List of Marian Apparitions - Cora Evans Blog

coraevans.com/blog/article/this-is-the-most-complete-list-of-marian-apparitions

15
Dec

Jeannie Ewing

This Is the Most Complete List of Marian Apparitions

Mysticism, Saints
90

Always as our Lady, our Mother and our Savior's mother, Mary has
appeared as apparitions under many titles to many diverse peoples in
different periods of history. She suffered a sword piercing her heart as

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she watched her son's Passion and Death, and she is constantly alert
to even our smallest sufferings. Our Blessed Mother comes to us when
we need her most, with a message and guidance specific to the
problems and suffering at hand. Here is a list of 40 beautiful stories of
Marian apparitions in countries all over the world to inspire you and
remind you of the eternal compassion and counsel which she
unceasingly offers to us.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico

St. Juan Diego encountered Mary as he climbed the Hill of Tepeyac in

Mexico during a routine walk in 1531.  She identified herself as the
Virgin Mary, the “mother of the very true deity” and requested that a
chapel be built on the Hill in her honor.  After two unsuccessful

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attempts to convince his bishop, St. Juan Diego explained to Our Lady
that he needed to bring a specific sign in order to verify the validity of
his vision.

Once St. Juan opened his cloak to the bishop, a cascade of roses fell
from his tilma, revealing the ornate details of the miraculous and
mysterious image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  To this day, the tilma
remains in excellent condition, and Our Lady of Guadalupe is invoked
by thousands of faithful all over the world.

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Rue du Bac, Paris, France

When Catherine Labouré was only a novice in the Rue du Bac convent,
she was praying in the chapel late at night in 1830.  At once, she saw a
figure that she believed was her guardian angel, who then escorted her

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to see Mary descend the chapel steps and sit in the chair reserved for
the spiritual director.

Catherine reported this vision to her spiritual director, who was

skeptical at first, but then Mary appeared a second time, standing on a
globe and holding a golden ball, light surrounding her.  Catherine
understood this vision to mean that the ball represented the world, and
the light emanating from Mary were all of the individual graces people
would receive from venerating her as Our Lady of the Miraculous
Medal.  The oval design and “M”, as well as the words, “O Mary
conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee” were part
of St. Catherine’s vision.

Our Lady of La Salette, France

In 1846, two children named Maximin Giraud and Mélanie Calvat were
returning from a mountain in La Salette, France, after tending to their
cows, when they saw “a beautiful lady” appear to them, weeping with
her face in her hands and “clothed in a white robe studded with pearls;

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and a gold-colored apron; white shoes and roses about her feet and
high head-dress. She wore a crucifix suspended by a necklace from
her neck.”

The message of Our Lady was the conversion of the entire world.  Her
devotees were mainly of nineteenth century, rural France, but saints,
such as St. John Vianney, called upon her for intercession regularly. 
St. John Paul II explained that she is a timeless representation of Mary,
desperately encouraging us toward deeper prayer, conversion, and
commitment to God.

Our Lady of Lourdes, France

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Likely one of the most beloved and well-known of the Marian
apparitions, young Bernadette Soubirous, who was uneducated and
poor, saw a beautiful lady standing near a wasteland where Bernadette
and her sister were gathering firewood.  February 11, 1858 was the first
of several apparitions at Lourdes, where Mary revealed herself to
Bernadette as “The Immaculate Conception,” a dogma of the Church
that was entirely unfamiliar to Bernadette.  This added to the credibility
of the vision.

As the Immaculate Conception, Mary was dressed in white, bearing a

golden rosary and blue belt around her waist with two golden roses at
her feet.  After much controversy over these ongoing apparitions, they
were eventually approved by the Church.  Lourdes is a popular
pilgrimage site and has been known to possess healing waters, where
many miracles have been attributed to Our Lady’s intercession.

Our Lady of Pontmain, France

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Two boys of the Barbadette family, Joseph and Eugene, saw a vision of
Mary during an ordinary evening of assisting their father in the family
barn.  When Eugene looked up at the night sky, he saw a beautiful
woman wearing a blue gown covered with golden stars and a black veil
under a golden crown.  His brother, Joseph, also saw the vision, but the
boys’ parents did not.

As word spread during the height of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871,

people looked at this unusual star in the sky, where children were given
the grace to see the same Marian apparition that the Barbadette boys
saw, but adults could not.  Every child who caught a glimpse of her
described her in the same detail as Joseph and Eugene did at first
sight.  Once the apparitions were approved, she was known as Our

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Lady of Hope, because her presence in the sky literally stopped the
advancement of the Prussians against France.  They claimed an
“invisible Madonna in the sky” prevented them from finishing the war.

Our Lady of Knock, Ireland

In the 1870s, the people of Ireland were still experiencing the aftermath
of the Great Irish Famine, which left countless unemployed, starving,
and homeless.  In a small parish church, St. John the Baptist Catholic
Church, a group of 15 men, women, and children witnessed multiple
apparitions that included St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, and Mary.

Our Lady was radiant and hovering a few feet above the ground,
dressed in a white cloak and bearing on her head a radiant golden
crown that was illuminated.  The witnesses described her as “deep in

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prayer,” with her hands folded and head bowed. The people joined in
praying the Rosary for two hours while they continued to behold this
vision of saints.

At the site of the apparition, which is today known as the Shrine of Our
Lady of Knock, many granted favors were reported and it became of
interest worldwide.  It was known as the “Knock phenomenon,” and
pilgrims still travel to the shrine from every area of the world to seek
Our Lady’s intercession.

Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal

While herding sheep near their village of Fatima in 1916, Lucia Santos
and her two cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto were witnesses of an
angelic vision on three occasions, who they explained was “The Angel

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of Peace.”  The angel prepared them to increase their efforts at
mortification and prayer.  One year later, the children saw a woman
“brighter than the sun” who wore a white mantle adorned in gold,
holding a rosary.

The beautiful lady encouraged the children to pray the rosary daily in
order to bring peace to the world and end the war.  Mary continued to
appear to the three children, revealing prophecies and even making the
sun dance, so that the people would come to believe in her message.

Our Lady of Beauraing, Belgium

Also known as the Virgin of the Golden Heart, Our Lady of Beauraing
appeared 33 times to 5 children in Belgium between 1932 and 1933. 
The five children were walking home from school one day, when Albert
(one of the visionaries) pointed out a lady dressed in a long white robe
who was standing near a railroad nearby.  All of the children present
witnessed this miracle, and the lady returned to them 32 more times
over the course of a few months.

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The lady revealed that she wished for a chapel to be built in the garden
of the children’s school (attached to a convent), saying, “I am the
Immaculate Virgin.”  She urged the children to pray fervently.  The
pilgrimage site today, which has been approved by the Church as a
veritable Marian apparition site, draws the faithful, many of whom
report miraculous cures.

Our Lady of Banneux, Belgium

Also known as Our Lady of the Poor, she appeared to a teenage girl
named Mariette Beco between January 2 and March 2, 1933.  When
Beco told her family and parish priest about her vision, she described
the lady as dressed in white and describing herself as the “Virgin of the
Poor.”  The lady also sent the message, “I come to relieve suffering and
believe in me, and I will believe in you.”

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Beco first saw Mary through her kitchen window when she was just
twelve years old.  Our Lady called out to Beco, but she wasn’t
permitted to leave the house.  Over the course of 8 apparitions, Mary
told Beco to put her hands in a spring of water, saying that it was for
healing for all nations.  The small spring is directly attributed to many
miraculous healings, even to this day.

Our Lady of Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina

In Medjugorje, Mary is also known as the Queen of Peace.  She first

appeared to 6 Herzogovinian children in 1981, all of whom are still
alive.  For several years, the young visionaries reported seeing Mary
on a hill in Bosnia on a daily basis, but some of them no longer receive
apparitions.  All of the witnesses were given 6 “secrets” from Mary,
which they will have permission to reveal once the apparitions cease
altogether.

Our Lady of Medjugorje calls all people to pray, fast, and do penance. 
Although many wondrous phenomena have occurred at the site of the
apparitions, such as the sun spinning or dancing in the sky or pilgrims

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seeing angels or images of crosses, the apparitions have not yet been
approved by the Church and are under investigation.

Mother of the Redeemer, Bloomington, IN

Ruth Ann Wade, an introverted and unpretentious school teacher,

began receiving visions of Mary and Jesus in her home.  She first
shared them with her parish priest, then with her prayer group. 
Pilgrims began flocking to the farm where the Wades resided in order
to hear Ruth Ann’s testimony.  Mary revealed herself as the Mother of
the Redeemer and requested that a chapel be built on the Wades’ farm
hill.

Over time, Our Lady’s messages included further requests for a retreat
center, guest house, Stations of the Cross path, and a rosary path. 
The Mother of the Redeemer Farm is now a full-fledged retreat center,
and the Wades no longer live on site.  Instead, it houses full time
priests and religious, who offer retreats to pilgrims, as well as daily
Mass and Eucharistic Adoration.

Our Lady of the Rosary of San Nicolas, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Between 1983 and 1990, Mary appeared to an Argentinian housewife

named Gladys Herminia Quiroga de Motta on a near-daily basis,
beginning on October 13, 1983 while Gladys was praying her rosary at
home.

Mary appeared to her wearing a blue dress, saying, “Do not be afraid. 
Receive this Rosary from my hands and keep it forever and ever.  You
are obedient; I am happy because of it.  Rejoice, for God is with you,”
and handed Gladys a white rosary.  Our Lady’s messages have mainly
been portents of things to come if the world does not convert, as well
as revelations of things to come.  These apparitions were recently
approved by an Argentinian bishop as supernatural in origin.

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Our Lady of Laus, France

In 1664, a young French shepherdess named Benoite Rencurel took

her sheep to the Valley of Kilns, where she first saw Mary holding the
child Jesus in her arms.  Mary instructed Benoite to travel out of Laus
and seek a sweet smelling perfume at a chapel, which she wanted to
be renovated.  Once Benoite came upon it, Mary told her, “This will be
a place of conversion for numerous sinners, and I will appear here very
often.”

The oil from the sanctuary lamp at the chapel dedicated to Notre Dame
de Bon Recontre is known to heal the sick and dying.  The message of
Our Lady here, also known as the Refuge of Sinners, is reconciliation –
with oneself, with others, and with God.  The apparition site is one
which has been approved by the Church.

Apparitions in Tensta, Sweden

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In 2012, several witnesses claimed to have seen Mary on the roof of
their church, a Syrian Orthodox parish in Tensta, Sweden.  Those who
saw her said her appearance there was relevant to the ongoing strife in
Syria.  Our Lady asked them to pray for peace, to be harbingers of
peace everywhere.  She appeared to the witnesses three times, one of
which seems to be captured in a photograph.  These apparitions have
not yet been approved by the Catholic Church.

Our Lady of Akita, Japan

Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa saw a hand-carved wooden statue of

Our Lady come alive and speak to her in 1973. The statue is said to
have brought about miraculous cures to those who believe.  The main

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message of Our Lady of Akita is prayer (especially the Rosary) and
penance, with an ominous warning of persecutions and heresies to
befall the Catholic Church in future times.

Adding some credibility to these apparitions, Sr. Sasagawa was

miraculously healed of a hearing impairment she had, and the healing
occurred shortly after the Marian apparitions began.  The statue also is
reported to mysteriously weep from time to time, one occasion of which
was broadcast on national Japanese television.  The Church is still
investigating the validity of these apparitions.

Shrine of Our Lady of Altotting, Germany

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The shrine, dating back to 660 A.D., houses an image of the Black
Madonna, which was carved from lindenwood.  It is a popular
pilgrimage site following a miraculous recovery of a boy who drowned
in 1489.  The boy’s mother laid his lifeless body at the feet of the
statue, and he came to life after she begged Mary’s intercession for a
miracle.  Other miracles have been reported at this site since that time.

Our Lady of Czestochowa, Poland

Also known as the Black Madonna, Our Lady of Czestochowa is a

revered and sacred icon that dates back to the seventh century. 
Legend states that in 1655, during the Second Northern War, Our Lady
held off Swedish troops for over a month, protected the Poles and their

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monastery (where the icon was kept at the time), and changed the
course of the war.  Shortly thereafter, Our Lady of Czestochowa was
named as Queen and Protector of Poland.

Our Lady of Good Counsel, Genazzano, Italy

According to legend, in 1467 the people of Genazzano, Italy heard

heavenly music being played.  Suddenly an ethereal cloud descended
upon their parish church and annihilated one of the walls, vanishing just
as quickly as it came.  In its place was a fresco of Mary and the Christ
Child, a painting on a surface no thicker than an egg shell that became
affectionately known as Our Lady of Good Counsel.  The Augustinians
have cared for the mysterious image at the parish of Santa Maria,
where numerous miracles and cures are said to have taken place.

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Our Lady of Loreto, Italy

Most of the miraculous happenings at Loreto are based on tradition.  In

1291, the Holy House of Nazareth was transported by angels from
Nazareth across the Mediterranean to a small town, Tersatto.  The
pastor of the town’s church questioned how such a tiny house
appeared out of nowhere, and he prayed for divine guidance on what to
do about it.

Shortly thereafter, the Blessed Mother appeared to him in a dream and

told him that the church was truly from Nazareth and was where the
Annunciation took place, brought to his care by the power of God.  To
prove this, she said he would be cured of an illness from which he
suffered for many, many years.  Upon awakening, Fr. Alexander’s
health was completely and miraculously restored.

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Thousands of miracles have been reported at the House of Nazareth,
under the intercession of Our Lady of Loreto.  Many saints, including
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Alphonsus Liguori, and St. Frances Cabrini
have made a pilgrimage to the holy house.

Our Lady of Ocotlan, Mexico

Tradition tells us of this story, which occurred in 1541, where a convert

named Juan Diego Bernardino climbed atop a hill in Ocotlan to draw
some water from a spring that was known to have healing properties. 
A deadly illness had left many in his region very ill, including his entire
family.

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As he came to the apex of the hill, he saw a beautiful lady who spoke
to him: “God bless you, my son.  Where are you going?”  When he
explained to her what he was doing, she told him to follow her to a
place where she would give him water that would get rid of the
contagion altogether, because she didn’t want to see her children suffer
without offering a remedy.

At the bottom of the hill, she led him to a pine grove with a spring of
water, still in existence today.  Our Lady told Juan that the smallest
drop of water would restore a person to perfect health and that he
would find an image of her in the grove where they were standing. 
Today there is a shrine where this apparition took place, and many
other miracles are attributed to Our Lady’s intercession there.

Our Lady of Peace, Santa Fe, NM

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In 1680, the Pueblo Indians revolted against the prevailing government
of Spanish immigrants in Santa Fe, NM.  No one was spared; even
almost two dozen Franciscan priests were martyred during this war
(and are today honored on Martyr’s Hill).  The massacre was so
horrible that all of the Santa Fe settlers fled and went into exile for
thirteen years, taking very little with them.

A general from Spain, Don Diego de Vargas, had great faith in the
Blessed Mother.  He carried an image of La Conquistadora on a flag
and entered Pueblo territory in Santa Fe with it waved high.  Don Diego
was kind and knew Our Lady would deliver his people peacefully back
into the territory.  Miraculously, the Pueblo Indians began to trust Don
Diego, who became the new governor of New Mexico, and the people
were able to return.

Our Lady of Altagracia, Dominican Republic

According to pious tradition, the daughter of a rich merchant in the

Dominican Republic asked her father to bring her a portrait of Our Lady
of Altagracia from Santo Domingo, which no one had heard of at the
time.  The merchant, while traveling, was staying overnight at a friend’s
house when a mysterious man with a long beard passed by and
handed him a rolled up painting, saying, “This is what you are looking
for.”  It was a portrait of Our Lady of Altagracia, or Our Lady of High
Grace.  Shortly thereafter, the man vanished without a trace.

Today there is a shrine in the Dominican Republic where the image is

encased.  Venerators travel from far away, as many miracles have
been attributed to Our Lady under this title.  She is also the patroness
of the Dominican Republic.

Our Lady of the Pillar, Zaragoza, Spain

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An ancient Spanish tradition states that the Blessed Mother appeared
to the apostle James the Greater (one of the original twelve) while he
was praying by the banks of the Ebro.  She was accompanied by
angels, standing on a pillar, and appeared to him for encouragement. 
He had not made many converts and was battling discouragement at
the time of the apparition.

Our Lady performed many miracles while in James’ presence and

assured him that many people would come to the Faith because of his
influence, and their faith would be as strong as the pillar she was
standing on.  Before she left James, she gave him a wooden statue of
herself and instructed him to have a chapel built on the site in her
honor.  Today there is also a shrine where pilgrims venerate Our Lady
of the Pillar.

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Our Lady of Pompeii, Italy

In 1871, a third order Dominican who had taken the name Brother
Rosario held a deep desire to promulgate devotion to Mary and the
Rosary in the region of Pompeii, Italy, where he lived.  As he began
traveling, he became very disheartened at the lack of faith, and the
extreme poverty and ignorance of the people he encountered.  He was
struggling with doubts of his own when he heard a voice say to him, “If
you seek salvation, promulgate the Rosary.  This is Mary’s own
promise.”  As a result, he began many festivals in honor of the Rosary,
including games and lotteries to attract the secular people of the area. 
He also renovated a dilapidated church and named it Our Lady of the
Rosary.

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Then, in 1884, a young girl from Naples, Italy named Fortuna Agrelli
was suffering from an unknown, incurable disease.  Her family began a
novena of rosaries, and on the final day of the novena, Mary appeared
to Fortuna.  Adorned in golden garments, the Blessed Mother was
sitting on a throne with the Christ Child in her lap and a Rosary in her
hand.  Fortuna then asked the “Queen of the Rosary” to cure her, and
Our Lady was moved with compassion, promising to do so if the young
girl would offer three novenas of the Rosary for her request.

Fortuna was, indeed, cured, and Our Lady then told her, “Whoever
desires to obtain favors should pray three novenas of the prayers of the
Rosary in petition and three in thanksgiving,” which is how the Rosary
Novena began.

Our Lady of Tears, Syracuse, Italy

In 1953, a young married couple, Antonina and Angelo Iannuso,

received a statue of the Blessed Mother as a wedding gift and placed it
in their home with great admiration, though they sheepishly admitted
they were lax Catholics.  When Antonina discovered she was pregnant,
she was afflicted with toxemia and became blind, as well as partially
epileptic.  After a seizure that left her totally blind, Antonina recovered
her sight the following day and set her gaze upon the statue of the
Blessed Mother in her bedroom.  The statue, to her astonishment, was
weeping.  When Antonina told her family members this, they also
witnessed the tears streaming from the statue and onto the bed.

As a result, Antonina recovered completely from her toxemia and gave

birth to a healthy child.  The Church declared this phenomenon as
supernatural in origin.

Our Lady of Siauliai, Lithuania

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In 1457, a Lithuanian nobleman named Petras Gedgaudas generously
donated some land to build a temple in honor of the Blessed Mother. 
He built a church dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin and Ss.
Peter and Bartholomew.  The faithful immediately flocked to celebrate
the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin.  Shortly thereafter,
Gedgaudas miraculously received an icon of Our Lady, which he
placed in the new church.  It eventually became a popular shrine, and
Pope Pius VI approved the apparition, granting pilgrims indulgences for
visiting the shrine.

Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, Lithuania

Based on a Renaissance painting that hung in a chapel in Lithuania,

the monk Hilarion published a book in 1761, citing 17 miracles
attributed to the image of the Blessed Mother.  The first occurred

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shortly after the chapel was built in 1671, when a two-year-old fell from
the second floor to the hard pavement and was gravely injured.  His
parents prayed to Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, and their son
immediately and miraculously recovered.  Many other miracles are
directly related to those who venerated the image.  According to
popular tradition, adorers leave a small object or image based on the
cure they obtained praying to Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn.  Today
there are over 8,000 votive offerings in the chapel. 

This image of Mary is also known as the Mother of Mercy and is closely
attributed to the message of Divine Mercy.  St. Faustina visited the
Gate of Dawn chapel and wrote of the icon taking a “living
appearance,” and then speaking to her: “Accept all that God asks of
you like a little child, without questioning; otherwise it would not be
pleasing to God.”

Our Lady of Pellevoisin, France

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In 1876, a domestic servant named Estelle Faguette claimed to receive
15 apparitions of Mary.  Before the apparitions occurred, Estelle wrote
a letter to Mary, begging for a cure and subsequently recovered
completely from tuberculosis, from which she was dying.  Her cure was
later deemed as miraculous.  Following this authorization from her
bishop, Estelle’s bedroom became an oratory and eventually a shrine
to Our Lady of Pellevoisin.

Estelle said that the main message she received from Mary during the
apparitions was an increased devotion to the scapular of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus.  In fact, during the final apparition, Mary told Estelle, “I
have many graces in store for those who wear this scapular with trust

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in me. These graces are my Son’s; I bring them from His Heart; he will
refuse me nothing.  The lady asked her to show the scapular to the
local bishop and ask his assistance in promoting it.”

Holy Mother of Gietrzwald, Poland

Mary appeared to two girls, Justyna Szafrynska and Barbara

Samulowska, first in 1877, before Poland became its own nation.  At
the time, the Polish people were forced to speak German, and their
territory was divided into three partitions.  Mary’s first message to the
girls was of conversion, peace, and penance for sins.  She spoke to the
girls in their native Polish language, which in and of itself was a sign of
encouragement to the Poles.

After nine appearances to the young girls, Mary’s final message was,
“Pray the Rosary zealously!”  There is now a minor basilica dedicated
to Mary under this title in Poland, and the apparitions were approved by
the Church in 1977.

Appearance to St. Dominic, France

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In 1214, Dominic (one day the founder of the Order of Preachers, or
Dominicans) was deeply afflicted by the sinfulness of heretics and poor
example of Catholics.  He wept for three days and did acts of
mortification in reparation for these sins.  From such extreme torture to
his body, he fell into a coma.

While in the coma, St. Dominic saw a vision of Mary.  She appeared
with three angels and asked him, “Dear Dominic, do you know which
weapon the Blessed Trinity wants to use to reform the world? If you
want to win souls, preach the Angelic Psalter.”  This was what is now
known as the Rosary.

Immediately after recovering from his coma, St. Dominic preached the
Rosary to the unconverted Albigenisan heretics, and he set apart
fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, grouping them into five decades each. 

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The Angelic Salutation is the Hail Mary, and the Psalter is the 150
Psalms.  St. Dominic knew this to mean that the Blessed Mother
intended for 150 Hail Marys to be prayed, which is how we have the
Rosary we know today.

Apparitions at The Church of St. Demiana, Cairo, Egypt

The Church of St. Demiana is housed in a very poor and small Coptic
Christian community in Egypt.  In 1986, the Blessed Mother appeared
beside the two towers of the church and was seen by those who lived
in the houses overlooking the towers.  They saw her full body
surrounded by a halo of light, which was repeated several times until
1991.  The light surrounding her was a true miracle, as the electrical
current was shut off from the church, and the light remained.  She is
known as the Mother of True Lights in this region.

Garabandal, Spain

Four young school girls in the rural village of Garabandal, Spain

witnessed apparitions of St. Michael the Archangel and Mary several
times, beginning in 1961 and ending in 1965.  She is often referred to
as Our Lady of Mount Carmel of Garabandal because her appearance
was that of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The visionaries received two main messages, both of which call for
“conversion of heart.”  The first message was, “We must make many
sacrifices, perform much penance, and visit the Blessed Sacrament
frequently. But first, we must lead good lives. If we do not, a
chastisement will befall us. The cup is already filling up, and if we do
not change, a very great chastisement will come upon us.”

The second message, after no change occurred, was, “If you ask His
forgiveness with a sincere heart. He will pardon you. I, your Mother,
through the intercession of St. Michael the Archangel, wish to tell you
that you should make amends. You are now being given the last

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warnings. I love you very much, and I do not want your condemnation.
Ask Us sincerely and We shall grant your plea. You must make more
sacrifices. Reflect on the Passion of Jesus.”

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, New Orleans, Louisiana

Based on a wooden statue belonging to the Ursuline convent, many

miracles have been attributed to Mary under the title of Our Lady of
Prompt Succor.  First, in 1788, a destructive fire was devastating a
section of New Orleans close to the convent and approached
dangerously near to it.  The nuns were instructed to evacuate the
convent, but one particular sister, Sr. St. Anthony, placed the statue of
Our Lady of Prompt Succor on a window seat and invoked her

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intercession with desperation.  Immediately, the wind shifted direction,
so that the fire avoided destroying the convent and was more easily
extinguished.

The second miracle occurred in 1815 during the Battle of New Orleans,
which was treacherously close to the Ursuline convent.  As the canon
fire drew closer, the sisters prayed to Our Lady that the American
troops would overcome the British forces, which outnumbered them by
9,000 men.  During Mass, the sisters were notified that the British were
overcome by a dense fog and wandered into a swamp, leaving the
American troops victorious. 

Today, there is a shrine affiliated with Our Lady of Prompt Succor, and
most devotees believe her intercession is particularly miraculous in
situations where political and spiritual tensions abound.

Appearance to Nancy Fowler, Conyers, GA

From October 13, 1990 to October 13, 1998, housewife Nancy Fowler
claimed to receive apparitions and messages from Mary that pertained
specifically to the United States.  Most of the messages were warnings,
admonitions, or prayers.  Pilgrims from everywhere in the nation
flocked to the Conyers, Georgia property, where they awaited the
appearance of Mary to Fowler.  When she appeared, devotees would
hold up rosaries and all sorts of religious articles, in the hopes that they
would be blessed by Mary’s presence.

Pilgrims claimed to have witnessed other miracles that indicated the

presence of Our Lady, such as seeing the sun spin, rosaries turning to
gold, and the scent of roses in the air during the apparitions.

Appearance to St. Jean Vianney, France

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Madame Durie, a wealthy benefactress who decided to donate a large
amount of money to the Curé of Ars, entered the presbytery and
climbed the stairs to bring the news to St. Jean Vianney.  As she
approached his room, she heard two voices.  The first was gentle and
sweet, asking, “What do you ask?” to which St. Jean replied, “the
conversion of sinners, cure of the sick, and specifically for the cure of a
person who has been suffering a long while,” the last of which referred
to Mme. Durie.  Mary replied, “She will be cured, but not yet.”

When Mme. Durie overheard this, she opened the door and found the
Blessed Mother dressed in a dazzling white robe adorned with golden
roses, her hands sparkling like diamonds and head crowned with

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shining stars.  Mary looked at Mme. Durie and smiled sweetly at her,
which provided the greatest consolation Mme. Durie had experienced
in her time of need.

Our Lady of the Rock, Sicily, Italy

In 1620, a woman named Rosa traveled to the countryside with her

blind daughter, Angelina.  On their journey, an angel first appeared to
Angelina, followed by the Blessed Mother.  Mary instructed the girl to
enter into a specific place in town and dig up a statue they’d find in the
ground.  The girl and her mother did, in fact, find the Marian statue, and
Mary then requested that a shrine of sorts be constructed where the
statue could be housed and venerated by all.  As a sign of her favor,
she granted sight to young Angelina.

Appearance to Blessed Elizabeth Canori Mora, Italy

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On Christmas 1816, Elizabeth was praying in her home when the
Blessed Mother suddenly appeared to her, carrying baby Jesus in her
arms.  Then Elizabeth saw apostates and heretics violently trying to
grab Jesus from Mary’s arms, to which Mary explained, “Behold, my
daughter, such great ungodliness.”

Mary then told Elizabeth that she asked God for His justice, rather than
His mercy, to be poured onto the world.  When the cause for
canonization was opened for Elizabeth, despite scrupulous
investigations of her mystical writings after the apparition occurred, no
doctrinal deviation was discovered.

Blessed Virgin of the Convent and Woodland, Ozegna, Italy

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In 1623, a deaf-mute teenage boy named Giovanni Petro was making
hay in the countryside when he was privileged to see the Blessed
Mother appear to him.  Afterward, he completely regained his speech,
and the site became a small but sacred place of pilgrimage.

Our Lady of the Woods, Lombardy, Italy

Three shepherds, one of whom was named Peter, witnessed an

apparition of Our Lady near a large chestnut tree in 1617, near the
fields where their sheep grazed.  They claimed she rose up and
disappeared into the sky, and they never saw her after that.  But as a
sign of credibility, the chestnut tree bore fruit out of season.  A chapel
was erected there shortly after the apparition.  Others had seen the
chestnut tree bathed in a glorious light with celestial music being sung
around it.

Our Lady of Liesse, France

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Three knights were captured by a Muslim sultan during the First
Crusade.  They were tormented in order that they might apostasize. 
Even promises of riches and ambition dangled in front of them, but to
no avail.  The sultan, angered at his inability to convert the Christian
knights, sent his beautiful daughter to entice the young men into
submission.  Instead, she returned from their dungeon convinced of the
case of Jesus and His Blessed Mother.

A miraculous image, known as Our Lady of Liesse, appeared to the

three knights during their captivity, by way of the angels.  When the
Muslim princess saw it, she desired immediate conversion and
escaped with the three knights to follow through with her wish.  Once
she was baptized, the image of Our Lady of Liesse became the basis
for a church named in her honor.

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What is your favorite Marian apparition? Leave a comment!

About the author

JEANNIE EWING is a Catholic spirituality writer and national inspirational

speaker. Among her eight books, "From Grief to Grace: The Journey from
Tragedy to Triumph", is her most popular. She is a frequent guest on
podcasts, radio shows, and has appeared on EWTN, CatholicTV, and
ShalomWorld. Her deepest desire is to accompany those who suffer and are
lonely. Visit her website at jeannieewing.com for more information.

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