Learn about America's Only Approved Marian Apparition

 

In America’s Mary: The Story of Our Lady of Good Hope, Marge Steinhage Fenelon provides a thorough exploration of the only approved Marian apparition to take place in the United States.

Our Lady appeared to Adele Brise, a Belgian immigrant living in Wisconsin, in October 1859. Her message was a simple but important one: “Do penance, sacrifice, receive the sacraments frequently, and teach the children their catechism.” Adele would spend the rest of her life carrying out the Blessed Mother’s wishes. The apparition was formally approved by Bishop David Ricken on December 8, 2010.

Fenelon’s work does more than simply describe the apparition. She begins by providing a thorough history of the world in which Adele Brise lived. She presents the circumstances that surrounded Belgian immigration to the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin and describes the tight community these immigrants formed. They were people with an active, deep faith, but there were many challenges to practicing the Catholic faith in this rural area. There were few priests or places to worship. Adele herself had to travel 11 miles to go to church.

Adele was twenty-eight years old when Our Lady appeared to her. She had minimal education and was blind in one eye. Yet, Mary trusted this simple woman to carry out her instructions and spread the faith. Adele felt ill-equipped for the challenge, but she went from village to village, offering to do housework in exchange for permission to educate children in the faith. She eventually led a group of Third Order Secular Franciscans known as The Sisters of Good Help (or the Sisters of Good Health) and opened a school. Despite setbacks and people questioning the authenticity of her vision, she trusted in God and seemed to be in constant contact with Our Lady.

Fenelon also traces the development of devotion to Our Lady of Good Help, the miracles that have taken place in the holy location of the apparition, and what led to the official Church approval.

America’s Mary: The Story of Our Lady of Good Hope makes for interesting reading. It contains many photographs to enhance the information. Most importantly, it helps spread Our Lady’s message, a message that echoes those of her other approved apparitions: Do penance, sacrifice, receive the sacraments frequently, and pass on the faith. This message is as vital today as it was in 1859. 

 

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Joyful Encounters with Mary

 

Women who want to dig deeper into the meaning of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary will benefit from Maria V. Gallagher’s new book, Joyful Encounters with Mary: A Woman’s Guide to Living the Mysteries of the Rosary. Gallagher’s goal in writing it was to help us see Mary’s hand in our daily struggles and achievements so that we might “experience a powerful relationship with her.” Cultivating a deep relationship with Mary does not serve to take us away from Jesus but rather also deepens and enhances our relationship with him. Mary “can help us to become better servants of God.”

The five Joyful Mysteries are: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Birth of Jesus, The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple, and The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. Each mystery is covered in four chapters. The first offers a personal reflection by Gallagher which includes stories from her own life. The second is a reflection on the mystery itself, examining the Scripture and considering how Mary might have felt. The third chapter of each mystery encourages readers to grow in virtue based on the fruit of that particular mystery. The fourth chapter introduces readers to a saint who exemplified the virtue of that mystery. Each chapter concludes with reflection questions which are great for personal or group use.

In the conclusion, Gallagher emphasizes:

By contemplating the Joyful Mysteries and how they relate to our lives, we can grow in the joy of Jesus, who is the Bridge to our ultimate happiness. We reflect on the way God weaved a tapestry of hope in the lives of Mary and Jesus, through the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Presentation, and the Finding of the Lord Jesus in the Temple. That hope can bear good fruit in our own lives.

Joyful Encounters with Mary: A Woman’s Guide to Living the Mysteries of the Rosary invites readers into a deeper relationship with Mary and provides the opportunity to reflect more deeply on these mysteries of the Rosary.

 

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February 11 - Our Lady of Lourdes - Lourdes, France

 

On February 11, 1858, fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous had gone to collect firewood with her sister and a friend. At the cave of Massabielle a lady dressed in white appeared to her. She invited Bernadette to pray the rosary with her. The lady would appear to Bernadette eighteen times.

On February 24^th, the lady asked for prayer and penance for the conversion of sinners. The following day, she asked Bernadette to dig in the ground and drink of the water that was found there. The townspeople laughed of Bernadette as she drank the muddy ground, but the next day a spring started to flow. Many miraculous cures were soon reported by those who drank the water.

On March 25^th, Our Lady finally revealed her identity, declaring “I am the Immaculate Conception.” On January 18, 1860, the local bishop declared that Mary had indeed appeared to Bernadette. Lourdes has long been a popular pilgrimage site, especially for those seeking healing. St. Bernadette was canonized in 1933.

Prayer

Our Lady of Lourdes, please ask your son to heal us in all the ways we need to be healed.

Reflection

Bernadette was ready to do whatever Our Lady asked, even if it meant being a laughingstock by drinking mud. Are we willing to do what God asks even when it means we might be laughed at?