Anything under the Sun
Marian Apparitions - 1
The Apparitions
Marian apparitions are undisputed facts.
Seven of them -- two in France ( La Salette in 1846 and Lourdes in 1858), one in Portugal (Fatima in 1917), two in Belgium (Beauraign in 1932 and Banneux in 1933, one in Spain (Garabandal from 1961 to 1966) and one in the former Yugoslavia (Medjugorje in 1981).
The Visionaries
The visionaries were all children or teenagers from poor families. They had great strength of character and refused to be intimidated by the authorities, whether church or civil.
For instance, two of them were cattle herders, 11-year old Maximin and 11-year old Melanie, were brought by the mayor of La Salle to the police. They were put in separate rooms and grilled for over fifteen hours.
The police demanded that they reveal the secrets of “The Lady” or they be jailed and accused as liars. But the two never retracted up to the time of their deaths.
In Lourdes, the chief of police sent his men to bring Bernadette to the station and she went alone and unafraid. The 14-year old shepherdess persisted in going to the grotto in spite of the threats of imprisonment because she promised “The Lady” that she would return to the grotto fifteen more times.
In Fatima, the three shepherds – Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta who were ten, eight and six years old, respectively, were not only ridiculed and rebuked but they also received beatings from their own families and threats of imprisonment from both church and civil authorities. Despite all these, they did not change their story.
When their parents tried to dissuade them from going back to Cova de Iria, by promising them lavish treats at a village fair, they refused to go. They said: “The Lady asked them to be at Cova de Iria every 13th of the month of October.”
These children of Fatima, following the request of “The Lady”, made sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. They gave their meager lunches to children, even poorer than themselves, postponed drinking when the sun was at its hottest and prayed the rosary for hours on end while tending their sheep.
In Banneux, 12-year old Mariette was not only ridiculed and mocked by her classmates, but was also beaten by some boys. Yet, she continued her nightly vigil in the courtyard suffering the bitter winter cold, constantly praying her rosary with her knees on the snow.
The four peasant girls of Garabandal were 11 and 12 years old. The eldest, Conchita was taken to Santander for questioning and medical examination. She was very outgoing and even asked the Archangel Micheal to ask God to perform “a little miracle” so the people would believe them.
In Medjugorje, the visionaries were all teenagers. They were brought to Cituk where the communist authorities investigated them and ordered them not to return to Podbrido Hill to meet “The Lady”. They and their relatives were also threatened to be jailed.