ZEPHYR 3.1 MARIAN SHRINES AND THE APPEARANCES OF THE VIRGIN MARY ZEPHYR Other dimensions and awareness

What is the background to these appearances of the Virgin Mary?

From various reports, Our Lady's appearances began in 40 AD, probably before she died, to James the Apostle in Saragossa, Spain. She has been appearing to others at irregular intervals throughout the past two thousand years.

The characteristics of her apparitions has remained fairly consistent. She usually appears in a globe of pure white light, dressed in a long dress and head cover which vary in color depending on the content of her messages. Her feet are usually surrounded by a mist or cloud and at times she seems to hover above the ground.  Occasionally is seen holding her Son in her arms. A number of her appearances are preceded by unusual phenomena such as observations of lightning and thunder from a clear sky, apparitions of angelic beings or clouds of unusual shapes and religious significance such as a cross or a doorway as well as other inexplicable events.

Here are some, though not all, of the recorded appearances of Our Lady:

Our Lady of the Pillar - Saragossa, Spain (ca. 40 AD)

Saint Mary Major - Rome, Italy (ca. 352 AD)

Our Lady of Walsingham - Walsingham, England (ca. 1061)

Our Lady of the Rosary - Prouille, France (1208)

Our Lady of Mount Carmel - Aylesford, England (1251)

The Black Madonna - Czestochowa, Poland (1382)

Our Lady of Guadalupe - Guadalupe, Mexico (1531)

Le Laus (1664)

Lavang (1798)

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal - Paris, France (1830)

Our Lady of Salette (1851)

Our Lady of Lourdes - Lourdes, France (1858)

Our Lady of Home Pontemaine 1870

Our Lady of Knock - Knock, Ireland (1879)

And in this century more appearances of Our Lady - some still to be officially recognized, together with some notes regarding the official position on each appearance

Our Lady of Fatima - May 13th 1917. Approval of Supernatural character

Beauiraing  1932 - Approval of Supernatural character

Banneaux 1933 - Approval of Supernatural character

Syracuse 1953 - Approval of Supernatural character

  Ngoma 1955 - Approval of Faith Expression (Prayer, devotion) at site.

Garabandal - June 18th, 1961 - Negative decision

Zeitun (1968) - Approval of Supernatural character

Akita (1969) - Approval of Supernatural character

 Betania (1976) - Approval of Supernatural character

Kibeho 1981 -  Approval of Supernatural character 

Medjugore - June 14th 1981 - No decision

The information regarding the state of each apparation was obtained from URL for this page is http://www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/aprtable.html  

The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio 45469-1390, and created by J. C. Tierney was last modified Friday, 25-Apr-2003 13:57:04 EDT by Michael P. Duricy. Please send any comments to Johann.Roten@udayton.edu

The information gives the year, the place, the number of people involved and two statements: Approval of Faith Expression (Prayer, devotion) at site and Approval of Faith Expression (Prayer, devotion) at site. The Explanatory Note comes from the same website.  

"Explanatory Note:

The following criteria of approval are lacking specific observations given the little space available.  The following needs to be kept in mind:

1) Approval of faith expression means that the local authorities have encouraged or at least tolerated the various manifestations of faith (prayers, mass, penance, conversions) occurring in conjunction with the alleged apparition.  When explicitly approved, and known to us, the column bears the word "yes".  The space remains blank when there was no answer available to us.

2) The designation "negative decision" in the column titled Approval of Supernatural character comprises both

- non constat de supernaturalitate, and
- constat de non supernaturalitate.

The second has final character, whereas the first (non constat) may have provisional character pending new results or the reopening of the case."

Apparition of Our Lady in South Africa?     

Mentioned in his book "The Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary Today" Fr. Rene Laurentin, one of the foremost Mariologists, quotes:

South Africa - Ngome

"Ten alleged apparitions of the Virgin to Sister Reinolda May, OSB, from 22 August 1955 to 2 May 1971. She asks to be invoked under the title of Tabernacle of the Most High and requests the construction of a chapel"

More details:

Loosly quoted from the pamphlet on the Marian Shrine - NGOME - South Africa produced by Fr. Michael Mayer OSB of the Inkamana Abbey, Vryheid, Natal.

Sr. Reinolda, known as Sr. Mashiane, was a sister of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing, Germany. In 1925 she left Germany for Zululand, never to return to her home country. She worked in many different mission stations and in 1937 trained for midwifery in Pietermaritzburg. From May 1938 to January 1976 she was in charge of the Maternity department at the Benedictine Hospital, Nongoma, serving thousands of mothers and babies with enthusiasm and great skill. The Benedictine Missionaries of Inkamana, founded the mission at Nongoma on 1st August, 1926.

Ngome, now belonging to the parish of Inkamana, is 80 km. outside Vryheid (Kwa-Zulu Natal) is on the way to Nongoma. The church bought a portion of a farm and a building was erected to serve as church and school for the local community.

Sr. Reinold May describes various encounters with the Blessed Virgin Mary and a request from Our Lady "to build a shirne on a church property where seven springs come together, pointing in the direction of Ngome".

Permission was given to erect a Shrine and a German artist painted a picture of Our Lady as described to him by Sr. Reinolda. This picture of Mary, Tabernacle of the Most High, was placed in the original chapel. In 1985 a bigger chapel which was built on a rock opposite the first tiny shrine and the picture was then transferred to the new Marian Shrine.

Anyone wanting further information about the appearances of Our Lady in South Africa, should contact: Fr Michael Mayer OSB, Sacred Heart Parish, Inkamana Abbey, Private Bag X9333, Vryheid 3100. South Africa. Telephone (27-0381) 81-2577 or FAX (27-0381) 80-9689.

MARIAN PROJECT IN SOUTH AFRICA

The Pilgrim Virgin in South Africa 

Our Lady has herself become a pilgrim - in order to visit every town, village and hamlet. Her desire is to prepare the whole world for the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the birth of her Son.

Founded in France, the project is an initiative of the laity, that has received the blessing of many prominent Christian leaders.

What happened in France in 1996...

he vast pilgrimage that took to the road in France in 1995 resulted in 40,000 Marian prayer vigils in France - 400,000 throughout the world. Since September 8 1995, 108 statues of the Virgin Mary have been criss-crossing France in the greatest pilgrimage of prayer ever seen. Every night the 108 statues come to rest in different places -in family homes, in churches, in the heart of communities. Their mission is to call everyone to prayer with Mary, that she may prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus at the 2000th anniversary of his birth.

Throughout the course of the year these statues and icons visited every part of France, going from hamlet to village, village to town, town to city, and reaching out into every district of every city. Untill the year 2000, the Blessed Virgins of France and of other countries will tour the world.

Our Lady, preceded by an image of the Shroud of Turin, and by the Gospel open at the Wedding Feast at Cana, will go to the very ends of the earth to gather her children to her Immaculate Heart, in a renewal of the spirit of the Upper Room. Her desire is to lead us to her Son, and to pray to the Father to grant us the gift of a new Pentecost. At each halt on her way all present are invited to dedicate themselves to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as she requested at Fatima. Rosaries are given out in their thousands during the vigils of prayer and meditation on the Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary.

This vast wave of prayer that has already broken over France - will spread out to cover the whole world, to prepare the way of the Lord and add to the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In 1997 ....This pilgrimage of the Virgin Mary spread out into the whole of Europe and out to the rest of the world.

and now South Africa!...  

The National Movement of the Pilgrim Virgin in South Africa is now working to help the same wave of prayer that has broken over France in 1996 achieve similar miracles in the African continent. We are working to help add a Marian dimension to the many Jubilee 2000 plans and initiatives of the members of the Church in this region.

The objective of the project is very simple and entirely orthodox. Our Holy Father has frequently called us to make Mary part of our liturgical and devotional plans in preparation for the jubilee year. It is intended that the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady will visit various homes and parishes throughout Southern Africa.  In South Africa the National Committee for this project have chosen the statue of Our Lady of Ngome, Mary, Tabernacle of the Most High, as the Pilgrim Virgin for this region.

Our Lady of Ngome visits Bethlehem for the launch of Jubilee 2000