233
St. Gregory Thaumaturgus (means the wonderworker) first recorded vision
of Our Lady
Gregory was of a distinguished pagan family. He was born at Neocaesarea,
Pontus, and studied law there. About 233, he and his brother, Athenodorus,
accompanied his sister, who was joining her husband in Caesarea, Palestine,
while they continued on to Beirut to continue their law studies.
They met Origen and instead of going to Beirut, entered his school
at Caesarea, studied theology, were converted to Christianity by Origen,
and became his disciples. Gregory returned to Neocaesarea about 238, intending
to practice law, but was elected bishop by the seventeen Christians of the
city. It soon became apparent that he was gifted with remarkable powers.
He preached eloquently, made so many converts he was able to build a church,
and soon was so reknowned for his miracles that he was surnamed Thaumaturgus
(the wonderworker).
He was a much-sought-after arbiter for his wisdom and legal knowledge
and ability, advised his flock to go into hiding when Decius' persecution
of the Christians broke out in 250, and fled to the desert with his deacon.
On his return, he ministered to his flock when plague struck his See and
when the Goths devastated Pontus, 252-254, which he described in his "Canonical
Letter."
He participated in the synod of Antioch, 264-265, against Samosata,
and fought sabellianism and Tritheism. It is reported that at his death at
Neocaesarea, only seventeen unbelievers were left in the city. He is invoked
against floods and earthquakes (at one time he reportedly stopped the flooding
Lycus, and at another, he moved a mountain).
According to Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory Thaumaturgus experienced a vision
of Our Lady, the first such recorded vision.
He wrote a panegyric to Origen, a treatise on the Creed, and
a dissertation addressed to Theopompus; St. Gregory of Nyssa wrote a panegyric
to Gregory Thaumaturgus.
|
3rd Century July 11 -
Consecration of Our Lady of the Puy-en-Velay, Queen of France
The
Black Virgin of the Puy-en-Velay
According
to the Canon Fayard, an historian, it was on July 11, in the third century
A.D.,
that the Virgin appeared
to a widow suffering from a high fever, on a dolmen in the Puy-en-Velay.
The Mother of God asked the woman to go to Mount Anis, also called
Corneille Rock, and to lie down on a megalithic flagstone. The widow stood
up cured. The Virgin asked her to have a church built on the spot, which
has become one of the oldest sanctuaries dedicated to the Mother of God.
After a second miraculous intervention of the Virgin Mary, Saint Vosy,
a missionary from the Velay, had the first church finally built, at the
end of 5th century. Soon this sanctuary became very popular, as proved by
a text of Gregory of Tours in 591. The Emperor Charlemagne and many kings
of France went there to pray to the Black Virgin.
In 1051, Pope Leo IX wrote, "In this sanctuary on Mount Anis more than
anywhere the Blessed Virgin Mary has received veneration, honor, and the
love of a great many believers in the country." |
395
December 30 – Santa Maria presso San Celso (Milan, Italy, 1485)
Suddenly, the Madonna’s features came alive
A disciple of Saint Nazarius (1st century), Saint Celsus (San Celso
in Italian) first lived in Cimiez, in the south of France and then in Italy.
In 395, Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan, had a revelation in a dream, that
Celsus’ body was buried in a garden outside the city... He had a sarcophagus
built for him on the site, which is still in today’s church. He also had
an image of the Madonna and Child painted in a nearby niche. This painting,
periodically restored, is also visible today.
On December 30, 1485, three hundred people were gathered in the church (which
had been enlarged) when a significant event occurred. It was a Friday, about
eleven o'clock in the morning. The Madonna began to appear as a living person—she
opened her arms and joined her hands in prayer. The Child Jesus also seemed
to move his hand in blessing over the assembly. There was an explosion of
enthusiasm, graces and healings following the miracle.
Today, Santa Maria presso San Celso (near Saint Celsus), one of the most
beautiful Lombard churches, still receives pilgrims. The body of Saint Celsus
and the miraculous painting of the Madonna and Child are located under the
main altar.
|
Apparition of the Virgin
Mary Crowning of 5th-century statue of "Our Lady of Le
Puy" (France, 1856)
to Augustine Arnaud at Saint-Bauzille de la Sylve (France);
June 8 – Pentecost Sunday –
The Virgin Mary has called her children to her shrine of
Le Puy since the 5th century!
One day in Le Puy, not far from a dolmen atop the small plateau bordering
the Corneille rock, a Christian woman who was paralyzed cried out to God
in prayer to be healed.
In answer to her prayer, the Virgin Mary appeared to her on the flat horizontal
capstone dolmen, surrounded by angels. One of them said to her: "The Queen
of Heaven has chosen this place as her domain, to hear prayers and grant
requested graces." As a sign that the message was authentic, she healed the
ailing woman on the spot.
Le Puy has been one of the most visited shrines in the world since then.
People from all walks of life have flocked there: 6 popes, 14 kings, 2 emperors,
several heads of State, (…) but most of the pilgrims have been the poor.
(…) In 1942, when France was plunged in uncertainty and distress, ten thousand
young people came on pilgrimage to Le Puy, most of them on foot, to pray
for their country.
www.catholique-lepuy.cef.fr
|
7th C. March
29 - Apparition of Our Lady to St Bonnet Mary's Tears (I)
The tears
of the Mother of Sorrows fill the Scriptures and flow down across the centuries.
All of the weeping mothers, widows and virgins will add nothing to this
copious outpouring that would suffice to cleanse the hearts of ten thousand
desperate worlds. All those who are hurt, destitute or oppressed, the
sad tide of humanity that choke the fearful paths of life will find succor
in the ample folds of the sky-blue cloak of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows.
Each time that someone falls weeping, whether in a throng of people or alone,
she is there weeping too, because all tears belong to her as the Empress
of Beatitude and Love. Mary's tears are the very Blood of Jesus Christ,
but differently shed, just as her compassion was a sort of internal crucifixion
for the divine humanity of her Son. Léon Bloy (1846-1917)
The Great Return of Our
Lady of Boulogne (II) March 29 - Our Lady of
Hope (Italy, 1755)
Four copies of the statue were made to replace the miraculous original.
The new statues have been lovingly called "Our Lady of the Great Return."
In the 20th century, after a Marian congress in August 1938, one of the
four copies of the Virgin of the Sea travelled across France on a great
pilgrimage, arriving in Lourdes on September 8, 1942.
After the act of Consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart
of Mary, made by Pope Pius XII on October 31, 1942, the bishops of France
consecrated all French parishes to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March
28, 1943, and inaugurated the return of Our Lady of Boulogne. This also
marked the beginning of the prodigious pilgrimage of Our Lady of the Great
Return, which would last 5 years. The statue of Our Lady was so much in
demand that the three other existing statues of Our Lady of Boulogne were
called to the rescue. This quadruple pilgrimage covered the entire area
of France, and the statues visited 16,000 parishes in 88 dioceses. Everywhere,
there were unprecedented vibrant crowds, praying fervently. Conversions
and miracles happened, and the people were in jubilation. The fruits of
this huge, fervent, moving and very popular mission, which lasted until 1947,
were innumerable. The Virgin gave hope to the people at the end of World
War II and witnesses of her astonishing pilgrimage remain deeply moved to
this day. |
717 St. Egwin English
noble bishop of Worcester England 692 A vision of Mary
Charged with being overly strict by his clergy, Egwin went to Rome.
Upon his return to England, he founded Eversham Monastery with the aid of
the kingdom of Mercia. A vision of Mary prompted this founding. In 709, Egwin
returned to Rome, accompanied by King Cenred of Mercia and King Offa of
the East Saxons. |
1095 May 29 - Our Lady of the Ardents Arras, France
Warn the People to Change Their Lives (II) Our Lady
of Celles Shrine
The apparition added that the four women responsible for the public
disorder must do penance.
She asked John to leave his spade near the fountain where she assured
him that the water would be good.
When he came back to recuperate it, he would find a "sign" on the end
of the handle.
John ran quickly home to the farm and asked his brother and sister
to go back and retrieve his spade.
The youngsters found it "standing straight up with three cross-shaped
oak leaves coming out of the top of the handle."
The four women made reparation for their wrongs and people went in
procession to the place of the miracle.
In early July, the Virgin appeared a second time to John, in his bedroom.
"You did what I asked you to do well, and the fountain will be good; the
people have corrected themselves well," she told him.
A commission of inquiry has identified twenty-eight cures from the
water of the fountain. In October 1686, a second inquiry mentioned seven
new cases. The chapel of Pla-Rouzaud was built by the poor villagers and
blessed on September 8, 1695 by Monsignor de Verthamon. The renown of the
shrine Our Lady of Celles spread widely and attracted believers
from the entire region and even from Spain. The pilgrimage, which takes place
to this day at the restored shrine on the third Sunday of July, is marked
by evangelical simplicity and Marian humility.
According to Dictionnaire des Apparitions Fr. Rene Laurentin,
Fayard 2007 |
1134 Our Lady of Liesse miracles have been countless a favorite pilgrimage destination of
the kings of France.
Aug 18 - Coronation of Our Lady of Liesse (France,
1857)
In 1134, three brothers,
knights from the French region of Laon, left on a voyage. The sultan of
Egypt captured them and took them prisoner. Hoping at all costs to make them
apostatize, he went so far as to send his remarkably beautiful daughter to
seduce them. But while discussing the Gospel with the prisoners, believing
she would defeat them, Ismenia was defeated. She asked the knights to carve
the image of Mary for her.
The knights prayed
to the Blessed Virgin so that she would guide their hands.
During the night,
the Virgin sent angels bearing her radiant image of piety. The next day,
when Ismenia returned the dungeon was filled with dazzling light and a delicious
perfume exuded from the statue. The princess believed immediately and took
the statue to her apartments, never taking her eyes off the statue while
the knights cried out: Our Lady of Liesse!
The following night, Ismenia heard the statue
say: "Trust me, Ismenia! I have prayed to my Son for you. You will be his
faithful servant. You will free my three beloved knights. You will be baptized
and through you, France will be enriched by countless graces. Through you
my name will become famous and later, I will receive you forever in paradise."
Ismenia helped the prisoners escape and fled
with them. All four of them were overtaken by a deep sleep, and during their
sleep angels transported them to France. When they awoke, the three knights
were in their country, near their castle in Marchais. Ismenia was baptized
and they all agreed to have a chapel built at the site where they had woken
up, in honor of Our Lady of Liesse.
Since then miracles have been countless.
Louis VII came as a pilgrim in 1146 and Our Lady of Liesse became a
favorite pilgrimage destination of the kings of France.
|
13th
C. Mary, Mother of Jesus
- Apparition of Our Lady to Saint Herman (France, )
Mary, Mother of Jesus, give me
your heart, so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate, that I may
be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life, love Him as you loved Him
in the distressing disguise of the poorest of poor.Amen.
June 12
|
1310
St. Alexis Falconieri apparition Mother of God 15/Aug/1233
Born in Florence, 1200; died 17 February, 1310, at Mount Senario, near
Florence. He was the son of Bernard Falconieri, a merchant prince of Florence,
and one of the leaders of the Republic. His family belonged to the Guelph
party, and opposed the Imperialists whenever they could consistently with
their political principles. Alexis grew up in the practice of the most
profound humility. He joined the Laudesi, a pious confraternity of the
Blessed Virgin, and there met the six future companions of his life of
sanctity. He was favoured with an apparition of the Mother of God, 15 August,
1233, as were these companions. The seven soon afterwards founded the Order
of the Servites. With consistent loyalty and heroism Alexis at one abandoned
all, and retired to La Camarzia, a house on the outskirts of the town,
and the following year to Mt. Senario. With characteristic humility, he
traversed, as a mendicant, in quest of alms for his brethren, the streets
of the city through which he had lately moved as a prominent citizen. So
deep and sincere was him humility that, though he lived to the great age
of hundred and ten years, he always refused to enter the priesthood, of which
he deemed himself unworthy. The duties of our Saint were confined principally
to the material needs of the various communities in which he lived. In 1252
the new church at Cafaggio, on the outskirts of Florence, was completed
under his care, with the financial assistance of Chiarissimo Falconieri.
The miraculous image of the Annunciation, still highly venerated in Italy,
had its origin here. St. Juliana Falconieri, his niece, was trained in sanctity
under his personal direction. The influence exerted on his countrymen by
Alexis and his companions may be gathered from the fact that in a few years
ten thousand persons had enrolled themselves under the banner of the Blessed
Virgin in the Servite Order. At his death he was visited by the Infant Jesus
in visible form, as was attested by eye-witnesses. His body rests near the
church of the Annunciation, in Florence. Clement XI declared Alexis worthy
of the veneration of the faithful, 1 December, 1717, and accorded the same
honour to his six companions, 3 July 1725.
|
1311 Blessed Jordan
of Pisa Our Lady came into the fathers' refectory and served at table He
replaced Latin worked to make Italian the beautiful tongue preaching as
an apostolic tool first to make a scientific study of it, OP (AC)
Born in Pisa, Italy; (cultus approved in 1833), beatified in 1838.
At a time when scholars believed that no colloquial tongue could ever replace
Latin as a gentleman's language, Jordan worked to make Italian the beautiful
tongue that it is today. That's not the reason he was beatified by the
Church but it's interesting and sometimes overlooked.
Jordan attended the University of Paris where he first encountered
the Dominican friars in 1276. Four years later, probably after obtaining
his degrees, he returned to Italy and took the habit. He began a long teaching
career there as soon as he was qualified to do so.
Because of the excellence of his preaching in Florence, Jordan was
appointed first lector there in 1305. He seems to have been fascinated
with the whole question of preaching as an apostolic tool, and to have
been one of the first to make a scientific study of it. He pointed out that
the Greek church was "invaded by a multitude of errors," because the Greeks
had no preachers; he could never say enough in praise of Saint Dominic's farsightedness in establishing
an order specifically for preaching.
Jordan studied methods of making sermons more effective, both by using
examples that would reach the people, and by the use of the vernacular.
This latter was a much-disputed subject in his day (they had Dan Amon's
then, too); Jordan was considered a daring innovator. Because it was controversial,
he strove to make Italian a beautiful instrument on which he could play
the melodies of the Lord.
Blessed with an extraordinary memory, Jordan is supposed to have known
the breviary by heart, as well as the missal, most of the Bible (with its
marginal commentary), plus the second part of the Summa. This faculty of
memory he used in his sermons, but he was quick to point out to young preachers
that learning alone can never make a preacher. By the holiness of his own
life he made this plain, and continually preached it to those he was training
to preach.
Jordan of Pisa had two great devotions--to Our Blessed Mother and to
Saint Dominic. Once he was favored with a vision of Our Lady; she came
into the fathers' refectory and served at table. Jordan, who was the only
one who could see her, could barely eat for excitement. He spoke often of
her in his sermons, and also of Saint Dominic. He founded a number of confraternities
in Pisa, one of which has lasted until now.
Jordan died on his way to Paris to teach at Saint Jacques. His body
was returned from Piacenza, where death overtook him, to rest in the church
at Pisa (Benedictines, Dorcy).
|
1336 The Madonna dei Fiori of Bra (I) Our Lady of Flowers (Bra, Italy, 1336) December 29
On the evening
of December 29, 1336, in the small town of Bra, (province of Cuneo in
the diocese of Turin), a young expecting mother was passing by a votive
column consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the outskirts of town.
Two rough soldiers, from a band of mercenaries, were lying in wait. Egidia
Mathis (that was the lady's name), seeing that she was going to be attacked
by men who intended to rape her despite her condition, clung on desperately
to the image of the Madonna painted on the column, calling for her help.
Without warning, a beam of light flashed from the image, blinding the
two mercenaries who fled in a panic.
Then, the Madonna herself appeared to Egidia comforted her for several
minutes and assured her that the danger over. Then Our Lady vanished. Due
to such feelings of fear and emotion, Egidia gave birth at the foot of
the column.
With her new-born child wrapped in her shawl, the young mother managed
to reach the nearest house.
The news of the awful incident spread like wildfire all around town:
although it was late, crowds flocked to the place where the attempted
attack and the apparition of the Virgin had taken place. There, an extraordinary
sight greeted them: the column was surrounded with thick blackthorn bushes
which were unexpectedly covered in white flowers despite the harsh late
December weather. Since this time, the bushes flower yearly over the same
period of days.
Vittorio Messori Ipotesi su Maria |
March
25, 1370 BONARIA, OUR LADY OF
a ship laden with merchandise ran ashore in a hurricane. Its jettisoned cargo
included a heavy chest now preserved in the cathedral sanctuary. When the
chest touched the sea, the storm abated; though heavy, it did not sink but
drifted ashore near the church, where the priests found that it contained
a beautiful figure of Our Lady carrying the Infant. The Child holds a ball
in his left hand and reaches out to grasp a candle standing on a ship model
held by his mother. It accurately records the wind's direction though it
is in a draftless room.
A shrine at Cagliari, Sardinia, dedicated to the Queen of All Sailors.
According to tradition, Cagliari had been a malaria-infested region. An
old monk foretold that the name of the city would be changed to Bon-aria
instead of "bad-air," the designation it then had. The prophecy was fulfilled
on March 25, 1370, when a ship laden with merchandise ran ashore in a hurricane.
Its jettisoned cargo included a heavy chest now preserved in the cathedral
sanctuary. When the chest touched the sea, the storm abated; though heavy,
it did not sink but drifted ashore near the church, where the priests found
that it contained a beautiful figure of Our Lady carrying the Infant. The
Child holds a ball in his left hand and reaches out to grasp a candle standing
on a ship model held by his mother. It accurately records the wind's direction
though it is in a draftless room.
Our Lady of Bonaria was proclaimed patroness of Sardinia by
Pope Pius X, and the unfinished church was later raised to the rank of
minor basilica by Pius XI. On April 24, 1970, Pope Paul VI visited this
famous shrine and celebrated an open-air Mass addressing the pilgrims on
the need of veneration of the Mother of God.
All items in this dictionary are
from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used
with permission
|
1426 Mary Stopped the Plague
in Monte Berico (II) March 08 - Our Lady of the Lily (Melun, France)
Two years later, the Virgin appeared
again to Vincenza Parisi, on August 1, 1428. The city was in dire straits,
and the Virgin repeated her request and her promises to the old woman. Vicenza
went back down to the city and she was believed this time: the city officials,
the Council of One Hundred and the Council of Five Hundred gathered in the
Great Hall of Reason, and decided to build the church on Monte Berico in
as short a time as possible. So the people started building twenty-four
days later. The Virgin had told Vincenza about a water source that would
flow out of a rock in the place where the shrine would be built, and this
is exactly what happened. During the construction work, "a marvellous and
incredible source of water flowed... to the point of flooding the area like
an abundant river coming noisily down the mount."
Also, in reference to the Virgin's second promise, great
quantities of money were received. "Construction was begun on August 25,
the great plague partly disappeared, and the church was completed in three
months. After that the region was completely freed from this great calamity,
so much so that ever since that day, through God's protection, it has never
again suffered from that disease. "
The busy shrine of Our Lady of Berico has now become one
of largest shrines dedicated to Mary in Europe. "On the first Sunday of
the month we have an average of twenty-two thousand confessions. Sometimes
we stay until ten o'clock p.m. in the confessional," stated a member of the
Servites of Mary, the congregation which has watched over this beautiful
site and its magnificent panorama since 1435.
According to an article by Pina Baglioni, published in the
magazine "30 Days" Quotation #1430, Bertoliana Vicenza Library
|
1489 Black
Virgin Mary at Altoetting 2 apparitions in
Pope Gives His Cardinal's Ring to Presents It at 14th-Century Image
of the Black Virgin
ALTOETTING, Germany, SEPT. 12, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI gave
his cardinal's ring to the Black Virgin of Altoetting, at the most famous
shrine of Germany and the "religious heart" of Bavaria. The Holy Father
made the gesture Monday. As Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger, he received the
cardinal's ring in 1977 from Pope Paul VI, who named him cardinal of Munich.
Vatican sources said that the ring was kept by the Holy Father's brother
Georg, 82, who is also a priest and who lives in Regensburg. Monsignor
Georg Ratzinger gave the Pope the ring on Monday, to give to the Blessed
Virgin, to whom he is very devoted. Benedict XVI feels very much linked
to Altoetting, which is 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Marktl-am-Inn, his
birthplace.
The Ratzinger family often visited the shrine, and the Pope once said
that he had the good fortune to be able to visit the church regularly, especially
the Chapel of Graces (Gnadenkapelle), where the Black Virgin is venerated.
The image of the Black Virgin is a small wood carving, so named because
it has been blackened over the centuries by the smoke of the votive candles
lit by the faithful. The statue of the Blessed Virgin dates back to
1330. The shrine, visited annually by 1 million people, is famous for two
apparitions of the Virgin in 1489. The chapel at the shrine houses
a silver urn with the hearts of all the Bavarian kings. The first thing
the Holy Father did when arriving in Altoetting was to prostrate himself
at the foot of the Blessed Virgin.
ZE06091222
|
1519
Our Lady of Graces (Cotignac, France) Come Here in Procession August 10 -
On the 10th of August, a woodcutter, John de la Baume, went up
to the Verdaille hill.
He was alone. As was his custom, he started his day in prayer.
When he stood up, he saw a cloud and the Blessed Virgin then appeared
with the Baby Jesus in her arms,
surrounded by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Saint Catherine the martyr,
and Saint Michael the Archangel.
Our Lady was standing with her feet on a crescent moon. She spoke to
John in the following way,
"I am the Blessed Virgin. Go and tell the clergy and the Consuls
of Cotignac
to build a church right here on this spot in the name of Our Lady of
Graces,
and have the faithful come here in procession to receive the gifts
that I wish to bestow."
Then the vision disappeared.
Was it a hallucination? Whether he doubted or not, John kept the message
to himself,
which entitled him to a second apparition of the Mother of God!
The following day, the 11th of August, standing in the same place to
finish his wood cutting,
he had the same vision and received the same request.
This time, he decided to obey and went down to the village immediately.
John was known to be a sober man and both the authorities and the villagers
supported him unanimously.
A chapel was erected at the site of the apparitions and has been witness
to many graces and miraculous signs,
most notably the miraculous birth of King Louis XIV- a birth that was
difficult to obtain for his royal parents had previously been unable to
conceive.
|
1591
Bl. Alphonsus de Orozco vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary
born in 1500 in Oropesa, Spain. He studied at Talavera, Toledo,
and Salamanca, and became an Augustinian
at the age of twenty-two. St. Thomas of Villanova was one of his instructors,
imbuing him with a spirit of recollection and prayer. Alphonsus, a popular
preacher and confessor, served as prior of the Augustinians in Seville and
then in 1554, at Valladolid. In 1556 he became a court preacher, and in
1561 accompanied King Philip II of Spain to Madrid. Throughout his court
life, he did not engage in the pleasures or intrigues around him. His example
of holiness made a great impression on the royal family and the nobles of
Madrid. Alphonsus was given a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and wrote
treatises on prayer and penance as Our Lady instructed him. He was beatified
in 1881.
|
| Our Lady
of Lavang Shrine;
In August of 1962, Pope John XXIII elevated the church of Lavang to The Basilica of Lavang.
Our Lady of Lavang
- La'Vang, Vietnam (1798)
During much of the 18th century, the nation of Vietnam was
embattled in various struggles for power and domination. The northern regions
of the kingdom fell under the authority of the lords of the Trinh family,
while in the southern realm the Nguyen lords took power. As the eighteenth
century drew toward its close, both of their rules were shaken and threatened
by peasant uprisings and emerging rebel forces.
The strongest among the many uprisings was led by the three
brothers from Tay Son. In short order, they overthrew the Nguyen lords
and defeated the Trinh lords to restore national unity for the first time
since the decline of the Le dynasty. A Tay Son brother was enthroned to
be King Quang Trung. In 1792 he passed away and left the throne to his son
who became King Canh Thinh.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Anh continued his insurgency in trying to
reclaim his throne. Earlier in his run from the Tay Son rebels in 1777,
he found refuge on Phu Quoc Island, where Monsignor Pierre Pigneau de Behaine
of the Society of Foreign Missions directed a seminary for youths from neighboring
countries. The bishop persuaded him to seek help from King Louis XVI of
France.
King Canh Thinh knew that Nguyen Anh received
support from the French missionary and worried that the Vietnamese Catholics
would also endorse his reign. He began to restrict the practice of Catholicism
in the country. On August 17, 1798, King Canh Thinh issued an anti-Catholic
edict and an order to destroy all Catholic churches and seminaries. A
most grievous persecution of Vietnamese Catholics and missionaries began
and lasted until 1886. Even after Nguyen Anh succeeded in reclaiming his
throne as King Gia Long (1802-1820), his successors, King Minh Mang (1820-1840),
King Thieu Tri (1841-1847) and King Tu Duc (1847-1884), the last Nguyen emperor,
continued the vehement campaign against Catholics, ordering punishments that
ranged from branding their faces to death by various cruel methods for Vietnamese
Catholics and missionary priests.
It was amidst this great suffering
that the Lady of Lavang came to the people of Vietnam. The name Lavang was
believed to be originated in the name of the deep forest in the central
region of Vietnam (now known as Quang Tri City) where there was an abundance
of a kind of trees named La' Vang. It was also said that its name came from
the Vietnamese meaning of the word "Crying Out" to denote the cries for help
of people being persecuted.
The first apparition of the Lady
of Lavang was noted in 1798, when the persecution of Vietnamese Catholics
began. Many Catholics from
the nearby town of Quang Tri sought refuge in the deep forest
of Lavang. A great number of these people suffered from the bitter cold
weather, lurking wild beasts, jungle sickness and starvation. At night, they
often gathered in small groups to say the rosary and to pray. Unexpectedly,
one night they were visited by an apparition of a beautiful Lady in a long
cape, holding a child in her arms, with two angels at her sides. The people
recognized the Lady as Our Blessed Mother.
Our Blessed Mother comforted them
and told them to boil the leaves from the surrounding trees to use as medicine.
She also told them that from that day on, all those who came to this place
to pray, would get their prayers heard and answered. This took place on
the grass area near the big ancient banyan tree where the refugees were praying.
All those who were present witnessed this miracle. After this first apparition,
the Blessed Mother continued to appear to the people in this same place
many times throughout the period of nearly one hundred years of religious
persecution. Among many groups of Vietnamese Catholics that were burnt alive
because of their faith was a group of 30 people who were seized after they
came out of their hiding place in the forest of Lavang. At their request,
they were taken back to the little chapel of Lavang and were immolated there
on its ground.
From the time the Lady of Lavang first
appeared, the people who took refuge there erected a small and desolate
chapel in her honor. During the following years, her name was spread among
the people in the region to other places. Despite its isolated location in
the high mountains, groups of people continued to find ways to penetrate the
deep and dangerous jungle to pray to the Lady of Lavang. Gradually, the pilgrims
that came with axes, spears, canes, and drums to scare away wild animals
were replaced by those holding flying flags, flowers and rosaries. The pilgrimages
went on every year despite the continuous persecution campaigns.
In 1886, after the persecution
had officially ended, Bishop Gaspar ordered a church to be built in honor
of the Lady of Lavang. Because of its precarious location and limited funding,
it took 15 years for the completion of the church of Lavang. It was inaugurated
by Bishop Gaspar in a solemn ceremony that participated by over 12,000 people
and lasted from August 6th to 8th, 1901. The bishop proclaimed the Lady
of Lavang as the Protectorate of the Catholics. In 1928, a larger church
was built to accommodate the increasing number of pilgrims. This church was
destroyed in the summer of 1972 during the Vietnam war.
The history of the Lady of Lavang continues
to gain greater significance as more claims from people whose prayers were
answered were validated. In April of 1961, the Council of Vietnamese Bishops
selected the holy church of Lavang as the National Sacred Marian Center
. In August of 1962, Pope John XXIII elevated the church of Lavang to The
Basilica of Lavang. On June 19, 1988, Pope John Paul II in the canonizing
ceremony of the 117 Vietnamese martyrs, publicly and repeatedly recognized
the importance and significance of the Lady of Lavang and expressed a desire
for the rebuilding of the Lavang Basilica to commemorate the 200th anniversary
of the first apparition of the Lady of Lavang in August of 1998.
Text provided courtesy of Kim-Oanh Nguyen-Lam
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1876 Estelle Faguette
The Treasures of My Son 
As it was now about a quarter past six, and time for supper, the boys
were ordered inside but soon after allowed to go outside again. The Lady
was still there and so the local schoolteacher, Sister Vitaline, was sent
for. She couldn't see the Lady, and so she went to fetch three young children
from the school to see their reactions.
Barnay, Sylvie. Les apparitions de la Vierge. Paris: Les Editions
du Cerf, 1992.