindu communities, irrespective of religious affiliation, Martinez said.
“They see it as a celebration of Virgin Mary and they come,” Martinez said. “Our Lady of Guadalupe, her devotion goes beyond the Hispanic community.”
DEC 2 , 2011 - Spiritdaily.com - Mariette Beco, the girl who had eight apparitions of the Virgin Mary, between January 5th and March 2nd 1933, passed away on December 2nd in the "Home de la Vierge des Pauvres" at Banneux, Belgium. She was ninety years old. The woman was very famous in the French part of Belgium and many foreigners visited the shrine. A little time after the apparitions of the Virgin, who presented Herself to Mariette as "The Virgin of the Poor," a chapel was build at the place of the apparitions. On the 22nd of August 1947, Bishop Kerkhofs of Liège fully recognized the authenticity the apparitions. Very soon after his recognition, it became one of the apparitions fully approved by the Vatican in 1952. In 1985 Pope John Paul II went to Banneux and had an audience with her at the sacristy. Mariette Beco was married and was a mother of three children. It was only a few weeks ago that she went to the home. Today, Banneux Notre Dame is a place of pilgrimage and, as in Lourdes, there is a well of water with healing power. There is also a relief center poor the sick and their children. Banneux is situated between Liège and Spa.
Interview with the Miracle Hunter on Relevant Radio
NOV 7, 2011 - The creator or MiracleHunter.com, Michael O'Neill, was interviewed on the Drew Mariani Show on Relevant Radio. Click here to listen to the audio archive or download the podcast. (The audio follows the segment on the Personhood Amendment.)
New Reports of Apparitions in Egypt
ALEXANDRIA, OCT. 22, 2011 (Almasry Alyoum) - Hundreds of Copts gathered in front of churches in the coastal city of Alexandria after reported sightings of the Virgin Mary from Friday morning until the early morning on Saturday.
According to eyewitnesses, Copts have converged hoping to see the Virgin. Streets were full of people chanting religious songs.
Videos of a light flashing in the sky were uploaded on to YouTube on Friday by people claiming it is an apparition of the Virgin Mary.
The "apparitions" came days after the unprecedented massacre that claimed the lives of at least 27 people, mostly Copts, most of them were crushed under military vehicles outside the state TV building, Maspero.
On 9 October Copts were protesting there against an attack on a church in the Upper Egyptian province of Aswan. Eyewitnesses say the army responded violently, firing live ammunition, and military vehicles were seen running over protestors in the most violent scenes since the uprising that ousted former President Hosni Mubarak in February.
In December 2009, thousands of Egyptians - Copts and Muslims - gathered at the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in Cairo, some claiming that the Virgin Mary had appeared to them there.
In this most recent occurrence, some said that the apparition is a sign that the sky is sending Copts condolences for the victims killed in the Maspero clashes.
Top Exorcist Fr. Gabriel Amorth Laments Apathy to Medjugorje
ROME, NOV 1, 2011 (Medjugorje Today) - in a September 15 interview given to Radio Maria, Fr. Gabriel Amorth, the leading Catholic exorcist of the past 20 years, said that by willingly failing to pay attention to the Virgin Mary’s alleged apparitions in Medjugorje, a great number of Christians have proven to be no different from pagans. According to Amorth, within this great number, both bishops and priests are included.
“How bitter, how bitter was the last message of Our Lady of Medjugorje, on August 25: ”Many have responded, but there is an enormous number of those who do not want to hear or accept my call’," Fr. Gabriele Amorth commented.
Church wrestles with growth of Wisconsin shrine to Mary
CHAMPION, WI, OCT. 24, 2011 (Religion News).- By By Judy Keen
Philip and Barbara Hesselbein came to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help to pray for a grandson who has an inoperable brain tumor.
Darlene Searcy prayed for her family and for herself; she has cancer.
Mary Spakowicz, who also has cancer, came “because God will hear me here.”
The afflicted and the faithful have long made pilgrimages to the quiet country site where Belgian immigrant Adele Brise said in 1859 that she saw the Virgin Mary three times. For the past few years, maybe 30 or 50 people had trickled in daily to visit the chapel, Brise’s grave and the candlelit crypt that marks the site of the apparition.
That made the shrine, which is a mile from the unincorporated town of Champion, the only official site in the United States where Mary is said to have appeared.
Now there’s a steady flow of traffic into the recently enlarged gravel parking lot. Cars, vans and buses bring 500 people—and often many more—here daily. License plates from Ohio, Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana were spotted one recent weekday.
“I knew that there would be some increase in interest” after he certified Brise’s vision, Ricken says. “I wasn’t sure how wide it would be, how broad it would be.”
Pope Benedict to mark Feast of Guadalupe with special Mass
Gesture of Solidarity for Peoples of Latin America
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 14, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI will celebrate a special Mass for the peoples of Latin America this December on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The Vatican reported Thursday that the Mass, to be held Dec. 12 in St. Peter's Basilica, is a "a gesture of the concern, affection and solidarity felt by the Holy Father toward the peoples and nations of the 'Continent of Hope,' as it has been called by Roman Pontiffs from Paul VI to Benedict XVI."
The bicentennial of independence has been celebrated across Latin America this year.
The Mass "is a clear expression of the pastoral solicitude with which Benedict XVI embraces those peoples, among whom the Gospel of Jesus Christ was sown and brought forth precious fruit," the Vatican added.
The statement noted that Latin Americans represent 40% of the baptized of the Catholic Church, and are "united in filial devotion to Most Holy Mary, while their local Churches remain in faithful communion with the See of Peter."
"The initiative is indicative of the original contribution the Catholic Church wishes to make to the commemoration of this bicentenary, in the light of historical truth, so as to throw light on the current situation in Latin America and nourish hope in a future of peace and justice," the communiqué continued.
Marian visionary Luigi Guanella to be canonized Oct 23rd
ROME, OCT. 17, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The founder of the Servants of Charity and the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence created a religious family modeled on the family of Nazareth, and called to follow a simple two-part program for sanctity: to pray and suffer.
Father Luigi Guanella (1842-1915) will be canonized Oct. 23, the day before his memorial.
He heard the call to found the community of the Servants of Charity and of the Daughters of Holy Mary of Divine Providence through a vision that happened on the day of his First Communion. A lady -- as he described the Virgin when he spoke of this event -- made him see all that he should have done for the poor. In 1907 Father Constantino Guanella recounted to his nephew: "It is as if you had seen in a movie thater all that you should have done."
This dream at nine years of age was determinant for all his other options. This mystical encounter marked him profoundly. Our Lady also appeared to St. John Bosco when he was nine years old to show him his land of mission: young people.
Cardinals request that Polish visionary saint be made Doctor of the Church
By Anita S. Bourdin
KRAKOW, Poland, OCT. 4, 2011 (Zenit.org).- St. Faustina Kowalska may become the fourth woman doctor of the Church.
Cardinals and bishops gathered in Krakow-Lagiewniki for the 2nd World Congress of Divine Mercy have sent a letter to Benedict XVI requesting this recognition.
This news was published live last Sunday by Radio Esperance, which is transmitting the conference through its stations, through WorldSpace satellite and through the Internet.
Polish St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) would join Spanish Carmelite Teresa of Avila, Italian Dominican Catherine of Siena, and French Carmelite Thérèse of Lisieux, the only three women recognized as doctors.
Shrine Directors Gather at Famed English Apparition Site
WALSINGHAM, England, SEPT. 26, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Shrine directors from across Europe converged on one of England's oldest Marian shrines today to discuss the present popularity in religious pilgrimage sites.
Directors from Germany, Slovenia, Romania, England, Poland, France, Ireland and Portugal will meet through Friday at the National Shrine of Walsingham, in Norfolk County. The theme of the gathering is "Evangelization and Gestures of Popular Piety."
This year, the shrine is celebrating its 950th anniversary, and has had one of its busiest pilgrimage seasons ever, having received approximately 100,000 pilgrims. According to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared in 1061 in a vision to Richeldis de Faverches, a devout Saxon noblewoman who had a Holy House built which became a shrine and place of pilgrimage.
Father Alan Williams, Walsingham's shrine director, commented on the popularity of shrines in statement sent to ZENIT, "Many people visit Catholic shrines who are either not Christian or rarely attend church. They have an interest in spirituality and are willing to travel as part of that search.
"Our task, as shrine directors, is to make that experience as fulfilling and rewarding as we can and that's what we'll be discussing this week, as well as sharing news and information."
Mexican Archbishop warns of the alleged apparition of the Virgin del Pozo
GUANAJUATO, Mexico. SEPT.15 - The Archbishop of León has just issued a circular letter warning the faithful about the devotion to the Virgen del Rosario del Pozo, from Puerto Rico.
D. Jose Guadalupe Martin Rabago recalled that under the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Puerto Rican bishops, the association that promotes the cult is out of the Catholic Church, and "deprecated the conduct of their leaders."
Directed by Juan Angel Collado Pinto, this movement of Catholic origin formed around some alleged Marian apparitions, and following an investigation by the Catholic Church, was declared out of it. Former followers also have reported abuses.
September 23, 2011 (CHAMPION, WI)- USA Today - by Judy Keen
The afflicted and the faithful have long made pilgrimages to the quiet country site where Belgian immigrant Adele Brise said in 1859 that she saw the Virgin Mary three times. For the past few years, maybe 30 or 50 people had trickled in daily to visit the chapel, Brise's grave and the candlelit crypt that marks the site of the apparition.
That changed in December, when Bishop David Ricken of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay certified after investigations by three theologians that Brise had indeed seen a beautiful lady in white who said she was the "queen of heaven."
That made the shrine, which is a mile from the unincorporated town of Champion, the USA's only official site where Mary is said to have appeared.
The Apparition and Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Las Lajas
September 16, 2011
Besides the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe manifesting on the tilma of St. Juan Diego, there is but one other apparition of the Virgin Mary where she has left behind a scientifically inexplicable image of herself as a sign to the people.The miraculous and long lasting image of Our Lady of Las Lajas (flat sedimentary rocks) found after the 1754 apparition of Our Lady in the canyon of the Guáitara River can be classified as acheiropoieta, a Greek term meaning "not made from human hands".
In 1754, Maria Mueses de Quinones, an Indian woman from the village of Potosi, Colombia and her deaf-mute daughter Rosa were caught in a very strong storm. They sought refuge in a canyon between the gigantic Lajas. To Maria's surprise, her mute daughter, Rosa exclaimed with her first words "the mestiza is calling me..." They discovered a marvelous picture of Our Lady and Child on the rocks.
Testing has shown the image to be of indeterminate origin. Geologists from Germany bored core samples from several spots in the image. There is no paint, no dye, nor any other pigment on the surface of the rock. The colors are the colors of the rock itself and run uniformly to adepth of several feet.
In 1951 the Roman Catholic Church authorized the cult of the Nuestra Señora de Las Lajas Virgin, and it declared the sanctuary a minor basilica in 1954.
The feast of Our Lady of Las Lajas is September 16th.
Like most Marian apparitions, the story of Our Lady of Charity, which dates to 1612, began in a nameless place and involved ordinary, undistinguished people. Three boys were gathering salt needed to preserve the meat of the town’s slaughterhouse, which supplied food for the copper mine workers and inhabitants near Santiago, Cuba. Two of the boys were native Indian brothers, Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos, and the third was a 10-year-old black slave, Juan Moreno.
On their way back to Santiago del Prado (modern El Cobre, meaning “copper”) and halfway across the Bay of Nipe, they encountered a fierce storm that threatened their frail vessel. Suddenly the waters calmed. In the distance the boys saw a white bundle floating on a piece of wood. It was a small statue of Mary holding the infant Jesus on her left arm and a gold cross on her raised right hand. Inscribed on the wooden board were the words, “Yo soy la Virgen de la Caridad” (“I am Our Lady of Charity”).
Much like the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the statue of Our Lady of Charity that the three youths brought to their village of Barajaguas instantly became a destination for pilgrims, a reminder for the underprivileged that their heavenly mother cared and stood beside them. El Cobre was to be the first place in Cuba where freedom was won for black slaves in 1886.
Just off County Road K in Champion, near New Franken, the population in this countryside explodes every morning. Thousands of faithful have descended on this place deemed holy.
That declaration landed this small, out of the way, rural shrine in eastern Brown County next to more famous names like Lourdes, Fatima, and Guadeloupe.
Faithful from every corner of the nation, and stretching around the world, descend by the busload. To keep up with this growing curiosity, the Marian shrine is making some changes.
Thursday ends the first week for Father Peter Stryker as the shrine's new rector. He's joined by another full-time priest so Mass and confession can be offered daily.
"We feel privileged, so grateful to be chosen for this," Father Stryker said. "I'm very mindful that a lot of people who come here, this might be their first and possibly only visit to the shrine, so for them it's a very special visit. So I think a lot of people come with high expectations, and they find what they're looking for -- a beautiful quiet place, sacred ground."
ABC Nightline to air special on Marian apparitions
July 14, 2011 - ABC -The ABC network Primetime Nightline Beyond Belief aired a special on Marian apparitions on Wednesday, July 13th, at 9pm CT / 10pm ET.
June 24, 2011 - MEDJUGORJE, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Thousands of Christian pilgrims have gathered in the southern Bosnian village of Medjugorje to mark the 30th anniversary of the disputed apparition of the Virgin Mary.
At dawn Saturday, pilgrims from around the world climbed a hill above Medjugorje where six children claimed in 1981 they had the visions.
The Medjugorje apparition has been disputed for decades. Unlike Fatima in Portugal or Lourdes in France, the Roman Catholic church is cautious about calling the sightings authentic, and has not formally approved Medjugorje as a shrine site.
But the lack of official recognition has not stopped the remote village from thriving, through communism and then war. Some 40 million faithful have visited its shrine so far.
June 11, 2011 (Rome Reports ) - Thirty years ago, on June 24, 1981, the Virgin Mary allegedly began appearing to six young people in a small village called Medjugorje in Bosnia Herzegovina. Thus began one of the most controversial phenomena in recent memory that turned this tiny village into one of the most visited places in Europe. More than one million visit Medjugorje every year.
However, the Vatican has taken a cautious road and has not made any decisions on these occurrences.
Of the six visionaries, three allegedly see the Virgin Mary every day and the other three just once a year.
In order to make a decision, the pope convened a commission in March of 2010 which was tied to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and led by Cardinal Camillo Ruini. The priest Salvatore Perrella is one of its members.
Zagreb, CROATIA, MAY 26, 2011 (Vecernji Lis) - Vecernji lis, a Croatian daily newspaper, has recently published an article claiming that the Medjugorje seers will meet in June with the Vatican Commission investigating the Medjugorje phenomenon.
The second largest newspaper in Croatia, Vecernji lis, said members of the investigating commission established last year are already in communication with Medjugorje Church representatives and the individual seers to prepare for their trip to Rome and receive their testimonies.
In previous sessions, the Commission has interviewed local bishop of Mostar Ratko Peric and also Fr. Ivan Sesar, Provincial of the Franciscan Herzegovina province.
It is not known if the Medjugorje seers will undergo any new scientific tests in addition to those conducted in the early years of the apparitions. The expectation continues that any decision regarding the alleged occurrences will be some years away.
200,000 attend mass celebrating Fátima and John Paul II
SOME 200,000 Catholics have attended a mass in homage to Pope John Paul II, marking 94 years since the Virgin Mary's first reported apparition in the town of Fatima, the shrine's keepers say.
Fatima, PORTUGAL , MAY 14, 2011 (Herald Sun) - The Polish pontiff, who died on April 2, 2005, had said it was Our Lady of Fatima who saved his life when he was shot by a far-right militant in the Vatican's Saint Peter's Square in May 1981, leaving him seriously injured.
John Paul II had survived this assassination attempt "to become God's instrument, to participate in the fall of the Iron Curtain and to help end the political oppression of communism in the world," the Archbishop of Boston, Sean O'Malley, said in his homily to the congregation.
The mass was followed by a 13-minute video projected onto giant screens, showing the Pope's visits to Fatima in 1982, 1991 and 2000 - always on May 13.
John Paul II was beatified by his successor Pope Benedict XVI two weeks ago.
Fatima, about 130 kilometres north of Lisbon, is a town where three children are said to have seen apparitions of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, between May and October 1917.
Archbishop declares apparitions in Argentina are not authentic
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Apr 15, 2011 / 05:54 pm (CNA).- Archbishop Jose Maria Arancedo of Santa de la Vera Cruz, Argentina declared that the reported Marian apparitions in the town of Centeno will not be approved by the Church.
A diocesan commission concluded that “there are no signs that guarantee this is a supernatural apparition of the Most Holy Virgin Mary,” the archbishop explained.
Since April 4, 2010, hundreds have gathered in the town of Centeno after a woman claimed that Mary led her to a miraculous fount of healing water.
The 32-year-old woman added that the Blessed Mother also asked for a chapel to be built there.
The commission's study of the messages shows that while some elements “are consistent with the Christian life,” other statements “do not conform to the spirit of the Gospel or to the manner in which the Most Holy Virgin expresses herself in the tradition of the Church,” the archbishop continued.
He noted the alleged visionary’s “lack of compliance” with the Church’s handling of the case, as well as her pressuring of Church leaders for a speedy approval.
The archbishop also expressed disapproval of the woman’s practice of blessing the faithful.
Archbishop Arancedo said the Church values “the recitation of the Holy Rosary, whenever done with a true Catholic spirit and due reverence to Jesus Christ and the Church.”
Solemn Mass marks 950th anniversary of famed English apparition
LONDON, APRIL 1, 2011 (Zenit.org).- A solemn pontifical Mass celebrated by Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster marked the 950th anniversary of the foundation of the national shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.
The shrine was established in 1061, the year in which tradition holds that the Virgin Mary appeared to Lady Richeldde Faverches. It became an important pilgrimage site of the Middle Ages, but was destroyed during the Reformation.
It was restored in 1897 and now there is both a Roman Catholic shrine and an Anglican shrine at the site.
At last Saturday's solemn Mass, Archbishop Nichols was joined by the papal nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, and the retired archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor.
Giving thanks
Meanwhile, the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham -- the new ordinariate for former Anglicans coming into the Catholic Church under the plan proposed by the Pope in "Anglicanorum Coetibus" -- is also marking the celebrations.
In the ordinariate's newsletter, "The Portal," Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane spoke of the ecumenical heart of Walsingham. They called the ancient shrine a "great leveler, for all prayed in the same Holy Place."
"At Walsingham today there may be two shrines, but working together they share an ecumenical heart," the authors said.
Monsignor Keith Newton, the ordinary of the ordinariate, encouraged members to make a pilgrimage to the shrine known as England's Nazareth during the next six months of the anniversary celebrations.
He announced that he will be leading a pilgrimage there July 16.
"Mass will be celebrated at 12 noon and the intention will be 'In thanksgiving for the Foundation of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and for the graces of the State Visit of Pope Benedict XV1 to these Isles,'" he announced.
"This is an ideal opportunity," the monsignor said, "for as many members of the ordinariate as possible to gather in Walsingham and give thanks for all that will have happened to us over the last six months."
Paris, France, Mar 30, 2011 / 01:55 pm (CNA).- Bishop Emmanuel Delmas of Angers, France confirmed the healing of a man at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.
“This healing can be considered as a personal gift of God for this man, as a fact of grace, as a sign of Christ the Savior,” the bishop said March 27.
Serge Francois, 56, had lost almost all mobility in his left leg after complications from two operations left him with a herniated disc. He made a pilgrimage to the shrine on April 13, 2002 to pray for healing.
Bishop Delmas noted that the healing took place after Francois “had finished praying at the grotto and went to the miraculous spring to drink the water and wash his face. A unique gesture of the Virgin Mary can be seen in the healing of this man,” he said.
The Spanish daily La Razon said that after Francois' recovery, he returned to Lourdes in 2003 and reported his case to the medical commission, which began its investigation.
The Lourdes Medical Commission later verified that “the rapid functional healing, unrelated to any form of treatment" was "still present, eight years later.”
Francois made a 975-mile pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain in thanksgiving for his recovery.
Bishop Jacques Perrier of Tarbes and Lourdes explained that doctors are “hesitant today to use the term ‘inexplicable,’ unless they qualify it with ‘scientifically'.”
“They prefer to limit themselves to one fact: the healing is inexplicable today. They consider this qualification to be essential so they are not discredited later by colleagues who reject the inexplicable,” he said in a statement published on the Shrine of Lourdes’ website.
“Moreover,” he added, “the doctors at Lourdes always strive to be medically irreproachable. The Church herself encourages them in this.”
MARCH 29, 2011 - (Scottish Catholic Observer) - The incredible recovery of a French man, who walked the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route in Spain after being cured of a paralysed left leg following a trip to Lourdes is being examined as a possible 68th miracle of the shrine.
Serge Francois, a TV repair worker said he felt a warm glow spread down his herniated leg during a visit to Lourdes in 2002.
After having prayed at the Lourdes Grotto (above) Mr Francois reported the healing to the international Medical Committee of Lourdes (CMIL) and 20 doctors have agreed on the remarkable nature of the healing.
“In the name of the Church, I publicly recognise the ‘remarkable’ character of the healing from which Serge Francois benefited at Lourdes on April 12, 2002,” said Bishop Emmanuel Delmas of Angers in western France, where Francois lives. “This healing can be considered a personal gift from God to man, as an event of grace, as a sign of Christ the Savior.”
Bishop Delmas said Mr Francois’ case would now be examined further before it is officially recorded as the 68th miracle of Lourdes.
Japanese quake's epicenter located near Marian apparition site
Niigata, Japan, Mar 12, 2011 / 07:17 am (CNA).- The epicenter of the earthquake that caused a deadly March 11 tsunami is located near the site of an apparition in which Mary warned about a worldwide disaster that could afflict humanity.
Japanese church officials have confirmed that the Diocese of Sendai, in the north of the country, was hit hardest by the 8.8 magnitude earthquake – the worst in Japanese history – and the resulting 23-foot waves.
Hundreds of people have already been confirmed dead in the city of Sendai, located less than 90 miles away from the apparition site of Our Lady of Akita in the town of Yuzawa.
The city of Akita, which experienced fire damage and flooding along with many parts of northern Japan, is a place of veneration for Catholics.
In 1973, the Virgin Mary was said to have predicted a number of future events – including natural disasters even more serious than Friday's earthquake and tsunami – during three appearances to a Japanese religious sister, Sr. Agnes Sasagawa.
The messages warned of chaos within the Church, and disasters which could afflict the world.
“If men do not repent and better themselves, God the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity,” Mary reportedly told Sr. Agnes. “It will be a punishment greater than the (biblical) flood, such as never seen before.”
“Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful,” she said. “The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church, in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops.”
“Churches and altars will be sacked. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises, and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.”
“Each day, recite the prayers of the Rosary,” she told Sr. Agnes. “With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests.”
Two years after the last message, the statue of the Virgin Mary in the chapel where the apparitions had occurred began to emit tears and drops of blood. The occurrence continued for more than six years.
Reports from Akita following Friday's earthquake indicate that the city received significantly less damage than other parts of northern Japan, despite its proximity to the epicenter. However, residents did report power outages, burst pipes, and fires.
While the Vatican has said dioceses should not organize official pilgrimages to Medjugorje, it has said Catholics are free to visit the town and pray there, and that the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno and the Franciscans should organize pastoral care for them.
Franciscan Father Svetozar Kraljevic, who runs pilgrim-funded social projects on the edge of town, said, "We are all a commission" -- the local Franciscans, the townspeople and the pilgrims, who by their presence continue to study the claims about Mary's appearance in Medjugorje and to judge the authenticity of the messages the young people say she gives them.
At least 1.5 million pilgrims came in the past year and their judgment is clear, he said, although the formal commission members "have been given a special responsibility" for discernment.
FEBRUARY 23, 2011 - According to the Dictionary of Apparitions of the Virgin Mary, throughout history 308 apparitions are attributed to Saints or Blesseds. They are generally unofficially recognized by Church authorities (The orders and congregations that they have founded or belonged to have received official recognition).
Miracle Hunter Interview on Relevant Radio on Our Lady of China
JANUARY 26, 2011 - Michael O'Neill, the creator of Miraclehunter.com, was interviewed by Drew Mariani of Relevant Radio on Wednesday, January 26th at 2:45 pm EST on the topic of Our Lady of China.
JANUARY 27, 2011(TIMES OF MALTA) - Angelik Caruana, the Birzebbuga man who claims to have visions of the Virgin Mary, yesterday caused a stir at the Vatican when he and another Maltese man left their chairs and shouted to the Pope during a general audience.
Italian news agency Ansa reported the two tried to jump over the barriers to get to the Pope during the weekly Wednesday audience but were stopped by security personnel.
Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said “there were two people who raised their voice and wanted to give a letter to the Pope containing devotional messages. That’s all”.
He said that after being questioned by the gendarmerie, the two were allowed to remain for the audience as they were “good people” and were “no threat” to the Pontiff.
Mr Caruana claims also to receive messages from Our Lady, which are then published on the group’s website www.borgin-nadur.org.
Fr Lombardi confirmed the letter Mr Caruana was holding, which will be “examined with due respect”, contained devotional material.
The Maltese Church has yet to take a stand on the reported visions and messages. Fr Lombardi said such matters were not usually decided by the Vatican and depended on the local bishop for approval.
How the church handles claims of Marian apparitions
JANUARY 24, 2011 (CNS) - When the bishop of Green Bay, Wis., recently recognized a series of Marian apparitions from 1859, it marked the first time apparitions in the United States received official approval.
That's quite an achievement considering that more than 1,500 visions of Mary have been reported around the world, but in the past century only nine cases have received official church approval as being "worthy of belief," said an expert in Marian apparitions.
The church has made very few judgments on apparition claims. "It's not always possible to ascertain if they are true or false because the phenomenon is much bigger than us," said Marianist Father Salvatore Perrella, assistant dean at the Pontifical Theological Faculty Marianum and a theologian who also serves as an expert for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
MiracleHunter.com is the best resource for miracles on the web. The site includes approval lists, visionary biographies, detailed apparition summaries, messages, official Church statements and a photo gallery.
The international Vatican commission investigating the events at Medjugorje has completed its work and will submit its findings to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican confirmed today.
Paul VI comes one step closer to beatification as the Medical Commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints declares that the former Italian Pope’s healing of an unborn child is unexplainable
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