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Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the 16th century. Chronicles of that period tell us the story.

A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57-year-old widower, and lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning December 9, 1531, he was on his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady.

Juan was walking by a hill called Tepeyac when he heard beautiful music like the warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared, and within it stood an Indian maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. The lady spoke to him in his own language and sent him to the bishop of Mexico, a Franciscan named Juan de Zumarraga. The bishop was to build a chapel in the place where the lady appeared.

Eventually the bishop told Juan to have the lady give him a sign. About this same time Juan’s uncle became seriously ill. This led poor Juan to try to avoid the lady. Nevertheless the lady found Juan, assured him that his uncle would recover, and provided roses for Juan to carry to the bishop in his cape or tilma.

On December 12, when Juan Diego opened his tilma in the bishop’s presence, the roses fell to the ground, and the bishop sank to his knees. On the tilma where the roses had been appeared an image of Mary exactly as she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac.

Reflection

Mary’s appearance to Juan Diego as one of his people is a powerful reminder that Mary—and the God who sent her—accept all peoples. In the context of the sometimes rude and cruel treatment of the Indians by the Spaniards, the apparition was a rebuke to the Spaniards and an event of vast significance for the indigenous population. While a number of them had converted before this incident, they now came in droves.

According to a contemporary chronicler, nine million Indians became Catholic in a very short time. In these days when we hear so much about God’s preferential option for the poor, Our Lady of Guadalupe cries out to us that God’s love for and identification with the poor is an age-old truth that stems from the Gospel itself.

Source: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/our-lady-of-guadalupe/

Truths about the Miracle of Guadalupe

"The Lady from Heaven" Did you know?

• Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Saint Juan Diego on December 9, 10 and 12, 1531.

• The image left on Saint Juan Diego’s tilma is the only true picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe in existence.

• The image has remained intact with all its original vibrancy for 475 years. The natural life span of a cloak made with fiber from the agave or maguey plant is only about 30 years.

• The image is a pictograph which could be read and understood by the Aztec Indians.

• Our Lady appears as a beautiful young Indian maiden and Queen.

• Her eyes are looking down with humility and compassion. She is human, not God.

• She is wearing a blue-green mantle (the color worn by royalty) covered with stars.

• The stars signify she comes from heaven – the Queen of Heaven. The constellations are in the exact position as appeared before dawn on the morning of December 12, 1531.

• Her robe is colored rose or pale red and covered with Aztec flowers, symbolic of an Aztec princess.

• In the center of her robe, overlying her womb, is a four petal quincunx flower in the shape of a cross which is the sign of the Divine and the center of the cosmic order to the Aztec. The Virgin’s Baby, Jesus, is Divine and the new center of the universe.

• Her hands are joined in prayer and, therefore, she is not God but clearly there is one greater than she and she points her finger to the cross on her brooch.

• Her fur cuffs symbolize royalty.

• She wears a black maternity band signifying she is with Child.

• A black cross is on the brooch around her neck. This signifies she is a follower of the God of the Spanish Missionaries, Jesus Christ who died on the cross for all.

• She stands in front of the sun. The sun symbolizes the greatest Aztec god – Huitzilopochtli. She announces the God who is greater than their sun god.

• She stands on the moon. The crescent moon symbolized the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent moon god. She has clearly crushed and defeated him.

• An angel with eagle’s wings supports the Mother of God. The eagle was the “bird of the sun.” Here the eagle is the servant of the Virgin. She holds her mantle in one hand and robe with the other, signifying the Son she bears is from both heaven and earth.

• To date the image cannot be explained by science.

• The image on the tilma was able to do what up to that time the missionaries were not able to do significantly. Namely, clearly explain Christianity to the Indian people. The proof is in the fact that after the apparitions, eight million natives of Mexico converted to Catholicism from 1531 to 1538.

Source: https://guadalupeshrine.org/our-lady-of-guadalupe-shrine/#expert

Our Lady of Fatima

On May 13, 1917, ten year old Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto were herding sheep at a location known as the Cova da Iria near their home village of Fátima, Portugal. Lúcia described seeing a woman "brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal goblet filled with the most sparkling water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun". The lady spoke to them and said: "Fear not! I will not harm you." "Where are you from?" the children asked. "I am from heaven" the beautiful lady replied, gently raising her hand towards the distant horizon. "What do you want of me?" "I came to ask you to come here for six consecutive months, on the thirteenth day, at this same hour. I will tell you later who I am and what I want. And I shall return here again a seventh time." Lucia said : "Do you come from heaven...and will I go to heaven ?" " Yes, you'll go". "And Jacinta?" "As well" " And Francisco?" "Him too , but he will have to say many rosaries". Then she opened her hands with a loving gesture of a mother who offers her heart. From it an intense light departed that seemed to go through them. The vision vanished telling them : "Recite the rosary every day to obtain the peace for the world and the end of the war." And She disappeared. Thousands of people flocked to Fátima in the following months, drawn by reports of visions and miracles. On August 13, 1917, the provincial administrator, believing that the events were politically disruptive, intercepted and jailed the children before they could reach the Cova da Iria that day. Prisoners held with them in the provincial jail later testified that the children, while upset, were first consoled by the inmates, and later led them in praying the rosary. According to Lúcia's account, in the course of her appearances, the woman confided to the children three secrets, now known as the Three Secrets of Fátima.

Our Lady of Assumption

On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith: “We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.” The pope proclaimed this dogma only after a broad consultation of bishops, theologians and laity. There were few dissenting voices. What the pope solemnly declared was already a common belief in the Catholic Church. The feast was celebrated under various names (Commemoration, Dormition, Passing, Assumption) from at least the fifth or sixth century. Today it is celebrated as a solemnity. Since Mary is closely associated with all the mysteries of Jesus’ life, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit has led the Church to belief in Mary’s share in his glorification. So close was she to Jesus on earth, she must be with him body and soul in heaven.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Our Mother of Perpetual Help (Latin: Nostra Mater de Perpetuo Succursu) also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help and more formally as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour) is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary given by Pope Pius IX. It is associated with a celebrated Byzantine icon of the same name dating from the 15th century. The esteemed icon has been in Rome since 1499, and is permanently enshrined in the church of Sant'Alfonso di Liguori, where the official Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help text is weekly recited. In the Eastern Orthodox Church this artistic iconography is known as the Virgin of the Passion or Theotokos of the Passion due to the Archangels surrounding the image. Due to the Redemptorist Priests who had been appointed as both custodians and missionaries of this icon by Pope Pius IX in 1865, the image has become very popular among Roman Catholics in particular, and has been very much copied and reproduced. Modern reproductions are sometimes displayed in homes, business establishments, and public transportation. The Redemptorist priests are the only religious order currently entrusted by the Holy See to protect and propagate a Marian religious work of art.[1] Due to the overwhelming Philippine devotion to this Marian title, the image is also affectionately known as the Holy Virgin of Baclaran. Today, Our Lady of Perpetual Help's solemn feast day is celebrated annually on June 27, with novena devotions held every Wednesday of the weeks of the year. Under Pope Pius XII's Pontificate, our Mother of Perpetual Help was designated as the national Patroness of the Republic of Haiti and Almoradi, Spain.

Our Lady of Good Remedy

800 years ago Christians were being captured by the Moslems and sold into slavery by the thousands, and nobody knew what to do about it. In the year 1198 St. John of Matha founded the Trinitarian order to go to the slave markets to buy the Christian slaves in order to set them free. To carry out his plan, the Trinitarians need a large sum of money. So, they placed their efforts under the patronage of Mary. They were so successful that, over the centuries, the Trinitarians were able to free thousands upon thousands of people who were able to return safely home. In gratitude for her miraculous assistance, St. John of Matha honored Mary with the title "Our Lady of Good Remedy." Devotion to Mary under this ancient title is widely known in Europe and Latin America, and the Church celebrates her Feast on October 8. When in need-----for whatever reason, but especially when having difficulty obtaining help-----invoke the aid of Our Lady of Good Remedy, and you will surely be helped by the power of her intercession.

Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn

Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn is the prominent painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated by the faithful in the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, Lithuania. The Renaissance painting, completed possibly in the first half of the 17th century, is an unusual portrayal of Madonna as she is depicted without infant Jesus. The artwork soon became known as miraculous and inspired a following. A dedicated chapel was built in 1671 by the Discalced Carmelites. At the same time, possibly borrowing from the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the painting was covered in expensive and elaborate silver and gold clothes leaving only the face and hands visible. In the following centuries, the following grew stronger and Our Lady became an important part of religious life in Vilnius. The following inspired many copies in Lithuania, Poland, and diaspora communities worldwide. The chapel was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1993. It is a major site of pilgrimage in Vilnius and attracts many visitors, especially from Poland. In 1761, the monk Hilarion published a book enumerating 17 miracles attributed to the painting and the Virgin Mary. The first miracle he recorded occurred in 1671, the same year the first chapel was built. A two-year-old child fell from the second floor onto a stone pavement and was badly injured. The parents then prayed to Our Lady and the next day the child was healthy once again.

Our Lady of Akita

Our Lady of Akita is the title of Marian apparitions reported in 1973 by Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa in the remote area of Yuzawadai, near the city of Akita in Japan. The messages emphasize prayer and penance. Sister Sasagawa stated that the Virgin Mary told her: "Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach." For several decades, Agnes Sasagawa had encountered many health problems as a result of a poorly performed appendix operation and was immobile for over a decade. Her health reportedly improved after drinking water from Lourdes. After going totally deaf, she went to live with the nuns in the remoteness of Yuzawadai in Akita prefecture. Sister Agnes reports that in the first message the Virgin Mary asked her to recite a prayer of reparation together, and told her in 1973 that her deafness will be cured. The other reported messages ask for the praying of the rosary and to pray to repair the sins of others, as Acts of Reparation. During a Sunday Mass in 1982, Sister Agnes was totally cured from her deafness, despite the fact that professional medical examinations were performed initially after she'd lost her hearing (verifying that she was 'incurably deaf'), and again after she was healed (verifying that her hearing was 'normal'). Some time later, a Korean woman with a terminal brain tumor was miraculously cured after friends and relatives prayed for the intercession of Our Lady of Akita. She received visions of Mary related to the Akita events during her recovery, the first while comatose. Her disease was diagnosed and (later) cure verified by medical professionals in Korea. A recent “fun fact” is that in March 2011, Japan received the deadliest earthquake (and resulting tsunami) in her recorded history. The earthquake's epicenter was 90 miles from where Our Lady of Akita warned of terrible destruction if people did not repent; despite the close proximity, the city was found to suffer less damage than surrounding regions

Our Lady of China

Our Lady of China is the name given to an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Donglu, China, first appearing in 1900. An officially sanctioned image of Our Lady of China was blessed, granted and promulgated by Pope Pius XI in 1928, in response to the requests made by the 1924 Shanghai Synod of Bishops in China, the first national conference of bishops in the country. Following the event, Archbishop Celso Costantini (along with all the bishops of China), declared the Chinese people dedicated to Our Lady of China, using the official image. In 1941, Pope Pius XII designated the feast day as an official feast of the Catholic liturgical calendar. In 1973, following the Second Vatican Council, the Chinese Bishops conference, upon approval from the Holy See, placed the feast day on the vigil of Mothers Day (the second Sunday of May). Several churches, chapels, and pastoral centers around the world, predominantly those focused on ministry to Chinese-speaking Catholics, have adopted the name, including a mission in Washington, DC. There is a mosaic of Our Lady of China in the National Shrine of the United States in Washington, DC, established and dedicated in 2002 under the Most Rev. Michael J. Bransfield. There has been some controversy because the image used in the Chapel is not the officially approved image of Our Lady of China, but instead uses the image of Our Lady of China and Baby Jesus painted by John Lu Hung Nien. The late Cardinal Thomas Tien Keng-Hsin, the first Chinese Cardinal, used this image for the prayer card for the persecuted in China, which was widely promoted in the U.S.A. and Canada.

Our Lady of the Pillar

According to ancient Spanish tradition, on January 2, 40 AD, in the early days of Christianity, James the Greater, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, was preaching the Gospel in what was then the pagan land of Caesaraugusta (now Zaragoza), in the Roman province of Hispania. He was disheartened with his mission, having made only a few converts. While he was praying by the banks of the Ebro River with some of his disciples, Mary miraculously appeared before him atop a pillar accompanied by angels. Mary assured James that the people would eventually be converted and their faith would be as strong as the pillar she was standing on. She gave him the pillar as a symbol and a wooden image of herself. James was also instructed to build a chapel on the spot where she left the pillar. It is generally believed that Mary appeared to James through bilocation, as she was still living either in Ephesus or Jerusalem at the time of this event. She is believed to have died three to fifteen years after Jesus ascended to Heaven. The feast of Our Lady of the Pillar is celebrated on 12 October and she is the Patroness of the Hispanic peoples and the Spanish Civil Guard. A grand, 9 day festival, known as Fiestas del Pilar is celebrated in Zaragoza every year in her honor. The feast of the Lady of the Pillar is also a national holiday in Spain as it coincides with the Fiesta Nacional de España, which commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492.

Our Lady of Banneux

According to Mariette, she first saw the Blessed Virgin on the evening of Sunday, January 15, 1933, as she was looking out the kitchen window. A woman in white stood in the garden and called to her to come out, but her mother would not let her. Three days later the woman in white reappeared and told Marlette she was "Our Lady of the Poor". The lady appeared eight times in all. In one of these visions, Beco said the Lady asked her to plunge her hands into a small, telling her the spring was for healing and "for all nations". Over time the site drew pilgrims. The Beco family and many others became model Catholics. The chapel was built, and the spring became the site of numberless cures. During the German occupation of Belgium in 1942, the bishop encouraged the cult of Our Lady of Banneux, Our Lady of the Poor. In 1947, the bishop approved the devotion. In 1948 the cornerstone of a new basilica was laid; this was to supplant the small chapel. During the war, Marietta married a Dutch salesman. During the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, an American chaplain found them and their 15 month old baby living in a cellar of a small home occupied by American troops. Today, the small spring yields about 2,000 gallons of water a day with many reports of miraculous healings. After the apparitions, Beco decided to remain a private person, married and led a quiet family life. A small chapel stands where the Virgin of the Poor is said to have requested it to be built. Beco died 2 December 2011 at the age of 90. In 2008 she made a final statement about her role in the apparitions: "I was no more than a postman who delivers the mail. Once this has been done, the postman is of no importance any more." (January 15th is the Feast Day for Our Lady of Banneux.)

Our Lady of Chartres

On July 13th, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Chartres. Chartres, France not only houses the oldest shrine in France, but also – in all probability – the oldest shrine of Our Lady in the world. It is actually pre-Christian, like the Athenians’ “altar to the unknown god” and was dedicated to the Virgin who would bring forth a son, at least a century before the birth of Christ. Later, it was a pilgrimage site due to a well located there, “the Well of Strong Saints,” for the bodies of many early Christian martyrs had been cast into that well. So Chartres was a site of pilgrimages long before the construction of the beautiful Gothic cathedral that now occupies the spot. Eleven centuries later, 1140, Christians were returning from the first crusade with new Byzantine dignity added to their idea of the kind of art demanded for the veneration of royalty. In 1144 “men began to laden themselves with stone and wood…and drag them to the site of the church, the towers of which were then a-building. It was a spectacle the like of which he who has seen will never see again.” Rich and poor alike put their strength and their possessions into the work for Our Lady of Chartres.

Our Lady of the Snows

Devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Snows dates back to 352 A.D. In that year a rectangle of snow was discovered on Mount Esquiline, one of the famous Seven Hills of Rome. According to tradition, on the night of August 4 th, a childless aristocratic Roman couple dreamed that the Blessed Virgin Mary instructed them to go to the Esquiline Hill in the morning where they would find a plot of land covered with snow. Mary told them that a church consecrated to her should be built on the snow-covered plot of land. On this same night, She also appeared to Pope Liberius in a dream telling him of her desire. The next morning the couple went to Pope Liberius to tell him about their dream. The pope then led a procession to the spot indicated in the dream and discovered that snow had indeed fallen on the Esquiline Hill. Snowfall of any sort was unheard of in Rome at that time of year. People crowded to see the patch of snow, which persisted despite the heat, amazed that it had fallen in only one place. All of Rome proclaimed the summer snow a miracle, and the couple accepted this as a sign that hey were to use their wealth to help build the church. As soon as the plot for the building had been staked out the snow melted. On that site, the pope built a shrine to the Holy Virgin. Originally the church was called Santa Maria ad Nives (St. Mary of the Snows). The Feast day for Our Lady of the Snows is August 5th .

Our Lady Star of the Sea

Our Lady, Star of the Sea is an ancient title for the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. The words Star of the Sea are a translation of the Latin title Stella Maris. The title was used to emphasize Mary's role as a sign of hope and as a guiding star for Christians, especially gentiles, whom the Old Testament Israelites metaphorically referred to as the sea, meaning anyone beyond the "coasts", or, that is to say, sociopolitical, and religious (Mosaic law), borders of Israelite territory. Under this title, the Virgin Mary is believed to intercede as a guide and protector of those who travel or seek their livelihoods on the sea. This aspect of the Virgin has led to Our Lady, Star of the Sea, being named as patroness of the Catholic missions to seafarers, the Apostleship of the Sea, and to many coastal churches being named Stella Maris or Mary, Star of the Sea. This devotion towards Our Lady with this ancient title is popular throughout the Catholic world.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

On July 16, 1251, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock, the Father of the Carmelite Order, and presented him with the Scapular. St. Simon's story began as an English hermit that lived in the hollow of a tree. He received the name "stock" because he lived in the hollowed trunk or stock of a tree. In time he would become a Carmelite and later the Father General of the order. He led the order during a time of great struggle. The Carmelites in the beginning were hermits on Mount Carmel, near Nazareth in the Holy Land. When they migrated to Europe, in this case England, some decided to no longer be hermits and instead became friars who would work among the people. St. Simon guided them through this state of transition. In the year 1251 a miraculous vision took place. St. Simon Stock, newly transplanted to England, prayed fervently to Our Lady for Her help. Then: To him appeared the Blessed Virgin with a multitude of angels, holding the Scapular of the order in her blessed hands. Our Lady gave St. Simon a scapular for the Carmelites with the following promise: Receive, My beloved son, this habit of thy order: this shall be to thee and to all Carmelites a privilege, that whosoever dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire...it shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace. The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (July 16) is known to many Catholic faithful as the "scapular feast," associated with the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a devotional sacramental signifying the wearer's consecration to Mary and affiliation with the Carmelite Order

Our Lady of Buensuceso

The Miraculous Patroness of Paranaque

The wooden image of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso became the focal point of extraordinary events and lasting popular devotion from the 17th century to the present. She is an essential part of the religious lives of devout Parañaqueños.

In the context of Philippine history, various images of the Blessed Virgin have been found, attributed to miracles, according to oral history. Miracles are defined by Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary as: “Any wonderful or amazing thing, fact, or event; a wonder;” and as “an event in the natural world, but out of its established order, possible only by the intervention of divine power.” Such is the case with the wooden image of the patroness of Parañaque, known as Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso (Our Lady of Good Events).

Whether such miracles were the result of imagination or simply popular folk religion, the devotion she has garnered for her title has made her an essential part of the lives of devout Parañaqueños.

One of the oldest written accounts regarding the origin of the image is by the Very Reverend Preacher, Fr. Nicolas de San Pedro, OSA, who was born in Parañaque of Spanish parents. He had various titles, such as Officer of the Order of St. Augustine, Officer of the Inquisition assigned to examine books and writings, Ex-definitor or member of the governing body of the Augustinian Order, and Ex-visitador or surveyor of the Order. Moreover, he was the parish priest of St. Andrew’s Parish.

Written in Spanish in the year 1700 while Fray San Pedro was superior of the Convent of Parañaque (now known as the Cathedral Parish of St. Andrew), his account’s complete title as translated into English is: “Regarding the miracles of the Sacred Image of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso that is venerated in the Church of the Convent of St. Andrew of the town of Parañaque and of its rare and strange discovery.”

The account describes the image as “a little less than a yard (around 20 inches) tall, very dark, although the dark color is not to dent her of her beauty but more to enhance her greater perfection. Not just for what the Holy Spirit said about her, nigra sum sed formosa but because of her race with which she is usually shown can be said as in the songs of the wife, that too much sun that surrounds her give her a beautiful dark color.”

Fray San Pedro inquired about how the image was actually found, preferring to ask the elderly of the town. He found a well-to-do lady named Dona Maria Dimatimbangan, nearing 90 years of age. She was still lucid and known for her integrity among the Spanish community, having married a Spaniard, as her grandchildren had done. Fray San Pedro also asked for verification from other natives, a Don Alonso Tongo, and a Dona Maria de la Cruz, and they had the same story.

THE COFRADIA DE LA CINTA

When the Convent of St. Andrew was established sometime in 1580, a religious, upon establishing the Cofradia de la Cinta (Confraternity of the Cord or Ribbon), brought and gave this certain image to the Church to be used for religious professions. Years passed and as more devotees were attracted to the image, the religious brothers in the year 1610 decided to make a bigger image, large enough to be seen from afar. The old image was discarded along with the Cofradia’s other possessions and transferred from box to box, treated like trash.

It was at this point that Catig, a native (although another account gave the name Juan), saw and asked for it from the caretaker, explaining that in his poverty, he did not have enough to be able to buy an image for his small house. It was given to him.

The joyful Catig, with tears in his eyes, grasped the holy image, embracing it as if he was carrying all the riches in the world. He brought it to the town of Don Galo, went to his hut, and since he did not have any semblance of a tabernacle to place the image, made one with two pieces of bamboo. There he offered whatever he could find in the form of sweet-smelling roses, herbs, and flowers, and sometimes with an oil lamp when he could afford it.

One day, Rev. Fr. Juan de Guevara was called to give the ailing Catig the last rites. He saw the image and was enamored, and he asked it from Catig and offered to pay. This priest was later said to have contributed 24 pesos as financial aid for Catig’s son, who was about to get married. After eight days, Catig passed away, and as previously agreed, the priest got the image and brought it to his convent cell.

While the image was in the cell, the priest and his confreres, who were outside, saw bright lights emanating from the room amidst angelic voices and heavenly fragrance. Because of these events, they reported it to the Father Provincial, Fray Alonzo de Mentrida, OSA, who ordered the image to be enthroned in the Church.

No name was initially given to the discovered image. When it was brought inside the Church on August 10, 1625, the prelate assembled the community and dropped into a jar many slips of paper with different names and titles that were used for images in Europe.

An eight-year-old boy was asked to draw from the slips and six times the paper with the name Buen Suceso was drawn. The Father Provincial then decided that this seemed to be the name the Blessed Mother had chosen for her image for Parañaque. He also instructed that a chapel of Sta. Monica, the patron saint of the barrio of Don Galo, be built on the site where the image at first stayed.

THE MIRACLES

Fray Nicolas San Pedro’s report is replete with miracles associated with Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso, especially after her enthronement.

The first miracle which occurred on August 15, 1625, was supposedly performed on a renowned lady from Malate, Dona Maria Amada, who had been suffering from intense cold, which had caused her contractions and spasms of the nerves to the extent that she became crippled.

Upon hearing that there was such an image, she immediately tearfully asked, to be brought before Our Lady. Two relatives rigged up a hammock and carried her to the altar steps. As soon as the devotees finished praying to Our Lady after the Mass, Dona Maria, with intense faith, slowly walked unaided all the way to the image, and after, back to her home.

A miracle that supposedly affected most residents in the 1620s happened when a huge influx of people arrived at the shrine upon hearing of the miracles. As a result, potable water became scarce. In addition, there was a draught, and all of the wells ran dry. One day, the seawater nearby started to show signs of a changing taste, and suddenly, a rumor began circulating that sweet, drinkable water was now available by the seashore. The thirsty devotees rushed to the site, and wherever they were able to dig their hands, they found potable water.

In his account, Fray San Pedro also mentioned that for the first six months after the image was found and enshrined, there had been no sick person in the town of Palanyag, the old name of Parañaque.

These extraordinary events in Parañaque reached the ears of the Archbishop of Manila, Fray Miguel Garcia Serrano, OSA, who gave instructions to investigate the real origin of the image. Since the native Catig had passed away, inquiries were made from the elderly. It was then verified that the image really belonged to the aforementioned Cofradia de la Cinta of the Augustinian brothers. Archbishop Serrano is credited for assigning February 22, 1626 as the feast day for the Virgin and with him shouldering all the expenses.

By 1626, devotion to the Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso had spread nationwide, to the Ilocos Region, the Visayas, Camarines, and other towns. In Parañaque, Catholics numbered some 7,172.

The San Pedro account ends with an inventory of the donations used to build the Church and convent, showing that it was the religious order more than the principalia of the Parañaque at that time who contributed most to the construction.

ECCLESIASTICAL RECOGNITION

This intense devotion and love for Our Lady for hundreds of years, led to its canonical coronation of her image in 2000. St. John Paul II issued the Papal Decree for the canonical coronation of the Mother and Patroness of the City of Parañaque, which was held on September 8, 2000, at the former St. Andrew Parish Church. This was upon the request of Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila in a letter dated October 27, 1999.

Eventually with the erection of the Diocese of Parañaque on December 7, 2002, the parish was elevated to a cathedral. Ten years later on August 10, 2012, while celebrating Our Lady’s 387th enthronement anniversary, Bishop Jesse E. Mercado, D.D., of the diocese of Parañaque, declared that the Cathedral Parish of St. Andrew would also be known as the “Diocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora del Buen Suceso .”

Finally, on November 29, 2023, Bishop Mercado officially promulgated the decree designating Our Lady of Good Events as the “Principal Patroness of the Diocese of Parañaque.”

https://worldmissionmagazine.com/the-miraculous/

Immaculate Heart of Mary

The image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary illustrates Mary’s burning love for God and her desire to bring souls to her Son. Her heart is pierced, as prophesied by Simeon, in union with Christ. Her heart is an example of what our hearts should look like, on fire with love for God. The feast is celebrated on the third Saturday after Pentecost, which is the day after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“From Mary we learn to love Christ, her Son and the Son of God…. Learn from her to be always faithful, to trust that God’s Word to you will be fulfilled, and that nothing is impossible with God.” -St. John Paul II

Our Lady of Seven Sorrows

(These Seven Sorrows should not be confused with the five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.)

1. The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34-35)

2. The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13)

3. The loss of the child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:43-45)

4. Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary.

5. Jesus dies on the cross. (John 19:25)

6. The piercing of the side of Jesus, and Mary's receiving the body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57-59)

7. The body of Jesus is placed in the tomb. (John 19:40-42)

The Seven Sorrows of Mary are a popular Roman Catholic devotion. In common religious Catholic imagery, the Blessed Virgin Mary is portrayed in a sorrowful and lacrimating affect, with seven daggers piercing her heart, often bleeding. Devotional prayers which consist of meditation began to elaborate on her Seven Sorrows based on the prophecy of the Rabbi Simeon. Common examples of piety under this title are Servite rosary, or the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady and the Seven Joys of Mary and more recently, "Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary". The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is liturgically celebrated each 15 of September, while a feast of Friday of Sorrows was also commemorated before the changes of the Second Vatican Council. The Seven Sorrows are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary which are a popular devotion and are frequently depicted in art. It is a common devotion for Catholics to say daily one Our Father and seven Hail Marys for each.

Our Lady of Miraculous Medal

The Story of the Miraculous Medal

THE FIRST APPARITION

On July 18, 1830, the eve of the feast of Saint Vincent de Paul, the Sister Superior spoke to the novices about the virtues of their Holy Founder and gave each of them a piece of cloth from his surplice. Catherine earnestly prayed to Saint Vincent that she might see the Mother of God with her own eyes.

She was convinced that she would see the Blessed Virgin Mary that very night. In her conviction, Catherine fell asleep. Before long, a brilliant light and the voice of a child awakened her. “Sister Labouré, come to the chapel; the Blessed Virgin awaits you.”

Catherine replied, “We shall be discovered.”

The little child smiled, “Do not be uneasy; it is half past eleven, everyone is asleep… come, I am waiting for you.” She rose quickly and dressed. The hall lights were burning. The locked chapel door swung open at the child’s touch.

Amazed, Catherine found the chapel ablaze with lights as if prepared for Midnight Mass. Quickly she knelt at the director’s chair, and suddenly, she heard the rustle of a silk dress… the Blessed Virgin, in a blaze of glory, sat in the director’s chair. The child whispered, “This is the Blessed Virgin.”

Catherine threw herself at Our Lady’s knee and rested her hands in Our Lady’s lap. Mary said, “My child, the good God wishes to charge you with a mission. You will be contradicted, but do not fear; you will have the grace to do what is necessary. Tell your spiritual director all that passes within you. Times are evil in France and in the world.”

A pain crossed the Virgin’s face.

“Come to the foot of the altar. There, graces will be shed upon all, great and little, especially on those who ask for them. You will have the protection of God and Saint Vincent. I always will have my eyes upon you. There will be much persecution. The cross will be treated with contempt. It will be hurled to the ground and blood will flow.” Then after speaking for some time, The Lady like a fading shadow was gone.

Led by the child, Catherine left the chapel, marched up the corridor, and returned to her place in the dormitory. The child disappeared and as Catherine went to bed, she heard the clock strike two in the morning.

THE SECOND APPARITION

Mary gave her this mission in a vision during evening meditation on November 27, 1830. She saw Mary standing on what seemed to be a globe and holding a golden globe in her hands as if offering it to heaven. “The ball which you see represents the whole world, especially France, and each person in particular.”

The times were difficult in France, especially for the poor. France was first to experience many of those troubles which ultimately reached other parts of the world. Streaming from rings on Mary’s fingers as she held the globe were many rays of light. “These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The gems from which rays do not fall are the graces for which souls foget to ask.”

THE THIRD APPARITION AND THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

The vision then changed to show Our Lady standing on a globe with her arms now outstretched and with the dazzling rays of light still streaming from her fingers. Framing the figure was an inscription: “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

The Meaning of the Front Side of the Miraculous Medal

Mary is standing upon a globe, crushing the head of a serpent beneath her foot. She stands upon the globe, as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Her feet crush the serpent to proclaim Satan and all his followers are helpless before her (Gn 3:15).

The year of 1830 on the Miraculous Medal is the year Our Blessed Mother gave the design of the Miraculous Medal to Saint Catherine Labouré.

The reference to Mary conceived without sin supports the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary—not to be confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, and referring to Mary’s sinlessness, “full of grace” and “blessed among women” (Luke 1:28)—that was proclaimed 24 years later in 1854.

The Meaning of the Back Side of the Miraculous Medal

The vision turned and showed the design on the reverse side of the medal. Twelve stars encircled a large “M” from which arose a cross. Below it were two hearts with flames arising from them. Thorns encircle the Sacred Heart of Jesus and a sword pierces the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The twelve stars can refer to the apostles, who represent the entire Church as it surrounds Mary. They also recall the vision of Saint John, writer of the Book of Revelation (12:1), in which “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars.” The cross can symbolize Christ and our redemption, with the bar under the cross a sign of the earth. The “M” stands for Mary, and the interweaving of her initial and the cross shows Mary’s close involvement with Jesus and our world. In this, we see Mary’s part in our salvation and her role as Mother of the Church. The two hearts represent the love of Jesus and Mary for us. (See also Lk 2:35)

The Miraculous Medal

Then Mary spoke to Catherine: “Have a medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces, they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for persons who wear it with confidence.” Catherine explained the entire series of apparitions to her confessor, and she worked through him to carry out Mary’s instructions. She did not reveal that she received the Medal until soon before her death 46 years later.

With approval of the Church, the first medals were made in 1832 and were distributed in Paris. Almost immediately, the blessings that Mary had promised began to shower down on those who wore her medal. The devotion spread like wildfire. Marvels of grace, health, peace and prosperity, followed in its wake. Before long people were calling it the “Miraculous” Medal. In 1836, a canonical inquiry undertaken in Paris declared that the medal was of supernatural origin, and that the wonders worked through it were genuine.

There is no superstition, nothing of magic, connected with the Miraculous Medal. The Miraculous Medal is not a “good-luck charm.” Rather, it is a great testimony to faith and the power of trusting prayer. Its greatest miracles are those of patience, forgiveness, repentance, and faith. God uses a medal, not as a sacrament, but as an agent, an instrument, in bringing to pass certain marvelous results. “The weak things of this earth hath God chosen to confound the strong.”

When Our Blessed Mother gave the design of the medal to Saint Catherine Labouré she said, “Now it must be given to the whole world and to every person.” The Association of the Miraculous Medal in Perryville, Missouri, carries out Our Lady’s request in many ways, including offering you a free Miraculous Medal.

The Silent Life of Saint Catherine Labouré - The Silent Saint

We might expect that praise and prominence would be the lot of one so favored by heaven. But Saint Catherine sought none of it; rather, she fled from it. She wanted to be left alone to carry out her humble duties as a Daughter of Charity. For over forty years, she spent her every effort in caring for the aged and infirm, not revealing to those about her that she had been the recipient of Our Lady’s medal.

In 1876, Catherine felt a spiritual conviction that she would die before the end of the year. Mary Immaculate gave Catherine leave to speak, to break the silence of 46 years. To her Sister Superior, Catherine revealed the fact that she was the Sister to whom Our Blessed Mother appeared.

On the last day of December 1876, Saint Catherine passed on—once again to the hands of Mary–this time, however, in heaven.

Today, her beautiful remains still lie fresh and serene. When her body was exhumed in 1933, it was found as fresh as the day it was buried. Though she had lived 70 years and was in the grave for 57 years, her eyes remained very blue and beautiful; and in death her arms and legs were as supple as if she were asleep. Her incorrupt body is encased in glass beneath the side altar at 140 rue du Bac, Paris, beneath one of the spots where Our Lady appeared to her. There you can gaze upon the face and lips that for 46 years, kept a secret which has since shaken the world.

Prayer to St. Catherine Labouré

Saint Catherine Labouré, you were the chosen confidant of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She revealed to you her desire that her children wear the Miraculous Medal as a mark of their love for her and in honor of her Immaculate Conception.

Intercede for us, that we may follow Our Heavenly Mother’s desires. Ask that we may receive those special graces which flow from her motherly hands like rays of light. Amen.

https://amm.org/about-us/story-miraculous-medal/

Our Lady of Czestochowa

Our Lady of Częstochowa, also knows as The Black Madonna of Czestochowa, is a revered icon of the Virgin Mary housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland. The origins of the icon and the date of its composition are still hotly contested among scholars. The difficulty in dating the icon stems from the fact that the original image was painted over, after being badly damaged by Hussite raiders in 1430. The legend concerning the two scars on the Black Madonna's right cheek is that the Hussites stormed the Pauline monastery in 1430, plundering the sanctuary. Among the items stolen was the icon. After putting it in their wagon, the Hussites tried to get away but their horses refused to move. They threw the portrait down to the ground and one of the plunderers drew his sword upon the image and inflicted two deep strikes. When the robber tried to inflict a third strike, he fell to the ground and squirmed in agony until his death. Despite past attempts to repair these scars, they had difficulty in covering up those slashes. The painting displays a traditional composition well known in the icons of Eastern Christians. The Virgin Mary is shown as the "One Who Shows the Way.” In it the Virgin directs attention away from herself, gesturing with her right hand toward Jesus as the source of salvation. In turn, the child extends his right hand toward the viewer in blessing while holding a book of gospels in his left hand. The icon shows the Madonna in fleur de lys robes. The Black Madonna is credited with miraculously saving the monastery of Jasna Góra from a 17th-century Swedish invasion, The Deluge. Another legend concerning the Black Madonna of Częstochowa is that the presence of the holy painting saved its church from being destroyed in a fire, but not before the flames darkened the fleshtone pigments.

Our Lady of Knock

On the evening of August 21, 1879, two women from the small village of Knock, Ireland (Mary McLoughlin & Mary Beirne) were walking home in the rain when they passed by the back of the town church. There, against the wall of the church, stood the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist and an altar with a lamb and a cross on it. There were also several angels flying around the altar. They women called other people (15 people in total) to the churh that also saw the apparition. They saw a beautiful woman, clothed in white garments, wearing a brilliant crown and her hands were raised as if in prayer. This woman was understood by all who saw her to be the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus and the Queen of the Angels. Other villagers that were not involved with the apparition, still reported seeing a very bright light illuminating the area around the church. There were also subsequent reports of inexplicable hearings associated with visits to the church of Knock.

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