Apparitions of Mary another false doctrine as claimed by the antichrists

6 Miraculous Photos of the Virgin Mary Finally Revealed

What are Marian Apparitions?

Marian apparitions are known as apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, descending from heaven to earth. These apparitions are often associated with some type of message that Our Lady wants to communicate and, depending on the nature of her visit, can range from a short apparition to several over the years. There is always at least one witness to an apparition, and it is not uncommon for the witness to later become a saint or holy figure within the Church.

Throughout the history of the Church there have been many reports and claims of Marian apparitions. However, the twenty-six that have been approved as genuine and trustworthy are spread all over the world, from France, Spain, Japan, to Egypt.

Marian Apparition in Egypt

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 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 honour.  After two unsuccessful 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 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; 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

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.