Our Lady of Banneux

Banneux, Belgium 1933: January 15th - March 2nd 1933
Visionary: Mariette Beco (11 years old)

Mariette was born on March 25, 1921 and the oldest of 7 children. Her family was very poor. Mariette came from a Catholic family who never went to church or pray. Still she was religious, she once found a rosary and kept it with her all the time.

It was January 15th 1933 and it had snowed and it was cold. She was looking after the baby of the family and while she sat there she suddenly saw outside a young lady who was very beautiful with light all around her. She called her mother and said this is Our Blessed Lady and she is smiling at me. She then took out her rosary and started to pray while she kept looking at the Lady. The Lady wanted her to come to her, so Mariette wanted to go outside, but her mother locked the door cause she had not seen the Lady and didn´t trust it. Mariette looked outside the window and the Lady was not there anymore.

January 18th Mariette goes outside in the evening, and although she is very afraid of the dark she starts to pray her rosary kneeled down in the snow. She sees Our Blessed Lady again, and she must follow Our Lady. Mariette obeys and comes to a small stream where Our Blessed Lady stands above the road. Our Blessed Lady says to Mariette that she needs to put her hands into the water and the Lady said that the stream was specially for her. The lady says goodnight and leaves again.

January 19th Mariette goes outside again with her fathers old coat over her head to protect her from the cold. She kneels down again to pray. Her father was in the garden too. Mariette then saw the Lady again and asked herwho she was. Our Blessed Virgin then said:

"I am the Virgin of the Poor".

Our Blessed Lady then leads her again to the stream and Mariette asks Her why the stream is devoted to her(whilst she was pointing at herself). Our Blessed Lady said that this stream was for all nations..... for the sick! Mariette thanked Her and Our Blessed Lady said goodbye to her.

January 20th Mariette goes out again although she feels sick, to pray the rosary. Then she sees Our Blessed Lady again and asks Her what Her wishes are. Our Blessed Lady then answers that she would like a small chapel. And blesses Mariette for this task. Mariette looses consciousness cause she is sick but was carried inside by her father and a neighbour. Inside she regaind consicousness again.

From January 21 till February 11th Mariette keeps prayingher rosary outside in the carden, even though it is very cold. She didn´t see Our Blessed Lady and so far only Mariette beliefs in Our Blessed Lady of the Poor.

February 11th Mariette is outside with a few other people praying the rosary. Near the end of the second rosary, people see Mariette stand up and kneel down at the stream. She dips her hands into the water and makes the sign of the cros. Our Blessed Lady says: I have come to relief the suffering, I shall see you again soon. After that she disappears.

February 15th Our Blessed Lady appears again and Mariette asks Her for a sign as her Chaplain has instructed. Our Blessed Lady answers: Have faith in Me: I shall believe in you. She then tells Mariette a secret. Then she says:Pray a lot and goodbye.

February 20th Our Blessed Lady appears again at the end of thesecond rosary Mariette is praying and leads her to the stream. She asks Mariette again to pray a lot and says goodbye again.

March 2nd.It was 7 pm and raining. Mariette goes out and starts praying the rosary. At the third rosary the rain suddenly stops. Our Blessed Lady appears again and says to Mariette:
I am the Mother of the Savior, Mother of God, pray a lot. Adieu. This was the last time
Mariette saw Our Blessed Lady.

The apparitions of Our Blessed Virgin in Banneux arefully approved by the Holy See in 1949.

Our Lady of Lourdes

Visionary St. Bernadette Soubirous

Lourdes is probably one of the best known Apparitions of Our Lady, which also verified and made clear the Dogma/Doctrine of The Immaculate Conception, which was authorised by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854.

But let us take a closer look at this young girl and the message of Our Lady, which was entrusted to the young Bernadette Soubirous. She was born into a poor peasant family, in the year 1844, the first of six siblings. These were difficult years for her family and five of her brothers were to die at very young ages. Bernadette herself almost died of cholera, but, was able to survive this illness. As the family was destitute neither parent could afford medications.

Because of the poverty of her parents, Bernadette lived at different times with a foster mother at Bartres. Being that she was so poor, Bernadette was denied a decent education, and could neither read nor write. This was discovered as she began to receive instruction to prepare for her first Communion.

But it was in the year 1858 on February 11th, that Bernadette’s life would be changed forever. It was a cold day and Bernadette with two of her sisters were sent out to gather firewood for their cold and austere home. Being fragile in health, Bernadette did not cross the stream, but instead decided to wait for her sisters.

It was here that Bernadette thought she heard what sounded like a clap of thunder, as she pulled her shawl closer about her shoulders. It was as she was gazing at the sky to see if there were storm clouds, that Bernadette first saw a very beautiful woman looking at her from across the stream. The beautiful lady was dressed in what looked like a luminous white dress with a sash of blue around her waist and two golden roses on her feet. Bernadette was awestruck but also frightened as to what to do, she then saw the beautiful lady make the sign of the Cross before she disappeared, no words were spoken.

Bernadette was entranced by this beautiful lady, and thereby she returned to what is the grotto at Massabielle. It was on February 18th that Our Lady told Bernadette that she would not live a happy life on earth, but that her happiness was assured in Heaven. Our Lady gave several messages to Bernadette asking for Penance from the people and a greater devotion to our Lord and Savior.

It was here that Our Lady requested that Bernadette dig the ground so that a spring could burst forth. Bernadette immediately began digging the ground, taking no account of some of the derision from the crowds. Eventually a spring did burst forth which remains to this day.

But it was the message on March 2nd where Mary told Bernadette, "Tell the priests that people should come here in procession and that a chapel should be built on the site." Also on March 25th, the Blessed Virgin revealed to Bernadette, "I am the Immaculate Conception."

Our Lady was true to her word and Bernadette upon the completion of the messages from the Blessed Virgin Mary, decided after suffering ridicule and the curious crowds which followed her around, to enter the Religious life.

She eventually entered the Sisters of Notre Dame, but after a health scare she was given the last rites, the Church therefore gave approval for Bernadette to make her vows. Bernadette was able to recover and spent time working in the Sacristy as part of her duties.

Bernadette was a very humble soul and disliked the 'fame' that seemed to plague her. She always referred to herself when questioned by the curious as 'the broom placed behind the door once it has been used', she never sought nor received special treatment. If anything the opposite occurred, when some in her community became jealous of the favour that was shown to this young nun. She suffered in silence many cruel taunts and persecutions from within her religious community. After suffering much agony and in her death throes, she cried out "Blessed Mary, Mother of God, pray for me! A poor sinner, a poor sinner".

Bernadette died on April 16, 1879, at the age of 35.

She was canonized in 1933 by Pope Pius XI.

Upon exhuming the body of this Great Saint her body was found incorrupt and she lay in a glass reliquary, in the convent chapel.

I encourage all to read about this most momentous Vision, Our Lady of Lourdes.

Peace of Christ to you ALL

Copyright © 2005 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.

Our Lady of Knock

Ireland, Knock
Thursday 21 August 1879 at 8pm

On August 21 1879 Margaret Beirne was locking up the church when she saw a strange brightness but left. At the same time Mary Beirne and the housekeeper who she has been visiting both saw "Statues". The housekeeper said that it were no statues but it was the

Blessed Virgin. After that 13 more people saw the beautiful women,who was all dressed

in white and wearing a brilliantcrown. On the right of the Blessed Virgin was St. Joseph

and on the left St. John the Evangelist dressed like a bishop. On the left of St. John was an

altar with a lamb and a cross surrounded by angels. This vision lasted for 2 hours.

Miraculous healings have been reported soon after the area. And still today it is a place

where many pilgrims visit.Our late beloved Pope John Paul II visited Knock in 1979

and Mother Teresa of Calcutta visited the shrine in 1993.

Our Lady of La Salette

Visionaries Melanie Mathieu and Maximin Giraud

In the years 1845 to 1850 were troubling times for Europe of epic proportions as we will discover. This was a time when many in Europe were still feeling the effects of the the French Revolution, which devastated France and sent tremors into neighbouring countries.

But it is the year 1846 that we will focus on, for this was the year when Our Lady appeared to two illiterate youths, namely Melanie Mathieu and Maximin Giraud.

These were two simple children, who's main job was to protect the cattle on the pasture above La Salette, for their employers. These two children had received very little in the way of education and came from very poor families.

But it was on Saturday, 12th September, 1846 that would irrevocably change the lives of these two youths forever. For it was on this day that the two children would see a beautiful Lady of indescribable beauty.

This beautiful Lady appeared to them as if on a circle of light, and when the light opened it revealed this most beautiful Lady sitting on a rock with her head in her hands as she wept inconsolably. She seemed to be wearing a long, white dress with pearls studded on it and also a white shawl, hanging from her neck was a crucifix and upon her head a Crown.

The two children were very upset to see one so beautiful, weeping so bitterly and both were also a little afraid, when confronted with this most wondrous Lady, they did not know what to do nor how to console her.

Our Lady looked at both children and still weeping she told them to warn the people that unless they changed their way, great tribulations would strike the population, for she could no longer hold back the Hand of her Son.

The children were horrified at what Our Lady was to reveal to them, and also overwhelmed. She warned of a coming famine that would corrupt crops and bring untold misery and tragedy to many families. Our Lady told the children the reason why such punishment would come, as nearly all people had lost sight of God and were dismissive of Him, even unto blaspheming His Holy Name!

Our Lady told the children these words, "If my people do not obey, I shall be compelled to loose my Son's arm. It is so heavy I can no longer restrain it. How long have I suffered for you! If my son is not to abandon you, I am obliged to entreat Him without ceasing. But you take no heed of that. No matter how well you pray in the future, no matter how well you act, you will never be able to make up to me what I have endured on your behalf. I have given you six days to work. The seventh I have reserved for myself, yet no one will give it to me. This is what causes the weight of my Son's arm to be so crushing. The cart drivers cannot swear without bringing in my Son's name. These are the two things which make my son's arm so heavy."

Our Lady then went on to ask the children, "Do you say your prayers well, my children?" Both Melanie and Maximin told the truth and declared they did not pray much at all, Our Lady beseeched them to practice and keep a good prayer life, she also said that so few practiced prayer nor attended any type of Worship, except for a very few elderly people in the villages.

She once again warned both children of the coming Chastisements if people did not ammend their ways or repent of their sins. Our Lady also imparted secrets to each child and recommended that both children share with the world her message of grief and to warn people to once again embrace God, or they would face a great Tribulation!

When the children told the local community and the Presiding Bishop they both faced much opposition and at times open ridicule leading to persecution, not too many people wanted to hear of coming chastisements. But even though Melanie nor Maximin had great education, they both remained steadfast and resolute in warning the world of what Our Lady had commissioned them to do!

Unfortunately what Our Lady predicted came to pass in the Great Potato Famine which spread from Europe to Ireland with untold and unparalelled tragedy. During the years 1845 to 1850, more than a million Irish people starved to death, and millions more left the shores of Ireland never to return to their homeland again.

The children eventually confided the secrets given to each of them privately to the Reigning Pontiff Pope Pius1X, at his request. The Pope was later heard to exclaim, " These are the secrets of La Salette: Unless the world repent, it shall perish!"

Later Mgr de Bruillard as Bishop of Grenoble released this statement:"We declare that the apparition of the Blessed Virgin to two shepherds, on September 19, 1846, on a mountain in the Alps in the parish of La Salette, bears in itself all the marks of truth and that the faithful are justified in believing without question in its truth. And so, to mark our lively gratitude to God and the glorious Virgin Mary, we authorise the cult of Our Lady of La Salette."

As for both Melanie and Maximin they were to lead complicated lives, both tried to enter religious communities which they failed at. Maximin after trying to gain employment, eventually started his own religious shop selling devout items, due to many unsrupulous people, there were questions raised about his level of business acumen. Maximin died a holy death at only 38 years old.

Melanie herself also tried different religious Orders none of which worked out. Being of an outspoken nature, Melanie did not attract large groups of friends, Melanie possessed a deep honesty but little personal 'charm'. She eventually died alone in Italy at the age of 73.

The message of La Salette still holds true for today, and I would encourage all to read of this momentous Vision, our Lady of La Salette.