Apparition Archives - The Mystery of Faith

Our Lady La Salette Public Domain Image — Our Lady La Salette

On Saturday, Sept. 19, a globe of light opened to reveal a beautiful woman seated on a stone. The woman appeared to two shepherd children in Salette, France. The apparition was approved and is celebrated on September 19.

The children’s names were Melanie Calvat, age 15, and Maiximin Graud, age 11. The woman was gently crying and asking for the people and the priests to repent of their sins. She called for penance.

Our Lady was tall, wearing a pearl studded dress and white shawl with a tiara on her head. A crucifix was hanging from her neck. She seemed to be made of light. As she talked to the children she warned of coming war and famine.

Our Lady asked the children to pray day and night for the salvation of the world.

Our Lady of La Salette warned of chastisements that would fall upon humanity if they didn’t change their ways. Before ascending into heaven she urged the children to pray more and gave each of them a secret that was revealed to Pope Pius IX in 1851 concerning threats to the church and to the world.

While Our Lady’s message focused on conversion and penance she also gave the children a message of hope regarding the power of prayer saying:

“if they are converted, the stones and rocks will change into mounds of wheat, and the potatoes will be self-sown in the land”,

After the apparition many people made amends for the wrongs they had done. Miracles began occurring at the site, as people were cured over various ailments from water from the spring there within weeks of Our Lady’s appearance. The Church officially approved of this apparition (deeming it worthy of belief) after much investigation and debate in 1851. Construction of a church at La Salette began in 1852 and was completed in 1865. It was designated as the Basilica of Our Lady of La Salette in 1879.

Pope John Paul II made the following comment on the Apparition of La Salette:

“In this place, Mary, the loving Mother appeared manifesting her pain for the moral evil caused by humanity. Her tears help us to understand the seriousness of sin and the rejection of God, and at the same time it is a manifestation of the passionate fidelity that her Son has for each person, even though His redemptive love is marked by the wounds of treason and abandonment by men.”

Of all the virtues of the Virgin Mary, the most admirable is her great humility; it is a virtue of which we ourselves have a great need.

Quote of Bl. Alphonsus de Orozco; Feast Day September 19

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

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Our Lady of Fatima Public Domain Image — Our Lady of Fatima
Public Domain Image

The Feast day of Our Lady of Fatima is celebrated on May 13.

In 1917, an angel and Our Lady appeared six times to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. Jacinta (7 years old) and Francisco (9 years old) were brother and sister. Lucy Dos Santos (14 years old) was their cousin. Jacinta and Francisco both died several years after the apparitions.

Francisco was born on June 11, 1908. During the apparitions Francisco could see but not hear what was being said. He had a great love of praying before the Blessed Sacrament. He also had a great devotion to praying the Rosary. He received his first communion on the day of his death, April 4, 1919.

Jacinta was born on March 11, 1910. Jacinta could both hear and see what was said during the apparitions. She was profoundly affected when Our Lady told her that Jesus was very offended by sin. After seeing a vision of hell, she decided to offer herself completely to the salvation of souls. She offered her suffering to free souls from the fires of hell. A year after the apparitions she came down with bronchial pneumonia, an abscessed lung and then was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She offered all of her suffering to Jesus. She was rushed to a hospital in Lisbon. The Blessed Virgin visited her their three times. She died without the presence of her parents or Lucy on Feb.20, 1920.

Lucy was born on March 22, 1907. After the apparitions Our Lady told her that her cousins would soon be in heaven and that Lucy should spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady said “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God.” It was Lucy who requested a miracle so people would believe in the apparitions. During the investigations surrounding the apparitions, Lucy was harassed. She entered the Sisters of St. Dorothy as Sister Mary of the Sorrowful Mother. Later she became a Carmelite Sister taking the name Sister Maria Lucia. She had several more visions of Our Lady. Lucy died on Feb. 3, 2005 at the age of 97.

The children saw a brilliant flash of lightning. A beautiful Lady appeared clothed in white and she asked the children to return on the thirteenth of each month. She asked the children to pray the Rosary daily and for devotion to her Immaculate Heart. She also requested prayer for Russia. Our Lady of Fatima spoke of observing the first Saturdays of each month by going to confession and receiving Holy Communion as a devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

On the final visit, a dramatic “dance of the sun” took place. It was witnessed by thousands of people. The sun seemed to tumble from the sky.

During the apparitions in Fatima three secrets were revealed to the children.

After being promised they would go to heaven the children saw a vision of hell which was filled with fire and demons.
Mary instructed the children how to save souls from Hell and convert the world to Christianity. She asked them to spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart and to pray the Rosary. She asked them to pray for Russia.
The children had a vision of the assassination of the Holy Father.

Many believe the third secret was a prophecy of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II canonized Francisco and Jacinta Marto on May 13, 2000.

Several chapels have been built at the site.

Pope John Paul II gave thanks to Our Lady of Fatima for her intercession after he survived an attempted assassination. He reminded the faithful that “the message of Fatima is a call to conversion and repentance, the nucleus of the message of the Gospel”.

There is no queen like humility to make the King surrender. Humility drew the King from heaven to the womb of the Virgin, and with it, by one hair, we will draw Him to our souls.

Quote of St. Teresa of Avila; Feast day October 15