Yippie!
Approved apparitions are cool!
The apparition took place in 1859 in what is now the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin. For the last two years a diocesan commission has been evaluating its authenticity, and on Wednesday (Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception), Bishop David Ricken announced its approval.
Apparently, he was surprised to learn that this was the first such approval of an apparition in the United States. He also reportedly was surprised to learn that it hadn’t already been approved since his predecessor bishops had supported it (albeit without giving it formal approval—note well that this is something that can happen; just because a bishop says something nice about an apparition does not mean it has been formally approved).
As this is the first American approval of an apparition, it is instructive to see the kind of language that Bishop Ricken used (most other such approvals were done pre-Internet and/or in other languages and thus have not been seen by most).
THE COMPLETE TEXT OF HIS DECREE CAN BE READ HERE (.pdf)
After the bishop briefly reviews the history of the apparition and the investigation of it, he arrives at the money part:
It remains to me now, the Twelfth Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay and the lowliest of the servants of Mary, to declare with moral certainty and in accord with the norms of the Church:
that the events, apparitions and locutions given to Adele Brise in October, 1859 do exhibit the substance of supernatural character, and I do hereby approve these apparitions as worthy of belief (although not obligatory) by the Christian faithful.
These Marian apparitions are now commemorated under the title “Our Lady of Good Help,” and there is a corresponding shrine in Champion, Wisconsin.
So what happened in 1859?
A young woman named Adele Brise—28-year old Belgian immigrant to what was then the American frontier—was taking wheat to a local mill when she saw a lady in white standing between two trees (and, yes, she did report the lady as having golden hair in the vision, which would most likely be based on Adele’s ethnic background). The lady then vanished. She saw the same thing the next day. At first Adele thought the lady might be a soul in purgatory who needed prayers, and she was frightened. She communicated this to several people, one of whom, a local priest,
told her that if it were a heavenly messenger, she would see it again, and it would not harm her, but to ask in God’s name who it was and what it desired of her.
Note that these are a paraphrase of the two classic, basic questions, “Who are you?” and “What do you want?” (I once recommended the same questions to a child who called in to Catholic Answers Live reporting that he heard a voice from an unknown source—if the voice came back. Unfortunately, I never heard whether it did or what the voice answered. But I’m glad to see the advice I gave in modern times echoed in this case. They seem to me the best questions to ask of an unknown, possibly supernatural agency.)
Meanwhile, back in 1859, what happened next?
After that, Adele had more courage. She started home with her two companions, and a man who was clearing land for the Holy Cross Fathers at Bay Settlement accompanied them.
“As they approached the hallowed spot, Adele could see the beautiful lady, clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist. Her dress fell to her feet in graceful folds. She had a crown of stars around her head, and her long, golden, wavy hair fell loosely around her shoulders. Such a heavenly light shone around her that Adele could hardly look back at her sweet face. Overcome by this heavenly light and the beauty of her amiable visitor, Adele fell on her knees.
” ‘In God’s name, who are you and what do you want of me?’ asked Adele, as she had been directed.
“ ‘I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning, and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession, and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them’
“ ‘Adele, who is it?’’ said one of the women. ‘O why can’t we see her as you do?’ said another weeping.
“ ‘Kneel,’ said Adele, ‘the Lady says she is the Queen of Heaven.’ Our Blessed Lady turned, looked kindly at them, and said, ‘Blessed are they that believe without seeing. What are you doing here in idleness…while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son?’
“ ‘What more can I do, dear Lady?’ said Adele, weeping.
“ ‘Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation’
“ ‘But how shall I teach them who know so little myself?’ replied Adele.
“ ‘Teach them,’ replied her radiant visitor, ‘their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing. I will help you.’”
The manifestation of Our Lady then lifted her hands, as though beseeching a blessing for those at her feet, and slowly vanished, leaving Adele overwhelmed and prostrate on the ground [SOURCE].
And that was all, in terms of the apparitions. They were short and straightforward.
Following this, Adele devoted herself wholeheartedly and despite obstacles to her mission of educating children. She became a Third Order Franciscan Sister. Many people began to hold pilgrimages to the site, where a shrine was built. Healings were reported, and twelve years later the site of the shrine was spared from a tremendous wildfire that scorched large swaths of forest around it.
And so, given the convergence of (1) the (obvious) compatibility of the message with the Christian faith, (2) the revolution in the life of Sr. Adele, and (3) the apparent fruit—including apparent answered prayer—that followed the apparition in the lives of others, Bishop Ricken approved the apparition, concluding with “moral certainty” (not absolute certainty) that it was of divine origin and could be recommended to the faithful as such, though this recommendation does not carry an obligation of belief. One is free to discount the idea that the apparition is of supernatural origin, and in doing so one does not sin.
While apparitions differ from one to another, it may be noted that this case corresponds fairly closely to the core paradigm for approved Marian apparitions, which may be phrased along these lines: On a limited number of occasions, the Virgin Mary appears to a young, uneducated person—usually female—and imparts a message of that proclaims no new doctrine but instead conveys both warning and consolation focusing on the salvation of souls and suggesting a way to promote this; the life of the visionary is revolutionized, and the visionary pursues some form of religious vocation (if not already undertaken); the visionary seeks the guidance of competent authorities in the evaluation of the manifestations and is obedient to ecclesiastical authority; some form of further evidence of answered prayer or the miraculous is forthcoming.
So.
America gets its first approved apparition. Kewl beans.
And, its a straightforward and uncomplicated one that should be uncontroversial and thus serve to highlight it as a useful spiritual signpost. Kewler still.
Comments
Post a Comment
This is indeed wonderful news. It is also good to remenber that it now must go to Rome to get full approval. When that day comes, it will be even a greater day for rejoicing. Christ’s peace!
Wow, Awesome!
Responding to Judy:
The rules for authority about apparitions are a bit surprising. We actually do not have to wait for approval from the Holy See in the matter.
As you probably know, apparitions are optional for believers; for that reason, they don’t involve the Church’s teaching authority. Since the approval of an apparition is merely a *permission* to believe in the event, the diocesan bishop has authority to grant that permission, and his approval is the normal, sufficient approval for a reported apparition. The Pope will not intervene to issue any further approval or disapproval unless a problem appears.
So the faithful can consider themselves free to believe in the apparition now if they are inclined, based on the credibility of the witnesses’ reports.
“Who are you?”, “What do you want?”, I guess Babylon 5 was even more Catholic that I thought!
When I saw the headline for this story, I fully expected the approved apparition to be Our Lady of the Americas. There has been so much prayer that the USCCB’s last conference would confirm something on that.
It’s my understanding that one of the requests of Our Lady of the Americas was that a statue of her under that title would be installed in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. A number of American bishops were supposedly close to asking for this.
I’d be curious if NCR has any updates.
“Yippie!”
“Approved apparitions are cool!”
“America gets its first approved apparition. Kewl beans.”
Jimmy’s above statements sum it up pretty well!
I just wish this Sr. Apologist could use layman’s terms that we could all understand. (LOL)
That rocks. a bit scary though. Saints are awesome and scary. I find it a bit unnerving that I do not see such things but I am grateful that I don’t. Here is why. I find it unnerving that I don’t experience such a visit because I think it tells me I am not worthy of the visit. I am grateful that I haven’t because I fear that I would not have the strength to be dutiful and follow the instructions given. I hope for mercy, pray for strength, and beg forgiveness for being so weak and sinful. and then I pretty much go about my business in a relatively relaxed manner. How pathetic.
That’s a close proximity to me! YAY! ;-) Although I hope this doesn’t mean Our Lady is a Packer fan… ;-)
The tourism dollars will surely be welcomed!
Mr. Akin, I couldn’t tell from your writing where you are going with this…it almost appears you were being facetious.
What is it that a catholic needs to know for salvation?
Faithful,
Catechism, prayer and sacraments.
Faithful,
My apologies, I meant: Faith, prayer and sacraments.
Nick, what specifically must a catholic believe or do to gain salvation? Must you partake of the sacraments to be saved?
You may want to fix this typo before it causes confusion:
“(2) the revolution in the life of St. Adele,”
That should be “Sr.” Adele, but we hope someday to call her St. Adele.
Prayerfully,
Richard A Martens, Jr “Dick”
917 S Park St
Shawano WI 54166
715.526.6751
I love this! However, I’m going to nit-pick about the title. It should read “The United State of America Gets Its 1st Approved Apparition!” Our Lady appeared at what is now Mexico City in the 16th century and is the patroness of the Americas. On the other hand, it will be easier for most of us living in the USA to get to Wisconsin than to Mexico City.
And, just to be clear, this is the United State’s first aproved apparition of MARY. The apparition of St. John Berchmans in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, has been approved for a long time, and was the first approved apparition of any saint in the United States. Thanks!
Sorry, this was not the first appariton in America. I believe it was the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to San Juan Diego, whose feast we celebrate today. America goes from the northern stretches of Canada to Terra del Fuego. Is it perhaps the first recognized apparition in the United States?
Do catholics believe that to convert sinners they are to “Make a general confession, and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners”?
@EdSullivan, I beg to differ. “America” is shorthand for the “United States of America,” much like “Mexico” is short for “Estados Unidos Mexicanos” or the “United Mexican States.” The land from the northern stretches of Canada to Terra del Fuego encompasses two continents named “North America” and “South America” or “The Americas” for short. Hence this is the first approved apparition in America, though not in The Americas.
@faithful: You asked, “Do Catholics believe that to convert sinners they are to “Make a general confession, and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners”? No. not exactly anyway. First off, “WE” (as Catholics) do not convert sinners. They convert themselves, however, they may be give supernatural aide (graces) in order to help them do so.
The request by Our Lady I am assuming was made first for the soul of the Sr. Brise, so that she may be closer to God and more able to carry out her mission, and secondly - Communion and other sacrifices may be made for the soul of another person.
In other words I may made a sacrifice to skip my dinner and pray for a soul and the Lord, in His Mercy, may be moved by this and grant that some special grace may be bestowed on this person. Also a sacrifice may be made in recompense for another. It is as if to say, “No, don’t punish them, forgive them, accept this sacrifice as my punishment for them!”
To be a Catholic is to be a believer and follower of the faith. What Catholics believe is laid out in The Catechism of the Church - that is - a compendium of Church teaching. The Church teaches, among other things that Confession of our sins and receipt of Holy Communion bring us closer to God and are the Will of God. A Catholic who does not do this may not necessarily be “un-Catholic” but may be out of accord with Church teaching and out of step with God’s will.
I hope this helps. Others will correct me, though, as I am no theologian.
Bishop Ricken would be wise to ensure the trusting Catholics in his diocese are taught Scripture truths in full, and in context FIRST. BEFORE time and energy is spent on anything, the bishop will be wise to first oversee that EVERYONE, all Roman Catholics in his diocese, ages 12 and up can in their OWN words:
1- Teach to a child the nature and function of each Member of the Holy Trinity, and how the Holy Spirit works in their lives,
2- Teach them the meaning of “Justification”, “Sanctification”,
“Glorification”, and IN THEIR OWN WORDS, explain to their children what St. Paul meant when he wrote his letter to the Romans, THEN this bishop can spend lots of time working on apparition efforts such as this one.
(Then, he won’t want to.)
Not before. Most certainly, not now. The Great Commission should be his ONLY priority.
JB - no one converts ‘himself’. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is what I meant by Catholics need to be educated about the Christian faith.
PLEASE BISHOPS ACROSS THE WORLD: TEACH AND PREACH BIBLE TRUTHS!
Cradle Catholic,
I’d go easy on JB.
He(or she?) was specifically answering the question “Do Catholics believe that to convert sinners they are to “Make a general confession, and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners”?”
JB answered “No. not exactly anyway. First off, “WE” (as Catholics) do not convert sinners”. (Correct)
They convert themselves, however, they may be give supernatural aide (graces) in order to help them do so.
JB might have taken a shortcut in his answer, but the supernatural graces he’s talking about are the work of the Holy Spirit.
How come Mary only appears to Catholics?
konieczny, when one of Adele’s companions asked why she could not see the apparition also, Adele told her that Mary replied, “Blessed are they that believe without seeing.”
So if you never see an apparition during your life, just keep believing!
Glory be to God!
Probably because when she has appeared to Protestants, they just thought she was some lady in a weird dress waiting for a bus. And if she spoke to them, they would flee, thinking she was one of those talkative street people who try to hit you up for money.
bob: I’m not being facetious. Just happy and light-hearted. :-)
“Kewl beans.” Really?
Kewl beans is a demeaning and a subtly dismissive way to describe this extraordinary event.
Basically your point in the article at least how i read it is that it ok for the naive to believe in Our Lady’s apparition but - wink, wink - the wise can go on about their business of fighting the “culture wars” and writing endless copy about the use of condoms by homosexual prostitutes . The Catholic press has given the events in Green Bay a polite tip of the hat almost anxious to get back to business as usual which will of course ignore the supernatural and mystical side of are faith.
I think the events in Green Bay and the approval is AWESOME! ..
Then, Steve,—you should ALSO be taking to task the author of this article. The first comments of Mr. Akin are to wit: “Yippie!” And—
Approved apparitions are cool!” Where is the reverence in his remarks?
My comment was directed at the author entirely ..
No problem. Thanks for the clarification. Excellent comment.
Good grief! Give the guy a break. He brought us this informative article and you all want to jump all over him because he was using a manner of speech that you just don’t like - so - that makes him irreverent. Malarkey!
Jesus waned us about this kind of behavior. The old beam in the eye. Look at your own lives first before casting that stone. How perfect are you? You may only think you are more perfect than the author here. But he surely didn’t say anything “wrong”. Some folks just enjoy bullying others and acting like self-appointed Catholic Cops.
This is what turns so many people away from Catholic web sites. Everyone wants to cruise around and “correct” each other over speech, culture and so on.
How about everyone find charity again and lighten up.
Thank you, Mr. Shea for the article. (I personally don’t like the Kewl Beans comment either, actually, but it is as valid a manner of speech as any other.)
My point really was less about the “kewl beans” choice of words but rather a comment on how the General catholic press reports on apparitions and the mystical. They generally are no more interested in such matters than the secular press, Essentially treating the events as superstitious myths only important to the Blue haired set..
I liked the writing style! I appreciated that the article was written.
That said, there ARE “Catholic cops” that do the church a disservice, because we are called to work for CHRISTIAN UNITY. In fact, that was Jesus’ prayer for us - for all Christians to look for what unites us and not for what divides us.
If Catholics would only read Scripture and if only our clergy would PREACH AND TEACH the Sacred Word of God, in context and in full. This, I pray.
@Franklin This is a Jimmy Akin post! I guess that just because it is a little flaky around the edges people assume it must be the work of Mark Shea! Kewl beans indeed. lol
Hey! Reality Check! I like Shea’s articles too!
Folks: we need news. We have to preserve our First Amendment Right to have a free press, and we CAN express ourselves about what we read, without being nasty, especially when we write anonymously.
Franklin: not only did I appreciate your attempt to bring civility back to this post, I agree with everything you wrote. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! You’re terrific! And so is Jimmy Akin and Mark Shea, all of us are on a journey towards Jesus.
PLEASE LET’S ALL GET OUT OUR BIBLES AND READ IT, COVER TO COVER. It’s so consistent and easy to understand, when we have versions that are in modern day language. There’s a new audio Bible out too - a Catholic one that sounds wonderful!!! Listen in context and in full!
1611 Acts of Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines Province Provincial Chapter declares acceptance of convent Manaoag, Pangasinan site of Our Lady of Manaoag’s apparition. 1654 First image of Our Lady of Guadalupe brought to the Philippines…1754 Benedict XIV approved the patronage of New Spain and granted a Mass and Office proper to the celebration of the feast on December 12.
...
1757 The Virgin of Guadalupe was declared patroness of the citizens of Ciudad Ponce in Puerto Rico.
1767 The religious of the Society of Jesus are expelled from the Spanish dominions, and the image is carried to various parts of the world.
1895 Took place the coronation of the image, with pontifical authority and the attendance of a great part of the episcopate of the Americas.1902 Gen. Otis declares martial law in the Philippines
1908 Pope Saint Pius X prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe, where he entrusts Our Lady of Guadalupe with the protection of the Sovereign Pontiff and asks her intercession for the holy Church and the keeping of our faith,is enriched with an indulgence of five hundred days on his audience held on August 18.
1908 Pope Saint Pius X granted indulgences which may be gained in any part of the world for prayer before a copy of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
1910 Pope Saint Pius X declared the Virgin of Guadalupe Patroness of Latin America.
...
1928 A coronation of the image was made in Santa Fe, Argentina.
...
1935 Pious XI extended the patronage of the Virgin of Guadalupe to the Philippines.
1945 Pious XII stated that the Virgin of Guadalupe was the “Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas” and that she had been painted “by brushes that were not of this world”.
1946 Pope Pius XII declared her to be the Patroness of the Americas.
I would like to know what Pope Saint Pius X, Pope Pious XI & Pope Pious XII said about us reading the Bible? What did they teach Catholics about Justification?
How did they explain Paul’s letter to the Romans, so it will be easy for parents to understand and to teach to their children?
Having recently been verbally “beaten up” myself for being happy and light-hearted in a discussion, I have to given a big “AMEN”! to Franklin’s statement.
As a side note, I have a hard time getting my teens to read much Catholic info. They DID read Jimmy’s article, and chuckled at the language used, since they use the same language themselves.
To question 1:Pope St. Pius X—“Nothing would please us more than to see our beloved children form the habit of reading the Gospels - not merely from time to time, but every day.”
Pope Pius XII—“Our predecessors, when the opportunity occurred, recommended the study or preaching or in fine the pious reading and meditation of the sacred Scriptures. “...This author of salvation, Christ, will men more fully know, more ardently love and more faithfully imitate in proportion as they are more assiduously urged to know and meditate the Sacred Letters, especially the New Testament…”
To question 2:
Pope Pius X (Catechism)
Q: But if a man through no fault of his own is outside the Church, can he be saved? (A.9 Q.29)
A: If he is outside the Church through no fault of his, that is, if he is in good faith, and if he has received Baptism, or at least has the implicit desire of Baptism; and if, moreover, he sincerely seeks the truth and does God’s will as best he can such a man is indeed separated from the body of the Church, but is united to the soul of the Church and consequently is on the way of salvation.
To be united to the soul of the Church means to share in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, who is the soul of the Church—above all, to share in faith, hope, and charity. Thus according to the teaching of Pope Pius X, a person who is outside of the Church, yet not by his own fault, can posssess the theological virtues, and be on the way to salvation.
Pope Pius XII
Under Pius XII, the Holy Office sent a letter to the Archbishop of Boston, clarifying the Feeney case, and the interpretation of the dogma “Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus”. The main points of this clarification:
1) The Saviour decreed that the Church be a means of salvation without which no one can enter the kingdom of eternal glory.
2) At the same time, God has willed that the effects of the helps to salvation, which are necessary to be saved, can be obtained in certain circumstances when those helps are used only in desire or longing.
3) Statement number 2 applies to the Church, inasmuch as she is the general help to salvation.
4) Therefore, that one may obtain eternal salvation, it is not always required that a person be incorporated into the Church actually, but it is necessary to be united at least by desire and longing.
5) This desire need not be explicit; when a person has invincible ignorance, God accepts also an implicit desire, which is included in the disposition of soul by which someone wants his will to be conformed to God’s will.
6) This desire must be animated by perfect charity, and the person must have supernatural faith.
Hector, you wrote: “Under Pius XII, the Holy Office sent a letter to the Archbishop of Boston, clarifying the Feeney case, and the interpretation of the dogma “Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus”. The main points of this clarification:
1) The Saviour decreed that the Church be a means of salvation without which no one can enter the kingdom of eternal glory.”
MY QUESTION to you:
Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin were all baptized Roman Catholic. Joseph Stalin was even studying to be a priest, but left the seminary prior to ordination. So did they ever have saving Faith, in your opinion?
I know none of us are to ‘judge’ a person - meaning to condemn them. Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin may be in Heaven, only God knows. But based on the Fruit of their lives, and on their actions while they were alive, how would you just DISCERN from your perspective, their status in the Church? Saved or not saved.
Each would have gone through ALL the ‘saving’ sacraments of the Roman Catholic church: baptism, first confession, first communion, and confirmation.
To questions 1 & 2;
Acts 1:25
Someone else can tackle the theology but for the history: Stalin was baptized Georgian Orthodox, actually. He attended a church seminary, which has led people to believe he was studying to be a priest, but such seminaries were church-run boarding schools, where some of the students might go onto become priests, but most wouldn’t. In the West, our minor seminaries were much the same.
Stalin was never marked out for a priest, and was either expelled after failing an exam or couldn’t pay the tuition. (Accounts vary. His own story: that he was expelled for starting a Socialist Club is certainly false.)
Hector- Will you please explain what you mean, in your own words?
Eileen- Thank you for the background about Stalin. Georgian Orthodox is in communion with the Vatican, I believe. My purpose for mentioning Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin was to point out that they too, all received the official sacraments of the Church; yet, looking at the Fruit of their lives, they were neither following Jesus, nor being led by the Holy Spirit, by their actions.
Georgian Orthodox is in communion with the Vatican, I believe.
No. It’s been in and out of the control of Russian Orthodoxy in the last couple centuries, but not in communion with Rome since the great schism. But as you say, that wasn’t your point. Stalin did receive the same sacraments, of course. I’m just a bit of a history buff, particularly re: Soviet history.
Thanks for the clarification about Soviet history, Eileen, and for the mention about the Georgian Orthodox denomination not being in current communion with Rome.
If a Georgian Orthodox Christian wanted to become Roman Catholic however, and the person was already baptized in the customary Trinitarian formula, I don’t think they would need to be RE-baptized though - so yes, thanks for understanding that these Sacraments were indeed my point.
I was at an Orthdox (Greek perhaps?) church several years ago, and they used so much incense, I was surprised they retained their sense of smell during the week that followed the ceremony, AND everyone filed up to their main altar, to (hang onto your hats!) kiss a mosaic of the Blessed Mother and Child. It was rather sweet, and not to stand out, I complied with it.
With that said, I think it’s of utmost importance to keep Mary’s role in its proper place, so as to not usurp Jesus, as our Savior, Redeemer and Advocate with the Father. The Holy Spirit must too be worshipped, and His role ought not be ursurped by Mary, or Michael the Archangel, or any other created being.
The Triune Godhead must be in its proper place for all Christians, and it’s a slippery slope, when anyone or anything begins to replace that focus. That’s my point. Again, thank you - and Merry Christmas to all.
To clarify the confusion about “America”, “The Americas” and “The United States of America”:
According to the Oxford Dictionary online, the first meaning of the word “America” in English is the whole continent (hemisphere). A second meaning is the United States of America:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_us1221367#m_en_us1221367
In the same line, the Webster Dictionary lists these two meanings for the word “American”:
1. Of or pertaining to America; as, the American continent: American Indians.
2. Of or pertaining to the United States.
http://www.webster-dictionary.net/definition/American
The Merriam-Webster dictionary adds a third meaning for “America”, placed in first place in the list: either continent (North America or S. America) of the western hemisphere. The second meaning is the whole continent and the third one is the United States of America.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/america
In the Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia In America “America” means the continent:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_22011999_ecclesia-in-america_en.html
Anyway, very welcome the first US American approval of an apparition.
Post a Comment
By submitting this form, you give The National Catholic Register permission to publish this comment. Comments will be published at our discretion, and may be edited for clarity and length. For best formatting, please limit your response to one paragraph and don't hit "enter" to force line breaks.