Vatican Approves New Marian Apparitions

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) has officially approved the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Pierina Gilli, an Italian visionary, which occurred in 1947 and 1966.

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Highlights

By Catholic Online (California Network)
7/9/2024 (1 month ago)

Published in Living Faith

Keywords: Vatican, Marian apparitions, Pierina Gilli, Montichiari, Fontanelle, Mystical Rose, Pope Francis

These significant apparitions took place in Montichiari and Fontanelle, Italy, in the northern province of Brescia. A letter approved by Pope Francis and addressed to the bishop of Brescia on July 5 by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez highlighted that the spiritual messages relayed by Pierina Gilli in relation to Maria Rosa Mystica align with the doctrines of the Church.

Gilli's diaries, which detail her visions and the messages she received from the Blessed Virgin, are included in the letter. Cardinal Fernandez noted that her writings reflect a profound trust in Mary's maternal guidance.

In the spring of 1947, while serving as a nurse and postulant for the Handmaids of Charity in Montichiari, Gilli experienced her first apparition of the Blessed Virgin in a hospital chapel. The Virgin Mary appeared to her, sorrowful and tearful, wearing a violet dress and white veil. Showing her heart pierced by three swords, Our Lady requested prayer, penance, and sacrifice.

On July 13, 1947, the Virgin Mary appeared again, this time in white with three roses in place of the swords: a white one, a red one, and a yellow one, symbolizing prayer, sacrifice, and penance, respectively. When asked who she was, Our Lady responded: "I am the mother of Jesus and the mother of all of you. Our Lord sends me to bring a new Marian devotion to all religious orders and institutes, male and female, and to the priests of this world."

Our Lady expressed her wish for July 13 to be celebrated annually in honor of the Mystical Rose, indicating that "Mary is the master teacher of the innermost mystical life and the mother of the mystical body of Christ, -- the mother of the Church." She appeared to Gilli five more times in 1947, including public apparitions in November and December. On December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Virgin declared the 8th of December at noon as the hour of grace for the world, promising divine and bodily graces through this devotion.

Following these apparitions, Gilli entered the convent of the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Child in Brescia. It wasn't until 1966 that the Blessed Virgin appeared to her again, blessing a miraculous spring in Fontanelle, known as the "Fountain of Grace." Our Lady asked Gilli to place a crucifix there and to encourage the faithful to ask for pardon from her divine Son before drawing or drinking the water.

The apparitions continued throughout 1966, with the Blessed Virgin delivering messages about prayer, penance, and devotion. Gilli documented more private visits from the Blessed Virgin in the years that followed.

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Despite these profound experiences, the apparitions did not receive official recognition until 2019, when Bishop Pierantonio Tremolada of Brescia declared the Marian site as the Diocesan Sanctuary of Mystical Rose, Mother of the Church. The recent letter from the DDF outlines the positive aspects of the messages and provides guidance to avoid misunderstandings, affirming the spiritual and pastoral benefits of this devotion.