#apparition of the holy virgin

[valentiae-edetani]

738x576 'Junto a la fuente sagrada' cuadro de Domenico Trojetti ha 1872

[foreverpraying]

On March 25 is the Feast of the Annunciation

Ivanka Demchuk: Annunciation

George Lawrence Bulleid: The Annunciation

Unknown Artist: A post renaissance era Catholic religious art image of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

[proud-spaniard]

738x576 By the sacred fountain, painting by Domenico Trojetti from 1872

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (May 13)

May 13 is the anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to three shepherd children in the small village of Fatima in Portugal in 1917. 

She appeared six times to Lucia dos Santos (9) and her cousins Francisco Marto (8) and his sister Jacinta Marto (6) between 13 May 1917 and 13 October 1917.

The story of Fatima begins in 1916 when, against the backdrop of the First World War that had introduced Europe to the most horrific and powerful forms of warfare yet seen, and a year before the Communist revolution would plunge Russia and later Eastern Europe into six decades of oppression under militant atheistic governments, a resplendent figure appeared to the three children who were in the field tending the family sheep.

“I am the Angel of Peace,” said the figure, who appeared to them two more times that year, exhorting them to accept the sufferings that the Lord allowed them to undergo as an act of reparation for the sins that offend Him and to pray constantly for the conversion of sinners.

Then, on the 13th day of the month of Our Lady, May 1917, an apparition of ‘a woman all in white, more brilliant than the sun’ presented itself to the three children saying, “Please don’t be afraid of me. I’m not going to harm you.”

Lucia asked her where she came from and she responded,  “I come from Heaven.” 

The woman wore a white mantle edged with gold and held a rosary in her hand.

The woman asked them to pray and devote themselves to the Holy Trinity, and to “say the Rosary every day to bring peace to the world and an end to the war.”

She also revealed that the children would suffer, especially from the unbelief of their friends and families, and that the two younger children, Francisco and Jacinta, would be taken to Heaven very soon.

However, Lucia would live longer in order to spread her message and devotion to the Immaculate Heart.

In the last apparition, the woman revealed her name in response to Lucia’s question:   “I am the Lady of the Rosary.”

That same day, 70,000 people had turned out to witness the apparition, following a promise by the woman that she would show the people that the apparitions were true.

They saw the sun make three circles and move around the sky in an incredible zigzag movement in a manner, which left no doubt in their minds about the veracity of the apparitions. 

José Alves Correia da Silva, Bishop of Leiria, declared the events worthy of belief on 13 October 1930. They have been approved by the Church as authentic.

The messages Our Lady imparted during the apparitions to the children concerned the violent trials that would afflict the world by means of war, starvation, and the persecution of the Church and the Holy Father in the twentieth century, if the world did not make reparation for sins.

She exhorted the Church to pray and offer sacrifices to God in order that peace may come upon the world and that the trials may be averted.

Our Lady of Fatima revealed three "prophetic secrets.”

The first two of which were revealed earlier and refer to the vision of hell and the souls languishing there, the request for an ardent devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the prediction of the Second World War, and finally, the prediction of the immense damage that Russia would do to humanity by abandoning the Christian faith and embracing Communist totalitarianism. 

The third “secret” was not revealed until the year 2000.

It referred to the persecutions that humanity would undergo in the last century:

“The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated'”. 

The suffering of the popes of the 20th century has been interpreted to include the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981, which took place on May 13, the 64th anniversary of the apparitions.

The Holy Father attributed his escape from certain death to the intervention of Our Lady:

“... it was a mother's hand that guided the bullet's path and in his throes the Pope halted at the threshold of death.”

What is the central meaning of the message of Fatima? Nothing different from what the Church has always taught:

It is, as Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict the XVI,  has put it, “the exhortation to prayer as the path of “salvation for souls” and, likewise, the summons to penance and conversion.”

Perhaps the most well known utterance of the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima was her confident decalaration that “My Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

Cardinal Ratzinger has interpreted this utterance as follows:

“The Heart open to God, purified by contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every kind.

The fiat of Mary, the word of her heart, has changed the history of the world, because it brought the Saviour into the world—because, thanks to her Yes, God could become man in our world and remains so for all time.

The Evil One has power in this world, as we see and experience continually; he has power because our freedom continually lets itself be led away from God.

But since God himself took a human heart and has thus steered human freedom towards what is good, the freedom to choose evil no longer has the last word.

From that time forth, the word that prevails is this: “In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33).

The message of Fatima invites us to trust in this promise.

[portraitsofsaints]

Happy Feast Day

Our Lady of Champion

Feast Day: October 9

In 1859, the Blessed Virgin Mary visited a simple Belgium girl, Adele Brise, in N.E. Wisconsin. Her message was to teach the children their faith. A long history of miraculous events have occurred; conversions, physical healings and preserving the holy shrine grounds from the infamous Peshtigo fire of 1871. The shrine of Our Lady of Good Help is the only Marian shrine in the U.S. on the site of an approved Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase. (website)

[travelingare]

📍Holly Monastery of Panagia Sumela, Turkey!!

The Holy Monastery of Panagia Sumela is a Christian monument in the Sea of ​​Asia Minor, in present-day Turkey. It functioned as an Orthodox monastery until the Asia Minor Disaster of 1922. It is built inside a cave on a steep slope of Mount Mela, in the hinterland of Trebizond, from where it takes its name, (Pontian: sou Mela, cleaning: eis tou Mela).

indicative list of World Heritage Sites (since 2000)

According to tradition, in 386 the Athenian monks Barnabas and Sophronios were led to the inaccessible mountain peaks of Pontus after an apparition of the Virgin Mary, in order to establish her solitary abode.

The monks Varnavas and Sophronios, with the support of the neighboring Vazelona monastery, built a cell and then a church inside the cave, to which the icon had been miraculously transported. The serious problem of the monastery's water supply was solved, also according to tradition, in a miraculous way.

@ucan.mimar

#travel #travelingare #holymonastery #panagiasoumela #christianmonument #trebizond #turkey

[misspjsuperior]

Tonantzin Guadalupe 🌵🌹

The original \/u| \//\ goddess I created in 2013 is Maria Rosa. Her design was inspired in major part between the miracle of La Virgen de Guadalupe and the concept of Mary Queen of Heaven.

I was recently commissioned to create a new (\/) Goddess inspired similarly between Guadalupe and Tonantzin by my chingona hermana Janet Bella Rosa who also knew Mi padrino Antonio 🙏 I felt his spirit guiding me to connect our visions! 💞

Tonantzin is an enduring Nahuatl title for the maternal aspect of any Aztec goddess, much like “Our Lady”, rather than the name of a particular goddess. I chose a blue background to parallel Her starry mantle of heaven and also represent Lake Texcoco since the eagle, snake, and cactus from its story of the founding of ancient Mexico there are present. 💙🌵 

Tonantzin in various forms is frequently depicted with eagle feet so I thought it appropriate to have the legendary golden eagle clutch the silvery moon below Her in place of Guadalupe’s cherub 🦅 🌙 Tonantzin is often known, by many names, to wear a skirt of snakes- the celestial Aztec earth mother Coatlicue’s particular name translates to “She of Snake Skirts”. So I couldn’t help but see the snake emerge from the opening in Her folds here. Frequently in Aztec art snakes emerging from or replacing body parts represents blood so I feel a menstrual element from how the snake manifested in this vision 🐍 🩸

Many believe that the apparition of La Virgen de Guadalupe on Tepeyac Hill unto St. Juan Diego, an Indigenous peasant originally named Cuauhtlatoatzin meaning “Talking Eagle”, was a vision of a new form of Tonantzin. Her local temple had formerly been on that very site, destroyed by conquistadors. When Cuauhtlatoatzin received these holy visions, the Goddess spoke to him not in Spanish but in his native Nahuatl language even though She identified Herself as The Virgin Mother of God. Even the Church documents testify that The Holy Mother assured him in his moment of doubt, in his Indigenous tongue, “Am I not here who am your Mother?” Indeed Tonantzin Coatlicue herself is said to have had her own divine conception via a feather 🪶 

The miraculous vision of Guadalupe that appeared upon Juan Diego/Talking Eagle’s tilma is often seen as a self portrait by Her and there are many analyses of the visual element’s encoding of Aztec symbolism. I took these theories and insights into consideration while creating this vision.

Even within the suppression of Spanish colonization ancient indigenous Mexican Curanderismo healing practices were able to persevere and often in the name of La Virgen de Guadalupe, under the protection of Her image.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

“At home, on the evening of December 12th we may light a candle and place offerings of flowers, copal and chocolate in front of her statue or painting. In the public square, those who follow the Mexica spiritual tradition will join brothers and sisters for an all-night vigil of prayer, Danza, offerings, and songs to her, who is Tonantzin Tlalli Coatlicue, who was always honored at the hill of Tepeyac. As we salute the Four Winds and dance in the ceremonial circle, we honor those who have gone before us, the courageous people who kept traditions alive through the centuries despite the threat to their life if discovered. The feathers in the copilli, the ceremonial headdress worn by the dancers, will draw down the energy of the cosmos into Mother Earth, our beautiful Tonantzin Tlalli Coatlicue to help her heal from the many ways she is dishonored.

Nearby, children will play and laugh, faces smeared with the traces of candy and the cinnamon of churros, the delicious deep fried pastry covered with sugar and cinnamon while the sound of mariachi music adds to the feeling of a fusion of cultures and beliefs. If you wander the crowded street you will see a handful of Catholic pilgrims on their knees on the hard pavement slowly make their way to the entrance of the church in gratitude for answered prayers.

And, in spite of quiet official church disapproval, the local parish priest will invite Indigenous ceremonial dancers to participate during the special December 11-12 mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe. Inside the church, for a few moments, Mayan copal will blend with European frankincense, quetzal feathers will dance on the air, and elders with bundles of aromatic rosemary plants will cleanse the People’s spirit. The two cultures, reconciled at this moment, acknowledge their bond of love for the Woman Who is Cloaked with the Sun; a bridge of Light between peoples.”

Maestra Grace via Curanderismo.org

[secret-smut-sideblog]

where does your light not shine?

Brynne Rebele-Henry - Prelude To Becoming Holy, Joakim Skovgaard - Christ in the Realm of the Dead, Lingua Ignota - The ORDER OF SPIRITUAL VIRGINS, Mary Szybist - Holy, James Tissot - The Apparition, Margaret Atwood - The Journals of Sussana Moodie, Deborah Sengl - Of Sheep and Wolves, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

[orthodoxydaily]

ICON, SAINTS&READING: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2024

september 8_september 21

THE NATIVITY OF OUR MOST HOLY LADY THE THEOTOKOS AND EVER VIRGIN MARY

By Fr. Alexander Schmemann

The Church’s veneration of Mary has always been rooted in her obedience to God and her willing choice to accept a humanly impossible calling. The Orthodox Church has always emphasized Mary’s connection to humanity and delighted in her as the best, purest, most sublime fruition of human history and of man’s quest for God for ultimate meaning, for the ultimate content of human life. If in Western Christianity, veneration of Mary was centered upon her perpetual virginity, the heart of Orthodox Christian East’s devotion, contemplation, and joyful delight have always been her Motherhood, her flesh and blood connection to Jesus Christ. The East rejoices that the human role in the divine plan is pivotal. The Son of God comes to earth, appears to redeem the world, He becomes human to incorporate man into His divine vocation, but humanity takes part in this. If it is understood that Christ’s “co‐nature” with us is as a human be‐ ing and not some phantom or bodiless apparition, that He is one of us and forever united to us through His and forever humanity, then devotion to Mary also becomes understandable, for she is the one who gave Him His human nature, His flesh and blood. She is the one through whom Christ can always call Himself “The Son of Man.” Son of God, Son of Man…God descending and becoming man so that man could become divine, could become partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), or as the teachers of the Church expressed it, “deified.” Precisely here, in this extraordinary revelation of man’s authentic nature and calling, is the source of that gratitude and tenderness that cherishes Mary as our link to Christ and, in Him, to God. And nowhere is this reflected more clearly than in the Nativity of the Mother of God.

ICON: SOPHIA THE WISDOM OF GOD OF KIEV

The Icon of Sophia, the Wisdom of God (Kiev), occupies an unique place in the Russian Orthodox Church. On the icon is depicted the Theotokos, and the Hypostatic Wisdom, the Son of God incarnate of Her.

In Wisdom or Sophia, ponders the Son of God, about Whom in the Proverbs of Solomon it says: “Wisdom has built a house for herself, and has set up seven pillars” (9:1). These words refer to Christ, the Son of God, Who in the Epistles of Saint Paul is called “Wisdom of God” (1 Cor.1:30), and the word “house” refers to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, of Whom the Son of God is incarnate.

The arrangement of the icon bears witness to the fulfillment of this prophecy. On the Kiev icon of Sophia is a church, and standing there is the Mother of God in a robe with a veil on her head, under an archway of seven pillars. The palms of Her hands are outstretched, and her feet are set upon a crescent moon. The Theotokos holds the Pre-eternal Christ Child, blessing with Her right hand, and holding the Infant with Her left.

On the cornice of the entrance are inscribed the words from the Book of Proverbs: “Wisdom has built a house for herself, and has set up seven pillars.” Over the entrance are depicted God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. From the mouth of God the Father issues the words: “I am affirmation of Her footsteps.”

Along both sides the seven Archangels are depicted with outstretched wings, holding in their hands symbols of their duties. On the right side: Michael with flaming sword; Uriel with a lightning flash hurling downwards; Raphael with alabaster vessel of myrrh. On the left side: Gabriel with a lily blossom; Selaphiel with a scale; Jerudiel with royal crown; and Barachiel with flowers on a white shawl.

Under a cloud with the crescent moon, serving as a footrest for the Mother of God, is a staircase with seven steps (depicting the Church of God on earth). Those standing on the seven steps are the Old Testament witnesses of the manifestation of Wisdom, the Forefathers and the Prophets.

On each of the seven steps are inscribed faith, hope, love, purity, humility, blessedness, and glory. The staircase's seven steps are set upon the seven pillars, on which images are inscribed, and their explanations are taken from the Apocalypse.

Philippians 2:5-11

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28

38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. 27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" 28 But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

[joanofarcs-stigmata]

wrote a quick (not so) little prayer for mental clarity and peace based on the grotto in Lourdes. It can be used as a stand-alone prayer, but is technically intended to be a novena.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Amen. 

Almighty God, Three in One, the Creator, the Birthed, and the Spirit, who by the creation of the sweet soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary did create a worthy Mother for the Son, I humbly cry out to you that, as I ponder the apparition of Our Lady in the Grotto of Lourdes, I may be blessed with health of mind and body. Most gracious Mother Mary, who held our Lord and Redeemer at your breast, look with favor upon me as you did that day on gentle Bernadette, and intercede on my behalf for a clarity of mind, as still and peaceful as the blue of your mantel, and as clear and steady as the waters of your Grotto. 

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed be the fruit of thy womb. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. 

Sweetest Virgin, blessed Mother, I come to you on my knees, not unlike little Bernadette, who prayed with such childlike adoration and faith. My clothes are stained with the mud on the Grotto bank, my skin cold with swirling winter air, far from your example of how to live a Christian life. I yearn for your Son, but my mind is clouded and ravished. Beckon your Son close and whisper in His holy ear that I might have a mind that reflects the gentle waves and clear warmth of your Grotto’s waters, for it is known that He abandons none who you so grace with your intercession.

Immaculate Mary, Mother of the Creator of gentle waters and clear night skies, you gifted Bernadette with the knowledge of your Grotto’s waters, and of the healing properties of your presence that lingers in its touch. As Bernadette knelt at your feet and the miraculous spring burst forth, Mother of God, I kneel before you today to pray that you would ask your Precious Son to let my mind reflect your healing waters, and to settle my mind as your waters settle the spiritual and mundane at your Son’s behest. 

In exchange for your petitions and your Son’s grace, I swear to show forth the mercy and humility that makes up the stitches on your mantel. Oh, Lady of Lourdes, pray for me! Child of Lourdes, Saint Bernadette, pray for me! Most Holy Trinity, have mercy! 

Amen. 

[eerieluzt]

The Hill of Crosses

Many believe the crosses cropped up at the end of the 19th century, after an apparition of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus asked the believers to cover the holy place with these icons. The Hill of Crosses represents Lithuania's unique national and religious identity.

[foreverpraying]

February 11 is the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes

Virgilio Tojetti: Our Lady of Lourdes

Source of picture: https://stjohncapistrano67.tumblr.com

Source of picture: https://theraccolta.tumblr.com

Pilgrimage chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes in Modlivý důl valley, village of Svojkov, Czech Republic. Photo by Jan Řehák

[calabria-mediterranea]

The Story Of Natuzza Evolo: Calabrian Mystic

Natuzza was a Calabrian mystic who acted as a medium and healer, showed evidence of stigmata, and could “bi-locate” — be in two different places at once. She is also connected with “hemography,” which is when blood stains miraculously transform into symbols, shapes, and even words, particularly Christian ones like crosses.

Natuzza was born in 1924 in Paravati, a tiny hamlet near Mileto in Calabria. Her given name is Fortunata, from which the diminutive “Natuzza” comes. Natuzza’s father had left for Argentina a few months before she was born, and he never returned, leaving Natuzza’s mother alone to care for her newborn as well as her other children.

Natuzza never learned to read or write and helped support her mother and siblings by working for local families. She allegedly began having her first visions as a small child — Jesus, it is said, appeared to her as a boy who played with her and one of her brothers — but her brushes with the dead didn’t become popular knowledge around town until she began experiencing them as a young teen at work.

And it wasn’t just apparitions with Natuzza, even as a child. At her First Holy Communion, her mouth reportedly filled with blood when the wafer symbolizing the body of Christ was placed inside. At her Confirmation, a large stain of blood in the form of a cross formed on the back of her shirt.

Because of Natuzza’s experiences with the paranormal, as a young woman she was closed in an asylum with a diagnosis of "hysterical syndrome" for a few months by the local priest and was not permitted to enter a convent to become a nun.

Natuzza became known for the appearance on her body of blood-coloured images and words around the time of Easter and these caused her great psychological and physical pain. Some of the words were found to be Hebrew and Aramaic which was strange because she could not read or write, even in her native Italian. For decades devout Catholics from Calabria, then the rest of Italy and other parts of the world, began coming to her to ask for advice and prayers and to ask her for information about the souls of their relatives.

In addition to seeing Jesus, Natuzza also claimed to have also seen and communicated with the Virgin Mary, angels, and the dead, particularly souls in purgatory, throughout her life.

Natuzza was also considered a healer, credited with being able to look at a person and tell them what was ailing them, physically — using formal, medical terminology — as well as suggest treatments. She could also see the future and sometimes spoke in languages she didn’t know (remember, again, she was illiterate). In fact, some of her blood stains even transformed into phrases in foreign languages.

However, Natuzza never accepted money for what she did or was accused of participating in anything fraudulent based on her abilities, which, in the eyes and hearts of many, lend credence to her and her followers’ claims.

"It's a question of removing the suggestive religious context from the event. It doesn't allow rational reading since it cloaks it in mythology and unprovable hypotheses," says the Italian Committee for the Checking of Pseudoscientific Claims, or CICAP.

The group believes the so-called stigmata cases are really examples of Gardner-Diamond syndrome, "a skin condition that, although rare, is well documented in medical literature." The syndrome gives rise to a series of periodic, painful and bleeding bruises of unclear origin, combined with psychiatric disorders such as self-harm.

Although she’s relatively unknown internationally, Italians have been fascinated by Natuzza for generations as she has been a popular subject of books and various Italian television programs.

After Natuzza passed away on All Saints’ Day in 2009, about 30,000 people traveled from all over Italy and beyond for her funeral in rural Calabria. One-hundred priests and six Italian bishops were also in attendance.

Follow us on Instagram, @calabria_mediterranea

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (December 9)

On December 9, Roman Catholics celebrate St. Juan Diego, the indigenous Mexican Catholic convert whose encounter with the Virgin Mary began the Church's devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

In 1474, 50 years before receiving the name Juan Diego at his baptism, a boy named Cuauhtlatoatzin — “singing eagle” — was born in the Anahuac Valley of present-day Mexico.

Though raised according to the Aztec pagan religion and culture, he showed an unusual and mystical sense of life even before hearing the Gospel from Franciscan missionaries.

In 1524, Cuauhtlatoatzin and his wife converted and entered the Catholic Church.

The farmer now known as Juan Diego was committed to his faith, often walking long distances to receive religious instruction.

In December 1531, he would be the recipient of a world-changing miracle.

On December 9, Juan Diego was hurrying to Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

However, the woman he was heading to church to celebrate came to him instead.

In the native Aztec dialect, the radiant woman announced herself as the “ever-perfect holy Mary, who has the honor to be the mother of the true God.”

“I am your compassionate Mother, yours and that of all the people that live together in this land,” she continued, “and also of all the other various lineages of men.”

She asked Juan Diego to make a request of the local bishop.

“I want very much that they build my sacred little house here” — a house dedicated to her son Jesus Christ, on the site of a former pagan temple, that would “show him to all Mexicans and exalt him throughout the world."

She was asking a great deal of a native farmer. Not surprisingly, his bold request met with skepticism from Bishop Juan de Zumárraga.

But Juan Diego said he would produce proof of the apparition, after he finished tending to his uncle whose death seemed imminent.

Making his way to church on December 12 to summon a priest for his uncle, Juan Diego again encountered the Blessed Virgin.

She promised to cure his uncle and give him a sign to display for the bishop.

On the hill where they had first met, he would find roses and other flowers, though it was winter.

Doing as she asked, he found the flowers and brought them back to her.

The Virgin Mary then placed the flowers inside his tilma, the traditional cloak-like garment he had been wearing.

She told him not to unwrap the tilma containing the flowers until he had reached the bishop.

When he did, Bishop Zumárraga had his own encounter with Our Lady of Guadalupe – through the image of her that he found miraculously imprinted on the flower-filled tilma.

The Mexico City basilica that now houses the tilma has become, by some estimates, the world's most-visited Catholic shrine.

The miracle that brought the Gospel to millions of Mexicans also served to deepen Juan Diego's own spiritual life.

For many years after the experience, he lived a solitary life of prayer and work in a hermitage near the church where the image was first displayed.

Pilgrims had already begun flocking to the site by the time he died on 9 December 1548, the 17th anniversary of the first apparition.

Pope John Paul II beatified him on 6 May 1990 and canonized on 31 July 2002.

He is the first Catholic saint indigenous to the Americas.

[portraitsofsaints]

Our Lady of Fatima

Feast day: May 13

May 13th, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to 3 Portuguese children in the small town of Fatima. She appeared six times and identified Herself as “Our Lady of the Rosary”, asking that they pray the rosary daily for the conversion of sinners. Mary also spoke of observing first Saturdays, devotion to her Immaculate Heart and the conversion of Russia. During the final apparition, the dance of the sun took place in front of 70,000 people. 

Prints, plaques & holy cards available for purchase here: (website)

[mariacallous]

The Vatican formally approved pilgrimages to the Marian shrine of Medjugorje in the southwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday. 

The Note by the Church’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith maintains a reserved stance towards the “alleged” apparitions of the Virgin Mary but recognises the “abundant spiritual fruits” coming from pilgrimages to Medjugorje, which now have “Nulla Osta” [No impediment] status granted by Pope Francis. 

“The positive fruits are most evident in the promotion of a healthy practice of a life of faith, in accordance with the tradition of the Church,” reads the Note.

[But] “evaluating the abundant and widespread fruits, which are so beautiful and positive, does not imply that the alleged supernatural events are declared authentic,” it added. 

“It only highlights that the Holy Spirit is acting fruitfully for the good of the faithful ‘in the midst’ of this spiritual phenomenon of Medjugorje. For this reason, all are invited to appreciate and share the pastoral value of this spiritual proposal,” it continued. 

The Note cautioned that its assessment that most of the messages of Medjugorje are edifying does not imply they have a supernatural origin, and that “one should always bear in mind that they are alleged messages”.

The status of the shrine has vexed the Catholic Church ever since June 1981, when six youngsters from Medjugorje reported visions of the Virgin Mary, and claimed she spoke to them.

The story spread quickly and Medjugorje became one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in Europe, attracting millions of visitors each year. 

However, the local Catholic Bishop of Mostar denied the authenticity of the visions, denouncing the youngsters as liars.

Pope Francis in 2017 also doubted the seers’ claims to have daily visions of the Virgin as highly improbable and as “without value”.

“I prefer the Madonna as mother, our mother, and not a Madonna who is the head of a telegraph office, who every day sends a message at such-and-such an hour. This is not the Mother of Jesus,” the Pope said.

In the meantime, the remote, poor village became one of the best developed and richest small towns in the country.

The latest status given to Medjugorje ends a 15-year-long probe by the Vatican.