This forum is intended to be a safe place for non-Catholics AND Catholics to ask questions about Catholicism and Catholic teachings. Here you can read about the faith from faithful, practicing Catholics, ask them your questions, and start to find out exactly what being a Catholic is all about. (Questions and discussions on matters of faith are to be kept respectful and non-inflammatory.)
Gday guys- its been a while.
Just a quick note if I may and a request for info? Ive noticed that this is a great Forum with topics such as Divine mercy, Called to be Catholic and Daily Life to name only a few. But Im just wondering if there was a chance of a purely Marist page? I think this would be extremely beneficial to most including myself who is slightly biased towards Our Lady.
On another note...is there out there anyone who can help me find a great website on short histories of Marist apparitions and devotions. Most sites I have encountered are detailed and go on forever, but all Im asking for is a short overview on each I can take to the guys in jail wishing to learn more about Mary.
Thank you guys and keep up the great entries. I love reading and learning from each and everyone of you!
What I suggest is that you use key points in the first link, and dates of approval, and why who when you look through some of these. They are not that long at all.
Of the many forms of devotion to Our Lady, there are some which have been especially recommended by the Church. Devotions which involve the use of physical objects are not superstitious, because these objects are not thought to have any power in themselves. Rather, they are external aids to interior devotion to the Mother of God.
The Rosary
An especially great Marian devotion is the Rosary. There is an ancient tradition that St. Dominic received the Rosary from Our Lady in an apparition at Prouille in 1206 A.D. as a weapon against the Albigensian heresy. What is entirely certain is that in one way or another, numerous Popes have spoken of St. Dominic as author of the Rosary, without pronouncing on the authenticity of the Prouille vision. They have strongly recommended the Rosary. Vatican II in its Constitution on the Church # 67 wrote that whatever the Church has ever recommended in Marian devotion should still be considered of great importance. Not long after, Pope Paul VI in his Encyclical Christi Matris Rosarii pointed out that that statement obviously included the Rosary. Countless are the favors individuals have experienced through the Rosary. The whole Church benefitted especially when in October 1571, Pope St. Pius V announced that the Christian fleet had won a decisive victory over the Muslim fleet at Lepanto in the Gulf of Corinth. The Muslims were trying to take over all Europe. The Pope explicitly attributed that victory to Rosary processions being held the day of the victory; in addition, every man on the Christian flagship had been given a Rosary before the battle. Our Lady at Lourdes and at Fatima called for a great increase in the prayer of the Rosary, declaring it one of the conditions needed for world peace and the conversion of Russia.
The Brown Scapular
Another recommended Marian devotion is wearing the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. There are many Scapulars, all valuable, but this one is eminent among them. There is a very ancient tradition that St. Simon Stock, Superior of the Carmelite Order in England in 1251, after imploring the help of Our Lady, was favored with a vision in which she gave him the Scapular, saying: "This will be a privilege for you and for all Carmelites, that he who dies in this will not suffer eternal fire." The historical evidence for this vision is very impressive, and gives at least some degree of moral certitude that the vision really did take place. To gain this promise one must be enrolled in the Confraternity of the Scapular. Pope Pius XII, on the 700th anniversary of this vision, wrote to the Major Superiors of the Carmelites, clearly showing his belief in it: "For not with a light or passing matter are we here concerned, but with the obtaining of eternal life itself, which is the substance of the Promise of the Most Blessed Virgin which has been handed down to us."
However, the Pope warned that the mere physical wearing of the Scapular is not enough: "May it be to them a sign of their Consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of the Immaculate Virgin, which in recent times we have so strongly recommended." If one then uses the Scapular as the outward sign of living such a Marian consecration, then faith in the fulfillment of the promise is well justified. In fact, Pope Pius XI said (Explorata res. Feb. 2, 1923): "Nor would he incur eternal death whom the Most Blessed virgin assists, especially at his last hour. This opinion of the Doctors of the Church, in harmony with the sentiments of the Christian people, and supported by the experience of all times, depends especially on this reason: the fact that the Sorrowful Virgin shared in the work of the Redemption with Jesus Christ." In other words, a solid Marian devotion is certain to bring one close to Jesus Christ, and so will assure one of reaching salvation, even if the vision to St. Simon Stock might not be authentic. Also, when Vatican II said that all things recommended by the Magisterium of the Church towards her should still be considered matters of great importance, the Scapular was clearly included, for numerous Popes have recommended it strongly.
Medals
There are many religious medals that are sacramentals. One of these is the Scapular medal. It may be used in place of the cloth scapular, although the cloth is to be preferred. It needs to be blessed before use, while the cloth Scapulars that replace the original one blessed in the enrollment need not be blessed.
It is important to notice that some Scapular medals are incorrect. On one side there must be the image of Our Lord, pointing at His Heart (this Heart is sometimes omitted), on the other side, any image of Our Lady.
Especially well known is the Miraculous Medal. In 1830 The Blessed Virgin appeared three times in the chapel of the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, to Catherine Laboure, then a novice. It is a medal in honor of the Immaculate Conception. St. Catherine was canonized in 1947. Her body was found incorrupt, and attracts many pilgrims to the original shrine.
Some Approved Marian Apparitions
The Church does not require belief in any apparition or other private revelation. However, she does exercise her maternal judgment for the protection of the faithful in declaring some apparitions to be inauthentic, others to be "worthy of belief." Investigations into alleged apparitions are rigorous. The three which follow have been judged worthy of belief, and devotions related to them have been encouraged by the truth. Each has miracles associated with it which are unexplainable by the best scientists in the world, as testimony to its authenticity.
Lourdes
Our Lady appeared 18 times at Lourdes, in the Pyrenees mountains in southern France, in 1858, to Bernadette Soubirous, a fourteen year old peasant girl. A spring appeared there which feeds the baths at the shrine today. Many miraculous healings are reported from bathing in the waters. The fact that there is no spread of infection, even though no sanitary precautions are taken when people with all sorts of diseases take baths there, is a marvel in itself. Many miracles take place when the Blessed Sacrament passes in procession during the great pilgrimages. In passing, we notice that this fact testifies to the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist there, a Presence which only the Catholic Church has, and only the Catholic Church teaches. There is a medical bureau there, to which any qualified M. D. can come to check alleged cures. Early in this century, Dr. Alexis Carrel came to scoff, but was converted instead. The Church's demands for checking and proof of alleged miracles are so stringent that in the more than a century since 1858 only a few more than 60 miracles have been approved. Madame Bire in 1908 came there, blind because her optic nerve was withered; she regained her sight when the Blessed Sacrament passed. But when the Doctors inspected her eyes, they found she was able to see even though the nerve was still withered--arranged, doubtless, to keep anyone from saying it was a case of suggestion. The nerve did recover within a few weeks.
Guadalupe
On December 9, 1531 an Aztec Indian, Juan Diego, saw the Virgin Mary near Mexico City. She put her image on his cloak, a cloak still to be seen in the great shrine of Guadalupe. The fiber of the cloak should have disintegrated in about 30 years, but is still sound. Scientific checks find that the process of impressing the image is nothing known to science. And there are images in the eyes of the picture of several persons, who probably were present when the image appeared. The images are threefold, just as they would be found in a living eye (following the Purkinje Sanson Law).
Fatima
Momentous for our own times is the shrine of Fatima Portugal, where Our Lady appeared 6 times to three small children, each less than 10 years of age. She asked for penance, the Rosary, and Immaculate Heart devotion, saying that on these conditions, God would keep Russia from spreading her errors throughout the world - this was said at a time when Russia was still greatly religious, under the Czar. The great miracle of the sun dancing on Oct 13, 1917 was seen by thousands, including nonbelievers. The clothing of all had been drenched from heavy rain, yet when the sun settled down again, all clothing was found to be dry. Hallucinations do not dry clothing.
Taken from The Basic Catholic Catechism
PART SEVENTEEN: The Sacramentals
By Fr. William G. Most. (c)Copyright 1990 by William G. Most
*********************************** Also, approved apparitions and devotions
Last edited by Denise on Fri Oct 19, 2012 12:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Devotion to the souls in Purgatory contains in itself all the works of mercy, which supernaturalized by a spirit of faith, should merit us Heaven. de Sales
Compliments of Unity Publishing and Emmitsburg.net
False Marian Apparitions through History
False apparitions, miracles, locutions and the like have one thing in common, they always build up the importance of the seer, the mystic. Therefore, history records them by the mystics' name instead of the message or the place. Therefore, this is really a history of the false mystics. All of them claimed to receive messages directly from God. It might be useful for those who want to improve their knowledge on these matters to study Canon Law 1259 on New Forms of Worship; the decree of the Holy Office, April 17, 1942, regarding booklets, pamphlets and leaflets seeking to introduce new forms of devotion; the June 7, 1932, decree of the Sacred Congregation of the Council regulating the manner of publishing favors and offerings related to devotions; and Canon Law 1399 regarding condemned books, paintings, and the like.
There may be as many as one hundred of these preternatural happenings in each century since Christ. We will, however, only point out a few in order to show the reader that what is going on in the 20th Century is not new, and it will not destroy the Church. It will, nonetheless, harm many uncautious souls.
First Century
In the first Century, Satan, trying to destroy the Kingdom of God before it became established, caused false seers to receive private revelations and show signs and wonders that led to the writing of 23 false Gospels and 97 false Epistles. These false revelations led the Holy Father in the fourth century to assemble the Bible and declare that it [and it alone] contained the total deposit of faith.
Simon Magus [mentioned in Acts] can be considered the founder of Gnosticism. He taught that ecstasy was the ultimate teacher of truth. He was possessed and caused many others to receive the same power he had. His mystical power was so great, Claudius Caesar had a statue made in his honor. It's not absolute how much power he had, but we do know that he could fly. His death happened the same way the future Antichrist will die. He bragged that he could fly from the top of the tallest building in Rome, and he did, but an exorcism prayer by Peter caused the demons to release him. He fell to his death.
Second Century
In the Second Century Montanus began to have false ecstasies and began to prophesy. He misled entire towns of Christians by his miracles. Two women, Priscilla and Maximilla, received the same power from the demons. The miracles impressed his followers. He claimed a separate and superior revelation over the authority of the bishops. He taught that a new kingdom was coming in his lifetime. He further claimed that after him, there would be no more prophets. He was so influential, Tertullian fell into this error.
Sixteenth Century
Michel de Nostredame, better known as Nostradamus, was born of Jewish parents, but because of the Edict of King Louis XII in 1501, his mother and father were forced to become Catholic. He was baptized and became a doctor and alchemist. He studied magic and the occult at the great Avignon library.
In Avignon he became friends with the Grand Master of the Knights of St. John [later called the Knights of Malta]. They were the keepers of the great treasures of the Church, including the books of the prophets.
Nostradamus copied these books, rewrote them in apocalyptic language and passed them off as his own. By the use of this plagiarism, he became famous in his own day and influenced kings and queens. He is reported to have hated the Virgin Mary, whom he thought of as a demon, and to have been friends with Calvin.
Magdalen of The Cross, a Franciscan Nun of Cordove, had ecstasies, levitation, and stigmata. Her revelations and prophecies consistently came true. She was three times Abbess of her monastery. After years of fooling almost everyone, it was proved that she was possessed from an early age. She was exorcised and removed from her convent.
Seventeenth Century
Kuhlman (1689) communicated with demons and Satan, and wrote preternaturally inspired books.
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) saw angels and spirits. Many followed his writings for years. J.Gichtel (1638-1710) believed that mystical experience was superior to Scripture and wrote seven volumes of mystical theology.
Rose Tamisier received many visions of the Virgin Mary. She received the stigmata, but not the usual type. She had imprinted on her the form of a cross, a heart, a chalice, and even a picture of the Virgin and Child. A picture of Christ bled at the church of St. Saturnin-les-Aptes. She had a worldwide following. However, investigation found that the blood coming from the picture was the blood from a leech. She was discovered as having belonged to a society run by another seer named Martin de Gullardon, who claimed to have visions of angels.
Eighteenth Century
Marie Lenormand (1769-1821) predicted the marriage of Napoleon to Josephine, and both Napoleon and Czar Alexander I of Russia consulted her revelations. It is not unreasonable to believe that much of Napoleon's success came from her powers.
Ninetieth Century
Baroness von Krudener (1800-) had visions and predicted the many activities of Napoleon. Alexander I consulted her in running his country.
Sister Salome, member of the Society of St. John, predicted the failure of Napoleon's Russian campaign. Advised Alexander I of Russia.
Baron Langsdorff (1899) predicted a bomb threat against the Czar Alexander II. He used a psychograph, a prototype of the Ouiji Board.
Father John of Cronstadt (1821-1908) performed miracles and advised Alexander III of Russia.
Eugene Vintras (1807-1875) had visions of St. Michael. Many thought he and his followers to be saints for the outward signs of piety were there. However, it was discovered that he secretly held sacreligious Masses with those present completely nude. The Masses ended in an orgy. Vintras was also accused of homosexual activity. The majority, however, never saw these things.
Rasputin (1871-1916) of Siberia claimed to have been visited and and empowered by the Virgin Mary. He then left his wife and family and became a cultic preacher. He acquired preternatural hypnotic powers, and was believed to be a miracle worker. He seemed to miraculously cure the Czar's child, (the actual origin of the childs apparant illness was never established). He then became a strange advisor to the Czar's family. He was accused of hypnotizing women for seduction, and was in great part responsible for the disintegration the Russian royal family. His infiltration was followed by the Marxist revolution, the murder of the entire Russian royal family, and the complete take-over of atheistic Communism. In 1923 Russia became the first nation on earth to legalize abortion. It later errected "museums of atheism" throughout the country.
Felicie Kozlowska (1861-1922), a Franciscan nun, gave such beautiful prophecies, she was called "Little Mother." She helped excommunicated priest Han Kowalski found the Mariavites -- or Imitators of the Virgin Mary. When Kowalski announced that the Virgin Mary dwelt within her, she was excommunicated by St. Pius X. In spite of this, she gained a following of one million including many priests and nuns. The excommunicated priest became the leader of the cult. They ended up in polygamy and mystical marriages. Over 600,000 Catholics were excommunicated.
Twentieth Century
1931: Ezquioga, Spain, happenings condemned by the Church.
1931: Verschaeve's paintings (1939) of the "Passion of Christ" were condemned by the Holy Office.
1931: Holy Office (1939) condemned the devotion to the "annihilated love of Jesus" and the "Rosary of the Most Sacred Wounds of Our Lord Jesus Christ."
1940: Heede-Germany condemned.
1941: The Church condemned devotion to "The Merciful Love".
1945 - Present: Problematic: 'Lady of All Nations'
1947: Bouxieres-aux-Dames in Belgium declared preternatural.
1947: Espis-France condemned as not from God, and produced violent cases of disobedience.
1948: Moving statue in Assisi condemned as not from the actions of God.
1948: Gimigliano-Italy condemned.
1948: Lipa-Philippine visions and rain of rose petals at the Carmel convent proved to be preternatural.
1948: Aspang-Austria condemned.
1949: Forstweiler-Germany declared not supernatural.
1949: Fehrbach-Germany condemned.
1949: Hasznos-Hungary condemned.
1949: Lublin-Poland's weeping lady condemned.
1950: Heroldsbach, Germany's alleged apparitions declared to be non-supernatural, and disobedience followed.
1950: A this-Mons-France condemned as not from God.
America's False Appartion
Necedah, WIS,
Bayside, NY,
Charismatics,
Portavoz of MX,
St. Joseheph's Hill of Hope, Los Angeles, CA,
The Army of Mary, Canada
The Last Call of Canada
Maria Esperanza of Betania (although Betania is true),
Fr. Albert Hebert of Paulina, LA,
Eileen George of Worcester, MA,
Miguel Poblete of Penablance, OH,
Maureen Sweeney of Cleveland, OH,
Vange Gonzales of Santa Fe, NM,
Nancy Fowler of Conyers, GA,
Elba & Zendia of Terra Blance, MX,
Bro. David of El Ranchilo, TX,
Estella Ruiz of Phoenix, AZ,
Mary Constancio of Lubbock, TX,
Pachi Borrero of El Cajas, EQ,
Father Spaulding of Scottsdale, AZ,
Gianna Sullivan and the rest of Scottsdale, AZ,
Marvin Kucera of Scottsdale, AZ,
Theresa Lopez of CO,
Januszkiewicz of Marlboro, NJ,
Singer of Burlinton, ON,
Reinhiltz of Hillside, IL,
Carol Nole of Santa Maria, CA,
Fr Bruse of Lake Ridge, VA,
Veronica Garcia of Denver, CO,
Tony Fernwalt of Steubenville, OH,
Ray doiron of Belleville, IL,
Rosa Lopez of Hollywood, FL.
False Apparitions in the Rest of the World
Problematic: 'Lady of All Nations' (1945 - Present)
Poem of the Man-God,
The Pebble of AUS,
Vassula Ryden of SZ,
Magnificat Meal Movement
Father Gino, of San Vittorino, Italy
Caterine Richero of France,
Lasut, Slovakia
Garabandal,
Ivetka and Katka Greek Catholic girls from the village of Litmanova. These apparitions are still not decided.
Rosa of Dan Damiano,
Gilli of Italy,
Alocci of Sant Stefano, Italy,
Carabelli of San Damiano, Italy,
Josyp Terelya of Ukraine,
Fr. Gobbi of Milan, Italy,
Julka of Yugoslavia,
Cuevas of El Escorial,
Rwanda (Three seers found to be false and three seers found to be true.)
Medjugorje,
Aloisia Lex of Austria,
Julia Kim of Korea,
Oliveto Citra, Italy,
Ursula and Breda of Melleray, Ireland,
Paul of Blue Mt., AUS,
Cameroon, AF,
Rosemary O'Sullivan of IRE.
Maria Kizyn of Ukraine,
Sr. Anna Ali of Rome,
Christina Gallagher of IRE,
Zenovai of Ukraine,
Singer of Ontario,
Ivetka and Katka of Slovakia,
Matthew Kelly of AUS,
Rossi of Rome.
Devotion to the souls in Purgatory contains in itself all the works of mercy, which supernaturalized by a spirit of faith, should merit us Heaven. de Sales
