Mystical Appearances of Mary

By Phyllis Ann Giarraffa

Mystical Appearances of Mary compiles the most inspirational and fascinating encounters with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, into one magnificent book that is sure to rekindle the faith and hope that lies in each of us.

 

From war-torn countries to devastating economic depressions, and from times of illness to moments of personal conflict, these stories are further proof of the Blessed Mother's unconditional love and compassion for us all. She has shone her divine light into the darkest of corners on earth and during our most trying times. All she asks of us is that our faith remains strong.

Spanning apparitions that occurred centuries ago and right up to the modern-day, this book is sure to touch any sincere reader who picks it up. And that is just what it was designed to do, with compelling stories that will leave the reader marveled, but may also inspire all who peruse these pages to put their faith into action.­

• Language: English
• Publisher: Warrioress Publishing
• Release date: Aug 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223579878

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Phyllis Ann Giarraffa

Mystical Appearances of Mary

First published by Warrioress Publishing 2023

Copyright © 2023 by Phyllis Ann Giarraffa

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

Phyllis Ann Giarraffa asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Phyllis Ann Giarraffa has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

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Contents

Preface

Dedication

Introduction

Austria

Belgium

Bosnia-Herzegovina Formerly Yugoslavia

England

France

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Poland

Portugal

North America

Praying the Rosary

World Relgions: Prayer Beads and Prayer

Conclusion

About the Author

Also by Phyllis Ann Giarraffa

Preface

This book is an engaging and informative read, but that is not its main objective. The purpose of this book, rather, is simple and straight to the point, to enable its readers to develop a new and stronger relationship with Mary, the mother of Jesus, one that draws them closer to God and closer to themselves. It is set up to inspire people to develop a heartfelt feeling for Mary through the many appearances from around the world. Some of these appearances are very well known, while others are not familiar to many people.

The appearances are and have always been a worldwide occurrence, only one needs to be vaguely familiar with them to know that the majority of appearances happened in a concentrated area of Europe.

What this book is not set up to do is convert anyone to any specific religion, faith, practice, or belief system. Such things are personal and should be left entirely up to the reader.

Mother Mary was a real person, and her spirit that lives on and continues to touch all is authentic and accessible. To that point, it is important to state that this book is nonreligious and non-denominational. Yes, the Blessed Mother is a popular figure in the Catholic faith, but one must remember that she predates this sect. Her love transcends Catholicism, and Christianity in general. She loves all, even those who are not familiar with her yet. After reading this book, and others in this series, you will be extremely familiar with her.

Hopefully, this familiarity expands into a serious relationship with her and directs you into a strengthened spiritual practice, whether that is done alone or with a group, traditional or not, it simply does not matter.

This book aims to inspire your spirituality by telling the stories of her from around the world, known as Marian Apparitions. Through these stories, you will not only find a good read but you will gain a better understanding of who Mary is and how she can help us. Conversely, this book also offers insight into those to whom she has appeared and why she appeared. Remember, Marian Apparitions continue to happen to this day and her spirit is still very active in our world. No one is off-limits from being touched by her, all that is required is a bit of faith. You may have noticed that there is a great concentration of stories based in Europe particularly in France and you may be wondering why. Did Mary have a specific connection to this region? Did the French people need more spiritual protection at that time more so than other areas of the world? Or were they more faithful to God? Or is it that Mary and the apostles spent much of their time in France or Europe?

These stories will give insight into such questions and more. Other regions also touched on include Asia, Africa, and the Americas, to let the reader know that her love is not located in any one place.

Lastly, the purpose of this book is not to fascinate anyone with the mystique surrounding miracles, although miracles are fascinating. It would never be recommended that one substitute a real spiritual practice and a genuine relationship with our Creator for depending on stories of the miraculous. Hopefully, you, the reader will move beyond this. That is why the last chapter in this book is designed to give the reader real, practical advice and techniques to move them closer to the Father and Mother Mary. Although Mary has encouraged praying the rosary to the people she has appeared there are non Christian’s all over the world that pray various forms of a rosary which we discuss on the last chapters of the book.

If, however, the reader is not ready for such a relationship with the divine, I guarantee that they will still walk away having read an interesting book, one that puts a fresh new spin on some old and sometimes forgotten stories.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my friend and teacher Reverend Dolores Saunders who entrusted much of this material for this book to me over 35 years ago. So happy to finally see its completion and more of it to come in the future. I would like to thank the many who contributed to the editing, writing, consultation of this inspiring book namely Tanya, Shawn, and John without them it would have been impossible.

I would like to honor my late husband Jasbir Singh Mokha who has been struggling with Alzheimer’s but because of him I could stay close to home and complete this book. My children Amar and Nick with his wife Gail and all my future grandchildren may this book be an inspiration to you. To my parents, who are no longer with us physically, but who sacrificed to send me to parochial schools for my education and were supportive of my life decisions. Final thanks to my entire family including my nieces and their children as well as my husband’s family which is so great to have your support at this time. To my many friends over the years who believed in me, thank you for your support.

Introduction

Book one, The Life of Mary: Chosen and Blessed Among Women was an introduction of the life of Mary. It was a journey that began with her birth and went through the virgin birth of God’s only Son, Jesus, until Mary’s death. You do not have to read book one in order to read this book, however, to get a complete understanding of Mother Mary it is recommended to read both books.

In this book, we look at the apparitions of the Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary. It is not only mystical and inspiring to read about the miracles that she has performed throughout time, but the stories also give us insight into the people she has blessed and most importantly how she works in the lives of those who call upon her.

Apparitions are worldwide occurrences with the majority of them concentrated in France and nearby regions. We explore the reasons for her connection to France and its people as well as other places, such as England where the Holy Grail found its way to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

See Mary’s silhouette above me and her hand blessing us.

Although all the stories give great inspiration and offer much sensationalism with the wonders of sun spinning prophecies, secrets, great lights, and miracles it is not to say the importance of prayers, meditation, and reading sacred books or the Gospels are unimportant. These stories allow our mind to realize that divinity can be beyond our rational mind. The Father waits for humanity to continue to grow deep in love and faith in spiritual truth on a path to His holiness.

I only ask of you to suspend your belief concerning whom the Blessed Mother appears to, because contrary to belief, it is not only the holiest of holy. Yes, she blesses the Sisters, Brothers, Mothers, and Fathers, but she also performs miracles for everyone down to the ones who society unfortunately often overlooks. Her love is for all, and Mary is especially concerned for the children from all walks of life who she appears to frequently throughout this book. She is interested in the events of our world and seeks to heal human suffering in all places it can be found. And, as we will learn, all that is asked of us is that we simply call upon her.

It is also quite possible to think that apparitions happen more frequently than what we have been led to believe. Many go unreported, some have been reported but have not made it into the spotlight, and we have seen others appear in the evening news only to forget about them later. Some are covered up, and others are threatened by people with power.

Even though Marian Apparitions are not inclusive to Catholicism, or Christianity for that matter, they are for all who believe. However, it is still the Roman Catholic Church who puts a label on them deciding whether or not they are legitimate. The purpose of apparitions is not to convert anyone to any specific religion, but only to draw people closer to God and the Blessed Mother.

A few of the following stories give a small glimpse into what it was and is like to get apparitions approved through the church. I did not touch on it too much, because an entire book could be written about the politics of this topic alone.

The majority of the stories contained in this book are of apparitions with high standing in the church, and all at least have some type of approval- except three, which were never investigated. These are Our Lady of Graces, Our Lady of the Universe, and The Holy Grail.

The formalities of approving an apparition begin with, however, they do not end with the local bishop/pope. Just because a bishop goes to bat for an apparition it does not necessarily mean that it is smooth sailing afterward. Most apparitions take years, even decades, of paperwork and meeting with committees. Many that were initially met with severe skepticism became the most celebrated and popular apparitions of all time- in fact, the majority of them have been this way.

It is also important to state that just because an apparition has a certain standing with the church, that it could change at any time as new evidence comes forth. This means that investigations can be opened into once unreviewed apparitions, and negatively judged apparitions can receive approval and even end up with the highest standing.

The Roman Catholic Church breaks down apparitions into eight different categories. They are as follows: positive judgment, approved, with widespread liturgical veneration endorsed by the Holy See. These are apparitions approved by the Pope himself.

The stories in this book that have received this standing are Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Knock, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of La Salette.

The next highest category is a positive judgment, approved. These are apparitions approved by the Roman Catholic Church, but not necessarily by the Pope: Our Lady of Laus, Our Lady of Hope, Our Lady of Gietzrwald, Our Lady of the Golden Heart, Virgin of the Poor, and Our Lady of Akita.

Next is a positive judgment of related effects, approved contemporaneous miracles. This means that the church has not officially commented on the apparition, but they do approve of the miracle, or miracles, that took place.

There is only one apparition with this official standing, featured in this book as Our Lady of Zion.

Then there is a positive judgment of related effects, approved public veneration. This means that the church has not commented on the apparition, but they do approve of the religious activities that surround the event.

The apparitions in this book with this positive judgment are: The Virgin by the Sea, Our Lady of Mount Caramel, Our Lady of the Watch, and Our Lady of Prayer.

The next category is a positive judgment, approved for pilgrimage. This means that while the church has not officially approved or discounted an apparition, it still supports Catholics in their pilgrimage to the location.

There is only one apparition with this standing, and it is in this book as well, Our Lady of Medjugorje.

No judgment is the next category and it is self-explanatory, neither positive nor negative judgment has been given. This could mean that the apparition was never investigated or that there is still an ongoing investigation into it. Some of these apparitions in the book are listed above.

Then there are the apparitions with a neutral judgment. What this means is that the apparition was investigated but there was no conclusion one way or another because nobody could make a case for or against it. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but there are no stories like this in the book