Information about my workshop presentation, "Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary," presented at the Women and Spirituality Conference at Minnesota State University on October 7-8, 2000, is posted below.

WORKSHOP TITLE: Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary

TYPE OF WORKSHOP: lecture/discussion/slides/world wide web sites

ABSTRACT OF WORKSHOP TOPIC: For centuries, individuals have come forward with stories of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This presentation will survey several lesser-known reports of apparitions (e.g., Clairefontaine, Luxembourg; Banneux and Beauraing, Belgium; Marpingen, Germany), tracing their roots to earlier reports of apparitions (e.g., Rue de Bac, Paris; Lourdes, France; Fatima, Portugal). The presenter did not attempt to answer the question, "Are these apparitions real?" Rather, the presenter examined the question, "What makes Marian apparitions so powerful in the lives of ordinary human beings? Using her own research along with that of others, the presenter explored theological underpinnings, historical background, thematic patterns, and psychological needs served by the idea of the Marian apparition. Slides and visits to selected web sites took the audience on a virtual tour of a number of locations where the Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared.

Many of the reported Marian apparitions share a number of characteristics:

a) the seers are often young–children, adolescents, young adults–and not well-educated;

b) the reported apparitions often occur during times of economic and political unrest in a particular country or region;

c) the seers are taken by surprise by the apparitions and tend to shy away from public attention;

d) the BVM’s messages to the seers involve repentance for the world’s evils, increased prayer and sacrifice–all in order to avoid some cataclysmic, yet undefined, disaster;

e) the question of whether the apparitions are real and, if so, what they mean continues to be a heated topic of discussion among the Catholic clergy and laity (which are often in opposition to one another).

Although not all of the visionaries/seers are members of the Roman Catholic Church, the church hierarchy typically undertakes investigations of purported Marianic apparitions. Some of these investigations continue for decades, while others are relatively brief. Invariably, the Catholic Church’s investigations (done by a committee comprised of Vatican representatives, diocesan bishops, priests, and psychiatrists) tend to conclude that the reported apparitions are authentic or, more often, inauthentic.

A number of questions are asked of the visionaries/seers, who are investigated in terms of the following criteria:

a) does the seer possess common sense and good judgment?

b) does the seer appear sincere and humble, or egocentric and demonstrative?

c) does the seer contact appropriate religious authorities for guidance?

d) does the information provided by the seer agree with generally accepted rubrics of Catholic doctrine and religious practice?

The presenter recently visited a number of reported Marianic apparition sites in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. She is currently studying reports of apparitions in the small village of Marpingen, Germany, where the BVM is said to have appeared repeatedly to three children in 1876 and again to three village women in 1999. In 1997, the presenter visited Marpingen; at that time, the site of the reported 1876 apparitions (chapel and grotto in the woods at the edge of the village) was quiet except for a few Sunday visitors. Decades earlier, the Catholic Church’s investigation of the reported apparitions in Marpingen had concluded that they were inauthentic. In recent years, historian David Blackbourn published a critical book-length study of the reported apparitions of 1876 and the subsequent church investigation; this book, which drew on voluminous primary source materials and received positive reviews, is currently the best source on the historical, sociological, and psychological aspects of the 1876 apparitions.

In spring of 1999, interest in Marpingen was revived when three women living in Marpingen (Marion, aged 30; Christine, aged 24; and Judith, aged 35) reported that the Virgin Mary had appeared to them. Several apparitions were reported by the women, beginning on 17 May 1999 and concluding on 17 October 1999. As reports spread throughout western Europe, thousands of pilgrims flocked to Marpingen, much to the chagrin of the local public authorities, who disdained the visionaries’ claims and resented the intrusion of up to 10,000 visitors at a time.

Tensions mounted as the spring water coming from a well at the site was declared unfit to drink by local authorities; this decision angered pilgrims, who were convinced that the water had healing properties. One of the BVM’s messages to the seers was this: "I come today to this source, for you to remind you that this source is God's gift to heal patients, for more than 100 years, Drink this water and pray! Have confidence in me and in my Son: we will help you! I said that I wanted to heal patients, in their, body and in their mind, and I will do it because I keep my promises." ( 15 April 2000). Tensions mounted throughout the summer as local authorities, the Catholic diocesan authorities, and visitors making pilgrimages to the Marpingen chapel and grotto continued to disagree on the issue of whether the reported apparitions were authentic.  When a local priest. Father Gerhard, became a supporter of the seers, he was ordered to be silent by the Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Trier, who has since initiated an official investigation on 14 September 1999.  [To read Father Gerhard's narrative on the 1999 apparitions, click on "Up" at left, then on "Fr. Gerhard."]

Due to the inception and growth of the world wide web, interested individuals can now make a virtual visit to Marpingen, where they can view photographs of the chapel, grotto, and the three seers, and where they can read (in German or English) the text of the reported messages given to the seers by the Virgin Mary.   [Click on "Up," then on "Marpingen," and scroll down to explore the URLs.]

In her workshop, the presenter drew on site visits, personal correspondence with Father Gerhard, and text and world wide web source materials as she explores the issue of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary with special focus on the past and present Marianic apparitions reported in Marpingen, Germany. As noted above, the presenter did not attempt to answer the question, "Are these apparitions real?" Rather, the presenter examines the question, "What makes Marian apparitions so powerful in the lives of ordinary human beings? She also commented on the potential linkages between the Marianic apparitions phenomenon and earlier goddess traditions (such as recovered goddess images and temple ruins on the island of Crete).