Marian Apparitions
Marian Apparitions, the Many Faces of Mary
There are many images of our Blessed Mother and most of them are related to Marian Apparitions. Which one is your favorite? Undeniably, there is no wrong answer because she’ll guide you toward Jesus no matter what.
Our Lady of Grace
"Our Lady of Grace" derives its name from an icon that made its way to a Cathedral in France. Legend has it that the icon was created by Saint Luke who used Mary herself as a model. The more common image is that of the Miraculous Medal. Mary appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré, on top of a globe, with her arms outstretched.
Our Lady of Fatima
In 1917 Our Lady appeared to three poor children in Portugal. Their account of Mary and her request to pray the Rosary for the end of World War I was very controversial. Throughout six total apparitions, she gave the cousins three secrets, and on October 13th, 1917 there was a miracle of the sun that appeared to 70,000 people.
Our Lady of Sorrows
Beginning with the prophecy of Simeon in Luke Chapter 2 in which he predicted that a “sword shall pierce,” our Blessed Mother suffered seven sorrows in relation to her Holy Son. It’s common to depict our Sorrowful Mother with seven swords through her immaculate heart.
Our Lady of Lourdes
In the countryside of France at Lourdes in the 19th century, Mary appeared to a girl as lowly and as poor as herself. She spoke to this girl named Bernadette and requested that she pray and practice penitence for the conversion of sinners. Many people, her parents included, persecuted her, but Bernadette endured. The message eventually softened the hard hearts around her. To this day the springs at Lourdes have been the site of many miraculous healings.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
This apparition of Our Lady to former Aztec Juan Diego in Mexico is one of the most popular religious devotions of any kind. Our blessed had appeared pregnant and looked like the natives in the area. At Mary's request, the exact spot of her appearance was about to feature a shrine built in her honor. A miraculous image on a cloak convinced the skeptical Bishop to build Mary’s Church. From that moment, millions set aside their Aztec religious practice of child sacrifice and became Christian.